Acropolis: Curse of Athena by Philip Wooderson

Author:Philip Wooderson [Wooderson, Philip]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BlueThumb Books
Published: 2015-02-10T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

I thought I should tell Alcibiades, despite my expectation of finding him still with his wife. But I found him surrounded by friends who had brought him the news already.

“The ones who want peace are the winners,” he groaned. “Endius for the Spartans and here we’ll have Nikeas bleating that we ought to make the first move and give back my hostages, screw his sheep’s arse. He’ll give heart to all the cowards who say we have lost.”

“But we have lost.”

“In that case why should I bother? This stinking city is so corrupt we ought to be glad it’s defeated.”

Phrynichus scowled at the very idea. “I say we just need new allies.”

“Who’d want to be allies with losers?”

“Argonauts?”

“Are they so stupid?”

“How else can we stir things up?”

Alcibiades turned from Phrynichus. “I have to take Cleon’s place.”

A low female voice: “You could not: because you're not Cleon- you’re different. You need to be greater than him.”

Alcibiades’ eyes nearly popped. “But if there’s no war any more I can’t be a general.”

“That’s what I mean. You’ll be a statesman instead. Win the peace.”

“Gain distance from Cleon,” I said.

His eyes swivelled. “You taught Hipparete this?”

I told him how Socrates put it.

“The old fraud’s alive- is he back from the war?”

“But not in good shape: you should see him.”

Alcibiades shrugged this off.

“Yes, you should.” I found myself angry again. “You didn’t lift a finger to save him from going to fight, because you said what mattered more was to ‘throw a bone to Cleon’. He didn’t complain because he's your friend. Make it up to him. You can be generous.”

“People might laugh.”

“You can rise above that. Be your own man,” said his wife.

“The people will see you have a good heart: one better than Cleon,” I said.

No more was said on the subject. But only a few days later Alcibiades drew me aside. “I’ve given the matter some thought, Artabas: the old fraud needs a wife.”

“He told me he could not afford one.”

“Indeed, so I’ve found him a girl with a dowry.”

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