The Coming of Aphrodite Pt. 03

Chapter 7

Trouble in Paradise

KING PELIAS WAS not happy with Syphon. The Master Secretary had written a courtesy letter to King Eshmun, thanking him for the repatriation of his Greek subject and assuring him that the lady Hypergamy was being well taken care of. But Pelias anticipated a response asking for more details and it irked him that he was unable to provide them. The king also had to deal with increasing pressure from his wife, Queen Valissa. The presence of an unmarried, highly beautiful woman was always disquieting to ladies of a certain class, and the king's assurance that she would soon be married off had initially calmed those waters. But the longer it took, the more those waters began to churn, and Pelias was getting sick of the queen bringing up the subject. Still, as it was his policy never to show his feelings, none of his magistrates knew it.

It was the morning of the king's regular meeting with the Third Magistracy at the palace. Syphon was present with his colleagues and he reported on some kind of legal loophole to do with docking fees that was being exploited. King Pelias listened politely, asked a couple of questions, then turned to the next order of business. At the end of the meeting, everyone stood as the king rose from his seat, waiting to bow their heads as he took his leave.

'Oh, Syphon,' he said. 'Would you be so good as to walk with me to the royal residence?'

'It would be an honour, Your Majesty,' said Syphon.

He too was hiding his feelings—as was everyone in the room—and all was politeness and courtesy as Syphon gathered up his scrolls and accompanied the king out of the administrative building, the ubiquitous bodyguard following. Only when they were outside on the palace courtyard did the king speak his mind.

'Nearly two months ago,' he said, 'you told me you would find a husband for the woman who is staying with you. I have yet to receive a name.'

'I apologise, Your Majesty,' said Syphon as they walked slowly along the path. 'It has been proving more difficult than expected.'

'But I was given to understand that this woman is exceptionally beautiful?'

'That is true, Your Majesty. But she also has no family, which means no dowry nor social position.'

'Syphon, I know plenty of rich widowers who wouldn't care about that.'

'Yes, Your Majesty, but ... um...'

Syphon stopped, as though he could no longer think and walk at the same time. King Pelias was forced to stop walking himself and he was not pleased about that. But Syphon looked so troubled, so unhappy, he seemed unaware of his faux pas.

'What is it?' said the king irritably. 'Speak up, man!'

'Your Majesty,' said Syphon in a voice striving to be dispassionate. 'Since coming to stay with us, this lady has formed a very close friendship with my wife.'

'What's that got to do with finding her a husband?'

'They're like sisters, Your Majesty.'

'Syphon, no reasonable man is going to stop this woman being friends with your wife!'

'Yes, Your Majesty, but ... well, the lady Hypergamy has expressed a wish to sign ownership of herself to me under the city charter for—'

'No, Syphon! Absolutely not!'

The king stepped before the magistrate and allowed his eyes to show some of his genuine anger.

'King Eshmun sent me this woman with the express purpose of freeing her,' he said. 'I am not writing back with the news that she has been sold to one of my magistrates!'

Syphon was physically a bigger man than King Pelias and yet he seemed to shrink before him, his broad shoulders sagging and his eyes looking towards the ground. Pelias glared at him, wondering whether to ask the question he believed was the real cause of Syphon's delay: 'Are you in love with this woman?' But it was risky. Once a man has declared his love for a woman, he feels compelled to stay true to his declaration, and that could lead to all kinds of unintended consequences. So instead, the king chose to be decisive.

'Our next meeting is in two weeks,' said the king. 'If you do not have a name by then, I will order the lady Hypergamy placed under the protection of the Temple of Hera. I understand they know matchmakers who specialise in finding wives for husbands and vice versa - and I feel sure they will take much less time than you. Do we understand each other?'

'Perfectly, Your Majesty.'

'I'm delighted to hear it. Good day, Syphon.'

'Your Majesty.'

Syphon bowed his head as the king walked away, followed by the bodyguard. Only when the king entered the residential building did Syphon turn and make his own way out of the palace grounds.

*

It was suppertime in the gynaikon. The two ladies of the house were on their separate couches, food on the low tables before them, while the nurse Sophia watched over the two children sat on cushions before their table. Castor had announced that he wanted a flying horse when he was older, which led to a spirited discussion with his sister on the difficulties of acquiring one. Zoravelina was well practiced at keeping a straight face, but Hypergamy had to put her napkin to her mouth as the children argued over whether the gods could make 'special' horses that laid eggs. In the middle of this theological discussion, the manservant Yiorgos entered the room and approached Zoravelina at her table.

'Forgive the intrusion, my lady,' he said. 'But your husband has arrived home and he wishes to see you.'

'Can I finish my supper first?'

'Would you like me to relay that message to him, my lady?'

Zoravelina coloured slightly. Her argument with Hypergamy on the slave-versus-wife issue was as yet unresolved, and she could feel the other woman's ironic gaze even without looking. Still, Zoravelina was keen to talk to Syphon about the whole ownership thing and she preferred to do that sooner rather than later. She wiped her fingers on a napkin and addressed the room in general.

'I'd better go see what he wants,' she said.

She rose from her couch, making a point not to look in Hypergamy's direction. Castor looked forlornly at his dish of salad.

'Why does Daddy never have supper with us?' he said.

'Only poor people eat together,' said Callista.

'Why?'

'Because their houses are too small to have separate rooms for men and women. Isn't that right, Mummy?'

'I'm not sure, darling. Why don't you ask Hypergamy?'

As Callista turned her question to the other woman, Zoravelina turned to give Hypergamy a winning smile. The look Hypergamy sent back—with narrowed eyes and a single raised eyebrow—could not have been plainer: 'I'm going to punish you for that.' The thought of Hypergamy's 'punishment' brought blood rushing to Zoravelina's face and she quickly left the room. As she walked through the house towards the andron, it occurred to her that her secret desire was not to own Hypergamy ... it was to be owned by her. She had a sudden flash of herself in a servant's grey chiton, standing by the marital bed holding a tray of drinks while Hypergamy had vigorous sex with her husband. Zoravelina had to stop walking and take a few breaths to cool down. After gathering herself, she straightened her gown, walked to the door of the andron and opened it.

Syphon was sitting on his couch, but he stood up when she entered. Zoravelina saw concern in his eyes, quite unlike his usual look of perpetual irritation. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen that look for a while. There was a silver wine jug on the low table, together with two goblets. Syphon picked up the jug as she closed the door.

'Yiorgos said you wanted to see me,' she said.

'Yes,' said Syphon. 'Would you like some wine?'

'No, thank you.'

Zoravelina went to sit on her usual couch. She sat with a straight back, hands clasped in her lap, and her head turned expectantly towards her husband. To her annoyance, Syphon poured her a goblet of wine anyway and placed it on the low table before her couch. She clenched her jaw without moving to touch the goblet and waited for him to speak.

Syphon began telling her about his meeting with the king. After a few seconds, she picked up the goblet and drank half its contents. She was appalled, sickened, horrified. When her husband was finished, she stared at him in undisguised anguish.

'You can't let her go to the Temple of Hera!' she cried. 'They'll ruin her!'

'Oh, don't be so dramatic.'

'She belongs with us, Syphon!'

'Don't you mean, she belongs with you?'

'No, I don't!'

Zoravelina put her goblet onto the table and did something that Syphon had not seen her do in years. She got up and joined him on his couch. He stared at her, speechless, as she sat next to him.

'Syphon,' she said. 'Do you deny that Hypergamy is the best thing to happen to this house since the children were born?'

'No, I ... I agree.'

'Do you want to see her go?'

'No, of course not!'

'Well, neither do I!'

Zoravelina broke another precedent and took his hand. It felt unnaturally big compared to Hypergamy's, but Zoravelina held it with the same conviction.

'Listen, Syphon,' she said. 'I won't deny that I hate you sleeping with her. But, right now, I would gladly—gladly—share her with you, if only you can find a way to let her stay!'

'Zora...'

'I love her, Syphon! I love her! I love her!'

Zoravelina burst into tears. She let go Syphon's hand, put her face in her own hands and howled. She toppled herself into the man's lap, weeping and crying. Syphon didn't push her away, but neither did he touch her back or put a comforting hand on her. He was suspicious of this sudden outburst of emotion and Zoravelina realised that he was right to be suspicious. She didn't care how he felt or his problems with the king. She just wanted Syphon to fix this.

The weeping lasted a minute or so. Then Zoravelina pushed herself upright and wiped her face with the palms of her hands. It was clear by Syphon's expression that she looked a mess, but she was past caring. She smoothed the hair out of her face and looked at him.

'I don't blame you for not trusting me,' she said. 'I wouldn't trust me if I were you.'

Syphon said nothing. His face was set in a contemptuous glower, but since that was his habitual expression, Zoravelina had no idea what he was thinking or feeling. This was always his response to her emotional outbursts - a deliberate, stony indifference. Suddenly, Zoravelina felt a white-hot rage. She straightened her back, looked him squarely in the eye, and tilted her head the way Hypergamy would when she was about to say something provocative. She saw Syphon's eyelids flutter twice and realised that she was not the only one to have witnessed this gesture.

'Do you remember that day you came home unexpectedly from the palace?' she said. 'When you demanded to see me and I kept you waiting?'

Syphon's dark eyes seemed to go black, his face hardening. Zoravelina now knew exactly what he was thinking and feeling. She smiled.

'Yes...' she said. 'There was a reason my face was so red ... and it wasn't the sun in the garden.'

She heard a knuckle crack as his fists clenched, but she kept her gaze locked onto his. She leaned forwards, wanting him to see just how much she was enjoying this moment.

'I was in bed with Hypergamy,' she said. 'We were lovers long before we put on that little show for you. You were just too stupid to see it.'

Syphon's face seemed to radiate rage. His whole body was rigid, poised, ready to explode, while his nostrils flared and turned white at the edges. Then, a tiny vertical crease appeared between his dark bristling eyebrows. His mouth opened slowly and he spoke in a gravelly but quiet voice.

'Why are you telling me this?' he said.

'Because I hate you,' she said. 'And I want you to understand just how much I hate you.'

Syphon turned his head to frown at the small table in front of him. For some reason, he felt irritated by a crescent wine mark on the marble top. Slowly, his hands relaxed and he stretched his fingers.

'You should leave,' he said.

'This room or this house?'

'Either. Whatever you want. Just stay out of my way.'

Zoravelina stood and began to walk away. She stopped and turned, placing her hands together in a parody of the prim lady of the house.

'Who will give Hypergamy the news?' she said.

'You can do it,' said Syphon. 'I don't want to see her.'

'Does that mean you won't sleep with her?'

'Zora, just fuck off!'

'Listen, you and Hypergamy made a bargain. And since you're not able to keep your side of it, I think it's only—'

'All right, woman! Now get out!'

Syphon was hunched on the couch, clearly using every particle of willpower to keep himself from charging across the room like a bull. Zoravelina maintained her prim demeanour, hands still held together.

'I shall inform her of your decision,' she said.

And she turned and left the room.

*

When Zoravelina re-entered the gynaikon, Hypergamy could see that the news was bad just by the look on her face. But she stayed calm and followed Zoravelina's lead when she told her children not to give Sophia any trouble while Mummy and Hypergamy went outside for 'a grown-up talk'. As they walked through the atrium and took the path towards the orange trees, Hypergamy wanted to take her lover's hand, but Zoravelina was too busy wringing her own hands as she told her what had happened in the andron. They walked past the small statue of the naked woman and headed for a stone bench near the perimeter wall. Zoravelina ended her story and then burst into tears. They sat side-by-side on the bench and Hypergamy held the crying woman in her arms, stroking and comforting her.

But after Zoravelina had gone back to the house to see to the children's bedtime, Hypergamy sat alone on the bench and pondered the situation. She found herself more bothered by her lover's behaviour than the news about the king saying no. Hypergamy realised that underneath her sympathy, she was actually quite angry with Zoravelina. She could understand the woman not wanting to be nice to her husband, but why be deliberately antagonistic? And why in Hades did she tell him about their affair? That was like poking a dangerous animal with a stick. Besides, they had a good thing going and now Zora's need to show her husband just how much she hated him was threatening to spoil everything.

The sun was going down. Hypergamy looked up at the darkening sky and decided to make a move. She went into the house, checked to see that Yiorgos wasn't around, and then headed into the men's wing. The door to the andron was ajar and a quick glance inside showed that Syphon was elsewhere. Hypergamy looked around and saw another doorway with the faint orange glow of an oil lamp coming from within.

This was Syphon's study. It was a small room with a single window, furnished with a wooden rack to hold scrolls, and a desk that faced the wall. The desk was now littered with scrolls and parchments, watched over by a statuette of Hermes, depicted with winged helmet and sandals. Also on the desk was a special bronze oil lamp with three spouts, each lit with a flame. And sitting before it, with his back to the door, was the man himself.

Syphon was poring over parchments and comparing documents in the light of the flames. Someone was stealing from the business. That had been the conclusion drawn at the supper he had attended a few days earlier. However, as a grain merchant, Syphon had to oversee an extensive supply chain, so it was difficult to know where the 'unrecorded losses' were coming from. He had gathered as much documentation as he could—grain supplies, taxes and levies, transportation costs—to see if he could find any discrepancies. It was tedious work, but after the scene with his wife earlier, Syphon was grateful for the distraction.

Indeed, he was so absorbed in his investigation that his first reaction to the polite cough from behind was annoyance. His head snapped round to face the door and his chest seemed to contract around his heart. Hypergamy stood in the doorway wearing a simple light-blue dress, looking absolutely beautiful. Syphon forced his scowl to deepen to disguise how happy he was to see her. She tilted her head.

'Do you have a moment?' she said.

'What do you want?'

'I want to talk about what happened between you and Zora.'

'What for?'

'May I come in?'

Syphon glowered, but he waved her in. Hypergamy closed the door to a crack, then walked into the room. There was a chair by the wall and she tried to bring it closer to Syphon's, but it was solid and heavy. She scraped it a few inches across the floor before Syphon got up and lifted it bodily to face his chair. Hypergamy thanked him and sat down. Syphon was sitting with his chair slightly angled towards the desk, giving the impression that he could turn back to his work at any moment. When he spoke, he used his officialdom voice.

'So how can I help you?'

'I feel like I owe you an apology,' said Hypergamy.

'What for?'

'For seducing your wife behind your back.'

Syphon made a noise that might have been a laugh. He shook his head, then looked at the statuette and shrugged.

'I don't know if you owe me an apology for that,' he said.

'Why not?'

'Well, I started it, didn't I? This little war of ours?'

'You think I seduced Zora to get back at you?'

'Well, didn't you?'

Hypergamy sighed.

'That may have been true at the beginning,' she said. 'But it's kind of blown back at me.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, I've fallen in love with her, haven't I?'

Hypergamy watched the man's face as he took this in. Syphon was staring at the far wall, looking very serious. Hypergamy shifted in her chair, sitting up straight.

'Does that sound strange to you?' she said. 'A woman in love with another woman?'

'I don't know.'

Syphon pressed his fingers against his forehead as though he had a headache.

'Was that what you came to tell me?'

'No,' said Hypergamy. 'I wanted to ask you about our arrangement.'

'What arrangement?'

'About my citizenship.'

'Look, I already told Zora ... there's no way I can find a solution in two weeks.'

'I'm not talking about that,' said Hypergamy. 'I'm talking about you wanting to stop having sex with me.'

'Well ... it's not that I want to.'

'So why did you tell her that?'

'Look, Hypergamy,' he said. 'Our deal is that you give me sex in exchange for my finding a solution to your problem. And since that's not going to happen ... well, a deal is a deal.'

Hypergamy sat back in the chair, her gaze fixed on Syphon, one of her fingers tapping her leg. She stretched out a foot to touch his foot.

'I want to tell you something personal,' she said. 'But you have to promise never to use it as a weapon against your wife.'

'Okay...'

'Do you promise?'

'All right, I promise. You have my word.'

Hypergamy leaned forwards and looked Syphon in the eye.

'You are an excellent lover, Syphon,' she said. 'And I don't care that you can't solve my problem. I want to continue having sex with you anyway.'

Syphon stared at her, dumbstruck.

'Of course, the same goes for Zora,' said Hypergamy. 'I don't want to give either of you up. And I certainly don't want to waste the last two weeks we all have together on one of your marital squabbles.'

'No ... I suppose not...'

'Good.'

Hypergamy stood up, went over to the door and closed it firmly. Then she turned back around, her fingers already undoing the laces of her dress. Syphon watched in awe, the skirt of his chiton rising up from an erection. Hypergamy pulled the dress off over her head and stood before him in glorious nakedness.