The day started out normal enough. As usual, I happened to be all alone in the throne room, shoveling out mounds of ash from Hestia's hearth, all by myself, when Copreus ran in.

"Your blessing, Priestess," the herald panted. "Quick, before anyone else gets here. I'll need it when I give my news to the wanax, for he may strike me down."

I sneezed and dabbed the tears from my burning eyes. "What is it?" I asked.

"Heracles is back from the underworld," he wailed. "He has freed Theseus as well! And I'm the one who has to tell the wanax! He's coming right now!"

I guiltily glanced at the dying sparks in the hearth. The fire was supposed to be constantly roaring, ritually extinguished only in the presence of the wanax. If anyone knew I had let the fire die out, I would have more to fear than poor Copreus did. Fortunately, I was able to borrow some fire from one of the torches in the anteroom. By the time wanax and his courtiers filed into the throne room, Copreus had been sufficiently blessed, and I had a semi sacred fire burning, fueled in part by some quick thinking and a splash of libation wine.

"My king," Copreus stammered. "Heracles requests the honor of your presence."

All the color drained from the wanax's face. "It cannot be," he whispered. "No one returns from the underworld." He closed his eyes. "Grant him the honor of my presence."

A man bounded in, full of energy. I liked him immediately, he was cheerful, big and brawny. He held a thrashing bag tucked under his arm.

"Are you a ghostly spirit?" Eurystheus spat. "You cannot be of flesh and blood or you would not dare to not bow."

"Forgive me, dear cousin." Heracles bent at the waist in a (perhaps intentionally) awkward manner. Obviously he was not accustomed to bowing. "One would think that you should be bowing to me. Did Zeus not mean his own son when he said that the next to be born in the house of Perseus would be king of Mycenae and Tiryns?"

I thought Eurystheus' eyes would pop out of his head. However, Heracles roared with laughter.

"Calm, sir!" he cried merrily. "If being king causes such concern, I have no reason to covet your throne. I am glad that Hera has left me free to roam and have adventures without a diadem weighing me down."

"Do not mock me," Eurystheus hissed. "What of the 10th Labor?" He nervously eyed the sack in Heracles' arms.

"You mean 12th! Here is the pup you requested."

With a dramatic flourish, Heracles set the bag on the floor. The cutest, smallest, fluffiest dog I had ever seen, albeit with three heads and a dragon's tail. It was sleeping peacefully.

"This cannot possibly be Cerberus," Eurystheus roared. "What trickery is this?"

"There is but one three headed dog," Heracles replied. "If you do not believe me, go ask Hades yourself. I have finished my labors, I am free. As is Theseus, whom I met in the underworld. He is back in Athens, minus a good portion of his thighs." Heracles chuckled to himself although no one else even cracked a smile. "Hades had had the poor man bound to a chair! All for trying to rescue some goddess held prisoner."

"Alas dear cousin," Eurystheus hissed with venom in his voice. "You look at me with those accusing eyes, you mock me, you think I sit on your throne. But you forget who I am. I am the son of Sthenelus, who was the son of Perseus himself."

Heracles was smiling amiably, I had no idea what Eurystheus meant by accusing eyes.

"No matter what trinkets you bring me, which kings you topple, I am and always will be the rightful ruler of Mycenae and Tiryns," continued the wanax. "By blood and divine will, I shall prevail as shall my heirs."

In fury, he threw one of the man sized jars against the wall. He clutched his bleeding hand, for shards had cut into it. He shoved off the slave who tried to attend to him.

This woke the dog up, it snarled and yapped, then ran off while everyone cowered in terror.

For the first time, Heracles looked very worried. "Hades loves that dog more than his left testicle!" he wailed. "I must return the monster or the wrath of the dead shall be on us all."

"Then find it!" the wanax roared.

A crowd of slaves ran off, eager to escape his temper. If I could leave my post, I would have gladly joined the search, although my efforts would have been most half hearted.

Heracles left as well, to my chagrin. He was easy on a maiden's eyes.

"Now Theseus is indebted to Heracles," the wanax fumed. "Menestheus will surely not step aside to let Theseus take the throne once again."

He ordered the scribe to reread a letter from Menestheus, who took the throne of Athens when Theseus had descended to the underworld. It read:

My Brother Eurystheus,

For the past 7 years, I have ruled Athens while Theseus had languished in the underworld. I hear rumors that Heracles has freed Theseus, while he went to fetch Cerberus for your 10th labor. I have attempted to exile Theseus, but he has invited the Heraclidae to his court. I trust that you will ride into battle with me.

Your brother menestheus

"Heracles!" the wanax roared. "He will be deified after death. How I tried to kill him. Now I wish to delay his death. But Athens is weakened with the struggle between Menestheus and Theseus. One has never been strong, the other has been disgraced. How can one kingdom have two kings?"

"We must attack first," General Dievon said. "Theseus has sided with Heracles. Heracles campaigns against cities and replaces kings. This is unstable. He is setting up puppet governments everywhere, establishing himself as a shadow emperor. A king must fear assassination, but a roaming power behind the throne does not, especially if he will join the ranks of Olympus upon his death. His children will have an even strong claim on your throne. You must declare war on Athens for it is harboring the enemy. The Heraclidae are the enemy."

"No, my lord," Machia insisted. "Theseus may have disgraced himself, but he is still an icon of heroism, the son of Aegeus. To many, he is still loved. We must secretly encourage the factionalism between Theseus and Meneseus until they wage war upon each other. Then we shall invade with the claims of assisting our old ally Theseus. The troops do love a good everyone is killed, you must take the throne. This way you will end up as the Heraclidae's new master. When he tragically dies in battle, you can bask in his glory, rule in his name. Eurystheus, High King of Mycenae, Tiryns, and Athens."

Eurystheus narrowed his eyes. "How is it that my dear cousin has enough time to fight wars when he is so busy making children? His short blade must be quick to thrust. Priestess Four! What say you of this Heraclidae!"

We all flinched. Stamatia was Priestess One, Epicaste was most likely Priestess Two, and considering our positions around the hearth, Priestess Four was… me."

Oh dear. It was vital that I soothe his temper. I concocted what made the most sense. The Heraclidae are but roaming bandits," I stammered. "They are sons who do not know their fathers, thus they claim a heroic man who will become a god. They are but a loose army without a cause or state. They have no divinity, nor are they better armed or skilled than an ordinary soldier."

"But now they have the Athenian navy!" the wanax shouted.

He shouted and raved until his voice went hoarse. Then he decided what everyone knew he was going to decide, Mycenae would invade Athens to protect it against the usurper Theseus.

#

Machia, Dievon, and I peered at the entrails of the lamb I had just sacrificed to Hestia. This was fortunate, for lamb happened to be my favorite meat.

"Hestia says that Mycenae should not get invade Athens," I insisted. I prodded at the intestines for good effect.

"Unless we march to Korfos and sail from there," Dievon added quickly. "That curve of intestine clearly symbolizes the Saronic Gulf.

"That's can't be possible," Machia scowled. "Our fleet is at Tiryns. Korfos has nothing but merchant sailors who refuse to take part in this war. We want to sail into Phaliron, in case you've forgotten, Lawagetas, it is the port of Athens."

Machia had not become the High Commander of the Mycenaean army by being naïve. However, he also had no reason to suspect that his trusty second, Dievon, would try to misrepresent the will of the gods.

Dievon kicked me in the shins and I stifled a sigh. "That lump of blood is clearly Korfos, not Tiryns. Hestia assures us that Tiryns will be blockaded by the finest of the Athenian fleet, as well as Phaliron."

"Obviously, that is what naval battles are for!" Machia cried. "Even so, why can't we sail from Pylos, Sparta, Taenarum, or Nauplion? We have some ships there, the Athenian navy will either be spread thin blockading all those beaches or they won't bother at all."

Dievon made surreptitious hand gestures behind his commander's back. "Hestia reminds us that Korfos is the closest harbor," I interpreted. "Besides, it is easier to commandeer ships from civilians than it is to face one of the most powerful navies in Greece."

"With all due respect to the goddess, this is something we should be asking Ares," insisted Machia. "Besides, since when do the gods provide such specific strategies? And through a mere dakoroi? No offense intended, Priestess, but these things are usually done under the direction of Slaves or Key Bearers."

"The gods work in mysterious ways," I said sternly.

Machia kept staring into the guts and frowned. "I don't see it," he muttered.

"That is why we have priests," Dievon said solemnly. "The gods work in mysterious ways."

"Hestia wants to know what you will do if the land bridge to Athens is submerged by the time you arrive?" I was desperately trying to poke holes in his strategy to keep him from leaving.

"Then we will swim, ford or walk across a shallow strip of water. Not everyone is as short at you." Dievon smiled, which he only did on rare occasions.

#

I hovered nervously around the soldiers as I blessed them. The Key Bearer to All the Goddesses watched me under her hawk eye in case I splattered the oil wrong or misspoke a prayer.

"Don't go," I whispered to Dievon as I sprinkled oil over his bowed head. "You believe that the children of Heracles are the rightful rulers of Mycenae and Tiryns."

"I am loyal to my king and to whomever he allies himself," he whispered back.

Of course. Since when was a soldier permitted a mind of his own? "Why is it that men fight on such a grand scale?" I asked bitterly. The girls settled disputes with insults and a bit of clawing and biting.

The wanax gripped Machia's shoulders. "We must not allow Theseus to regain his throne. When he invited the children of Heracles to protect him, he but waged war on me. He swings his blade at enemies and spreads his seed like vermin. Bloodlines must be protected by blood…"

He recited a prayer to Ares, asking him for permission to wage war. The Head Slave to Ares promised that the gods would give us favor. Then he closed his eyes and raised his face towards the heavens.

"Priestess One," he said. Apparently I had been promoted from Priestess Four.

"You will accompany the troops to keep them blessed by Hestia."

I gave a start. Was I being punished? I was being sent off with the troops? I looked at the Key Bearer to Hestia but she did not seem surprised, but upset.

The wanax walked among the cluster of priests. "And Priest Two," he nodded at a boy about my age. "You will keep the men in Aries' favor." He selected more priests including one for Poseidon, to make the seas swift, and Hermes, to make travel easier.

When the wanax took his leave, my friends clustered around me, chattering about how honored I should be, how they would miss me, etc. The Key Bearer to Hestia kept blinking and adjusting my tunic. "This is a great honor," she kept saying. "You are the face of Hestia, you must behave yourself."

I barely heard any of their words. I was going to Athens. It was so close to my home, Eleusis. But I would be arriving of an army of men intent on destroying it. How fate could be so cruel.