>>5621879You have chosen to sail alongside the Dioscuri and the sons of Telamon. While you will not be able to influence Menelaus directly from this position for the better part of the voyage to Troy, you don’t have it in you to care. Politicking does not suit your tastes or abilities- let Odysseus and Palamedes fight day and night over the whims of King Menelaus, who ultimately holds all power concerning this operation. You will spend your days at sea alongside warriors like yourself.
The distinction of between military and merchant ships grows as you and yours set off. While normally a nobleman needn’t row on a vessel, the severe lack of manpower on your ship means that you and Dioscuri must row if you want to make decent time to Salamis. Menelaus and the Spartans are already expanding their lead, rowing to the coast.
Thankfully, this is a case where your great strength is of direct use. The Dioscuri are rowing on the left benches and you are rowing on the right- and despite the imbalance in numbers, your sheer power makes up the difference. While the crew are not rowing fast enough so as to break their backs or crack their oars, you manage to keep the other ship of the diplomatic party in sight.
The waves and skies are blessedly calm, allowing you to make great speed crossing the gulf. This, one of the sailors mentions that this is because it is the time of Auxo, one of the blessed Horai. The Pleiades, heralds of doom for sailors, have not even been spotted in the sky yet.
Indeed, such is your speed that edges of the island rise over wine-dark sea well before nightfall. Even keeping along the coastline of the Megaris, and later of southern Salamis itself, you have reached the port-city which doubly serves as the seat of Telamon and the primary naval base of the southern Hellenes in little time.
