Chapter 5: Lady of Olympos Bay“He’s a good boy, his edges just don’t fit with this isle.” Tydeus’s g

Chapter 5: Lady of Olympos Bay“He’s a good boy, his edges just don’t fit with this isle.” Tydeus’s gaze didn’t waver from the sea as the fisherman spoke.“I’ll try to bring him back in one piece. Best I can do as a guest friend.”When had he taken on so much responsibility? Alkyone was a given, but that Persian, a horse, and now this boy? What was he, a nursemaid? It was true, he hadn’t savored going to Athens alone, for a man of his (previous) means, this living rough was starting to wear, even in war time he had had a hypastist to do menial tasks. Nothon’s a poor substitute.“Could you let us know where your shrine is, so we may give thanks for our lives?”“The Lady of Olympos Bay has an alcove by the sea cliffs, Glaukos will go with you to leave some of the gold.”“My thanks.”I better check on that Persian now that I’m a nursemaid. Tydeus ducked into the house to find him sitting up looking… confused, as one of the fisherman’s daughters looked at him like he was  a demon. When he saw him he looked reassured. “Sir… when are the others going to get here… or will we be going to meet them?”“Well Alkyone is resting, and you’ll be resting too. And you are…?”“You mean you don’t know my name? Then how did you know to guide me across the river?” Tydeus gave him a hard look. “Guide you? That was the Aegean Sea, boy”“That… that was that not the River of Ordeal?” Tydeus gave a heaving sigh and paused for a time. “What, did you think you were dead?” A complete change came over the Persian’s demeanor. I’ve never seen anyone so upset about not being dead.“I’m captured? Wait, so how can you speak Persian? I should have known when you gave away my plaques, I thought it was just losing– I – I won’t tell you anything, Yauna!” Should have just let him keep believing he was dead.“Listen, I don’t care about Persia, I just want Alexander the Macedonian wiped of the face of the earth. And don’t you want that too?” Tydeus continued, “So if you know anyone who would be amenable to financing some Greek rebellions…”“Aren’t you all Yauna? Why would you be working against him. I’m not falling for such a simple trick.”“I’m not a Yauna - Ionian. I am Tydeus, son of Medon, a Boeotian of the mainland, and I am definitely not some Macedonian hill man. Alexander razed Thebes, killed my people and I want revenge!”“Oh, Thebai, that city that helped King Khshayarsha during the Yauna Rebellions… I guess that’s more plausible.” The Persian sighed “I am Marduniya, son of Arsama, who I saw die, of the clan of [name plz] that has lost at least 3 other men. I don’t know about the satrap of Varkana, but if the Great King is injured… it was already hard enough to get everyone to fight together, I heard talk in the camp… anyway, if we can barely work together I don’t see how we can work with Yauna across the sea.” Just what I didn’t want to hear.“Now that he’s freed Ionia he may turn back.” Tydeus said mostly to himself. Marduniya shook his head.“No conqueror turns back after a win.”—-Alkyone slept the whole day and night away. When she awoke the next morning, they were getting ready to leave. She had shovelled some fishy kerkyon into her mouth as gracefully as she could and went out to see Tydeus bundling some meager provisions on the horse. “Do we need that much, the lady told me Rhodes is just a few hours away.”“I’m not going to Rhodes.”“What, what do you mean?!” Tydeus turned around with a look and Alkyone cringed. That may have been a bit hysterical, but I don’t want to be alone again!“Things have gotten serious, I have to go to Athens to inform our old friends, and I’ll attract less attention alone. Nothon and Lethos will take good care of you.”“I see… be safe.”“I won’t be there long, just to deliver the news, should be in Rhodes before the second week is up. I gave Nothon a longer time table, just to get him off my back.”Still plenty of time for things to go horribly wrong. Alkyone pushed the thought away.  Tydeus continued:“We’re going to make offerings to the Lady of the Bay on the way to the harbor, so we don’t have a repeat of our last time at sea.”“I promised Poseidon and Aeolus a goat each if we didn’t have a storm, so they’re not getting anything from me now. Not that this place has any goats for miles.” Alkyone sniffed. After so many of her petitions to the gods ending in the opposite result, she was starting to feel a bit cynical.“There’s a few shepherds up on the hills if we need some goats,” One of the fisherman’s sons appeared holding some cheese curds.“Do we need anything else, sir?” he addressed Tydeus.“Your best cloak would be good for Athens.” He ducked back inside.“I thought you said you’d attract less attention alone,” Alkyone narrowed her eyes.“Well, being too alone can be suspicious as well.”The boy got hugs from his mother and sisters before they all set out on the path towards the harbor. Marduniya was remarkably better, though he was walking about in a drabber shirt after they had left his purple tunic as payment for all of the homespun cloaks they were bringing with them. “Are you sure we shouldn’t tie his ankles together or something?” the boy, Glaukos, asked. “No, he wants to go to Rhodes more than he wants to stay on Karpathos, and he doesn’t have the resources to do it on his own.” Tydeus said, before switching to Persian and saying something that earned him a glare and a short reply. Alkyone had understood the words Greek, Persian, their own and fool, but not the rest. In Sardis Tydeus had tried to teach her a little, and many people spoke it in their everyday business so that it was easier to absorb, but he had gotten busy and Alkyone was loath to talk to people alone. Is Marduniya coming to Rhodes? Tydeus could hardly bring him to Athens if he was trying to be discreet.The path moved down the hillock that the little village was on, towards towering cliffs carved out by the sea. There was a cavern with a few fingers’ width depth of water on its floor that Glaukos led them into. The edges of the wall were rimmed with crystals of salt, the veined light colored stone of the cliffs was carved into a statue of a Nereid. Some flowers, a few twists of white wool and a charred bone lay on her altar. They put their cloaks over their heads and stood solemnly while Tydeus intoned a prayer, “Thank you lady, for bringing us to safe harbor from your father’s wrath, we give you thanks, and offer you these tokens for a safe journey.” He placed another gold plaque on the altar, and Glaukos followed suit. Alkyone set down some of the copper bells that had been attached to her shawl. The storm had pulled off so many she figured the sea may as well take the rest. When Marduniya reached in his pocket she saw Tydeus tense up, but he just took out a big silver earring. It had a ribbed edge with a recumbent ram in the middle. He put it down and this time Alkyone was able to understand his gist, “One gray ram now, Anahita, you’ll get the other one later.”“And here I thought I had searched his pockets well enough, should have known from the holes in his ears.” Tydeus shook his head.Olympos compared to the hustle and bustle of Thebes, Athens, Sardis, and even Cyprus was basically a ghost town. But there were some respectable biremes in harbor they were able to acquire the services of. “We weren’t going to go to Rhodes until tomorrow… but if you can give my eyes something shiny to clap on we could move ahead of schedule.” was a familiar refrain of these shipping captains. But it was done, and soon they would be saying their farewells. “You’re sure you don’t want to come with us?” Nothon asked Tydeus, “The boss will have sent news to Athens for sure.”“With these men it’s best that I talk to them face-to-face.”“Yeah, you’re a great talker,” Nothon chuckled. I’m sure Tydeus has had it with this rude man, and so have I, thought Alkyone, maybe he will shape up around his “boss”.“You had best be a good talker, if you’re going to wrangle a young lady and Persian across the sea.”“Don’t you worry, Lethos will be quite attentive to the young despoina’s safety, and we know that no one likes a banged up hostage.” Alkyone hadn’t actually met Lethos, he had only met with Tydeus once before they went to Cyprus, but she found herself worrying about his attentiveness. What’s wrong? If a rich nobleman likes you at this point, it’s the opposite of a problem! “Be safe, both of you,” Alkyone repeated to Tydeus and Glaukos. She wished she could give Tydeus a hug, but in public that would be inappropriate. Compared to everyone else, Glaukos looked positively giddy. Lastly Tydeus addressed Marduniya. Alkyone couldn’t parse much of it, but he gave a solemn nod. At last they had reached the dock, the boat peacefully swaying by the quay. She stepped on the gang-plank. I’m serious Poseidon and Aeolus, two goats each if we get to Rhodes safely! -- source link

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