Aphrodite's Daughter

“Get me out of here, please,” she screamed, as she struggled to stay afloat. All she could hear was the ringing laughter as it echoed through the dark cave. Her head went under the water as another wave surged forward. The water swirled around her, tossing her against the walls of the cave. She gasped for breath as her head broke the surface. She yelled out repeatedly for help, but she began to realise no one was coming to help her.

* * *

Let us go back to the beginning of this unfortunate series of events. For Olive it started out as any other day would. Olive woke to find the sunlight streaming through a gap in the thatching on the roof of her room. She rolled out of her small bed and walked over to the hole in the thatching. Moving the loose straw from around the hole Olive made it big enough for her to stick her hand through, she could see, the sun dancing across the open stretch of dark blue water. Boats dotted the scene; the fishermen were already at work, hauling in their catches.

Olive lives on the island of Tenedos in the Mediterranean. She grew up on Tenedos, with her brothers and mother, her father very rarely came home from work all they got from him was a couple of coins each month. Olive was one of the lucky ones. Many families who live on Tenedos had to sell their children into slavery just for them to survive. If they did not, many of the slave drivers would just take whatever children they wanted anyway. Olive’s mother was smart enough to keep her children hidden while the slave drivers were on the island.

As Olive’s brothers grew up, they left the island, most got to work as deck hands on one of the few decent ships that came through the port. Olive was now the only one left; she helped her mother round the house. They grew their own vegetables in the back garden, so there was no need to buy them. They very rarely had meat, anytime they did need some, Olive would sell some of the jewellery she makes, at the port markets. Often rich ladies who walked passed would beg their husbands to buy them one of Olive’s pieces. Olive made all her own jewellery, out of things she found at the beach, discarded pieces rubbish and seashells, she then turns them into pieces of art. She often walks along the beach on her way home from school.

Things had begun to get bad on the island of Tenedos for the last couple of weeks. Many children have begun to disappear as well as some of the adults. The town people are blaming it on the slave drivers who had passed Tenedos, but during that time, solders of Troy had begun to arrive on the far side of the island. They arrived in their big wooden ships, slaves pulling at the oars. Sweat poured off the slaves backs as they pulled at the heavy wooden oars in the midday sun. Sometimes a huge crack renders the air above the slave’s heads as the whip of the overseer hits their backs. More boats arrived on the shore of Tenedos as the sun moved across the sky. Soon the whole beach was littered with the boats of the arriving Trojans boats also littered the coastline.

No one knew why the solders had come, some in the town believe the solders are here because; they have come to do something about the slave drivers. Olive and her mother do not care what the soldiers have come to Tenedos for they just leave them alone.

On this particular day just after breakfast, the solders of Troy marched down from the other side of the island to the market square. There they bought most of the goods from the other stallholders. In addition, the day that Olive decided she wanted a bit of money so she set up her stall at the markets. Olive’ stall was set up between the backers stall and the confectionaries stall. Naturally, the smell of the baked goods and sweets drew the attention of the soldiers.

Many of the solders walked right passed Olive’s small stall but the keen eyes of a watchful officer caught the glimmer of light as the sun reflected off the seashells on Olive’s jewellery. The officer walked over bringing a couple of his friends with him. Olive looked up as the officer’s shadow, appeared in front of her. The officer’s friends began looking at the wares set out on the ground in front of them. Olive could feel the solders eyes drilling into her head; he never once looked away from her. The young officer’s friends paid for their gifts and walked away taking the young officer with them.

The young officer never once left Olive’s sight; he was always lurking in the corner of her line of her eye. As it got later more solders came to her stall, there weren’t many of the towns people there, many of the solders who came to her stall just stood and stared at Olive, she didn’t know why but after a while most of the people in front of her stall were staring at her.

It came to the time, for Olive to go home. She packed up her things in front of the now large group of people gathered in front of her stall. As Olive went to push past the people standing in the crowd, she found that they were no longer there, but there was now a pathway through the crowd. As Olive stepped past the first rank of waiting solders, they came to a smart salute, all in time with each other. Frightened at the strange encounter Olive hurried off up the hillside to her house.

Exactly a week later, the Trojan solders began ransacking the town and port, which lay at the bottom of the hillside. Olive woke to find a haze of smoke surrounding her house, she could also hear screaming from outside. Her mother bustled inside the small room,

“Hurry Olive, we need to go, now”! She yelled at the prone figure on the floor. Olive quickly put on her clothes and ran outside to her mother, who was carrying a large bag full of their possessions. Olive and her mother hurried down to the bottom of the hill. Olive did not know where they were going but her mother seemed to.

They were halfway down the hill when Olive and her mother saw the advancing solders coming up the hill. Only a third of the solders were coming towards them. One of the other thirds was escorting the new slaves, who used to live in the now burning town. The only problem was where the other third was.

Olive’s mother was wildly turning around searching for a way out. She eventually decided it would be better to go back up the hill. All Olive could hear was the sound of marching feet ringing in her ears. Olive’s mother started back up the hill, yelling to Olive to follow but before she got too far, the last third of the solders rounded the top of the hill. The crowd of solders swallowed Olive’s mother. Olive could hear her screams echoing down the hillside. She was left standing in the middle of a circle, surrounded by the Trojan solders.

All the solders halted, except for one who continued until he was right in front of Olive. She realised that this man standing in front of her now was the same man who could not stop staring at her from the markets. The man stopped in front of her and knelt, in which the rest of the solders followed.

After Olive was captured, she was escorted aboard a large ship, the slaves sat in their cubicles, chained to their oars. As Olive walked past them, they bowed their heads, and would not make eye contact. She followed the officer escorting her, she felt left out and scared, she did not know what was going to happen to her. The soldier before her led her below decks to a bright room, filled with drapes and colourful hangings. There was a platter of food sitting in the middle of the room; it was filled with fruit and delicacies that she has never seen before.

The soldier addressed her “We will be casting off in a few minutes; you are not to leave this room”

Olive acknowledged his request with a nod. She was not sure what he was talking about. What was casting off?

It took a few days to reach their destination. During that time, Olive was repeatedly sick, the ships doctor gave her some foul smelling leaves she was suppose to burn but there was nothing to light a fire with in her room. One solder brought her food each day but after that, she was left in her room by herself. She spent most of the day staring out at the sea as it passed beside her. It was the day we were to arrive at Troy, the officer from the market came to with a dress, and Olive was to wear it for when they arrived at Troy.

Olive arrived at the gates of Troy in a litter, carried on the shoulders of six large slaves, the sides of the litter were covered and it was stifling hot inside the litter. Olive could just make out the silhouettes of the soldiers who were escorting her to the palace of Troy. She could hear the cheers of the people standing on the pavement, and wondered why they were cheering. It took a long time to reach the palace through the winding streets of Troy. When they finally made it, too the palace Olive was let out of the litter. The man from the markets led Olive into a large room filled with men and women, at the end of the room sat a regal throne, in it sat one of the oldest men Olive has ever seen.

Olive followed the officer up to the back of the room to stand in front of the throne. The officer bowed and announced, “As your request sire, I have brought back a hundred slaves from the island of Tenedos it is now in your command”.

The old man said in a rather tired voice “Who is this then you have brought before me”? He said with a weak smile.

“This is the daughter of the goddess Aphrodite,” a gasp echoed around the room, as this information reached the ears of everyone in the room. The man Olive now knew was the king stood and walked down the stairs towards Olive. She was trembling underneath the veil she was asked to wear. The king stopped in front of Olive and lifted the veil off her face. His face lit up with a smile.

“You have truly brought back the daughter of Aphrodite”. The king turned Olive to face the waiting crowd. Cheers erupted through out the room. The rest of the day was spent being introduced to unfamiliar faces.

At the end of the day Olive was shown to her room, by the king’s son Paris before he left her he handed her a garland of daisies. Olive entered her room with a feeling surging inside her; she had not felt this before. Olive was very surprised by her room, it was a large, with a very large bed in the middle and colourful drapes donned the walls. The room also contained a large wall mirror and a wardrobe full of bright expensive dresses. Olive slept well that night.

The one person Olive did not like was the king’s daughter, her name was Hermontus. Before Olive came, she was the star of the palace, everyone wanted to talk to her, and everyone wanted to meet her. However now that Olive has come, she has been pushed to the back of the room. Olive was now the favourite, she was the one being showered in gifts and Hermontus was being left behind.

Three months had passed and Hermontus was furious, that uneducated girl was taking over her place in the palace. No one knew who she was any more. They were all talking about the latest thing Olive has done and as well, the king has started to arrange a marriage between Olive and his youngest son Paris. She had to do something about this girl; she was ruining her chances at the throne. As Hermontus began planning, Olive was having the time of her life.

Olive was now the life of the party, everyone wanted to meet her and know her but this is about to change into the worst night in Olive’s life. Hermontus is going to put her plan into action. At about seven o’clock just after dinner Olive went to bed early, she was complaining about a sore stomach and that her head was spinning. Olive slowly made her way up the stone hallway to her room. Unknown to her she was being followed by a dark figure.

Olive woke to find herself tied up on the floor of a cave. She could hear the lapping of the ocean close by. As she pushed herself into sitting position her head swam again and everything went black. When the colour came back she found herself face to face with Hermontus, behind Hermontus Olive could see water seeping into the cave. Know she knew where she was, she was in a sea cave. In the sea caves at full tide, they are completely full with the rising tide. Hermontus stood up; a sneer covered her beautiful face.

“Your probably wondering why you’re here aren’t you, Olive” Hermontus spat as she paced in front of Olive and began reciting her troubles to Olive. By the time she finished, the water was coming up quickly behind Hermontus and she decided it was time for her to leave, Olive pleaded with Hermontus to let her go but Hermontus laughed and continued walking out to the exit. The water rose higher and higher.

“Get me out of here, please,” she screamed, as she struggled to stay afloat. All she could hear was the ringing laughter of Hermontus as it echoed through the dark cave. Olive’s head went under water as a wave surged forward. She gasped for breath as her head broke the surface. She yelled out repeatedly for Hermontus’s help but she began to realize there was no help coming. She could tell she was tired the effects of the drug Hermontus drugged her with were coming back; her legs were beginning to feel heavy. Olive’s eyes slowly closed and she let the cold embrace of the ocean take her away.

The day after a search party was sent out to look for Olive but no one could find her anywhere. The king organized a national funeral for Olive, it lasted for a week. Eventually all went back to normal, Hermontus was yet again the favourite one, and in the end, everyone forgot about Olive. Everyone except one, every day there was a fresh garland of daisies laid on Olive’s graveside.