This story begins in the coastal city of Iolcus in the Magnesian region.

A man known as Jason stood on a platform over a large crowd holding up a wanted poster, announcing out loud. “Attention adventurers! King Athamas of Orchomenus has ordered for the search and capture of a flying golden ram and the runaway slave who stole it. Several nights ago, the two were last sighted flying over this city towards the Aegean Sea.

“King Athamas promises a handsome reward of gold and rare materials to whomever returns the ram and slave to him, dead or alive.

“I, Jason of Iolcus, am recruiting any brave adventurers willing to join my crew on this search-and-capture mission out in the open sea. I intend to split the reward evenly amongst all my crew members!”

This announcement caused a bustle of talks and whispers in the crowd. Amongst them was a pair of twin brothers named Pollux and Castor.

“This sounds fun Castor, we should join.” Pollux excitedly urged his twin brother, but Castor had a calculating look on his face.

“The King seems willing to search all of Hellas for those two. The chance of finding them is low, but with that kind of reward split amongst a large search party… It might be worth it, but…”

Pollux’s excited smile turned dim. This was as much enthusiasm as he would get out of his boring brother, who only looked at life in terms of monetary value. Oh, how he wished Castor would see the fun in the adventures they get into!

They were adventure travellers who make their living off of odd jobs and looting from the rich on their travels. Pollux particularly enjoys this lifestyle for the fun, excitement and thrill of discovery, but he was the only twin that thinks this way; a fact that he laments.

They saw the wanted poster of the runaway slave and flying ram not long after setting foot in Iolcus. At first, Castor was interested because the reward was so high, but now that they learnt more information about the fugitives, Castor is back to his usual calculating self. The job may be too hard, and splitting the reward with a search party wasn’t ideal…

“Let’s do it! We’ve never crossed the ocean before. This is an opportunity!” Pollux exclaimed, dragging Castor away before he utterly rejected the idea. If he lets Castor have his way, they will never have any fun at all!

Hence, this was how both Pollux and Castor joined a sea crew with twenty-five other members, a decent number. The team stood together with Jason standing facing them, counting their numbers with his eyes.

“In the end, we only mustered up twenty-six members…” Jason said to himself, slightly disappointed, before pointing his thumb at himself and addressing his crew, “It’s a small team, adding myself as the captain will make us a crew of twenty-seven. I look forward to working with you all.”

Small? How many was he hoping for? Castor thought as Jason lead the crew to a dock and surprised everyone that a large single-bank galley ship was already prepared for them to set sail out to sea. It was an impressive ship with large sails and enough space for fifty oar rowers.

Oh… Castor realised Jason was probably hoping for a crew of at least fifty members, so that it would be only one oar per rower. With their current team numbers, each rower would have to man two oars…

“Team, welcome aboard the ‘Argo’. Let us set out with not another moment to waste!” Jason exclaimed, hyping everyone up.

“YEAH!!!” most of the team shouted together. And thus, the crew called the ‘Argonauts’ began their journey out at sea in search of the runaway slave and flying golden ram.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

“I didn’t think being at sea would be so hard…” Pollux huffed, wiping off dripping sweat from his forehead and blond hair as he rowed his one oar.

All twenty-six recruits were indeed required to row the Argo. Thirteen men rowing per side along the front to propel the single-bank galley through the sea. Their captain, Jason, acted as their helmsman and navigator. This was the decision made on the crew’s travel arrangement until they find their targets.

“Why couldn’t the king spare some of his men to row this huge thing?”

“Oh hush, Pollux! You wanted to join this expedition for the adventure, didn’t you? Don’t start complaining now.” Castor chided from Pollux’s right side. This was only slightly better than what he imagined would be their rowing arrangement. With all the men positioned along the front half of the Argo, they still needed to perform twice as hard with their one oar to move the ship at a decent pace.

Pollux saw his twin brother also wiping sweat from under his brown locks. “You’re not used to this either, though. Aren’t you tired, Castor?”

“Of course I am,” Castor admitted with a huff. “But the pay seems worth it this time, so you won’t see me complaining just yet.”

It was frustrating to Castor that his twin only cared about how thrilling a job was and not consider the specific details, like whether the job is worth their effort, and how they survive during and after the job. He particularly dislikes it when Pollux, after a job or raid, squanders all of his share of the reward somewhere, leaving Castor to cover all of their living with his share. There was always never enough for the two of them; Castor could not help focusing more on how much reward they get for their efforts.

With their current job, they would not get paid until the Argonauts successfully captured the golden ram and slave and bought them back to the king, but at least until that time, food and shelter would be provided on the ship. However, just a mere few hours have passed since the Argo left the dock and they were already feeling muscle pains from the repetitive rowing motion. Nobody would say the twins were lacking in physique, but this job be may be out of their league…

“No, you’re right Castor!” Pollux let out a breath, “I wanted to be here, so I shouldn’t be complaining about a little pain!” Letting out a shout, he pushed his oar into the water and forced himself to row with the others.

“Yeah, that’s the spirit!” an unfamiliar voice called out.

Both Pollux and Castor looked up at the voice and saw a tall, muscular man rowing in the seat in front of them.

So large and mighty was this man that he could row two oars without breaking into sweat; he made his seatmate looked pathetic puking out the side of the ship.

“‘Where there is great labour, there is great gain!’ is what they say.” The man grinned heartedly before wincing at his poor seatmate puking loudly.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help listening. You can call me Heracles, and… don’t mind him.” Heracles continued speaking to the twins.

“I’m Castor, and he’s my brother, Pollux.” Castor pointed to himself and then his brother.

“Will he be alright?” Pollux nodded towards the puking crew member.

“Ah, the man’s just seasick, is all,” Heracles reassured Pollux. “I’m manning his oar until he feels better.”

“Isn’t it difficult, rowing two oars?” Pollux asked incredulously.

“Not at all. It’s a simple matter for me.” Heracles shrugged.

Incredible! Both Pollux and Castor suddenly felt outclassed rowing near that muscle of a man. Here they were struggling with their own oars, and he was rowing two. Where did his strength come from?

“With that kind of brawn, you could probably complete the mission alone and take the reward all for yourself.” Castor commented uneasily.

“Ah, I’m actually not here for the reward.” Heracles admitted, glancing back at them. “I’m journeying to Tiryns to see my cousin.”

“Huh?” Pollux and Castor gave each other a look. “From Iolcus, Tiryns is only about a day’s ride on horseback. Why would you be here out at sea when you could get to Tiryns faster on land?”

Heracles gave an odd smile. “I simply wanted to take a detour, is all.”

Oh… The twins understood; he was purposely delaying his meeting with his cousin.

That was how they came to know Heracles, the most vigorous and enigmatic man amongst the Argonauts.

“Argonauts! Less talking and more rowing!” Jason called from the helm. “We’ll be searching the Sporades Islands first, so let’s try to make it to the first of the islands by sundown!”

Groaning, all did their best to continue rowing.

This was how the crew planned to tackle the mission, by searching every island and land they came across. It was inefficient, but there was no other choice with their lack of information and only general directions to go by.

Upon arriving at the Sporades, the Argonauts spent the next several days searching and asking the locals for any sightings of their targets. They appeared mostly unsuccessful until Pollux and Castor came across an elderly man who claimed to be a witness.

“I was looking up at the moon when I saw it flying over the sky! It was gold and soared like a shooting star. Nobody believes me, but I swear on my life a gold ram flew over that night towards Lemnos.” The elderly man recounted, pointing in the north-east direction.

A clue! Both twins rushed to relay the elder’s story to their crew. Instantly, Jason decided their next destination would be the Isle of Lemnos.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

It was another full day’s worth of non-stop rowing from the Sporades to Lemnos, with the Argonauts arriving just at sunset. Both Pollux and Castor’s arms felt about ready to fall off by the time they reached shore.

But upon disembarking, some of the island’s inhabitants unexpectedly welcomed the crew; every one of them women.

One particularly beautiful woman approached first. “Greetings seafarers! I, Queen Hypsipyle of Lemnos, welcome you all to my humble island.”

The women standing behind the queen whispered amongst themselves while eyeing the Argonauts with a particular look in their eyes.

Ignoring them, the queen continued, “To celebrate your safe journey, we will host a feast tonight for all you fine men!”

This sudden invitation was odd but not unwelcomed. Majority of the Argonauts cheered and willingly accepted the feast hosted by these women. Jason was amongst them before Castor gave the man a nudge.

“Captain, don’t forget why we’re here.”

“Ah, you’re right!”

“Queen Hypsipyle!” Jason quickly took charge and approached the queen with a wanted poster. “We appreciate the hospitality, but we are really here in search of a magical flying golden ram and a runaway slave for King Athamas of Orchomenus. Would you be able to help us?”

Raising an eyebrow at the poster, Queen Hypsipyle gave a sly smile.

“I do not know of these whom you speak of, but I can aid your search. Perhaps we can discuss this after tonight’s feast?” She said while running a finger up Jason’s arm, causing the man to flush at her coquetry.

Castor rolled his eyes. Predictably, the Argonauts’ productivity spiralled down from there. Before long, the promised feast began in full swing.

It turned out unexpectedly grand; the women who served the food and wine were also very easy company. It did not surprise Castor when Pollux easily fell for a beautiful young girl and attempted to get closer to her.

Choosing not to engage in the festivity, Castor escaped with the excuse of bringing food over to Heracles, who stayed on the Argo to safeguard it.

In truth, he felt suspicious of the feast and the women. From the moment they stepped on Lemnos, there was no sign of any men. Where were they? It was unnatural to not see even one.

“Perhaps they’re a matriarchy,” Heracles said when Castor expressed his unease. “It would explain why there’s only a queen and no king.”

Castor only gave a disbelieving look while the other ate his food.

So when he eventually returned to the feast, Castor was unprepared to find Pollux in a heated kiss with the beautiful girl. The other Argonauts were also in various acts of intimacy with the women of Lemnos.

They were being seduced! This was the purpose of the feast!

“You fool, you played right into their hands!” Castor pulled his twin off the girl before dragging him away. “Come on, we’re going to see the queen.”

“Wha- Castor! I was in the middle of… You can’t just pull me away like that!” Pollux protested loudly with indignation.

“Fool! Did you already forget the mission after locking lips with a girl?”

“You’re just jealous! You know you’re too boring to get one yourself.”

“At least I know my priorities; you just jump at any chance to play!”

“Yeah? Well, you…” And so the twins continued to argue back and forward with Castor dragging around Pollux until eventually they found Queen Hypsipyle together with Jason in front of an open campfire.

Their captain was asleep, and the queen had his head resting on her lap while she lovingly caressed his hair.

“Queen Hypsipyle,” Castor began firmly, “I don’t know what your motive is for having your women seduce our crew, but we can’t waste time here on this island. If you have information on our targets, please tell us now.”

The queen calmly continued her caresses while she spoke. “You probably know by now, but there are no men in Lemnos. They were all driven out for adultery and their affairs with Thracian women. Since then, us Lemnian women have survived without husbands for many years. But we are only human, so forgive us for craving the touch of a man after all this time.”

“That… sounds like it must have been tough…” Pollux sympathised, but Castor poked his forehead for falling for the questionable sob story.

“I’m sorry, but your plight is not our concern.” Castor bluntly replied. “As I have already said, we can’t waste time here. We’re banking our livelihood on this mission as well. So give us the information we seek or we’ll leave.”

The queen sighed, relenting. “As I have said, I do not know of these targets you speak of, but I know a way to find them.” After carefully placing a cushion under the sleeping Jason’s head, Queen Hypsipyle stood up to lead both Castor and Pollux to the centre of town.

There stood a white stone altar, spotless and well maintained. Queen Hypsipyle stood in front of it before addressing the twins. “We’ll need an offering to give to the Messenger God. Will you offer your sandals?”

“Oh… So that’s what she’s doing.” Castor and Pollux muttered together. They both willingly took off their sandals and placed them on the altar.

Queen Hypsipyle then began the ritual. “O Brilliant Messenger God, Hermes! These men have come seeking the whereabouts of a magical flying golden ram and a runaway slave. They graciously offer their precious sandals as a trade for the information they seek. If you accept their offering, please guide them with your divine power!”

For a moment, the queen and twins stood in silence, waiting for a response.

Then suddenly came the sounds of fluttering feathers. A rooster appeared and stood on the altar.

“Golden ram? Oh yes, I know about that,” said the rooster.

Both Castor and Pollux stared in shock while Queen Hypsipyle lowers her head in respect. “Thank you for accepting the offering, O Hermes.”

“Goodness, all this excitement over a ram.” Hermes, in rooster form, shook his head. “Well, if you must know, ‘he’ is currently further east in the Kingdom of Colchis.”

Castor blinked in astonishment at the information. “All the way in Colchis?”

“Did that rooster really just speak?!” Pollux gasped in shock.

Queen Hypsipyle frowned at the twins’ attitude. “You are in the presence of a god! Show more respect!”

But her words fell on deaf ears. Both Castor and Pollux fell into their own world, huddled together and discussing the information they received. They only broke out to briefly thank Hermes for the information before immediately racing back to the area where the Argonauts were still feasting.

Distraughted, Queen Hypsipyle quickly bowed to Hermes. “O Hermes, I apologies for their rude behaviour in your presence!”

“It’s fine,” Hermes dismissed with a flutter of a wing. “I could have told them more, but they already seemed satisfied. At least their journey ahead will be an interesting one to watch!”

The queen nodded, but could not help but feel a sense of foreboding from the messenger god’s words.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

The next day saw the Argonauts setting out to sea once again, though it was not without some disagreements and discord beforehand.

Having informed Jason and the rest of the crew of their targets’ location given by Hermes that night, Castor was not pleased to find in the morning that Pollux, Jason and most of the Argonauts wanted to halt the mission for a week to stay with their female companions from last night’s feast.

“These women are lonely. We can’t abandon them!” Pollux had urged.

Castor could not believe it. Last night, his brother was all excited about seeing Colchis for the first time, but today he wanted to stay in Lemnos? After just one night, what had these women put in the men’s heads?

“You’re mad! Waiting will just let our targets get away!” Castor argued.

Luckily, he had one Argonaut on his side.

“How disdainful!” Heracles scorned at the crew. “To think that men of your calibre would set aside a mission after bedding a woman for a night, or did you expect after giving a bit of information, the gods would also drop the fugitives at our feet too?”

Heracles knew the right words to say. Castor gave Pollux a smug smile.

The giant man effectively shamed the crew into action. By midday, the Argo and its crew left behind heartbroken women and the shores of Lemnos for their next destination, Colchis.

However, “You are so heartless, Castor.” Pollux was deeply upset about leaving his love, and in childish defiance, refused to be his seatmate while rowing the Argo.

Castor had to ignore him to focus on their new strenuous route. To reach Colchis, they must first navigate the various waterways into the Euxine Sea.

For the next couple of days, the Argonauts sailed through a long narrow strait that flowed into an inland sea, which they crossed to reach another strait on the north-eastern end. This last strait ended with a pair of giant rocks known as the ‘Symplegades’ that acted as the gate to the Euxine Sea.

“I once heard a legend,” one of the Argonauts spoke while rowing, “that no ship has ever passed the Symplegades before.”

“Really?” Jason raised an eyebrow at the man. “Well, we’re almost there. Let us be the first to pass the rocks then. Continue forward!”

“Huh, Symplegades is an interesting name.” Pollux mused as he and everyone continued to row the ship towards the two rocks.

Up close, everyone could see that the two rocks were enormous. The short passage between them was the narrowest part of the strait. Fortunately, the Argo could still fit through the gap without issues, until…

Suddenly, the sound of rumbling could be heard.

“Do you hear that?”

“Hey, the rocks, they’re closing in on us!”

“Row back! Row back!”

“EVERYONE GET OUT!!”

CLASHHHH!!!

Unbeknownst to the Argonauts, the Symplegades were a pair of rocks that clashed together when any vessel sailed between them. Alternatively, in Hellas they were also called the ‘Clashing Rocks’. Nobody was prepared to face this obstacle. This vital missing piece of information caused the end of Jason and the Argonauts’ journey.

──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

In a single moment, chaos broke loose.

“Pollux!” Just a moment before he would have been crushed to dust, Pollux felt Castor pull him away. Then seawater engulfed them and all he could do was hold tightly onto his brother to keep them from separating, all the while using a free arm to swim against the raging current.

The underwater sea was dark and turbulent. Were they going to die? Was this the end of them? Just as Pollux was about to run out of breath, he felt a hand grab the back of his neck and pulled to the surface.

“Are you two alright? Grab onto this!”

It was Heracles! Pollux had never been more glad to see the man.

Heracles gave them a large piece of wooden debris from the Argo and told them to use it as flotation. Both Pollux and Castor were to swim to shore while he searched for and rescue the other crew members. Then, in a blur, Heracles dived back into the sea and disappeared.

What a hero! Pollux sighed in relief before turning to look at his brother.

“Uggh…” Castor groaned.

“Castor! Your arm!” Pollux stared in horror at the sight of Castor’s torn up, bloody left arm. Anxiety rose in his chest. “O Great Zeus! How did this happen!?”

He hurried to pull both Castor and himself up properly onto the floating debris. Fortunately, it was large enough to carry both of them.

“Lost it…that time at the rock.” Castor groaned in pain.

Pollux went dreadfully pale; it was when his brother had saved him from getting crashed by the rocks! How much time had passed since then? How much blood had Castor lost? They were stuck in open waters separated from the others, with no way to get medical aid.

He has to get them back to shore! Find someone to help!

Quickly, Pollux ripped off a piece of his chiton to use as a bandage to stop the bleeding before jumping back into the water to push the debris along.

“I’m getting us to shore, Castor! I’m going to find help!” Pollux shouted.

“You fool…”

“That’s right, keep talking! Call me a fool or whatever you want. As long as you stay awake and don’t fall asleep!”

So Pollux swam on, pushing the wooden debris along unsteady waters while continuously talking to Castor. The endeavour was exhausting, but Pollux must endure to get help for his brother sooner.

He needed to find a beach. He saw plenty of rocks and cliffs, but to get Castor safely back on land, he needed a gradual slope.

Pollux considered himself a decent swimmer, but it still felt like hours before he finally spotted a suitable beach amongst all the rocks.

“I see a beach, brother! I’ll get us back on land soon, then get you help!”

“… Yeah…”

“This is unlike you! Normally, you’d be berating me for being a fool and doing unnecessary things again. Where’s your fire?”

“… Hmm.”

Pollux’s heart clenches at Castor’s minimal responses, but continued to push forward. They were so close; he cannot give up now!

“Hey Castor, I’m sorry I called you heartless. You’re not heartless. Do you remember? I caught a fever once staying out all night drunk, and you nursed me for three days straight. You’ve always looked out for me, but after you get better, it’ll be my turn to look out for you. I’m going to be your arm!”

Castor was silent as he stared up at the sky, a tear fell from his eyes. He believed Pollux meant what he said.

Once Pollux finally landed on the beach, he dragged the debris carrying his brother up the sand before collapsing onto his back. Completely drained from all the swimming, but his troubles were not over yet.

“Pol… lux.” At the sound of his name, he forced himself up to Castor’s side. His brother looked terribly pale; his good hand was unnaturally cold.

“Castor, brother, I’m here. Stay strong. I’m going to find help for you.”

Castor’s lips were moving, and Pollux leaned closer to hear his words.

“Pol…lux… …leav…me …save… …your…self…”

“No! No, I’m not leaving you!” His heart trembled as he gripped his brother’s hand. “Please! Stay strong! Don’t leave me behind!”

Yet despite his words, the light in Castor’s eyes faded. Pollux’s world fell apart when the life from his twin disappeared and he was all alone.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!” He released all the anguish and regret in his heart.

It was his fault!

Had he not been childish and just sat next to him, Castor would not have gotten his arm crushed trying to save him, leading to this moment.

Had he not stupidly insisted on wanting an adventure and joining the search group, then none of this would have even happened!

“Oh, my brother! It’s all my fault!” Pollux cried as he hugged and sobbed into the lifeless body of his twin. “I’m so sorry!”

How ironic that he realised how much his twin meant to him only once he lost him; how much he needed Castor in his life. His brother may be his polar opposite and they don’t agree on most things, yet he could not imagine life without the other by his side.

“Life is not worth living without you, Castor.” Pollux whimpered.

He gently laid his brother back down on the wood.

Using what little strength he had left, he tore off a large nail from the debris before holding it to his throat. “Wait for me brother, I’ll soon be joining you in Hades.”

A hand patted him on the shoulder. “Your love for your own flesh and blood is truly moving, but that won’t be necessary.”

“What?” Startled, Pollux stared up at the stranger standing over him.

“I’ve been watching you and your brother, Pollux,” the man smiled, “and I’m impressed with the love and compassion you two shared for each other, despite your differences. So I’ve decided, I will help the both of you!”

Pollux was in a daze. Who even is this man? “You… can help us?”

“Of course! I am Zeus, after all.” Zeus laughed heartedly. “In order to bring back your brother, I must ask if you will offer your body and half of your life to revive Castor.”

“Yes! Of course!” Pollux accepted with wide eyes. “Anything if it means Castor and I can be together again.” Though he could not fathom why the god would appear and offer to help them, he’ll take whatever he gets!

“Good answer,” Zeus nodded before raising his hand. “Two twins shall now share one body and one life!”

In a flash, both Pollux and Castor merged into one man. It was incredible, as if two separate parts have become one whole. This new man combined Pollux’s easy-going and open nature with Castor’s wit and intelligence, yet both brothers could feel each other inside.

Despite being twins with near identical features, the hair change was the most notable difference to their original bodies. The twin merged body had two different hair colours split down the middle; Pollux’s blond hair on the left and Castor’s brown hair on the right.

Zeus grinned widely, very pleased the merging was a success. “Now I pronounce you the personification of the third zodiacal constellation.”

“Excuse… us?” The merged twins stared at the god incredulously.

But Zeus continued anyway, “You shall be called ‘Gemini the Twins’!”

END