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To the displeasure of all, the sailing to Erythrae continues to be mediocre, although your bout with Pollux does much to improve the mood of various crews for a few days. It’s only with Odysseus’ expert guidance that your ships make real headway, and even then - some days, your galleys hardly make any progress at all. Ajax and Menelaus, taking your lead, organize sparring bouts and contests between the various nobility and crews to keep the men entertained and morale as high as possible, even while struggling against the currents at sea. As for you – you follow Castor’s advice, hobbling about on Ajax’s training spear, and helping the Salaminians at the oars for lack of something to do.
You continue your association with Teukros and Pollux – the bonds of friendship growing between you, although you learn nothing of substance in these days of recuperation for you. Ajax’s mood is foul, Teukros informs you, due to the difficult sailing – you would not have known, given his expressionless exterior. The bastard of Telamon advises you to keep your distance, and perhaps approach him once Erythrae is behind you.
Your expedition is granted one boon by Zeus as you travel northwest along the Ionian coastline – your group remains unmolested by pirates and raiders from the sea, and also from the land – between Odysseus, Ajax and Menelaus, the team of six ships continues to find hidden nooks and crannies along the shore where your team can rest hidden during the nights, and during the day, your tightly-clustered group must look too strong to risk assault.
Needless to say – the crews are exhausted after ten days of hard rowing – even the Salaminians betray bone-deep weariness as you round the peninsula of Melaena. The peninsula, you are informed by Andocides, has gained its name to the phenomenal quality of its soil – black and rich with the blessings of Demeter Πολυφορβος, and he provides you with this information as well:
“There are men who eat bread everywhere along the Aegean, Nikandros – but here, the men grow fat dining on the substance of their harvests. I am told that the men of this place send much of their resources to mighty Ilion, and further East, to appease the masters of King Priam.”
Once Erythrae is in sight, the Samian vessels quickly about face, without so much as a goodbye to Ajax and Menelaus. They quickly disappear under the horizon with the currents in their favor and the halting breeze now lending them speed. As for yourself – you are proclaimed mended by Castor at approximately the same time, your brace removed, and the training spear returned to Ajax, who only grunts roughly in acknowledgement.
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