When his first son was born, the Minister of War was nervous. It wasn't for the variety of reasons that first time parents usually are for. He was nervous about his son's name. While he loved his wife and had a grudging respect for his father-in-law, he felt that the title of King's Thief should die out with its current holder. It was an outdated custom anyways and he dreaded what dangerous mischief his wife would get into if the title passed to her.
That is why when he tentatively suggested his father's name of Stenides after seven days had passed, he was happily surprised when his wife agreed with no argument. However, that happy feeling faded when he overheard her talking to her father.
"Stenides?"
"He is not meant to follow in our footsteps, Father. I dreamt it." His wife cradled his small son in her arms and smiled gently. "This is not the son. We will know him when we see him."
While he was glad that Stenides would be spared a Thief's life, he felt a gaping hole in his gut when he thought about any of his future children being thrown like kindling in the the fire that was a Thief's life.
As time went on and Stenides grew, the overheard conversation and his fears faded from his mind. That was, of course, until his second son was born. Again, anxiety coursed through him until his wife suggested the name of Temenus.
Next were his daughters, perfect, each one of them. Naming them did not bring the same stress as his sons had. His eldest daughter was named after her paternal grandmother as was custom. His other daughter's name was chosen with little fuss as well. His wife had said she wanted a son to follow in her footsteps.
As it currently stood, while Stenides was undeniably bright, his interests were in math and mechanics. Whenever he was missing, he would undoubtedly be found bothering the nearest watchmaker. As for Temenus, he was enamored with his father and the soldiers he commanded. He could be found watching the soldiers drill and practicing out of the way between the pillars with his wooden sword that was nearly as big as him. His men pretended not to see Temenus, but would slow down their swings when they were by him so that he could see clearly and copy the movements correctly.
It all changed when his wife became pregnant again. This pregnancy was a hard one. Galen, the court physician remanded his wife to her bed for the majority of the pregnancy. It was difficult for a woman so used to activity and independence to be so still. Her father brought her scrolls to read and the Minister of War stopped regularly to discuss the ongoings of court and the King's Council.
His third son was born early, so early that the Minister of War was worried that he would lose either his wife or his baby. However, when it was all said and done, his wife was alive and he was holding a squalling baby boy. The baby refused to be quieted by him or any wet nurse. He only ceased his screaming when he was placed on his sleeping mother's chest.
With this baby, they waited the full ten days to name him. That was because his wife was insisting on the name "Eugenides" while he was resisting with all his might.
"I'm not naming my son after the god of Thieves!"
"Why not? Is there something wrong with being a thief?" His wife's voice was deceptively quiet and saccharine. "Is there something wrong with me or my family?"
"No, of course not," he backpedaled. "I just don't want him to become the laughing stock of the court."
Her glare told him that this was not an acceptable answer.
"We named Stenides after your father. We are naming this son after mine. There will be no more debate."
That was that. His youngest carried the name of a god, but that did not mean that he had to follow in his footsteps.
As soon as he was able, the Minister of War trained his son relentlessly. Despite all of Temneus' practice, Gen, as his youngest was called, had the raw, natural talent. However, no matter how much talent his feckless son had, he never was satisfied with sword work. Gen was always vanishing during practice, only to be found later with his mother or grandfather.
It all came to a head one year. One awful week. The day that the King's Thief's daughter died. She had been reckless, dancing on the roof on the late spring morning. Her foot had hit a patch of black ice and she had plummeted. The Minister of War had seen it all and had been helpless to stop it.
His wife was barely in the ground when his youngest son came up to him informing him of his intentions of becoming the next Thief.
"There is no chance of Hestia's Great Mountain that I will let you become the next Thief." His normally calm voice burned with rage from loss. "You will be a soldier and that's final!"
"It's not your choice, it's mine. I can do whatever I want!" If his father thought that he could cow him from honoring his mother, then he was gravely mistaken.
The Minister of War shook with suppressed rage. How could his son not see how dangerous a lifestyle a Thief lead? Because his wife trained to be a Thief, she had been so reckless with her safety. Her father had taught her to dance on the roof in honor of their god. He would not lose his son as well to the outdated profession.
He gritted his teeth and turned on his heel. If he couldn't get his son to listen, he would just have to convince his father-in-law not to encourage Gen.
He found the old man alone on the rooftop staring off into the distance.
"Minister."
"Thief."
"What brings you up here?"
"I want you to stop filling Gen's head with nonsense."
"You consider the Thief to be nonsense?"
"It's archaic. We do not need the position, we haven't for a long time now."
"You're saying that Eddis no longer needs me."
"When's the last time you even left the country? All you do is stir up trouble in court."
"Is that what you think the Thief does? As for leaving the country, you would be surprised. Eddis still needs a Thief and I will answer that call until I fall. Then my successor will pick up the mantle as it should be."
"Can't you see how dangerous this is, encouraging the boy so? He would be safer as a soldier."
"A soldier? Do you even hear yourself?"
"As a soldier, I could look out for him, the rest of his platoon would have his back. He wouldn't be climbing icy roofs in the dead of night! I wouldn't wake up one morning to the news that he fell to his death!"
The old man looked down at his feet and said quietly, "His soul belongs to Eugenides. Even if you could get him to agree to a different career to ease your mind, a thief by any other name is still a thief. You cannot change his nature."
"We'll see about that." The Minister of War executed a sharp, military turn and stalked down the stairs. No matter what it took, he would stop Gen from becoming the next sacrifice to an indifferent deity. He would keep the last piece of his wife alive.
AN: This plot bunny kept me awake last night and wouldn't let me alone until I wrote it today. It was quickly written, with practically no re-reads and no beta. Please let me know about any glaring mistakes. Unfortunately, I do not own this series or characters (though if I did, I wouldn't do them justice).
From what (little) research I did, Ancient Greeks generally waited 7-10 days before naming their children. The oldest son was named after the child's paternal grandfather (so the Minister's Dad, the previous/current King) and the oldest daughter was named after their paternal grandmother.
Please let me know how I did