Alexidamos glared, from which Sostratos concluded his cousin was right. But the mercenary started counting out Athenian drakhmai with their familiar staring owls. Sostratos accepted the coins without a word and with his face carefully blank. Attic drakhmai were heavier than those of Rhodes, so he was getting more silver from Alexidamos than he'd expected. If Alexidamos didn't worry about that, Sostratos didn't feel obligated to bring it to his notice. Having paid, Alexidamos said, 'Now can we leave?' He looked anxiously over his shoulder. 'What about us?' the other three mercenaries chorused. Still in unison, they went on, 'We haven't got our gear here.' Menedemos took charge. 'Go fetch it,' he said briskly. He turned to Diokles. 'Take this fellow to the Aphrodite. Come to think of it, take Sostratos and me, too. Things are liable to get lively here.' 'Thank you,' Alexidamos said as he stowed his sack in the bottom of the boat. 'Don't thank me yet,' Menedemos said. 'If there's a commotion and those other fellows can't come aboard, you'll pay their fares, too. I'm telling you now, so you can't say it's a surprise.' 'That's robbery,' Alexidamos yelped. 'Call it what you want,' Menedemos said coolly. 'The way I see things, you might be hurting my business. If you don't see them that way, you can always talk them over with Diotimos, or whatever his name was. Now - have we got a bargain, or haven't we?' 'A bargain,' the mercenary choked out. 'I thought you'd be sensible,' Menedemos said. He climbed into the boat. So did Sostratos. The sailors pushed the boat into the sea, scrambled in themselves, and rowed back to the Aphrodite. Once they'd come aboard, Diokles pointed back toward the beach. 'I think maybe we got out of there right in the nick of time, skipper,' he said. Along with the oarmaster and Menedemos, Sostratos looked over to the shore. Several men stood there, looking across the water toward the Aphrodite. The sun glittered from swords and spearheads. One of the men shouted something, but the akatos stood too far out to sea for his words to carry. Even if Sostratos couldn't hear them, he didn't think the shouter was paying Alexidamos any compliments. 'Pity about those other chaps,' Sostratos said to Menedemos. 'How are we going to get them off the beach if these soldiers keep hanging around?' Menedemos shrugged. 'We end up with the same fare either way.' 'I think you ought to try to get them, too,' Alexidamos said, which surprised Sostratos not at all: he wouldn't have wanted to pay an extra thirty-six drakhmai, either. In its cage on the foredeck, the peacock screeched. Alexidamos jumped. 'By the dog of Egypt, what's that?'
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