Quest of a Goddess

Chapter Five

It had been three days since his meeting with Athena and his departure from Troy and in that time Agathon had covered nearly 75 miles.  He had hunted or fished for his meals, he had only allowed himself one per day, in order to conserve the rations given him by the goddess.  During his journey thus far, Agathon had driven himself relentlessly, both out of a desire for haste and to make himself so exhausted that his slumber would be deep and dreamless.  As he settled into his camp on the third night of his journey, he pondered a question that had troubled him since he started.  How was he going to get to the land of the Achaeans?  He had no ship or crew, so sailing across the Aegean was out of the question.  As far as he knew the Hellespont was too wide to swim and there existed neither ferry nor bridge.  There were of course, vague rumors that far to the North of the Hellespont the Euxine Sea (Black Sea) ended, and one could go around to the Achaean side of the straits.  These were only rumors through and Agathon had no idea how long such a journey would take, or if it could even be made.  His last thought before sleep swirled across his eyes was that perhaps the dawn would bring new counsel.

            As dawn broke on the fourth day a gentle breeze from the West brought the salt tang of the sea into Agathon’s nostrils.  This told him that his time of choosing was now upon him.  As he easily strode toward the West the scent of the sea grew stronger and he began to hear the calls of the birds of the sea.  By noon, he could actually see the Hellespont itself.  He stopped himself just short of the edge of the cliff.  Time passed and still Agathon was no closer to a solution to his dilemma.  Apollo’s sun chariot began to sink into the West, and still no answer came to him.  The setting sun stirred him into action and he began to set up his camp just where he was.  With the curtain of night pierced only by the stars, he still pondered his decision.  Just before midnight he heard a roaring sound that caused him to spring out of his bedroll.  Agathon turned toward the sea and nearly fell onto his backside in shock and fear.  A gigantic, dark wave crested the top of the cliff and the roaring sound became nearly deafening.  Just as it seemed that the wave would swallow him whole, it formed into the figure of a powerfully built man.  He stood nearly seven feet tall and was clad in plate armor formed of seawater.  In his right hand was a nine-foot tall trident.  Agathon quickly scrambled off his rear and onto his knees as he realized that once again he was in the presence of an Olympian.  “Lord Poseidon, this is an unexpected and undeserved honor.  How may I serve you?”  Poseidon simply stared unblinking at him with no expression at all on his chiseled face.  Agathon kept his head down, not knowing what else to do and hoped that he had not offended the god in some way.  Finally, after nearly 10 minutes, the god began to speak.  “Agathon, do not be afraid.  You have not drawn my wrath for your actions or deeds.  As you probably know I supported the Trojans during the war.  Even with my power, I was not able to prevent that which the fates had decreed.  I have however taken my revenge against the Achaeans.  I have drawn many down to death through storms on their way home and I am especially exercising my wrath against Odysseus.”  Agathon gave a brief thought to interrupting the god, but thought better of it instantly.  Unlike Athena, he did not think for one minute that Poseidon would welcome any unsolicited conversation or disruptions.  Poseidon had briefly paused, and then began to speak again.  “Despite my past and continuing differences with Athena, I have decided to help you on your quest.  I do not really care about the fate of her priestess, but anything I can do to help a Trojan to any victory over an Achaean, I will do.”  Agathon’s head spun as he wondered what sort of assistance the Olympian would provide him.  Poseidon then told him that he was to walk to the edge of the cliff at the break of day tomorrow and he would be able to cross the Hellespont.  The god then disappeared into mist. For the remainder of the night, Agathon simply sat and stared at the sea and stars, totally unable to sleep.

            As dawn broke on the next day, Agathon was standing at the very edge of the Eastern shore of the Hellespont as directed.  At the minute that the first rays of the sun touched the waters of the Hellespont, the water began to rise to the foot of the cliff.  Within a minute, a bridge of water had formed that spanned the entire length of the Hellespont.  Agathon quickly moved onto the bridge and found that it was as firm as any wooden bridge that he had ever walked upon.  Once he made this discovery, he moved quickly down the length of the bridge and crossed to the Western shore.  As soon as he had both of his feet on the ground of the Western shore, he turned back and saw in wonder and astonishment that the bridge he had just crossed had once again sank into the sea.  Silently offering up a prayer of thanks to Poseidon, Agathon quickly strode off to the Southwest in order to continue his journey.