Stone Blind(41)

And the sea mist seemed to rise up and take them, because Perseus saw a blur and then an absence and realized he was once again alone. He had the feeling he was irritating his divine companions, but he didn’t really know why, so he didn’t know how to stop. It was a relief when they left, even though he was afraid of what he might find ahead of him.

He reminded himself of what the Graiai had said: the nymphs had something he needed. And nymphs surely wouldn’t be as disgusting as those hags. He pushed away the memory of their warm, slippery eye between his fingers. He took a few steps inland and wondered which way he should go. If the island belonged to the nymphs, they could be anywhere. And how big was their island anyway? Seriphos was an island but it would take many days to search. And – he reminded himself as his thigh muscles pleaded with him to sit back down – he did not have many days. He stood still and listened. There were so many birds flitting among the trees, all he could hear was their song. He wondered if he would even recognize the voice of a nymph if he heard her. He could not know, of course, that the Hesperides already knew he was there, and were laughing as they hid from him.

*

The Hesperides were not hiding because they feared the arrival of this mortal man: they feared no one. They were hiding because they lived in paradise and they had long since run out of interesting things to do. The arrival of a man – or was he a boy? – had thrown their predictably perfect day into turmoil and they were all delighted. Some hid in the apple trees, others disappeared into the waters of the beautiful lake at the centre of the island. They watched Perseus crash around their flawless gardens looking behind rocks and up trees and they sniggered at his foolishness and ignorance. Had he never seen a nymph before? Perhaps he believed they were the size of a stoat. Occasionally, Perseus would stand still, look around him, take a deep breath, and shout, ‘Show yourselves, nymphs.’ This only made them laugh harder.

‘Are all mortals like this?’ one whispered to another. They persuaded the birds to start flying around Perseus in all directions, so he couldn’t tell if he was being serenaded or assaulted. He eventually stumbled across their lake and gave up the search, gratefully drinking and refilling his water-skin while he had the chance. Staring at his rippling reflection, he decided he could take a few moments to bathe, since he couldn’t seem to find the nymphs anyway. The salt was scratching every inch of his skin. He took off his sandals and untied his cloak, leaving them both on the bank. He stepped into the lake expecting it to be cool, like the water he had drunk. But somehow it now felt warm against his skin and he submerged his whole body, even plunging his weary head beneath the surface. He watched dappled fish dart away in every direction and felt unreasonably sure that they were mocking him, just like the birds. But the water was so calming, and the feeling of clean skin and soft clothes was so pleasing, that he could not maintain his annoyance. He swam a few strokes. It felt so good that he swam a little further and faster, enjoying the way the water tugged at his tunic. Let it have the thing if it wanted it so much. He straightened his arms and the tunic floated away. He could not remember ever feeling more free. He pulled himself beneath the surface once again, then pushed himself up hard, closing his eyes as the water rushed past his face. He burst up, shouting with delight and relief. And only when he opened his eyes did he see the Hesperides sitting on rocks all along the bank, as though they had been there the whole time.

Perseus blushed bright red and dropped back into the water to try and hide himself. But the water was so clear that he felt no less naked. He looked around for his tunic, which must surely be within reach. But somehow it was not. Perseus felt a rush of panic, which only deepened when he saw a fluttering white shape on the rocks in front of him, and realized that two nymphs were sitting on what looked a great deal like his tunic.

Moments ago, he had felt like the dolphins he used to see leaping gleefully alongside Dictys’s boat. Now, as he tried to walk through the water towards the Hesperides, he felt like a man wearing rocks for shoes.

‘It’s easier to swim through water than walk through it,’ one of the nymphs called out.

‘He’s scared we’ll see more of his naked body if he swims,’ said another.

‘I don’t think we could see more than we’ve already seen,’ said a third. ‘Although I am very happy to see it again.’

They all giggled and stared and Perseus did not know what to say or do. If he backed away from them, they might disappear again and he might lose his only chance to ask them for their help. The Graiai and the gods had seemed equally certain that he could not pursue his quest without their assistance. But they were mocking him, and one of them had taken his tunic. He blinked water droplets from his eyes. Another had, it seemed, stolen his sandals. On Seriphos men went naked whenever they wished, of course, but women weren’t standing around watching them. Or lounging on their tunics. Or wearing their shoes and impersonating the inelegant way he moved. The nymphs were certainly much more beautiful than the Graiai, but Perseus was not sure he felt any safer in their company.

‘I wonder if you’d mind passing me my tunic?’ he said to the nymph who was sitting on it. All the others started laughing at the sound of his voice. He found himself unable to ascertain precisely how many they were, because every time he tried to count them, one seemed to disappear and reappear elsewhere, without him ever being able to catch the moment when she moved. They were each very beautiful in their own different ways. And yet he could not quite calculate how many perfect golden faces, long golden arms, or flowing golden hairstyles he could see. As soon as he tried to memorize one deathless beauty, he looked at another and she was so exquisite that he forgot who he had been staring at only a moment before. He wanted to line them up and look at each in turn and compare her with her sisters. But more than that, he really wanted not to be naked in front of them all.