HELEN: The Wine Dark Sea

His father would laugh and be certain he'd fallen asleep and dreamed the whole dazzling episode. His mother would smile and pat his shoulder as though she often had similar dreams. Oenone would believe him, he was certain she would, but how could he admit he'd chosen Aphrodite's offer of the world's most beautiful woman? It would only make her angry and sad. When she was so pretty, why had he asked for another woman? Should she learn of it she'd never forgive him, never.

He should have taken Hera's prize, ruled Asia and been blessed with untold wealth, or Athena's gift of wisdom and victory in battle which would have given him everlasting heroic fame. Both choices struck him now as far better than Aphrodite's, but they hadn't given him any time to think. They'd forced him to choose quickly, and Aphrodite was the very soul of love. No mortal man could have resisted her.

No one he knew had ever seen a god or goddess, and shaken to his soul, he stood on wobbly legs and vowed he'd never tell anyone what had transpired that afternoon. He hoped to someday reach Troy, and the woman Aphrodite had promised could be waiting for him there, but until that day, he would cherish the memory of the confounding afternoon in his heart and not share it. Then no one could damn him as a fool for his choice. But Hera and Athena's angry departure left him deeply uneasy about his future.

* * *

Waving excitedly, Agelaus rode out to where Paris watched over their grazing herd. "King Priam has sent men for a bull to be a prize at the funeral games honoring his dead son. They want Red, and I couldn't let them take him without telling you."

Unable to believe the chance to visit Troy had presented itself so quickly, Paris needed a moment to gather his thoughts. "Red sires strong calves and will make a fine prize," he agreed, barely able to contain his excitement. "This is my chance to see Troy, and I'm going with them. They probably don't know much about caring for cattle and Red will need me to lead him."

Agelaus tightened his grasp on his reins. "They must know enough or King Priam wouldn't have sent them. They can handle the bull. You're needed here."

Since the day the goddesses had visited him little more than a week ago, he'd thought of little other than making his way to Troy, and he'd not miss this unexpected chance. He straightened up to his full height. "Haven't I been a good son to you?"

"You have surpassed all my dreams, Paris, but you're still needed here."

"I want only to see Troy as you have," he argued. "I'll return home when I can."

Agelaus frowned unhappily. "So many come to see the games each year, all you'll see is the backs of a huge crowd."

"Then I'll see that. I'm old enough to go on my own."

"It's not a matter of age," Agelaus complained, but when Paris refused to listen to any of the reasons he posed, he reluctantly gave in. "I'll ask our cousins from the village to watch the herd and go with you. That way I'll know you'll be safe."

"Is Troy a dangerous place?" Paris asked, too excited to be apprehensive.

His father shook his head. "No, but there are thousands of people living there and not all are noble."

Paris leaped upon his horse's back, and they drove the herd closer to home. He was briefly tempted to tell his father he'd been told to go to Troy to find his gift from Aphrodite, but no matter how he rehearsed the story in his mind, he couldn't make it sound convincing. He'd take Red and let the world's most beautiful woman find him.

* * *

As they neared Troy, Paris gazed up at the grand city surrounded by its massive well-built walls, the walls, his father told him, had been built by the gods, Poseidon and Apollo. The Pergamon, the Citadel, rose above the city with King Priam's magnificent palace and temples of the gods at the crest. They glowed in the sunlight as he imagined Mount Olympus would.

As they entered through the Scaean Gate, he marveled at the enormous crowd gathered together. He'd not even realized there were so many people in the whole world. In the village, he heard a low murmur of conversation, but here in Troy, he was surrounded by raucous noise. He kept looking up at the citadel with the gleaming royal precinct, but the milling crowd quickly jarred him back to reality.

The multitude shouted rather than speak in normal tones, often with shrill voices, and they created a constant din. There were bright pennants flying from merchants' stalls, and the sellers touted the worth of their wares at the top of their lungs. Paris had never seen such an array of exotic goods, but Troy was the hub of a vast trading network with gold from the Hittites' Empire, ivory from Egypt, and frankincense and myrrh from Babylon.

He and his father followed the king's men to the pen where the prize bull was to be shown. Red entered the enclosure and circled at a trot ready for a challenge but none appeared. "He expects to fight," Paris noted with forced calm.

"Several of his calves show the promise of being even finer bulls when grown, so we won't miss Red for long," Agelaus assured him.

A young woman walked by in a colorful tiered skirt and bright bolero and immediately caught Paris's eye. When she turned toward him, he nodded, but she wasn't nearly as pretty as Oenone, and he quickly looked away. Surrounded by noise and color, he caught the familiar smell of garlic in the air. Someone was cooking one of his favorites from home.

From horseback, he could see so many dazzling things he grew dizzy. "I wish I could have come sooner."

Agelaus shrugged. "A child would swiftly become lost, so you were better off to wait until today."

"I'm taller than most men now," Paris responded proudly. "Even on foot I can see over the crowd. Where do they have the games?"

"The sporting grounds are on the flat area on the sea side of the city. I don't want to tarry here. Look around, we'll find a present for your mother and leave for home."

Paris had waited too long to visit Troy to rush away, and Aphrodite had given him an especially good reason to stay. "I'll not miss a chance to watch the games before we go, Father. Our herd won't even notice we're gone."

Agelaus dared not disclose the true nature of his fears, and hoping they could observe the games and depart without notice, he gave in. "We should leave our mounts here where they'll be looked after. A walk will do us good after our travel."

Paris's grin grew wide. "Thank you." He dismounted and handed his reins to one of the king's men and nearly danced in place as he waited for his father to make ready to go.