Chapter Text
Iros and Megareus
Iros and Megareus lived on the isle of Crete, under king Minos. The two boys lived in neighbouring houses by the shore. Iros’ father was a fisherman and Megareus’ father owned sheep, whose wool was not worthy of king Minos, but good enough for the poor people living under his rule.
Iros and Megareus were not friends by any means, when Megareus had to look after the sheep, Iros and his brothers would come to scare them and lead them off the high cliffs into the ocean.
It was a hot day and Megareus sat in the grass and watched his sheep browsing the fresh grass. He looked up at the sky to the clouds, he wondered how far the Olympus must be from here and if one of the gods would ever recognise his presence or if he would live and die unseen.
Megareus was lost in thought when he heard one of his sheep bleak in distress. He looked up and could see from his place the rare reddish hair, which could only belong to the fisherman’s son.
Megareus jumped up from his spot and ran to the boy.
“You! Take your hands off my sheep!”
Iros looked up surprised and jumped away from the animal.
“You and your stupid brothers are responsible for the loss of three of them over the last moons!”, he yelled at him and walked towards him, causing Iros to stepping back further, until he stood at the edge of the cliff, which went unnoticed by Megareus.
The shepherd’s son was filled with anger over the fisherman’s children and he wanted to punch the redhaired boy with his fist, when Iros lost his balance and fell back. Megareus gasped.
The older boy bit his lip, he did not want Iros to fall!
He crouched down at the edge of the cliff and looked down – there hung Iros, holding on to a crevice. He looked up at him.
“Help me!”, he called up to him, “Please help me!”, he tried to find some balance with his feet on the stone.
Megareus nodded, “Wait there! Don’t move!”
“I didn’t plan to!”
Megareus had a rope with him whenever he went up here, his brother once also almost fell from the cliff and they were lucky to have a rope to rescue him.
Megareus tied the rope around biggest sheep and then let the other end down to Iros.
“Hold on to it!”, he called down to him, “Don’t let go.”
He sat down by the cliff and put his foot against a heavy stone, too the middle part of the rope and told the sheep to walk.
The sheep and Megareus pulled Iros back up. For the last bit Megareus gave him his hand and pulled him up to him. Megareus fell on his back and Iros landed on top of him with a “Ow”
The two boys looked at each other, it was the first time they were close enough to each other to see the other one’s eyes so clearly, they could compare them to the wilderness right beside them. To the rich green of the grass next to them and the deep blue of the ocean to their feet.
“Mighty Aphrodite”, Iros whispered.
“What?”, Megareus asked.
Iros blinked a few times and recollected himself, “Thanks for the rescue”, he said, still not moving away from on top of him.
“I’m sorry you almost fell because of me.”
“I’m sorry about the sheep.”
Megareus nodded, he looked up at him and wondered if he would ever go down from him again… but he did not know if he wanted his body removed from his yet.
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After this small adventure Iros often visited Megareus while he was up on the cliff with the sheep.
Several weeks later, Iros came later than usual. The sun was not as high upon the sky anymore and Megareus had to leave soon.
Iros came running up to him and landed down next to him in the soft grass.
“I thought you would not come anymore”, Megareus admitted and smiled at the friend.
Iros shook his head, “I was meeting Nestor, he needed more time today.”
“Nestor?”, Megareus asked, Iros had never mentioned that friend.
“Yes, he took an interest in me. He teaches me how to shoot with bow and arrow, how to hunt and to talk to the richer people.”
Megareus looked down at the redhaired boy, who now had his head in Meagreus’ lap and looked at a small flower he had picked from the grass.
“He’s your erastês? I thought they only do that in Athene”
“No, not only in Athene, although Nestor is from Athene. They only do this in the upper class usually, so my father says my relationship to Nestor will help our family. And with all the skills I learn I will be successful later.”
“Huh”, Megareus looked down at Iros, “If they only do it in the upper class, why did he choose you then?”
“He said, I am the most beautiful boy in Crete.”
Megareus smiled, “I suppose you are.”, he ran his hand through Iros’ reddish hair, “And when he’s not teaching you how to shoot arrows, what does he do?”
“He puts his parts between my thighs and rubs himself until his seeds shoot out.”
Megareus pulled a face, “Your thighs?”
“Yes. It’s very boring for me.”
“I’ve heard, when men do it to each other they put it in the bottom of one.”, Megareus looked up at the sky.
“No, that’s only how the prostitutes and slaves do it.”
“But thighs? That does not give you anything, does it?”
“I guess it is not supposed to give me anything.”
“Well, no rich Athene man will ever take such interest in me”, Megareus said, “But at least no one is sticking their parts between my thighs either.”
Iros laughed and reached his hand up to his curly black hair.
“Why would no one take such an interest in you?”
Megareus shrugged, “Because Aphrodite didn’t grand me your beauty.”
Iros sat up, “You’re talking nonsense, Meg… I think you’re the most beautiful boy in Crete, after me, that is.”
Megareus laughed, “Yeah, right”, he shook his head and then looked at Iros’ face “No, I’m not special, not like you… your hair looks like Hephaistos flames and your freckles are brought down from the night sky by the gods themselves, and when you smile Helios’ sun shines brighter to live up to you”
Megareus blushed deeply at his own words and looked away from him, over the edge of the cliff to the blue sea.
“Megareus”, the boy said to him, “I have to disagree. You are special. When I look at you, I see beauty that can only come from the gods. Your eyes look like Poseidon put the whole ocean into them, so everybody can see his realm whenever they look at you.”, he pushed Megareus into the grass and leaned over him so he could look into his face, “I am sure, Aphrodite herself put you in my reach, so I can direct all the love I have to give in my life towards you”
“Do not make fun of me, Iros”
“I’m not, I swear… I love you, Meg”
“I love you, too, Iros. With everything I have”
Iros smiled down at his friend and leaned down to kiss him. They kissed softly in the grass between the sheep.
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Iros and Megareus spent their time together with kissing and talking about their love and about the world, as if it were only made to be looked at by them. It was a pure love, which could not be supressed nor hidden and yet it was easy to keep secret because it was just between them. It built a bubble around them, keeping them in happiness, blind for the real world around them.
Until one evening Megareus’ father burst that bubble, by wanting to marry him off to a young weaver, the daughter of a man selling finest threads and fabrics, also to the King. The man said, his son would only marry Megareus’ sister, if Megareus married his daughter in return. Megareus begged his father to not make him marry her, but it was no use.
The next day Megareus cried to his lover.
“You can just refuse”, Iros said and tried to calm him.
“I can’t. He wants that my sister marries their son, and they only let them, if I marry that girl. He said he wants grandchildren from me, Iros. I don’t want to make children with a girl I don’t even know.”
Iros ran his hand through Megareus’ black hair.
“Our love was sent to us by the goddess of love herself, I have faith in that”, Iros said, “She will safe us from this.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. But we will make her presents and pray to her and then… then she will help us. She is a goddess, your father must listen to her.”
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At sunset the next evening, Iros and Megareus met at the cliff. They brought all kinds of presents for Aphrodite and her children. They held each other’s hands and started praying for Aphrodite to come down and help them, since their love must have been a blessing my her.
A figure came walking up the hill to them to the cliff.
The two boys did not notice them at first, but when they came to see them, The took a step back out of reverence and surprise.
“A goddess stands before you and you do not even bow?”, the woman addressed them, she looked at them, her hair a reddish-blonde colour, her eyes big and blue, her skin looked like marble and her effortless beauty had almost the same effect as Medusa’s eyes.
Iros and Megareus kneeled in front of the human-shaped goddess.
“I heard your prayers, I received your presents, say, do you not have a temple of me on this isle?”
“We do, beautiful Aphrodite, but you blessed us with your love on this very cliff.”
Aphrodite looked around, “I sure did, get back up. Where are the sheep? Whenever I looked at you, there were sheep here.”
“They are sleeping”, Megareus said.
“Why?”
“Because… it’s night.”
“I like the sheep”, she said, “They gave the whole picture something cute… like white balls of clouds.”
Aphrodite looked back at them and dropped the topic of the missing sheep.
“So, what do you want from me?”
“We need your help, mighty Aphrodite”, Iros said, “Megareus’ father wants him to marry a woman. But we love each other. They want to rip us apart.”
Aphrodite sighed, “Typical, they’re always taking away my favourite toys”, the goddess said and looked up at the sky, “If I find out who caused this mess you better look out for me up there!”
“So… can you help us?”, Iros asked.
She looked back at them and exhaled deeply, “Unfortunately not, no.”, she shook her head, “I gave you the strongest love I know how to form. There is nothing more I can do.”
Megareus let his head hang low, he turned around and leaned against Iros, leaning into his arms.
Iros hugged him tightly and kissed his temple.
Aphrodite looked at the two of them, her favourite couple of all those she had formed herself. They had been meant to be since their birth, she had watched them grow up, side by side, until the perfect moment came and she let them fall in love on that day, right here at this cliff.
“There might be a way”, she said eventually.
The two looked at her again, hope in their eyes.
“I can’t do anything for the two of you in this time… but your descendants shall always find each other and feel the same love you do now, until one day you will be back together and be able to be united until your death. You will be born again and again until your love story is complete. Because love”, she made a step towards them and put a hand on each one’s cheek, “If it’s the right love, is strong enough to conquer time.”
Megareus looked up at Iros and back to Aphrodite, “Do you know when we will find each other in those lives? How many lives do we have to live until we can be happy?”
Aphrodite sighed, “I don’t know. A thousand years? Maybe two”
Iros looked at his lover, “I will love you the same as I do now in a thousand years, Meg, even in two. I would rather be together with you until we die then, than see you in another’s arms now.”
Megareus nodded and looked back to the goddess, “What do we have to do?”
“Die”, she said, “Unfortunately, this divine love will only find you again, if you sacrifice yourself now, here at this cliff.”
“You mean… jump?”
“Yes. Die together now, so you can live together in another life.”
Iros took Megareus hands in his and looked into his blue ocean eyes.
“Do you want to do this?”
“I do”, he said, “And you?”
He nodded, “I do.”
They kissed one last time and Aphrodite in secret blessed their union like a marriage.
The two lovers went to the edge of the cliff, holding hands. They looked at each other again and even smiled, before jumping down the cliff into the sharp rocks at the bottom under the blue water.