"Call them off or I'll break your neck," he said.
"Stay where you are!" said Hypsipyle, her voice cracking slightly. The androids froze where they stood, looking at her expressionlessly.
"All right," said Delaney, "now you tell them to head back to the main chamber and we'll follow. If any of them makes a move against us, I'll start breaking things in this lovely body." She did as she was told and the androids filed past Delaney. They all went into the main chamber, where the party had almost completely broken up. The music had stopped and there was no more revelry and dancing. About half the Argonauts were passed out on the floor, the others were slumping in a stupor, on the verge of unconsciousness. Steiger ran over to Hercules, who sat with his back against a wall, shaking his head slowly and trying to focus his gaze.
"Hercules! Hercules, come on, wake up!" He slapped the strongman several times, then checked his eyes. "They've all been drugged!"
The androids in the room all stared at Hypsipyle, as if awaiting instructions. None of them spoke.
"What have you done to them?" said Delaney, squeezing her throat.
She coughed and gasped for breath. "If you harm me, none of you will leave here alive."
"Perhaps," said Delaney. "And perhaps with you dead, none of them will know what to do. It's not as if they're living, reasoning beings, is it?"
"I-I do not understand."
"I think you do. Now answer my question."
"There-there was a potent sleeping draught mixed into their wine," she said.
"Why?"
She did not answer and he squeezed harder, blocking off the flow of blood to her brain just long enough to bring her to the brink of unconsciousness.
"Why?"
She gasped and coughed. "I do not know. I swear it! I merely did as I was told."
"Told? By whom?"
"By-by Hermes."
"Hermes?" said Steiger.
"The messenger of the gods. He who hides his face so that mortals may not look upon it."
"Sound familiar?" Andre said.
"Tell them to bring all our weapons here," said Delaney. "Do precisely as I say and we'll let you go unharmed. Otherwise-"
"I-I will tell them."
She directed the androids to return the weapons of the Argonauts and they silently moved to follow her orders.
"You think maybe she really doesn't know?" said Andre.
"I don't know," said Delaney. "It's possible. The truth now," he said to Hypsipyle. "There are no men here, are there?"
She shook her head.
"And no children? No old people?"
She shook her head again.
"Of course," said Delaney. "No one grows old here, do they?"
Hypsipyle burst into tears. "I was promised! I was promised that I, too, would never age! I was promised that if I took care of them I would be their queen and live forever!"