Minerva watched in a surprise as the plasma rifle skidded away from with any help. At least not any normal help anyways, he must be using his telekinetics again. The redhead agent took aim with her sidearm and prepared to fire. Suddenly she felt a blast concentrated her arm and suddenly her pistol went flying out of her hands. No!!!! With in the span of a few seconds the woman had lost her rifle and side arm and was lying prone on the ground. And the creature was continuing to explain what he did to her sister.

You were her first? You took her!!!! What kind of agreement did you force her into!! Minerva didn't want to here the part about being amicable. The mere thought of it angered her even more. Still there wasn't much she could do, as the alien was just playing with her now. Suddenly one of her gauntlets to her body armor few off her hand and off into the distance revealing her hand. She looked at him as he approached towards her prone body and suddenly he disappeared.

Minerva didn't know what to make of what just happened, but she was going to take it lying down. The woman jumped back up on her feet she was very determined to fight this to end. The only thing left, was her knife. She drew the knife and held it out in front of her as she entered a defensive pose. It was at that moment she had wished she had something like a sword or spear in her hands.

And it was at that moment that she had a spear in her grasp. Her surroundings had changed, she was standing in a field, her form fitting armor replaced by a simple toga. In her off hand was a shield and there were similarly armed men in a line to either side of her, some even had armor in the form of simple breast pates. Most appeared young, in their late teens or early twenties.

Many of them were olive skinned and sported beards, a few even seemed familiar to her. A young, beardless man had been in front of her speaking calmly to the assembled group.

"... though not all of you brave heroes will be destined to return. The journey will be perilous but for those of you that see it to it's conclusion it shall be worth while. The fleece can do marvelous things; resurrect the dead, even staff of wounds and harm making the wearer invulnerable, like the hide of the Nemean lion you wear Hercules."

Eyes panned towards a rather large bearded man near a younger beardless man. The bearded man seemed far more wild and unkept than the other who had been adorned in a white toga.

Minerva looked side to side a second look for the creature that had disappeared then she looked down at her knife to make sure she was still holding it. Suddenly there was spear in her hand instead of a knife. What that? The red headed agent was baffled to have the weapon of her desire in her hands, she immediately looked up and around. She was no longer in the ravine, but was standing in a field. She noticed that her armor was gone replaced with a simple toga. It was then that she realized that she had a shield in her off hand and was standing in a line of men that were similarly equipped as her. A few wore some basic breast plates, but all appeared to be about her age or slightly older. Many seem to have olive skin while some sported beards, but all were standing at attention as a person in front of them spoke.

The man was young and did not have a beard but was mentioning something about a fleece. He explained it was known to do lots of miraculous things. Minerva thought about that for a second, was this the Golden Fleece? The Fleece from Greek mythology? How did she get here? Was this all an illusion? When the young man mentioned his companion, Hercules, all doubt was removed. No matter how it happened there was no doubt that Minerva had found herself in mythological Greece.

Had Aegir some sort of talent in moving her to the past? No, she quickly realized that this was fantasy, that there was never a son of Zeus, never a Hercules. Still the young man was speaking even as she was trying to make sense of it all.

"You are free to stay here and recite that on this day that you cowered from adversity or you can live on forever by percervering against all odds. Even if you fall you will be forever importalized and achieve immortality in that way.

"All that are going can follow me, those who wish to stay may do so." The man turned on his sandaled heels and walked away down the field to a slope that he navigated there that lead down to the sands of a beach.

Others followed, though how many out of bravery and how many where shamed into it by the man's words were hard to say though the field emptied out until only she remained and one other that had taken a stride to the slope.

A younger blonde haired man dressed in a toga turned towards her. "You staying? You'd be the only one."

Minerva watched in disbelief as she looked around at the men around her began to move down to beach to the follow the young man to either death or glory. The red headed amazon couldn't believe how real it felt. The warmth of the sun on her body, the cool breeze of the ocean coming off the shore. She could feel the strength of her spear in her hand, the protection her shield would provide should she find herself in combat. Yet she knew that this was some sort of fantasy, she had heard about Jason and his quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. It was no doubt that they were after that. She couldn't remember the details of the myth, being far more interested in the history of Greece that its myths.

It was then that the blond haired man next to her snapped her back to what passed for reality here. She shook her head no, No, I am not staying here. I will not find out anything by staying behind. Let us get on our way. By the way my name is Minerva. Minerva was sure that Roman was not around at this time, so no one would recognize her name was the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess. What is your name?

Had the man thought that her name was out of place he said nothing nor did he react to it at all. Minevra, Athena, goddess of war and wisdom and in some places civilization such as Athens.

"Such an odd name for an Amazonian. My name is Thesus. You look lost. Stick with me and I'lll show you the ropes. To Chloris, but first to the ends of the world, Jason wishes to speak to a man, a prophet I believe to start off our journey."

Well met, Thesus. Minerva quickly came up with a cover story to help protect herself. I am from Italia, which is west of here. I have come here to prove myself. This at least explained her unusually name and her background. The story about proving herself was a bit of lie, but she knew she was going to be forced to prove herself before this is over. Ah that sounds wise of him to seek a prophet. Minerva remember from her history classes that the Greeks often seeked out the advice of prophets before going out deciding on a course of action. So this side trip Chloris was not unexpected. Jason seems to be a man that wise beyond his years. The young amazon's journalist instincts began to kick in as she was trying to learn as much as she can about the quest.

"Well met. I haven't heard of Itialia before but I am not as well traveled as the others. Kings and heroes all of them, which serves them well. I am here because I knew Chiron, the centaur that raised Jason and had an in with him that way.

"Chloris is our final destination where the fleece resides. I know he wishes to obtain the fleece to use that as a sign to achieve his rightful birthright, the throne of Aeolius, I don't know much about the politics of matters just that his uncle usurped the throne with the death of his half-brother and killed all the heirs save for Aeson, who was spared when his mother pleaded for his life. She sent him to live with Chiron, the centaur, who changed his name to Jason and here we are now.

"I believe our first port of call is to a prophet, an oracle of sorts before we begin in earnest."

Ah I see, well with such heroes I am sure it won't take long for Jason to retrieve what is rightfully his. Minerva now kinda wished she had paid more attention to the myth when they studied in school so long ago. That would have helpful right about now, but now the red head amazon was simply going to have to learn about the details of the myth the hard way. The fact that there is a centaur that Thesus and Jason personally knew, meant they would encounter many of the creatures of Greek myth. However, if that bothered the young woman she was not about to show it. Then let us be on out way, Thesus. It would be good to consult with the prophet before undergoing this difficult mission.

Had she been versed in the mythos she would have realized that there was no Thesus listed amongst the 50 or so Argonauts, that he had been a creation by Aegir for this. a guide if you will to learn about the scenario. Of course there were other dealf a mile out or so at anchor.
details here and there that he would change at his whim.

Thesus moved along the beach. He look to the waters and saw the Argos about half a mile out at anchor. On the beach were several long boats that were filling up with people before being cast out into the waters and rowed towards the ship.

"Jason seeks Phineas, he believes that the man knows how to navigate the Clashing Rocks near Chloris but we will see if that is the case or if our journey will be a short one."

Thesus explained as he grasped the end of the long boat pushing it out to sea. Water pooled up around his legs as he moved the boat out into the warm waters enough to let the water get a grip of it and where oars would be useful before he jumped into it himself.

Minerva followed Thesus as he moved to along the beach, they soon came across an empty longboat. As the red headed amazon helped her new friend push the boat into the water. She could feel the warmth of the wet water on the as washed around her legs, it was disturbing on how real this all felt to her. As soon as the boat was deep enough to be free of the beach, the young woman hopped into the boat and picked up a pair of oars to help row out to the ship.

A guide would be very helpful, I have heard stories about the Clashing Rocks. I would rather not have to experience those rocks up close. Minerva could at least understand the importance of having a local navigator. Anybody who was familiar with such a hazard would be of great help to get around the obstacle.

Things already had not been quite like the original tale seeing that the Argonauts had been chosen by being the best at athletic games. This was a little different. Thesus nodded. "Yes, a guide would be great, though I do not think Jason tends to bring him with us. Phineas, the blind was given the gift of prophecy by the gods though he has sin against them and for that Phineas is tormented by Zeus' harpies.

"Hera, I have heard, wife of Zeus, has favored him and told him where to go first on his journey. I over heard him speaking to Argos."

They were coming up to The Argos the great ship crafted for this journey to the edge of the world. In the real world Aegir was steadily closing in on her while her mind was turned in on itself and experiencing this illusion.

"Phineas knows the secrets of the Clashing Rocks and Jason believes that he can get advice from the old man."

In reality the agent simply stood there helpless, having no way to to react or even defend herself from the creature closing in on her. Her mind was trapped in the illusion, unable to process what was going on around her while her mind was isolated.

Meanwhile in her mind the red headed amazon continued to row as they got closer to the the Argos. The ship sat relatively low in the water compaired to vessels she had seen back on Earth. It did have a sail, but that was not where the Argos got its speed. It was her crew and their oars that would enable the speed that the ship would need in combat. Tormented by harpies? What a horrible fate, did they make him blind? Hmmm, still he does no a way around the Clashing Rocks and that advice will he invaluable.

"As far as I know his blindness was a cause of old age but each evening when he goes to feed the harpies drive him off from his feast and eat his meal. He lives by existing off the scraps that they leave. I am unsure how this food gets there but the gods must manifest it as a torment. They did that to poor old Tantallus.

"A titan chained in a pool with a fig tree near enough where the branches hung over him. He had insatiable hunger and thirst though each time he tried to consume the fruit the wind would blow the branches just out of his reach. When he would bend the water would vanish before taking a drink."

They pulled up to the Argos and were helped aboard. The long boat, along with the others, were being hoisted up tp the sides of the ship and suspended there. Yet another feature the Argos lacked. But before long they were set to sail rowing along.

One of the nifty things that Aegir could do with his illusions was to make time stretch or pass at a crawl at a whim with little time actually passing in the real world. It seemed like ages, weeks in fact that they were rowing along on a ration of three sips of water per day with supplies dwindling when Jason addressed them, the figure head of the ship cast astern rather then on the bow resembled the goddess Hear and it was with her that Jason sought council with before he was told of an island not far from here.

Take nothing but the food least you provoke the ire of Talos.

These were the words that he repeated now to his crew before they but their backs into rowing and disembarked at the island ...

It seemed like forever for the red headed amazon as they traveled on the Argos. The work was long and very tough for the young woman, she had never really done work on board a ocean going vessel, especially on ancient Greek ship. It took a while for the amazon to adjust to her role on the vessel, but time seemed to be something she had in abundance. At first days passed by, then weeks; Minerva began to wonder if she would be forever trapped in the illusion. However her hunger pains felt very real to her as the ship had begun to ration their food and water.

However eventually Jason had found a island with help of the goddess Hera. For Minerva, a wave of relief had washed over her. The opportunity to go to an island, even for a little while was almost heaven sent as they would finally be able to spend some time off the Argos for a little while. Even if there was something like Talos on it.

The young woman remembered very little about Talos, he some sort giant man made of bronze or something like that. He probably would be very dangerous if she was to come across him. The red head reminded herself that she just needed to get food and return to the Argos as quickly as possible.