The Return of Heracles INTRODUCTION The Return of Heracles translates the world of Greek mythology into modern electronics. Each player takes on the role of one or more ancient Greek heroes, a heroine, or even a winged horse. (These heroic characters are referred to generically as heroes, which is not meant to imply that they are necessarily male.) The heroes travel through the world of mythic Greece, earning fame and fortune, sharpening their skills, fighting strange beasts, and trying to satisfy the demands of Zeus, powerful father of heaven. A single player may control many heroes, who work together as a team. Additional heroes will be encountered during the game, and may be added to a party at any time. But be forewarned that a dead hero may not be reincarnated, that there are a limited number of heroes available, and that Zeus is not an easy taskmaster. May the gods favor you! OPTIONS When you insert the Return of Heracles disk, a map of Greece appears. You are given the choice of starting a game or changing options. The standard game assumes you want to view the map of Greece and the playing instructions, start a new game, and control your characters using a joystick. Changing the options permits you to skip the instructions, continue playing a saved game, or use the keyboard to control your characters. If you use the keyboard to move characters and select options, pressing a single key will relay your instructions; you need not press CTRL or RETURN. Pressing the space bar is the same as pressing a joystick button. (Refer to the Age of Adventure Reference Card for further details on input devices for your computer.) Moving your character A display at the bottom of the screen invites each hero to Move or select another option. The hero moves through his world as you move the joystick or press the appropriate keys. (See the section on "Movement" for more information.) The game's "camera" follows the currently active player into whatever room or map area they may visit. Thus if Ajax and Heracles are in a room and Ajax exits onto one of the sections of the Map of Greece, the computer will show the map with Ajax on it. When it becomes Heracles' turn, the "camera" will return to the room where Heracles remains so as to follow him. This allows heroes, or groups of heroes, to "split up" so as to attempt to perform two or more of Zeus' tasks in parallel. The displays showing heroes are of two types: 1) Maps, which are titled "Northern Greece," etc., show the outline of the appropriate portion of Greece with symbols showing specific locations where heroes may seek adventure (See map, back cover) Some portions of Greece can only be reached by going through (i.e. landing on top of) these location symbols and surviving the perils within. 2) Specific locations, such as the temples marked on the maps, where you can seek information and advice. Sometimes a location contains still more locations within it: a temple within which there is a secret chamber. If you choose not to move your hero, press the joystick button or the space bar to display his other options. A wounded hero who is not involved in a fight may Rest to restore his vigor; this option can only be selected before the hero moves. When the hero moves as far as his speed permits (see "Movement" for details on speed) or you select the Stop option, his turn ends. Attacking and Defending Your hero can make himself a harder target for enemies to hit by choosing to Defend himself; this option is only available to a hero before he has moved more than half of his speed. The Attack option may only be selected when the hero is close to an enemy, has an appropriate weapon, and has not moved over half of his speed. If there is a choice of enemies, you must select which foe to attack. A neighboring enemy cannot be attacked while your hero is wrestling with another opponent. Checking your status You may Know Thyself at any time during your hero's turn. A full verbal and numeric description of the hero's status is displayed. Strength affects the hero's ability to push open doors, tackle enemies, resist being tackled, fight in close combat with a dagger, and carry heavy loads of drachmae. Vigor is the hero's ability to survive damage; this quality rarely exceeds his strength. A hero with a vigor level of less than 3 falls unconscious and can only rest (vigor is restored primarily by resting). A hero dies when his vigor falls to 0. Dexterity affects the hero's likelihood of hitting an enemy and his chances of getting his turn before other heroes. Speed determines how far the hero can move in one turn. The hero's weapons may be poisoned and he may be especially skilled in using one or both of his weapons. Weapons vary in power and quality of workmanship. Adding and deleting characters The Add Player option permits you to call on the aid of additional heroes. You may choose the keyboard or any joystick plugged into your computer to control a new hero. Each character you add to the game will appear in a predetermined location. Unlike Ali Baba, will only you may decide to add them to the current room, you must bring all the heroes to a single spot in order to unite them into a coordinated party. This means learning where the various locations are in Greece (See map, back cover) so you can select an easy rendezvous point. Thus, if you have three heroes, they may all start in different locations. Each will have to fight his or her way to the rendezvous point. Once together, they'll travel as a group. If you wish to relinquish control of one of your heroes, you may choose to have him Desert. You must confirm this drastic choice. A deserting hero remains in play, acting on his own with no human control, until he escapes from the currently displayed room or map area. Changing display speeds The Change Monster Speed option allows you to force the beings not controlled by players to move faster or slower. This does not change their strategy or the play of the game; it means only that you can play a faster game of Return of Heracles. Similarly, Change Message Speed does not affect the strategic play of the game, but enables you to play more rapidly or slowly by having messages appear/disappear at a different rate. Dropping armor or gold Wearing armor usually reduces your hero's dexterity. Drop Armor if you want to increase your hero's dexterity before he moves but remember this increases the likelihood of being injured when an enemy attacks. Your hero may not pick up armor that has been discarded. Large sums of drachmae slow your hero and may immobilize him. To restore his speed, Drop Gold. Any amount may be discarded and is usually preserved (less a few lost drachmae) on the spot. Dropping gold and permitting someone else to pick it up allows money to be transferred from one hero to another. If you drop some gold and then move away from a dangerous enemy, the enemy may stop to pick up the loot instead of attacking your hero, giving him another turn in which to escape. The Drop Gold option must be selected before the hero moves. Saving and resuming games Each time a hero gets his turn, you may choose Save Game before the hero moves. (You may continue to play the game after saving it.) Return of Heracles does not save games on its own disk, so you must provide a floppy disk on which to save the game; the disk need not be formatted. Be sure the disk you provide has no information on it you wish to keep, as Return of Heracles may destroy any information already on the disk. Up to nine games in progress may be saved; use additional disks to save still more games. When you select this option, carefully follow the instructions on the screen. To resume a saved game, insert the Return of Heracles diskette and follow the directions on the Options screen. ORACLES The Oracle of Zeus (See map, back cover) is the only place to discover the goals of Return of Heracles. Heroes must travel to the oracle and approach the sacred oak tree of Zeus, whereupon one of the twelve tasks is revealed. Zeus gives little information on how to accomplish the tasks but the Oracle of Delphi can be helpful. Heroes may consult the Delphic oracle at any time; be advised that her clues are more useful and less obscure when your hero contributes generously to her priests. The oracle gives advice on the currently assigned task of Zeus whenever possible. Otherwise, she may give advice on unrevealed and unaccomplished missions. If your heroes find a task too challenging, they may return to the Oracle of Zeus for a different mission, risking the wrath of Zeus but not death for such cowardice. Once the assigned task is performed, Zeus bestows another. MOVEMENT A hero's speed determines how many spaces he may run in a single turn over unobstructed terrain. In a given turn, movement may be restricted by the presence of enemies on or near a hero's spot, or by moving through doors or running into objects. Movement is slowed if a hero is carrying heavy loads of drachmae. A hero moving half or less of his adjusted speed may choose to attack (if appropriate) or defend. A defending hero is harder to hit than an attacking one. The effect of leaping onto a neighboring enemy depends mainly on a hero's strength. Persistence pays off. Many objects are activated by moving onto them, particularly doors and stores. The nature of unknown objects is usually revealed by attempting to move onto them. BATTLE A hero always uses his sword to attack a neighboring enemy, and his dagger or bare hands to wrestle with a enemy when they share the same spot. When the hero hits his foe, his strike force equals, on the average, his weapon power (as given in the Know Thyself option). Some hits are critical, slipping past the armor of a protected foe or doing up to 10 additional points of damage to an unarmored enemy. The force of a blow is reduced by the foe's armor rating. If an attack succeeds in piercing the foe's armor and the hero's weapon is poisoned, it inflicts up to 8 additional points of damage. To fight in hand-to-hand combat, your hero must move onto the opponents space. This is easy to do when the foe is already wrestling, resting, or unconscious. Your hero has a 50% chance of tackling one or more standing foes whose combined strength equals his own. TRADING When a hero moves onto a store or trading outpost, he can exchange money for goods or services. Most places offer either weapons or armor. Each hero may carry one piece of armor, a sword, and a dagger. New weapons or armor replace older ones. A hero skilled in the use of a particular weapon may have to retrain himself in the use of a more powerful weapon. Weapons vary in workmanship as well as in power. A cheap weapon breaks in combat more often, while a fine weapon has a much lower chance of shattering when it strikes a foe. Some stores specialize in enchanting or poisoning weapons and armor. Enchanting a weapon or armor never decreases a hero's dexterity or special training, but it is often quite expensive. Poison is less expensive but its effects are not lasting (poison wears off one out of three times that a blow is struck). A few locations offer training for those who lack skills but not drachmae. Elis on the Peloponnesus has a training center where your hero can increase dexterity, strength, and weapon skills. On Mount Pelion, Cheiron the centaur offers valuable defense tactics in addition to standard strength and dexterity development courses. Heroes may also brush up on their weapon skills in the Port of Piraeus near Athens. SCORING Zeus tells you how well you are doing each time you complete one of his tasks, whether or not he has assigned the task. Each task is worth a certain number of points. Completing all twelve tasks earns you 5200 points. You earn a bonus by completing a mission with the loss of fewer than two heroes. If you suffer no losses, your bonus is 200 points; if you lose only one hero, your bonus is 100 points. In addition to the bonus for keeping your heroes alive and in action, you are awarded one extra point for each turn less than 200 it takes you to accomplish the task (counting from the beginning of the game or the completion of the last task, whichever occurred last). You can approach but never attain a score of 10,000 points. Zeus also gives a verbal rating of your progress, described under "Garlands" in the Glossary. The author has achieved a score of about 9500 points, and imagines that a score of 9650 might be possible with phenomenal luck. The Wild Olive Leaf Garland is awarded to scores of enemies 9000 or more. GLOSSARY The following glossary is by no means a comprehensive list of the terms found in Greek mythology. Only those persons, places , and things that appear in Return of Heracles are included here. When pronouncing names, note that the final e and es are sounded, as in Penelope and Achilles. There are a few exception, such as Thebes, which has only one syllable. Abas, Mount -- Mountain in northwestern Africa. Achilles -- ("Lipless") Son of Peleus and Thetis; was well trained by Cheiron the centaur. Acmon -- Brother of Passalus. Actaeon -- ("Shore Dweller") Son of Aristaeus and Autonoe; took after his father in his skill at hunting. Aeaea -- Island of Dawn. Home of Circe. Aeneas -- Son of Anchises and Aphroditee. Cousin of Paris. Destiny requires that his royal line must eventually rule Troy. Aellopus -- A harpy. Agelaus of Same -- A suitor of Penelope. Agrius -- A centaur. Ajax, Great -- ("Of the Earth") Son of Telemon and Periboea; has skin toughened by the lion hide of Heracles. Amphitryon -- King of Troezen. Amycus -- King of Bebrycos. He fancied himself a great boxer. Amymone -- She was rewarded for her favors by Poseidon with a perpetual spring, now named Amymone, which waters the Lernaean Swamp. Anchises -- King of the Dardanians and friend of Troy. He fathered Aeneas with Aphroditee. Ancius -- A centaur. Antaeus -- Giant son of Poseidon and Mother Earth. King of Libya. He ate lions, enjoyed wrestling, and took strength directly from the earth. Antenor -- Brother-in-law of Priam. He betrayed Troy for half of Priam's treasure. Antinous -- Most shameless suitor of Penelope. Apollo -- Son of Zeus and Leto. God of music. He often said "Know Thyself!" and "Nothing in excess!" Arcton -- Town on south coast of the Sea of Marmara. Ares -- Son of Zeus and Hera. God of war. Argus -- ("Bright") Odysseus' faithful dog. Artemis -- Daughter of Zeus and Leto. Goddess of the hunt and patroness of childbirth. Asclepius -- ("Unceasingly Gentle") Son of Apollo and Coronis; learned the arts of healing from Apollo and Cheiron. He is revered as the founder of medicine. Asterius -- Better known as the Minotaur. Athene -- Patron goddess of Athens. She sprang fully armed from Zeus' skull after he swallowed the titaness Metis. Athens -- Major Greek city-state. "Cradle of Democracy." Autolycus -- ("Very Wolf") Son of Hermes and Chione. He was a master thief. Aventine Forest -- A woods in Italy. Bebrycos -- Island in the Sea of Marmara. Bellerophon -- Son of Glaucus and grandson of Sisyphus. He was handsome, modest, and got along well with winged horses. Briareus -- Hundred-handed giant son of Mother Earth and Uranus. Brontes -- One of the Cyclopes. Cacus -- Huge, hideous, three-based son of Hephaestus and Medusa. He was a shepherd in the Aventine Forest. Cadmus -- ("From the East") Son of Agenor and Telephassa; left Canaan in search of his sister Europa, who had been stolen away by Zeus disguised as a white bull. In Greece, Cadmus was counseled by the Delphic Oracle to give up his search. Calydonian Boar -- Ferocious, man-eating boar, terror of the countryside. Carya -- The beloved of Dionysus; she died suddenly at Caryae, whereupon he changed her into a walnut tree. A temple built to Artemis and Carya features columns sculpted as female statues of Caryatids. Caryatid -- A nut nymph serving the goddess Car. Cassandra -- As a child, she fell asleep at a temple to Apollo and a sacred serpent licked her ear, giving her the gift of prophecy. See also Hector. Castor -- ("Beaver") Son of Tyndareus and Leda, brother of Clytaemnestra. See Dioscuri. Cecrops -- A king of Athens. Centaur -- A strong warrior with the body of a horse and the head and arms of a man. Centaurs were easily and violently affected by wine. Cerberus -- The three-headed hound of Hell born of Typhon and Echidne. Charybdis -- Voracious daughter of Mother Earth and Poseidon, she sucked in huge amounts of water thrice daily. Cheiron -- Immortal king of the centaurs, teacher of many Greek heroes at Mount Pelion. Chimaera -- Born of Typhon and Echidne. Fire-breathing goat with a lion's head and serpent's body. Chthonius -- One of the Sparti. Circe -- Daughter of Helius and Perse. She was skilled in enchantments but had little love for mankind. Cnossus -- Capital of Crete. Minos had his palace here. Colchis -- City on east coast of the Black Sea. Crete -- Large island south of Greece. Cyclopes -- Children of Mother Earth and Uranus. A tribe of fierce and barbarous people with one large, round eye in the middle of their forehead. Cycnus -- Son of Poseidon and Calyce. A swan comforted him after his birth. Cytisorus -- An Aeolian shipwrecked on the islet of Ares. Daedalus -- A wonderful smith. He built a wooden cow for Pasiphae, a labyrinth for Minos, wings for himself and his son Icarus, a magic sword for Peleus, a dancing floor for Ariadne, and many other finely-crafted items. Dascylus -- Son of King Lycus of Mariandyne. Deileon -- Was lost and stranded while fighting Amazons with Heracles. Deinus -- Flesh-eating mare. Deiphobus -- Son of Priam and Hecabe. See Hector. Delphi -- Site of cleft in the ground from which vision-giving vapors arose. Dercynus -- Son of Poseidon. Liked to steal cattle. Diomedes -- King of Thrace who kept wild mares tethered with iron chains to bronze mangers, and fed them the flesh of his unwary guests. Dioscuri -- The inseperable brothers Polydeuces and Castor. Castor was a famous soldier and horse tamer. Polydeuces was the best boxer of his day. Zeus created the constellation Gemini ("The Twins") to eulogize them. Dorceus -- A hunting dog. Drachma -- The usual unit of money in Greece. Dryad -- An oak nymph. Dryope -- A very lovely nymph. Echidne -- Half lovely woman, half speckled serpent. She ate men raw and raised a brood of frightful monsters, including Cerberus, the Hydra, the Chimaera, Orthrus, the Sphinx, and the Nemean Lion. Echion -- One of the Sparti. Elis -- Town where most training for the Olympics took place. Elysium -- Realm of peaceful afterlife far to the West. Endymion -- ("Seduces Moon Man") Handsome and virile son of Zeus and the nymph Calyce. Epidaurus -- Peloponnesian town. Erymanthian Boar -- A fierce, enormous beast. Erytheia -- An island beyond the ocean stream. Eumaeus -- Faithful old swineherd; servant of Odysseus. Euripides -- Greek playwright. Described death as "Paying the debt which cancels all others." Eurybatus -- Brother or alias of Passalus. Eurydice -- A form of the moon goddess to whom males were sacrificed. A serpent ruler of the Underworld. Eurymachus -- One of Penelope's suitors. Eurytion -- Son of Ares and herdsmen for Geryon. Garland -- A wreath or garland was presented to winners at the great Panhellenic games. No monetary award was given at these competitions, although the winner's city often lavished prizes and honors on their champions. Rewards offered in Return of Heracles begin with a word of encouragement and progress to a poem of praise, a decorative shield, a fine cloak, and an amphora of olive oil. Next comes a parsley garland, the traditional honor at the Nemean Games. A laurel garland was presented at the Pythian Games. The pine needle garland was presented at the Isthmian Games. The highest honor in Return of Heracles is the coveted wild olive leaf garland presented at the Olympics themselves. Geryon -- Son of Chrysaor and Callirrhoe. King of Tartessus (in modern Spain) and reputedly the strongest man alive. He was born with three heads, six hands, and three bodies. Hades -- Ruler of the Underworld. Brother to Poseidon and Zeus. Harpy -- A loathsome, winged, female creatures fond of stealing and fouling food. Hector -- Firstborn son of Priam and his second wife Hecabe. Brother to Paris, Deiphobus, Cassandra, and Polites. Half-brother to Polydorus and Troilus. Champion hero of Troy. Helen -- Beautiful sister of the Dioscuri; loved by all Greek men, married to King Menelaus and abducted by Paris. Hephaestus -- Lame smith-god, husband of Aphrodite. He is ugly and ill-tempered but works with matchless skill. Hera -- Daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Jealous wife of Zeus with whom she spent a 300-year wedding night on Samos. Heracles -- ("Glory of Hera") Very strong hero, known to the later Romans as Hercules. Hermes -- Messenger of Zeus. God of shepherds. He never lies, though he does not always tell the complete truth. Hesperides -- An orchard in the far west given to Hera by Mother Earth. Hippolyte -- ("Of the Stampeding Horses") Daughter of Ares and Harmonia. Queen of the Amazons. Hydra -- Many-headed water serpent, born to Typhon and Echidne. Ialebion -- Son of Poseidon. Lived in Liguria. Iolcus -- Seaport home of Jason. Irus -- A sturdy Ithican beggar, hired by Penelope's suitors to chase strangers from her home. Ithica -- Island off northwestern coast of Greece. Home of Odysseus and Penelope. Janus -- Two-faced god of gateways. Jason -- ("Healer") Son of Aeson and Polymele; born as Diomedes, was called Jason by Cheiron the centaur, who reared him. Ladon -- Hundred-headed serpent offspring of Phorcys and Ceto. Guarded the golden apples. Lamia -- Born a beautiful daughter to Belus, Ruler of Libya, Lamia lost all her children but Scylla to a fit of Hera's jealousy. In revenge, she began to destroy the children of others. Her face, reflecting her cruelty, turned into a nightmarish mask. Now she lives by sucking the blood of young men while they sleep. Lampon -- Savage mare of Thracian King Diomedes. Lavreion -- Site of rich silver mines. Leda -- Mother of Helen and Polydeuces by Zeus, who ravished her in the form of a swan. Mother of Castor and Clytaemnestra by her husband Tyndareus. Lelaps -- Hunting dog. Lernaen Swamp -- Fed by the rivers Pontinus and Amymone, this swamp is the grave of many an unwary traveler. Libya -- Country in northern Africa. Liguria -- A country near present-day Marseilles. Lycus -- Exiled from Greece for plots against Aegeus, his kinsman, he became King of Mariandyne. Lyre -- A stringed instrument of Greece tuned to E, A, and B below middle C and D above middle C. In Return of Heracles, a brief melody will be played as you enter each new area. The melody will indicate the type of creature that may appear unexpectedly from behind some bush or rock. Mariandyne -- City on southern coast of the Black Sea. Marmara -- The Sea of Marmara is located north of present-day Turkey, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. It has outlets through the Straits of Hellespont to the west and the Symplagades to the east. Medea -- Hecate's witch-priestess. Daughter of King Aeetes. Theseus drove her from Athens to Colchis. Medusa -- She had snakes for hair, huge teeth, a protruding tongue, and a face so ugly that anyone who saw it was petrified (literally). Melampus -- Pack leader of hunting dogs. Megalopolis -- Large Spartan city. Melanion -- Shipwrecked grandson of Aeetes, King of Colchis. Melanippe -- ("Black Stallion") Sister of Hippolyte and ruler of an Amazon city. Melantheus -- One of Penelope's suitors. Memnon -- Son of Priam's half-brother Tithonus of Assyria. Memnon led the Ethiopians in battles for Troy. He was black as ebony and the handsomest man alive. Mestor -- Illegitimate son of Priam. Minos -- Son of Zeus and Europa. King of Crete. Dishonored by his wife (see Pasiphae), and had Daedalus build him an inextricable maze, in the midst of which he concealed Pasiphae and the Minotaur. He threw other offenders into the maze also. Minotaur -- A monster with a bull's head and a human body. See also Pasiphae. Naiad -- A water nymph who presides over brooks and fountains. Nape -- Hunting dog. Narcissus -- Son of river god Cephisus and the blue nymph Leirope. Because of his stubborn pride in his beauty, he rejected many lovers including Echo, who pined away for love until only her voice remained. Unable to embrace his own reflection in a pool, he took his life. From his spilled blood grew a white flower with a red center. Nemean Lion -- This offspring of Orthrus and Echidne is an enormous beast with an almost impregnable hide. Nemean Woods -- Wild, untamed woods in Peloponnesus. Nephele -- A grandmother centaur. Obol -- A small unit of Greek money. Ocypete -- A harpy. Odysseus -- Son of Sisyphus and Anticleia, named "The Angry One" by his maternal grandfather Autolycus. Olus -- Brother or alias of Passalus. Olympus, Mount -- Home of the Gods. Omphale -- Queen of Lydia and mother of Tantalus. She bought Heracles as a slave and gave him his freedom after a year. Oreus -- A centaur. Orion -- Son of Poseidon and Euryale. A great hunter whose image was later placed in the stars by Artemis. Orchomenus -- Large forest. Orthrus -- Two-headed watchdog born of Typhon and Echidne. Ostrakon -- A piece of broken pottery used as a ballot in Greek public meetings. Used to vote for the exile of unpopular citizens, it is the source of our word "ostracize." Paelaemon -- ("Wrestler") Son of Alcmene and Zeus (who impersonated Alcmene's husband Amphitryon); was powerful enough as a baby to strangle two serpents sent by the jealous goddess Hera. Pamphagus -- Hunting dog. Paris -- Son of Priam and Hecabe. Judged Aphrodite to be the fairest goddess and was rewarded with the love of Helen, who he abducted to Troy. Pasiphae -- Daughter of Helius and the nymph Crete. Minos, her husband, prayed to Poseidon for a sacrificial animal to come from the sea. When a beautiful white bull appeared, Minos kept it for himself instead. Poseidon punished Minos by making Pasiphae fall in love with the bull. She had Daedalus build a hollow wooden, in which she hid, to attract the bull. She later gave birth to the Minotaur. Passalus -- Ephesian son of Oceanus and Theia. He shared with his brother the reputation of being the most accomplished cheat and liar known to mankind. Patroclus -- ("Glory of the Father") Cousin and inseperable friend of Achilles. Pegae -- Beautiful pool on south coast of Sea of Marmara. Pegasus -- ("Of the Wells") Winged horse who sprang up from Medusa's dead body. Fathered by Poseidon. Pelion, Mount -- Home of Cheiron the centaur. Peloponnesus -- A large island peninsula connected to mainland Greece by a narrow isthmus. Penelope -- Daughter of Icarus and the naiad Periboea. Wife of Odysseus, and faithful to him even through his twenty-year absence. Penthesileia -- Amazon Queen; daughter of Otrere and Ares. She sought refuge in Troy from punishment for having accidentally shot her sister Hippolyte. Pephnos -- Birthplace of the Dioscuri. Periphetes -- ("The Cudgel-Man") A crippled son of Poseidon; killed wayfarers with his club. Perseus -- ("Destroyer") Fathered on Danae by Zeus in a dungeon, he was cast on the seas in an ark but was rescued and raised by King Polydeuces. Phereclus -- Trojan shipbuilder. Philopoemen -- One of the last heroes of ancient Greece. Phineas -- Brother of Cadmus. He was blinded by the gods for prophesying the future too accurately, and was plagued by harpies. Pholus -- A centaur. Phoroneus -- Son of river god Inachus and the nymph Melia. First man to found and people a market town. First man to use fire, after Prometheus had stolen it. Phrixus -- Son of Athamas and the phantom Nephele. He escaped an unjust fate by flying to Colchis on a winged golden ram. His sister Helles fell off the ram into the sea, giving her name to Hellespont. Phyllis -- A Thracian princess whose true love Acamas, son of Theseus, sailed the seas to fight at Troy. She waited for his ship to return, only to die of grief. Athene changed her into an almond tree whose rough bark Acamas embraced when he arrived the next day. The branches burst into flower. Piraeus -- Seaport connected to Athens by a walled avenue. Podargus -- Savage mare from the stables at Tirida. Polites -- Son of Priam and Hecabe. See Hector. Polybius -- ("Many Oxen") One of the last heroes of ancient Greece. Polydeuces -- Son of Zeus and Leda; adopted by Tyndareus. See Dioscuri. Polydorus -- Son of Priam and Laothoe. Priam's youngest and best loved child. Pontinus, Mount -- Source of water feeding the Lernaean Swamp. Poseidon -- Son of Cronus and Rhea. Lord of the sea. Carries a trident. Priam -- Son of Laomedon and Strymo. He was awarded the Trojan throne by Heracles and sired fifty sons to defend Troy. Procrustes -- Known as the "Stretcher," he lengthened or shortened his lodgers to fit one bed. ------- Typed up by Jeff Lodoen jlodoen@mega.megamed.com