Jealousy Beneath the Moonlight (2)
Whatever anyone might say, Atalante was the temple's mascot and the darling of Argos.
She was the spitting image of her mother — a child with striking blonde hair and green eyes. Naturally gregarious, and with a tendency to imitate her big brother, she had grown into quite the little conversationalist. Every time Atalante smiled, even the old folk bloomed into grins of their own, and by now she had become someone the city simply could not do without.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm~! Hmm-hm-hmm~!"
Atalante, already a girl of many smiles, was beaming even more brightly today. She was doing work hard enough to tire a child, yet happiness clung to her so stubbornly that everyone wondered what on earth had her so cheerful. That curiosity extended to Acrisius 3 himself the moment he set foot in the temple; the sight of his niece grinning with all her might before she had even finished greeting him was enough to stir something warm in a weary middle-aged heart.
"Atalante."
"Ah~! Uncle! It's Uncle!"
Thump-thump-thump~!
"Oof!"
Atalante bounded toward him in great leaping hops, exactly as a child her age should. He was the king of this fortress-city, yet with his niece Atalante he was endlessly soft; the way he stroked her hair and smiled was a world apart from how he faced Agamemnon.
"Uncle! What brings you here?"
"Haha, do I need a reason to come? I found a little free time, so I came to see my own flesh and blood. Ah — don't tell the soldiers, all right? I snuck out today."
"Heehee, you haven't come around much lately, so I thought maybe you'd had a fight with Mother!"
"Me, fight with Danae? Hahaha, impossible."
Acrisius carefully set Atalante down and stretched his back. He smoothed his golden beard and smiled with genuine affection, all the while casting a long, quiet look around the temple grounds.
I stayed away for a while and only heard the news secondhand, but this place really has prospered beyond any joke… So many people have been flocking to Argos that my own workload ballooned, and looking at this, I finally understand why I've been so busy…
Even in an age when faith was in decline, a procession had formed at the temple. The numbers were so great that they had had to hire more attendants, and they had even cleared out places once used as brothels to convert them into lodgings — utter chaos. With the surge in worshippers came a flood of offerings, and anything difficult to handle (the precious metals) was all being passed along to King Acrisius, so he too had reaped no small benefit from the temple's good fortune.
What a wretched position. She's still so young, and yet so many people revere her — and I'm supposed to suspect that child of being a monster…
He walked slowly beside Atalante, smiling on the outside while trembling on the inside. He had no idea how he was supposed to explain any of this to Danae. As her older brother, he knew perfectly well how fiercely attached she was to her son, and one careless word would surely bring her wrath down on his head.
Haa…
Lost in that tangle of worries, he found himself inside the temple before he knew it. Atalante had been leading him along, but King Acrisius was in no state of mind cool enough to notice. He still had no idea what he was going to say — and then his eyes met Danae's, and his insides burned.
"My goodness, Brother Acrisius? What brings you here so suddenly?"
"S-sorry to barge in when you're busy. I haven't shown my face in a while, so I thought I'd drop by and see how you've been getting on."
He asked whether he was being a nuisance, and she laughed with bright energy and told him not at all.
"As you can see, I've been busy receiving guests day after day — but it's nothing like it used to be. Priests who've lost their posts all over the country have gathered here to help, so it's actually gotten easier."
"Is that so? That's a relief. I was worried the crowds might wear you down until you collapsed."
"Oh, it's nothing. Ah! Perfect timing. We were just preparing a banquet, and having you here makes me so happy."
"A banquet… Atalante did seem extraordinarily cheerful. Is today some special occasion?"
"That child received an oracle from Lady Artemis. She's been bouncing off the walls all day because of it. Heehee…"
"An oracle?!"
"Don't look so startled. It isn't anything grand involving fate or the future. Lady Artemis simply used Atalante to pass along news of that boy — so if anything, it's a family matter."
For a moment he wondered whose news she meant, then immediately understood it was Perseus. Coming from a woman who doted on her son more than anyone, the reason for tonight's banquet made perfect sense.
"Today… Perseus is… coming home…?"
"Yes. After finishing the Argo expedition, it seems he stayed a little while under Lady Demeter's care and is on his way back now."
"That's the first I've heard of it… What on earth has he gotten himself into in such a short time…?"
"I only just heard it myself through Atalante, so I plan to ask him properly once he's home. What do you say? It might be nice if you joined us for the banquet and heard the stories too."
"Well, that's… hmm…"
King Acrisius pretended to deliberate, but he lost control of his expression. Danae was a sharp woman, and more than that, she was blood who had known him all her life — there was no chance she would miss the subtle shift in his face.
"I'm sorry… That was an unreasonable request, wasn't it… You don't like that child…"
"Danae…"
"Ever since he woke up you've said he's changed, that he frightens you — and today you're making that same face again. It hurts."
"I-I didn't mean it that way… But…"
He wrestled with what to say, then simply stopped. He realized that anything more would be nothing but excuses.
Is this really the right thing? What if I end up becoming one of those fools from the myths myself?
He thought of all the idiots who had piled suspicion upon suspicion until they could no longer escape their fates, and steeled himself. If he thought about it carefully, the one who had goaded him was neither a god nor a monster, but a greed-soaked human named Agamemnon — and dwelling on it any longer would only cost him. So he decided to speak plainly.
"I'm sorry… Looking at it again, perhaps I've been overthinking… But this vague unease is something that comes of being human, so I hope you'll look the other way."
"You've always been a coward, Brother. But I never thought you were the sort to insult someone without reason. I still don't understand why you came today, or why you're acting like this. Won't you open up to me, at least? We're family — I'm sure I can be of some help."
"You're right… How could I hide my heart from family? I'll tell you everything. But I'll share this story with Perseus as well once he arrives, so don't ask me about it just yet."
"All right. I'll trust you."
"Thank you."
Just as Danae forgave King Acrisius his rudeness and the two of them tried to catch their breath, the air outside the temple shifted. Citizens were raising a great clamor and clapping their hands, and everyone more or less guessed what the uproar meant. Atalante, sharpest of them all, dashed outside as if to confirm it, took one look at the situation, and came running back — the smile on her lips already telegraphing what she was about to say.
"Wowowow! Mother! Uncle! Big Brother is back! I looked down from the polis and I could see him way off in the distance! Everyone must know about his great deeds, because they're blocking the road just to praise him!"
"It'll be even more so because of the letter Medea sent. You saw it too, didn't you, Brother Acrisius? The one where Medea heaped such praise on him."
"Yes, yes, I saw it. Gave me quite the headache, that did. And it wasn't only the official account — Jason, the king of Iolcos, came to me wanting to talk diplomacy under the name of the Queen of Colchis. Now that I'll be seeing Perseus, I ought to ask him about that as well."
He needed to find out whether the witch Medea was truly someone they could trust — and, just as Agamemnon had claimed, whether that boy really was an ambitious monster. Common sense said no ordinary child could stir up this kind of trouble, so King Acrisius's worries were not entirely strange. But as a measure of calm returned to him, he found he had at least a little room to believe in Perseus.
This once, I sincerely hope I am a foolish king.
King Acrisius prayed in the most absurd fashion that every fear he had nursed would prove utterly baseless. However that looked from the outside, Danae watched her brother with a pang of pity even as she ached for Perseus's return.
Brother may be a coward, but when it counts, he comes through… For all his fretting, he's never once made the wrong call — so I'm sure he'll make the right one this time too…
As everyone knew, Greek myth was full of blood spilled over thrones. Both of them knew that better than most, and both knew that if some cruel twist of chance ever set family against family, the tears would never stop.
Is Perseus truly the monster Agamemnon made him out to be?
What will Brother think of Perseus?
Their thoughts ran different paths, but when it came to the outcome they wanted, King Acrisius and Danae were no different at all — both hoped it would end well. Agamemnon had tossed a spark their way, but it was a very small one, and the chance it would never catch fire was high. As if to prove exactly that, Perseus appeared at the head of a great throng of people.
"Mother! Atalante! I'm home! Hahahaha!"
"Big Brotheeer—!"
"Ooh~! Atalante~! You've grown so much in the short time I was gone?! At this rate, suitors are going to come flooding in — what am I going to do!"
"Ehh~! You're joking~!"
"Hahahaha~!"
The way he scooped up his little sister and spun her around in pure delight was nothing more and nothing less than an ordinary boy. Once that joyful reunion was done, he cheerfully shouted, "I'm home!" without the faintest idea what Danae and Acrisius were fretting over — and it would be quite some time before he realized he had walked straight into a bothersome mess.