There was a little girl in the palace. Well, she was older than him, Joya had told him. She was the daughter of the new cook, he'd been told. He wanted to see her, but he also didn't. He'd like a friend, but in his experience, girls were either cruel and harsh, mocking his frail body and cleverness or found him 'adorable' and made him the baby in their games wherein they had a family.
One day, he crept along to the kitchens and saw her there. She, just as the Queen had said, had dark brown hair, golden skin and was wearing a silver pendant. He mustered up courage and edged closer to see her. She looked his way and he was amazed by her eyes. Dark brown and tender, like his mother's had been. She got up from where she was sitting and walked to him.

"Hello."

"Hullo. What's your name?"

"Medusa."

"I'm Pythagoras."

"You're the Prince."

He didn't like being called the prince. Princes were strong, brave and handsome and he was neither.

"Will you play with me?" he blurted out.

She looked thrilled.

Medusa was an amazing friend. She showed him ways to sneak into the woods without being detected by the palace guards and the two spent their days playing under the dark green boughs, pretending to be explorers discovering new lands. A little stream of cool, clear water became the ocean or a large river. Rocks barely taller than they were became cliffs to be scaled in search of civilisation. The trees above them were challenging them to climb them.
Medusa was adamant that they shouldn't go too far into the woods. Her father had gone into them and never returned. She was not afraid of the woods, but wouldn't allow them to go out of sight of the city.

"Do you miss your father?" Medusa asked. It was a partciluarly hot day and they'd finished exploring.

"No."

"I miss mine. He was a nice father."

Pythagoras put his arms around her, like he'd seen Minos do to Joya. Medusa held onto one of his elbows and smiled at him.

"Maybe he's made a life for himself here. But I can't leave my mama."

"At least you're here."

Medusa laughed. "Yeah. Pyth?"

"Hmm?"

"What was your father like?"

"He wasn't very nice. He liked to hit and shout and drink."

"Did he hit you?"

Pythagoras nodded. He jumped in surprise as something warm and soft pressed against his face. He looked at Medusa's face and felt confused.

"My mama kisses me when I'm sad." she explained.

"Both of mine do, too."

"Do you think our mothers would mind if they knew where we are?"

"i don't-" Pythagoras stopped. He'd heard a distinct crack! behind them. He pulled onto Medusa's sleeve and pulled her off the boulder they were sitting on. "Did you hear that?" Medusa's eyes were wide with worry. "Shh." Pythagoras was afraid they'd be overheard and spotted. "I think we'd better get back to the palace now." She nodded in agreement and crept along with him as they padded over the crumbly, moist earth. They made it to the border of the city when they heard a shout. "There they are!" There was the sound of footsteps, running, getting closer and closer. They ran from the danger, not looking back. This, they silently decided, would be the last time they went into the woods.
Finally, the cream wall of the place that bordered Atlantis from the woods came into view. They silently ran towards it and searched for the small orifice that had allowed them into the forest.

"There it is!" Medusa whispered. She grabbed hold of Pythagoras' hand and guided him towards it.

FSSSWOOOSSSSHHH!

An arrow shot towards them, landing into the wall, just inches from Medusa's face. They screamed, not caring if they were heard and scrabbled through the wall like the Furies were behind them. Inside the palace, they ran past maids, servants, not caring who or what they encountered. They ran past a blur of cobalt blue and heard a relieved cry of, "The children!"
They didn't stop running until they'd exited the palace altogether. Medusa pulled them into a large, wodden building which smelt like apples and hay. She dragged him behind a barrel and they knelt on the floor, exhausted.

"I've never been so scared in all my life." Medusa panted.

"Me neither." Pythagoras agreed. "What is this place?"

"The stables. They keep horses here."

As if on cue, a grey-furred head came down to greet them. Big, dark eyes stared at the children, as the creature's soft nose nudged at them. Pythagoras had never been this close to a horse before. He timidly patted the creature on its snout.

"They won't hurt you." Medusa told him. "Just don't startle it."

"PYTHAGORAS!"

"MEDUSA!"

"They're angry with us!" Pythagoras said to his companion. He hugged his knees tightly and shivered. "What do we do?"

"They don't sound angry," Medusa tried to soothe. "Just worried. Come on." She tugged at his arm and made him stand up.

Pythagoras thought Medusa was crazy. When an adult shouted, that meant they were angry. Or drunk. And a drunk adult meant anger would surely occur. Still, he didn't want her to go alone, so he kept close to her side as she walked from behind the barrier. Never had his insticnts been screaming at him so loudly to run as they did when he saw the Queen and Medusa's mother's back were turned. He didn't fear Joya, but for all he knew, Medusa's mother could be an angry, bitter woman, like the older women at the docks.

Medusa cleared her throat. "We're here, Mama."

The cook whipped round at the sound of her daughter's voice. "There you are!" She knelt on the ground and pulled her little girl into her green robes. "Where were you?!"

Joya had appeared by Pythagoras' side the moment she'd heard Medusa. She, too, was holding onto her child as though she'd never let him go. Now, she looked down at him, relief evident in her eyes. "Where indeed?"

Medusa knew it would do no good to lie to the Queen. "We were in the woods behind the palace."

"I see." Joya knew why the woods would be a first choice for the children to go. It was cool, beatiful and peaceful. Yet it was also dangerous.

"Sorry."

"I know why you went there, but it's very dangerous. Promise me you'll not go there again." Joya almost pleaded.

"Promise." the children chorused.

Minos bit back a smile as Joya told him the tale of what their son and his new friend had been up to that afternoon. He remembered a time when he'd snuck off to the woods to play with a friend or to fool around with a love. He tried to keep serious, remembering the fear he'd felt when Pythagoras and Medusa were missing. Remembering shouting at Kapaneus to not shoot as he saw the two children, the sickness when the arrow had only just missed the little one's head.

Joya placed her hand on top of his. "I know. It's been a long day already."

"Kapaneus brought his son."

Joya groaned. "Oh, no!"

"Come now, Heptarian isn't that bad!"

"He's going to destroy our son!"

"Darling..."

"Don't you 'darling' me, Minos!" Joya wagged a finger at him. "You know that boy is..."

"He's loyal. And he does have a good heart."

"I haven't seen it. He's violent. He's participating in a Pancration next year, is he not?"

"He will not hurt Pythagoras. He is loyal to this kingdom, to this family as you know."

"If he even makes him sad.."Joya warned.

"I know you and Kapatheus fdon't see eye-to-eye, but can you not give his son a chance? Heptarian is Pythagoras' age, give or take a month."

"That is true. Fine, but I will never care for Kapatheus."

He kissed her and went to the door. "I will see you later." he smiled.

Joya tried not to think of Kapatheus as she surveyed her wardrobe. She knew he liked the colour red, so she averted her eyes from her red clothes and looked at the other colours.

"Excuse me?"

She beamed down at her child, who was fiddling with his sea-green belt. "Do you need help tying it?"

"It's too tight." he explained.

Joya pulled the tied up part of the material to face her. He'd managed to make it a particlarly tight knot. "Did no one help you?"

"I can dress myself. I just can't do knots."

She picked at it with her nails and eventually it loosened. She deflty tied it correctly and smiled at her child. He was dressed in a pair of black trousers, a soft grey coloured longshirt and was wearing the newly tied, soft green belt. His hair was sticking up in a very endearing way, but Joya knew he couldn't go down to dinner with his hair scruffy, so she took him on her lap and reached for her brush. She took extra care not to hurt him, lightly pulling on any tangles. Soon, his hair was neater and fluffier. She smiled widely. He didn't look like the child from Samos anymore. He was fast becoming an Atlantian prince.
She remembered she still had to get dressed and sat him on her bed and walked back to her wardobe.

"What should I wear?" she asked herself.

"Red?"

"No, sweetheart. The old bastard like red best."

"Who's the old bastard?"

Joya choked. "Don't repeat that! I shouldn't have cursed in front of you. You see, there's a man called Kapaneus I dislike and that's my, err, nickname for him. But he'd not supposed to know that's my nickname for him."

"I won't tell."

"Thank you."

"What about pink?"

"I'm not really sure about pink."

"Purple?"

"Nothing with a hint of red."

"You could wear green and then we'd match!"

Joya smiled again. "I'd like that. Why don't you find your papa while I get dressed?"

Minos felt himself grin stupidly as his child came running towards him. Truly, there was nothing better than having someone want to see you out of love rather than awe. He lifted him up onto his hip, nearly laughing outright at the fluffy, golden halo encircling his son's head.

"Very interesting hairstyle you've got."

Pythagoras beamed. "Thank you!"

"What's your mother doing?"

"Dressing. She's wearing green because the old bastard likes red."

Minos nearly dropped him. "Old..?"

"Bastard." Pythagoras repeated. "Someone called Kapanees is a old bastard."

"Oh. I see. You mustn't say the word bastard, my child." He was going to have to talk to Joya about this.

"What do I say?"

"'Wonder'. Say 'old wonder.'"

"'Old wonder'."

"Very good." Minos praised, glad that that discussion was over. "So, I heard you went into the forest today."

Pythagoras suddenly became very interested in the pattern on Minos' robe.

"I suppose I should tell you it was the old wonder who shot at you."

"Why?"

"We thought you'd both been kidnapped. He heard footsteps, took a shot."

"I didn't know you'd be looking for us."

"I didn't know you two had been going into the woods." Minos gently retorted.

"We're not going there again, it's dangerous."

"It is."

"Did you ever go there?"

"I did. For the exact same reason you went there with Medusa. I do understand why you ventured there."

"Why did you stop?"

"My father found out. He was not happy."

Pythagoras decided not to ask more about Minos' escapades into, what he'd renamed, The Forest Of Arrows. "We won't go there again."

"I believe you." Minos kissed the boys' forehead. He wasn't going to punish him for this. How could he? Still, he decided, hugging the small body close, he was going to try and keep a closer eye on his princeling.

Kapaneus is a Greek boy's name meaning 'arrogant'. Kapaneus is Heptarian's father's name in this fic. Hope you enjoyed and reviews are appreciated!

Love from Shania. xx