"But what exactly is a god?" said Andre. "Whose definition are we using?"
Steiger smiled, "Why don't we wait until we meet one? Then we can go right to the source."
They reached the river shortly before dark without encountering anyone, mortal or immortal. The crossing did not prove difficult to find; it was almost exactly where Major Curtis had indicated it on his hastily drawn map. The river flowed swiftly and the water came up to their thighs, so it was necessary for them to move slowly and carry their weapons high as they waded across. They made camp not far from the riverbank. The night was warm and they decided to sleep under the stars, taking turns standing watch. It felt strange hearing the familiar sounds of crickets and nightbirds, seeing familiar constellations and knowing they were in another universe.
As their fire died down, Steiger reached into it and removed a glowing branch. He used it to light a cigarette.
"That's very non-regulation, you know," Delaney said. "You're not supposed to bring things like that through to Minus Time."
Steiger grinned. "You want a drag?"
"Sure."
Steiger passed him the cigarette.
They took turns standing watch and the night passed uneventfully. At dawn, they rose and washed up in the river, then checked the baited hooks they had left in the water overnight. Each of them had caught a fish. They were trained in survival techniques, but so far their journey was less a mission than a pleasant hike. Living off the land would pose no problem. As they were finishing their breakfast of cooked fish, someone hailed their campsite from the riverbank.
Exchanging glances, they made sure their weapons were within easy reach before replying to the call. A moment later, a slender, strikingly handsome young man came through the trees and stopped a short distance away from them. Like them, he was dressed in a knee-length chiton and a short mantle draped over one shoulder. He carried a small leather pouch and a bronze spear. A knife was tucked into his girdle. He had dark, curly hair that was in need of cutting. His cheeks were youthfully smooth. His features were well defined, with prominent cheekbones, a high forehead, a sharp nose and a slightly squared chin. His eyes were dark and his mouth had a proud, stubborn look about it.
"I did not wish to come into your camp and take you unaware," said the young man, "so I gave warning of my presence. As you see, I am alone and mean no harm."
"Come forward, then," said Delaney. "If you are hungry, we still have some food left."
The young man stepped forward and they could not help but notice that he wore only one sandal.
"The price of doing someone a good turn," he explained, noticing their gaze and glancing down at his unshod foot. "I was carrying a poor old woman across the river on my back. She would have been drowned for certain on her own; the current is swift and she was too frail to have
stood against it. My foot became caught between two stones halfway across. While I struggled to free it, the strap upon my sandal broke. With the old woman on my back, I could not have tried to catch it before it was swept away. Faced with a choice between the loss of an old woman or a sandal, I chose to lose the sandal. The proper choice to make, I think, if not the most convenient one."
He dropped his spear on the ground and sat down beside them. "I will trade you figs for fish," he said, opening his leather pouch and passing them several fruits. "I am Jason, son of Aeson, rightful king of Iolchos. I am on my journey home to claim my birthright." He said this as casually as if he had been remarking upon the weather. "I am called Fabius," said Delaney. "And these are my friends and traveling companions, Creon and Atalanta. We travel to Iolchos, also."
"Excellent," said Jason. "We shall all go together, then." It did not seem to occur to him they might not want to all go together. He simply accepted it as a matter of course.
"I heard Pelias is king in Iolchos," Andre said, to see how Jason would react.
"The throne does not belong to him," said Jason, his mouth full of fish. He spat out several bones, "He took it from my father and now I will come and take it back from him."
"All by yourself?" said Steiger.
"It is mine by right," said Jason, simply.
"Pelias might not see it that way," Steiger said.
"It matters not how Pelias might see it," Jason said, masticating furiously. "The kingdom is mine to claim and claim it I shall."
"But what if Pelias disputes your claim?" said Andre.
"Then I will have to challenge him. I do not wish to do this, so I intend to ask him to step down of his own free will. He will have to see that right is on my side and so I must prevail."
Delaney rolled his eyes.
"You would not, by any chance, have any spare sandals with you?" Jason said. "No? Worse luck. It means I shall have to enter Iolchos looking like a beggar who cannot even afford two sandals. Not a very good beginning for a king. Still, perhaps it is an omen. One can never tell about such things. The whims of the gods are strange."
"Have you ever met a god? asked Steiger, smiling at Andre.
"Not knowingly," said Jason. "It is said gods often take human form to mingle with us mortals. If I have ever encountered any, I do not know of it. Of course, there is Hercules, who is said to be the son of Zeus, or so claims his mother, Alcmene." He shrugged. "One never truly knows about such things. Hercules does have strength greater than that of mortal men, so perhaps he is a demigod, indeed. I do not give much thought to such matters." He finished eating and wiped his hands on his bare legs. "Time to travel on," he said, putting himself in charge of their expedition as if it were the natural order of things. "Soon, we shall enter Iolchos and I shall meet my destiny."
He set off in the vanguard of their small troop, walking quickly and purposefully with his shoulders squared and his head held high, as if he were a general leading a victorious army into a vanquished city.