Circe gets no sympathy from her family, all of whom are more interested in guarding their own power than in helping her. It is suggested that Tethys betrayed Circe by telling Helios that she had warned Circe against
pharmaka. Tethys wants to keep her own power, which she believes
pharmaka threatens. Aeëtes is also unsympathetic to Circe. He doesn’t show her any affection, probably to avoid any possible association with someone whom the gods want to punish, lest they punish him and limit his powers as well. Perse, meanwhile, doesn’t care about Circe’s fate—she’s only upset that she can’t have more powerful children to associate herself with.