I finally updated! Hooray! Still don't know why it took so long...


"Aniketos, Hilaeira's here-" Epaphos declared as he barged into his nephew's bedroom, cutting himself off when he saw Aniketos and the new girl cuddled close, an inordinate amount of skin visible. "Aniketos!" He rumbled, grey eyebrows crossing.

Opening their eyes with a start, Aniketos immediately covered Nafkratene's body with the cotton sheets, "Uncle!" He groaned, sitting up. "Give us a moment, will you?"

Epaphos, whose expression went from angry to angrily confused, complied and exited, shutting the door behind him with a shake of his head.

A wide-eyed Nafkratene watched him leave, turning her attention to a ruffled Aniketos as he slid off the bed naked, holding his hand out to her. She took it and rose, keeping the sheet at her chest.

"I am so sorry." he mumbled, picking her chiton up off the floor on the other side of the room and handing it to her. "He does that."

She cleared her throat and gingerly dropped the sheet, stepping into her clothes. "No, no, it's- um- fine..."

He gave her one of her pins and did the other himself. He sighed and passed a hand over his face. "You want to go first or should I?"

"I think you should put something on before you think about doing anything." She said with a blush, glancing down quickly then back up at him.

"Right..." Aniketos grinned bashfully.

Giving him one last look, she left the room, almost colliding with Epaphos' large stomach. "My apologies, sir." She muttered, head low to hide her embarrassed smile.

He grunted, stepping to one side. "Just look where you're going."

Nafkratene left, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Epaphos turned to his nephew. "Well? Hurry up!"

A few moments later, they began making their way to the upper pavilion. Epaphos was was decidedly critical of Ani this morning.

"Your mother will be furious."

"When isn't she?"

"And what was that whole mess when I came in?"

"Mess?" Aniketos pursed his lips.

"The fumbling with the sheets!" He muttered.

"Weren't you the one that barged into my room unannounced?"

Epaphos stopped walking and made Aniketos do the same. "You've never cared for protecting the women's modesties. How is she different?"

"She isn't. It was a one-off, Uncle. Let it be."

"It had better." Epaphos warned, storming ahead. Ani trail behind, rolling his eyes.

The older and younger arrived at the pavilion where Aniketos was to meet Hilaeira. His mother was nowhere to be found, which, he thought, was a decided benefit. Epaphos nudged him forward with a pointed look and left them.

Aniketos found Hilaeira sitting on a chaise, facing the sea. He approached her and gingerly sat beside her. Her golden hair cascaded down her back, her hazel eyes watery and her pink bottom lip trembling.

"This is it?" She said.

"This is it." He replied.

She slowly turned to him. "But you're heart isn't as broken as mine."

"Hilaeira-" Ani began to groan.

"Please. I know you've found another one. Hopefully she won't confer with you on plans to escape."

He didn't reply.

"Twenty-two, eh?" She laughed half-heartedly. "I'm glad we made it this far."

"You're speaking as if one us is dying, Hilaeira." He muttered.

"And you're speaking as if you haven't figured out that I'm in love with you." Hilaeira's voice began to tremble and raise.

Aniketos blinked. He cleared his throat and held one of her hands balled into fists on her lap. "I'm sorry. I do care for you, really. But I-I can't-"

"Save your breath, Aniketos." She spat, her face hard. "You and your mother aren't that different, no matter how much you say otherwise."

"Excuse me?" He said through gritted teeth, anger boiling inside him.

She wouldn't meet his eyes. "You're both liars and proud ones, too. In spite of my love, I can definitely recognise that."

"Fine. Do you want the truth?" Aniketos stood and began pacing in front of her, keeping his voice low. "I was growing to feel more for you and I did think we were going to leave together."

He gripped her upper-arms. "But in all honesty, Hilaeira, how far do you think we could have gotten, hm? I don't know how often I've had this conversation, but by far, this has been the hardest of them all."

"Then why do you not fight?" She whispered.

Aniketos was taken aback by the question. He didn't want to fight, much less know how.

Hilaeira saw his hesitation and sighed. "I thought so." She got up and pushed him away gently. "Goodbye, Aniketos." And, kissing him on the cheek, left him standing alone on the pavilion.

And then he remembered his birthday party.

After leaving Aniketos' room, Nafkratene sat in silence, peeling apples and slicing olives for the celebrations. She didn't complain, she didn't fight back, nothing.

What she did do was make herself blush quite a few times, berating her mind as quickly as the images from last night appeared in her mind. No. She wouldn't fall for him. She would not.

Nafkratene recalled the conversation after...that...from last night. She had told him everything he needed to know. And, perhaps, a bit more.


"You've always wanted to leave?" She asked.

Aniketos nodded. "Ever since I began to realise that, actually, I wasn't very happy being trapped in my own home."

"And you trust me enough to help you?"

He looked away and up to the ceiling for a moment. "I've seen what you can do and my instincts are screaming at me to trust you, demigod. If not, I'll regret it."

"We hardly know each other. Who's to say I won't stab you in the back and leave you for dead?" Nafkratene shrugged.

He turned one corner of his mouth down. "Guess I'll find out when we get there."

"What about your father?"

Aniketos sighed. "I've always wondered who he was. My mother told me he was a king that ruled over a beautiful, sunlit kingdom but could never take us with him. Then she would change the entire subject of conversation."

"Apollo likes to think he rules a kingdom." She chuckled.

Silence settled. Aniketos rolled over and onto his stomach. "Are you sure he's my father?"

"He sent me here himself. It can't be anyone else, either. You have his sigil." Nafkratene said, motioning at his mark.

"Do you have one?"

She blushed but nodded.

"Care to show me?" He grinned.

With a sigh, she dipped her fingers in the small bowl of water by the bed and lifted her right arm, pushing the sheets down slightly. Touching her wet fingers to the skin just right of the curve of her breast, her sigil faded into view.

From what he could see in the moonlight, it was the head of a trident surrounded by curling lines and delicate, crashing waves."How did you find out that was there?" He breathed.

"I didn't. My mother showed me a few years ago." She said, settling back into the bed.

It turned quiet. But this didn't bother her. She felt at ease in these silences. They had shared few moments of silence together, yet, those they did share were very comfortable.

"Hey, Nafkratene?" Aniketos whispered.

"Hm?"

"You've spoken to my father?"

"On more than one occasion, believe me."

"What's he like?"

"He's...bright. Bright and jolly. Cheeky, too." She nodded at him. "Similar to a boy I met recently, actually."

"And this boy...?"

"A pain in my arse."


To calm her inner thoughts, that were veering onto dangerous grounds, Nafkratene ran over the plan again. It was going to take some time to prepare everything.

She groaned. Forget preparing anything, how were they going to even make it to the docks? From what she had gathered, there was no path could take to get to the sea without being detected.

And this mission was to be covert. Nafkratene had specific instruction to not cause alarm. Especially to Aniketos's mother.