I was looking at my cup, thinking of how sweet the juice was. Dertilis was looking at me and wondered: ‘Do you feel well, Achios?’…I looked at him then at Limon then shook my head as saying yes.’ this juice is really great don’t you think?' Limon Smiled and nodded. Limon was a really true friend. He was a little short, Black haired, had a nose that was a little pointy and his eyes were brown that was so dark that it is close to black. Unlike Dertilis Who was really huge, red haired, he had long narrow fingers and his eyes were light brown.
We were sitting at an inn in the west of Athens. We used to sit there always. The Owner of the Inn offered us really nice juices that we had never tasted elsewhere. We weren’t fans of wine as we wanted to stay with the sanity of our minds. Nor we had beautiful women running after us. Everyone around us at the Inn was looking at the girls pouring wine in the cups to the drinkers. I looked at those people and sighed.
‘Look at those pathetic so-called men. That’s the way Greeks will always be. Easy to play with their sexual senses. They’ll never learn that women are the ones who empty man’s pockets every single day’. I said…Dertilis replied ‘Don’t judge them by the looks, Achios. Most of those you see are noble men like us who are admired by their courage and strength. And who knows? They may be better than we are.’ Limon looked at Dertilis as if he didn’t agree with him. He said ‘Even if they are noble. That doesn’t mean they are honest or cured of all sins. Look at the corruption that is obvious as the moon in a clear sky. Their Nobility is just a mask that covers their filthy truth’.
Dertilis looked down at his cup for a moment and said ‘Such talk stirs the gods my friends. We shall be pure not like them if you are right Limon…never speak about others unless we are sure we are completely pure. Although we are not even close to purity.’
‘As for me I do not think that we are that far from purity. We are still young and sanity is not yet to be obtained by our little minds’ I replied with the look of wisdom on my face. Dertilis smiled and said ‘I hope that you are right for nobody hates to be a good person’. Limon felt enthusiastic to go on with this conversation and said ‘My father told me once that man can never know a person by what he does. Corruption is that feeling which makes him cover all his good seeds. And so, no one knows what’s inside a human but the gods’. Dertilis replied quickly and aggressively ‘a while ago you and Achios were judging these noble men around us…and now you speak as if you are defending them’.
Limon’s face became red with fury. ‘I was not defending them. Everybody knows that most of the noble men in Athens are corrupt. That’s a fact’ he said…Dertilis looked at me with a smile telling me that he knows how to provoke Limon. And actually he always did. I replied ‘Limon is right Dertilis. And I think that studying philosophy made me guess easily who’s corrupt and who’s not’.
Dertilis knew that I was trying to calm Limon down. And I made it to do so. Dertilis was not sad because I opposed him…The three of us stopped talking for a moment which gave us some time to finish our juices. Dertilis started talking again ‘Have you ever felt you wanted to visit that deserted palace in south of Athens?’…I looked at him slowly and said ‘I know of that palace…my brother had gone in there once but he never told me about it…seems like he had nothing to see there’. Dertilis looked at me with disbelief…’some of my friends had visited that palace with a guide and they say it was very scary inside…they say they saw skeletons of animals and symbols written in blood on the walls’ he said.
I let a girl fill my cup once again and said ‘there are rumors that there are Satyrs and Centaurs dwelling inside the Palace. But only in the lower levels…I read a book once about it in my philosophy school…it said that the owner of the palace was an oracle and he learned a kind of magic that opened a gateway to the underworld’.
Dertilis looked at me with shock and said ‘There is no wonder the guide did not agree to go in the lower level’…I looked at Limon and he was not interested in that conversation. He kept playing with his beard then said ‘Do you want to go to that cliff overlooking the Mediterranean?’…I nodded and then looked at Dertilis. He, too, nodded and laid back on the chair waiting for us to finish our juices…Limon felt happy with our agreement and finished his juice quickly. I too, finished my juice after Limon with a couple of moments. After that, we stood up and went to the Inn keeper to pay him for the juices…we paid him a quarter of an Oxen.
We walked and walked and walked along the way to the Cliff. The road up to the cliff wasn't difficult at all. Dertilis always liked to look around him and watch the surrounding views as Limon preferred to look ahead of him and nothing else. As for me, I preferred looking down at my own steps or down at the women's feet. I had some strange connection between myself and female feet. They were so attractive to me that I care about them more than a man cares for the woman's curves. To me the female was a piece of art made by the gods. Everyday I see female feet I thank Aphrodite for creating such curvy and beautiful feet. My friends were considering this a madness for a man should care about the breast or the bottom.
We reached the place we used to sit on at the cliff. Limon sighed…Dertilis and I looked at him silently waiting for him to say something but he didn't. It is Strange how he switched his mood so quickly. Dertilis did always not believe Limon in his feelings and emotions…On the other hand I knew Limon more than Dertilis that I could tell when he would be sad and when he would be happy. And without asking him about what's bothering him, I knew that his mother was the cause of his sadness.
'I know how you feel, Limon' I said ' She is your mother and everyone cannot oppose his own mother…Even I whenever I fight with them I kneel before them after that and beg for their forgiveness…Get this whole thing out of your mind and enjoy the view here' I continued.
Limon looked at me as if I was not even feeling him. He pointed at a palm tree with three branches. The middle branch was shorter than the others and it stood right into the ground. The other two branches were leaning as if they're falling to the ground.
'My family now is like that palm tree… About to fall.' He said sadly…I said with a low voice so Dertilis could not hear.' Are they going to separate?' He looked at me quickly and said no…but then said 'they were supposed to do so before my big sister was born'. I looked at him strangely. "Then you should be happy that they will not separate"…he sighed then stood up, looked around him then sat on the rim of the cliff near us. Dertilis shifted himself and sat next to me. "Look at him, trying to fake his mood" …he continued "Why can't a man act naturally with his best friends? A man should let things go and count on the gods to solve his problems".
I looked at him and said "You don't know, Dertilis. He might be really sad but he doesn't want to express his feelings to us"…he looked at the sky "yes, yes. And let his sadness kill him inside". He said with Sarcasm.
I giggled slowly and sat silent enjoying the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea while the sun was drowning in the depths of it. I thought about the world we're in for a while. About how Poseidon swallows the sun every night. I then smiled as the beauty of the world made me forget the problems in my life and how my parents were over-worried about my success in Philosophy school.
Moments later, Limon came to sit next to us again for he seemed to have thrown all his worries from the top of the cliff. We sat together and sang a couple of songs, told jokes, made fun of how women and men sleep with each other and, finally, talked about some plans for the future.
The three of us had one dream and one destination. We all wanted to leave Greece and head for the other side of the sea, for Carthage. Carthage- to us- was the land of dreams. It was the place where each one of us can be a great man with great importance. But only I had one more reason to leave for Carthage. It was this girl…This beautiful rose that gave me hope along my life. Oh! Zylona.
Zylona was my typical dream girl. Grey eyes, Orange hair, slim body and a pair of pure art called "feet". In addition to all that, she is the only girl in this world who understood me, read my thoughts, and cheered me up easily. I've seen her for a year and then she left to Carthage. She loved me and I love her as well till this day. She told me something before she left. "I will visit you in your dreams. You can also visit me…That's if your love is true". I can still hear her whispers in my ears till now. And the strange thing is that I see her everyday in my dreams…I talk to her and she talks to me. I cuddle with her and kiss her and even sleep with her. And everything I do with her in my dreams feels so real as if she is next to me. It is sad that I only see her in my dreams. But once I reach Carthage, the dreams will vanish and all what I would gain would be reality. Yet, the dreams may be much more beautiful than reality. I guess it's the need to be realistic that's calling me to cross that sea in front of me.
Dertilis Hasn't found his dream girl yet. So hasn't Limon. Dertilis cared more about his good mood. He never cared to bother himself with having a girl who would give him love. Dertilis was a man of peace. He never cared about Politics or war. He doesn't even know how far our Greek soldiers in the other lands were. He didn't care also for how the Persians were strong and dangerous to our Greek empire. As for Limon, he cares about Politics for his father was a Trojan Politician. He is half Trojan half Greek. He was always proud of his father's country and tried to forget his Greek roots. I can clearly say that Limon was almost a pure Trojan.
"I need to go home". Limon said. I looked at Dertilis to see if he agrees or not. "Yes, let's go Achios". He said. I jumped to my feet and waited for them to get up. They finally got up and started walking with me. Dertilis said "I want to sprout wings from my back and fly across that sea." Limon nodded with depression and said:" Not only will you, my dear Dertilis, one day, there will be something that can make us fly". I looked at them with impressment…" Why can't a man go where he wants in just a blink of eye? Why do we all have to suffer in order to realize all our dreams?"
We kept walking silently for a couple of moments then Dertilis said:" I guess we have to do our best to deserve what we want. This is the justice of the gods". I replied: "Then let us deserve it, let us make our own way to Carthage, the land of our dreams". Limon and Dertilis stopped and looked at me… I continued "If we are to cross that sea then let us build a glory for us that would give us a value there".
Dertilis looked at the sky thinking…." But what would we do? I mean…we're still young and we don't have many things to do…just like all other men in our age". I looked at them with enthusiasm and said: "Then let us be the first of our age to do something great. Let us build our way to Carthage". Limon smiled…it's as if he had forgotten his worries. He looked at Dertilis and smiled to him then he patted on his back then on mine. He grabbed both of us closer to him and said: "Yes, That is the only way which would bring Carthage to our feet. We shall be well known there. That is why we have to do something very unique. Back in Troy I was told………"
Limon's voice became further to my ear. I was having an image in my head. An image of Zylona standing next to me on a deck of a ship. The ship was different than any ship I have ever seen. The deck was made of wood that was polished very well with shells. The sails looked like they were made of silk. There was something written on the sails…"Pathfinder" it said. Zylona was wearing very beautiful clothes. She knew that I liked female feet and that was why she stood next to me with her bare feet. I looked at the front of the ship to find that it had a very beautiful and sharp ram. The ram was shaped like a warrior holding a spear. And it looked like it was all made of a very hard metal.
Limon's voice was starting to get louder again…but before I could completely recognize his voice, I saw a board that was pinned to the deck of the ship. I went closer to that board and read what was written on it …there were three names on them. And I was surprised to realize that they were our names. My name, Limon's and Dertilis'. I finally found myself in the way down the cliff once again with Limon and Dertilis standing next to me and talking. I smiled and suddenly stopped them from talking.
"Let’s build a ship" I said with a very clear voice. Limon and Dertilis looked at me strangely. Dertilis moved two steps closer to me and said." Why exactly a ship? Let's think of something easier". I shook my head with disagreement and said: "No, no, no….a ship is just what we need. All Greeks pay a lot of Oxens to leave the shore. Well, since our families don't have that amount of Oxens, We shall build our own ship".
Limon smiled and patted on my shoulder to show Dertilis that he agrees with me. "What about the Pirates? How will we be able to escape their reach? If they see us alone on the ship they'll steal it easily" Dertilis said. I looked around me for a while giving myself a chance to think then said." That is ok. We can recruit a number of warriors who dream of leaving to Carthage. They will protect our ship. We shall do them a favor. We'll let them travel with us for a very low price".
Dertilis finally stopped arguing. And then, he slowly smiled. I could feel the enthusiasm flaming in his eyes. The happiness within him made him laugh. Limon and I laughed at his laughing. We finally understood that life was smiling for us. The last part of the sun was forming a smile. Poseidon also was using that last part to smile for us. I knew it was a sign. But I wasn't sure if it was blessing or wicked. But I knew one thing…We had to try.
Chapter Two
Back at my house, my parents were sitting with each other eating and drinking. That was all they did everyday after they finish the work of the day. My parents knew that I wanted to leave to Carthage. I always had a feeling that they did just not believe that I wanted to leave Greece. I love Greece. I just love the place so much though I hate Greeks so much. They were worthless. They didn't care for anything but to get rich and sleep with beautiful women. I think I am right in this though I seem to be conceited. Did I just hate them because they could do what I couldn't do? Did I hate them because they were all seeing their loved ones in the flesh while I was only seeing my beloved Zylona in my dreams? Sometimes I hate myself for hating the Greeks…for I am Greek too.
This conflict inside my mind made the way to see my future unclear. Sometimes it only seemed to be just a dream to go to Carthage. It felt to me as if I will only enjoy being there in my dreams. And when I feel that I imagine Zylona walking away from me and looking at me as if she doesn't even know me. I snapped out of this deep thinking and realized that my parents were talking to me while I wasn't listening. They were just asking me how my day was. I smiled at them and told them that my friends and I had a great day. They smiled back to let me feel satisfied with their happiness. I took a bite of their food then headed for my room for I had a meeting with my warm bed. I lied back on my bed and kept thinking about that ship I've seen in my vision. Thoughts were flowing like a waterfall inside my head. The brightness of my future was giving me a slight smile that immediately sent me to a deep sleep.
I was looking at a white shore moments later. I felt a hand on my arm. The hand was so warm and soft. I looked next to me to find Zylona smiling at me and moving slowly to sit on my thighs. I smiled back at her and started rubbing her arms. She seemed to be enjoying the feel of my hands on her arms. She slowly moved closer to me and kissed my lips. I was feeling my heart beating faster while she was kissing me. Suddenly, I forgot everything and loosened all my muscles. I let go of myself to her. She pulled back after a while and then rested her head on my chest. I looked at every part of her face. She was the most beautiful piece of art I have ever seen. The thought of the ship came to me and it tempted me to ask her about it. "Zylona? Am I going to build that ship for real?" I said.
She slowly raised her head and looked into my eyes. "Yes, you are, my love. It will be the strongest ship on all the shores of Greece. Yet, it is unknown if you will succeed in coming to Carthage". I looked at her strangely. "What do you mean?" I said while I was running my fingers through her hair. She smiled and said: "Do not worry, Achios, Just do everything you can do to get that ship built. Remember, never abandon your friends. They will be of great help to you in building the ship and also after building it". I wanted more explanation. So, I tried to ask her again but she put her fingers on my lips then started kissing my shoulders and chest. I was still thinking of that ship. Moments later, she clapped her hands once and then I found myself in a room lying on a really comfortable bed. She started undressing me. She was looking at me as if to tell me to forget about that ship for now. The soft cool air blew against my body which swept away all my worries. With my eyes closed, I could hear Zylona's clothes being taken off. Then I saw her wonderful body going so close to me and warming me up. I could feel her after a moment making love to me. I rolled so I lay on top of her and looked into her eyes. "Let me do this for you" I said. She blushed a lot then closed her eyes and enjoyed every single move I made. I couldn’t feel the rest of what happened. As if my mind was taken away by a glass of wine.
Morning light filled the room as I fell off my bed. I heard horses humming near my house. I washed my face and put on my clothes. When I walked out my house I found Dertilis waiting for me on his Chariot. His eyes were filled with energy and enthusiasm as he seemed to have wanted to tell me something important. "Come on. Let us go to that deserted palace now". He said. He surely seemed crazy enough to scare me. "What about the Satyrs and Centaurs?" I asked.
He gave me a silly smile and said: "I'm sure there will not be Satyrs and Centaurs at this time of the day. In addition to that, wouldn't it be great if we recruit centaurs to protect us?" He was talking with complete Sarcasm. I smiled back and then got on my chariot. The way to the deserted Palace was not far from my house. But before we went there, we passed by Limon's house and forced him to wake up and come with us. We kept silent till we reached that deserted palace. The foot walk to the main door of the palace was filled with stench and dust. And the stable was almost destroyed. There were small bones buried within the dust of the deserted garden. The house had a look as it was self-aware and alive. The look was very unfriendly and it made me shiver with a little bit of fear. Limon was so normal and a little sleepy as he told us that he hadn't slept for long. As for Dertilis, he was so enthusiastic. Something was on his mind that I didn't know and I was sure that it was a great thing.
We finally entered the palace. There was a lot of dust in that place. But, the palace seemed quite peaceful and not scary at all from the inside. On the other hand it felt like it's a great place to stay in. We marched deeper into the palace and explored more corners. We entered a room that was filled with spiders' webs and dust. It was the Oracle's library. "Do you see? Nothing's in here. We can meet here and plan for our ship. And I am sure that this place will give us something to help us as well." Whispered Dertilis.
So that was what's going on his mind. "Let's look into these old books and see if there can be something useful." I said. Limon and I were searching the shelves as Dertilis was busy with the oracle's old tools. During that entire search, Limon found a book that kept him a little busy."Oh! Zeus, help me understand this... That oracle was really clever". Limon said. Both of Dertilis and I looked at him. Limon Continued "This book has a design of a very large ship. It is called "Pathfinder". And here he says that he was going to use it to sail in the seas of the underworld to search for Hades, The god of the dead."
When I heard the name of "Pathfinder" I remembered the vision I had about that big ship. "That's the ship that I've seen in the vision…our names were carved on it. And it was very huge and strong." I said. Limon looked at me and smiled with amazement. "Well I guess that's a sign from the gods that we are on our way to Carthage." …Dertilis was listening so carefully and looking strangely at that book in Limon's hands since he first heard about a ship. Of course that was what he studied.
Dertilis came close to Limon slowly and took the book from him. When he looked at the design of the ship, he was smiling strangely. "Strange how a ship like this has long thick spears on its sides." He said. I thought for a while and said" maybe these spears were to keep away the ship's enemies". Dertilis looked at me and started to get that idea into his mind. He finally smiled and said: "This is what we need. Long spears on the side to keep the pirates away…But I will just add some things to this design…give me time."
Dertilis had a dream in his life. He wanted to build the perfect ship. And of course, the Pathfinder was a suitable example for him. Suddenly, I could just read his thoughts. Longer sails, a wider deck, sharper spears and rams. Limon was looking into another book. That book seemed calm. When I got closer to read the title of his book, it said "The other reality during the inner silence". Limon looked at me and smiled as the book was talking about the people who dream of their loved ones. I kept looking at the first page of the book till Limon closed it and gave it to me. I smiled back then said: "Why don't we look into the other rooms? I think that we need to know everything about this place."
We finally got out of the library and started looking into the corners of the palace. The ceiling had some holes which had let the rays of the sun go into the place and fill it with light. There were bats hanging from the ceiling in the shadows. "LET'S GO DOWNSTAI…..oh my" Dertilis shouted and woke the bats. All the bats flew and flew towards the gate flying away from the shout that roared in all the corners of palace. Dertilis was shocked and Limon was laughing so hard. I, too, was laughing right after I saw the look on Dertilis' face. It feels so good when you see a smile on the face of a person so close to you. Sometimes it makes me smile too, no-matter how many problems you have. That moment I learned… That being alone brings sadness without a reason… but being with your family and friends makes you feel supported.
We went downstairs as Dertilis wanted. The sound of the stairs was scary…it felt unsafe and insecure. That didn't stop us from going downstairs. The place was even darker and more mysterious than the library. There was a huge pot in the middle and it was surrounded by wood and empty bottles which had spilt different potions. The potions filled the basement with a smell of gloom and darkness. It looked like the man who was living here wasn't only an oracle but also a healer. Limon held one of the bottles thrown on the ground and smelled it…"Hibiscus" he said. Dertilis was busy looking at the writings on the wall. "It looks like he was creating some kind of connections with the gods. Especially the god of the underworld, Hades". I started to have that man as an example to follow. I had a feeling that he was trying to make a dramatic change in the world. Slowly, the image of that man's dream started to come in my mind. He seemed to have tried to visit the dead in the Underworld. In that way, lots of secrets would be revealed and more ancient experiences would be added to our generation. But then I thought…Wouldn't life become so easy by then? Life would be pointless if we know everything and have the ability to do everything. Here, the boarders of civilizations stop. The mind reaches its top. I guess that some things are just not suitable for humans to know during their lifetime.
"This place is amazing. A very suitable place for us to stay in when we are free. Now we have the shape of the ship. Dertilis will modify it to match our needs. What we need now is to build a dock for our ship. And it would be best if we choose an empty shore where no mercenary scum would bother us." I said. Dertilis shook his head agreeing on what I said. Limon then smiled excitedly and said: "Then let us go and find a place. I think we should not waste time. We will explore this place later in no time".
We started quickly to put things away and gather the bottles from the ground so we can get the place a little clean for us. Then we got out of the house and headed for the cliff we always sit on. We agreed on going there so we can see the shores of Athens from a high ground. And for the first time ever, I felt like running so fast with my chariot. We reached the cliff before noon. The sun in Athens darkened the skin of the people in Athens and made their skin looking like fresh bread. We didn't want to spend much time on the cliff because we didn't like the sun at all. We all were looking all over the shores and finally we agreed on a place in the east where there were some broken boats on the beach and a half-drowning dock. We thought we could save our time and efforts by bringing that dock back to stand right on the surface rather than build a whole dock. The next problem then was a little confusing. We needed more people to work with us.
Dertilis knew that the three of us are not enough to build the ship. We needed well-built men to build that ship for us. That was the first problem. Limon seemed calm… I think he didn't think it was a problem at all. "I know what you two are thinking of… it's about the men we need to build the pathfinder." Limon said after a few moments of silence. He continued "One of my friends at the philosophy school can get us men he can trust. And they will not speak a word about that ship." I smiled and said "Are you sure we can trust those men?"… He said with complete confidence "Of course, I have dealt with them before. They are True men". Dertilis sat on the edge of the cliff and he seemed to be thinking of something else. He felt as if the problem about the men was already over.
"My friend's name is Agathon. He's one of my best friends. And I guess you and Dertilis will feel friendly with him… He also wishes to go to Carthage. So I guess he will leave with us. He fears nothing but the Gods." Limon said. Dertilis looked at Limon and said: "Let us see him first and make sure he can be trusted" Limon looked at him with a bit of anger and said: "Don't you believe me?!!" Dertilis giggled and said calmly: "In the part about trusting people I don't believe you. I mean no offence but you are easy to trick."
Limon's face was going really red. "I am not easy to trick… I am Limon, The one who doesn't need to be taught how to trust people." Dertilis was so calm and cheerful. And he didn't reply to Limon's angry sentence. I smiled at Dertilis as if to say that Limon is easy to provoke as well. Limon sighed and sat on the rim of the cliff next to Dertilis and so did I. We all enjoyed our moment of relaxation in front of the Mediterranean. Poseidon was swallowing the sun again just like he does every single day. Then he pushes it in his deepest and darkest corners where nobody can enjoy its bright light. It was a mystery to me whether Poseidon was punishing us or not by swallowing the sun. Or is it just the circle of life? Is it like the jungle where lions eat antelopes? What a Mystery!
Night was almost there when we stood up and agreed to meet tomorrow after finishing our day at the Philosophy school. We wanted to meet with that man, Agathon. He didn't seem like a bad man to me. It was just Dertilis who was suspicious about everything. He once told me not to trust anyone as everyone has a moment of betrayal. I respected him so much when he said "There is a very dark corner inside the heart of every person. Nobody ever visits it. And it will remain unrevealed. Do you see? Nobody will ever tell all his secrets."
The steps of the horses of our Chariots were making a sound on the ground that I really loved. It was the sound of confidence and pride. We were on our way home. I was very far from my house. Limon and Dertilis were living in the middle of Athens where the king lives. I was near Phalerum which was on the shore. The edges of Athens weren't ugly at all. They were the places where a man can relax and pull himself away from the political conflicts of the royal palace. That was the reason why I loved to live near Phalerum… My house was wide and beautiful. It was "Peaceful" as Dertilis and Limon said. There were very little fights or conflicts between me and my two brothers. My parents also are the best for me. Even when I fight with them, they still care. And this hurts me inside when I get to know that I have hurt my great parents' feelings.
My big brother is called "Alexander". He finished studying and he now works at a council where the Greeks keep their friendly relationships with the Egyptians. He was Paid 30 Oxens every month. As for my other brother, he's called "Apollonius" and he finished studying at the philosophy school. He now serves as a small officer in the Greek army. He wasn't serving in Athens… He was taken to Crete to handle a part of our Greek walls there. I thank the gods that he wasn't sent to fight the Persians.
When I reached my house I kissed my mother's cheek. She prepared a really delicious dinner for me. So I ate and drank till I was satisfied then went to my room to meet with Zylona once again. I put my head on the Pillow and then never felt myself after that.
This time I opened my eyes on a large flat green land. I seemed to be in the Netherlands. Flowers were of different colours. White, Yellow, Red and purple. They were forming the most beautiful land ever. I felt Zylona's kisses on the back of my neck. I smiled and looked behind me to see her beautiful face. She was giving me her most beautiful smile. Her eyes were so beautiful that nobody can stop staring at them. She looked down with a little bit of Shyness. I took the chance and kissed her forehead. She hugged me after that and whispered: "You are the one I always dreamt to have". I giggled and said: "that's if you really have me". She smiled and looked for a while in my eyes. "You are going the right way, Achios. I am glad that you have found the design of the Pathfinder. Yet, there is still a small problem that you shall face." She said.
I looked at her strangely and said: "What problem?" She looked at the sky and took a deep breath. After that, she came so close to me and whispered: "The dark corners will be the solution of your problem. I am sure you will understand when you face the problem". She then kissed my lips for a very long time. I didn't help but to kiss back as she was irresistible. I never felt love like that before with any other woman. She was giving me her love with all sincerity and kindness. That was what I loved in her. It wasn't her beauty that attracted me. It was her unique personality. Then comes her beauty in the second place.
While she was kissing my cheeks I could feel a very bright sun waking me up of this beautiful dream. The road to Carthage was sparkling in my mind. I could feel the bitter wind of the sea hitting my face. I could finally feel the sand of the shores of Carthage coming close to me.
Chapter Three
I put on my clothes after I had washed my face. The servants prepared a chariot for me to go to school. The sun didn't feel hot as the north brought some cool wind. Minutes later, I found myself in front of the philosophy school. I saw Limon there but he was studying in a different place at the school. So we just shook hands and agreed to meet after we finish our studies. I entered the hall where there were cushions all over the ground to sit on. I saw the big chair where the master philosopher should sit. After that, students started to come into the hall one by one. Moments later came the master philosopher. He was called "Andreas". We called him "Master Andreas". He had short blond hair on his head. And a long golden beard that we all stared at. He was always angry and self-confident. Nobody could ever oppose his opinions in philosophy. But there was only one person in our group who always liked to argue every single thing with Master Andreas. I was depending only on what Andreas says. I had lots of questions but I never asked them. That young boy who asked a lot was called "Charis". We liked him because of his very big mind. He was really smart and practical.
All students started to sit as Master Andreas was close to his large chair. I was looking at the ceiling by then. There was one large hole in it that was covered with a big piece of skin. The columns were shaped like ancient philosophers and ancient Greek kings. There also were big shelves hanging on the walls with numerous books talking about philosophy and Logic. The windows were covered with few colorful flowers that cooled the air blowing into the hall. I suddenly remembered the oracle's palace with its gloom and silence that could scare the eyes off their sockets.
The lesson started and silence was all over the place. Master Andreas opened his book and started to read the title and the brief about the book he was going to explain today. "I've just read the title and the brief today to let you know about the book. I've prepared a lot of copies from this book. You'll have to read the book till we meet next week. This time I would like to share your thoughts. I need to know the way you all think of life. Let us see who is the ambitious, the brutal and the hopeless. First of all, I would like to give you my opinion about life… Life was just a perfect creation made by the one being whom we don’t know about. This life developed through numerous years. It's all about logic. I've been to the south once where all people have black skin. I've seen some creatures that are called "monkeys" they look very similar to us. From then on, I had a belief that we are animals. We are just having bigger minds than all others which make us superior over all the races on this earth. Maybe in the next ages, another race will be superior" Master Andreas Said.
Charis was a little confused as usual so he started talking. "Does that mean you don't believe in the titans and gods?"… Master Andreas nodded as to confirm what he said. "I no longer believe in such things called Titans or gods… There is only one being who could rule this world. The years of the future will prove my point of view." Andreas said. Charis was then so provoked to argue and spend the time of the lesson on arguing about the existence of the gods.
My mind was busy with the problem that Zylona had told me about and how I would solve it using dark corners. Is it a problem about thieves? Is it about Greek soldiers trying to stop us? My mind got lost in all those thoughts while I was just looking at Charis and Master Andreas arguing. I wanted to leave the hall as soon as possible in order to meet with Agathon. I felt also that Dertilis was so enthusiastic about starting to build the ship. We would start first with fixing the dock that we had found.
Finally the lesson was over. I got up to my feet and walked fast to the gate. Outside near the gate of the whole school I saw Limon standing with a tall dark-skinned man. He was wearing a cape that seemed to be made by one of the finest tailors in Athens. His hair was black and short. As for his clothes, he seemed to prefer being comfortable than being good looking in his clothes. I immediately guessed that he would be the man I was waiting for… Agathon. Limon had finally seen me and smiled. "AAH here you are. Please, meet Agathon… He is my best friend in my philosophy class. And the one who would help us." Limon said while I was looking at Agathon and giving him a smile of respect. "It is an honor to meet you Agathon. I believe you too wish to leave for Carthage…Well I hope that Limon had already told you about our plan. Please, come with us to the inn we go to. we have to meet with Dertilis, our third friend."
Agathon just smiled and followed both of Limon and me. Although he didn't seem excited to meet with Dertilis, he was the one we needed to get on with our plan. After an hour we arrived at the inn and found Dertilis waiting for us at one of the tables. We went to his table and sat.
"Please, meet Dertilis. He's our friend and the one who's responsible for the design of the ship. He Studies sailing and ship architecture at the docks of Phalerum. Dertilis? Meet Agathon. A new friend to our company and the one who will help us get men to work on building the ship".
Both of Agathon and Dertilis smiled at each other and shook hands. They started talking about the ship and about the working force we need to build that ship. "Ok, Agathon. Now we're building a very huge ship that may take more than 200 people. That means four times bigger than any regular ship. The builders may not obey me for the way we will build this ship may seem strange and illogic. So, I want the men to be calm and understanding in order to obey me during building that ship. As for their fees, we will either pay them or take them with us to Carthage." Dertilis said with all honesty and clearance. Agathon seemed to understand our problem. "I can afford getting 30 builders. Someone I know; someone who has slaves from the gall lands. They will work for you as long as you feed them. I can also afford guards for you to accompaign on your way to Carthage. An old fighting teacher with his students. They're all well-built and sincere to their master." Agathon said. It was immediate when Dertilis had a very wide smile on his face. Limon asked Agathon: "When can we start working on the ship?" Agathon looked up at the ceiling, thinking of the answer. "If you have wood to start working with I can get them to you tomorrow… and do not worry about paying anything. The slave driver owes me a favor. I think he's going to return the favor using his slaves." Agathon had a smile of confidence on his face. He looked at Limon as if he's telling him that he wants to go home. Limon nodded then looked at us and said: "I have got to ride with Agathon back to his home. His chariot got damaged three days ago".
So Limon left the inn with Agathon. It was only me and Dertilis now. Somehow I felt that Dertilis is closer to me than Limon. Maybe it's because that he has been a friend of mine for six years. He's an old friend I guess. As for Limon, I knew him when I first knew Dertilis. We were in the same fighting school. But my relationship came stronger with Limon in the last year in the fighting school. After that, he joined philosophy school with me. Dertilis was more funny, entertaining and –most of all- someone I can really trust with my secrets. He has been there for me all the six years. In my happy times and my sad times. He was never aggressive or cold with me though he is always cold with others.
When I look at Limon, I feel like he's a man with the brain of a seven years old child. I do not blame him for that. I blame his mother who had been always over-worried about him. She forced him to be excellent at fighting and playing music. All that was in exchange for the pride of his mother among Limon's family members. I dislike that kind of people in spite of their respect to my character and skills. Limon's mother worshipped Hades and so did Limon. As for his father, he worshipped Apollo, the god of the sun. I heard that most of the people in Troy worshipped Apollo.
Dertilis was looking at his cup of wine…he was drowning in his deep thoughts, just like me. "Did you hear what Agathon said?" said Dertilis. I nodded and asked: "is there something wrong?" Dertilis nodded and pointed at the table. He simply said: "Wood, that's what's wrong". "What do you mean?" I asked nervously. Dertilis rubbed his chin and the said: "How are we going to get wood for the ship? Agathon said that he will send the builders as soon as we get the wood for the ship."
I looked at my cup, surprised by what he said. I didn't think of that at all nor did my ears drop the word "wood"? "There is a way we can get some wood to build the dock at least. We can buy two strong axes from the blacksmith nearby. We will cut some wood from the forest up on the cliff. I think if we stay this night cutting some wood, we will be having a fair amount of wood to start building the ship with." I said. Dertilis nodded showing that this was a good idea. "What are we waiting for then? We should go there now and get enough trees from the forest. The sooner we go the quicker we build the ship." I smiled at him and finished my wine quickly telling him that I'm ready to go. We stood up fast and paid for the drinks.
I felt like I've never gone so fast before with my chariot. It was my enthusiasm that was pulling me so fast towards the top of the cliff. Dertilis and I were racing. We were so ready to harvest what's going to lift us over the sea and take us to the land of our dreams. We reached the top of the cliff in no time and then stood right before the forest. Dertilis was looking at it with a little bit of worry. "What's worrying you?" I asked. "People will notice if we cut the trees in front of us. I guess we will have to get inside the forest and cut some of the trees in the middle" Dertilis answered while he was holding his axe tight as if he was going to war. I nodded at him and approached the forest slowly with him. The forest looked so beautiful under the rays of the sun… but there was just little time before sunset. So we had to cut some trees and fast before we need to make fire at night. Dertilis kept walking and walking into the forest. "Aren't we deep enough in the forest?" I asked. Dertilis looked at me with a smile and said: "You know me, Achios. I always make completely sure that everything goes right." Actually his theory was right. The deeper we go the later we get noticed. The area over the cliff was controlled by some mercenaries from the north. They think they own everything here, even the trees. Therefore they would kill us for this. The Greek army tried to deal with those mercenaries once but those mercenaries were in a perfect place. I heard that the mercenaries dropped large stones over the heads of the soldiers. And I guess that the Greek army now is too busy with the Persians to care for a bunch of mercenaries on a cliff. We were on our own anyways. Dertilis finally stopped before a big tree and marked it with his axe. "Once you see this sign go to opposite direction. That's in case we get lost." I nodded and looked around me trying to pick a tree to cut. I looked at a small one and approached it. While I was cutting, I remembered the problem that Zylona had talked about. Was this the problem? Did I already solve it? The more I cut in the wood the deeper I go in thoughts. Dertilis was singing a little while he was cutting. He was trying to amuse himself. I felt like I was doing something that doesn’t have to do with dark corners. The sun was already lighting the place. Did she mean the forest at night?
"I think we should stay here till the sky gets dark. Zylona told me that I shall solve some kind of problem using the dark corners.” Dertilis smiled and said: “Then we should get enough trees before night or we will not be able to see.” I looked at the wood for a while and said: “By the way, how are we going to get that wood down this cliff?” Dertilis looked at me strangely and kept looking around him. It looks like we didn’t think of a way to get the wood down the cliff. And if we get it out of the forest to the main road, the mercenaries will see us and attack. We had already got ourselves in trouble. Dertilis marched a little towards the edge of the cliff and looked at the sea then looked at the bottom of the cliff. He suddenly smiled and looked at me. “I have got a way” he said. He pointed at the small waterfall that ran behind the bath house. “Through this waterfall…then when the wood goes down we go fast down the cliff through the road and head for the shore. We will hide the wood in that cave down the cliff.” I smiled a lot and couldn’t hold my happiness so I hugged Dertilis and said: “you’re a genius, Dertilis”. He smiled back, held his axe tight and went back to the tree he was cutting. “Let’s get a move on; we need to get enough trees down this cliff before sunset.” He said.
We kept not talking to each other during cutting the trees. The sun was getting sleepy and it was ready to cover itself with Poseidon’s blue cover. There wasn’t much time and we still had a few trees to cut. The sunset had finally begun while we had two more trees to cut. "Do not worry Dertilis. We can get the rest tomorrow from here as the workers start the building.” Dertilis nodded as to agree on what I said. We got back to our chariots immediately. Time wasn’t on our side. But the dark of the night was closing in and it was going to help us to move near the shore unseen.
We didn’t take much time to get to the bottom of the cliff. The roads were almost empty and people were going to the inns where they will enjoy wine and women. Strange how they marched for their pleasure as we marched for more work. We finally stood in front of the pile of wood making ready to move it all to the nearby cave. We took a piece of wood and lighted it on fire from the nearest house. Then we started taking the wood piece by piece to the cave. We took all night cutting that wood into small pieces so we could move them. We were done by Dawn. We decided to take a rest by sitting on the dock that we agreed to build the ship on. We were so lucky because the cave was so close to that dock. The cave was the closest part to the sea. There was no distance between it and the sea. We took a small narrow road to the entrance of the cave to move the wood inside it. On its left there was a small area of sand. Beyond that, start the roads into the city. On the right there was the dock and an endless shore leading to the east. That shore was abandoned because Athens had enough shores beyond the roads and the inns. People usually go swimming in the shores of Phalerum where they can find hundreds of inns and women. I guess we chose the right place to build the ship in as that cave was covering that old dock. And I guess the only way to cross that cave was that narrow road. It wasn’t enough for one horse Anyways.
“Poseidon is such an artist, Achios. He created all that wide sea with all its beauty and all its fish. I think he also loves us as he let us catch his fish and eat them. That’s so generous of him” Dertilis said. I smiled and said: “You read my mind, dear Dertilis. That is why I worshipped Poseidon. He’s so peaceful and generous… Tell me, my friend. Why do you want to leave Athens?” I replied. Dertilis sighed and rubbed his hair. “I do not want to be remembered here. I want to be forgotten. I’ve done many sins, Achios. Carthage to me is the perfect place where I can start a new life. I will be a new man with a new soul.” I smiled at him and patted on his back gently. “You may have done some sins, Dertilis. But you are one of the best persons here in Athens. You are a perfect man compared to the corrupted people here. You are never a bad person no-matter how many sins you’ve done.” I said to him gently. Dertilis looked at me with a smile of hope then looked at the horizon where the sea melts with the sky. I looked at that cave and thought of it for a while. Then looked behind me at the miserable dock. What was it thinking? That dock was very clear to be seen from the top of the cliff. Mercenaries can watch us from above. "I think we’ve got another problem, Dertilis. If we build our ship here on the shore, the mercenaries will see us.” Dertilis’ face quickly turned pale and kept shaking. I looked at the cave and said: “I think that this is the problem Zylona was talking about. But she said that dark corners will be the solution…did she mean the night? I mean should we build the ship at night only?” Dertilis nodded negatively and said: “Most ships must be built under the sun. It would be so hard to build it at night.” I looked down at the water trying to think of a dark solution. Then I could just feel Zylona’s fingers pushing my left cheek to the right. I lay my eyes on the cave and suddenly smiled. “The cave, It’s the solution. We will build the ship inside the cave. It’s big enough for it right?” I asked. Dertilis nodded with a smile. “It looks like we have another genius among our friends” he said with a big smile. I smiled back and then patted on Dertilis’s shoulders. “Off we go now, my dear friend. We shall start building tomorrow.” I said with a big smile on my face. We stood up then I noticed Dertilis looking at the dock. “Maybe we should take the wood from this dock too. We need wood as you know.” he said. I looked him and said: “No, silly. The mercenaries will notice.” He smiled and said: “I guess you can beat my smartness, young man”.
Chapter Four
Two weeks had passed and everything was going well. The workers started using the wood we brought and built the dock inside the cave with it. We even managed to make a great deal with a nomadic merchant from the Arabian lands. He would support us with wood as we take him and his friends to the other side of the sea. That merchant had enough of buying and selling so he wanted to retire on the other side of the sea. His destination was Alexandria. That man was called "Omar". An old man with skin that darkened because of the heat of the sun. His beard was trimmed well and his clothes were the hint that told me he was rich. He didn't just help us to go home. He wanted allies of his as well so we can defend him whenever he gets attacked in Athens or offer him hospitality anywhere we live. We were doing business more than making friendship I guess.
Limon seemed to change bit by bit. He became angrier and more selfish. It was As if he completely deserves to leave for Carthage. That change annoyed me and annoyed Dertilis and also our other friends. Our Two other friends were named "Kallistos" and "Myron". Both of them never wished to leave Athens. They were happy to live here. But Dertilis, Limon and I guess they would not tell anyone about our plan. Limon hated Kallistos so much although they were old friends since their childhood. As for Myron, he was so funny but he had things he always did that annoyed us. But he was a true friend and someone you can count on. Dertilis always said to me that Myron is a friend he can never abandon if only he could stop the idiotic things he always does. He also said to me that Myron is closer to him than Limon. I started to get the feeling that Dertilis makes friendship with Limon just because of me. This was the whole problem between the five of us. Limon was always taking me away from Kallistos and Myron. Kallistos studied Philosophy in our same school so I used to see him often. I always wanted to be like Kallistos as he was so brilliant and successful in his studies. I liked him because of his personality which prevented him from drinking wine or touching women although most of his friends do. He was always unnoticed but to me, he was a good friend.
All these thoughts ran in circles in my head as I was lying on my bed. I was happy that I was getting closer to meeting Zylona for real once again. My eyes were closing slowly like the gates of Olympus. The more my eyes close the clearer I see Zylona's image in my mind. The image started to move as the background of the image was being formed. It took no time till I found myself in the middle of a wide green land covered with white snow. I must have been in Zylona's home land… The north. She sat next to me on the ground and held my hand. "What are you thinking of, my dear?" she asked nicely. "Everything" I replied…"I guess that life never stops man from thinking. On the other hand it makes him too busy to think." I continued. "Do not worry about the Pathfinder. Everything is going well with it. I brought you here this time to enjoy the peace of the north. Regardless of its brutal people." She said. I closed my eyes and rested my head on her legs and immediately she kissed my forehead and started to run her hands up and down my arms. "I love you so much, Zylona. You really do not know how much I love you." I said. Zylona Smiled and laced her fingers with mine then said: "One day I will know. It will be the day when your heart will be so close to me. It will be the day when you can touch me." Zylona's words made my eyes a little wet with tears. I held on to her hands tight and tried to pull myself closer to her. The smell of her white skin was indescribable. Her clothes were made of silk which softened her skin even more. I could feel the heat of her body through the clothes. She looked at me with her beautiful cattish eyes and said: "Promise me that you will never let go or lose hope in coming to Carthage." I smiled at her and replied: "I promise you with that from the deep of my heart, my beautiful Zylona." I kissed her hands gently to pacify her anxiety. After that, I ran my hands up her arms and to her cheeks. Her lips were hypnotizing me as if her lips were a nymph calling for me to kiss her. If I kept describing how beautiful the kiss was, I would stay describing forever. Sometimes I wonder why she had chosen to love me although there were lots of men stronger and more handsome than me. As for me, I had chosen the one who seems the most beautiful in Athens. Would a beautiful woman like her be worth fighting for? Or would she deserve that fight for her amazing personality? Even in the dream, my heart was drowning with thoughts. For my good luck, she knew how to clear my mind and how to turn my attention to her. The touch of her fingers was like the cold and bitter wind coming from the sea. Her kisses can make the man with the cruelest heart go passionate and turn to a child’s heart. Her hugs were never cold. As if I no longer need to be covered from the cold of the north. Her voice was so soft and clear. It sounded like a small waterfall. With her, a man can spend an endless hour on kissing only. With her, you would not need to make love. The whole world should praise Zeus who had created such a goddess-like human.
The moments of pleasure had ended with me falling off my bed once again. I saw my two brothers playing together. They didn’t notice that I had fallen off my bed. I didn’t pay attention to what they were doing afterwards and headed for the water pool so as to wash myself and get dressed. I was supposed to meet with Dertilis and Limon to go with them and get enough cloth for the sail of the pathfinder. Our new friend, Omar, knew a tailor who lived in the west of Athens. He made friendship with him years ago. Omar recommended that Tailor to us as his prices were low. In addition to that, the quality of his cloth was excellent. The sun was burning a little but my clothes cooled the wind and blew it on my body. Limon and Dertilis were waiting for me in front of my house. They were not talking much. The servants had already cleaned my Chariot and prepared it for my small trip.
When we finally reached the tailors place, we looked at him talking with a couple of women who were buying some cloth from him. He smiled at us and pointed at some chairs to the right of the place telling us to sit while he finishes his deal with the two ladies. So we sat and relaxed for a while. Limon seemed not to be in a good mood.”What is going on, Limon? You seem a little angry today.” Dertilis said. “My mother, I had a huge fight with her because of what my philosophy teacher said about me. You know, she wants me to be the perfect son but I’ve had it with her. I must put an end to my misery if I am to live free either in here or in Carthage.” Limon said.
I pitied him a lot and was going to say something to make him feel better but it was too late. The Tailor came and sat next to us. Limon kept silent as Dertilis practiced his social talents with the tailor in order to reduce the price and improve the quality. I didn’t talk much as I am not so sociable. We spent mostly an hour in order to get our cloth and when we finally got it, we put it on one of the chariots and off we went to the cave in order to give the cloth to the slaves.
After all that, we sat in front of the cave with Omar who was joining us in our talks about the gods and Athens. We had a huge problem. We spent most of our Oxens on the sail. We needed more Oxens to get the rams of the ship, the weapons we will carry, the supplies we will need and finally, the extra Oxens we will need to spend in Carthage. We knew that Omar was a successful merchant so we started talking to him about our problem and how to deal with it.
“Your problem, my young friends, needs another ally to provide you with supplies. That’s how teams work. Someone keeps the supplies flowing and the others work to get the job done.” Omar said. He was wise as well to say such words.” And what if we do not have another ally to supply us?” Dertilis asked. Omar giggled moving his little beard up and down and said: “It is simple; you either sacrifice some of your belongings or risk failing in the whole matter.” Omar’s eyes turned to one of the female slaves and said: “I am thinking of not leaving to Alexandria, my friends. As for your deal it is still on as an Arabian man never breaks his promises. I’m starting to like the life here. The spectacular smell of vice and sins is telling me to stay and play. I have collected enough Oxens to live for more than I can. Or simply, live twice. What would an old man like me with lots of oxens do in the middle of the desert among the barbarian mercenaries of the south? It is time for me to enjoy the taste of wine and the feel of making love. Phalerum seems perfect to me to live in. if only I can find a place to live in instead of this filthy cottage on the shore.” My eyes were shining with hope as I smiled with smartness.”I think what you just said is the solution to our problem and yours as well.” Dertilis, Limon and Omar looked impatiently at me waiting for me to spit out the solution.” Would you trade half of your Oxens for something very precious?” I asked Omar. He giggled loud and said: “That is if that so-called precious thing deserves all this amount of Oxens.” I smiled more and said: “believe me, Omar. This thing I am about to offer you is worth more than all your Oxens. But I guess that half of your Oxens will be enough to supply us with the rest of what we need.” Omar’s face became a little serious then he said: “What are you offering, young man?” I changed the way I sat for a change then looked at the sea for a moment. “A large palace. It is here in Phalerum. It belonged to an ancient royal oracle. People say that it is swarming with centaurs and satyrs but my friends and I had explored it and I assure you that there is nothing in there but old books, sleeping bats and poor spiders. This place will serve you well and it shall be the palace of your future family.” Omar knew the palace I was talking about. His eyes shone with excitement as his fingers were playing in his beard like hunters looking for preys in the jungle. He giggled and immediately nodded as to agree.
The sounds of joy and laughter filled the dark corners of the cave behind us as I noticed a couple approaching the entrance of the cave through the narrow road. They closer the came the clearer their faces were to me. I realized in a couple of moments that the couple was Limon’s parents coming to us looking for trouble with Limon. “I knew you were here with your friends. Didn’t I tell you not to see that boy, Dertilis, again? You are in big trouble and you are not going to finish this easily.” Limon’s mother said. I could see Limon’s face turning from a happy and joyful face to a devilish angry face. What a sudden change of mood!!
“Mother? This time you have gone too far. You are not going to tell who to make friends with and who not to.” Limon replied to her threat very angrily. Limon’s father licked his lips once to wipe out the embarrassment that his wife had caused and then said: “Limon, this is not how I raised you. My little Limon doesn’t talk to his mother this way.” Limon became angrier and looked at his poor father then said: “You are not going to raise me once again while I’m in this age. I am going to settle this once and for all. Let me live free or lose me forever”.
Dertilis and I looked at each other with a shock. I couldn’t imagine that Limon would threaten his own parents or talk to them this way. I had done this many times but the more I did it the more I felt remorse. I didn’t want Limon to repeat my mistakes with my parents so I stood up next to him and said with a low voice: “Limon…For the sake of the gods, calm your nerves” he looked back at me and shouted: “SHUT…YOUR…MOUTH”. I looked at him even more shocked. He wasn’t only angry with his parents. He was angry with me. He was angry with Omar, Dertilis, Zylona, and the whole world. He turned again to his parents and shouted: “I am sick of this treatment. I will settle this but not here. Turn back now and head for our home and when I come back I’m going to settle this with you.” Limon’s parents looked disappointed as if they feel like they failed to raise their son well. They turned back slowly and walked away. As for Limon, he looked at me and shouted: “Next time, do not interfere when I speak with my parents.” I used my cold feelings to hold my anger so I just looked at the fire that Omar was fueling with more wood. Dertilis felt that I didn’t want to complain about what Limon just did so he said calmly to Limon: “calm down, Limon. Achios was just advising you to speak politely with your parents. That is all.” Limon replied with anger mixed with sarcasm: “And why in the world would I need advice from Achios or from you?” I looked at Dertilis and felt that he, too, became angry but only a little because Dertilis was almost never angry in his life. “Alright now, this is it. I’ve had it with you, Limon. Why in Poseidon’s name are you shouting at us?” Limon replied calmly and he seemed to have regained his sanity: “I wasn’t shouting”. I giggled with sarcasm and said: “A loud voice is called “shouting” for your information, Limon”.
I kept calm as Dertilis spilt all the things that annoyed him because of Limon on him. I’ve never seen Dertilis so brave and direct in his words. They kept arguing and arguing and arguing as I was just listening and looking at the ground. Limon was also looking at the ground but with shame. After Dertilis had finished his speech that was full of anger followed with absolute relief, Limon was still looking at the ground silently and silence was all over the place. Nothing was heard in the air. The wind stopped blowing. Even the workers were silent as they were looking at the three of us waiting for something new to happen or to be said. After those silent moments, Limon lifted his head up and turned to me.”Maybe I shouted at you, Achios. But I was gravely mistaken. Please accept my apology. I dare never to shout at you again. I am also willing to change in order to correct all my past mistakes.” Limon said. I lifted my head and looked at Limon in the eyes then said: “This is not the first time, Limon. You’ve treated me badly many times before but I always endured you and kept my anger inside trying to keep you as a friend. This time is the final time. I shall never have to endure your anger again. Do not apologize as I know that you will do the same mistake over and over again. Consider this moment the last in our friendship. Yet, I do not know what Dertilis has decided to do. Omar has accepted to trade the oracle’s palace with half of his Oxens. You may have your share plus the Oxens you spent on the sail today. From here, Dertilis and I will go on building the ship without you. I guess the Oxens you will have are enough to get you to Carthage on any ship available on the shores of Athens. You no longer need the Pathfinder.” Omar was aiding me without talking. He ordered one of his servants to get Limon’s share from his cottage. Moments later the share was here and it was in Limon’s hands. “Leave now. And do not show up here again.” I said. Dertilis backed me in my decision: “Yes, I, too, do not need a friend like you anymore. Thanks to the gods I have many friends and it will not change a thing if I lose one.” It was so obvious that Limon’s role in our courses of life had ended. Limon opened the sack of Oxens and gave Omar the amount of Oxens he had paid for the sail. “I no longer need those Oxens, may the gods guard both of them from the dangers of the trip” he said to Omar then left silently. Dertilis’ face showed even more relief and so did Omar’s. “Do not sympathize with Limon’s feelings, Achios. You’ve done the right thing.” Omar said to me in a clam voice. I looked at him and replied: “Even if I had done the wrong thing. I do not regret this.”
The workers were all whispering to each other judging what just happened. Dertilis snapped his fingers to the master of the slaves telling him to get them back to work. The master immediately yelled at the workers and soon they went back to work. I continued my night with Dertilis and Omar with joyful laughs as if nothing happened. I have never before celebrated losing a friend. I didn’t know if what I had just done was right or wrong but my consciousness was completely asleep. And I was completely happy with it. Limon was an honest friend but he was a pain in the back. He was more of a heavy burden to me and to Dertilis especially. I realized that Dertilis was only a friend with Limon just because I was.
Chapter Five
When I finally got back home, I was feeling so tired as my eyes couldn’t keep open anymore from watching the workers. I only put a piece of bread in my mouth and then went to bed immediately. I was happy to go to bed because I knew I was going to meet with my beautiful Zylona.
This time the dream was different. I always used to see Zylona in an amazing place. This time I saw Zylona sitting with me at my house and exactly where my parents used to sit and talk at night. She looked pale but she was giving me a nice smile that was not making me worry about her. She held my hand and kissed it then said: “I missed you”. I took her in my arms and kept her there for as long as we were sitting.”You are the one who I miss every single moment.”I said to her. She smiled and kissed my shoulder once then she looked at me in the eyes for a while. She opened her mouth a little preparing to talk about something but she felt a little hesitant. “Say anything you want to say” then said: “I visited Limon in his dreams tonight. He told me about that “fight” you had with him.” I replied: “It wasn’t a fight. It was the end of our friendship. I couldn’t stand his madness anymore.” She looked at the ground while biting the inside of her mouth as if she doesn’t agree with me. I continued: “You can visit him in his dreams and talk to him as a friend of yours. I shall not stop you from doing so even if I could.” She kept looking at the ground and said: “But he was one of your best friends. You two were like brothers.” I looked at her strangely and said: “Who told you that we were like brothers? We may have been best friends but that is over now.” Zylona sighed with indifference then said: “Limon told me in his dream that he regards you as the brother he never had.” I giggled with sarcasm then replied: “Oh! Really? Would a one year long friendship do all this to a man? For your information, Zylona, I never consider anyone my brother unless he is my brother for real. And as far as I know I have two living here at my house. That Limon is no longer needed as a friend. And I thank the gods I have many friends. So I will not be bothered if I lose one.” She looked down sadly then I realized that I was a little angry. I could also feel her sympathize with him. After a few moments she looked up at me and then said: “But this way, it looks as if you are throwing him away.” I looked back at her and said: “I do not throw people away. I lose them.” Zylona looked at me with a mix of anger and calmness then said: “You threw me away once. When you requested to treat me as an ordinary friend while you were searching for a girl to love in Athens once again. I just know you were and I do not need evidence.” I was so shocked to hear this from her. I tried to put my anger inside of my heart. When I looked at her while she was angry with me as if she insisted that she was right with what she said, I felt my love to her falling off my heart like an ant holding on to a cup of juice. I still loved her but I could feel that my love had shrunk. I looked at her with disgust and said: “wow! That is just ABSOLUTELY GREAT.” I couldn’t stand looking at her anymore so I left my house. I could hear her crying but I couldn’t figure out whether she was crying because she was sure of what she said or because I left the house while I was angry with her.
Out in the streets of Athens, Everything was different. This dream turned out to be a nightmare. The houses were stained with blood. There were no horses pulling chariots. All the people I knew around were not human. They were Centaurs and Satyrs. The flowers in the gardens weren’t there but I could see hands coming out of the ground instead. I couldn’t stand the horribleness of this dream so I thought I’d change the place hoping that this nightmare would turn back into an ordinary dream.
Moments later I found myself standing on the edge of the cliff and looking at the Mediterranean Sea. There was something extremely strange with it. There was a very huge human-shaped amount of water in the sea. I guessed that it was Poseidon. I tried to talk to him but he seemed to be refusing to look at me. I shouted thinking that he might not have heard me. And finally, I saw Poseidon turning to me and started to speak: “What is it that you want, young Achios?” I replied with complete respect: “Poseidon, my favorite god, what is going on with Athens? It seems… Different.” He looked at me with indifference: “That’s the effect of sorrow, Young Achios. You have made two of your closest people very sad. Limon is now praying to his god, Hades, hoping he would bring you back to him as a friend. But it seems that Hades is angry with you. That is why he had turned your dream into a nightmare. I am just here to explain but I will not interfere with any of those worthless matters. I dare not oppose two of the mightiest gods. Zylona also is praying now in her dreams for her God, Apollo. That is why Apollo had removed the light from your dreams which gave Hades the chance to swarm your dream with horrible things from the bottom of his underworld.” I looked at the ground sadly thinking of my beloved Zylona. Should I forgive her? Or should I apologize? Or should I stay angry and never talk to her? My mind was telling me to stay angry with her and wait till she apologizes but my heart was telling me not to risk losing her by staying angry. I followed my mind when I ended my friendship with Limon. This time I should follow my heart. What if she insisted on going back to be a friend with Limon once again? I would refuse of course. I had to stop thinking and choose a solution as quickly as possible before I lose Zylona completely. I looked at Giant Poseidon and said: “The only way to stop this mess is to go and apologize to Zylona. She may be the mistaken one but I will forgive her and even apologize. Without her, I will lose hope and reconsider going to Carthage.” Poseidon smiled at me and suddenly got out a golden Chariot from the sea. “Here, take this Chariot. This will protect you from the Evils of “Dream Athens”. May Apollo and Hades mercy on you. Now, go.” Poseidon said.
Poseidon landed the chariot on his hand and then in front of me to get on it. I got quickly onto the Chariot and then I felt Poseidon landing it on the bottom of the cliff. I finally rid the chariot as fast as I could. Going left and right without stopping or even slowing down. When I reached the house I got to the place where we sat last time but I didn’t find her. I searched every corner in the house but I still didn’t find her. I asked my Satyr Father if he knew where she had gone. He shook his head not knowing who Zylona is. I got crazy for not finding Zylona at my house then started to pull myself together and think wisely where she would go when she feels angry or sad. I then got the image of the garden where I saw Zylona for the first time in my life. I got back to my chariot and rid as fast as I can to that garden.
When I got there, I found Zylona sitting in front of the fountain and playing with the water. I could also see tears in her eyes. I slowly got closer to her then rested my hands on her arms. I whispered in her ears: “You do know I would never throw you away.” She looked back at me then dropped more tears down her cheeks.”I know” she said. She hugged me tight and kept on crying. My heart was getting torn with the sound of her weeping. I rapped my arms around her and patted gently on her back then whispered: “Do not weep, my beautiful. Because I will always love you so much even if you knife my throat.” She looked at me and smiled a little while her tears ran down her cheek. I smiled back at her and then started to dry her tears gently. Slowly, I could feel the Apollo reviving the light to my dream world. The garden was the only beautiful place in Athens in my dream. That was a proof that Zylona was a really pure and innocent person. Sometimes you have to look inside the people in order to know them. Looks never showed a person’s character. I hear her whisper: “I love you, Achios.” I smiled and replied: “I love you too, Zylona. I love you so much more than you know.” She sighed happily and rested her head on my shoulder. I wanted to explain why I wanted to treat her as a friend so she doesn’t think I threw her away once again. So I started whispering: “Zylona? I just want to tell you that I wanted to treat you as a friend before because I didn’t want you to wait for me all these years to come to Carthage. You are young and you have your whole life ahead of you. Here in Athens, I would not find someone perfect like you. And even if I do, she will not notice me. I love you and only you, Zylona. I swear with all the gods in existence, I love you and I will always love you.” She finally stopped dropping tears and looked in my eyes then kissed my lips with all her love. I kissed back and rapped my arms around her again. All the sadness of the day was over the moment I touched her lips with mine. I bet that her kisses would raise the dead.
The moment I looked around me after I had kissed her, the whole world was going so beautiful. The blood was going back into the walls and flowers were growing from the same place. The centaur people were turning back slowly into humans. The streets of Athens became crowded once again. The air was swarming with the voices of laughter and joy. Hades slowly pulled back his angry hands from my dream as Apollo ripped off his gateway. I felt as if I never knew someone called Limon. Everything was back to normal.
My dream went on and on. It was the longest dream I’ve ever had with Zylona. It was as if Apollo was making it up for the horrible scenes that were once existent in my dream. The garden turned into a bedroom and Zylona looked at me with a naughty smile telling me to make love to her. And so we did. And it was the most beautiful time I enjoyed making love with her. I think that making love depends basically on love, not the need to make love. Our emotions melted together like honey and milk making the surrounding air hotter. Soft moans floated in the air like songs. Extreme pleasure was running all over my body like an army parade pushing forward with all its strength. I could surely tell that I was- for real- deep in love with Zylona.
After a couple of hours we were lying together on the bed. She was resting her head on my chest as her legs rapped around mine. She was so close to me that I could feel her heart beats. I could also feel her breaths flowing and cooling my chest. She whispered: “I am so sorry I said that you threw me away.” I replied with a smile: “Do not be sorry, my love. I could never be angry with you. But I want you to know that I will never return to Limon once again to be his friend.” She sighed and then said: “I do not care about that anymore. What I care about now it seeing you in Carthage.” I smiled and then whispered: “I promise that I will come to Carthage even if it takes me to swim all the way to its shores.” She gave me a very big smile then kissed my chest once. “Everything shall go well from now on with your ship. It’s only a matter of time.” She said. Those words made me feel so satisfied. I closed my eyes with relaxation and then opened them to see myself back again in my room lying on the floor next to my bed. When I focused a little I saw my mother standing in front of me with a silly smile and saying: “Another dream about the one you love?” I nodded and smiled back.
My family always thought that my mind was just making up those dreams and that Zylona may not be the one I’m dreaming of. They always said: “that girl made your dreams run so wild that you’ll think it could be reality.” I never cared for what they said about this and all what I believed in was that I can go there and see Zylona once again. Those final words that Zylona said were like the good sign of starting my journey in Poseidon’s water.
Chapter Six
Six months later…
Time has passed like the wind and the ship was almost finished. The thing that was leading me to the lost corners of my mind was the front ram. I saw it in my vision formed like a warrior holding a spear. This time I didn’t need a merchant like Omar or a slave-driver like the one Agathon had brought. This time I needed an artist. Someone who could shape the metal into the forms of humans. There was someone I knew at my philosophy school who was fond of shaping metal into statues. Oh! It was Charis, the one who asked a lot of questions and argued for hours with master Andreas. I remember once that he told us he had a small cottage where he used to practice on his sculpting art. It was on the road up the cliff. I thought I would pay him a visit and tell him about the amazing sculpture I am after. I told Dertilis about this matter and we agreed. We didn’t worry about the Oxens as the deal we did with Omar was swarming with profit. “Oxens come and go, my friend. But the art is a different being that is immortal. The delicate smell of ancient history remains for ages and always brings about art. Art will be our way to the historical immortality.” These wise words were the ones Dertilis always mentioned whenever we talked about art and history. While I was sitting with Dertilis and Omar near the fireplace, Dertilis was watching over the workers and trying to make sure everything goes fine. Omar was busy with the wine and I was thinking of the sculpture. I did not worry about anything but one which was how to transport the sculpture down the cliff and to the cave. I thought if dividing it into pieces but that would make the ram brittle. After that, I thought of making a big chariot that would match its size. That was a good idea. But making that chariot would require a trusted lumberjack.
“Dertilis, can you find me a well-skilled and trusted lumberjack?” I asked. Dertilis looked at me then at the sky for a while and passing his memory through the ones he knew. “I know. There is the man who made the chairs of my house. He is a skilled one and I can guarantee his good will of keeping secrets. But why do you need him?” he asked. I rushed with my next question: “Where is his working hut?” he replied: in the west of Athens inside the market behind Hera’s temple.” I smiled then told him that I’d explain why I needed a lumberjack later. I got fast on my chariot and rid with all the speed I’ve got as my curiosity was acting like a hungry monster.
The market was such a crowded place. I could see lots of vegetables, lots of fruits, fish, meat, a group of rich merchants sitting together and drinking wine, a group of the noblest persons in Athens gathering around a well-built slave and finally, a large line of women using lust to attract rich men. Those women were whores trying to make a living out of the noble rich men whose minds were ruined by the wine. I kept walking and walking and walking till I found myself in an alley. I walked into it for a couple of moments till I found a hut in a very small space. There was a man sitting on a chair holding a knife. He seemed to be peeling an arched stick of wood. I knew at once that he was making a bow.
I kept on watching how he straightened his hand to be parallel with the wood stick. I must admit that his hands had stability that I’ve never seen in my whole life. He noticed me after a couple of moments then smiled. “How may I help you, my lord?” he said with extreme politeness. I was happy as much as I was shocked to find someone like him working among a vast crowd and dealing with people with such politeness. It seems as if he had inherited the patience of a whole nation. I smiled at him in order to keep him in his good mood then I sat next to him.”I would like you to make something a little strange for me. It is a kind of a secret so I assume you should keep it away from the eyes of the people here.” I said. He smiled and replied: “As long as the Oxens flow, I will do anything you wish for, my lord.” I felt some relief towards him then prepared to tell him the whole matter.” I need you to make me a moving pad. I need something like a giant chariot in order to move a normal size statue. This statue is going to be a ram for a huge ship.” I said. He looked at me with a little bit of astonishment and said: “my mighty gods. Save my sanity. A whole normal size statue for a ram?” I smiled at him and said: “Yes. I am building a very huge ship that will beat any other ship in existence in size. And I need it to look perfect and frightening so that pirates do not attack us in the middle of the sea.” He was interested in that matter somehow so he kept asking: “And where are you heading? Alexandria? The other side of the sea of darkness? Or are you going to invade troy with one ship?” I shook my head while I was giggling and then answered calmly:”None of what you said, curious lumberjack. I am heading to Carthage where I am going to be a man of great importance there.” He smiled and then looked down at his bow thinking if I was lying or not. But I seemed so honest to him. I had nothing to hide. He started to realize that I was doing something dangerous. “Don’t you fear the mercenaries on the cliff? They started to have some power here in the market. And even on the shores.” he said. I shook my head again and said: “my dock is inside a cave on the bottom of the cliff. So I fear nothing. I have to try and if I fail I would die with honor at the hands of those mercenaries.” He seemed to understand the whole situation quickly. “You are one ambitious man. And therefore, I am going to help you. My two little sons work here at the market. One of them sells fish and the other sells meat. They have ears all around the market and I shall get you all the information you need about those mercenaries and about all their plans. My sons have friends too who work as spies for the Greek emperor himself. They dwell here in the market and they seem to have finally gained the trust of the mercenaries. So they would be aware of every move they do. My sons will get you all those information.” He said.
I looked at the ground thinking of the great offer he had just told me about. “Why are you doing this?” I asked. He smiled a little and said: “my son who sells meat dreams of leaving to Carthage. And we cannot afford for a regular trip on a regular boat. And of course you know how many pirates are out there who hunger for food and treasures. But through your talking I feel that your ship is strong enough to hold the pirates off the deck on which my son would step…If you agree , of course” I smiled back at him and he, too, was ambitious and looking forward for the favor of his own son. What a great father he was!
I agreed on his offer and then he smiled and offered me to make the big chariot for free. I only gave him half of the price as he deserved to own some money in order to make ready for his son’s trip. I then thought of the statue itself and decided to pay Charis a visit. But before I went away, the lumberjack told me that the chariot will be ready in two days. The trouble of those mercenaries was like a pain in the back. I was afraid that one day they may find out about the ship steal it from us or destroy it. All those thoughts were swimming like fishes in circles inside my skull.
I finally reached Charis’ cottage of art. I jumped gently off my chariot and approached the cottage slowly. Charis was sitting outside near the door. He was kissing a girl who seemed to be a noble one. He noticed me approaching so he stopped kissing that girl and whispered something in her ear. She immediately got inside the cottage. I never cared about that whisper. “Well, well. The ambitious and mighty Achios finally comes to my cottage of art to pay me a visit. Welcome to my cottage, my friend.” He said and patted on my shoulders. I smiled at him and said:”I guess the mighty Achios you are talking about is in a need of talented Charis’ great favors.” He giggled and offered me a cup of wine. I refused as wine was not the drink for me. “I’m in a need of your art, Charis. And I am going to pay you generously for your effort.” I said. He replied in indifference: “my art never helped me to be greedy. I only practice my art in order to reach more sanity and creativity. Look around you. This road up the cliff is a typical view of the beauty that the gods had given us.” I giggled and said: “yes, the gods in which Master Andreas doesn’t believe in.” he looked at me surprised and giggled as well. “You were there I remember. He was driving my mind crazy with his illogic thoughts.” He said. We kept on giggling and making jokes of master Andreas for a while then I started talking about the main thing I came for. “Charis, I need your help. One normal size statue of a human warrior holding his spear and shield. I want this statue to be made from a hard material. Iron would be perfect if you can make the statue out of it. I will use it as a ram of a ship.” I said. Charis was not surprised and replied indifferently: “I was expecting something crazy like that from you. But I will make that statue for you with six Oxens. Do you agree?” I nodded happily and replied: “Do your best with it to deserve the six Oxens.” He nodded with pride so as to ensure me of the good quality of the statue. He told me also that the statue will be finished in a week. It was enough time to finish the ship completely.
It was nearly Sunset and I had enough time to sit with Dertilis and Omar. I was not far at all. I only had to go down the cliff. So I got back to my chariot and rid back to the cave. When I saw Dertilis I felt that there was something going wrong. His face was pale with terror and his hands were shaking. “You look like a helpless mouse waiting for the cat to eat it. What is wrong?” I asked. He looked down at the ground as if he was afraid to anger or upset me. “The docks in the cave are almost collapsing, Achios. Two workers fell off those docks today and they were badly injured. Very soon, the docks will collapse and the ship will hit the walls of the cave and get destroyed.” He said. I was a little shocked and very upset with what I had heard from him. I took Dertilis to the fire place where Omar was eating a piece of meat. When he saw me he started to chew the food slowly as he looked at the ground with shame and sadness. He knew the problem as well. I sat next to both of Dertilis and Omar. My mind was not trying to think of anything as sadness started to invade it. I was getting images in my head of the ruins of the pathfinder. I tried to snap out of this and pull myself together. “What are we going to do now?” I asked. Dertilis started to think and then said: “we need more wood to strengthen the docks. But the wood we have left is exactly enough for the ship. We either find some strong wood from any place to use with the docks or we take the risk and sail with the ship like you see it now. And I do not know if it will go on sailing to the other side if it sails like this. One single ram from a pirate ship can heavily damage the pathfinder and sink it… What do you think?” I finally pulled myself together and said: “we have two sources of wood. The first is the forest up on the cliff. The second is that destroyed dock that we were going to use.” Omar replied with shyness and said: “The mercenaries have found out about the trees that you and Dertilis had cut before. They are already investigating about it up on the cliff. It’s only a matter of time till they find out about this ship.” Dertilis looked at me and nodded with sadness. “So the only chance we have is that destroyed dock. We take the wood off it and go on building the ship. But the mercenaries will know and come down the cliff to kill us.” We all looked at the ground thinking of the same problem. Dertilis hummed with a very low voice: “if only we can delay the mercenaries enough to complete the ship with that dock.” I looked at him with surprise and said:”I can do that.” He looked at me with a little hope and waited for me to say how I would do it. “The lumberjack behind Hera’s Temple has two sons who know every move the mercenaries make. If we can just make them turn their attention on their problems in the market, we will have enough time to build the ship and scramble into the sea. But how can we delay them?” Dertilis gave a slight smile that showed some hope in my heart. He thought for a while and said: “That is something we cannot figure out. The lumberjack is the one to ask. We pay him a visit tomorrow. I think the solution shall be found tomorrow. This is our only hope. We must not fail in this, Achios. Or everything we had done for this ship will be lost.”
Our fear of losing hope rushed us to go home and sleep tight trying to make ready for a big day with big troubles. Omar was willing to support us with more Oxens if we needed. He was always happy to be a friend of ours. He told me once that he had nothing but Oxens and gold. He needed love and friendship more than anything in his world. But I do not think that our problem depended on Oxens. Our problem would be solved with silence and stealth. And I hoped that the lumberjack would help me with this problem.
The last time I saw Zylona in my dreams she whispered something in my ear. “You shall not need me anymore in your dreams until you get the pathfinder to the water.” She said. I understood what she said as she told me before I shall not face anymore problems in building the ship. I was facing a problem at the moment. That thought started to bring doubts in Zylona’s existence and also in her love for me. But I was fighting those thoughts believing in a passionate heart that was deep in love with me and waiting for me to come to Carthage. The bitter wind of doubt and disbelief was invading my heart and killing my hope. The more I thought of this the further I saw the shores of Carthage deep in my imagination.
I tried to focus on the problem that the ship was facing. Getting Zylona temporarily out of my mind would be a suitable solution for the spiritual conflict in me. I rushed to the market where I was supposed to meet with Dertilis. When I saw him, he was looking at a pile of tomatoes. He seemed to be drowning deep in his worries about the ship. He was worrying me even more. He noticed me as I approached him. “A little bit late. Don’t you think?” said Dertilis. I nodded gently and apologized. He waited for me to lead the way to the lumberjack. When we reached his hut, I saw him sitting with a young man. The lumberjack was putting his hand on the young man’s shoulder so I figured out that he must be one of his two sons. The lumberjack looked at us and smiled.”This place is blessed by your visit my young generous customers. Come here and sit.” Said the lumberjack. We sat in front of him on a couple of old wooden chairs giving him a fake smile that would cover our enormous worries. “Pleased to meet you again” Said Dertilis. The lumberjack smiled at him then looked at our faces closely as we couldn’t cover our worries anymore. “Is there a problem?” asked the lumberjack. I sighed and prepared myself to speak.”We need your son’s help”. I said. “We need to know how strong and how well-equipped the mercenaries are. We also need to know how long they would take to prepare a team to go down the cliff to attack the cave at the bottom.”I continued. The lumberjack turned to his son and smiled. “That would be my job. Even if they are strong and fast in their movements. We can make them busy for quite a long period for you.” said the lumberjack’s son. I asked: “let me know your name first.” He replied: “Armand. I’m this lumberjack’s son. I am the one who wishes to leave for Carthage with you. And I will do whatever is necessary to make you two succeed in your work.” I smiled with hope and said: “how can you help?” he replied quickly: “I know a lot about those mercenaries. They have started to enforce their merchant allies here at the market as those merchants serve them with food and wine in return for their protection. The mercenaries will do everything to keep this alliance between them and those merchants. We can keep them busy here at the market for you.”
The more Armand spoke the more we felt relieved. I personally felt that the problem I was worrying about was going to end at nothing. Dertilis had finally contained the energy to speak and say: “How will you make them busy?” Armand gave a devilish smile and said: “my friend who works for the emperor is about to end his job. The emperor can finally gather what forces he has in Athens to invade the market and keep it secured. And of course, the mercenaries will not stay put. They will fight back till they control the market. That would take a while.” I said: “Yes, but from what I know, the emperor’s forces are busy with the Persians. I do not think he would risk losing the war to control a market.” Armand looked at me seriously and said: “I know. That is why I figure out that the mercenaries here can defeat the emperor’s forces in Athens. There is still a small army protecting Athens but I don’t think they can hold the mercenaries back. The mercenaries will surely win but this will take time. I just hope it would be enough for you to finish your problem. By the way, what are you going to do?”
Dertilis forgot all his worries finally and said: “we are going to need more wood. The docks we are using to build the ship are going to fall soon if we don’t enforce it with more wood. The only source of wood left for us is that old destroyed dock next to the cave. We will take the wood from it, dry it from the salt water then enforce the dock with it. And of course, the mercenaries will notice this. We wanted to delay them as long as possible in order to complete the ship and sail without tasting their deadly sword swings. That is all.” Armand wanted to end Dertilis’ worries. “The forces of the mercenaries on the cliff are huge. But they are not in a hurry in anything. Such matter will take the last position in their interest. I do not deny that they will investigate. But it shall take them about two or three days to prepare a strong team to go down the cliff and destroy your ship.” Said Armand.
The relief filled our hearts and we had only little hope that can make us go on for a while. I hoped that the time we would be given shall be enough. “Armand, can you tell me exactly how much time we would be given if you start that small battle at the market?” I asked. He looked up at the sky while rubbing his chin then said: “about a week I think. And if we are lucky, we will make it a week and a half.” Dertilis’ face became a little dark then looked at the ground and said: “That is not enough time. But we shall give it a try and finish everything at the right time.” I always believed that people make miracles when they are under a stress. “Necessity is the mother of invention, Dertilis. We shall make it and complete the ship very soon. In less than a week, we shall be marching towards the land of dreams. Consider this a promise.”
The lumberjack gave both of Dertilis and me a smile. And as if I could read his thoughts. I felt that this was the last chance for me to leave this land of misery and set out to the land where no one would be a loser. Dertilis and I rushed to the cave to start working immediately. Time was not on our side. But we had to try. All the expectations were possible that time. Death, failure, success and a new chance. I tried not to think more of the future. The one thing that was pictured in my mind was a complete pathfinder ready to sail into the Mediterranean.
We reached the cave and there were only a few workers standing on the dock inside. Omar was sitting at the entrance of the cave and was ordering the slaves to move carefully and slowly. “I thought I could make use of the time and try not to stop building the ship completely.” Said Omar with a shy smile. We smiled at him and patted on his shoulders gently. He was a true friend and not only a merchant we sit and talk with. When I looked at the ship, I noticed that it was getting so close to being finished. Dertilis gathered all the slaves in front of him and prepared himself to give them a speech. They were all worried and talking to each other as if we were at the inn. “Silence… hold your tongues… Fellow workers, we are so close to finishing this ship. Hear me well as I shall not repeat my words. If we leave this dock inside the cave as it is now, it will fall with all of us on it. All the work we have done would end at nothing. This piece of art behind you shall face its destiny and try its luck into the wild waters of the Mediterranean. We are going to use the wood of that destroyed dock behind me. The mercenaries up on the cliff will notice and of course will come and stop us. This is our only hope. We managed to slow them down for a week. We shall enforce the dock and finish the ship within the next week. I think that most of you hunger for new lands in the south. (He pointed behind him at the sea) the land you seek is beyond this sea. So build your path across it. Earn your right to own your lands. We only have one chance and I, personally, will not sit back and watch it slip away from my hands. It is our last chance. I hope you all do not fail me or my friend. May the gods bless every piece of wood in that ship! May the gods brighten our way to the land of dreams! Thank you, my fellow workers for ever drop of sweat you had dedicated for this wonderful ship. “Said Dertilis. I was amazed by Dertilis’ beautiful words. So were the workers who rushed with a flaming spirit of hard work towards the destroyed dock. I turned my attention to the top of the cliff trying to see if there was someone watching. Deep in my mind, I heard a voice… a soft voice. Zylona was whispering inside of me and saying: “do not worry. Your grave is in Carthage.”
Chapter Seven
For a moment I thought that Zylona had some kind of a spirit inside of her. And her love for me forced her to send that spirit to guide me. I kept on hearing whispers in my mind for a long time. I couldn’t figure out if that was my imagination or a real spirit sent by Zylona to guide me. That thought made me hunger for one more dream to see Zylona and know the truth behind those whispers. The first whisper was: “keep the close one away from harm.”I immediately regarded that “harm” as the attack of the mercenaries that would happen in a week. But if my loved ones were all on the ship, who would be harmed? My family? Kallistos? Myron? No. they all have nothing to do with the ship. I then thought of Omar. He stayed at his filthy cottage to keep close to the ship in order to watch over it. I worried about him and wanted to get him away from the deadly hands of the mercenaries. I turned to Omar as Dertilis was taking the lead in building. “Omar, you’ve been helping us greatly with building that ship. I do not know how to thank you.” I said. Omar smiled and replied: “There is a way. You and Dertilis have been the best friends I had here in Athens. There is one favor I need from you. Over there in Carthage, there is a merchant who once knew me and even worked with me. They call him “the golden falcon”. His real name is “Aziz”. Only you, I and he now know his name. When you call him with his real name he’ll know you met me. I will give you a message and a sack of Oxens to deliver to him. I warn you, Achios. Do not open the message. Use the Oxens in the sack if you are in an extreme need of it.” I smiled and patted on his shoulder. “You shall sleep at night with pure consciousness. I will deliver your message and your sack of Oxens and I promise you also that I will never use the Oxens unless I need them. But listen now. This place will be safe no more. You must go to the oracle’s palace and start your life there. I do not want to see you getting harmed by the hands of the mercenaries.” I said. He looked at the sea and said: “You are right. I shall get some slaves and women from the market then start my spoiled life at the oracle’s palace. Be sure that my help will always be at your disposal. Never hesitate to use my aid.” His smile was bringing light and warmness into my heart. I smiled and pated on his back then went with him to his cottage to help him pack his things. I then took him on my chariot to the market where he bought a dozen slaves and a few beautiful slave girls. He also bought a horse for him to use.
I felt that Zylona was leading me to do the right things before I leave for Carthage. I heard another whisper. It was: “use a symbol to represent you in the land of your dreams.” When I first heard the word “Symbol”, I remembered the golden falcon that Omar had told me about. A name that people would remember me with. I think that all important men used remarkable names to brighten their images in history. Therefore, I liked that second whisper as it made me feel like I was going to be one of the most obvious characters in history books. But yet, I thought of Dertilis who should fairly share the glory and fame that the ship would bring to our feet. I was not greedy at that moment as I always was. I loved Dertilis and I wanted him to be famous so I thought of a fake name for both of us. I thought of “the Greek couple” but it was too ordinary. “The shadows of the north” was a little long for a name. Then I had a name that sounded loud in my mind as I was preparing to get out of the market. I heard one of the merchants mentioning something about royal green capes. I turned my eyes to that merchant and saw someone who was arguing with him on the price of the capes. I went quickly to where he was standing and said: “I’ll buy two of those capes with any price you offer.” The other customer looked at me with shock then left while humming with some angry words. The merchant looked me happily and said: “four Oxens is the price for the two of them.” I thought of buying one more cape for Zylona. I thought it would be nice to bring her a present with me. And I also thought that people would know that she would be my wife from the green cape. “Do you have another cape like these two but for a female?” I asked. The merchant smiled and said: “Certainly, my lord.” The merchant started to look for another one among the various capes he was selling and finally found one. I bought them for six Oxens and I was so happy with them. I got back to my chariot while looking at these precious capes. Then I thought of the name again. I decided that it would be “The green capes”. The green cape would then mark any man who worked with me in Carthage.
On my way back to the cave I heard the third whisper. It was “A statue that spreads respect.” I already saw that in the vision about the ram. I remembered that Charis should have finished the statue by now. I was still not far from the market so I went back to the lumberjack’s hut and found that he finished the chariot I told him about. I took Armand with me so as to ride the big wooden chariot with me to Charis’ cottage. My enthusiasm disabled the feeling of time in me that I found myself standing in front of Charis’ cottage already. Charis was also finished with the statue so I lifted it with Armand onto the big wooden chariot and marched down the cliff towards the cave. When I finally reached the cave, I saw Armand looking at the ship with great amazement. He praised the size and the beauty of the ship.
The time to place the ram at the front had not come yet. The workers were still working on enforcing the dock. I thanked Armand for his help then sat with Dertilis at the fire place. “This is for you.” I said to Dertilis and gave him one of the green capes. Dertilis kept looking at it astonished by the material and the beauty of that green cape then said: “And would you give such a precious cape to me?” I smiled and said: “First, it’s not the only one. I have three; one for you, one for me and one for Zylona. Second, I think that the people in Carthage shall mark us by the green capes.” Dertilis smiled as well and looked at the sea. “I thank you for this kindness, Achios. But I am still worried. You are acting as if there are no mercenaries or as if we are already on the deck of the ship. Till this moment I do not know if I am to cross this sea or not.” I put my hand on his shoulder.”Have you forgotten my promise to you? You are going to cross this sea, Dertilis. And you are going to live the way you like and you are also going to grow old and die there in Carthage. Worries have never built hope for anyone, Dertilis. Fear and worry will always keep the mouse in its lair.” I said. Dertilis looked down and said: “Today I talked with Kallistos and Myron. They told me that I should thank the gods for being born in such place. If I had been unlucky I would have been born in the depths of the jungles or in the coldest corners of all lands. A Greek man should be satisfied with being a Greek.” I looked at the sky and said: “They are right. Yet, a Greek man should be ambitious. Satisfaction and ambition are arch enemies, Dertilis. And as long as our ambition means no harm for anyone, satisfaction will be pointless. If you stay here you will find a beautiful woman to marry and have children from her. You shall live among your friends. But if you cross that sea you will find adventures. And even when you die, history books will remember you for thousands of years. People will thank the gods for creating a person like you. You will be almost immortal. And who knows? You may find a wife and have children from her just like what you are going to do here.”
Dertilis giggled showing that he got convinced by my words.”Who hates to be immortal after all?” Dertilis said. Life was never hard on anyone. The problem is in the people who make the wrong choices. People never understood that they take part in deciding their fates. Fate is a pathway. The longer it is the more it spreads into the roads of life. Life is all choices and the end of life depends on wisdom. The most important thing is: never look back. I think that I made the right decisions. Carthage was ahead of me. So was glory and immortality. That was my spirit that always hungered to stay and be remembered.
Dertilis kept silent as his mind was swimming in unknown thoughts. The workers were almost done with enforcing the dock. I thought I might take part in holding back the mercenaries on the day they come and try to smash our ship to the ground. I remembered that Agathon told me about his friend who leads a group of warriors. I then wished I could meet with him again to know where that group leader stayed. I took Dertilis with me and wandered in Athens searching for someone who would train us on professional fighting skills. I then remembered a place where most of the known Greek military leaders meet and talk. It was the Temple of Ares, the god of war. They all used to visit that place seeking blessings from Ares and answers from the fortune tellers around the temple. I never believed that a fortune teller can tell the truth about the future as I can change it the way I demand using my present time.
Dertilis and I kept on walking close to the temple of Ares searching for a suitable warrior who can teach us some fighting skills. We saw a big man with curly blond hair who seemed frightening. I could feel the heat of his huge muscles from my place. He was standing in front of a short old man who seemed to be one of the royal oracles. That big man had a parrot standing on his shoulder all the time. The parrot seemed to be his pet. Dertilis and I had decided to approach that man and ask him to teach us some of his fighting skills. “Greetings, my lord” I said. He looked at our weak and slim bodies with a little bit of pity and said: “Greetings to you too. May I help you?” we offered him to take a walk around the temple in order to talk and he agreed as he didn’t fear us at all. “We seek someone who can teach both of us a thing or two about fighting skills. A few lessons during this week will be greatly essential for the two of us. We thought that you would be the suitable one to teach us. And I hope you can accept a kind number of Oxens for your services.” I said. The man giggled loud and said: “You are seeking help from a former pirate and a recent royal warrior. I agree as I need to pass down my fighting skills to the coming generations. You can call me “the shark”. And I shall not demand many Oxens. Just one Oxen for each of you. But tell me. Why do you need to learn during the next week?” Dertilis was just staring at the size of the so-called “Shark” so I did all the talking.”You can say that we are preparing for a battle with a team soon. Your lessons would be of great help to us.”I said. He nodded and offered to take us inside the temple of Ares.
The entrance of the temple was so beautiful. Plants were hanging on the gate and the walls of every little building inside the area. The wide area resembled the various numbers of glories that Ares had brought to the Greeks. The shark told us that the emperor had given him a big room as a present for one of the great battles he won against the barbarians of the north. He showed us the room and it was so beautiful. There was a huge drawing on the wall that showed the shark killing one of the northern barbarians. The walls of that room were covered with swords, spears and shields. And on the ground there was a giant picture of Olympus. I heard the Shark starting his lesson.
“Here in this room, you shall learn what no other man can teach you. You shall learn how to fight in any environment. You will also learn how to kill with one swing, how to stun silently and how to kill multiple enemies at one time. The first thing you have to know before I start the first lesson is that Ares loves smart soldiers. His deadly hand of destruction infests the sword or the spear of every smart soldier in the battle. Strength was once superior over all talents but Ares showed the skills of Achilles that proved his point. Cleverness is a blessing. The mind had finally defeated the muscle. Here in my first lesson I shall teach you how to avoid sword swings or spear throws when you are armed or unarmed.” The shark said.
The shark seemed so big and stupid at first but then Dertilis and I began to be sure that the shark had a mind of a whole nation. That was why the Greek emperor had chosen to turn him from a pirate to one of the royal generals of the Greek army. The first lesson was passing so easily. Flexibility was the secret of the lesson. Bending backs and stretched legs did really save a lot of men in the battlefield. The knowledge of war that the shark had passed down to us was more valuable to me than philosophy. I learned something within every swing of a sword I preformed. The lesson was taking hours and hours but Dertilis and I just wanted more and more knowledge from the shark. The surprising thing was that he didn’t mind spending the whole day with us in his room. He seemed to be spending the last moments of his golden age which was why he wanted to pass down his skills and knowledge. I thought that he wanted to be immortal in the history of war. Most great men in battles passed down their skills and adventures to the younger soldiers. The Shark wanted to do what every brave soldier did.
The darkness of night was already invading the sky as we finished our first lesson. The shark waved goodbye to us warmly. He was pleased to know me and Dertilis. As I looked at the sky I could barely see or imagine some smiling faces in the clouds. I think that they were the gods of Olympus smiling at me. Every smile I saw was brightening my way home. That moment was the only one when I felt no worries at all. Fear died and worries were all washed away by the pure consciousness that the shark had generated in me. The shark didn’t just teach me fighting skills but he taught me some wise ideas and sentences through every word he said. As I looked at Dertilis, he was also peaceful and calm. Thanks to the shark’s teachings, peace had finally dwelled in our hearts and thoughts.
I went home, had a small meal and finally went to bed after a long tiring day. But I didn’t sleep at once. I was dying to see the day when I meet with the mercenaries. I was like little children who learn something new and die to try it. I never felt that I hate the mercenaries that much. I learned once in philosophy that respecting the enemy brings victory. I tried to mix between philosophy and the shark’s teachings. I kept on swinging swords and throwing spears deep inside my imagination till my eyes closed of fatigue.
For the first time in years, I had a dream without Zylona. Yet, I felt that the dream was going to be bad without her. I always felt relieved when she was with me in my dreams. No one can imagine how passionate and mother-hearted she was. Everyone who saw her in Athens said that she was more of a goddess. By knowing her, I learned not to judge the book from its name. Her heart showed me how beautiful and holy she was. Without her, the dream was frightening although I was among a vast area of grass and flowers. There were Cyclops sitting everywhere and talking in low voices. They were not scary as they seemed to be calm and friendly. I kept walking and walking between the huge limbs of the sitting Cyclops. I suddenly found myself standing in front of the Mediterranean. Suddenly I found a huge animal with seven heads and long necks getting out of the sea and staring at me. Each head of the seven heads was looking me from a different direction. I knew that that animal was the mysterious “Hydra”. The middle head was the only one that could speak as the others had no mouths. “There he is, my friends. The one who challenges the dangers of the Mediterranean. Achios, you are one ambitious man although you know that your way to Carthage is full of Pirates and storms.” Said Hydra. I looked back at the middle head with pride and said: “I do not fear death. Carthage is my only way out of this sin pit. I cannot live here any longer and I will do whatever is necessary to go to Carthage where my Zylona awaits. If you, Hydra, think you can stop me then know that I shall cut off your seven heads with the spears of my ship.”
The middle head giggled loud as the other six heads danced left and right. “And who said that I would oppose you? You should know something, young Achios. Monsters like us are delicate and conscious. We were created by either titans or gods. And our fate is to obey our creators. Poseidon, Ares and Apollo are supporting you in your journey. But do not fully rely on them as you take part in weaving your own destiny. We are here to brighten your eyes with the glory that you and your friend, Dertilis, had made. We all hope you make it to the shores of dreams. Now we are off to hunt. Hail to the gods.” Said Hydra. The seven heads dived into the water as their splash spread many drops of waters that shone before the thin rays of the sun. The sun was setting in my dream and the sky was beginning to be colored in purple. Such calm color had softly placed peace and quiet in my heart. The soft winds were blowing among the grass as it dangled slowly under my feet. I was never feeling so peaceful. People always knew about me that I am half kind and half brutal. That moment in my dreams after what the middle head of Hydra had said, I felt like I was no more human. I felt as if light was running in my veins. My muscles were turning into rocks. I felt like I was Hercules. All those feelings had drawn a simple and sane smile on my face. Everything was fading away and I was traveling back to the world of reality.
The next day had a bad weather. It was raining heavily. I disliked that weather that day although I love the rain. I was just thinking about building the ship. The rain would slow the workers down. I decided to start my day with a visit to the cave to see how the building is going. They were going fine only a little bit slower. But the building was almost done and the ship would be ready earlier than the right time. I thought that I would let the slave-driver handle the building while Dertilis and I go to the temple of Ares to resume our lessons.
Dertilis enjoyed the shark’s teachings and so did I. we were both fond of war tales and those little adventures within the battles. We only had the chance to hear those tales at the inn before we knew the Shark. But there at the temple of Ares, we heard the tales from the heroes themselves. The details of the details were explained. And we also heard about the concepts and tactics of the battlefield. Dertilis and I were fond of swords and spears. Yet, we never had the chance to become warriors as life had taken us away to more important interests. The shark was our last chance of enjoying our old interest. He taught us lots of things through the first lesson and we were dying to reach the temple so fast to know what the second lesson would be about. We were hungering for more fighting skills and war stories with impatience. The shark-for our luck-loved to tell the stories of his adventures and teach us his fighting skills.
We entered the temple of Ares and made our way into the Shark’s training room. When we entered, we saw him sharpening the blade of one of his spears. He looked at us and smiled. “Welcome, my dear students. I guess you two are dying to get trained on more fighting skills. Yesterday, I taught you how to evade enemy attacks with or without a weapon. Today I am going to teach you how to block attacks and even fight back. The weather outside is suitable for such training. I always believe that stress generates strength.” Said the shark. Dertilis and I looked at each other with happiness. The shark ordered the servants of the temple to carry the necessary weapons out to the training courtyard. I could see a huge statue of Ares standing among the empty seats that were provided for some kind of noble audience. The training courtyard seemed to be used also as an arena where noble warriors confront each other. There was an area that was covered by a ceiling made of animal skin where I could see some military generals preparing to watch the training. The army must have been fond of the Shark’s skills.
The training begun with the three of us holding spears. “The most important thing in this lesson is to predict when and from where your enemy will attack. If you succeed in this, you shall block every single move your enemy performs. Always keep your eyes on your opponent’s weapon so you can block it whenever it tries to sting you.” the shark said. The spears we were holding were made of wood. Even the blades were made of wood and they were not sharp at all. The shark started to attack us slowly as we tried to block using our spears. Dertilis and I worked as a team during that training. We were watching each other’s backs. The shark started to attack faster and faster. The faster he attacked the more we made mistakes. The shark stopped after a while and said: “in order to block fast attacks, you should remain calm and cold. Control your nerves so you don’t make mistakes during the battle. One mistake in a real battle would end your life.”
Hours passed like moments during that training. We were getting better and better by time. The rain was still falling heavily on our heads. Yet, the shark was still attacking and attacking with his most flexible and dangerous moves. Dertilis and I were learning his attacks and blocking them at the same time. Soon after we were pushing him back and even attacking him. The more we attacked the weaker he became. Finally, he had fallen to the ground and smiled at us with pride. “Well done, my brave students. You have finally learned the combat skills of the spear. Now, let us learn how to block and fight using swords.” The shark said.
Few moments later the servants gave us wooden swords. “Shields are heavy burdens in the battle so I recommend carrying a sword only in battle. But that doesn’t mean that shields are useless. They just slow down your moves. If you carry a shield in battle, use it when you feel that you cannot block an attack. Now let us fight.” The shark said. He started to attack slowly again as we prepared for any fast move. The fight went on and on till it was finally finished with the same result. The shark was pleased and so were the royal generals sitting under the skin cover. I could hear them clapping for Dertilis and me. I was feeling proud as I stood with my sword which had been broken by the final blow. Dertilis was tired and so was I. the shark smiled at us and bowed for he felt that he had made a breakthrough by teaching us what no other man could do but him. Dertilis and I bowed as well for he was a valuable teacher and a remarkable warrior to confront. The signs of respect were on the faces of the three of us.
Others lessons followed in the next days. Day after day, we were getting well-skilled and well-prepared to keep the mercenaries away from our ship. Dertilis and I were waiting enthusiastically for the final lesson. All what we knew about it was that it will not include weapons. The shark told us that the final lesson was called “The concept”. We were supposed to have the lesson that day. The next day was the day we depart from the land of sins and head for the land of dreams. The closer that day came the faster our hearts beat. We were just one day away from realizing our precious dream.
Chapter Eight
The sunrise of the last day shone with golden rays as I was wearing my green cape. The corrupted views I saw along my life in Athens had finally started to die and fade away. My eyes were dying to enjoy the wonderful and marvelous views of Carthage. I just hoped nothing would go wrong. I was looking at my parents while they were happily having their breakfast. I told them that I would leave this day for Dertilis and I had to spend our last night at the cave. I sat next to them and kept looking at them as if it was my first time to see my parents. They looked at me smiling trying to hide their sadness and worries. I started having breakfast with them and-for my luck-the food was fresh and tasty.
When the breakfast was finished they stood up and told me to wait in my place for a couple of moments. They went inside to their room and after a few moments they came out with each one of them holding something behind their waists. They were hiding out of my sight so it would be a surprise. They then made me stand before them as they showed what they were holding. My father was holding an armor as my mother was holding a helmet and a pair of gauntlets. “This armor is made of brass, my son. I bought it for you when I was in Sumaria. I knew you like centaurs and that was why I picked the one with carvings of centaurs on it. I shall pray to the gods that this armor would protect you from any harm.” My father said. I was touched by my father’s words which made me involintarily bow with respect for my father. He then made me stand again to help me wear the armor. I turned to my mother after that as she prepared herself to speak. “Your uncle was once a great warrior in the gal lands. He told me that he doesn’t need his helmet or his gauntlets. I thought you could use these to bring you pride and blessings from Ares. Take them, my son.” I smiled at my mother and then kissed her forehead as I was taking the helmet and the pair of gauntlets from her. I immediately wore them and was very happy with them. I could hear Dertilis’ chariot slowing down and stopping near my house so I knew it was time to leave so I hugged my parents tight, took my things and left gently. I was satisfied because they didn’t cry. I think that they were feeling proud.
Out of my house, I went. Dertilis was looking at me with amazement as I was wearing the helmet and the armor. “Now look at you. A real warrior marching towards the doom of his enemies. Are they gifts?” Dertilis said. I smiled and nodded the said: “They are from my parents.” He kept gazing at my helmet and armor as I was preparing to ride on my chariot. Few moments later, we marched towards the cave to make sure that the ship has been finished. When we arrived we found that the workers had finally finished the ship and that they were polishing its deck with shells. The rest of the workers were sharpening the blades of the rams. The oracle was a great thinker as he designed the ship with big rams on the side. “I hope it would be strong enough to keep the pirates off.” Dertilis said. I giggled a little then said: “The oracle designed it to keep off the monstrous creatures of the underworld. Surely, it will keep pirates off.” Dertilis looked at me and smiled as to show that he had forgotten that this ship was meant to sail in the rivers of the underworld. We both looked at the ship for a long time. It was bringing us happiness and pride. The more we looked at it the happier we became.
The time for our last lesson had come. We hurried to the temple of Ares rushing to be ready for battle. On the way to the temple, I kept on revising the lessons. My mind passed on the flexibility of the body, the stability of the spear, the fury of the sword, the solidness of the shield, the power of the fist and the elasticity of the movements. The revision passed the time like wind and soon I found myself standing before the main gate of the temple. I was looking at it well this time because it was my last time to see such giant temple. I entered the temple and headed for the shark’s training room. He was sitting on the ground cross-legged and stretching his arms in front of him. To my surprise, he seemed so relaxed. “Come, my students.” Said the shark. “This time we shall not need blades. Just sit cross-legged like me and clear your minds of all your worries.”
We sat like he told us and took a deep breath as to breathe out all the worries and pressure. Our ears were extremely awake waiting for the Shark to speak the last lesson. “Listen carefully as this lesson is more important than fighting skills. A warrior without consciousness is like a bird without wings. Always stay conscious even in the darkest corners of earth where the hand of justice hasn’t reached. Listen carefully to what I am going to say next. Trust is the most deadly mistake during battles. You two have been working as a team even in your training and that is why you shall only trust each other. Never drink wine in strange areas as you might fight in any moment. Stick to only one woman who you can trust. Women are one of the effective weapons that your enemy uses. Never sleep away from your sword. Do what I said exactly and you will find Ares himself brining the glory to your feet. Your blades will be increasingly deadly. Your enemies will fear you and respect you.” The shark said.
Dertilis and I were looking at each other with great respect. We were sure at that moment that each one of us resembles a valuable ally to the other. The shark was looking at us with the feeling of success. He had finally made it to the two of us trusting each other for eternity. The shark stood up and helped us up as well then ordered us to follow him to one of the walls. “Pick any weapon you prefer. This shall be my present for you. All those weapons you see had been captured away from many great warriors from different lands. You shall find strength and brutality in each weapon. But first, I need you two to trust me.” The shark said. We bowed to him again as to confirm what he said. “Tell me about your plan. I promise I shall never tell any being outside this room.” The shark said. Dertilis and I looked at each other with hesitation thinking if we should tell him or not. We liked the shark but we didn’t know if we can trust him or not. “We would like to tell you, my lord. But you just told us a while ago that we shall never trust anyone else.” Dertilis said. I looked at Dertilis with shock. How did he dare to speak to the shark in such way? The shark-in spite of what he said-smiled a little then giggled loud. “Well done, Dertilis. You learn quickly and I like that. You have passed my last test. From now on, I shall not worry about the two of you. You can choose any weapon you desire. You can also take more than one.” The shark said. Dertilis smiled at the shark then approached the wall thinking of the weapon that would suit him. He looked at a Greek short sword that he liked so he took it off the wall. The second thing he looked at was a small round shield that had a carving of Poseidon standing among the waters and fighting Hydra. He liked the carving and the material of the shield so he chose that as a weapon. He stepped backwards as I stepped forward to choose my weapons. I looked at a Pharaonic sword that attracted me so much so I took it. I also looked at a barbarian shield with spikes at the front and on the rims. The shark smiled as he was pleased with our wise choices. He picked two sharp spears and said: “here, take these spears. They are called “the judgment blades”. Let each one of you have one.” He threw the spears gently to us and smiled. We admired those sharp spears so much. We bowed for the last time to the shark and then requested to leave the room. “You may rise and leave. May all the gods watch over you.” the shark said. He smiled and looked at us with extreme pride as we were holding some powerful weapons. We smiled back at him with the same amount of pride as he was our precious teacher and our valuable ally. Soon we were out of his beautiful room and after that were completely out of the temple. I looked behind me for once to look for the last time at the temple. The Era when I used to live in Athens was soon going to end and then fade away in the deepest corners of my memories.
I marched with my chariot next to Dertilis to the cave. For the first time, I look at the details of the roads as if I was waving goodbye to them. The soft rays on sunset were giving Athens a passionate orange color. I could see the cave ahead of me and it looked so brightened as if there was some kind of supernatural light inside it. The road was being blessed by that amazing light. I wasn’t frightened of the mercenaries. And they didn’t seem to pay attention so I was a little bit happy about that. Dertilis was standing in his chariot looking ahead of him in pride. We both marched to the cave in peace.
We rested at the fire place where we saw the slave-driver sitting with Armand. The slave driver was waiting for us to come in order to take his fee and leave with his workers. We paid him twenty Oxens and he was very happy with them as he wanted fifteen Oxens only. We gave him more Oxens so as to give some of them to the brave workers and also to ensure that every worker keeps the secret of the ship in his heart forever. Finally, the slave-driver gathered his workers and left silently. Dertilis noticed that there were about thirty men sleeping inside the cave. At first, he thought they were the workers who wished to leave for Carthage. But Armand told us that they were the men he knew who wanted to leave for Carthage with us. Armand gave us thirty Oxens and said that each one of those sleeping men had paid an acceptable price to leave for Carthage. I thought I would be generous with Armand so I gave him five Oxens. He was pleased with what I gave him then he excused us to go to sleep for the next day was the day we decide our fate. Before he left he wanted to make us feel relieved and said that most of those sleeping men were originally soldiers for the Greek emperor. This good news made me feel even less frightened. Armand finally left and there was only me and Dertilis at the fireplace. Dertilis laid back and said: “Do you think that the mercenaries aren’t really interested in attacking us? Or do you think they’re focusing more on the market?” I was looking at the stars when I said: “I do not know, my friend. I hope they do not attack us till we leave.” Dertilis closed his eyes in relief and then after a few moments he said: “I wonder what Limon is doing in his life nowadays.” I replied: “Why do you care? To me, he’s nothing more than memories now. And I do not care if he is alive or dead.” Dertilis sighed and said: “My Curiosity is killing me. I hope we were not so cruel on him.” I looked at him with indifference.”He had what he deserved, Dertilis. And even if we were too cruel on him, I do not care. You can say I am a cold person with a brutal heart. I think that makes me more of a monster but I like the sound of that.” I said. Dertilis gave me a slight smile and then closed his eyes preparing to sleep. I wanted to sleep as well so I put my pack of clothes under my head and wished to see Zylona for if I die the next day I will not see her ever again neither for real nor in my dreams. Or will I see her in the next life? I closed my eyes and wished for the best to happen. I hoped that the gods would bless the voyage.
I did close my eyes but I couldn’t sleep. I was feeling that sleeping was a function that everybody does but me. Therefore, I opened my eyes to look at the sky where I saw the wonderful stars. All the stars were shining in that beautiful night. Shooting stars were brightening the sky with a beautiful white color. Among the stars, I saw the face of my beautiful Zylona. She was smiling at me as if it was really her. I smiled back and wished if I could touch her hands. Her hands were the softest hands a man can ever touch. Yet, her hands were not too soft that it might slip away from your hands easily. She always loved to leave her hands held by mine. She also loved to be kissed on the cheeks and the lips. She always liked to lie in my arms and close her eyes to relax and forget the world. She always seemed to have her own problems in Carthage. I do not doubt that I would have problems in Carthage. But at least, I would be living there happier than I was in Athens.
While I was thinking, I finally fell asleep and felt nothing at all but the bitter wind that came from the sea and the sound of the drops of water falling inside the cave. The two sounds were helping me go into a deeper sleep. Soon, I felt myself going into a dream. I was on the deck of the pathfinder. The strange thing was that I saw the same view in my vision. Soon I saw Zylona standing next to me on the ship with the same beautiful clothes and with her beautiful bare feet. As I looked above me I saw the sale of the ship with the word “Pathfinder” written on it. I looked back again at Zylona and smiled at her face. She gave back the most innocent and beautiful smile ever. I was happy to see her face again in my dreams after six months of working on the ship. I approached her and held her hands. She couldn’t stop looking into my eyes. “It is so good to see you again, Achios. I missed you so much.” Zylona said. I smiled then took her in my arms and said: “I missed you too, my beautiful. You look much more beautiful than ever this time.” Zylona smiled shyly and said: “It is just your imagination that makes you think I’m more beautiful than ever. The idea of being close to starting your voyage to Carthage is making your mind go crazy.” I kept moving my hands up and down her arms as I listened to her wise words. She looked at me with a lot of love and raped her hands around me then said: “I know you doubted my existence for once because there was a problem facing you although I told you that you may not face anymore problems. But aren’t you my love? Don’t I have the right to miss you and visit you in your dreams?” I smiled and said: “I want you to come into my dreams all the time. I miss you after the first minute you leave. You do not know how much I love you, Zylona.” She smiled a lot and said: “One day, I will know.” She rested her hands on my chest and said: “Now for the thing I really came for. You must wake up from your dream very soon. And you should also wake up all the passengers as the mercenaries will attack you with a vicious strike. They shall not mercy on you or anyone with you. You must prepare to set sail now. Or you shall fail to come to me. Hurry up or I shall not see you again. I do not want to lose you, my love. My life will be pointless without you… Now go. May Apollo watch over you.” I looked into her eyes and kissed her with lots of love as this may have been the last kiss I give her. Soon I found myself being pulled to the sky and jumping back to the world of reality.
I finally opened my eyes to look at Dertilis who was still asleep. It was dawn and soon the sun was going to rise and the mercenaries were going to fill our sky with arrows and rocks. I stood up and clapped loud for Dertilis to wake up. He opened his eyes suddenly and sat up wondering why I was clapping. “It is time. We have to load the goods and get ready for battle. The mercenaries are coming as soon as the sun rises and I do not want to see them even scratch our ship. I think you do not want that too.” I said. Dertilis tried to open his eyes a little more trying to wake himself up. He stood up and started to carry his things inside the cave. I went inside as well and clapped as loud as I did before to wake up Armand and the passengers. The men started to sit up and pull themselves together in order to start working. Dertilis shouted: “Alright, men. It is time to load our goods onto the ship and the sooner we do this, the better. A strong group of mercenaries is coming soon and we have to be ready to set sail before they come. Now half of you will load the goods and the other half will get ready to hold the mercenaries back long enough. Armand, I will let you organize the men and lead the group that is loading the goods. Achios and I will lead the fighting group. Now, let us start.” While Dertilis was talking with Armand I was putting on my armor and helmet and the other things. I held the sword and the shield in one hand and held the spear in the other. Dertilis started putting on his things as well as Armand. Soon, everyone was working and the goods started to be thrown onto the deck of the ship. Armand told the passengers to forget about putting the goods away for a while as we did not have much time left. The passengers who were supposed to fight were starting to wear their armors. Soon, they started to stretch their muscles in order to move faster. The sun was starting to lighten up the sky with the flames of fear. That time that would separate the men from the boys would soon come and decide our fate. The line of warrior passengers formed in the direction of the road down the cliff. There, Dertilis and I stood firmly in front of them and prepared to give a speech to install anger and fury in their blades. “The time has come to prove our strong will. Over there on the other side of that sea lies the land that we have been always dreaming to live in. And the time to start the voyage is at hand. Only few hard hours will pass and we will be already on the ship dancing among the waves of the sea. The mercenaries are standing in the way of our dreams. They are dying to rip our ship into pieces. Do not let them take away our hope. Do not let some ruthless scum prevent you from being ambitious. This is the time when manhood should run in our veins. If we deserve to leave this land we will win and if we do not, we shall let their blades pierce our hearts and perish on this shore. Fight well for the sake of every dream. Fight well for Carthage.” I said. The passengers were applauding loud showing that will not move one step back. Dertilis and I looked at each other and shook hands. “I hope that we both survive together.” Dertilis said. “There are only two ways ahead of us, my dear friend. Survive together or die together.” I replied.
We stood silently for a couple of moments waiting for the mercenaries to come. Soon, we heard their steps. The sound of their steps could frighten the most powerful monster. Yet, we all stood still and preparing to meet their blades. Moments later, we started seeing them move fast down the road. I could see their leader moving at the front and stretching his backbone with pride. The warriors behind us started to hit their spears repeatedly on the ground to show us that they were not afraid. “Do not march towards them or they will break our line and head straight to the ship. Put your shields in front of you to prevent them from moving forward.” Dertilis said.
Their army came closer and closer and the closer they became they louder their angry steps were. Dertilis ordered our warriors to start throwing arrows at them and in a moment the arrows flew above us and pierced some them. We had time for another wave of arrows so Dertilis ordered to throw another wave. The second wave was even more successful than the first. The warriors then put their bows on their backs and wielded their spears. We made one line and pointed our spears ahead of us before they engaged with us with one moment. A lot of the mercenaries got pierced by our spears then it was time to wield our swords. We spread into two teams in order to seal all the directions to the ship. The brave warriors were swinging their swords left and right ripping apart the mercenaries within every swing. I fought with both of my sword and shield as my shield was swarming with sharp spikes. I realized that my shield was making more damage than my swords was. I concentrated on how to get to the mercenary leader as he was the one with the thinking mind. I kept swinging with all my power to reach him then I finally made it injure his horse. The leader finally fell off his horse and stood up immediately. He looked at me with extreme anger and shouted: “That was the best horse the mercenaries had raised, you fool.” I replied showing him my sword: “And that is the best sword the Egyptians had ever made. Let us face each other man-to-man. You shall see for yourself which one of us is the fool.” He gave a loud war cry and ran towards me. His sword hit mine and made a loud sound that stopped all the warriors from fighting in order to watch us fight. The leader kept pushing forward with his sword engaged with mine. The sword was too heavy to be pushed so I quickly sat on the ground and let his sword pierce the ground. He was trying to get his sword off as I moved behind him and slashed his legs. He cried loud with pain then looked back at me after he had pulled his sword off. “You dare slash the leader of this mercenary army? You will pay dearly for this.” The leader said. I replied with cold nerves: “Shut up and fight.” He pushed forward again unleashing a cry of anger in the air but before he could engage with me, I stepped just one step to the right letting him pierce one of his men. He didn’t feel any regret as he pulled back his sword from his man’s stomach. I thought it would be the time to strike at him so I moved forward with the tricky steps that the shark had taught me. The mercenary leader tried to push me back but he couldn’t touch me as I was too small and flexible to him. I then kept hitting his cheap wooden shield with both of my sword and shield. The strikes were too strong for him to fight back so he kept standing behind his shield and moving back slowly. The final blow finally broke his shield and made him really angry. He pushed forward with mindless anger that allowed me to pierce his chest with my sword. He opened his eyes wide as if he couldn’t see anymore. Soon I saw blood dropping from his mouth while he was looking at me with anger. As soon as I took my sword out of him he fell to the ground as a corpse. I could hear Dertilis shouting again to regroup and keep fighting. The mercenary soldiers were even angrier than before after the death of their leader. We kept fighting and fighting giving the rest of the passengers enough time to prepare the ship to set sail. Someone arose among the mercenaries who appeared to be second in command. He reorganized his soldiers and then ordered to strike with a different formation. He used the spearhead formation which would break our line and head straight to our ship. Dertilis was the one who was better than me is organizing the warriors. We were few but strong so Dertilis ordered to encase the spearhead formation with a curved line. We finally made it to prevent them from breaking our line but they kept pushing forward forcing us to pull back. We tried as hard as we could to hold them back with our shields but the line was going to break soon. I ordered a couple of my men to stand behind us and start throwing arrows at the mercenaries in order to make them pull back. Soon, they were falling one after another. But the arrows were not enough to make them pull back. We were shouting for help from the others and for our luck we found them running to back our line. Armand started to organize a line of archers and then ordered to fire a wave after another. The mercenaries got weaker and weaker then they finally pulled back to form another formation. This time they used an ordinary line formation to attack. That formation was more successful than the first. They were forcing us to pull back although we kept on throwing arrows on them. Armand said: “We will not be able to hold them back much longer if we keep fighting in such formation. We have to push forward with spears and then start fighting with swords again.” Dertilis and I agreed so we pointed our spears ahead of us again and moved them back and forth really fast. We could hear cries of the injured mercenaries. Soon, they were not pushing forward any longer which gave us a chance to strike with swords once again. The lines spread and the battle was open for danger on both sides. Everyone was just swinging his sword in front of him hoping to kill and not get killed. Yet, we were feeling ourselves pulling back unconsciously. Then suddenly I heard a loud cry that came from my side. When I looked back I was shocked. It was Dertilis who got stabbed in his stomach with and arrow. I could not believe my eyes. I quickly ran to him and helped him stand up and get him onto the ship. I ordered Armand to take the lead as I help Dertilis get back to the ship. As I was carrying him and moving back, I could feel the sound of battle getting lower and lower. And when I got onto the ship I put Dertilis on a comfortable bed inside the main chamber of the ship.
“I am dying, Achios. Finally, I am dying. I could barely see the shores of Carthage. I failed you and the men. I even failed the gods.” Dertilis said while shaking in pain. I replied: “No, Dertilis. You are not dying. We will finish this together and set sail together and even reach the shores of Carthage together. You are not badly wounded. That is the mercy of the gods. I promise you that you will see the shores of Carthage with your waking eyes.” Dertilis looked at me with wide opened eyes and said: “You should get back to the battle then and finish this once and for all. If it is not for us, finish it for those brave men fighting to earn their voyage. They will be encouraged when they see your face back in the battle. Go now.” I looked at him for a moment then said: “Promise me that you will stay alive till I get back to you.” He nodded slowly and pushed me back telling me to go back to the battle. I left with my heart being torn inside of me. I was forced to leave my best friend inside that room alone while he was fighting the hands of Hades.
When I got back to the battle I found that four of our warriors were already killed. I attacked with all my fury unleashing my cry of anger. The warriors looked at me and gave the same cries. I could not feel my hands while they were strongly swinging the sword left and right. The strange thing was that I never heard the sound of battle after that. Everything slowed down and all I could hear was the voice of Zylona. I could hear her crying. The drops of her tears made me angrier than ever. The brave warriors were fighting with all their might but unfortunately they were falling one after another. We seemed to be losing the entire battle after all the efforts we exerted. I looked up at the sky and Shouted: “Hear me, Ares. Help me. Give me the chance to leave. I shall pray for you all my life.”
As I looked back at the battle I could see the mercenary who was second in command being pierced in his back with a spear. I looked at the one who killed him to see the shark. I looked at the entire battle to see that all the brave warriors I saw at the temple of Ares fighting the mercenaries. The shark had led those warriors to fight the mercenaries in the name of cleaning Athens from mercenaries. I could also see two of the royal generals who were clapping for me and Dertilis at the training courtyard. I smiled widely and got back into the battle with even more fury and energy. I kept on fighting till I stood in front of the shark. “Take your men and go, Achios. You’ve earned enough glory for today. Give my warriors a chance” The shark said with sarcasm. I replied: “How did you know I was here?” he giggled and answered: “my men were keeping their eyes on you. As soon as I had known that you were fighting the mercenaries, I immediately gathered the warriors of the temple and came here to aid you. Now, do not waste anymore time. Take your men and go onto your ship. May Poseidon watch over you.” I shook hands with him then gathered my men back to the ship and soon we were all on the deck of the ship. The ropes that were holding the ship into the cave got cut after that. The ship started to slide fast and fall into the water. Everyone was then looking at the shore watching how the battle was going. And it seemed that the mercenaries were finally about to be defeated. I got back into the room with Armand to see how Dertilis was. He was still alive but his skin was filled with sweat besides that it was really hot. Armand called for one of the men and said: “This man is a healer. He shall cure Dertilis’s injury in no time. Do not worry, Achios. I finally sighed with no worries then patted on Dertilis’s shoulders and said: “I kept my promise, Dertilis. It is all up the gods now. The shark had taken over the battle and the mercenaries now are about to be defeated.” Dertilis smiled with extreme happiness and said: “We are no longer friends, Achios… We are brothers.” I smiled back with pride and then got out of the room to look at the beautiful view of the sea. I finally had no worries. I could hear Zylona’s voice in my head saying: “I shall wait for you at the docks of Carthage, my love.”
I took a deep breath while closing my eyes trying to unleash the stress of the battle away. I then opened my eyes to look at the big sails of the ship with the word “Pathfinder” written on it. I realized that no-matter how life is hard, we can do whatever we desire. Who wants something will get it at the end as long as he puts it ahead of him in every corner he walks in. I realized that every big thing will need patience and sacrifice. I could see the horizon brightened with light as I could also hear voices of a lot of people saying…”Hail to the Green capes, the dwellers of the Pathfinder.”
Chapter Eight
The sunrise of the last day shone with golden rays as I was wearing my green cape. The corrupted views I saw along my life in Athens had finally started to die and fade away. My eyes were dying to enjoy the wonderful and marvelous views of Carthage. I just hoped nothing would go wrong. I was looking at my parents while they were happily having their breakfast. I told them that I would leave this day for Dertilis and I had to spend our last night at the cave. I sat next to them and kept looking at them as if it was my first time to see my parents. They looked at me smiling trying to hide their sadness and worries. I started having breakfast with them and-for my luck-the food was fresh and tasty.
When the breakfast was finished they stood up and told me to wait in my place for a couple of moments. They went inside to their room and after a few moments they came out with each one of them holding something behind their waists. They were hiding out of my sight so it would be a surprise. They then made me stand before them as they showed what they were holding. My father was holding an armor as my mother was holding a helmet and a pair of gauntlets. “This armor is made of brass, my son. I bought it for you when I was in Sumaria. I knew you like centaurs and that was why I picked the one with carvings of centaurs on it. I shall pray to the gods that this armor would protect you from any harm.” My father said. I was touched by my father’s words which made me involintarily bow with respect for my father. He then made me stand again to help me wear the armor. I turned to my mother after that as she prepared herself to speak. “Your uncle was once a great warrior in the gal lands. He told me that he doesn’t need his helmet or his gauntlets. I thought you could use these to bring you pride and blessings from Ares. Take them, my son.” I smiled at my mother and then kissed her forehead as I was taking the helmet and the pair of gauntlets from her. I immediately wore them and was very happy with them. I could hear Dertilis’ chariot slowing down and stopping near my house so I knew it was time to leave so I hugged my parents tight, took my things and left gently. I was satisfied because they didn’t cry. I think that they were feeling proud.
Out of my house, I went. Dertilis was looking at me with amazement as I was wearing the helmet and the armor. “Now look at you. A real warrior marching towards the doom of his enemies. Are they gifts?” Dertilis said. I smiled and nodded the said: “They are from my parents.” He kept gazing at my helmet and armor as I was preparing to ride on my chariot. Few moments later, we marched towards the cave to make sure that the ship has been finished. When we arrived we found that the workers had finally finished the ship and that they were polishing its deck with shells. The rest of the workers were sharpening the blades of the rams. The oracle was a great thinker as he designed the ship with big rams on the side. “I hope it would be strong enough to keep the pirates off.” Dertilis said. I giggled a little then said: “The oracle designed it to keep off the monstrous creatures of the underworld. Surely, it will keep pirates off.” Dertilis looked at me and smiled as to show that he had forgotten that this ship was meant to sail in the rivers of the underworld. We both looked at the ship for a long time. It was bringing us happiness and pride. The more we looked at it the happier we became.
The time for our last lesson had come. We hurried to the temple of Ares rushing to be ready for battle. On the way to the temple, I kept on revising the lessons. My mind passed on the flexibility of the body, the stability of the spear, the fury of the sword, the solidness of the shield, the power of the fist and the elasticity of the movements. The revision passed the time like wind and soon I found myself standing before the main gate of the temple. I was looking at it well this time because it was my last time to see such giant temple. I entered the temple and headed for the shark’s training room. He was sitting on the ground cross-legged and stretching his arms in front of him. To my surprise, he seemed so relaxed. “Come, my students.” Said the shark. “This time we shall not need blades. Just sit cross-legged like me and clear your minds of all your worries.”
We sat like he told us and took a deep breath as to breathe out all the worries and pressure. Our ears were extremely awake waiting for the Shark to speak the last lesson. “Listen carefully as this lesson is more important than fighting skills. A warrior without consciousness is like a bird without wings. Always stay conscious even in the darkest corners of earth where the hand of justice hasn’t reached. Listen carefully to what I am going to say next. Trust is the most deadly mistake during battles. You two have been working as a team even in your training and that is why you shall only trust each other. Never drink wine in strange areas as you might fight in any moment. Stick to only one woman who you can trust. Women are one of the effective weapons that your enemy uses. Never sleep away from your sword. Do what I said exactly and you will find Ares himself brining the glory to your feet. Your blades will be increasingly deadly. Your enemies will fear you and respect you.” The shark said.
Dertilis and I were looking at each other with great respect. We were sure at that moment that each one of us resembles a valuable ally to the other. The shark was looking at us with the feeling of success. He had finally made it to the two of us trusting each other for eternity. The shark stood up and helped us up as well then ordered us to follow him to one of the walls. “Pick any weapon you prefer. This shall be my present for you. All those weapons you see had been captured away from many great warriors from different lands. You shall find strength and brutality in each weapon. But first, I need you two to trust me.” The shark said. We bowed to him again as to confirm what he said. “Tell me about your plan. I promise I shall never tell any being outside this room.” The shark said. Dertilis and I looked at each other with hesitation thinking if we should tell him or not. We liked the shark but we didn’t know if we can trust him or not. “We would like to tell you, my lord. But you just told us a while ago that we shall never trust anyone else.” Dertilis said. I looked at Dertilis with shock. How did he dare to speak to the shark in such way? The shark-in spite of what he said-smiled a little then giggled loud. “Well done, Dertilis. You learn quickly and I like that. You have passed my last test. From now on, I shall not worry about the two of you. You can choose any weapon you desire. You can also take more than one.” The shark said. Dertilis smiled at the shark then approached the wall thinking of the weapon that would suit him. He looked at a Greek short sword that he liked so he took it off the wall. The second thing he looked at was a small round shield that had a carving of Poseidon standing among the waters and fighting Hydra. He liked the carving and the material of the shield so he chose that as a weapon. He stepped backwards as I stepped forward to choose my weapons. I looked at a Pharaonic sword that attracted me so much so I took it. I also looked at a barbarian shield with spikes at the front and on the rims. The shark smiled as he was pleased with our wise choices. He picked two sharp spears and said: “here, take these spears. They are called “the judgment blades”. Let each one of you have one.” He threw the spears gently to us and smiled. We admired those sharp spears so much. We bowed for the last time to the shark and then requested to leave the room. “You may rise and leave. May all the gods watch over you.” the shark said. He smiled and looked at us with extreme pride as we were holding some powerful weapons. We smiled back at him with the same amount of pride as he was our precious teacher and our valuable ally. Soon we were out of his beautiful room and after that were completely out of the temple. I looked behind me for once to look for the last time at the temple. The Era when I used to live in Athens was soon going to end and then fade away in the deepest corners of my memories.
I marched with my chariot next to Dertilis to the cave. For the first time, I look at the details of the roads as if I was waving goodbye to them. The soft rays on sunset were giving Athens a passionate orange color. I could see the cave ahead of me and it looked so brightened as if there was some kind of supernatural light inside it. The road was being blessed by that amazing light. I wasn’t frightened of the mercenaries. And they didn’t seem to pay attention so I was a little bit happy about that. Dertilis was standing in his chariot looking ahead of him in pride. We both marched to the cave in peace.
We rested at the fire place where we saw the slave-driver sitting with Armand. The slave driver was waiting for us to come in order to take his fee and leave with his workers. We paid him twenty Oxens and he was very happy with them as he wanted fifteen Oxens only. We gave him more Oxens so as to give some of them to the brave workers and also to ensure that every worker keeps the secret of the ship in his heart forever. Finally, the slave-driver gathered his workers and left silently. Dertilis noticed that there were about thirty men sleeping inside the cave. At first, he thought they were the workers who wished to leave for Carthage. But Armand told us that they were the men he knew who wanted to leave for Carthage with us. Armand gave us thirty Oxens and said that each one of those sleeping men had paid an acceptable price to leave for Carthage. I thought I would be generous with Armand so I gave him five Oxens. He was pleased with what I gave him then he excused us to go to sleep for the next day was the day we decide our fate. Before he left he wanted to make us feel relieved and said that most of those sleeping men were originally soldiers for the Greek emperor. This good news made me feel even less frightened. Armand finally left and there was only me and Dertilis at the fireplace. Dertilis laid back and said: “Do you think that the mercenaries aren’t really interested in attacking us? Or do you think they’re focusing more on the market?” I was looking at the stars when I said: “I do not know, my friend. I hope they do not attack us till we leave.” Dertilis closed his eyes in relief and then after a few moments he said: “I wonder what Limon is doing in his life nowadays.” I replied: “Why do you care? To me, he’s nothing more than memories now. And I do not care if he is alive or dead.” Dertilis sighed and said: “My Curiosity is killing me. I hope we were not so cruel on him.” I looked at him with indifference.”He had what he deserved, Dertilis. And even if we were too cruel on him, I do not care. You can say I am a cold person with a brutal heart. I think that makes me more of a monster but I like the sound of that.” I said. Dertilis gave me a slight smile and then closed his eyes preparing to sleep. I wanted to sleep as well so I put my pack of clothes under my head and wished to see Zylona for if I die the next day I will not see her ever again neither for real nor in my dreams. Or will I see her in the next life? I closed my eyes and wished for the best to happen. I hoped that the gods would bless the voyage.
I did close my eyes but I couldn’t sleep. I was feeling that sleeping was a function that everybody does but me. Therefore, I opened my eyes to look at the sky where I saw the wonderful stars. All the stars were shining in that beautiful night. Shooting stars were brightening the sky with a beautiful white color. Among the stars, I saw the face of my beautiful Zylona. She was smiling at me as if it was really her. I smiled back and wished if I could touch her hands. Her hands were the softest hands a man can ever touch. Yet, her hands were not too soft that it might slip away from your hands easily. She always loved to leave her hands held by mine. She also loved to be kissed on the cheeks and the lips. She always liked to lie in my arms and close her eyes to relax and forget the world. She always seemed to have her own problems in Carthage. I do not doubt that I would have problems in Carthage. But at least, I would be living there happier than I was in Athens.
While I was thinking, I finally fell asleep and felt nothing at all but the bitter wind that came from the sea and the sound of the drops of water falling inside the cave. The two sounds were helping me go into a deeper sleep. Soon, I felt myself going into a dream. I was on the deck of the pathfinder. The strange thing was that I saw the same view in my vision. Soon I saw Zylona standing next to me on the ship with the same beautiful clothes and with her beautiful bare feet. As I looked above me I saw the sale of the ship with the word “Pathfinder” written on it. I looked back again at Zylona and smiled at her face. She gave back the most innocent and beautiful smile ever. I was happy to see her face again in my dreams after six months of working on the ship. I approached her and held her hands. She couldn’t stop looking into my eyes. “It is so good to see you again, Achios. I missed you so much.” Zylona said. I smiled then took her in my arms and said: “I missed you too, my beautiful. You look much more beautiful than ever this time.” Zylona smiled shyly and said: “It is just your imagination that makes you think I’m more beautiful than ever. The idea of being close to starting your voyage to Carthage is making your mind go crazy.” I kept moving my hands up and down her arms as I listened to her wise words. She looked at me with a lot of love and raped her hands around me then said: “I know you doubted my existence for once because there was a problem facing you although I told you that you may not face anymore problems. But aren’t you my love? Don’t I have the right to miss you and visit you in your dreams?” I smiled and said: “I want you to come into my dreams all the time. I miss you after the first minute you leave. You do not know how much I love you, Zylona.” She smiled a lot and said: “One day, I will know.” She rested her hands on my chest and said: “Now for the thing I really came for. You must wake up from your dream very soon. And you should also wake up all the passengers as the mercenaries will attack you with a vicious strike. They shall not mercy on you or anyone with you. You must prepare to set sail now. Or you shall fail to come to me. Hurry up or I shall not see you again. I do not want to lose you, my love. My life will be pointless without you… Now go. May Apollo watch over you.” I looked into her eyes and kissed her with lots of love as this may have been the last kiss I give her. Soon I found myself being pulled to the sky and jumping back to the world of reality.
I finally opened my eyes to look at Dertilis who was still asleep. It was dawn and soon the sun was going to rise and the mercenaries were going to fill our sky with arrows and rocks. I stood up and clapped loud for Dertilis to wake up. He opened his eyes suddenly and sat up wondering why I was clapping. “It is time. We have to load the goods and get ready for battle. The mercenaries are coming as soon as the sun rises and I do not want to see them even scratch our ship. I think you do not want that too.” I said. Dertilis tried to open his eyes a little more trying to wake himself up. He stood up and started to carry his things inside the cave. I went inside as well and clapped as loud as I did before to wake up Armand and the passengers. The men started to sit up and pull themselves together in order to start working. Dertilis shouted: “Alright, men. It is time to load our goods onto the ship and the sooner we do this, the better. A strong group of mercenaries is coming soon and we have to be ready to set sail before they come. Now half of you will load the goods and the other half will get ready to hold the mercenaries back long enough. Armand, I will let you organize the men and lead the group that is loading the goods. Achios and I will lead the fighting group. Now, let us start.” While Dertilis was talking with Armand I was putting on my armor and helmet and the other things. I held the sword and the shield in one hand and held the spear in the other. Dertilis started putting on his things as well as Armand. Soon, everyone was working and the goods started to be thrown onto the deck of the ship. Armand told the passengers to forget about putting the goods away for a while as we did not have much time left. The passengers who were supposed to fight were starting to wear their armors. Soon, they started to stretch their muscles in order to move faster. The sun was starting to lighten up the sky with the flames of fear. That time that would separate the men from the boys would soon come and decide our fate. The line of warrior passengers formed in the direction of the road down the cliff. There, Dertilis and I stood firmly in front of them and prepared to give a speech to install anger and fury in their blades. “The time has come to prove our strong will. Over there on the other side of that sea lies the land that we have been always dreaming to live in. And the time to start the voyage is at hand. Only few hard hours will pass and we will be already on the ship dancing among the waves of the sea. The mercenaries are standing in the way of our dreams. They are dying to rip our ship into pieces. Do not let them take away our hope. Do not let some ruthless scum prevent you from being ambitious. This is the time when manhood should run in our veins. If we deserve to leave this land we will win and if we do not, we shall let their blades pierce our hearts and perish on this shore. Fight well for the sake of every dream. Fight well for Carthage.” I said. The passengers were applauding loud showing that will not move one step back. Dertilis and I looked at each other and shook hands. “I hope that we both survive together.” Dertilis said. “There are only two ways ahead of us, my dear friend. Survive together or die together.” I replied.
We stood silently for a couple of moments waiting for the mercenaries to come. Soon, we heard their steps. The sound of their steps could frighten the most powerful monster. Yet, we all stood still and preparing to meet their blades. Moments later, we started seeing them move fast down the road. I could see their leader moving at the front and stretching his backbone with pride. The warriors behind us started to hit their spears repeatedly on the ground to show us that they were not afraid. “Do not march towards them or they will break our line and head straight to the ship. Put your shields in front of you to prevent them from moving forward.” Dertilis said.
Their army came closer and closer and the closer they became they louder their angry steps were. Dertilis ordered our warriors to start throwing arrows at them and in a moment the arrows flew above us and pierced some them. We had time for another wave of arrows so Dertilis ordered to throw another wave. The second wave was even more successful than the first. The warriors then put their bows on their backs and wielded their spears. We made one line and pointed our spears ahead of us before they engaged with us with one moment. A lot of the mercenaries got pierced by our spears then it was time to wield our swords. We spread into two teams in order to seal all the directions to the ship. The brave warriors were swinging their swords left and right ripping apart the mercenaries within every swing. I fought with both of my sword and shield as my shield was swarming with sharp spikes. I realized that my shield was making more damage than my swords was. I concentrated on how to get to the mercenary leader as he was the one with the thinking mind. I kept swinging with all my power to reach him then I finally made it injure his horse. The leader finally fell off his horse and stood up immediately. He looked at me with extreme anger and shouted: “That was the best horse the mercenaries had raised, you fool.” I replied showing him my sword: “And that is the best sword the Egyptians had ever made. Let us face each other man-to-man. You shall see for yourself which one of us is the fool.” He gave a loud war cry and ran towards me. His sword hit mine and made a loud sound that stopped all the warriors from fighting in order to watch us fight. The leader kept pushing forward with his sword engaged with mine. The sword was too heavy to be pushed so I quickly sat on the ground and let his sword pierce the ground. He was trying to get his sword off as I moved behind him and slashed his legs. He cried loud with pain then looked back at me after he had pulled his sword off. “You dare slash the leader of this mercenary army? You will pay dearly for this.” The leader said. I replied with cold nerves: “Shut up and fight.” He pushed forward again unleashing a cry of anger in the air but before he could engage with me, I stepped just one step to the right letting him pierce one of his men. He didn’t feel any regret as he pulled back his sword from his man’s stomach. I thought it would be the time to strike at him so I moved forward with the tricky steps that the shark had taught me. The mercenary leader tried to push me back but he couldn’t touch me as I was too small and flexible to him. I then kept hitting his cheap wooden shield with both of my sword and shield. The strikes were too strong for him to fight back so he kept standing behind his shield and moving back slowly. The final blow finally broke his shield and made him really angry. He pushed forward with mindless anger that allowed me to pierce his chest with my sword. He opened his eyes wide as if he couldn’t see anymore. Soon I saw blood dropping from his mouth while he was looking at me with anger. As soon as I took my sword out of him he fell to the ground as a corpse. I could hear Dertilis shouting again to regroup and keep fighting. The mercenary soldiers were even angrier than before after the death of their leader. We kept fighting and fighting giving the rest of the passengers enough time to prepare the ship to set sail. Someone arose among the mercenaries who appeared to be second in command. He reorganized his soldiers and then ordered to strike with a different formation. He used the spearhead formation which would break our line and head straight to our ship. Dertilis was the one who was better than me is organizing the warriors. We were few but strong so Dertilis ordered to encase the spearhead formation with a curved line. We finally made it to prevent them from breaking our line but they kept pushing forward forcing us to pull back. We tried as hard as we could to hold them back with our shields but the line was going to break soon. I ordered a couple of my men to stand behind us and start throwing arrows at the mercenaries in order to make them pull back. Soon, they were falling one after another. But the arrows were not enough to make them pull back. We were shouting for help from the others and for our luck we found them running to back our line. Armand started to organize a line of archers and then ordered to fire a wave after another. The mercenaries got weaker and weaker then they finally pulled back to form another formation. This time they used an ordinary line formation to attack. That formation was more successful than the first. They were forcing us to pull back although we kept on throwing arrows on them. Armand said: “We will not be able to hold them back much longer if we keep fighting in such formation. We have to push forward with spears and then start fighting with swords again.” Dertilis and I agreed so we pointed our spears ahead of us again and moved them back and forth really fast. We could hear cries of the injured mercenaries. Soon, they were not pushing forward any longer which gave us a chance to strike with swords once again. The lines spread and the battle was open for danger on both sides. Everyone was just swinging his sword in front of him hoping to kill and not get killed. Yet, we were feeling ourselves pulling back unconsciously. Then suddenly I heard a loud cry that came from my side. When I looked back I was shocked. It was Dertilis who got stabbed in his stomach with and arrow. I could not believe my eyes. I quickly ran to him and helped him stand up and get him onto the ship. I ordered Armand to take the lead as I help Dertilis get back to the ship. As I was carrying him and moving back, I could feel the sound of battle getting lower and lower. And when I got onto the ship I put Dertilis on a comfortable bed inside the main chamber of the ship.
“I am dying, Achios. Finally, I am dying. I could barely see the shores of Carthage. I failed you and the men. I even failed the gods.” Dertilis said while shaking in pain. I replied: “No, Dertilis. You are not dying. We will finish this together and set sail together and even reach the shores of Carthage together. You are not badly wounded. That is the mercy of the gods. I promise you that you will see the shores of Carthage with your waking eyes.” Dertilis looked at me with wide opened eyes and said: “You should get back to the battle then and finish this once and for all. If it is not for us, finish it for those brave men fighting to earn their voyage. They will be encouraged when they see your face back in the battle. Go now.” I looked at him for a moment then said: “Promise me that you will stay alive till I get back to you.” He nodded slowly and pushed me back telling me to go back to the battle. I left with my heart being torn inside of me. I was forced to leave my best friend inside that room alone while he was fighting the hands of Hades.
When I got back to the battle I found that four of our warriors were already killed. I attacked with all my fury unleashing my cry of anger. The warriors looked at me and gave the same cries. I could not feel my hands while they were strongly swinging the sword left and right. The strange thing was that I never heard the sound of battle after that. Everything slowed down and all I could hear was the voice of Zylona. I could hear her crying. The drops of her tears made me angrier than ever. The brave warriors were fighting with all their might but unfortunately they were falling one after another. We seemed to be losing the entire battle after all the efforts we exerted. I looked up at the sky and Shouted: “Hear me, Ares. Help me. Give me the chance to leave. I shall pray for you all my life.”
As I looked back at the battle I could see the mercenary who was second in command being pierced in his back with a spear. I looked at the one who killed him to see the shark. I looked at the entire battle to see that all the brave warriors I saw at the temple of Ares fighting the mercenaries. The shark had led those warriors to fight the mercenaries in the name of cleaning Athens from mercenaries. I could also see two of the royal generals who were clapping for me and Dertilis at the training courtyard. I smiled widely and got back into the battle with even more fury and energy. I kept on fighting till I stood in front of the shark. “Take your men and go, Achios. You’ve earned enough glory for today. Give my warriors a chance” The shark said with sarcasm. I replied: “How did you know I was here?” he giggled and answered: “my men were keeping their eyes on you. As soon as I had known that you were fighting the mercenaries, I immediately gathered the warriors of the temple and came here to aid you. Now, do not waste anymore time. Take your men and go onto your ship. May Poseidon watch over you.” I shook hands with him then gathered my men back to the ship and soon we were all on the deck of the ship. The ropes that were holding the ship into the cave got cut after that. The ship started to slide fast and fall into the water. Everyone was then looking at the shore watching how the battle was going. And it seemed that the mercenaries were finally about to be defeated. I got back into the room with Armand to see how Dertilis was. He was still alive but his skin was filled with sweat besides that it was really hot. Armand called for one of the men and said: “This man is a healer. He shall cure Dertilis’s injury in no time. Do not worry, Achios. I finally sighed with no worries then patted on Dertilis’s shoulders and said: “I kept my promise, Dertilis. It is all up the gods now. The shark had taken over the battle and the mercenaries now are about to be defeated.” Dertilis smiled with extreme happiness and said: “We are no longer friends, Achios… We are brothers.” I smiled back with pride and then got out of the room to look at the beautiful view of the sea. I finally had no worries. I could hear Zylona’s voice in my head saying: “I shall wait for you at the docks of Carthage, my love.”
I took a deep breath while closing my eyes trying to unleash the stress of the battle away. I then opened my eyes to look at the big sails of the ship with the word “Pathfinder” written on it. I realized that no-matter how life is hard, we can do whatever we desire. Who wants something will get it at the end as long as he puts it ahead of him in every corner he walks in. I realized that every big thing will need patience and sacrifice. I could see the horizon brightened with light as I could also hear voices of a lot of people saying…”Hail to the Green capes, the dwellers of the Pathfinder.”