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The builders of Troy, Chapter 1 · The Golden Porch

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  Section twenty one of The Golden Porch. This is a Liberox recording. All
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  Liberov's recordings were in the public domain. More information not a volunteer, please
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  visit liberox dot org. The Golden Porch by W. M. L.
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  Hutchinson. The Builders of Troy Chapter one Poseidon an Apollo, who were ever
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  fast friends, once took such displeasure at King Zeus that they plotted to drive
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  him from his throne. But he was aware of it and armed himself with
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  his flaming thunderbolts, wherewith to dash the rebels down from the battlements of the
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  sky into the lake of darkness under the earth. And this he would have
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  done had not the gentle Liito Apollo's mother stayed his uplifted arm and entreated him
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  to spare her child. Then Zeus, for love of that fair gracious goddess,
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  said he would not cast beside an Apollo into the gloomy underworld. But
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  they must atone for their fault by a year of penance on earth and dweller's
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  hired servants in the house of some mortal. So the two gods wandered through
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  many lands in the guise of laboring men, till they came to the city
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  of a king called L'amadon, and offered to serve him for a year.
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  The king was content and agreed to pay them for a certain wage, which
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  he said he would pay them at the year's end. Now Apollo seemed a
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  mere lad, and him the king sent to keep his sheep among the hills.
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  But Posidon appeared a strong, full grown man, fit for the hardest
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  toil. Therefore he was set to the work of a mason. Lamadon soon
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  saw that his new servant was a marvelous builder. No one had ever been
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  seen in that land who could hew stone into shapes so deafly and laid them
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  so truly into their courses. One day he called Posidon to him and said,
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  I see, churl that you do not like for skill, and I've
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  a task for you that will put it to proof. The city of mine
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  has no defenses, but earthen ramparts and palisades of timber. Built me a
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  wall of hewn stones round it, and looked at the work be done by
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  the year's end. What men shall I have to help me? King said
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  Poseidon, You shall love none, churl, said the king used to call
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  the lad your comrade from the sheep folds, and he went away laughing in
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  his beard. This Lamadon was a hard man and very greedy of gain,
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  and he'd spoken thus to Poseidon with intent to defraud him of his wages,
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  for he never dreamed that one pair of hands could build a wall round the
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  city within a year, and he meant to send away the stranger without payment
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  when the time came on the pretext that his task was not performed. But
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  Poseidon sent word to Apollo to come and help him, And day by day
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  the wall rods higher and higher under their tireless hands, until a thick ring
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  of massive stone encircle the city, pierced with gateways that are flanked by lofty
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  towers. Only at one point there remained an opening wide enough for a man
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  to pass through, where the wall was still unfinished. All this was done
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  by the last day of the full year that the two gods were bound to
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  serve Lamadon, And on the morning of that day he himself came to view
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  the wall. Then Poseidon said, be pleased, O King, to pay
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  the wage promise to me and my fellow, for the year is over and
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  the wall is builded. But Lamo Madau spied the gap in the wall,
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  and with feigned anger, he said, based chills that you are. You
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  have left your task undone, and do you presume to claim wages be gone
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  or I will make you rue this insolence. Take heed to your words,
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  Lambadon, said Apollo. We have served you faithfully and claim. But I
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  just do as for yonder gap and ours work will suffice to close it,
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  and that we will see to you before departing. Do you bandy speech with
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  me? Malapert boy, cried the king. I tell you, since the
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  sun has risen already, the work is not completed by the day appointed now
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  by all the gods. If you're loy to hear, but till to morrow,
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  I will spoil that dainty face of yours and crop the ears from your
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  head. So saying, he turned and strode haughtily away. Apollo said,
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  Poseidon, I've a mind us all up this king in an earthquake and the
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  city along with him, For the year of our servitude is ended, and
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  I am free to use my power once more. Nay, said the golden
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  haired god, that must not be. I can foresee the doom that waits
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  him. But the cup of its inequity is not yet. I will tell
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  you what we may do to prepare the way of the comer who shall destroy
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  him. If this wall were wholly built by immortal hands, the city could
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  never be taken by an enemy. But if we cause a mortal man to
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  fill up the gap we have left, then other mortals will be able to
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  make a breach through his handiwork. Let us go hence and seek some skillful
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  builder among men, who we may bring hither to finish the wall, so
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  when Lamadon sees it tomorrow, he will believe that we ourselves close the gap.
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  I know of such a builder, said Poseidon. Wait for me the
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  while, and I will bring him to you. With that, he went
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  quickly to the sea beach near the city, and called up his white horse.
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  From the deep and straightway. They came to him harnessed to his golden
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  car. Poseidon mounted the chariot and urged his horses onward over the sea waves,
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  till he came to a certain island that was called Aegina. He dwaterwires
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  and holy king named Aacus, so famed for his justice that the gods themselves
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  was ordered to him for judgment when disputes arose between any of them. Dacus
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  was born in that island and grew up there all alone, for in those
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  days it was desert. But at last he prayed to Zeus that he might
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  have folk to rule over, and Zeus turned all the ants of the island
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  into men. And these men did not know how to plow and sew,
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  nor the use of fire, nor how to build houses, until Aacus taught
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  them all these and many other arts, which he had found out for himself.
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  This king is was who first made sailing ships and coined silver into money.
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  But to nothing was he more skillful than in building with stone. When
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  he now saw Poseidon, he greeted him as a friend, for the gods
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  were as strangers to his house. And having heard what service was required of
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  him, he entered the golden chariot, and they came swiftly over the sea
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  to the city of Laomadon. Then Aacus built up the gap in the wall,
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  and before sun said he put the coping stone on his masonry, which
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  was fitted so smoothly to the rest that no eye could see where the gap
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  had been. But as he laid the last stone in place, the watching
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  gods cried him to draw back, and he stood aside to mark a strange
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  marble. Two huge serpents came gliding along, proudly, arching their emerald necks
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  straight to the new finished wall, and hurled themselves upon the battlement. It
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  seemed their mighty spring would carry them clear over it, but their body struck
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  the stonework with a dull thud, and the monsters fell back, writhing in
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  throes of death. Instantly, a third serpent, whose head was crested with
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  golden plumes, darted to the spot, rid its great coils aloft, and
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  sprang over the wall, uttering no serpent's hiss, but strange to tell a
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  bringing battle cry straightway. Apollo bounded to the wall, and laying his hand
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  upon it. Thus he spoke to you, Aachus, this is sent by
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  Zeus, who has you ever in his keeping. Hear now what it betokens.
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  The three serpents are three princes of your blood who will fight against the
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  city. Two must perish beneath its wall, but the third shall break in
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  at this very place where your own hands have raised the bulwark, and shall
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  burn the city with fire. Prophet of Zeus, said Aachus, when shall
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  these things come to pass in the fourth generation, answered Apollo, for those
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  princes are your children's children yet to be. But hear this also. Although
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  the city will not be destroyed in your lifetime, you will live to hear
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  that it is taken in war by your own son. And in that day
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  the wicked Laumadon shall be slain, who has dealt so treacherously with us.
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  While Apollo spoke, the sun went down and twilight fell upon land and sea.
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  Aachu saw two charots draw near, glimmering in the dark, and on
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  one of them, Apollo mounted and went northwards, swifter than the wind.
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  Then said Poseidon, Apollo goes to the land beyond the north wind to visit
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  the folk who honor him above all gods, and hold high festival them.
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  Now his year of servitude is past, and I too, all visit the
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  temple I love best of all that mortals have built for me, which stands
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  between two seas, not far removed from your island of Aegina. Come let
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  us be going, for I will bring you home on my way. Thither
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  with the three builders departed from the wall, and in the morning Lamadon came
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  again and was well pleased because it was finished, but the labors he hired
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  were gone without payment. But as for the bodies of the two serpents,
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  they had vanished from the place before he came. After this, Lamadon gathered
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  all the people of the land into a city, bidding them dwell no more
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  in villages as aforetime, because he had built a stronghold where they might be
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  safe from every enemy, And being exceedingly proud of his fair town girdled with
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  that many towered wall, he commanded them henceforth to name themselves Trojans, after
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  the name of it, for that city was called Troi. Now, Poseidon
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  could not endure to see the evil king in such prosperity, and ere long
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  he caused the seat to overflow his land, even to the walls of t
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  Choi, so that crops and cattle were swallowed up. Then Lamadon called the
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  soothsayers to advise some remedy against the flood, and they all declared that the
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  waters would not roar back from the land until a certain sea monster was appeased
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  with prey, which they said swam every night to the city walls. The
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  king had sheep and goats and oxen thrown in to the waters, but to
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  no purpose, And at last the soothsayers told him nothing would satisfy the monster
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  but the flesh of a young maiden. Thereupon the king made all the Trojan
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  maidens draw lots which should be thrown to the beast, and behold, the
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  lot fell on his own daughter, Hessione. But it chanced that Heracles,
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  on his travels about the world, came that very day to the house of
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  Lamadon, while all were loudly bewailing the doom of the princess. And having
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  heard the matter, he said to the king, what ard will you give
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  me if I slay this monster? Whatever you will, said the king,
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  to the half of my kingdom. I shall be content, said Heracles,
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  if you will give to me two horses of that wondrous breed which men say
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  the gods gave to your father. Gladly I will give them, said the
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  king. And immediately Heracles waded out into the flooded meadows where the monster lay
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  wallowing, and shot him dead with arrows from his mighty bow. Then the
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  sea waters drew back like an ebbing tide, so that the Trojans saw the
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  carcase of this fearful creature with the huge jaws opened wide, laying stranded on
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  their fields, as it were the black color of a great ship. Nevertheless,
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  Lamadon hardened his heart to yet another deed of wickedness, and drove Heracles
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  away with threats and revilings when he claimed his reward. This is your hour,
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  said Heracles as he went away. But mine will come. He was
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  bound on an errand of the king whom he served at that time, and
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  might not delay to fight in his own quarrel. End of Section twenty one,
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  read by an Curl