Endymion's Wake

XIII. Golden Chalice

Golden Chalice | Akakios

Akakios opened his eyes and nearly let out a moan from the pleasure of sleeping on such a luxurious bed. He could carry a hundred amphorae across the Peloponnese then fight the Titans alongside Zeus, he felt so well rested. He opened his eyes and saw Chrysanthos sleeping, mouth wide open and snoring softly. A stark contrast to the gasping and booming sounds coming from the King last night, or his grandmother at home. These breaths were small and barely audible. His father found a puppy several years ago, abandoned by its mother along the riverbank caked in mud. Miltiadis brought it home and tried to nourish it back to health. When it slept, its snores were soft like Chrysanthos'.

Smiling at the memory, he turned to peer out the balcony. Dawn was about to begin in earnest. He slid out from under the linen blankets and put on his tunic and sandals. Tiptoeing out onto the balcony, he looked down at the three guards standing silently below. Suddenly, he felt a small hand tap his back. He turned around and saw his Little Birdie smiling up at him.

"I can help you leave," she whispered excitedly into her cupped hands. Akakios looked into the room and saw Emilios sprawled across the floor, pillows everywhere but beneath him.

"Thank you," mouthed Akakios.

He watched her climb up the balcony wall, just as they did the night before. The rooftops were dark, but beginning to be illuminated by the slightest blue gray light of Eos. Phoebe ran ahead, but remembering Emilios' snide remark about hearing Akakios' foot steps above his bed chambers, Akakios walked slowly. Phoebe patiently guided him towards the store houses, cellars, and stables. Their side entrance lay beside the massive palace gates, where Phoebe revealed a small opening in the palace walls.

"Wait here," she whispered before slipping through the gap and out of sight. Akakios waited anxiously. He could hear the king's horses stir as the morning light grew. Before long he could see his sandals and knew he only had a short time to sneak around the guards with any chance of success. About to run through without waiting for Phoebe, she reappeared in the small opening. His relief vanished at the sight of her worried face. He bent down, placing his ear close to her mouth.

"The guards are close, but if you walk against the wall there are bushes nearby," whispered Phoebe, her breath hot against his night chilled ears.

He nodded and stood. Phoebe wrapped her arms around his legs in a tight hug. Akakios' heart ached for the young girl. Any shame he felt for living in the pits, dwarfed what a Doulos would feel. He bent down again and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll see you soon, Little Birdie."

Stepping through the gap, Akakios immediately saw the two guards talking a stone's throw from the wall. Further away from the wall than the guards under Chrysanthos' chambers, they must have drifted away from their post to avoid drawing attention to their chatter and muffled laughter. Careful not to disturb the still morning air, Akakios watched his steps as he moved along the palace walls. His eyes moved from the ground, up to the guards, and over in search of the bushes in a triangular repetition. While looking for his hiding place a few seconds too long, a small branch snapped beneath his foot. Shooting his head in the direction of the guards, Akakios froze. Luckily, the men were laughing as the branch broke and continued their conversation oblivious of Akakios. Moving along the curve of the palace walls, he finally saw bushes across a short clearing. Taking a deep breath, Akakios made his move and ran for cover.

Safe inside the tangle of bushes, Akakios chuckled at his escape. The palace was exciting! It seemed like more happened in the last two days there than his whole life in the pits. Exciting, maybe, but he looked forward to returning to his uncomplicated life in pits. Visiting chaos is fun, living it sounds horrible, thought Akakios.