The golden stranger
(Danae's story)

Part 2 - refugee

Now I know what despair feels like. Now I know what fear is all about. Back in the bronze prison I had often wished I was dead. Now I didn't want anything more dearly than to stay alive. To survive together with my little son. But we were domed, I was certain of that. Soon soon, this leaking vessel was gonna sink beneath the crashing waves and take me and my innocent little child to an early death.

When the maid had found out that I was pregnant it didn't take long until my father learned, and he had arrived at my prison, starting to question me. No "hello" no "I'm sorry" or any expression of care. Just this interrogation about who the father was. I told him it was a god, he started beating me up, accusing me of lying and of blasphemy. He beat and kicked me in the ribs and finally several times in the stomach, left me crying and bleeding on the floor. At that moment I was certain I was loosing the baby. That Starman's child was gonna die, the very first day I had felt it moving inside of me.

But the little one survived. After a while I had managed to drag my battered body to the bed and lie down there instead. There I had felt the child inside me once more. A soft move, almost like a caress. Like the child was telling me "mama, it's gonna be al right, I am fine".

Later I learned that dad had had the guards outside my tower killed, he believed one of them had entered my prison and made me pregnant. I felt so sorry for these men, they had been innocent.

Three weeks before the summer solstice I had given birth to the most wonderful little boy I had ever seen. Alone I had had him in my dwelling. I felt so happy when I held him and yet so sad because there was no-one to show him to, no one to share him with. Starman had stopped visiting me months ago, he had not even been around when I thought I was gonna lose my son. And then, when I realised he was not gonna come for me and the baby, I felt terrified. I was sure dad was gonna take away and kill my son as soon as he learned about him being born.

Instead he had me dragged out of my prison; for the first time in more than a year I was breathing fresh, salty air, felt warm summer rain upon my face. But I was too busy desperately holding on to my son to be able to notice anything around me. Something prevented father from killing us, I thought it was more the fear of being punished for kinsmurder than a rare pang of compassion. They say that evil demons called the furies are following those who murder their family until they go mad and take their own lives. Maybe that was what scared my superstitious father.

When he had us brought down to the harbour I soon found out what he had planned. We were thrown down in a little boat - more of a box to be true, and then carpenters put a wooden lid on top, nailing it in place. I begged and cried, asked them to have mercy, to spare us, to let me take my child and run away instead. But no one was listening, probably because dad's guards stood there watching over the horror. The boat became a coffin and the tide brought us out in the sea and to a certain death.

- Poor little love, I whispered to my son. I didn't even get the chance to name you properly and there's no father around to claim you. But I'm gonna call you Perseus, that was a name I came up with in my prison. It sounds like the name of a hero, the name of someone strong and brave. And in my little world you became a hero. My last chance to give love in this world.

The sea had became unruly, heavy waves were tossing the little vessel around like a toy, having my head and various body parts banging against the wooden planks. I tried with all my might to save my little terrified Perseus from getting hit too, protecting him with my body. At the same time it felt so pointless, we were both gonna die. We were both gonna go under here far far away from anything worth calling home, far far away from safety and love. Soon, I understood, we were gonna enter down in Hades, and we didn't even have any coins for Charon's ferry. Perhaps my golden necklace would do, or else Perseus and I were gonna end up haunting the wrong side of Styx for eternity and eternity.

The next wave was bigger then ever and my head smashed into the creaking ceiling of our confinement, flashes of light in front of my eyes. Then we fell down in an unfathomable void, my inner organs loosing their places in the fall. Perseus was crying like mad now, utterly terrified. And in a last attempt at doing anything I called out:
- Starman, Starman where are you? If you ever did care about me, if you ever do care about your son, please please help us!

The next moment the little boat crashed down in water again, almost sinking. But instead of being drowned by the next wave it - stopped. Like the sea suddenly had become calm. Surprised Perseus stopped screaming and I rose, hitting my head once again. This time the planks creaked and then gave way. The wind took them and whipped them off like they were dropped seagull feathers.

In consternation I looked around. The sea had turned completely calm, changed from a wild and stormy chaos to an endless black marble floor. Above us stars were shining, the Milky Way like a ribbon across the sky. A thin waxing moon hung by the horizon and it was so quiet so quiet.

The next thing I noted was something moving among the waves. Two - no several fins closing in upon us. Sharks! My heart started beating fast again. No, suddenly one of the animals jumped up in the air - a dolphin. Two more followed, whistling at us like they wanted to say "Hi" and check out that we were fine. Was this Starman's doing?

The dolphins followed us through the night, and their presence made me feel so safe I even fell asleep with my little boy in my arms. I slept and dreamt and in my dream Starman, my divine lover, was with me again and I felt his kiss upon my lips. I heard him whisper in my ear to not worry and that he was watching over us, caring for us. And that he was so proud of his beautiful son.
- You are going home now, Danae. I am finally taking you to a place you can call home.

I woke up at dawn, I hadn't seen a sunrise in ages, and its beauty took my breath away. The goddess Eos had painted the sky in pale blue, the clouds in pink and purple, all in honour of her big brother Helios the sun, who rose majestically out of the waves, spreading his warming rays over the world and probably watching his own splendour in the reflection from the calm sea. The dolphins were still accompanying us, and they too hailed the sun with high-pitched whistles.

Perseus woke up by the sound and I started breast-feeding him. And for the first time in ages I felt hope inside my heart on this beautiful morning. The dolphins soon left us though, one last whistle which sounded oddly much like "good bye". Next time silence was broken it was by a human voice. Behind me I heard someone calling:
- Ahoy! Little boat Ahoy!

I turned; a fishing boat was coming fast upon us, its big sail having caught the first breeze of the morning. A curious face peaked over the rail. I rose my arm, careful to not tip over our little vessel.
- Mayday, mayday! I cried. Help us please!

In response the fishermen turned their boat, bringing it close to us, a ladder falling down from the rail. The man I had first seen, a sturdy sailor with curly salt-and-pepper hair and beard, called out once again:
- Ma'am? Are you shipwrecked or what?
- Long story, I answered him. Now, please help me and my son.

- I'm Dichtus, the fisherman told as soon as my son and I were safely aboard. And you are?
- Danae.
- Of what ship?
- No ship, we are refugees. As I said it's a long story.
- Well, we have a long sail home too, so let's hear it, Dichtus urged, regarding me with his chestnut eyes surrounded by a net of wrinkles formed by laughter as well as gazing against the sun and glittering waves.
- Can I please have some dry clothes first, and something to eat, I asked.
- Certainly! I'll have my men bring some food, and some excuse for clothes. Unfortunately it has to be men's trousers and skirt, we have no woman clothes aboard.

I started to laugh:
- Oh, as if that would matter after all I have been trough! Now, Dichtus, if you wanna hear my story, be prepared that it's not a nice one. There's a terrible reason for me and my son to be out here.

Dichtus and his crew were from Seriphos, a tiny little island far out in the sea, and he turned out to be steady and jovial and most of all a wonderful and generous soul. He gave me and little Perseus a home in his house, a safe haven.

- I have no family of my own, my wife died giving birth several years ago, as did the child. I have been alone since then. But last year I started to have dreams. Dreams of a beautiful woman who would be coming to me from across the sea and give me a new family. And you have her face. You're welcome to stay with your son, perhaps he can be the fisherman who will take over my boat given time.
- You're too kind.
- No, Danae. I feel that this is a sign. That the gods have given me the chance to have a family again.

For the first night in a long time I slept in a safe bed in a safe house where I finally was free, my little son sleeping beside of me. And in the middle of the night something woke me up. A sound from the open window. I went up, peaked outside, more curious than scared. And there he was - Starman, sitting on that funny pine which grew almost horizontally, the moon shining off his beautiful locks.

- Hi! I said.
- Good evening, honey! I see that my little Danae has finally found her way home.
- You think so? I was still not certain about Dichtus. He seemed too good to be true.
- I know it. He is the man in whose ears I've been whispering dreams at night. He is the man to take care of you and our son, give him a safe and healthy upbringing and you new love. But I have come to say farewell to you. This will be the last time you'll see me this way.

- I... please don't go! I need you...
- Not anymore. As I said, you have come home.
- Just one more thing then?
- What?
- Your name, your real name. I really wanna know who you are, who's the father to my child.
- I'm Zeus.

- You mean - THE Zeus.
- Yes I am - THE Zeus, he smiled. Now you know why I cannot stay. I have a wife at Olympos who I love very much in spite of sometimes not being able to restrain myself. But don't worry, you will be fine from now on. Dichtus is of your own kind, he will love you and care for you the way I would never be able to. Farewell Danae.

Then he was gone, the only thing outside my window that funny pine and the sea which patted the sandy beach with slow, soft and foamy breakers.

Part 3 - haven

I'm watching Perseus playing with his brother by the creek, listening to their laughter as their toy boats keep tipping over. Perseus is tall for his age, blond with a reddish tint to his hair and he has his father's blue eyes and wonderful smile. And when I see him like this I know he is gonna grow up to become something great. His name is gonna be remembered.

And I hope Zeus, his father, will keep an eye upon him when he goes out in the world to do what he is meant to do. I know now that there was a reason for all this ordeal I was put through. I was at the wrong place, my home was not the place for a hero to grow up in. It had become too civilised, too decadent, people had become comfortable and cruel, and the warmness and love had faded away. Zeus had brought me to a place where these things still existed, and where I as well as our son could benefit from it.