Nobody's Prize by Esther Friesner

breath of the gods. “You mean Calydon,” I said carefully, watching his face. “It’s the princes I’ve offended who come from Sparta, not me.”
    “Ah.” He gave me a lazy smile. “My mistake. Come with me, Glaucus of Calydon. If you truly must steer clear of those Spartan princes, you’d better get aboard the
Argo
now, before the whole encampment’s awake. Zetes and Kalais and I will work with your master and great Herakles today, letting the other Argonauts know your name and your need to avoid Castor and Polydeuces. We’ll hide you from them so well that it will seem you’ve borrowed Hades’ own helmet of invisibility.”
    Orpheus left me to scramble up the
Argo
’s side unaided. Once aboard, I looked over the beached ship’s side and watched him stroll away along the tide line. He paused halfway back to our campsite and faced the sea, where the sun was just beginning to show a sliver of rosy light on the horizon. Raising his arms in salutation, he began to sing a hymn of praise to Apollo. The clear, perfect notes climbed the cool morning air like the fragrant smoke of burning incense. I’d never heard a man’s voice so blessed by the gods.
    I was still lost in Orpheus’s song when I sensed that I wasn’t alone. I turned to see Hylas at my back, as fascinated by the Thracian’s voice as I.
    “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Hylas spoke softly, with the reverence a pious man might pay to the gods. “They say that Orpheus has the power to calm storms with his songs.”
    “Is it true?” I could believe it.
    “If he can’t calm the storm itself, he certainly can calm
our
fears. That’s enough of a gift for any man.”
    “That’s too bad.” I ran my fingertips along the smooth wood of the rail. “I would have loved to see him sing a storm away.”
    “So, you’ve got a taste for wonders?” Hylas smiled at me. “We’ll see some marvelous sights together on this voyage.”
    “Together—?” My breath caught in my throat. It was silly, but no matter how much I told myself that Hylas was a boy like a hundred others, I still couldn’t look at him for long without feeling my face grow warm. “I—Yes, that would be—I’d like that,” I finished lamely. An awkward stillness fell between us, putting me on edge. “What are you doing up so early?” I asked, wanting to fill the silence.
    “No choice,” he replied cheerfully. “I had to re-hang the ox hide Herakles tore down last night.” He gestured aft to my shelter beneath the steersman’s post. “I can’t complain about the work. If I hadn’t told him about you, I wouldn’t have had to—”
    “You did
what
?” I don’t know how I kept myself from shouting loud enough to bring the whole crew of the
Argo
running. “Hylas, I
trusted
you to—”
    “Glaucus, don’t be mad.” He was genuinely distressed. “I did it to help you. I kept thinking of you and Milo trapped in that dark place for days to come. That’s why I spoke to Herakles, begging him to be your champion. Once he promised me he’d protect you, we fetched Iolaus, not before.”
    “Oh. Well…well, no harm done,” I said, my anger fading.
    “I’ll make it up to you,” Hylas said. “Today I
will
bring you some wine, and the best cheese, and—”
    If he said he was going to
bring
me food and drink, it could only mean one thing. I glanced aft to my hiding spot under the helmsman’s post. “I thought we didn’t have to stay there anymore.” I’d joined the quest for the Fleece in order to taste freedom. I didn’t relish the thought of spending another day as a prisoner.
    “Not for much longer, Glaucus, I swear. Just until we’ve set sail and Herakles has the chance to tell your story to the rest of the crew…with two exceptions.” His smile glinted with mischief. “If it’s any comfort, you’ll have the space to yourself. You said the Spartans have no grudge against your sour-faced friend. He’s free to come and go as he pleases.”
    “His
name
is