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The Golden Age

Chapter 7: The Deep Blue Sea

Concealed by a shallow headland our fleet lay in wait, floating up and down on the gentle swell. It was an impressive sight, their low, predatory shapes seeming more like living things than mere wood and bronze, an effect only increased by the eyes painted on their bows for good luck. From the front of each jutted a long bronze ram like a beak ready to slice into flesh.

The plan was a simple one. A small group of merchant vessels would lure the pirates into the straights between the mainland and a large island just off the coast. About half way through they would pass the place where we were hidden. When we received the signal one half of the fleet would sail out and attack them from the side and rear. As they fled before us the other half would come round the side of the island, closing off the exit to the straight and trapping them.

We had rushed back to the city as fast as we could. We arrived at dawn to find it in chaos, with no one sure what had happened. By the time our warships had been sent out the pirates had gone, and all that could be done was search for the few survivors who clung to the wreckage of their ships.

Over the following weeks the pirates attacked again, more and more frequently. What had started as one of the most glorious summers in living memory soon became one of the most awful anyone could remember. The council sent ships out to search for the enemy and messengers to our allies to seek assistance, but as war slowly but inexorably sucked in each city of Greece lawlessness spread and each had to look to its own safety. With no visible success tensions were running high, and with no enemy to fight people began to turn on each other in frustration.

When Demarchus proposed an assembly to address the issue I feared the worst. He was a populist and no friend of Aristides. There were even rumours that he might try to topple the council. The day was a stormy one, a strong wind from the sea blowing up dust, darkening an afternoon already heavy with storm clouds. Even the ancient olive tree creaked ominously in the wind. There was an expectant hush as Demarchus stood to speak. He stood for a moment, his eyes flashing and his mane waving wildly in the wind, and then he began to speak.

"Fellow citizens. Each of you knows the dire situation we face. Almost daily we receive reports of attacks on our ships, news of our fathers, our brothers, our sons, dying at the hands of pirates, or sold into slavery. All our ships scour the oceans, but nothing has been achieved.

As you know, I have never held back from attacking the failures of Aristides and his cronies. Time and again they have made mistakes, and only I have had the courage to say so before the assembly."

By this point the tension was palpable. People shuffled uneasily, a sense of menace and potential violence in the air. Taking a deep breath he continued.

"But this time, they have made the right choice. They have agreed to support my plan for dealing with the enemy that assails us. Even now Greece is sliding into war, neighbour against neighbour, and barbarians circle like wolves in the night, waiting to drag down any who are too weak to defend themselves. At a time such as this we must stand together. We must stand united, shoulder to shoulder as fellow citizens to defend our city, and to defend each other"

The tensions broke, a barely audible sigh of relief rising from the whole assembly. He outlined his plan, a bold move to wipe out the threat decisively. Aristides spoke in favour of the plan and the vote was held. Support for it was almost unanimous.

It started to rain as Antenor and I walked home, gently at first, but getting heavier by the moment. By the time we reached home we were soaked to the skin. After shaking out our fur in the covered portico of our home's central courtyard we went inside and dried off by the fire, neither of us saying a word. Antenor fell asleep first, his head on my chest. For some time I sat listening to his breathing, my gaze rested on our bronze shields, which glittering in the firelight.

Those same shields rested next to us on the deck as we waited for the signal. Philo stood at the side, a graceful golden arc reaching down to the sea as he relieved himself. Antenor shifted beside me and I glanced over to see him trying to casually hide his erection as he watched the toned rabbit piss overboard. We watched him shake off the last few drops and he turned round, his cock exposed for a moment. Walking across the sundrenched deck to our patch of shade and sat down with us. He picking up his lyre and began strumming it casually, quietly humming a tune to himself.

As his tune grew in volume all those on the deck began to gather round. Looking up Philo seemed almost surprised to see everyone watching him, and he coughed nervously. "Shall I sing something?" He asked. "How about part of the Iliad?" I suggested to murmured agreement.

"Alright then" he said. He cleared his throat again, took a gulp of wine and started to sing in a clear voice.

"Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures..."

"It's the signal" shouted one of the sailors keeping watch. On the headland sunlight flashed from a bronze mirror to signal that the enemy were approaching. In an instant we were rushing to our posts. I took my place beside Antenor near the prow, the familiar weight of a spear in my hand. The ship's motion was jerky at first, lurching forwards to every drumbeat just audible from below the deck, but as the pace quickened our motion became more fluid and the bow wave mounted against the hull, the ram carving through the water like a knife. Our rowers are free citizens; they were fighting for our city just as much as those of us on deck, and they poured every ounce once of strength into those oars that day.

Across the narrow strip of brilliant blue I raised my spear in salute to Nicander and Myron on the ship to our left. Turning I did the same to Demetrius and Xanthippus on the ship to our right. And then, passing the entrance to the bay, we saw our ships, sailing as fast as they could, tiny sailors rushing about like ants, throwing everything overboard to gain any speed they could. Moments later the first of the enemy came into view, just a few hundred yards ahead, completely unaware of our approach.

Second by second the distance closed, waves piling up silver against our bronze prows. Our ship had outpaced the others and as the last of the enemies' vessels passed the entrance to the bay we emerged, slamming into their side at an angle, oars and planks disintegrating into splinters.

Acting quickly the helmsman of the opposing ship turned his vessel away from us and instead of cleanly striking a hole in their hull we ground along their side, shattering planks and ripping away large chunks of wood. Our oars became entangled with theirs and as the rest of our fleet passed us we began to drift in the wind across the narrow channel. On the other side dark rocks lay just visible beneath the water. Swiftly spotting the danger our captain ordered some men to take axes and hack away the broken wood holding us to the enemy.

Although taken by surprise the crew of the other ship recovered quickly. As Philo rushed forwards with an axe a huge hyena drove a spear across the narrow gap between our vessels and into his upper arm. Philo was flung sideways, twisting as he fell. With a speed of which I would never have believed myself capable I thrust my own spear into the hyena's exposed armpit and pulled it back, dragging the pirate from his deck to plunge into the water below.

All around us the men were desperately trying to cut us free but the pirates, recognising that their ship was lost, fought to board ours. Looking at Antenor we agreed what we had to do with a single glance. Backing off slightly we prepared ourselves, ran, leapt across the roiling water and landed on the pirates' deck. I used my shield and a jackal to soften my landing, his ribs giving way with a wet cracking sound beneath its solid bronze.

Leaping up I saw Antenor with his spear stuck deep in one of the enemy as another brought down a curved sword on its shaft, Antenor then driving the splintered end into his assailant's throat. Turning quickly I was just in time to bring my shield up to ward off a blow which struck so hard it cut a deep notch into the shield's rim. I smashed the shield into my attacker's face. Dropping my spear because of the confined space I drew my short sword. I backed towards Antenor until I felt his tail brush mine and I could smell his familiar scent above the fear and blood.

The plan was working and many of the pirates had broken off the attack on the ship to deal with us, but looking at the snarling muzzles around us, filled with a hate born of fear and desperation, I didn't think that we would survive the next few moments.

Suddenly the world lurched, hurling us to the rough wood of the deck. A horrible grinding noise, the gurgling of inrushing water and the screams of the men trapped below decks told us that the ship had hit the reef. Our ship was not yet free and its weight drove us harder onto those merciless rocks, the already damaged pirate ship rapidly collapsing about us.

A cheer went up from our ship as the shock of the impact broke away the last pieces of wood binding it to the shattered wreck on which Antenor and I stood. Hurling my shield with all the force I could into an antelope that was trying to stand I helped Antenor to his feet. As I reached round his waist I felt hot, sticky blood pouring from a gash on his thigh were his leg had fallen through the deck, and his right arm hung limply were a blow had broken it.

Staggering across the heaving surface I pulled my lover to the side of the ship where two of our sailors reached to us while others drove off the surviving pirates. We were almost there and I was stretching out my paw to one of the sailors as the ship finally gave way beneath us and we fell into the churning water.

At first my senses were overwhelmed by the noise of water in my ears and the disorientating murky blue of the enveloping water, but as the breath rushed out of me in a trail of silver bubbles and the light receded I realised I had to act quickly. I had dropped my sword, which was now spiralling its way to the sand of the sea floor, catching the light every so often as it sank. Fortunately I had a knife in a sheath tied to the thongs of one of my sandals. Drawing it I cut the straps of my breast plate and helmet, throwing them off and kicking my way to the surface.

When I burst into the fresh air and clear sunlight I looked about for Antenor, blinking in the glare. When I saw he wasn't there I plunged my head back under the surface. All around, clearly picked out in the sunlight against the murky blue background were the forms of men dragged downwards by the weight of their armour, some still alive, thrashing as they drowned. Below me, almost at the bottom, my beautiful fox was plunging downwards at the base of a plume of inky red blood, almost black in the dim submarine light.

Without thinking I began to swim down, praying to Poseidon that I would reach him in time and offering fervent thanks that the channel was relatively shallow. The pressure bore down on me as I went deeper and I felt the burning in my muscles from the exertion. After the most agonising moments of my life, watching Antenor struggle vainly to free himself from the weight of his armour with his working hand, his russet fur waving about him in the weak current, I finally reached him. He looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes and at first his expression was one of such fear that it chilled me more than the cold of the surrounding water. Then he realised I was there and he summoned up enough presence of mind to hold out the strap holding on his breastplate for me to cut.

This only took a few seconds but I could already feel the burning in my lungs. I can barely image the agony Antenor must have felt as he ran out of breath. As I dragged him to the surface I felt him cease to kick as he passed out. When we reached the surface I dragged in deep gulps of air as I pulled Antenor up.

Next to us floated a broad piece of wreckage which I was able to grab, pulling us onto it. Looking into the face of my beloved I could see he wasn't breathing. Letting out a cry of despair I pulled him close, holding him, refusing to let him go, refusing to lose him, as if I could keep his spirit from descending to the underworld if I could just hold him tight enough.

As I held him, pleading with all the gods on Olympus not to take him from me I heard what for me will forever be the most beautiful sound in the world. With a coughing, retching sound Antenor began to choke up the water from his lungs, breathing in deep sobbing breaths of air before choking up some more and vomiting into the water with the pain.

I was crying so hard with joy I didn't notice as our ship came alongside, the crew singing a victory song. We had won.