But despite their power the fight was long.
This is how it came to be,
The life we tread from dawn ’til eve,
The Twelve who watch over us all,
The sun, the stars, the earth and sea.
The Twelve defeated their treacherous foe,
Imprisoned them in the fires below,
Then Zeus made man and led his kin,
To rule from Olympus and keep us from sin.
This is how it came to be,
The life we tread from dawn ’til eve,
The Twelve who watch over us all,
The sun, the stars, the earth and sea.
And now we are forever blessed,
The Titans bound in Tartarus,
The gods watch over from above,
Forever praised, worshipped and loved.”
By the time he finished, Danae’s cheeks were wet with tears. She wasn’t the only one. Even Atalanta hadn’t remained dry-eyed. Orpheus blushed and laid his lyre carefully across his lap.
“Gods,” breathed Telamon, “a talent like that is more dangerous than all of ours put together.”
They set sail with the dawn tide.
Once the Argonauts had clambered aboard theArgo, they hung their shields over the side of the ship and tucked their belongings under the rowing benches. It transpired there was only one cabin under the prow deck, and it was nearly full to the brim with supplies for the long journey. There were crates of salted meats, biscuits, barrels of olives, skins of wine and packs of furs to stave off the chill when they reached the Black Sea. It was going to be cold at the end of the world.
Danae squeezed her bag next to Hylas’s pack and climbed up to the prow deck with Idmon. Everyone else, bar Tiphys and Jason, was seated at the oars. To even out his strength, Heracles was given an entire bench to himself.
But the crew didn’t have to row just yet. A strong northeast wind breathed into the sail and with Tiphys at the tiller guiding the steering oar, theArgocut through the water like a freshly sharpened blade.
“Orpheus! Sing us a song to see us on our way,” called Jason.
The musician climbed off his bench and sat himself on the edge of the prow platform, his feet drumming a rhythm on the wooden planks.
The beat was strong, and the song’s lyrics told of a great battle and courageous fighters, yet a lilt in the musician’s voice revealed a reservoir of longing. It touched a part of Danae still too raw to be brought into the light. Telamon was right, his was a dangerous talent indeed.
She stared out at the open water, the breeze whipping her short hair. She’d made it this far; now all that stood between her and Prometheus was the ocean. She’d always felt more comfortable on water than land. This was where she belonged. She thought of what her father said to her the day she left Naxos. She wondered if he was out on his fishing boat at this very moment. Perhaps they were riding the sea together.
Idmon appeared beside her. He wrapped his long fingers around the side of the ship, so close to hers they almost touched. She fought the urge to move her hand away.
“The Twelve see you and know you, sister of the all-seeing eye.”
She’d never heard that additional part of the greeting before.
