"By Asvollios, I heard it right."
In addition to those hopeful words, Danae also heard the sound of ropes being cut quickly. "Help!" Danae shouted again.
"I will open it immediately," the man said.
After the last rope was cut, the wooden chest opened. "Please lift my baby first!" Danae said instantly to the man who saved her.
"By Asvollios, what is going on here!" the man said as he carried Danae's baby to his boat. He placed the baby carefully on a cloth next to a pile of fish. He then helped Danae cut the ropes that bound her hands and helped her transfer to his boat.
He then cut the rope that tied Danae's hands and helped Danae get onto his boat.
"I'm Dictys," said the fisherman with curly hair and a bushy black beard. "Who are you? Where are you from?"
"I-" Danae coughed.
Dictys handed Danae some water to drink and Danae gulped it down.
"I am Danae, princess of Argos."
"Princess of Argos?" Dictys squealed in disbelief. "What happened to send you and your baby out to sea like this?"
"It's ... hard to explain," said the frail Danae.
"Well, there's no need to exert yourself. You can rest at my house." Dictys began rowing the boat.
"That island?" Danae said when she saw a small island not far from the boat.
"Yes, Seriphos."
When they arrived at Dictys' house near the beach, they were greeted by a plump woman. She was almost the same height as Dictys. She was Clymene, Dictys' wife.
"My love, please take care of them?" Dictys said.
Clymene raised an eyebrow. "Who is this woman? Why is she carrying a baby?"
"She claims to be Danae, princess of Argos."
"Princess of Argos?" Clymene squealed in disbelief. "Wh-what happened?"
"I found them floating in a wine chest in the middle of the sea."
"Huh? How did it happen?" Clymene asked Danae who looked very tired. The baby in Danae's arms was already sleeping.
"She can't tell yet. Please take care of them first. They are so miserable."
"Come on in Danae," Clymene said. Clymene then gave Danae dry clothes, fed her, and prepared a bed for her.
"Thank you so much. You saved us," Danae said as she lay with her baby on a wooden bed with a straw mattress. Danae had slept in more luxurious and tidy beds in the palace, but she no longer remembered the feeling. After all the torturous confinement, for Danae, this was the softest bed in the world. Danae stroked and kissed her baby's forehead until she finally fell asleep.
***
Danae and her baby slept for a very long time. Sleeping from late afternoon, they only woke up the next morning. Dictys and Clymene invited Danae to have breakfast with them. It was a much simpler breakfast than what Danae was used to, but Danae ate it with great appetite. Danae then told the couple everything that had happened to her.
" Oh my, what a complicated situation!" Clymene said.
"The will of the gods and goddesses is difficult to understand," Dictys said.
"So what are you going to do now?" Clymene asked.
"I don't know," Danae said quietly.
"'Umm ... Danae ... Me and Clymene have been married for a long time, but never had any children. We would be very happy if you and your son would stay here with us," Dictys said.
"Is that so?" Danae said, glancing at Clymene who was eyeing Dictys.
Dictys laughed casually. "Take it easy, my love. I have no intention of marrying her. You are the only woman I love in this world, Clymene." Clymene was instantly won over by Dictys' words and smiled bashfully. Dictys asked Danae again. "Think of us as your new mother and father. So, do you want to live here?"
"If it's okay with you, I'd love to live here. I don't know how I'm going to take care of my child without your help," Danae said. A moment later, the baby was crying out loud. Danae ran over to the baby.
Clymene who followed with Dictys asked "What's wrong?"
"He's just hungry," Danae said.
"Wow, this kid is so cute," Dictys said.
"Yes, very cute," Clymene said fondly. "What's his name?"
'Ah, I hadn't given him a name yet because I am not sure if he will make it. It turns out he survived. We survived .... We are now safe and free, my dear! The gods and goddesses have indeed blessed you! I'm so grateful you came into my broken life. Forget revenge, I don't care anymore. I won't drag you into this maelstrom of wounds. I just want to be able to live a quiet life to take care of you.'
Danae smiled as she watched her tiny baby drink milk peacefully. "I've been thinking about this for a long time," Danae said. "His name will be ... Perseus."
***
At the temple of Asvollios in Delphi, faintly behind the purplish white cloud of smoke, a shadowy figure of a woman looked up at the sun while spreading out her arms in a delicate manner. "Ah, I see … a name has been given … now he has truly emerged. He who has been freed from the darkness to dive back into the darkness. He who will seek the truth of a murky past and a future shrouded in mystery. Perseus, the hero who will slay Medusa.