King of Ithaca (Adventures of Odysseus)

He turned a corner and saw a flickering pool of light cast across the road, coming from an open doorway. Bats squeaked over his head as he approached. Soon he was able to see that the building was not a dwelling but a temple. Even if this was not the temple of Aphrodite the attendant priest would point him in the direction of his goal so, loosening the sword in his belt, he went in.

The two wooden doors were wide open. They led into a chamber that was a little smaller than the hall in the palace at Ithaca. Its floor was paved with evenly cut flagstones and a row of painted wooden columns reached from either side of the entrance, forming an aisle that led to a sacrificial altar. This had been plastered with white clay which, in turn, was marked with dark stains that could not be identified in the gloom. Fixed into the wall behind the altar were two torches, the only sources of light in the shadowy temple. These stood on either side of a raised platform, on which stood the clay figurine of a goddess. It was as tall as his sword, with voluptuous curves and large breasts, but as Eperitus stepped closer he could see that the face was grotesque, deliberately distorted into a demonic expression.

He shook off the feeling of unease it put into him and looked about the temple. In one corner were an empty mattress and a heaped blanket where the priestess usually slept. He had brought a few barley cakes with him, taken from the feast to give as an offering to the goddess, so in her absence he slipped these from his pouch and placed them on the altar. When she returned the priestess would keep some for her own needs and see that the rest were offered to the deity.

There were alcoves in the walls that housed smaller but equally ugly figurines, their features leering out into the chamber. The shifting orange light of the torches showed only small details, but he was also able to catch glimpses of the murals that decorated the temple walls. These showed images of men and women copulating in every position imaginable – and some unimaginable – confirming beyond doubt that he had found the temple of Aphrodite, goddess of love. Being inexperienced in love-making, some of the pictures confused him, and the bodies of the lovers needed unravelling before he understood what they were doing. Others he found disturbing, but whether mystifying or sickening all were intriguing.

Some of the murals depicted women being raped by gods, well-known tales from the lost era when mankind and immortals intermingled freely together. Almost without exception the god or their victim would be transformed into some variety of beast, bird or plant, and the different metamorphosis in each mural identified which story was being explicitly recalled. Only one was unknown to him: a painting of a great swan standing over a naked woman, who writhed in ecstasy beneath its broad wingspan.

As he looked, a shape broke free from the shadows below the mural. It moved towards him, causing him to jerk the sword free of his belt and hold it out before the approaching phantom. Sensing danger, he watched the figure emerge into the light. Then he saw the long hair, the curve of her hips and the press of her breasts beneath her cloak. It was Helen.

‘Put down your weapon and explain yourself,’ she commanded. ‘Who are you and what are you doing here?’

Even in the shadowy gloom of the temple her beauty was stunning; standing only a sword thrust away from her, it turned Eperitus’s limbs to stone and stole his thoughts. Strangely, in this place dedicated to lust and carnality, the girl looked fresh and young, a vision of purity and innocence. There was no trace of the Helen who had stunned the great hall into silence only the night before. But she remained powerfully enchanting, so much so that he had to force himself to summon a response to her questions.

‘I am Eperitus of Alybas.’ He put his sword back into his belt, aware of how ridiculous he looked pointing it at her. ‘I received a message to meet someone here.’

‘Some common whore, no doubt,’ Helen said, disdainfully. ‘Anyway, she isn’t here so you can go.’

‘I’m going nowhere,’ Eperitus insisted, angered by the girl’s arrogance. Despite her divine beauty, she reminded him of a spoilt child too used to getting her own way.

‘Do you know who I am?’ she spat. ‘Now, leave at once or I’ll have my father throw you out of the city!’

‘Not before I’ve told him you’ve been leaving the safety of the palace. He wouldn’t like that, would he, with all these great warriors around?’ Eperitus caught her hand as it swept towards his cheek. ‘So why don’t you tell me what it is you’re doing here, Helen of Sparta?’

She shook herself free of his grip and glared at him with furious eyes. ‘I’m here to meet one of Odysseus’s men, if you must know.’

‘Then it was you?’

Helen looked at him with equal surprise. ‘You mean to say you’re the one my maid spoke to? Neaera!’