in love with Antea, who tries to renege on tradition but is obliged by her el- ders to follow through with the seduc- tion and slaughter of the Argonauts. Fortunately, Ulysses overhears the plan and arranges to drug the wine of their evening revels with opiates from the poppies blooming on the island. With the Amazons unconscious, Her- cules (who has remained aboard ship) carries the drugged suitors back to safety on the Argos.
Arriving on the isle of Colchides, the Argonauts are attacked by a race of ape men, who are soon repelled by Hercules’ strength. During the battle, Jason goes in search of the Fleece, which is protected by a dragon (or, more accurately, a Tyrannosaurus rex) that he defeats with a well-aimed arrow. Recognizing this as “the act of a King,” the Argonauts take the Fleece—which is inscribed with Aeson’s incrimination of Pelias and his insistence that no vengeance be taken in reclaiming the throne—and sail to Jolco. When they arrive, Her- cules discovers the Fleece missing, stolen by Eurysteus. Outraged, he storms into King Pelias’ throne room, finds Eurysteus there, and demands the return of the Fleece—but they trick him into chains in the royal dungeon. Pelias refuses to hand over the throne on the Argonauts’ word alone, and turns his army against them. As swords cross, Iole revives Hercules, who rips his chains from the wall and uses them as a bolo-like weapon against the King’s guards. Eurysteus is also strangled with the chains, which Hercules then uses to bring down the columns outside the palace, falling on other armed troops arriv- ing as reinforcements. Iole runs to her father, who has set fire to the Fleece and taken poison (“All men are liable to make mistakes and now mine have caught up with me”). With his last words, he recommends her to Her- cules, and prays that the world will forgive and forget him.
Under the rule of Jason, truth and
justice are restored to Jolco, and Her- cules and Iole sail away with the crew of the Argos, bound for adventure in a new life together.
STEVE REEVES struts his stuff for admirers in a publicity shot taken after his arrival in Rome.