A/N: I feel like it took me forever to write a new chapter but again, don't expect super fast updates. A lot of these chapters will be decently long, and I'm also in my summer semester of grad school and the amount of work is suffocating sometimes so I don't have a lot of time to write. Huge rip. Big sadge.

Anyways! We cover a lot in this chapter as we'll be heading to Athens, and as we know from the game, our first visit to Athens is where things start getting interesting and a lot more involved. Also, as you'll see, I'm taking a slightly different approach to Kassandra and Alexios' interactions here than what we're given in the game - I think it allows me to explore the characters a bit more. Enjoy!

Chapter Warnings: Depictions of violence, some language, and sexual situations

Chapter 2 - Welcome To Athens

Kassandra had mostly been disappointed that their journey to Athens had been delayed again by Herodotos' suggestion they go to the island of Andros first. But, he had been optimistic that whatever they found there would provide Kassandra with an increased advantage over the Cult, and just the possibility of having even a slight edge over the Cult was enough to motivate Kassandra to sail to the island. And to her surprise, Herodotos' theories about what was on Andros had been correct.

Rather than a gate, as Herodotos initially described, Kassandra had found a massive black stone door that ended up leading to some kind of ancient forge. Although she hadn't been able to get inside right away, once she had taken out the Spear of Leonidas, she had been greeted again with another memory from her past. But this time, rather than seeing anything involving the night on Mount Taygetos, Kassandra had seen a small moment with her mother.

Kassandra had learned from this memory that the bloodline shared with Leonidas was something that was both worshiped and envied among other people throughout the world, the blood of a noble warrior who had possessed far more strength and resilience than anyone had ever seen before. Kassandra had figured that her mother had been giving her the simple explanation when she was a child, but with what she knew about the Cult now and how they sought out her and her mother so fervently, Kassandra thought that there was much more to her bloodline than her mother had been letting on. She remembered from the vision that her mother had mentioned how people wanted to take the power her bloodline harbored and use it for themselves. Is that what the Cult was after? Did they want Kassandra and her mother to join Deimos so that they would truly be unstoppable?

But that would contradict what Kassandra had learned at the Cult meeting, since the Cult very clearly wanted her dead. If they don't want to use my power, Kassandra thought, it must be because they're afraid of me. I'm their biggest threat, and maybe I'm the only one who can actually stop them. So they need to eliminate me from the picture. I'd love to see them try.

The memory had certainly provided Kassandra with extremely valuable knowledge, and her initial disappointment at not heading directly to Athens had instantly dissipated because of the vision along with what she had found behind the black stone door. The ancient forge was massive and filled with architecture that Kassandra had never seen before - squares and sharp geometric angles that carved the stone certainly gave the appearance of a very different kind of civilization from anything in the Greek world.

Kassandra had found a section in the stone that fit the tip of the broken Spear of Leonidas perfectly, and when Kassandra had placed the spear into the mold, the forge had spoken to her - a woman's voice - and it had been activated somehow. Whatever the interaction between the spear and forge had been, Kassandra could tell that something about the spear was different.

As the doors to the forge slid open for her to be able to exit, Kassandra balanced the spear between her hands. She felt a new energy from it after placing it in the forge. Small flashes of golden-orange light would dance through the grooves of the spear every so often, and Kassandra noticed this usually happened whenever she fully gripped the spear in her hand, almost as if the spear was reacting to her. It was strange. She swore she could feel this new energy coursing through her as well - she felt stronger somehow, like the spear had awakened a new power within her. Her encounter in the forge only left her with more questions. She wondered if Leonidas knew about the forge, if anyone knew about it outside whatever civilization built it. She wondered if other weapons from the forge existed out in the world somewhere. She wondered if the Cult knew about this place.

Well, she thought, clearly there was a civilization that came before us. I'm sure Herodotos will be very happy to hear ab-

Her thoughts were cut short when an arrow flew right past the side of her head. Kassandra drew her sword, looking toward the direction the arrow came from, and she wasn't sure whether she should relax or feel more on edge when she saw her brother looking down at her from atop the hill.

"Time to talk!" he yelled down at her before stomping off to an area of ruins higher on the hill.

Kassandra huffed and rolled her eyes before she followed him. If he tried to kill her then…well, Kassandra wasn't quite sure what she would do. She didn't want to hurt Deimos, but she wasn't just going to let herself die either. Besides, it would be about time Deimos faced an opponent of his own caliber and ferocity. He thought he was a god. He wouldn't go down without a bloody, messy fight. But if he was a god then that also made Kassandra a god, and deep down, Kassandra knew that she was stronger than Deimos ever would be, stronger than he ever could be.

Deimos turned to face her once she caught up to him, and he scowled as he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to make himself look bigger to intimidate her. Kassandra nearly grinned at that. She was anything but intimidated by him. After all, to her, he would always be her little brother.

"You know," he started, "if you're going for any kind of subtlety, you're doing a shit job at it. You weren't hard to track at all."

"Subtlety isn't really my thing. Besides, I'm sure by now everyone in the Greek world knows who the Eagle Bearer is. But that's not why you're here, is it?"

Deimos shook his head before turning his back to Kassandra for a moment. "I don't know what kind of stunt you pulled with the artifact, but it got my attention, if that's what you were looking for."

"Do you really think I did that intentionally?" Kassandra shot back. By the gods, was he simple-minded. Surely Deimos wasn't really this shallow. "That artifact showed you the truth. That was a memory. We're family, and we made it out of Sparta alive despite everyone thinking we were dead."

"You're right, it did show the truth," Deimos said, turning around slowly and jabbing a finger at Kassandra, poking her square in the chest. Kassandra swatted his hand away. "You threw me off a fucking mountain!"

Kassandra rolled her eyes at him and sighed in exasperation. At this point, she wasn't sure if she'd rather just punch it out with him or listen to more of this nonsense. The Cult really must have done a number on him if he believed that Kassandra was the one who dropped him off Mount Taygetos.

"Really, Alexios? If you actually believe that, then you must have hit your head on the way down…several times." It was callous, but if he was going to act like an absolute knob about this then Kassandra was more than happy to return the attitude.

"You're a liar. I've heard the story. And never call me Alexios." His voice was low and threatening, a further attempt to intimidate Kassandra, but all the misthios actually wanted to do was scream in frustration and hit Deimos over the head with a rock and hope he woke up with the right memories. Of course, she knew it wouldn't be that easy nor was the situation that simple.

"Right…I forgot, you're Deimos now. I know Alexios, but Deimos…not a clue."

Deimos grunted in protest, his ego threatened by Kassandra's nonchalance toward his new persona, his new identity the Cult had given him. "He's a demigod! Worshipped and feared by the Cult and by all of the Greek world. The most powerful warrior to ever walk the Earth!"

"Interesting, so if you're so powerful, then why do you bow to the Cult's will?" she challenged, and she could see the rage flash in his eyes. She was testing her luck with him, but she didn't really care. If it came down to it, she'd knock him out and just leave him on this island for the Cult to come pick him up.

"I would never…don't you see? They're following my lead!"

"Oh, I'm sure," she replied, sarcasm dripping in her tone, but she continued before Deimos had the chance to cut in…or try to punch her. "So if you're the one actually calling the shots with the Cult, then make a choice of your own. Help me find our mother."

He instantly gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'm not interested in a family reunion. I just want to know what you're doing, what you're planning."

"I'm doing the exact same thing as your precious Cult, looking for our mother."

"They don't need her."

"Really? Because your Cultists think differently. In fact, she's their next target, and they seem quite desperate to find her."

And for once during their conversation, Deimos actually paused to think about his next words. Kassandra could see the gears turning in his head. Or maybe it was just one gear, but he was trying his best. He wasn't quite sure how to make sense of this conflicting information, and Kassandra hoped that if she could make him realize that the Cult truly was using him, then maybe she'd still be able to salvage some semblance of Alexios at the end of whatever path they were on together.

"If they ever pursued her, it would only be to kill her…" Deimos said, but his voice was softer, more unsure. And as quickly as his demeanor faltered, he built it up again. "But if you haven't found her yet, then that means she abandoned you too. So sad."

"I don't believe we were just abandoned, but even still, we survived. If we can find her, there's a chance we can be a family again."

Deimos scoffed. "Hah, the Cult has no interest in sentimentality or family. Its only aim is control, and it starts by killing all of you."

"Well then you can tell the Cult that I've already helped them with that. I killed Nikolaos." It was a lie of course, but only she knew that. After her reunion with Nikolaos, she had told him and Stentor about how she had been contracted by Elpenor to kill him, and that she would return with Nikolaos' helmet as proof, but she needed Nikolaos to go off the map and for Stentor to make his soldiers believe he was dead. Word of the Wolf of Sparta's "death" would travel quickly, and as far as she knew now, no one was aware he was actually alive. And by Deimos' reaction, she could tell he believed her.

"And yet look at you, acting so righteous as if you're so much better than me. But really, you're just like me."

"You know what, maybe I am like you…I'm sure the Cult would love to know that the other sibling got to Nikoloas first. Maybe they'd want me to execute their plans instead. But I don't really care what you think about me, because one way or another, I'm going to find our mother. You have the chance to do the right thing here, Deimos. You could come with me and we could find her together."

Deimos let out a deep, mocking laugh, and a sinister smile came to his face. "Oh, so suddenly you think friendship is the answer here? What are we then, poor lost children running around searching for our dear mater? Is that your plan? You're so weak." Oh how that word nearly pushed Kassandra over the edge.

"Weak?" Kassandra sneered, and she grabbed Deimos by the shoulders of his chest armor, giving him a hard shove back. He hadn't been prepared for it and Kassandra was a lot stronger than he took her for. He nearly stumbled over one of the stone pillars of the ruins, but he eventually caught his balance. "I've killed for much longer than you have, and you have no idea the things I've done or the things I would do, so watch your fucking mouth."

"Ohh, I'm so scared!" Deimos threw his hands in the air before he laughed again, but Kassandra could tell it was just a cover for him to try and regain some of his composure. She knew he felt a little more intimidated by her now from the way he was keeping slightly more distance between them. "I have an entire army of worshippers behind me. One wrong move from you, and you'll be obliterated. You have to be eliminated too…that's the plan."

"Then why now?" Kassandra challenged. Deimos clearly wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. She figured she could get even more information out of him if it meant frustrating him and making his ego feel threatened. "They let our mother and Nikolaos live all this time. Why the sudden urgency to have our family dead?"

"It's because of you," he said, and again he took the liberty of stepping forward to jab his finger into her chest. It annoyed Kassandra to the depths of the Underworld and back and made her want to punch his lights out, but she had slightly more self-control than he did. "Because they found out you survived Mount Taygetos too. The Cult is powerful, but they are unfortunately mere mortals. But I have the blood of the gods, so they think you do too, and they want you dead because of it. But they'll see how wrong they are about you."

"Hm, really? They seem to be very threatened by me," Kassandra said, brushing some dirt off her chest armor from where Deimos had poked her. "Maybe it's because they know I'm a demigod too and that I'm the only one who can actually stop them and you." She grinned when she heard the low grumble from Deimos. "You know I'm going after the Cult, and I'll kill every last one of them." Including you, if it comes to that, is what Kassandra wanted to add, but she held it back. She could tell that Deimos was becoming more agitated by the second. She didn't want things to completely blow up right now.

"I'd like to see you try. You've seen our reach, our numbers. Oh, and I also know you're planning a trip to Athens, so when you get there, tell Perikles and the rest of his elitist scum that I'm coming for them next. Still think you have a chance of getting in my way?"

Kassandra finally let out the groan of frustration she had been holding back from the moment their conversation started, and she gave Deimos another hard shove, and this time he did stumble over a pile of stone, falling to the ground. "You're being an asshole," she said.

Deimos shot up from the ground and lunged at Kassandra with his right fist. Kassandra managed to avoid a direct hit, but the tip of his knuckles still caught the edge of her nose and she winced slightly as a wave of pain spread throughout her face. It wasn't enough to draw blood, but she knew it would sting for a little while longer. He grunted as he started walking away from her, but that didn't stop Kassandra from pushing him again, making him take several steps forward to keep his balance.

"You'll have to be stronger than that if you want to keep me down for good," he taunted before he continued walking away.

Kassandra thought about making some snarky comeback, but she bit her tongue to keep herself from potentially saying anything that would completely set him off. So she resigned to just watching him walk away. Eventually he disappeared behind the hill, and Kassandra began her own short walk back to the Adrestia, although she had Ikaros keep a close watch from above in case Deimos was still lurking somewhere. Thankfully, Deimos must have left the island already, as Ikaros sailed calmly through the air before perching himself on the top of the Adrestia's sail. Kassandra was immediately bombarded with questions from Herodotos once he saw her step onto the ship.

"Well, what happened?" he asked. "Was the legend true? Did you find anything? Was it magnificent? And what about your spear? What did-,"

"Slow down, Herodotos," Kassandra said lightly, and she laughed softly at seeing how excited Herodotos was to hear about whatever she had found on Andros. "But yes, you were right. There was some kind of forge there, and when I went up to it, it was activated by some artifact. The Spear of Leonidas fit perfectly in the forge. I don't know exactly what happened, but my spear is stronger now. I can feel it. And when I opened the door to the forge, it showed me a vision…with me and my mother."

Herodotos could not get the smile off his face at what he was hearing from Kassandra. "This is incredible. So the ancient civilization is real, the ones who came before! Fascinating. Kassandra, the power you possess, it's all in the Spear of Leonidas. I don't think you know how strong you truly are with that."

Kassandra nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I don't think I do either. It feels different, for sure. But that's not everything. Deimos followed me here. He tried to warn me to stay out of the Cult's way, but he told me that the Cult was already on the move. He confirmed that they want me dead and that Athens, Perikles in particular, is their next big target."

Herodotos' eyebrows rose slightly at Kassandra's declaration. "That's concerning news. But why would he tell you all of that? Maybe it was a trap?"

Kassandra shook her head as she thought back to her conversation with Deimos. "No…I don't think it was. Deimos isn't tactical. He punches first and thinks later, if he even thinks at all. He wouldn't have that much foresight to lure me into a trap. He thinks he's the one controlling the Cult, but someone else is clearly making the decisions and they've only led him to believe that he has all the power. But right now, that stuff doesn't matter. We have to get to Athens and warn Perikles before Deimos does. And we also need to find my mother."

"Alright," Herodotos nodded as he leaned against the railing of the Adrestia. "Then we go to the Pnyx. If Perikles is anywhere, it's there. We'll warn him about the Cult, and then we'll figure out what our next move will be."

The journey from Andros to the nearest shore of Attika wouldn't be a terribly long one. Kassandra figured it would only take them the night and into the afternoon of the following day, so she dismissed her crew for the meantime, allowing them to get as much rest as they needed. She was sure that once they docked in Attika, most of them would want to explore Athens a bit, and she didn't blame them. She had never been to Athens before, not surprising given her Spartan heritage, but she found herself with no real allegiance to either side now after everything that had happened to her and her family and she was very much looking forward to seeing the city.

Once the final few members of her crew were below deck in their sleeping quarters, Kassandra took the opportunity to just take in the silence. The seas tonight were calm and not many ships populated the waters aside from the occasional merchant ship. Perhaps Poseidon was blessing the Adrestia with a smooth trip, no pirates on their tail, no mercenaries tracking them. The sun was beginning to set, and Kassandra realized that this was probably the first night she had since leaving Kephallonia to truly appreciate how beautiful the sunsets were on the ocean.

But, the serene moment was quickly interrupted by Kassandra's thoughts taking over. She felt as if there was even more for her to unpack now than there was when she had discovered the Cult and Deimos. Discovering the ancient forge had certainly left Kassandra with an obscene amount of questions, like finding out more about whatever civilization came before and why her spear was able to open the gate, but she figured she could explore that more in the future. Now, her focus was on the Cult and finding Deimos again.

While she certainly felt that Deimos was too far gone by now, there was still a piece of her that wanted to dig so deep until she found what was left of Alexios and put those pieces back together. She knew it was a foolish thought, but she didn't want to allow herself to believe completely in the fact that Alexios might really be gone. After all, it was extremely likely that the Cult had gotten to him when he was only still a baby. He wouldn't have stood a chance. All his mind would have known was violence, killing, and serving the Cult. So even though Kassandra knew the chances of getting Alexios back at whatever the end of this conflict would be was a slim one, she was going to will herself to try. After all, ruthless killing was something she knew all too well, so it would take Deimos doing something truly horrific to her for her to lose all hope in him.

But then Kassandra felt her thoughts wandering to something that hadn't ever really had much prominence in her life overall…she found herself thinking about the woman she had met in Phokis. Daphnae, Kassandra thought, and she almost hated how she felt her heart beat faster. Kassandra had never been the person who got stuck on someone. She had never been someone who longed to see anyone again and she had certainly never felt as if she had ever been in love with anyone. As a misthios, she couldn't afford to allow herself to do that. But even then, Kassandra swore there was something different about Daphnae.

There was a piece of Kassandra that longed to see the huntress again. She knew that Euboea wasn't far from Attika. Daphnae had said that the Hind of Keryneia roamed somewhere in the northeast section of the island. Perhaps, Kassandra thought, once she was finished with whatever business she and Herodotos had in Athens, she would find and slay the legendary beast. That would provide her with an opportunity to see Daphnae again sooner than Kassandra was probably expecting. With everything going on with the Cult - and Kassandra knew there was bound to be more surprises along the way - she hadn't really expected that hunting the beasts for Daphnae would be too high on her list. But, if she saw the opportunity, she wasn't going to put it off.

There was something there, between her and Daphnae. Kassandra would be a fool to deny that. But Kassandra's self-doubt when it came to acknowledging these kinds of things won out yet again. Daphnae was all the way in Phokis, and Kassandra was currently preparing to potentially start running around the Greek world looking for Cultists and her mother.

Kassandra let out a long breath - by the gods how complicated her life had become. And as the darkness of the night began to fully take over the sky, the last of the sun's light fading beyond the horizon, Kassandra thought she might actually try to get a good night's rest. Something told her that once she reached Athens she would be quite busy. It was just a hunch, but over the years Kassandra had gotten into the good habit of trusting her gut.

She climbed down the ladder below the Adrestia's deck with every intention of heading to her sleeping quarters, but she was keenly aware of another presence behind her as she dropped down from the ladder. Kassandra turned around, and when she saw Odessa standing in front of her with a somewhat knowing grin, she suddenly thought that maybe she didn't need much sleep tonight anyway.

"I thought you'd be taking advantage of the time we have to rest," Kassandra started, turning again to head to her captain's chamber, and she made no objection when Odessa followed her. "We won't reach Attika until tomorrow afternoon."

"I could say the same to you," Odessa replied, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against a wood post. She looked up at Kassandra and she could clearly see that the thoughts were racing inside the Eagle Bearer's head. She could only begin to imagine the kind of burdens that rested on Kassandra's shoulders.

"The idea of sleep initially sounded nice, but it would be too hard for me right now." Kassandra shrugged, but the corner of her lips turned up just slightly into a soft smile. It was an expression Odessa had seen far too often, whether it be directed at her, Barnabas, or Herodotos. It was a look that Kassandra gave when she didn't want to go into any details about what she was thinking or feeling at that moment.

"Do you want to talk about whatever is on your mind?" Odessa asked anyway. She knew what the answer would be already, but she almost felt compelled to say it. She figured one of these days Kassandra would eventually break the tough facade she built around her heart and allow herself to open up to others about what was bothering her. But she knew that tonight wouldn't be the time.

"You know I don't like to talk." Kassandra closed the door to her room behind them, and within the next moment Odessa's lips were on her own, the shorter woman already beginning to loosen the buckles and straps on Kassandra's armor.

Kassandra rather enjoyed the agreement she and Odessa had with each other. There was a certain kind of passion between them. A passion that was intense and explosive at times, but it was also a passion that stayed purely physical. Kassandra had been upfront about what she wanted; she wouldn't allow herself to even entertain the thought of falling in love with someone, and that was solely based on the fear that she would inevitably lose them. Her life before as a misthios was dangerous enough. But now, with everything she had found out about her family and the Cult, Kassandra was sure anyone she managed to love would just be lost at some point along the way. So she chose the easy way out to avoid any heartbreak. What she had with Odessa was an escape, a glimmer of peace that Kassandra could go to when her mind was racing or when she really just needed to let out some frustration.

Odessa couldn't complain either. When they had first met, Odessa had certainly tried to play hard-to-get, but Kassandra was incredibly overt with her flirting and wasn't shy at all with letting Odessa know that she wanted her. It had even been something they discussed before Odessa decided to join Kassandra on the Adrestia, seeking a life of adventure. Kassandra was definitely able to provide that, and if the now infamous Eagle Bearer wanted to take her to bed whenever she pleased, well, Odessa thought she would have to be the biggest idiot in the Greek world to deny that. Kassandra had a commanding aura to her; she radiated power, confidence, and intimidation. There was something about that that Odessa enjoyed. And as Odessa felt her lover practically tearing off her chiton, Kassandra's hands on her body, rough and wanting, no doubt leaving bruises along her thighs, her waist, her wrists…Odessa thought that yes, she enjoyed this very much.

Once they had docked in the Port of Piraeus the next morning, Herodotos had told Kassandra to meet him at the Pnyx in Athens whenever she was ready, and the storyteller had nearly left Kassandra there on the Adrestia with absolutely no direction or landmark pointers of how to actually get to the Pnyx. However, once she knew what she would be looking for when she got into Athens, Kassandra decided to take her time.

Apparently the main road going through the port led right to the main gate to Athens, and behind all the warehouses and shops of the port, Kassandra could just make out the top of the protective wall surrounding Athens. Even if, from the outside, it just looked like a glorified fort, something about it was magnificent. She was on the doorstep of the biggest city in all of the Greek world, and given her Spartan heritage this was a place she never would have imagined she would be.

She gave Phobos a small pat on his neck and he instantly started trotting along the road toward the city of Athens. From the scowls and sometimes audible grunts she got from the people along the way, she could tell they didn't quite appreciate a horse bumbling through a road that was packed with people, shops, and Athenian soldiers. Perhaps they thought she was acting like a soldier or general herself, keeping herself high above the rest. Kassandra wouldn't lie - she absolutely did want to make sure she was above the people here. And whether that was because of her ego or simply wanting to make sure she could keep the main gate of Athens in her sight from atop Phobos' back, well, she wouldn't say, but it was a decent walk to actually get to Athens and being up nearly all night with Odessa didn't help with her exhaustion from her initial travels.

There was a steady stream of people and Athenian soldiers coming in and out of Athens, and the moment Kassandra actually entered the city she could see why it was one of the most desired places to go in all of the Greek world. Instantly, there were shops, homes, and warehouses lining the roads. People milled around and Athenian soldiers occasionally rode through on their horses. It was certainly a city that was filled with life.

Kassandra veered right at the first junction of the main road as Herodotos had instructed her. Now I just follow this road straight ahead and it should take me to the Pnyx. Kassandra hoped she remembered his directions correctly, otherwise, it could be a long time until she found her way there. Although, Herodotos had said that the Pnyx would be hard to miss - a stage area built on top of one of the larger hills in Athens, he had informed Kassandra it was where many of Athens' important political decisions were voted on, debates were held, and even new political members were appointed here. Kassandra wasn't so interested in the history of Athens, but Herodotos was so passionate about the historical facts and stories of the city that she had listened simply to appease him.

As Phobos continued along the path, the buildings began to thin out and soon Kassandra came upon what she could only assume to be the Pnyx. She saw a dirt path extending along the front side of the Pnyx, and the stone wall towered over the civilians walking beneath it. The site was bustling with activity. It felt like hundreds of people were milling around, walking up and down the lengthy sets of stairs that led to the top. A bit too crowded for Kassandra's liking, but she figured this would be like any other area in Athens.

She hopped off Phobos' back once they reached the bottom of the steps. She gave Phobos a soft pat on the top of his head, and he knew to stay and wait for her.

Kassandra started on her way up the Pnyx, pushing past several people who were either going too slow for her or who were simply standing in the middle of the stairs. As she neared the top, she heard what sounded like a large group of people shouting and arguing. Sure enough, that's exactly what it was.

Two men stood on the slightly elevated stage in the middle of the Pnyx but Kassandra wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying. Even if she was, she thought the noise from the crowd would still drown them out anyway. The people here seemed very on edge, and the two men looked as if they were trying to calm them down. So Kassandra pushed forward, and she didn't really care about some of the glares she received from the crowd as she shouldered several people aside so she could get closer.

"The Spartans may draw near to our walls," she heard the man on the left start. Kassandra assumed him to be Perikles from the way he was dressed - green chiton decorated with a soft yellow pattern and wrapped in a gray sash, a gold medallion hanging against his chest engraved with the symbol of Athens, not to mention the gold plated band around his head. His appearance shouted importance and status. "But we must come together now, as a unified people, for the glory of Athens."

"Yeah right…there will only be glory for you!" one civilian shouted, and Kassandra saw a tomato fly out of the crowd and hit Perikles on his chest, leaving a bright red stain where it had broken apart. Kassandra was surprised at how Perikles kept his composure…or maybe he was just exhausted from this crowd.

"Friends, please!" the other man chimed in. Blonde hair and a full beard to match, he looked to be a general of some kind, although clearly he was an important one if he was next to Perikles. Although Kassandra thought it was interesting that he did not wear the colors of Athens. Under his white armor plated with gold she could see purple cloth. Certainly interesting. Perhaps he was a neutral force. "Just because the Spartans are near our walls does not mean we can act like them. Do not allow yourselves to go down to their level!"

Decent point, Kassandra thought, and she mentally berated herself for unintentionally getting swept up in whatever the hell this petty debate was.

"This," the blonde haired man started again, picking some of the tomato off Perikles' chiton before popping it into his mouth. Kassandra squinted her eyes at the strange gesture. "This is a good crop! Such a shame the Spartans burned the fields where it grew. Perikles, the Parthenon is glorious indeed, but at what cost? How many triremes could we have built instead?"

Perikles waved his hands in front of him and shook his head. "Please, Kleon, we must not become divided right now-,"

"But we are divided, and the Spartans are winning. Act, Perikles, or I will!"

A cheer at Kleon's words rose from the crowd, and Kassandra was startled by someone tapping her shoulder. She whipped around, and on instinct she was ready to pull the Spear of Leonidas on whoever was behind her, but she let out a small breath the moment she saw Herodotos.

"Don't do that," Kassandra said bluntly.

"What?"

"In a crowd…don't come up on me like that. Did you forget I'm a misthios at heart?"

Herodotos exhaled and a soft chuckle escaped him. "Apologies, Kassandra. But, I'm glad you came…it seems things are worse than I thought. Kleon has managed to turn the mob on Perikles. We must speak to him now and let Kleon clear out the crowd, we don't want to risk these people escalating the situation."

Kassandra nodded and silently followed Herodotos to the stage. She could feel several pairs of eyes on her from people in the crowd, and she tensed her arms, readying herself if one of them tried anything. While she knew that these people probably wouldn't do anything, it was her instinct; she needed to be prepared for anything, at all times.

Herodotos turned to make sure Kassandra was still behind him, and as they stepped onto the stage and approached Perikles, an Athenian soldier walked over to them, a scowl on his face as he blocked their path to Perikles.

"Stay back," he said firmly, and Kassandra already had one hand gripping her sword while the other started reaching for her spear. But she relaxed slightly when she felt Herodotos rest his hand on her shoulder, and he eyed her carefully with a reassuring look.

"I promise, she is no threat to Perikles. In fact, I am a-,"

"Ah, Herodotos!" Perikles exclaimed, quickly standing from where he had been sitting at the back of the Pnyx' stage and walking over to them. "Let them through," he said, motioning for the soldier to stand down. He instantly embraced Herodotos, both men smiling warmly to the other as they pulled away.

"It's good to see you again, my friend," Herodotos said.

"You as well," Perikles replied, his soft smile not leaving his face just yet. "I wish it could be under better circumstances. Who is this?"

"I'm Kassandra, a friend of Herodotos. This is my first time in the city," she answered for herself.

"Welcome, Kassandra. What did you think of your first glimpse of Athens?"

Kassandra felt like this was a test of some sort. This was Herodotos' friend and someone she would have to prove her loyalty to so that she could warn him that her long-lost brother who had been kidnapped and corrupted by the Cult of Kosmos was coming to kill him. No pressure at all, she thought.

"It…seemed like you and Kleon were both making some good points. Looked like an engaging debate." She cringed at her words. She didn't talk like this nor did she want to. These high-ranking people were not her style, but she knew she would have to deal with it for now.

"I appreciate the kind words," Perikles started, "But unfortunately good points aren't what the crowd seemed to care about at all. They are already afraid with the Spartans looming beyond the city walls. Kleon only indulged their fear."

"Perikles, there may be things more-,"

Kassandra was cut off by Herodotos stepping in front of her, which earned a pensive look from Perikles. Herodotos gave Kassandra a cautious look before he spoke. "We need to choose the moment very carefully and speak our words privately," he said, his voice hushed so that not even Perikles could hear him. "We don't know where they might have eyes watching and ears listening. We must be extra cautious here."

Kassandra wanted to huff out in frustration. If Perikles was in such grave danger after the threat Deimos had issued, then she figured they likely didn't have the luxury of waiting until the right moment. But, politics and strategy wasn't her strongsuit, and despite her ego wanting to just tell Perikles the situation regardless, she eventually yielded to Herodotos' logic. She found that ever since she met him, she had been doing that a lot.

She cleared her throat and nodded before speaking to Perikles again. "Okay…we've come here on some…urgent business."

Perikles smiled and laughed softly. "As does everyone else."

"I…may have told Kassandra that you'd invite her to your symposium," Herodotos chimed in before Kassandra could say anything else. She was glad he did. She wasn't too confident in her ability to keep playing around the real issue as to why they were so pressed to see Perikles right now.

At Herodotos' words, Perikles raised his eyebrows. "You'd ask me to exclude every Athenian and invite an outsider instead? Herodotos, you heard the crowd…they don't need another reason to hate me."

"Maybe if she appears as if she's working for you, then the people will see her as a servant and-,"

"I'm no one's servant!" Kassandra interrupted, shooting Herodotos a glare and the older man could feel the fury of Ares burning in Kassandra's eyes. But, he was quick to gain his composure as he leaned toward her.

"Listen, Kassandra, I know you're used to brute forcing your way through situations, but this is Athens. When you want something, sometimes you have to play the part," he said, his voice soft as usual and his eyes filled with a silent understanding. He knew that Kassandra didn't like to play the long game with something, but now was absolutely not the time for her to be headstrong.

"And what is it that you want?" Perikles' voice wasn't harsh or accusing. He sounded as if he knew something larger was at play here.

Kassandra decided to just tell him the truth. "We're all after something…even you. But I'm looking for someone who is very important to me. Herodotos said that a symposium might be a good place for getting information that could be helpful. So, here we are." Alright, it was part of the truth, she thought. But, she had remembered Herodotos' words that they didn't know who around them might be with the Cult. She had to measure her words carefully.

"Herodotos would be correct. I can get you into my symposium," Perikles said with a small nod before pausing for a moment. "But…I can't promise you that you will find the information you seek while you are there."

"I don't need a promise, just the opportunity," Kassandra replied.

"Very well…I'll have to ask you to do some important tasks for me though. Like Herodotos mentioned, if it appears that you are working for me, then it will be much easier to justify inviting you to the symposium."

Kassandra nearly rolled her eyes, but she kept it to herself. If this is what it took to prove her momentary loyalty to Perikles then so be it. Plus, she thought, she would likely get paid for these tasks, and she was never someone to deny extra drachmae.

"Just tell me what I need to do," she said.

"First, check on one of my colleagues, Metiochos. He missed an appointment with me today, and that's not like him at all. He's a politician, an ally, and most of all, he's a loyal friend. Find out whatever you can about where he might be, or at least that he's alright."

"Okay, Metiochos. Done. What's next?"

"Another friend of mine, Phidias, needs to be taken out of Athens as soon as possible."

Kassandra squinted her eyes at that. "That's the sculptor, right? What did he do that he needs to be smuggled out of the city?"

Perikles nodded to Kassandra, a worried expression on his face as his brows tensed and jaw clenched. "Yes, he stands accused of multiple offenses and is awaiting trial. He'll be at his workshop under close guard to make sure no one tries to get to him early. But, if you tell them I sent you, they might let you in to see him."

Even though Kassandra wanted to press Perikles about what Phidias did to earn accusations, she held her tongue for the moment. She figured she could probably get that information from Phidias himself. "Alright…I'll get Phidias out of the city. Anything else?"

"Yes, there's one more thing. There's an ostracism vote taking place that could use your…hm…influence."

"Ostracism? I don't think I've heard that term before."

"Then you might be more familiar with exile?" Kassandra nodded, and Perikles continued. "Here in Athens, we vote between two people to decide who should leave. This vote is between Anaxagoras, the sophist, and another man. They are on trial for impiety. I have a contact near the Agora that will give you more details. And Kassandra, I expect you to use much discretion with this."

"I can be quite discreet when I want to be," she replied, her usual cocky grin making its way onto her lips. "I'll do these tasks for you."

Perikles nodded and gave a small bow to her and Herodotos before he turned to leave, Athenian guards surrounding him at each angle to protect him from the crowd. Herodotos spoke as they started making their own way down the staircase of the Pnyx.

"That went quite well, Kassandra! Not exactly a direct invitation, but the promise is just as good. I'm sure he'll still ask Aspasia if it's okay, but once you do these things for him, it likely won't be a problem to let you into the symposium."

"Aspasia?"

"Ah, Perikles' wife. You'll surely meet her at the symposium. But first, you have to prove yourself worthy of the invitation."

"I'm more than worthy." Kassandra scoffed as they came up on Phobos, waiting for her in the exact spot she left him. With everything going on right now, she figured he and Ikaros were the two most loyal beings she had in her life. "Perikles should be thanking me for this."

Herodotos chuckled at Kassandra's antics. The Eagle Bearer was confident as always, but more often than not it was her ego that got in the way and stirred up trouble. "He will thank you by inviting you to his symposium. I know the political and sophisticated climate of this is not something you like. But trust me. You do these things, and Perikles will stay true to his word, and then you can just focus on getting the information about your mother."

Kassandra let out a breath as she hopped onto Phobos' back and she nodded in agreement. Herodotos, as usual, being her voice of reason. "Yeah…yeah, I know you're right. I just feel so out of place with this. I'm a mercenary. I go places, I kill people, and then I get paid. I'm not built for these diplomatic things."

"Well, who knows? Maybe there will be someone standing in your way of completing these tasks. Many people here don't take kindly to politicians or philosophers or anyone with close ties to governmental affairs. You might find that you are not as out of your element as you think."

"You always know what to say," Kassandra replied, smiling softly as a short laugh escaped her. "It's remarkable, really. But I'll see you soon enough once I'm done, hopefully at the symposium. Planning to deal with this Metiochos guy first, then Phidias, and then I'll make my way around to whatever this ostracism thing is. I better be getting paid well by the time I'm done."

Once Herodotos nodded, Kassandra gave Phobos a small nudge and he began trotting toward their destination. Kassandra knew she would likely hate everything about these tasks. But, she kept telling herself that in the end, this was all to get information that could help her find her mother. That alone would make all this worth it.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! You read these much faster than I can write the next chapter haha so honestly I'd expect a similar wait time unless my classes magically don't give me as much work as I have now. Regardless, thanks for the kind comments so far, happy reading!