'A peacock,' Sostratos answered. 'Leave it alone.' 'A peacock?' Alexidamos echoed. 'Really?' 'Really.' Sostratos looked in the direction of the beach again. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Philippos, Kallikrates, and Rhoikos returning: three newcomers, at least, were staring out toward the merchant galley. Plucking at his beard, he beckoned to Menedemos. They put their heads together and talked in low voices for a little while. Not much later, four rowers and Alexidamos got into the ship's boat. The boat made for one of the blue-green-painted pirate ships anchored a few plethra away. Diotimos and his bully boys hurried along the beach after the boat. It pulled up behind the pirate ship. When it came back to the Aphrodite, only the rowers were to be seen. They climbed back up into the akatos. The angry mercenaries on the beach shouted at the pirate ship through cupped hands. A pirate shouted back. Neither side seemed to have much luck understanding the other. Sostratos had counted on that. Quietly, he told the rowers, 'I think you can try picking up the others now. Tell them to move fast. If they don't, or if Diotimos' men make trouble, turn around and come back.' 'That's right,' Menedemos said. 'That's just right.' As Diokles had before, he headed this expedition to the beach. He didn't let the boat go aground. Instead, the three mercenaries who wanted to go to Italy waded out into the sea; the rowers helped them into the boat. They were on the way back to the Aphrodite before Diotimos and his pals came trotting back along the sand toward them. Up came the rowers, into the merchant galley. Up came Rhoikos and Kallikrates and Philippos. And up came Alexidamos, who'd lain in the bottom of the boat since it used the pirate ship to screen it from Diotimos' men for a moment. He clasped Sostratos' hand. 'Very neat. Very clever. You should be an admiral.' Sostratos tossed his head. 'I leave that sort of thing to my cousin.' He glanced toward Menedemos, about to suggest that sailing on the instant would be a good idea. But Menedemos had already gone to the bow. He was urging the men at the anchor lines to haul the anchors up to the catheads. He was plenty savvy enough to see what wanted doing here without any suggestions from Sostratos. And that suited Sostratos fine. * * * Three days after leaving Cape Tainaron, the Aphrodite sailed northwest out of Zakynthos. 'I could be Odysseus, coming home at last,' Menedemos said, pointing out over the akatos' bow. 'There's Kephallenia ahead, with Ithake just to the northeast of it.' 'But you're not going to stop either place, or go up to Korkyra, either,' Sostratos said. 'You're going to strike straight across the Ionian Sea for Italy.' He sighed. 'And you the man who loves Homer so well.' Menedemos laughed and pointed a finger at him. 'You can't fool me. You don't care a fig for trade. You just want to see the islands. I had to drag you away from Zakynthos.'
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