I received an envoy from Jason to go to on a quest for the Golden Fleece. He sent a message to every palace in Greece asking for young bold men to embark on a lucrative journey. I had been on many adventures and quests so I thought to myself, ‘why not go on another?’ Nothing could compare to the 12 Impossible Labors that I had to endure to cleanse my spirit. I loaded my things and headed to Iolcus.

Argo    

     When I arrived at Iolcus, there was a huge line of young men in front a miraculous ship. Jason asked Argus to build a ship with fifty oars. Argus was a mastership builder. The ship was named the Argo in honor of the ship builder. The crew was dubbed the Argonauts after the name of the ship. Argonauts means Argo-Sailors. Some of the more famous names on the ship besides my self were Atalanta, Zetes and Calais, Orpheus, and Hylas.

            Hylas was my most faithful companion. Atalanta was the only female on the journey. She could defeat a man in wrestling and running. Zetes and Calais, the sons of Boreas, were said to have wings on their head and feet. Orpheus was a musician and his songs moved stones, trees, and held wild beasts in a spell.

            The ship was blessed by Hera and Athena. Once the crew was finally assembled we set sail for the Golden Fleece. All the Argonauts were excited about the adventure. Everyone was trying to guess what great things they might see. Everyone knew of the journey that Odysseus encountered after the Trojan War. None of the crew showed any fear.

            Once anxiety left the Argonauts the ship became very tranquil. I had an idea that would get the crew going again. I called out to the crew that we should have a contest to see you could row the longest. Everyone cheered and began boasting and bragging about their strength and stamina. The entire crew rowed for a long time, but then many started dropping off. Jason and I were the only two left. Jason fainted due to overexertion. I could have rowed for a couple more days, but my oar broke in two.

            Soon after my oar broke we pulled ashore so that we could rest, gather supplies and repair my oar. Hylas went out in search of food. After several hours he had not returned. I went out to look for of him, but he could not find him. A water nymph saw Hylas and instantly fell in love with him. She pulled him into the water and Hylas was never seen again. When I did not return after several hours the Argonauts called for me to return to the ship. I was very upset that I never saw my faithful companion again. He was my dearest friend and had accompanied me on many of my adventures.

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John Waterhouse. Hylas and the Nymphs.1896. Waterhouse

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We started on our journey again and when we landed at Cios I decided to leave the quest. After losing my dear friend Hylas my heart was not in the adventure. I thought I could carry on, but I discovered after killing the two giants that I was not able to. Jason understood my reason for leaving. Jason and the Argonauts did not condemn me. I wished them the best of luck and a safe voyage as they sailed away.