The nymph Arethusa had had enough of Alpheus, who was too forward for her liking. The goddess Artemis helped her escape through an underground route to Ortygia, where Arethusa changed into a spring. Peace at last? No, because Alpheus had another trick up his sleeve: he, too, changed himself into an underground river and went back to Ortygia, where he merged his waters with the nymph's. The Greeks used this spring to establish themselves in this place, where geese and ducks now paddle happily.