Hefty winds slid over the rolling waves and onto the beaches of Gavdos before trekking the island's length and continuing its sprint to sea on the other side. Occasionally the water would catch witht he breeze and form a light spray wich spattered against his bronzed arms and chest. Damon's hair, a rare sandy blond which resulted from persistent exposure to sunlight, twirled madly in seeking refuge from the ceaseless wind, which unapologetically lifted and flung his locks about. Damon's eyes squinted against the oncoming wind's force, he was facing northeast, a steady gaze focused on the horizon line where the darkening sky and the darker sea met in a long, unobstructed line. Somewhere, not too terribly far beyond that boundary rose up the island of Crete, its harbors submissively open to all, and its great, vulnerable cities prostrate to any able aggressor.

Eleven ships sat embedded in the soft sands of northern Gavdos, a place which seemed flat and low to one who was adjusted to the higher grounds of the isle's south, as Damon was. The beach about them was vastly disturbed by the feet marauders who had disembarked their crafts early that day and taken to the task of raising the small camps who lay further up from the water, safe from the moving tide. The vessels of Attos and Damon were the most prominent among the fleet, carrying forty-three and thirty-five respectively. The larger was produced in the east, a naval ship of some wealthy port, commandeered by the legendary Pirate who then envied its size and construction, and of course, desired it for his own possession. The lesser was of nothern production, the first and only command of Damon and one which he acquired during the ship's tarriance on Gavdos. The captain and several crew provided to be too much a disruption for the townspeople, and Damon led his neighbors in the abrupt end of their visitors. At the time, Damon had recently settled into the home he had errected for himself and Atalanta. His acquisition of a ship undid his resolve to abandon the sea, which Atalanta had sought, and he took to sailing about Gavdos with Laertes and Hamon, in search of a full crew.

The remaining nine were of various origin and assembly, but among them none sat more than thirty oarsmen. Two answered to Attos, their captains loyal to the King in a manner that Damon might have similarly shared had events in his past arisen differently. Another pair had joined the expedition at the instigation of Attos, they sailed from the east and othwerise would have been occupied with the harassment of Canaanite trade ships. The remaining five, the smallest of all, were those of the Gavdos raiders. Two had arrived within the day from the settlement located not far south of their present camp, that village being the largest on Gavdos. The three others had each come from other settlements or refuges on Gavdos. Altogether, Damon had counted a force of 277 men to assualt the Cretans with. Internally, allegiances had split in the most likely of fashions: Attos, his subordinates, and the eastern cohorts recognized the King's command, while those of Gavdos had rallied about the fame of Damon.

Neither Laertes nor Hamon had accompanied Damon upon this venture, making this his first campaign without one or the other acting as a companion. Still without speech, and racked with his beating, Hamon had slightly improved before Damon's departure, yet he preferred to pass time at sleep. Laertes remained only with the persistent requests of Damon himself. He had recognized that a failed campaign would leave the community in a haste to find refuge from a likely Navy retaliation. None had traveled more extensively in the village than Laertes, and with his assistance, any flight upon the fishing vessels would be saved from an otherwise mortal escape to the bowels of the sea. Laertes knew where to resettle, and Damon knew where to find them if such an event occurred.

Itos, a Gavdos captain, had been calling Damon's name at length by this time, and finally resigned to running down to the water so that he might retrieve him. Damon was distracted with the image of Atalanta standing obstinantly upon their home's threshold, using complete willpower to refuse herself movement in his direction. Cilix proudly bounded at Damon's side while he gave her one look over his shoulder, then resigned himself to staring forward. He strode straight over the land's rise and moved out of site from their home.

"Attos has convened the captains Damon. What is the matter, I near lost voice calling you?" inquired Itos, now at Damon's side. He was older and heavier, likely a regular patron at the local tavern in his town, and first to seek the pleasing refreshments whenever sacking a settlement. Damon turned on the sand and silently walked passed the round man, his direction was that of the large tent the King had required raised for his use before any other early that morning. While the two men quietly moved up the beath, behind them sat the horizon, fading now as dusk set in. With the morning, as the first light shown, the eleven ships would make haste across that line.