Eight years after King Menelaus issued war, the battle between Troy and Greece raged on.

Though a vision had never outright told Cassandra this, she believed the gods continued the fighting to earth many demigod heroes. Every current-living demigod hero Cassandra had ever heard of fought for either Troy or Greece. A few had already perished, and various prophecies had revealed more death on the horizon.

Around the time Hector married Andromache, daughter of Eetion, king of Cilician Thebe, Cassandra got a handle on her visions. While not as good as Aesacus, she grew accustomed to their severity and vividness.

Now when one hit her, she hardly reacted and could go on with her day within moments. Any person she was around at the time was none the wiser.

Not that she had to worry about disturbing the masses.

Solitude consumed much of Cassandra's days. She'd go weeks without speaking to a family member, and the staff only addressed her when necessary.

Cassandra had long ago given up keeping attendants.

For the first two years, her isolation had bothered Cassandra so much she'd cried herself to sleep almost every night. She'd often groveled before her siblings, but to no prevail. She had only driven them away faster.

Like Creusa and her husband. They'd claimed they'd wanted to move into the city because the palace felt too crowded, but Cassandra knew her presence disturbed Aeneas. She'd overheard him complaining about her to her brothers.

All except Helenus avoided Cassandra. He did his best to spend time with his twin, but the war took most of his focus.

Against the Queen's wishes, Priam had allowed all his age-appropriate sons to take part in the war any way they chose. Helenus didn't do much fighting but acted as the personal messenger to the King and Hector.

To her dismay, when her twin wasn't with her or doing his part in the war, he kept Helen company.

The former queen didn't appear to like the young prince much, but Cassandra had eavesdropped on Helen saying Helenus reminded her of Hector, enough so she could pretend she was in better company.

Cassandra had been sheering a bush in the gardens at the time and had considered snipping off all Helen's hair, but she hadn't retaliated for fear of the King's response.

Priam continued to bring suitors before Cassandra.

She reacted better than she previously had, but her behavior didn't foster any serious interest from the men.

The King grumbled about her lack of marriage but didn't bother her about it. She kept herself busy with noble pursuits, never wandered away from the palace as she had in her youth, and no longer worried everyone with her delusions.

Cassandra seemed the perfect daughter.

On the hottest summer day of her twenty-fifth year, Cassandra picked a bouquet she planned to take to the Queen. Her mother had been ill in bed for the past three days and could use the kind gesture. Plus, she hadn't been alone with Hecuba in months, and she missed her mother's undistracted attention. Sure, the Queen would talk nonstop about her girlhood, but Cassandra didn't mind the stories as much as she once had.

With her back to the main garden path, Cassandra hummed to herself as she worked. The song, one Agatha had sung to her in her childhood, didn't bring much more than a flicker of nostalgia, but Cassandra relished the emotion. Some days her hollowness made her forget what feelings were.

Someone tapped on her shoulder.

Cassandra jumped and uttered a cry. She whirled around to meet her laughing twin.

"Are you trying to make my heart stop?"

Helenus ceased laughing and smiled. "If I am?"

Cassandra swatted her brother's shoulder. "You're an unpleasant dolt, you know that?"

Her twin kissed her cheek. "Love you, too."

Cassandra turned back to the flowers. "What's brought you out here to bother me?"

"You should see what I found."

Cassandra rolled her eyes but returned her attention to Helenus.

At the sight of what he held, her breath caught in her chest. Her mouth flopped open, and her stomach hurt like someone had kicked her.

Helenus' grin widened. "These belong to you."

"W-Where did you get t-those?"

Helenus adjusted his grip on the bow and quiver of arrows Apollo had given Cassandra. "A servant discovered them in the horse barn the summer we turned seventeen. He thought they might belong to Deiphobus or Polites, but I knew better. I wanted to return them to you, but around the time you went—Our lives got hectic.

"So, I put them in a trunk in my bedchamber, and forgot all about them 'til I came across them yesterday." He held the hunting equipment out to her. "Would you like them back?"

Cassandra's hands shook as she took her old gifts. Memories she'd thought buried washed over her. She remembered hunting with Apollo, saving him from the chimera, spending many afternoons just talking, the multiple times she'd wanted to kiss and stroke the sun god.

"How did you come by these amazing specimens?"

Cassandra didn't hear her brother as the terrible times with Apollo overrode the good. Her heart hardened, and she threw the quiver to the ground. She stomped on the arrows yet couldn't break or bend them.

Her anger at peak level, Cassandra tried to snap the bow over her knee. She couldn't damage the material.

She screeched and tossed the bow away.

Helenus coughed. "You wouldn't want to hunt with me, then?"

Cassandra shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself in the hope to quell her mounting wrath and sadness. "Now... now isn't the time."

"It might make you feel better."

"Not today."

Helenus frowned. "I don't know when I'll be able to see you next. I'd like to—It's been years since we hunted. I miss it."

Cassandra made to decline again but paused.

For years, all she'd wanted was to move on from her ordeal with Apollo and Hermes. She'd believed not thinking about it and avoiding anything that reminded her of the happiest and most devastating time of her life would accomplish that.

Yet it hadn't.

Maybe she needed to do the opposite. Hunting with Helenus would be a good, small first step.

What if her twin didn't survive his next war-related task? She'd never forgive herself for forgoing precious time with him.

Cassandra distanced her current swirling emotions and managed a soft smile. "I miss it, too. I'd love to do that."

Helenus' face lit up. "Really? Today?"

She nodded. "Gather everything, and I'll meet you at the horse stables."

Boyish enthusiasm overtook her twin, and he ran at full speed back the way he'd come.

After his departure, Cassandra signaled to a passing servant.

The older man bowed and approached.

She handed him the flowers she'd picked.

"Give them to the Queen." She pointed at the bow, quiver, and discarded arrows. "Have these thrown in the river. I won't tolerate their presence on palace grounds."

The servant bowed again. "As you wish, my Lady."

He took the flowers, then collected Apollo's gifts.

Cassandra dismissed him and hurried to the meeting spot. While she traveled, she wondered if she should change. Over the years, Cassandra had taken to dressing more akin to the staff, to impress the gods, but she still wore clothing better suited for palace activities.

Halfway to the horse stables, she laughed as she remembered how she used to trek through the forest in her finest peploi and sandals.

Oh, how her mother had complained.

Her merriment continued after she reached her destination. Cassandra still tittered when Helenus found her. A puzzled expression crossed his face as he handed her one of his well-made bows and a full quiver.

"What have I missed?"

Cassandra swallowed her chuckles. "Just reminiscing about my previous poor behavior."

"You loved goading Deiphobus."

Cassandra smirked. "He shouldn't have made it so easy."

Helenus let out a belly-deep laugh.

Cassandra joined him, and tears welled in her eyes as it hit her how much she missed this closeness with her twin.

Apollo and Hermes had done much more to her than make it impossible to love a man, they'd almost ruined her ability to connect with those that mattered to her most. She'd convinced herself the wounds weren't so thick, but she couldn't deny the truth any longer.

As she shouldered the quiver, Cassandra swore she'd begin healing today. Though her visions still showed Troy falling, she'd enjoy what time she had left with her family.

What good did alienating herself and being unhappy do?

Once they'd quieted, the twins discussed their course of action. Then, with a reflexive glance around to ensure their secrecy, they entered the forest. Cassandra inhaled deep and let the comforting scents awaken the happiness only being in the woods could bring. She ran a hand over the nearest tree trunk and tapped her foot on the loose dirt.

Helenus watched her, and a grin stretched his lips so far it had to hurt. But he didn't comment. Nor did he rush her.

Cassandra nodded, and the twins crept further into the woods.

Dismay washed over as she realized she'd lost much of her skill. She didn't clomp through the underbrush like a blind bear, but she performed more than her fair share of stupid mistakes. Many birds and small rodents sped away from her careless steps.

When she came across worthy prey—a decent-sized doe—she tried to shoot it but held her bow wrong, and the arrow fell to the ground a few paces in front of her. The doe flicked its tail and darted into a denser part of the forest.

Until now, Helenus hadn't made a sound, but a laugh tore out of him.

Cassandra groaned. "This isn't funny."

Helenus wiped at his eyes. "No, I know. But—Deiphobus still laments about your cheating and the gods' unfair favoritism of you. If only he could see you now, the shock would kill him."

Cassandra glared at her twin. "Don't you dare tell him."

"I wouldn't even if I wanted to. Hector would be upset with me for offing one of his best soldiers."

"Yes, well—"

At once, a vision overcame Cassandra.

She saw two men, their faces obscured with black smoke, bow before Priam. The King smiled and boomed warm words of welcome.

As the men straightened, the vision ended.

Cassandra returned to herself with such swiftness, it caught her off guard, and she tripped. She attempted to use the bow to steady her movement, and the wood broke in two.

She crashed to the ground.

Helenus crouched beside her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I just... lost my footing. I'm fine."

Cassandra allowed him to help her stand. Once righted, she pointed at the broken bow. "I'm so sorry."

Helenus shrugged. "I've wanted a new one for some time.

Now I have an excuse." He put an arm around her middle. "But we'll worry about that later. We need to go home and have the physician look over you."

Cassandra wasn't hurt, but her adventure in the woods couldn't continue. It'd tired her more than she liked and left her ashamed.

Where had her youthful vigor gone?

Yes, she'd long ago exited girlhood, but she was far from a crone.

How had she lost so much in such a short time?

On top of nursing her wounded pride, she wanted to reflect on her vision and its importance to all her previous ones. She'd yet to receive a prophecy she hadn't found meaning in, even if she'd only had it to show her how one-sided the war was.

Cassandra leaned against Helenus. "If you promise to skip the physician, I'll go home without a fuss."

Her brother eyed her a moment, then nodded. "Deal."