Oil And Water: A Sequel To Alpheus And Arethusa's Love

Oil and Water, No More
A Sequel to Alpheus and Arethusa’s Love Story
By Piologo Tabernilla

Centuries have passed and Arethusa has remained the lovely spring that she is. The same goes for the island of Ortygia. It has remained a cultural hotspot for Sicily. True, it adjusted a bit to the modernity of the times and the influx of tourists. Restaurants and cafés have lined the streets in Piazza del Duomo, Ortygia’s real center. Tables and chairs, covered by large off-white umbrellas, are aplenty. A large pedestrian square lies in the middle, often used for large installations by artists.
All these new add-ons did not do anything to the old feel, though, as the island pretty much stayed the same. It also helped that the later medieval buildings
In fact, every time Alpheus visited her, no genuine mixture of their waters happened, contrary to the tale. Because of Arethusa’s intense repugnance of Alpheus, their waters were exactly like oil and water- they literally and strangely did not mix.
One night, a vehicle stopped by the fountain. Five men went out of it and proceeded to unload several large drums. Arethusa could not care less. Having been undisturbed for so long a time and having been accustomed lately to tourists wanting to see her legendary waters, she did not bother about the strange stop-over.
The moon shined brightly that night and so Arethusa saw every move the men made above her walls. When they already motioned to pour the contents of the drums into her basin, she felt the sudden pang of fear and panic. However, before the stench liquid material reached the bottom, a wave of extraordinary strength and height rushed through the fountain, going straight to the direction of the falling matter. It caught them and rushed back out to the
The moment Alpheus returns, theirs will no longer be a story of unrequited love. Arethusa was sure of that.
Days, weeks, and months have passed but Alpheus did not come for a visit. Arethusa’s fears have grown. Something bad might have befallen the river god. And so Arethusa prayed to Artemis again, after a very long time, just to make sure that Alpheus is in fine condition. With a heavy heart, Artemis told her that Alpheus’ waters have been greatly defiled by the chemical wastes which he caught to save Arethusa’s waters from getting contaminated. He could not make his return to Arethusa’s basin with the fear of polluting her too. The news broke Arethusa’s heart.
Artemis, guilty of the despair she has brought her follower since turning her to a body of water, asked help from Poseidon to clean Alpheus. The Olympian willingly agreed and rode his golden carriage to Alpheus’ river waters. He gathered the filthy liquid material and solidified it until it turned into a big black rock. Alpheus then expressed his deepest gratitude to the mighty god of the sea who, in turn, happily commanded him to rush to Arethusa’s basin at