“With additional ten strong Frieshian men and Harald staying within the camp, they might provide some security to the village.”

Arete sitting at the campfire, gazing at the large hammer removed from Harald’s arm. It was the size of a standard anvil, with the extension shaped like a humerus bone. That part was implanted into his upper arm. She had never seen such a thing in her entire life. How did the Three Elders able to plant a metal object into a human body?

That piece of metal was heavy, and it must had been torturous to be carried along. That was what the man had been suffering for the entire time.

The villagers built up a forge with stones and started the fire with the collected woods. Hephastos loaded the bronze into the fire. Some men surrounded him while he taught them about the shape of the farming tool.

Arete turned and she looked at the unconscious Harald laying in the tent. His bleeding had stopped, but he lost his whole right upper arm. She had seen numerous wounds of men in the battlefield. Something surprised her was that his wound stopped bleeding and dried up faster than usual. Those medicines worked like a miracle. It was made from those strange white daffodils.

After a man fitted the new hipposandals to Aethon, it walked away. A strange behaviour. Normally Aethon did not need to be tied up.

"Hey, hey, boys! Where you're going?" The man shouted when the larger Friesians horses followed Aethon. The cattles and donkeys were slightly frantic since they were tied up to a large tree.

“Nah! No worries! They will just gather at the other side of the camp!” Agave calmed the man. She was sitting next to Arete at the fireplace, taking a gulp from her bottle. There was a light flush on her face.

“Why? Where are they going?” Arete asked.

“Huh, since we moved out of the village, those horses will gather around Pryney’s camp if you don't tie ’em up. She’s one big horsey magnet, ya know.”

“Echt! They better not run away. We still need them for our journey.” the man replied.

“Mind asking where are you all heading to?” Agave asked.

“Eretria! We heard about the legendary Heracle and our fists wanna meet his face!” he replied with a smug.

“Ha ha! I wanna meet the beautiful Teleios from their temple!” another Frieshian man added.

“Yeah, better be quick! We’ll snatch the lady away before the Roman emperor finds her.” the men laughed.

“Ugh! You guys are so basic! One woman? C’mon! We have orgia festivals at Dionysus’s temple back in Thebes!” said Agave.

“Nah, that’s disgusting! We Frisiis are picky! We don’t do it with everyone! You Greeks are nasty!” the man replied.

“Hey, we are way better than the Romans! Ya know…” Agave rebuked them, and they all laughed.

"You're witty! What's your name?" they asked.

"Hah! I'll tell everyone that my name is nobody! You know why?" Agave asked.

"Coz when I whip their arses they'll scream 'Help! Nobody is attacking me!' And nobody will come and help 'em! Ha ha ha!" Agave laughed out loud and the joke sent those men into guffaw.

These men might be the potential obstacle to my mission! We must leave Kataratos and head to Eretria before Harald regains his consciousness.

“Gabe, Where’s Matea?” asked Arete.

“With her wifey of course…” Agave replied.

“You’re drunk! We need to go get our horses now!” Arete dragged her out of the group of men. She took her spear along and headed towards where Aethon had gone.

When they arrived at Pryne's camp, she saw Aethon was lying down next to Black and Brown. While some Friesian horses were also around the area. Arete knew it was not Aethon's usual sleeping position. It will only lie down when it feels safe.

"Aww… poor Mate, why are you sleeping outside of the camp? Having an argument with your wifey?" Agave sat next to Matea who was covered by a thick blanket of cloth. She was snoozing next to a small campfire but was awakened by Agave. In surprise, she removed the clothes that covered her.

Weren’t those belonging to Pryne?

Arete opened the flap of the camp, but she did not see anyone inside the camp.

“Where’s Pryne?” She asked.

“Gah, no worries, she must be nearby… yaiks!” Agave was surprised.

They saw a person came out from the nearby river and pick up pieces of cloth that were left on the banks. Arete immediately picked up a piece of burning wood from the campfire and moved forward to the person.

“Pryne, is that you?” she asked.

A lady with golden hair which falls down in a glowing wave over her shoulders to her knees. She nervously covered her body with the cloth on her hands. But her wet thin cloth revealed the perfect curve of her silhouette.

“Oh… my… Dionysus… I’m drunk!”

Her complexion was perfectly spotless. A pair of pencil-thin eyebrows looked down on sweeping long eyelashes. The delicate ears framed a slightly pixie nose and rosy lips. Her nebulous, bright-lavender eyes a-sparkle like amethyst.

“Wooooow… the toad is actually a goddess! No wonder you stayed every night. You already knew about it right? Huh, Mate?” Agave teased the dumbfounded Matea. They were all stunned by her beauty.

“Choo!” the beautiful lady sneezed lightly. Matea instantly grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her. That was a response Arete should worry about.

“Alright, we need to leave this place now.” Arete turned and walked towards the sleeping Aethon. She lightly tapped the horse to wake it up.

“Wait! It’s late now and the horses are still tired!” Pryne shouted.

“Our mission here has been completed. The villagers mostly recovered from the strange disease. We must continue on our own journey to Eretria.”

“But why? Why Eretria?”

“I want to find the Teleios of Eretria!” Arete replied.

“If… if that’s what you want! Let me guide your way there!”

“Aren’t you deported for stealing from the temple?”

“Me? Stealing from the temple of Aphrodite? I was a hetaira there!” Pryne answered.

They were all silenced. Although Arete knew about the temple in Eretria. Prostitution was common especially in the sect of Aphrodite. With her beauty, Pryne could have easily earned all the fancy jewelry she donated for the villagers to pay for the resource.

“Strange! If those jewelry were rightfully yours. Why…”

“Why? Those jewelry were paid to compensate me for being violated against my will. They were as disgraced as stolen goods. Do you think the villagers prefer to spend the gold from a harlot than a thief?” Pryne’s question sent Arete into deep thoughts. It was a difficult line between right and wrong.

“Look! If you want to get into the temple. You need me to guide you! Else three of you won’t be able to get close to the… the Teleios at all!”

The Friesian horses lightly hushed and neiged. Their conversation must have woken them from their sleep. Distracted by their neighing, Arete realized that bringing Pryne along with their journey might be an advantage afterall.

To be continued…