Page 37 of Orpheus
“And who do you think you are!?” Aristaeus roared at me. “You dare defy a god?”
“I am Orpheus, son of the muse, Calliope, defeater of the sirens, and loyal companion to King Jason of Thessaly,” I informed him, hoping the titles would make me sound intimidating.
“What business do you have here with me and my servant?” Aristaeus glared at me as he asked this. His eyes were so cold they sent a chill through my veins.
“Eurydalos is no servant of yours any longer. He is coming with me. I am taking him far away from here,” I brazenly stated.
“Ha!” Aristaeus let out a deep belly laugh. “You are sorely mistaken if you ever think I will let you take him away from me willingly.”
I should have known better. Why did I think this could possibly be done so easily and in an amiable way? If only the softness of the music from my lyre could make this situation more harmonious. But even I knew that it would have no effect on Aristaeus. He was hard-headed and ruthless. There would be no getting through to the god. Eurydalos was right about him all along.
“I am sorry. But I will not leave unless it is with Eurydalos. I love him and he wishes to go with me.”
“It’s a shame that I care nothing about either one of your feelings. He belongs tome. Iownhim. He ismyproperty. Eurydalos will remain here and that is final,” he argued.
Eurydalos finally emerged from the house with a sack full of his clothes and other items that were meaningful to him. As soon as he stepped towards us, Aristaeus charged at him with his hand raised, ready to strike him.
I sprinted behind Aristaeus and grabbed his wrist, preventing him from harming my lover. I pushed him hard to the side, to which he stumbled and fell to the ground.
“How dare you lay your hands on a god!” Aristaeus seethed as he rose back up to his feet. When he spun around towards Eurydalos and me, he retrieved a knife from his pocket, pointing it at the two of us.
“Aristaeus! Don’t!” Eurydalos begged. “I want there to be no violence. Please put the knife down. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“It’s too late for that!” Aristaeus yelled as he lunged forward, aiming the knife at my chest. This time it was Eurydalos who leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Aristaeus to tackle him hard into the grass before he could stab me.
I reached to lift Eurydalos up, grabbing his hand. “We must go now!” I shouted. I yanked on his arm and began running towards the forest, dragging him along the way.
Turning my head, I could see Aristaeus sprinting after us. The chase was on.
Chapter 16
I cannot believe what we just did!
Eurydalos and I were on the run, fleeing from a god that wanted to kill us both. We sprinted through the nearby forest in the vale, moving in a winding path, avoiding the many obstacles of trees that prevented us from being on the straight and narrow. But luckily, for us, these vast timber giants also helped to conceal us, creating an even greater hindrance for Aristaeus, who was on our tails.
How could I have been so foolish in thinking I could possibly reason with this wicked god? I should have listened to Eurydalos. Why would I assume that a god who beat his servant and forced him to make love to him could be capable of being humane?
Now, this very same god was hunting us down. Surely, even if we managed to escape from his clutches, what then? Aristaeus would never settle and let us get away with this. I had a feeling he would do everything in his power to get Eurydalos back, to the extent of getting even more powerful gods involved in this strife.
But it was absurd to be thinking about the future and the potential consequences that would be awaiting us. I needed to focus onright nowand getting out of this forest with Eurydalos and me unscathed.
It was Eurydalos who was moving quicker than me, swiftly navigating through the trees while holding my hand, pulling me along. He was a dancer, and far more fit than I was. It made me regret not building my athleticism and endurance when I had the opportunity to do so while growing up in Thrace with the training grounds available to me at all times. But despite this, I was still able to keep up with Eurydalos. As much as I wanted to stop to regain my breath, I knew I couldn’t. Time was of the essence, and slowing down could be the make or break in this life or death situation we were currently facing.
I could not even keep track of the time. It had felt like a whole hour since we’ve been running, but I couldn’t be too sure. It may have been only minutes. Time was completely warped in my mind.
Soon, Eurydalos decreased our pace, until we came to a halt, seeming unsure of our next move. As he scanned all around us, he then dragged me to a sharp right turn until we arrived at a babbling brook. The rocks sticking out of it were jagged, and it seemed treacherous to have to cross it, for the rapids were also rough.
Despite my worry, I knew we did not have any other option. Crossing this river would be precarious, but it was our only means of salvation.
“Hurry! We have no time to waste,” Eurydalos informed me. “We need to make it across here and continue on. Being out in the clearing like this leaves us exposed and vulnerable. Aristaeus will surely find us soon if we’re not on the other side and back in the forest, hidden among the trees.”
There really was no debate here. All I could do was nod and press onward with him. Eurydalos hurried and hopped along across the rocks. As I scrutinized them carefully, I saw that each one he stepped on barely had a smooth surface for me to plant my feet on, flatly. I worried I would fall into the river if I was not careful.
“Just follow my steps, Orpheus,” Eurydalos advised me.
And so I trailed behind my lover. He was kind enough to move slowly for my sake, as we leaped across the slippery rugged slabs. My lower body was drenched from the splashes of water that struck me with great pressure, but I stood my ground, doing my best not to get pummeled over by the unwavering rapids.
Soon, Eurydalos had made it safely across, turning around to face me, to verify I was not too far behind. I continued to glide across the rocks, until my last jump onto land was a dramatic one, in which I stumbled into Eurydalos’s arms. He held me up to prevent my falling.
