Jealousy Under the Moonlight (1)
Acrisius 3.
He was Danae's older brother and Perseus 2's maternal uncle.
Like Danae, he had inherited a legendary name, and he ruled Argos — the city called the navel of Mycenaean civilization. Strictly speaking, the name he bore belonged to the father of the Danae who had given birth to the original Perseus; but through a tangle of cause and consequence, things had settled into their present shape.
And Argos was hardly the only place where inherited names had twisted relationships into something strange. A man who bore the name of Peleus, father of Achilles, had sailed with her on the Argo expedition as well. In Greece as it stood now, that was simply how things worked. The trouble was that anyone could claim a legendary name and lie about it, and almost no one could tell the difference — which made the whole arrangement a serious problem.
Exactly as it was about to become.
But… what on earth is going on here…
Like Danae, he was a middle-aged man with long golden hair and green eyes. His beard grew thick and handsome enough that he looked as if he ought to be popular, yet in truth he was the sort of king who left no mark on history — indecisive, the kind of man people muttered about behind his back. That same nature was on full display now, and it had already let a rat into the palace.
"King Acrisius! I, Agamemnon, the true master of Mycenae, have arrived!"
Agamemnon, is it…
That rat was none other than the Agamemnon of the present age. The original bearer of the name had been a hero of the Trojan War and king of Mycenae. This one was a middle-aged man with a thick, bushy black beard and short black hair; arrogance shone plain in his round dark eyes, and even the swollen muscle of his frame looked as if it had been cultivated for wealth and renown alone.
The man currently ruling Mycenae took the name of Alkaios, son of Perseus… so why is someone who inherited the name of Agamemnon claiming to be Mycenae's master…?
Acrisius slowly stroked his golden beard, making no effort to hide his confusion. Greek heroes turning up unannounced was nothing unusual, but even allowing for that, this man was far too insolent. The way he bellowed for King Acrisius as if he were already a king himself was more than enough to sour the soldiers standing nearby — yet Acrisius had no desire to pick a fight, and so he decided to hear the man out.
"Ahem. You have found your way here well enough. I am the king who rules Argos, the man granted the name of Acrisius the Third by the gods. I could not offer you a proper welcome for so sudden a visit, but I greet from the depths of my heart a man who bears so familiar a name. It would be best if you stated your reason for coming."
"Haha! My thanks for the hospitality, King Acrisius! The reason I have come this far is none other than this — I wish to ask certain questions concerning the temple keeper Danae, and the succession of Argos!"
"Danae? Were you one of her suitors?"
"I stopped by briefly before coming here and was turned down on the spot, so pay it no mind! Hahaha!"
"Hmph."
King Acrisius shrugged and let Agamemnon's words slide past. Being slightly angered that the man had spoken of his younger sister as a mere temple keeper, he swallowed the feeling all the same. He knew perfectly well how many men pursued Danae, and he had met far ruder ones than this; by now it was familiar enough.
More to the point — the succession of Argos?
Once he had forced the anger down and tried to follow the thread of what Agamemnon had said, he still could not make sense of it, and so he had to ask again.
"I understand that you were one of those who sought Danae's hand. What I do not understand is why you suddenly raise the matter of Argos's succession. As you can see, I am still in good health, and I have a wife and children. There is no reason for such talk to arise."
"Heh heh, King Acrisius! Whether you truly believe that or are merely concealing your thoughts because I am a stranger, I cannot say — but if it is the former, you will come to regret it quite thoroughly!"
"What do you mean?"
"Surely you cannot truly be unaware? I speak of Perseus!"
"Hmph…"
When Agamemnon raised his voice, the soldiers reacted at once. They wondered what on earth this man was talking about, and half-suspected he might simply be mad. King Acrisius, however, seemed to have some idea of where this was going; he jerked his chin toward the door, signaling the soldiers to withdraw.
"Are you certain this is wise, Your Majesty?"
"I am a warrior myself. Should anything happen, I can at least protect my own person. I will call when the time comes — wait by the entrance so you can rush in at any moment."
"Understood."
Once the soldiers had stepped outside, Agamemnon laughed roughly. Outwardly he was saying the king was no fool, but inwardly he was treating him as one. He had come boldly with this very intention from the start, and Acrisius — soft-eared as he was — seemed thoroughly intrigued by every word.
"You may continue. But you will need to explain precisely why the name of my nephew Perseus has come up."
Seeing Acrisius take that tone, Agamemnon grew rougher still. He had observed a scrap of courtesy until now; that was gone entirely.
"Stop sounding me out for nothing. When one speaks of Perseus of Argos, does one not mean the boy famed as a genius and a prodigy? He even joined the Argo expedition and carried off a magnificent success — how could anyone not know? The witch Medea of Colchis sent words of praise for him to Jason, and even Jason himself is said to have heaped thanks upon Perseus without stint. I could scarcely believe my own ears when I heard it."
"That witch…?"
"He is your nephew, is he not?"
"Hah… so the stories that reached me were neither jokes nor lies…?"
"Hm? Why the doubt? You are closer to him than anyone — you must know perfectly well how strange that little brat is."
At Agamemnon's words, King Acrisius shook his head.
"Until not long ago, that child was a typical little fool. Forget genius — I honestly thought the house of Perseus had reached its end with him. Then one day a fever took him, he lost consciousness and hovered at death's door, and when he finally woke, it was as if he had become a different person. He stirred up incident after incident and became the Perseus he is now."
"He changed all of a sudden, you say?"
"He used to be a little boy one could look on with fondness. Now I find him frightening, and I have not met with him. When he shows his face from time to time he is cordial enough, but he no longer feels like the nephew I knew, and so no affection has taken root."
Acrisius let out a short breath. Then, without warning, he fixed Agamemnon with a hard stare. Soft-eared he might be, but he was still a king, and he had the dignity to match. Agamemnon laughed roughly even under that gaze, yet he did not let his guard down.
"If you brought up Perseus so suddenly, I can already guess what you mean to say. You have come to tell me that the boy may seize my throne?"
"Exactly so. Anyone can see that little brat is not right."
"Give me grounds for speaking that way."
"I was present when they were selecting crew for the Argo expedition, and I saw Perseus with my own eyes… That child, with a fluency of speech no one his age should possess, deceived a soldier who had insulted him and put the man to shame! Anyone watching would have recoiled at the sight of a monster wearing a human face! And then word reached me that he had even seduced the witch Medea — at that point I was certain he was a monster… Haha, think about it! If that little brat were not a monster, how could he possibly have seduced Medea the witch?! Do you know how many people that woman has killed?! You cannot seriously believe he talked her into it with words alone?!"
"Hmph…"
Agamemnon piled on further comparisons, insisting that Perseus was a monster. He even tried to frighten Acrisius with the suggestion that the boy might use magic to deceive people — yet for a soft-eared man, the king's reaction was remarkably calm.
"I have heard what you have to say. But you have no evidence, and your grounds are thin. I may have withdrawn my affection from the boy, but even so I have no wish to insult Danae's son on so little as that."
"Then put it to the test, would you not? And if the test proves me right, I would be glad of the honor of killing him."
"And what do you stand to gain from that?"
"You have already guessed, have you not?"
Heh heh heh.
Agamemnon spoke thick with greed.
"I wish to reign once more as king of Mycenae, as my forebear Agamemnon did. But my deeds fall short, and the present king of Mycenae — Alkaios — will not acknowledge me."
"So if my nephew is a monster, you mean to kill him, make a name for yourself, and become king of Mycenae?"
"You take my meaning well."
"Hah."
Acrisius drew his brows together, making no effort to hide his displeasure. Had the story been true, Agamemnon's proposal might have been worth accepting — but from manner to speech, the man was not the sort anyone could place their trust in. Anyone could see he was blinded by hunger for renown; even if the truth were coming out of that mouth, Acrisius could not bring himself to believe it.
"Agamemnon. Listen carefully. Had you said this to anyone else, you would have been beheaded on the spot. Soft of heart toward my nephew I may be, but I am not so great a fool as to hire a man as blinded by ambition as you."
"You will not take my word, then?"
"I will take note of it. I, too, have my doubts as to whether this Perseus is the child I once knew. But even if he were a monster, killing him would be my affair — not yours."
"Bah! You will regret this!"
"Look who is talking. Had you been a man with even a little sense of courtesy, I might have given the matter some thought — but by no measure do you look like a man worth trusting. ──Guards!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
He clapped his hands hard for them to withdraw the visitor at once, and the soldiers who had just left came pouring back in, spears leveled.
"I came here out of nothing but goodwill, to warn you that a monster dwells in Argos! I will not forget this! You would do well to fear the day I take the rule of Mycenae!"
"You are a talkative fellow for one of your looks. I will not harm you — go back at once."
"Tch!"
Agamemnon looked as if he still had a great deal more to say, but the soldiers hauled him away. Left alone, King Acrisius showed no sign of trusting the man — and yet, soft-eared as he was, a seed of doubt remained.
Just to be safe, I had better look into it.
That judgment was precisely what Demeter had warned Perseus about.
It was the spark Agamemnon had kindled.
*1) Temple Keeper — The Greek word neokoros is a compound of naos (temple) and koreo (to clean), and originally referred to a low-status attendant who cleaned and maintained a temple. In the Roman period the meaning expanded, becoming an honorary title for cities that housed a temple dedicated to the emperor.
Additional note: I do not usually consult the Naver Encyclopedia, but I borrowed this as an example. I wanted to convey how thoroughly Agamemnon was belittling King Acrisius's younger sister by calling her a mere temple keeper.