Indian Epics

Poseidon and Athena Battle for Control of Athens
Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo, 1512

Proteus shielded his eyes as he checked his work. The daily chore of polishing of the large brass sheet affixed to the top of the furthest outcropping of the island Pharos could not be disregarded even on a beautiful sunny spring day such as this. The boats that accessed the Nile Delta from the sea relied on its reflective surface during the day to avoid the rocks of the island. Satisfied with his work, he willed the column of water supporting him toward the beach. As the wave churned below his feet, he turned to gaze at the horizon. A series of black specks were making their way toward the island and as they got closer the sun glinted off their slick surfaces. Proteus’ heart leaped with joy although a shiver of concern raced down his spine.

The monk seals bred year-round, but Proteus had convinced his colony to designate spring as their time to journey to the uninhabited islands of the Aegean Sea to mate. The spring weather thawed the blood of adventurers and would-be heroes and they flocked to the island of Pharos in search of the eldest son of Poseidon. They would hunt the hermit hoping his foresight would aid them on their journeys. After he successfully eluded their efforts, the hunters did not want to leave the island emptyhanded and would turn to hunt his seals instead. He sent the youths along with the adults so he could concentrate his energy on protecting the elderly seals. The hunters typically did not want their aged and mottled flesh, but frustration would make them lash out at the easy prey. Returning seals meant that there was danger in the breeding grounds and more bodies for him to protect.

Proteus called a wave to speed the seals toward the beach and waited out on the water to race them to shore. As the wave pulled them closer, he noticed the seals were the young males of the colony and were taking turns supporting a large mass of seaweed. Proteus relaxed. Just a member of the herd caught up in a fisherman’s net. A simple fix and I can send them on their way. He turned toward the beach and crouched into a runner’s stance on top of his column of water as the wave carrying the seals neared. When the waves merged, he shot across the expanse. He reached the beach and turned to roll and laugh with the youngsters and was shocked to see they were still a little ways out supporting the form within the net. Odd, they usually feel comfortable abandoning their charge so close to the island and allowing the waves to bring it in.

The cluster of seals reached the shore and struggled to bring their seaweed bundle further up onto the beach. Once again concerned, Proteus ran toward the seals to help them. He grabbed the mass and heaved it back from the lap of the waves. As he settled it to the ground, he noticed the face of a man peeking out from the tangle of muck. A trick! Proteus turned and leaped. Four feet grazed the ground as Proteus raced away in his leopard form. He stopped at the top of a dune and turned to survey the scene below. The seals had managed to nose open the tangle of weeds and pull them slightly away from the man’s form and one seal used its body to support the man’s head and shoulders of the ground. The group stared at Proteus, clearly unamused with his actions.

Still fearing a trap, Proteus’ leopard form dissolved into water and cut a channel down the dune toward the man. He pooled around the man to see if he could sense life in the motionless body. Proteus shocked back into his original form and gripped his head. Shaking off the shock, he ran to his camp grabbed a silver bowl and returned to the beach. He scooped seawater into the bowl and swirled it muttering under his breath. The smooth silver of the bowl reflected the blue expanse of sky stretching above. The salt and sand clouded the reflection and the face of a fearsome man appeared in the bowl.

“Lord Vishnu, thank you for answering my meditations,” Proteus addressed the face peering up from the bowl.

“Proteus, Rishi of Poseidon! I sensed your urgency how can I assuage your distress?”

“I have a Greek boy here projecting a dual future. I have never experienced foresight of this manner, it is quite…”

“Greek? Why do you summon me and not your father?” Vishnu interrupted.

“One of the visions is of you laying your hands on a broken creature and restoring it to the form of a bird the size of a mountain.” Vishnu looked shocked, an expression that Proteus never expected to see on the face of a god.

“I am greatly weakened due to my avatars engagement in war,” Vishnu reached to his right ear and removed an earring. “I shall send a Makara to transport the boy.” The image of Vishnu faded, and the sky was once again visible in the bowl.

“That takes care of the transportation,” a voice spoke from behind Proteus, “but I need him to survive the journey.” Proteus turned to find Athena crouched over the young man’s form, absentmindedly stroking the head of the seal supporting his body. “What did you see in your vision?”

“I saw two visions layered together. One was the mortal bank of the Styx with Charon approaching from the far bank. The other was of Vishnu in his true form and a bird the size of a mountain. I was going to find gold for the boy after I contacted Vishnu so he could cross with Charon.”

“Well, we don’t want to spur Charon to come prematurely. Come. I need your assistance in preserving this boy’s life.” Although he was uncertain that the effort would change things, Proteus moved forward and placed his hand on the young man’s chest, willing the water from his lungs. The young man began breathing shallowly, but his heart remained sluggish. Athena pulled the sodden mess from the boy’s sides and straightened it on the sand. “Can you wick the water from these wings?”

“Wings?” responded Proteus. He looked harder at the mass. “That’s seaweed.”

“Humor me,” Athena retorted flatly. Proteus laid his hands on the masses and drew the water away. Athena pulled a decorative comb from her hair and smoothed out the dried mass. Proteus finally recognized the pattern of wings. Athena pulled two spools of delicate thread from the ether. She pulled out a length of thread from one of the spools. “Stick out your hands,” she commanded. She draped the length over his right hand and placed the spool on the left. She then unwrapped a third of a meter from the other spool and tied it to the length extended between Proteus’ hands. She expertly weaved the short piece toward the spool in Proteus’ hand. When she was done, she set the spool in Proteus’ hand holding the loose thread and picked up the spool from his left hand while pinching the knot she tied. The length and spool resting in Proteus’ right hand disappeared back into the ether. Athena pulled out a silver needle, threaded it from the spool in her hand and began sewing the wings to the arms of the young man.

Author's Note:

The Story of Proteus: Proteus was the eldest son of Poseidon. He had the gift of foresight and was sought by adventurers to tell their future. He was a shapeshifter and used this ability to escape from men because he was not particularly interested in being a seer. He lived on the island of Pharos, an island off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt with a colony of seals.

Side note: Athena and Poseidon have a rivalry going on, so she's not very friendly with his offspring.

I had fun trying to figure out how to get Icarus out of the ocean Proteus and his seals were an interesting read. The island of Pharos is home of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The lighthouse was erected in 3rd century BCE, 2 centuries after the story I am writing takes place. The polished bronze is an homage to the lighthouse that would eventually stand on the island. At the time it was built, the lighthouse was one of the tallest structures in the world.

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, VA was designed based on the lighthouse. I had the great fortune of attending a banquet and touring the Memorial. By today's standard, it does not seem very tall, but the view from the top of the Memorial is beautiful.