Argos (17 page)

D
ays passed. Telemachus, filled with the recuperative powers of the young, recovered swiftly. Soon enough, he was hobbling around the palace again. I was his constant shadow, keeping a cautious eye on him, always wary. The news that the gods could still have designs on Telemachus was never far from my mind. It made me anxious, even jumpy and at times, and I caught myself growling at a strange scent or even an unusual sound.

His leg was healing cleanly and the healer explained that although he might walk with a slight limp, Telemachus would otherwise make a full recovery. Like Penelope and Eumaeus, I couldn't have been happier.

I recovered just as quickly or possibly even more so. My sides knitted and it no longer pained me to run or jump. I began to thirst for a time when Telemachus and I could go hunting
together or even just walk down to the beach.

Telemachus tired easily though. He certainly wasn't up to any strenuous exercise and wouldn't be for some time. Even a walk down the steep path to the beach was too much for now. To recover his strength, he often took short naps during the day.

The inactivity started to grate. Out of loyalty, I often stayed in his room while he rested but I began to pace restlessly. I was torn by a desire to protect him on one paw and on the other, to enjoy the sun and fresh air. On one summer's day, it became too much. The warm bedchamber was stifling—I needed to get out.

Promising myself that it would not be for too long, I took myself out behind the palace. I found one of my favorite sunspots, quiet, sheltered from the wind, a place where I could lie undisturbed. I basked in the sun, enjoying the delicious sensation of the warmth seeping into my body, soothing my bones. I never intended to but before I realized it, I was asleep.

I awoke to find that I had not awoken at all. I was no longer outside the palace. In fact, I was nowhere. All around me was nothingness. Just a white mist. Daunted, I comforted myself in the knowledge that this was clearly just a dream. Dreams were hardly unusual for me. I had them all the time. Mostly they consisted of chasing boars. Sometimes a rabbit. More often than not, I caught it, awakening to a growling stomach. I often woke to find my legs were still moving as if I was truly chasing my prey. Embarrassing, I know.

Not this time, however. There was not one boar or rabbit in sight. Not even a scent of one. I was about to investigate my surroundings when a familiar scent intruded. It was the “god aroma.”

I sensed a presence and spun around. A spear length away, a tall woman in bronze armor stood facing me.

“Greetings, Argos,” said Athena. She held up one hand just as I was opening my mouth. “Don't try to speak,” she said. “Even in … this place, you still do not have that power. Instead, think what you would like to say and I will hear it.”

“Greetings, Athena. Goddess?”
I ventured.

“I can hear you, Argos,” she reassured me.

“What is this place?”
I asked.

“It is nowhere,” she said, unhelpfully. “It is an adjunct of Olympus. A place where we may shape as we please. It can be nothing and everything.”

That was definitely unhelpful, I thought, only then remembering that she was probably reading my thoughts. Instead, I asked,
“Why am I here, Goddess?”

“I have brought you here to warn you, dear Argos. I am being closely watched by the other gods—particularly Apollo and Poseidon—which is why I could not visit you in person. This was the next best option.”

“Warn me against what, exactly?”

“The rules do not give me the ability to furnish you with exact details, Argos, but suffice to say that you are in danger.”

“Me?”
I asked, surprised.
“But why me and from what?”

“Those gods and goddesses who wish Odysseus harm. It is not good enough for them to punish Odysseus himself. They wish to torment him by bringing calamity upon those who he cherishes most.”

“So, one of the gods did cause Telemachus to fall into the crevice?”

Athena nodded. “They did indeed. The gods, in case you didn't know, have the ability to take on almost any form. Did any of those goats seem unusual to you?”

I shook my head.
“No,”
I confessed. That was the truth. I would've thought that even disguised, I would still be able to sniff out a god. Clearly I hadn't.

“That was because some of the gods have decided to play the game a little … unfairly,” she said, a tiny smile playing at the corner of her lips. “We are not meant to directly interfere but it seems that after the events at Troy, the game has changed. During those battles, many of the gods and goddesses—myself included—directly intervened in the outcome of the conflict, going so far as to kill mortals or to influence events. Zeus himself has forbidden such intervention in the future but that hasn't stopped some of the others. You should have been able to smell a god, but it seems that the god in question took on every aspect of the goat. And I do mean every aspect. Something that is considered disdainful to the rest of us. That is why you couldn't smell it.”

“Ah,”
I said, thoroughly confused now.

“As I warned Penelope, Odysseus now has an even more powerful immortal enemy. Poseidon. Odysseus killed his son and now Poseidon wants his revenge. An eye for an eye, if you will.” For some reason, Athena found this last statement amusing. Her smile broadened. “The only thing stopping his revenge is you,” she continued, composing herself. “Telemachus for his son. You have foiled him once, he will keep trying until he succeeds or until Zeus takes an active part in this game and stops him. If you
are no longer in a position to thwart him, Telemachus will be much easier prey.”

“And how will he ensure I am no longer in a position to thwart him?”

“I cannot give you the details. Be warned though. It will happen soon. Possibly sooner than you realize. I can, however, help you in other ways.”

Without appearing to move, she was suddenly right next to me. She bent down, touched me gently with one hand, and closed her eyes.

Something surged through my body, sizzling my nerves, igniting every part of my being. I don't mind admitting that it hurt—a lot. I felt like I was on fire. My soul was seared in it. My body shook and then thankfully, I lost consciousness or whatever passed for consciousness in a place like that. Before I descended once again into darkness, I comforted myself with the knowledge that when I awoke, I would be back on Ithaca and some sort of normalcy would resume.

I was wrong. When I did return to the land of the living, it was not to the place I expected.

The quiet, sheltered spot where I had slept in the sun was gone. At first, I was confused. Had Athena transported me somewhere else? I was curled up on cold, hard planks. I stood
and tried to stretch but found that I could not stand properly. There were stout wooden bars all around me.

Despite being disorientated, I quickly realized where I was. In a cage.

I don't think I could've stood properly in any case. For some reason, my legs were quivering and my vision was a little blurred. There was a scent around my muzzle that was familiar.

Some sort of blanket or covering was covering the cage. It let in enough dim light for me to see clearly but there were no gaps or tears for me to peek through. Then I became aware of another fact. Wherever I was, or whatever I was on, was moving.

I had enough experience with boats to recognize the slow rise and fall of water beneath me. If that wasn't enough of a clue, the strong, sharp smell of salt assailed my senses. So, I was in a cage on a boat. That only left two questions. Why and who?

Moments later, both those questions were answered when the covering was lifted. Bright sunlight intruded and I blinked heavily, squinting at the figure now squatting next to my cage.

“Hello, Argos,” said the figure I immediately recognized by both smell and sound. “Good to see you. It's been a long time. The members of this crew must think I'm mad talking to a dog, but you know what? I don't care. To me, you're more than just a dog. You represent my shame and disgrace. I've dreamt about this moment for years, biding my time, waiting for a chance to exact my revenge. And now that it's come, it's almost everything I hoped for. And you know something? This is just the start of it. For you, the humiliation has just begun. I lived with mine for years, now it's your turn.”

I would like to say I was surprised by this turn of events, but I confess I wasn't. If I unlocked the deepest fears that lay within my beating heart, this would have been one of the foremost. I had strongly suspected that he would never let sleeping dogs lie. You won't be surprised at all to find out who this man was. His face had changed little—the same bony, almost skeletal face. Cheeks a little more shrunken than I remembered. More lines around his eyes, a little more gray in his hair, but other than that, there was no mistaking him. It was a face I would sooner forget.

It was, of course, the former Master of the Hounds at the palace in Ithaca. The man who had left in disgrace with a promise from Odysseus that if he was ever seen on the island again, he would be killed.

It was Amycus.

So began this next, most unpleasant stage of my life, formative in its own way but something I'd rather have avoided. It's not like I had a choice though.

I can't really remember many details of my shipboard experience, save that it lasted no longer than a day or two. I do remember trying vainly to escape but even I am no match for thick, seasoned wood. I slept through most of it, waking only to lap at the bowl of filthy water tossed into my cage through a small hatch. I received nothing to eat.

Thankfully, my legs stopped shaking and my vision returned to normal. In fact, more than normal. Everything seemed to be crystal clear. Every detail of the bars around me, the wood beneath my feet and the cloth covering the cage were revealed in all their mundane glory.

My eyesight had never been as good—or as colorful. I have heard that dogs cannot see in color. I have no idea how anyone knows this. Have they seen through the eyes of a dog? I can't speak for every dog, but I see various shades of color; but this, this was something amazing. I was almost overwhelmed by the richness surrounding me. I suspected that Athena had a part to play in this. One of her gifts, perhaps? If so, I failed to see the usefulness of it. Being able to decipher every nuance of color was hardly helpful when all I wanted to do was escape. But she obviously had her reasons. Possibly not great ones but who am I to question the motives of a goddess?

As delightful as this new ability was, there was only so much experience to be had inside a cage. Hence, the reason I slept—more to pass the time than anything else. My slumber was disturbed by the sound of the hull grounding on a hard surface and then a long drawn out scraping as the ship was pulled up onto what was presumably a beach.

My cage shook as it was roughly handled and lifted. There were several judders and shakes and then it was deposited on a hard surface once again. Movement resumed and my nose told me that there was at least one donkey involved, so I surmised that I was on a wagon.

Shortly thereafter, the cage was lifted again and carried some
distance. I heard doors being unlocked, opened, and shut. I was suddenly assaulted by a cacophony of smells and sounds. I smelt death and decay and heard the fearful cries of many animals in pain. What was this place?

Too soon I discovered the truth. My cage was set down and the door opened. I bolted forward, desperate for freedom but was deceived. Freedom was but a mirage, insubstantial and unreal as the mist in the place where I had last met Athena.

I found myself in another cage. This one was, thankfully, larger than the previous but that wasn't saying much. I had room to stand but only just enough room to turn. On either side of me were more cages filled with snarling dogs, one in each cage. Before me, on the other side of a dimly lit corridor awash in filth, were larger cages. Inside were shadowy shapes with an unfamiliar scent. I heard snarls and roars but I didn't recognize them. Suddenly, Amycus was there, kneeling down before my cage again.