'If I had, then perhaps this expedition to Troy would have been for my sake instead of Menelaus's! As it is, I fell in love with Penelope instead and after that there was no question of marrying Helen. But my point is this: a G.o.ddess had told me that Helen was to be given to Menelaus, and yet it was within my power to make her mine. Do you understand? For a moment my destiny was in my own hands not the hands of the G.o.ds or of anyone else, just mine. And if it was the case then, it can be the same now. I intend to fight this war as if that oracle had never been uttered. I'm going to use every bit of my cunning to finish it quickly, and if I have to I'll sc.r.a.p like a cur until Troy lies in ruins and our black-hulled ships are speeding back home to Ithaca.'

At that moment, the guards stood aside and a soldier entered the great hall, his footsteps echoing from the walls as he marched up to the king.

'What is it?' Odysseus asked.

'Agamemnon, Menelaus and Palamedes have arrived, my lord. Their ship was moving into the harbour as I left to report.'

The king stood as the soldier left and, belatedly, received the staff from Halitherses's hand.

'This has been a difficult meeting and some things have been revealed that I would rather have remained secret. But there is hope, whatever Phronius says maybe not of a swift victory, but we shouldn't dismiss the power of a united Greece to win this war in good time. It only remains for me to propose that Mentor takes charge of Ithaca until my return, deferring only to my father's experience and Penelope's wisdom. I have also asked Eperitus to be my second-in-command, a role that befits his position as captain of the guard and my friend. Are you in agreement?'

The members of the Kerosia with the exception of Eurylochus nodded, and the slaves began clearing away the tables and their untouched food. Odysseus signalled for Eperitus to join him, but before he could say a word to the captain of his guard Halitherses approached with a concerned look on his old face.

'Odysseus,' he said, 'Eperitus told me he offered to lead the army in your place, but that you insisted on going.'

The king nodded.

'Well, I'm your friend and you trust me,' Halitherses continued. 'Although your optimism in the face of the G.o.ds is admirable, don't forget Helen did marry Menelaus, whatever opportunities came your way. And my instincts are against you going to this war. Why don't you accept Eperitus's offer?'

Odysseus placed a hand on the old warrior's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

'Because I don't really have that choice, Halitherses. I was the one who took the oath, not Eperitus. Besides, I may not be as accomplished a fighter as Achilles, Diomedes or the greater Ajax, but I have more brains than the rest of them rolled up together. I'll think of a way to shorten this war when all their brawn and fighting skill fails, and when I come back home to my family in a couple of years the honour for the victory will be mine. I'll prove the oracle wrong yet, old friend.'

Halitherses embraced Odysseus and Eperitus briefly, the tears flowing openly down his cheeks as he bade them farewell. Phronius followed, silently taking the hands of both men before shuffling away, stooped over his stick. Eupeithes, in his usual aloof manner, shook the king's hand and wished him well.

'The last time you led an armed mission overseas,' he added in a quiet voice, 'a certain rich fool used the opportunity to seize the throne. Well, you've proved yourself a just and merciful king and I want you to know that rich fool has learned from his errors he won't be making the same mistake again. That's all I wanted to say, Odysseus. Goodbye.'

He bowed low, then with a brief nod to Eperitus was gone.

'What was that all about?' asked Laertes after his nemesis had left.

'I believe that was the first heart-felt apology Eupeithes has ever offered me,' Odysseus answered. 'Will you and mother be coming to watch the fleet disembark?'

'Fleet?' Laertes scoffed. 'That's a very grand expression for a dozen ancient galleys pulled together at the last moment. If your Taphian friend Mentes hadn't offered to sell us six of his ships, half of the army would have been sailing in merchant vessels. Even now I doubt you'll make it to Aulis, let alone Troy.'

'Well, that would be one way to avoid my doom,' Odysseus replied, sardonically. 'But on the a.s.sumption the fleet makes it out of the harbour, will you and mother be there to see us off?'

'She said her goodbyes to you last night, Odysseus, and won't say them again. She already believes she's seen you for the last time, so I don't know how she'll take this oracle you've been keeping secret all these years.'

'She'll see me again, I know it,' Odysseus said firmly. 'And what about you father? Will you come to the harbour?'

Laertes took his son's hand. 'I don't like crowds, so I'll say farewell here. Look after yourself and come back as quickly as you can. Mentor and I will take good care of Penelope and Telemachus for you.'

With that, he turned his pale, watery eyes away and departed, leaving only Eperitus, Eurylochus and Mentor with the king. Odysseus took a last look around the hall he had known so well for all of his life, then turned and left.

The changeable weather had brought a sky full of grey cloud to cover the departure of the Ithacan fleet. Odysseus marched out of the palace gates with his three companions to a loud cheer from the waiting army and the crowds of Ithacans who had come to see them off to war. He waved his hand in acknowledgement and looked at the hundreds of faces. The soldiers stared back with something close to adoration, all of them eager to risk their lives for a war not of their making, in a foreign land none of them had ever seen. Each man wore a chelonion flower tucked into his belt or in a joint of his armour, to act as a reminder of their homeland. Odysseus knew almost all of them by sight and many by name, even amongst those who had come from the furthest corners of his small kingdom. As he stood before them, a wave of nervous energy burst through his stomach and filled him with a feeling of nausea. Every moment of the past two weeks had been consumed by preparation for the great expedition, but now he was finally able to understand that he was leaving his beloved homeland for a faraway country, unable to say when or if-he or any of his men would return.

At that moment, a bark erupted from the crowd and Argus came bounding towards him.

'h.e.l.lo, boy,' he said, bending down and patting the puppy vigorously as it licked his beard. 'I was wondering where you'd got to. Thought perhaps you didn't want to see me off.

Argus barked and wagged his tail.

'I'm sure you'd love to come along for the voyage, youngster,' Odysseus said, holding the dog's face in his hands and looking into his eyes. 'And you'd be better company than most. But a ship's no place for a dog, and neither is a battlefield. Mentor's going to look after you until I come back.'

'That's right, boy,' said Mentor, bending down to pat Argus's head. 'We're being left at home while Odysseus and Eperitus go to reap all the glory. But at least we can hunt a few boar while they're away, eh?'

Odysseus grinned at his old friend, then turned to Eperitus.

'Time to divide the men into their units,' he said.

Eperitus nodded and stepped forward. 'Form up by your commanders,' he shouted, his voice rebounding off the walls and houses.

Suddenly the hum of conversation grew louder and more urgent as the men hurriedly kissed their loved ones goodbye and gathered their arms and belongings about them. This was followed by a disorderly stampede of warriors searching to find their nominated commanders, who in their turn were calling out their own names so that their men would be able to find them in the chaos.

'You'll have your work cut out getting this lot into shape,' Odysseus said in a low voice that only Eperitus could hear.

'We'll manage it,' Eperitus replied.

As he was the commander of Odysseus's ship, large numbers of men were now emerging from the mayhem and making their way towards Eperitus. They included the hand-picked warriors of Odysseus's personal bodyguard, Antiphus, Eurybates and the t.i.tanic figure of Polites among them. Arceisius was also with them, grinning in antic.i.p.ation of his first great adventure.

'This is quite a rabble you've got here, Eperitus,' Antiphus sighed, looking about at the chaotic a.s.sembly.

'Anything we can do to help?' asked Eurybates.

'Yes. Organize our lot into ten rows of twelve, get rid of the women and make sure we haven't gained any stragglers,' Eperitus ordered firmly.

An instant later the old soldiers of the guard were barking commands and using the shafts of their spears to chase people into, or out of, the orderly ranks their captain had requested.

'Having trouble with your army, Odysseus?'

Odysseus turned to see Agamemnon standing behind him. Menelaus and Palamedes stood on either side of the Mycenaean king and an escort of a dozen well-armed men stood watchfully at their shoulders.

'If you're in a hurry, gentlemen,' Odysseus said, shaking the hands of the two brothers, though pointedly avoiding the hand offered by Palamedes, 'I can send them back to their homes and just take the one ship.'

He pointed to Eperitus's unit who, though still lacking a few men, were standing in orderly rows.

'We can wait,' Agamemnon replied, clearly enjoying the sight of hundreds of armed men running around with little semblance of order. 'I'm sure that once your men separate themselves from their families they'll make a fine body of men. Unless, that is, the women and children are coming too.'

Odysseus gave a tired smile and shook his head. 'Not yet. Now, if you'll forgive me, I have to say goodbye to my own family. Eperitus, get the men down to their ships a unit at a time, with ours last.'

Eperitus watched the king stride back through the palace gates with Argus barking at his ankles. Odysseus was about to face one of the hardest challenges of his life, but this time there was nothing Eperitus could do to help him.

Actoris gave Telemachus to his father and stepped back.

'Such a shame,' she tutted as Odysseus bent to kiss the child on his warm, red cheek. 'Such a shame. I hope this war doesn't last long, my lord, or you won't hear his first words or see him learn to crawl.'

'Don't make matters worse, Actoris,' said Penelope, her voice strained. 'Leave us now, and take Telemachus with you.'

Odysseus pressed a final kiss on the baby's forehead before pa.s.sing him into the old nursemaid's waiting arms.

'Go with Telemachus, boy,' Odysseus ordered, looking down at Argus. 'Guard him until I return.'

He barked once and promptly followed Actoris out of the room, trotting along beside her with his head craned up at the white bundle in her arms. Odysseus watched them go, then shut the double doors behind them and walked over to the bed in the middle of the room. Each post had a thick girth and was inlaid with patterns of gold, silver and ivory that twisted and turned all the way up to the ceiling.

'Do you remember when I made this bed?' he said, sliding his palm like a plane over the smooth surface of one of the posts.

Penelope smiled and sat on the pile of furs that covered the thick straw mattress. 'Of course I do. You refused to sleep with me for two weeks until you'd finished it.'

'Ah, but it was worth the wait.'

Penelope lay back on the bed, her long, dark hair spreading over the light-coloured fleece like a fan. 'Yes, I couldn't forget that either.'

'I made this post from the bole of a living olive tree,' Odysseus continued. 'The others I just cut to size and fitted, but this one was from the tree that used to stand here before I built this part of the palace. Its roots still run beneath the bed we've shared for ten years the best ten years of my life, Penelope.'

'Will you be away long, Odysseus? The talk among the slaves is that the expedition will take over a year it's an awfully long time to be apart from you.'

'Who can say for certain?' Odysseus mused, sitting beside his wife and placing his hand on her warm stomach. 'The Trojans might give Helen back the moment they see our fleet anch.o.r.ed off their sh.o.r.es, or they might decide to fight it out. But I promise you I'll do everything I can to bring this quarrel to a quick end, even if I have to give up eternal glory and all the plunder in Priam's treasury to achieve it. There's nowhere I want to be more than back here with you and our son.'

'I know,' Penelope said, reaching up and touching his face. 'But I'm going to miss you however long you're gone. It'll be lonely without you.'

'Don't say that. There are many people here who love you dearly, and you'll have Telemachus to look after. Besides, the war may not happen at all, and if it does victory should be swift.'

'Only the G.o.ds can say how and when it will end,' Penelope replied, sitting up. 'But I know this much, Odysseus: the Greeks won't succeed without you. Your intelligence and courage are already well known, but this war is going to reveal the true greatness that I know is hidden within you. I want nothing more than for you to be here, in this bed with me every night, but your potential can never be realized on this forgotten collection of rocks at the world's edge. So go to Troy and fulfil your oath, and let everyone see the kind of man you really are.'

She stood and took Odysseus's hands in hers, pulling him to his feet.

'The time is nearly upon us,' she said, her voice low to hide the emotion that was welling up inside her. 'But before you go, husband, I want you to have something to remember me by.'

She led him by the hand from the bedroom to the older part of the palace. There were no slaves in any of the corridors everybody was outside, seeing Ithaca's army off to war and soon they were alone in a torch-lit storeroom that smelled of wine and old leather.

'Here,' she said, taking a heap of cloth from a table and unfolding it. 'It's a double cloak. I made it myself.'

Odysseus unclipped his worn-out old cloak and let it fall to the dirt floor, then took the garment from his wife's hands and swung it over his shoulders. Even in the weak torchlight, the purple wool had a silvery sheen like the skin of a dried onion. The fine material felt soft and smooth on his upper arms, and despite its extra thickness was light and moved freely.

As he admired the feel of it, Penelope stepped up and fastened it over his left shoulder with a golden brooch. Odysseus looked down at it, but could not make out the design in the gloom.

'What does it show?' he asked.

'A dog killing a faun,' Penelope answered, putting her hands behind his neck and kissing him tenderly on the lips. 'I thought it suited you; it's like the motif on Agamemnon's sail, but more restrained. You're a greater king than he is, Odysseus, though your strength is more subtle.'

'I'll need subtlety if I'm to make my mark on this adventure. You remember the sort of men who paid court to Helen powerful, rich, great warriors to a man. What am I compared to them? The only advantage I have is up here.' He tapped his head with his forefinger.

'Just make sure you use your brains to bring the rest of you back safely,' Penelope said, throwing her arms about his broad chest and leaning her head on his shoulder. 'I've heard terrible things about these Trojans, Odysseus. Is it true they're battle-hardened and show their enemies no mercy?'

Odysseus thought of his father's words to the Kerosia, as well as the things he had heard said at the failed council of war held by Agamemnon ten years earlier.

'They're good soldiers, I'm told skilled with the spear, the bow and the chariot. Many Greeks will meet their deaths in Ilium, and I can't promise you I won't be one of them that's for the G.o.ds to decide. But I'm no weakling, either, and there won't be many Trojans who can better me on the battlefield. If I die, though, or if I'm not home by the time Telemachus is old enough to take the throne for himself, then you must marry whoever you choose and start again. I don't want you to be lonely, Penelope.'

She opened her mouth to speak, but he placed a finger against her lips.

'Now I must go,' he said, kissing her on the forehead and holding her close. 'Look after my father and mother while I'm gone they love you very much. And take good care of Telemachus. I've left him the horn bow that Iphitus gave me it's in its box, hanging from a peg in the armoury. When he's able to string it, you can tell him he's old enough to be king in my place.'

'You'll be back long before then,' Penelope replied, then hid her face in her hands as the hot tears stung her eyes.

She felt Odysseus touch her hair with his large, gentle fingers, but when she opened her eyes again he was gone.

When Odysseus returned to the terrace, his newly donned armour gleaming in the grey light, most of the army had moved down to the harbour. The majority of the crowd had gone with them and the hubbub of their conversation could still be heard drifting up from the bay and over the wooded ridge to the town. Only the sixty men of the king's own ship remained, standing in rows awaiting his return. At their head were Eperitus and Mentor, talking to Omeros.

'Let's move,' Odysseus said, striding up to them. 'If I don't go now I might never leave at all. What are you doing here, Omeros?'

'He was caught hiding in a grain sack on one of the ships,' Eperitus explained. 'Apparently, he wants to come with us to Troy so he can experience war for himself and compose a song about our exploits.'

'Does he, now?' Odysseus asked. Then, sliding his sword from its scabbard, he turned and presented the handle to the angry-looking bard. 'I admire your spirit, lad it's worthy of a true Ithacan, so I'll do you a deal. If you can strike any one of us Eperitus, Mentor or me with the flat of this sword, I'll take you with us. Fair?'

Omeros, his surly expression lightening a little, nodded silently and held his hand out for the sword. Odysseus laid the handle gently in the boy's palm, then let go.

The point fell straight into the dirt. Omeros placed both hands on the hilt and with all his strength was only able to lift the sword level with his knees, before dropping it again. Odysseus took the weapon out of his hands as if it weighed no more than a piece of driftwood, then slid it back into its scabbard.

'A warrior carries a sword, two spears and a shield made with at least four ox-hides sewn one on top of the other. He also has his breastplate, helmet and greaves. Without any one of these, Omeros, his chances in battle are reduced. He must be able to cast his ash spear as far as the palace wall is from us now, with enough power to drive the point through several layers of leather or bronze. Once his spears are used he must draw his sword and with one hand the other is holding his shield, don't forget fight his enemies to the death. All this with the sun on his back, the sweat in his eyes and the strength draining from his muscles with every pa.s.sing moment. I'm not telling you this to humiliate you, Omeros, just to make you understand why you're not yet ready to come with us. If all a soldier needed was a stubborn will and a courageous spirit, I'd put you back in that grain sack myself. But it's not like that, son.'

'No, sir,' Omeros replied. 'But I can still sing for you. They say all the other kings have their own bards.'

'Terpius can sing well enough for my liking. And I know you think the man's an artless buffoon,' Odysseus added quickly as Omeros's mouth opened to protest, 'but he has the advantage of being a grown man who can throw a spear as well as anyone in Ithaca. Now, I won't argue about it any more go back into the palace and sing something cheerful for my wife. I think she'd like that.'

Omeros, his head lowered, trudged back to the palace.

'You'd better go, too, Mentor,' Odysseus continued. 'I'm going to miss your counsel, but at least I can feel at peace while I'm away if I know you're running things here.'

He embraced his boyhood friend, then after sweeping the familiar town and the palace one last time with his eyes, he turned and led his men down the road towards the harbour.

Chapter Eleven.

REGRETS AND HOPES.

Helen sat in the soft, thick gra.s.s and looked across the bay towards the horizon. The sun was nearing the end of another day's journey, and in its final, magnificent moments the skies above were transformed into brilliant bands of magenta, orange, gold and indigo. As the shimmering orb dipped into the waters at the furthest edge of the world its reflection stabbed out like the head of a bronze spear, reaching the Trojan galley anch.o.r.ed at the broad mouth of the bay so that the ship's black silhouette seemed to be floating on a sea of yellow fire.

It was from these waters, off the western coast of Cyprus, that Aphrodite had been born. The legends told how the t.i.tan Cronos castrated his father, Uranos, and cast his genitals into the sea. Aphrodite emerged from the foam they created and came ash.o.r.e at Paphos, possibly even on the same crescent of beach that sloped away before Helen now.

Helen closed her eyes and rested her forehead on her raised knees.

'G.o.ddess, my beloved Lady Aphrodite, have I ever failed to make pleasing sacrifices at your temple in Sparta, burning fat-covered thighs on the altar as the G.o.ds prefer? Since I was a small girl, haven't I always honoured you above the other Olympians? And yet, how have you rewarded my devotion? With disdain!' Helen sniffed and wiped an angry tear from her cheek. 'The beauty you gave me has been nothing but a curse. It's made me a prize for men to drool and compete over, and yet all it has ever brought me was marriage to Menelaus. Were you punishing me, my lady, or just mocking me? And the only things of worth to come from our wedlock, my beautiful children, have been taken from me in the cruellest manner by my own choice. Only Pleisthenes was allowed to escape with me, and only then because his little, crippled form would be a foil to my own perfection. Why couldn't you have crippled me instead and spared him?'