Down the far end of the street had gathered those of the Scythian Guard who weren’t on duty, and the thugs of Aeschylus and Callias, and a large swathe of disreputable-looking men with shifty eyes. They played drinking games together and sang and swore. The ones with shifty eyes were probably most of the professional thieves in Athens. In any case, they all seemed to know each other, and called the Scythians by name. Predators and prey taking a break. I sent them extra amphorae of our cheapest wine.
Pythax, who had his back to me, turned to look their way, with a strange expression on his face.
“Do you miss it?” I asked him.
“No, lad,” he said. “I was thinking it’s funny that I don’t miss it. I guess I’m getting old.”
“Pythax? You didn’t call me little boy.”
“Yeah, that’s a habit I’ve got to break now.” He punched me in the shoulder, then returned to the animated discussion he’d been having with the archons, over wine and roast lamb, about funds for equipment purchases for the guard.
Doris raised her arms, and the Little Bears rose with her, as one, to sing the epithalamium, the praise song for the happy couple. But this wasn’t the traditional song. This was something I’d never heard before, and they sang of Diotima by name. The song praised her beauty and called her high in the regard of the divine Huntress. What was this?
“I hope you like it,” said a voice beside me. I turned to see Aeschylus.
“I’d be upset if you didn’t like my work,” he added.
“You wrote our poem, Aeschylus?” I said. “That was kind of you.”
“Least I could do,” he said gruffly. “Think of it as an apology for trying to kill you.”
“Apology accepted.”
“I’ve decided to leave Athens. There are too many memories for me here. I’ll go to Sicily, to the rich new lands. I find that Athens has become a place for young men. Maybe it always was, but I used to be young once and I didn’t notice. In any case, you don’t need old men like me.”
“You’ll be missed,” I said, and I meant it. “What about your estates? Won’t they fall to ruin without you?”
“No. I’ve recently hired a new estate manager. A very competent man, an honorable man, with much experience.”
“I see.”
Aeschylus shrugged. “He won’t have to do any work himself. He’ll have many slaves to carry out his commands, and the house is comfortable. I think he and his wife will be happy.”
The girls sang to the crowd, many of whom stood before them to listen.
Married love between man and woman
is greater than any mortal oath,
for love is a rite of nature.
All the grown-ups cheered and whistled at those words.
Aeschylus the playwright observed the crowd’s reaction with a critical eye.
“I was rather pleased with that line myself,” he said. “I might use it in my next play.”
“Isn’t that the play with all the murder in it?”
“Yes. So appropriate for your marriage, don’t you think? In any case, only half your song is mine. I sent a runner to the poet Pindar. It seems he once wrote you a praise song that you didn’t stay to hear. That was exceedingly rude of you, lad.”
“Yes. I feel bad about running from him, but at the time there were a bunch of people trying to kill me.”
“Does this sort of thing happen often? That’s a bad habit you’ve acquired. I suggest you break it.”
“Good idea.”
The tune of the Little Bears abruptly changed. Now they sang about me, and the words of the song brought a blush to my cheeks.
“That’s Pindar’s praise song,” Aeschylus said. “I’ve been rehearsing the children all day.”
I took Diotima’s hand and led her between the two columns of Little Bears. The girls threw confetti over us as they sang our song. I led my wife to our room, then shut the door behind us.
Half of Athens waited outside our door. I knew for sure their every ear was bent, to hear what happened next.
Fortunately, the room was well soundproofed.