The cruel waves kept crashing against the floating wooden coffin. Each splash of icy cold seawater created a wet sheen across the slipshod construction. The shaking was intense and threatened to capsize it over and over again. Inside this blackest of storms somewhere on the unending ocean, a woman was clinging to her child.
Poseidon’s wrath was omnipresent, unfair and wild. A natural disaster that these tiny mortal specks could not comprehend. Did they draw his ire? Or were they so meaningless that he did not even perceive them at all?
The woman was soaked to the bone and her long hair was glued to her salty skin like intricate scars. Every ounce of warmth should have long left her limbs, yet she did not stop clinging to the bundle of life that she pressed against her chest. The shallow breathing of the infant was all she could feel inside the drumming collapsing waves and the deafening thunder. Only the core of warmth that exuded from this child was making her feel anything.
The infant was neither crying nor struggling despite the terror around it. It was dangerously silent and unmoving. Even more than its freezing and shaking mother, this small life was nearing its end. Another wave and they would be dragged into the darkest waters, another moment and they would freeze until they could breathe no longer.
It was the end.
Yet the woman did not let go. Even if she did not feel her arms, even if she could not breathe, even if she had no hope of escaping this nightmare. As long as her son’s heart kept beating she would protect it with the last of her strength.
And there came a wave as tall as Mount Olympus itself. This wall of pure force could have sank an entire fleet of triremes and not even be slowed in its pace. The door to the Underworld was before them and it opened brashly without hesitation. It was about to swallow the boat whole, but…
KRA-KOOOM!
Lightning hit the wave with such force that it burst into a heavy localized rain, like from thousands of emptying buckets. The white light that had split it apart was brighter than anything a mortal could bear to look at and even with her eyes closed the woman could still see it through her eyelids.
The remainders of the wave split into every direction and hit the boat, pushing it forward like a deadly current. It was dragged through a whirlpool and then filled with freezing water. The woman coughed up water she inadvertently swallowed and then looked upon her tightly wrapped child.
The infant’s eyes were wide open. He was looking up to her with an eerily calm expression. It was not looking at death, the skies or the end of the world, but something far more grand indeed.
What was the mightiest thing in the world?
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“…ke up… Perseus… wake-“
Numbed words penetrated the dream and forced his mind to become lucid.
“Wake up!” The voice shouted so loud that it was impossible to ignore anymore.
“Hrm… What is it Ajax?” Perseus rose up from the uncomfortable sack he had been sleeping on and gathered his bearings.
“Finally, I’ve b-been calling you f-for a while!” The boy seemed excited, but also worried. That was his natural state of being, so it was hard to tell what had him riled up this time.
“Don’t tell me the boat is leaking again.” Perseus snapped out of his drowsy state and immediately grabbed the nearest empty bucket. His eyes were drawn to the haphazardly fixed spots in their boat that could have opened up while he slept.
“We aren’t s-sinking!” Ajax shook his head frantically.
“That’s the first good news I heard on this journey.” He sighed in relief and sank against the pile of sacks and barrels at the back end of the boat. It was not good for the mind to awaken to such panic.
In the days that they had spent traveling the seas to reach their distant destination they had encountered many trials. One of the more persistent ones was the fear of sinking, as the boat they traveled on sustained more damage each day. Neither of them was a carpenter or shipwright and it showed in the badly patched up holes across their boat. If they hadn’t met another ship along the way whose crew was kind enough to help them, they would be swimming now.
Thanks to his master’s teachings he had learned to navigate the seas, but he had never traveled this far out. If it weren’t for the constellations he would have been lost already.
“Don’t go back to sleep!” Ajax grabbed his shoulder and shook him out of his daze. “We are almost there! Athens i-is over there!”
Now his excitement made a lot more sense. Perseus was immediately wide awake upon hearing it too. They had passed by a large coast for a while now and even started encountering bigger vessels. Attican waters had been close when he went to sleep and it seemed that Ajax had steered them towards the strait between Salamis and Athens.
“So that is it.” He leaned against the small mast with one arm and shielded his eyes from the low hanging sun. At the edge of their vision slowly crept up the large harbor town of Piraeus that could allegedly hold over a hundred ships in its fold.
This southern part of Athens was both the gate to commerce and the most fortified naval base in all of Greece, even putting Rhodes to shame. Supposedly due to the recent conflicts across the region Athens’ fleet and troops had been spread thin, but Perseus could immediately spy several pentekonter waiting in strategic positions.
“It’s amazing. T-This port is larger than our hometown!” Ajax was marveling at the wealth and splendor of an unknown scale with boyish élan.
Perseus smiled faintly at his easily excitable friend and then took out the rudders. The small sail had to be taken down in favor of more minute control. Rowing was no strain to him, so he silently took the duty on.
“D-do you think the people here wear clothes made of pure gold?”
“They would not be able to move.” He refuted quietly. Athens was certainly wealthy, but he had never trusted the wild stories that sailors had told them back on Seriphos. If Athenians were rich wholesale, then he would surely have seen such golden merchants among the king’s visitors by now.
“T-there must be bronze coins lying on the streets, because they can’t be bothered t-to pick up anything below silver.”
----------------------------------------
“We take all currencies, but you will have to consider the exchange rate. Eretrian coins are worth little around here.” The harbor master said stone faced.
“S-so expensive.” Ajax almost collapsed over the side of the pier from the shock.
Perseus crossed his arms and looked at the man intently. He was quite tall and his skin sea tanned. A former sailor probably. Behind him stood two workers who were holding clubs that seemed unfit for construction work.
“These are turbulent times and the fee for anchoring in our harbor has to reflect that. Pay up or leave.” His words were uncompromising as he seemed used to this procedure.
“I never heard of s-such a fee!” Ajax was holding the coin purse tightly and started to sweat as he panicked.
“Many ships are looking for a spot to anchor, so we have to give everyone an equal opportunity. If you cannot pay up then leave.” This was third and last time he would say it.
“Give him the coins Ajax.” Perseus urged his friend without breaking eye-contact from the goons.
“B-but Perseus, the exchange rate-! W-we will lose half our money.”
“It is the custom of these lands and we shouldn’t cause trouble for these men. They are simply doing their job.” He insisted.
Ajax seemed deeply troubled, but then forced his hand away from the purse. He opened it and pulled out a sizable stack of bronze coins. Octopodes were engraved on their back. The muscular men behind the harbor master took them and counted them quickly before nodding to their master.
“Welcome to Piraeus.” The man nodded politely and then turned to leave.
“I don’t feel a-any hospitality.” Ajax muttered with a dejected expression on his face.
“Cheer up, we still have enough coin to spare for stocking up. Can I leave the purchasing to you?” He put a hand on his friend’s back.
“O-of course!” He nodded frantically, happy to be of use.
“Just give me two silver coins. From what the sailors told me that should be enough to get me somewhere.”
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t want to overstay our welcome, so it would be best to get the information we need as quickly as possible. I’m sure people in the port will know a lot.” He put the coins into his clothes and took a good look around the harbor. The money that his master had given them for their travels was certainly generous for Seriphos standards, but in this city it would be used up quickly. They could not afford to stay for too long.
“Then I w-will go to the closest market and get us some fresh water and food.”
“Don’t forget linen and yarn.” The sail was in dire need of some repairs.
“Right.” Ajax nodded, but then hesitated. “This c-city is huge. What if we get lost?”
“Do you see that statue of Poseidon over there?” He pointed at the only major statue in the area. It was a good landmark.
“Understood.” The boy smiled and held the coin purse to his chest again. “I will not disappoint you, Perseus.”
“I trust you. We will meet again at sunset.” He smiled back and they grabbed each other’s lower arms supportively as a goodbye gesture.
They turned their back to the other and moved into opposite directions.
----------------------------------------
The port was a noisy and hectic place. Even during one of king Polydectes’ great banquets one would be hard pressed to find such an assortment of colorful and loud people. Some armored men were leaving a newly arrived ship and lining up at the far southern end. In the opposite direction wagons were loaded by modern contraptions that were referred to as cranes. They could carry a load that even a dozen men would not be able to lift on their shoulders.
Morning in Athens promised to be chaotic to say the least. For Perseus this was a new world, but he had already found his guiding trail. While covertly moving through the crowd he kept his eyes locked on a certain group. They were taking a roundabout path through the warehouse district and eventually made their way uphill. Eventually they made it past a gate that separated the district from the next area.
Perseus increased his pace and caught up quickly as their backs disappeared around the corner. He tried to step through the gate, but the guard stopped him with and outstretched spear.
“Slow down foreigner. You don’t look like you belong here.” He said threateningly.
“Am I not granted passage?”
“This place is off limits for outsiders. Unless your master sent you to deliver goods to the mansion you should quickly turn away.”
“A mansion you say.” Perseus focused his sharp eyes and could spy several splendid buildings in the distance up the hill. Well-off merchants must have called this area their home. “Does the harbor master live here?”
“I’m not here to listen to your mindless questions. Scram.” The guard was clearly getting weary of Perseus.
“It couldn’t harm to give a new arrival some information. All I wish to do is learn the ways of this city.” He said amicably and subtly held a silver coin between his fingers.
“Hm. I don’t see why not.” He took the coin without changing his mien and then lowered his spear. “The harbor master’s mansion is up there, next to the shipyard master’s home. They compete for the gaudiest of gardens, so you cannot miss them.”
“Thank you good man. Athen’s hospitality is as great as they say.” He nodded and then tried to step through the checkpoint, but the guard blocked it with the spear again.
“We are welcoming all commerce, but there are differences in status that have to be considered first.” He said with a sleazy grin.
“I understand.” Perseus gave him a displeased look, but threw the second silver coin his way. While the guard hastily jumped to capture it, the young man slipped through, finally making it into the expensive looking mansion filled space beyond.
As he headed for the buildings that he was pointed to by the greedy guard, he noticed a couple of young men walking through the streets with cargo and pulling small wagons. From the looks of it they were either lowly servants or slaves. None of them paid him any mind as he passed them by. It seemed his rundown clothes made him fit right in with the rest. Travelers’ garbs were expensive, but that didn’t mean they would last through what he and Ajax had experienced on their way to Athens.
“Perhaps I should buy something more presentable.” He muttered as he adjusted the torn leather. Just as he was lost in thought he bumped into someone.
“Forgive me, sir!” The servant winced and immediately apologized in fear.
“No harm done.”
“That’s good then, please excuse me!” He rushed past him with a large sack on his arched back. There were a lot of sorry looking souls like him flooding out of the nearest building. It was next to the harbor master’s house. The warehouse the servants streamed out of was connected to the mansion via a small side-passage. The smell of grain wafted through the air.
“Move faster! This has to arrive at the market by noon.” A burly man with a whip was giving the slaves a reason to rush down the hill. He hit a young man, almost no older than a boy, with the crackling end of the whip. The slave winced and fell to the ground, dropping the sack in the process. “Ya useless scum! Geddup and don’t you dare drop it again!” He cracked the whip twice more to teach him a lesson.
The other slaves didn’t even look at the injured guy and rushed out all the more quickly. The young man was biting his lip to suppress his tears and unsteadily returned to his feet. The large sack on his back was shaking as he jittered forward on his bleeding legs.
“I said faster!!” The slave driver took another swing. There was no rhyme or reason to his actions, he simply indulged in his sadistic desire.
“Excuse me.” The whip missed the wincing slave as Perseus had caught it in the air.
“Wha-?” The burly man was giving him a disbelieving look, before trying to pull his whip back. It didn’t budge from Perseus grip. “Who are you!?”
“Just a traveler who would like to get some information. You seem to have an important role in this place, so surely you could be of help.”
“Plowin’ nymphs, have ya lost your mind?” He struggled angrily and pulled the whip back with all his strength. To the man’s surprise the whip slipped out of Perseus hand and he stumbled back into the wall with a painful gasp.
“You only need to answer me a few questions and I will leave you to your duty.”
“Heheh… now you’ve done it. I don’t know what scumsoaked pit ya crawled out of, but this ain’t your turf. Nobody gives me crap around here. Especially not sum diseased gutter stray!” He straightened his back and then snapped the whip forward.
“I’m not here to get into a fight.” Perseus frowned as he dodged the whip. It snapped against the ground and threw up dust. “There is no need for insults either.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“Shut yer trap!” The angry man kept cracking his whip faster, turning more furious with each missed swing. The servants around them had hastily fled in every direction already.
“If you hit your workers to sate your bloodlust you will only hurt your master’s profits. Do they have no common sense in Athens?” Perseus evaded the flying spiked leather tip calmly and came closer to the attacker.
“How are ya so nimble?” Slowly the confidence was fading from the bloodthirsty slave driver’s face.
“If you stay the whip and give a hand instead, you will be far more useful, don’t you think?” With a calculated move Perseus raised his arm and the whip wrapped around it. His hand clasped the end tightly. No matter how hard his opponent pulled, nothing budged. Instead Perseus pulled once and the burly man was flung forward with incredible force. His face was clashing directly with Perseus toned left arm.
“Gah!” The man fell on his back and held his bleeding nose. The next moment a sandal was pushed on his chest and he looked into Perseus cold eyes.
“Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?”
The man nodded frantically.
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“Who in the blazes is this man?!” A finely dressed older man shouted furiously as he was backed against a wall. In front of him lay the knocked out muscle who had whipped the slaves into shape before. He had been thrown on a table like a wrapped up present. The whip served as a rope.
Several guards had come running into the room, but they all experienced a quick defeat, much like their comrade. Even though their attacker was unarmed, he was incredibly hard to hit and seemed stronger than all of them combined as he easily pulled them in circles by their spears. After Perseus kicked one of them so hard that he flew out of the first story window, the old man tried to make his escape. With a quick flip he had grabbed a spear and threw it after the fleeing old timer. In a moment the door was impaled right before his nose.
“Don’t try to escape.” Perseus demanded as he bashed two guards together which promptly knocked them unconscious. “You are the actual harbor master, aren’t you?”
“S-stop, I can give you coin or women! Whatever you wish for, I can offer it!” The old man was now cornered and nobody was left to come to his aide. Perhaps one of the slaves had gone to call for the city guard, but they would take a while to arrive.
“Answers will suffice.” He made sure to knock out one of the still conscious guards behind him in case he would get up for a surprise attack. He exhaled his tension and then stood before the real harbor master. “Your lackeys are going around the harbor collecting money for you.”
“Yes, of course. I could not be bothered to get my hands dirty.” He nodded frantically.
“Are you aware that your underlings are asking for unfair tribute from people who wish to anchor in this port?” He mustered the groveling man whose hair was more grey than brown.
“Truly? I could not have known!” He responded with surprise. Just for a single moment his mouth seemed to twist deviously. “I will punish these greedy men duly and return the coin I owe you.” The harbor master was very cooperative indeed.
“That would be very good of you.” He smiled approvingly.
“I am a reasonable man. Let us forget our differences! Clearly you are an individual who values a fair deal.”
“I am no merchant, but to stay true to one’s word is a principle that all men should abide by.” Perseus said still with a smile. “One more thing.”
“W-what?” His relief immediately turned back to anxiousness.
“Athens is an impressively civilized city, right? That means you must keep ledgers for every ship that comes or leaves the port and what each captain pays you.” His smile had turned far more menacing.
“Perhaps some may follow such regulations.”
“Even on Seriphos we would keep track of such things and we are not exactly a big kingdom.” He almost casually pulled the harbor master up by his himation and dragged him to a chair. He put him down like a little boy would his favorite carved figure. “Where are the ledgers?”
“In my study.” The old man confessed with a bitter expression. “You will not get away with this. I am backed by important people.” His cooperative attitude had changed drastically.
Perseus ignored his threats and pushed the man’s chair right against the table. He made clear with one glare that if the harbor master tried to flee he would end up worse than his guards. Sitting quietly would be his only chance to get out of this unharmed.
After rummaging through the study next door Perseus had found several piles of parchment that seemed relevant. He piled them up on the table before the old man and flipped through them. Thankfully he was literate. The education of his master and mother had been exceptional.
“A boat of the size we arrived on has to pay such a small sum.” He looked at the numbers. “Yet we were made to pay triple that. And pentekonter seem to get off surprisingly cheaply. It appears that you are wringing out those who have no choice but to anchor here.”
“It is basic business. Everyone does it.” He spat out.
“That may be so. The prices you ask in these ledgers are not too terrible, if you were actually enforcing them correctly.” He put the parchment down. “Where is the true ledger?”
“Excuse me?” His stiff expression was akin to a confession.
“This is what you hand to the Archon’s office. Where are the real numbers?”
“You bastard…”
“I know that you are keeping the coin you extort for yourself. I beat it out of your sheepdog here.” He poked the unconscious slave driver with some rolled up parchment. “And with that coin you participate on the market. With the inventory you keep of every arriving ship you can make even more coin by influencing the market before the foreign merchants can unload their ships and go to the inner city.”
“Who are you?” The old man asked again half angry and half impressed.
“My name is Perseus. I was extorted and attacked by your men and now I demand justice.”
“I already offered you coin, what else could you want?”
“A copy of the ledgers.”
“Unacceptable. You wish to extort me back by handing these to the Archons!”
“I have no interest in your politics and finances. All I need are the records of what ships left the city in the last dozen lunar cycles.” He picked up the parchments and pushed them before the old man. “Now tell me where you keep the accurate ones.”
After grinding his teeth the harbor master finally conceded and told him about the secret compartment below the floor.
“I could just take these for myself right now, but that would get in the way of your work. So it is in your best interest to make copies of them. Begin.”
“Me?” He asked incredulously.
“I locked up your servants downstairs so they wouldn’t call for help. You are able to write no doubt. So hurry it along, I want to be out of here before sundown.”
“You filthy foreign mutt, I will make you pay for this humiliation.” He could not control his venomous tongue as he picked up fresh parchment to write on.
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Hours passed in which Perseus tied up all the unconscious guards (he did not forget to drag up the one he had kicked out the window) and inspected the mansion. The harbor master was tied to his chair and should he try to escape would surely make a lot of noise. He was not in a condition to run quickly anyway.
He had gone to question the servants about the shady dealings of their master, but most of them were rather loyal, even if only out of fear. There was nothing to criticize, he understood what it felt like to follow an unreasonable leader.
On his inspection he noticed the slaves returning to the shed, confused as to where their guard dog had gone, but they quietly continued their work. Even the young man with a bleeding leg kept moving with new sacks on his back. The sight made Perseus angry somehow.
Eventually he returned to the room on the first floor and made sure the awakened guards were all silenced with rags and ropes in their mouths. Nobody would have heard them anyway, but the screaming was annoying. The old man was still fervently copying the lists with tired eyes and a slightly shaking hand. He had made incredible progress. Perhaps he had once been doing this for a living.
“How much longer?”
“I am nearly done you unwashed mutt. It would have gone faster if you had not tied me down so barbarically.”
“By the way, I found your coin chest.” He said and dragged it inside with a neutral expression.
“So you were a common thief after all!” He growled.
“I will take the coin that you extorted from the people currently anchored at the harbor and return it to them later. And some extra for all the people who have been robbed long ago. That money can be of better use to those in need.” He dug up quite a sizable amount of all kinds of coins from the chest and put them into two large pouches.
“Nowhere in Athens will be safe for you.”
“I heard you the first time.” He grew tired of the threats already. “I will judge how just your ‘kings’ are by the way they act. There is no guilt in my actions. My heart is unclouded.”
“Zealot.” He finished his work and pushed the copies towards Perseus.
“Thank you for your cooperation.” He took the originals, both of the accurate and inaccurate ledgers, and left the copies lying on the table.
“What are you doing?!” The shock on the old man’s face was genuine.
“I never said the copies were for myself. But with your work ethic I am certain these pages you slaved away on are just as accurate as the real deal.” He stuffed all of his new luggage into a hemp satchel and left the room. He paid no heed to the choleric screams behind his back.
He descended the stairs to the ground level and pushed the main entrance wide open. The evening breeze was comfortably fresh. The sun would set soon so he had to make his way back to the statue of Poseidon he and Ajax had promised to meet at. Yet before that…
Inside the courtyard he found several of the slaves resting. They had worked all day even without a whip pushing them onward. Clearly they had internalized the abuse and feared for more punishment if they slacked off during this peaceful work day. Many of them were covered in dirt and bruises from the heavy labor.
Perseus stopped his sandals on the dusty sand and garnered their attention with his serious gaze. He considered a few things for a moment and then called out to them to gather. They were cautious, but as he came out of the mansion and had previously beaten up their tormentor they must have seen authority in his presence.
“All of you are slaves?”
They nodded.
“Do you own anything? Possessions you could trade for food and drink?”
They all shook their heads in unison.
“Then take these and start a new life. You are free now.” He took a bunch of high value coins out of his pouch and held them out for the slaves to take.
Their eyes were wide as platters, but surprisingly they did not jump at the opportunity to take the coins. Some of them backed away, others only stared on in confusion.
“They are real." He assured them. "Do you not wish to be free? With this you can buy your freedom and live comfortably enough to find new work, better work!” His voice echoed throughout the courtyard. He felt it was strange that they hesitated so much.
Finally a handful of slaves came to him and took some coins and ran off immediately. Out of the courtyard, unto the roads outside, far away perhaps. They took the opportunity, no matter where it would take them.
The rest however…
“Why?” Perseus could not understand the ones who were already returning to the shed and their slave quarters. Others also walked to places outside the district to return to their poor families. “Why would they refuse?”
He was left alone in front of this giant mansion that was held up by the work of such unfortunate souls. Perhaps he could have gone inside to offer the same deal to the servants, but their fierce loyalty had already been proven to him. They also were far better off than these heavy labor slaves.
He walked past the gate and the shed with a conflicted expression.
“You cannot expect someone who has never known the outside world to risk the unknown so readily.”
Perseus spun around with a glare. The voice had snuck up on him so suddenly that he felt like he was being mugged. Yet when he held up his arms to block the attack nobody stood behind him. Instead he spied a man sitting atop a wall close to the mansion. He was sitting quite comfortably with a relaxed pose and face.
“Who are you?” He cautiously put his fist down. That man had not been there when he had passed the gate. No footsteps, no presence. How could he have slipped by so easily? Like a gust of wind.
“I go by many names, but you.” He smirked and adjusted his odd cap. “May call me ‘brother’.”
“I have no siblings.” Perseus replied while looking for any other unknown observers.
“That is where you are frightfully, comically wrong. Our family line is quite enormous, I assure you.” The man said with mirth. “That was an interesting performance you showed me there. To take from the rich and give to the poor, a true hero of the people.”
“You have been watching me this entire time?”
“Far longer!”
“What?”
“Your journey across the ocean was quite a spectacle, I must confess. I was rooting for you all the way of course.” He winked.
Now Perseus knew something was wrong. There was no way someone could have been following them across the sea. He had never noticed any boat or ship nearby for long stretches. There was nobody on Seriphos that looked like this man either and he knew every person inside and outside the palace.
“Let us put such details out of our minds and focus on what matters. You wondered why these men would not take your graciously redistributed coins.” He tapped the wall with his heels and gave him a deeply thoughtful expression. It was so expressive that it could only be an act. “Not all slaves are the same. Some of them have a debt to pay off and they may well be satisfied with coin. Others have been born into this life and would not know left from right outside these walls.” He stood up and balanced on the wall.
“This is no life.” Perseus pointed at the shed.
“They get food, drink and a place to rest. Every day is as certain as the last, with the same duties and the same predictable woes. It may not be a courageous quest for the head of a cruel monster in distant lands, but they have their own aspirations in that little world of theirs.”
Perseus had to take another step back. That example was too pin-pointed to be a coincidence. How was this man so knowledgeable?
“Personally? I would grow bored of the grain and stacking rather quickly. Harvest was never in my sphere of interest. Now the market on the other hand, that is a colorful and sublime place! Haggling, shouting and ever new faces every day. A wandering merchant’s life would be much more entertaining for the likes of me.” He said with genuine joy.
“You look like a merchant.” Perseus agreed. The chiton on the man’s body was well made and his face had something royal about it, even if a bit boyish.
“I only trade messages, I fear.” He sighed deeply. “I even got one for you!” He suddenly theatrically pointed at Perseus from above.
“State it then.” They finally got to the point it seemed. He had mostly just observed the odd guy in his jester like act.
“If you wish to slay the Gorgon, you should make your way to the temple of Athena first.” He said with a glint in his eyes. It vanished so quickly that it may have been a trick of the eye.
“And who is calling me there?”
“That, my young brother, is impossible to answer. I merely deliver the message, no matter who the sender may be.”
“Can I get any straight answers out of you?” He frowned.
“Naturally! If the topic concerns something enjoyable and less dreary.” He nodded approvingly.
“Nevermind.” He could not bear to listen to this jester any longer. It was clear that he was only toying with Perseus for his own entertainment. His presence was unnerving actually. Like this man did not belong in these streets… or perhaps even in this world.
“Until we meet again!” The man waved energetically. “And some personal advice from your brother, do not delay your return to the harbor.”
“You were the one wasting my time.” Perseus retorted, but when he looked back the man had vanished. His final words had been rather ominous.
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The red of dusk colored to sea in a beautiful shade and made for a scenic return. The harbor of Piraeus was enormous, but compared to the ocean it was only a speck on the map. The ships huddled up in its walls and folds, seemingly in an attempt to hide from Poseidon’s domain. Once again Perseus noted that there were quite a few soldiers leaving newly arrived vessels. They looked like the journey had been long and grueling.
That was none of his concern, though. He was actually looking for the meeting place. The statue was surprisingly hard to find in this chaos of cranes and wagons. Eventually he made out the trident and soon found the holder. Poseidon’s unfeeling grey eyes were aimed at the water as always. But around the statue he could not see anyone else. Ajax should have returned by now.
“The boat.” Perseus chided himself for losing his composure for a heartbeat. His friend had probably moved to the boat and unloaded his purchases there. Waiting on the landlocked boat was probably more comfortable than standing by Poseidon’s grim visage.
He hurried along the pier and avoided some men carrying a large wooden beam past him. The boat was somewhere around here for sure. There!
Even from this distance he could see Ajax lying on his back on top of the linen. He was just dozing off on his own without a care. It may have been a bit too carefree for his taste, but at least that took a weight off his shoulders. He stepped on the side of the boat and leaned over to wake his friend.
“Ajax!” His pulse increased when he saw the boy’s face. It was bloody and bruised. Perseus jumped on the boat and pulled him up with worry. “Hey, can you hear me? Say something!”
“P-Perseus?” His left eye flew open, but his right one was too swollen to do the same. The blood was slightly dried, indicating that he had received the injuries a while ago. Aside from his face, the rest of his clothes were also in bad shape. Perseus removed them to see dozens of blue and black bruises as well as cuts.
“Don’t fall asleep. Let me check those wounds.” He tried to stay calm and kept Ajax engaged so he would not faint again.
“I’m… sorry.” He muttered as he was turned around. His shoulder was in a bad way and one of his ribs did not look good either, but he had no stab wounds or major visible injuries. For now he could do little for him other than give him some water and let him rest.
“Who did this to you?” He asked gravely.
“I don’t… sorry.” He was close to tears. Not for his pain, but because of shame. “They took… the supplies…”
“Forget about them.”
“But… I kept… these.” His shaking hands opened. He had clutched them the entire time. Two coins, covered in blood. “I didn’t let go… they couldn’t take them… our last coins.” He pushed them into Perseus hand.
“You fool.” He closed his eyes. “You should have just given them what they wanted and ran. These coins aren’t worth your life.”
“Haha… I knew you’d… say that.” He chuckled faintly. “But as a man… and as your companion, I needed to protect them.”
“I will keep them safe now. We should get you a healer.” He rose up and looked around for someone who would know where to find a physician.
“Perseus, you shouldn’t waste our money on-“
“Quiet. I got some extra coin while I was going around. You deserve the best help you can get.” He would not use the coins he promised to return to the other ship owners around here, but the coin extorted from them was more than enough.
After getting some help from a old physician who looked over Ajax physical state, they were told that he mainly needed rest and received some salve that was supposedly going to prevent fevers. His wounds had been cleaned and closed up too. The price was quite high, so the two coins Ajax had protected were most of what they had left.
“We cannot afford an inn, sorry.” He said with regret.
“It’s f-fine. I will rest on the boat. We’ve slept off w-worse!” His positivity was admirable.
“I know you said you didn't recognize your attackers, but there must be something you remember.” Perseus insisted.
“I went to buy the supplies and then asked around about t-the Gorgon and Typhos.” Ajax recollected with tired eyes. He could barely stay conscious any longer.
So he had taken the opportunity to contribute to their search as well. To just go around and ask people what they knew took courage as well, but it was a method that really suited Ajax. Perseus felt strong pride in his friend, but also resignation. No doubt he had garnered quite a bit of attention that way.
“Did you find anything?”
“Nobody wanted to answer my q-questions. S-so I decided to come back here. But I got lost and these big men attacked me in the a-alleys. They beat me up, robbed me… and then… I came back.” He closed his eyes shamefully.
“I see.” There was nothing much to go by. The streets of a city this large were dangerous, no matter the time of day. He should not have let Ajax go alone. And if he had not wasted so much time at the mansion, he may have been able to help. The guilt in his heart was growing.
“AH!” Suddenly Ajax eyes sprung open and he looked at his friend. “T-The robbers said something!”
“Yes?” Perseus leaned down and grabbed Ajax head by both sides to hold him up.
“They said… I was not working for Typhos, so I w-wasn’t worth their time.” He recalled and then collapsed. He had no strength left and drifted off to sleep. Perseus gently put him down and covered him in animal skins to protect him from the cold.
This information was strange. The attackers knew Typhos, the scholar which they had not seen in so long. Perseus was looking for information on him as well of course. Ajax had asked around about him, because the scholar’s associates may have known the route to the Gorgon’s island. That was their ultimate goal and there were not many who would have had such knowledge. Typhos was their best lead.
Yet Ajax had been attacked by cutthroats who knew Typhos. They had confused him for one of the scholar’s associates instead. Why then would they hurt him? Were they his enemies? Why would a scholar have enemies who wished his allies harm?
Could it be? Was Typhos still alive?
While Ajax recovered, Perseus would find out the truth. So many things were going on in this strange faraway city. With this day’s results he would find a lead and avenge his friend. Then he would find the path to the Gorgon and fulfill his quest. Nothing would stop him, no men and no schemes.
His mother was praying for his success, so he could not stop.
Within the walls of Athens, many desires clashed. Mortal or divine, even those in-between, there was no end to the struggles that awaited those who had a mission.