King of Ithaca (Adventures of Odysseus)

‘I haven’t given Helen’s marriage any thought at all, if that’s what you mean,’ Tyndareus replied defensively. ‘But your brother’s a good man. I’ve liked him ever since you two were boys, when I threw your uncle – that scoundrel Thyestes – out of Mycenae. Yes, Menelaus would probably be my first consideration.’

‘Good. I wanted to know that before I asked you about inviting suitors for Helen.’

Tyndareus shook his head. ‘Oh, I wish I hadn’t drunk so much wine; a man needs a clear brain whenever you’re around. Why should I want to invite suitors to my palace?’

‘You asked how I would gather the best of the Greeks under one roof,’ said Agamemnon. ‘Well, that’s my answer. What prince or king would ignore an invitation to pay court to the most beautiful woman of our time? And there’s another lure: I would have become heir to your throne when I married Clytaemnestra, had I not already ruled my own kingdom; that means the right to your kingship will now be passed to the man who marries Helen. With her beauty, power and wealth, the suitors will come flocking to Sparta. Don’t you see, Tyndareus? It’s the priest’s dream.’

Icarius lifted his cup in a toast to Agamemnon. ‘And when you have them here you’ll convene your council of war. You’re a clever man, Agamemnon. One day you’ll be leader of all the Greeks, and then you can take us to glory.’

‘Or death,’ Tyndareus added.

A figure watched them from a shadowy alcove above. Her raven-black hair was covered by the hood of her white robe and her face was hidden behind a thin veil. Only the gleam of her dark eyes was visible in the shadows as she listened to the plans of the men below.

Helen’s heart sank. Tyndareus was not even her real father – Zeus had that honour, though Tyndareus did not know it – and yet he had the audacity to put her up for auction like a slave. As for Agamemnon, he was nothing but a butchering megalomaniac. His mind was a maze of political stratagems and his black heart beat only for the glory of the Greeks. If she were a man she would take a sword down to the courtyard and kill all three of them.

But she was not a man. If she was to stop the king of Mycenae weaving his web about her, she would need subtler weapons than swords or spears. But Helen had learned that the weapons she possessed were more powerful than bronze. She smiled bitterly. From an early age she had been forced to veil her beauty because of the effect it had on the men around her. But as she grew older she had learned how to use that effect to her advantage. Power belonged to men, of course, but men could be manipulated.

Helen looked down at the three kings. Why should she give herself meekly to Menelaus, or any other man they could force on her? She was no brood mare to be traded on the whim of kings. She was a daughter of Zeus and had a right to choose her own lover, one who would take her as far away from the confining walls of Sparta as she could get.

Chapter Five

THE SACRED POOL

‘I’ve come to ask the will of the gods,’ Eperitus said. ‘What is their plan for me, and how do I seek out my destiny?’

The Pythoness ran her tongue along her lips and hissed.

‘Ares’s sword has forged a bond that will lead to Olympus. But the hero should beware love, for if she clouds his desires he will fall into the Abyss.’

Those were her last words to them, as with a final hissing laugh she pulled the hood of her robe over her face and lowered her head.

‘The audience is over,’ Thrasios declared. ‘You must leave now.’

‘And the prophecy?’

The priest gave an arrogant sneer.

‘The gods are already moving in your life. A friendship forged in battle may steer you to glory and a name that survives death. But instead love will lead you astray and you will become nothing.’

He announced the last part with satisfaction, as if this was a fitting end for a soldier.

‘That’s a lie!’ Eperitus responded angrily. ‘I’ll never sacrifice glory for love.’

‘Eperitus!’ Odysseus cautioned him, putting his arm about his shoulders and leading him out in the wake of the priest. ‘The oracle only warned you to beware love. That part of your destiny is still in your own hands. I’ve never heard of a man who wasn’t given a choice by the gods. And besides, did you listen to the first part? Glory and a name that will survive death! What more could a warrior ask for?’

The prince was right, Eperitus thought: his destiny was still his own, and what woman could make him surrender his honour? He looked at Odysseus, who was smiling reassuringly at him; surely their new-found friendship was the one spoken of by the Pythoness. If he was permitted to join the small band of warriors, then his promised destiny would hopefully follow, leading inexorably to fame and glory.