The Rescue of Athens

Whitecapped waves crashed against the crumbling stone seawall. The citizens of Athens looked out their windows and instantly knew that the god of the sea, Poseidon, was angry. However, only one particular Athenian, fifteen-year-old Lynden, knew why.

She also knew what had to be done to stop the storm. The night before, Lynden had had a dream where she saw every terrifying detail of the battle that had led to this storm. Poseidon had gotten into an argument with Athena, Athens’ patron goddess, over whether King Erichthonius of Athens or King Perseus of Seriphus had more power. Poseidon took revenge on Athens after  Erichthonius was proclaimed more powerful by Hera. He announced that one of the Athenians would have to journey to Seriphus with Poseidon’s sacred horse, Maré, to lead him to the sea and let him roam free under the waters once more. Lynden knew that she was the one that was going to have to take Maré back to the sea.

She found Maré, saddled up, and galloped off into the night. Seriphus was nineteen miles away, so she rode all night and into the next day. Lynden knew that if she didn’t return Maré, her hometown of Athens would be destroyed by this horrid storm.

She finally reached Seriphus when the late afternoon sun hung in the sky like a beautiful, glowing, golden ball on a string. Maré eagerly whinnied and galloped toward the water as soon as he caught sight of the peacock-blue sea stretching out as far as the eye could see. He galloped straight through the waves and went deeper and deeper, until he finally disappeared into the tide.

Lynden knew her job was done in Seriphus. She reached her home in Athens late the next night. When she arrived, all of her neighbors stared at her in shock. Her hair was a knotted mess, her dress was torn and muddy, and yet she was filled with pure and complete jubilation. Looking around at the magnificent structures that made up Athens, Lynden could not have felt more proud and accomplished.