All unconscious of their sister’s fate, the young princes had returned in haste to their father’s palace to announce her sudden involuntary departure. […] The prince raised his sword to avenge their death, and dealt the dragon such a deadly blow upon the head, that he put an immediate end to its existence. […] As Mercury was the prince of story-tellers, this offer was not to be despised, and Argus joyfully accepted; but, instead of exerting himself to be entertaining, Mercury droned out such lengthy, uninteresting stories, that Argus soon closed half his eyes in profound sleep Still talking in the same monotonous way, Mercury softly shook the poppies over the giant’s head, until one by one the remaining eyelids closed, and Argus was wrapped in complete slumber. […] During fifteen weary months poor Mars lingered there in durance vile, until Mercury, the prince of thieves, noiselessly and deftly slipped the chains out of the rings, and restored him to freedom. […] To achieve this purpose, she first extorted from Jupiter a decree that condemned Hercules to serve his cousin Eurystheus — a mean and cowardly prince who ruled over the kingdom of Argos — for a certain number of years.