A/N: Firstly, I want to thank my past readers for your enthusiasm for my previous works. Unfortunately, I don't see myself writing for those characters anymore, but I want you all to know how much it meant to me that you engaged with the stories and enjoyed them so much.

Now onto something new! I've started my third playthrough of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and I was greatly inspired to write a full-length story for Kassandra and her quests. Specifically, I want to incorporate more of her relationship with Daphnae on top of following her conquests through Ancient Greece. I expect this to be a long-winded project as graduate school is absolutely pummeling me lol, but I have a plan to record my game sessions so I can go back on whatever mission I complete and write accordingly (there are so many details in this game it's impossible to do this off the top of my head).

This will be pretty canon compliant. Major events will still happen in the order they are supposed to along the main story quest of the game. However, more liberties will be taken when fleshing out Kassandra and Daphnae's relationship, along with all the other relationships in the game as well. Expect all the characters in the game to make an appearance at some point. Other romantic relationships for Kassandra in this story include her with Odessa, Kyra, and Aspasia. I'll also heavily feature her friendship with Brasidas. So...we'll really cover everything here!

I do hope you enjoy it and I look forward to writing a story for this incredible game and the wonderful characters it has!

Each individual chapter will be tagged accordingly if necessary as there will certainly be graphic depictions of violence, language, sexual content, and other mature themes.

Chapter 1 - The Start of Something

"Who are you?"

Alexios' question had burned itself into her mind as she left the Cult meeting, checking over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure no one was tailing her. Well, Deimos now, Kassandra thought. Although she knew she would never refer to him as that name. He would always be Alexios to her. Her little brother. The one she had tried to save on Mount Taygetos all those years ago…but she had failed. And now look at what had become of him. A ruthless killer. A weapon. A puppet of the Cult.

No, she told herself. She couldn't blame herself for that, for the Cult capturing him. After all, she had been thrown off that cliff too. There was no way for anyone to know either of them had survived, and there was no way for Kassandra to have known what had become of Alexios after all these years.

Alexios hadn't remembered her specifically, but Kassandra could tell that he sensed something between them. Whatever that weird artifact was that the Cultists kept referring to, when they had both touched it, it sparked a vision. A memory of that fateful night on Mount Taygetos. Whatever it meant to Alexios, it had at least shown him that he knew Kassandra from somewhere. He could have confronted her there, exposed her identity, but instead he chose to bash another Cultist's head into the pyramid artifact instead and claim him to be the traitor who had killed Elpenor.

"The traitor is dead!" Deimos yelled in between incredibly vicious punches before he threw his hands in the air, blood flinging off his fingertips, his chest rising and falling with each heavy breath he took as adrenaline coursed through him.

Kassandra glanced at the Cultist lying at Deimos' feet. He was dead. Deader than dead. Not only had Deimos smashed his head into the sharp point of the pyramid artifact, likely cracking his skull upon impact, he had then proceeded to absolutely bludgeon the man's face with his bare fists, his blows so powerful that they cracked the Cultist's mask right into the skin of his face.

The pure rage from Deimos had nearly frightened Kassandra. Nearly frightened her, but not completely, because she remembered how she had felt when she sought out Elpenor to kill him. That rat. That snake, as Nikolaos had worded it in his cryptic warning to her when she left Megaris. She had felt the rage boil in her until she exploded, not sparing Elpenor any mercy as she ran her sword and spear through him again and again. He had tried to get her to spare him by telling her it was a mistake to kill him, that he was the reason she was able to leave Kephallonia alive, but that only drove her rage even more.

Kassandra had never felt that kind of anger toward someone before. It was pure hatred that drove Kassandra to a point where she didn't hold anything back on Elpenor. Even when he was lying in front of her, already defeated and dying, Kassandra had continued ramming her fists into his face, and she drove her spear through his chest one last time before she took it upon herself to cut off Elpenor's head and place it on the table in his cave for someone else from the Cult to find, leaving the rest of his body at the entrance of the cave. She remembered having to quell a smile when Deimos had flung Elpenor's head onto the ground in front of the Cultists.

Kassandra had enjoyed killing Elpenor, just as Deimos had enjoyed killing that random Cultist. Perhaps, deep down, they were more similar than Kassandra thought.

Kassandra headed to the Kastalian Fountain just outside of Delphi, where she promised to meet Herodotos once the meeting concluded. The sky was beginning to lighten with the pink hues of dawn, but the sun had not yet started to peek over the horizon. That meeting was much longer than I thought, but I guess time is hard to keep track of when you're in an underground temple, Kassandra thought. Herodotos stretched out his arms when he saw her approach, almost as if he was preparing to embrace her.

"Ah! You're alive!" Herodotos exclaimed, though he still kept his voice quiet, just in case.

"What, did you honestly doubt me that much?" Kassandra shot back, but her voice was light, challenging Herodotos. Despite having met just a couple days ago when Kassandra had sought the Pythia, Kassandra found it easy to talk to Herodotos, and their conversations flowed together already as if they had known each other for years. It was strange to Kassandra; she didn't trust easily. She couldn't, not with being a mercenary and after everything that had happened to her when she was younger. But there was a certain air to Herodotos that carried reassurance and a type of calm that made Kassandra feel comfortable around the man, similar to Barnabas.

Herodotos held up his hands in mock defeat. "Doubting the mighty Eagle Bearer? No, of course not! It's just that you were gone a while. I wasn't expecting it to be so long. What happened?"

Kassandra had to pause to figure out where to start, and she sat down on one of the stone benches beside the fountain, letting out a tired sigh as she did. There was so much to unpack from that Cult meeting. So many things to investigate from it. She figured she would just start with the obvious.

"They were all wearing these masks, so I couldn't see any of their faces. But I talked to quite a few of them and they…Herodotos, they basically control everything in the Greek world. Every corner of land you can think of, the Cult has someone there. Watching, waiting. They pull all the strings."

"I see…" Herodotos pondered the news for a brief moment. "So it's worse than I thought."

"Yes, and there's more. They have a weapon." At Herodotos' pointed look, Kassandra continued. "A soldier. He's fiercer and more ferocious, more brutal, than anyone I've seen before. It's almost as if he wants to kill. He…he's my brother. The Cult calls him Deimos, but his real name is Alexios. They've brainwashed him into their personal puppet. They say he will win them complete control over Greece. They also want me dead, and they want my mother too…"

Herodotos considered prodding Kassandra further about how she knew for sure that Deimos was her brother, but he ultimately figured that was something to talk about another day. If the Cult of Kosmos was truly as widespread as Kassandra said, then there were much more pressing matters to take care of before Herodotos could learn more about Kassandra's past.

"This is concerning," he said, speaking slowly and softly. "We must get to Athens."

Kassandra looked at him with an incredulous expression, eyebrows raised and lips parting as she launched her response before he could keep going.

"Herodotos, they're after my mother. We need to find her before they do!"

"We will find her, but we need to go to Athens first. The man I work for, he must know about this, about what you've uncovered. You've heard the name Perikles before, yes?"

Kassandra nodded. "He is the king of the free people of Athens, leading the Delian League against the Spartans."

Herodotos waved his hand in dismissal and rolled his eyes. "Perikles doesn't lead anyone against anyone else. He is a man of peace. This war was thrust upon him…upon all of us!"

"But he is the King of Athens, is he not?" Kassandra asked.

"Athens has no King," Herodotos answered. "Perikles serves the people of Athens. He has committed himself to truly helping them. He is not a selfish leader. He wants to see the people of Athens thrive. He wants this war with Sparta to end, we all do. And if there are these forces colluding against him then he must be warned before it's too late. We have to go to Athens."

Kassandra shook her head, nearly scoffing at how Herodotos described Perikles. He served the people of Athens…no, he did not sound like a king after all. "The Cult controls everything, Herodotos. There's no stopping them. Whatever scheme they have for Athens and Sparta, they will get their way."

"That's even more reason why we have to warn Perikles."

Kassandra nearly groaned in frustration now. Herodotos was smart, stubborn, and like Kassandra, he had his wits about him. "Don't you understand? The Cult is hunting my family! They are going after my mother and gods know what they will do to her when they find her. We need to get to her before they do!"

Herodotos wasn't phased by Kassandra's shift in mood and tone of voice. He knew Kassandra was headstrong, that much was obvious. What didn't help was her ego, making it near impossible for her to listen to anyone else once she set her mind to something. But he knew he could talk his way into reasoning with her.

"I guarantee you, we can find information about your mother's location in Athens," he said, keeping his eyes steady on Kassandra, trying to silently let her know that he was telling the truth.

"How?"

"Perikles surrounds himself with the brightest minds in Athens. Someone in his circle will have heard of your mother and heard of her whereabouts, or they will at least have some idea of where you can start looking. Someone will have a good lead for us to follow, something that will put us a step ahead of the Cult. Trust me, Kassandra. The resources at our disposal in Athens are immense."

Kassandra clenched her jaw and Herodotos could see her thinking it through, the voice of reason battling with an ego big enough to fill a Spartan army ten times over. But he knew Kassandra was intelligent. She was not just some mindless mercenary as most assumed her to be. He knew she could allow reason to prevail when necessary.

"Okay," Kassandra said after several moments of pensive silence between them. "Okay…we will go to Athens."

"We will find answers there, Kassandra. But before we can go there, I had a thought that may help us even more against the Cult. When you are ready, meet me at the Lion of Leonidas in Thermopylai. There is something that I need to know."

Kassandra tilted her head at Herodotos and thought about protesting, pushing back as to why he would make such a strange request now after he was so adamant about going to Athens right away. But ultimately, it was so early in the morning, and Kassandra was so very tired, so she resigned to accepting Herodotos' request.

"Alright. I trust you. I'll go with you there, and then we head to Athens. But first…before we go anywhere, I need to take a little time to clear my head. So much happened in just the last couple days. And especially during the Cult meeting. It feels like too much all at once. I just need a little time to be alone and collect my thoughts."

Herodotos nodded in understanding. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Kassandra was feeling right now. He gave her a soft pat on her shoulder, a gesture of support that Kassandra seemed to welcome.

"Where will you go?"

"Not far…you can make your way to Thermopylai. I think I am just going to walk for a bit, explore more of these lands and settle somewhere for part of the day. Hopefully get some rest. I need some quiet space."

"Alright. But if you're not at Thermopylai within the next day or so, I will come looking for you, and maybe even Barnabas will too," he said in jest, but Kassandra knew he was entirely serious.

"Don't worry. I'll be back. I just need to get myself ready for the journey ahead of us."

Herodotos nodded again, and Kassandra watched him as he turned around and headed into Delphi. She went her own way soon after, calling Phobos to her and hopping on his back. She pulled her shroud over her head as Phobos began walking; she didn't even want to risk the chance of a stray Cultist potentially seeing her face as she left the area of their meeting - as far as she could tell, a decent amount of Cultists probably knew who she was already and could recognize her face. Ikaros flew high above her scouting the area, and she headed north as she sought a quiet place in Phokis, even if it would just be for a little while.

Kassandra didn't guide Phobos to any specific place; she merely let him wander as he pleased, but he stayed close to the traveled paths and roads for the most part so it would be easier to continue their journey to Thermopylai when the time came. All the while, Ikaros made sure no bears or wolves were in their path. He could tell Kassandra was nearly falling asleep on Phobos' back and that she clearly wouldn't be as alert to potential dangers.

There was too much weighing on Kassandra's mind right now. First, there was her meeting with Nikolaos, where she found out that he wasn't actually her real father. Then there was his revelation that Myrrine was still alive. Gods, Kassandra couldn't even begin to imagine what must have happened between Nikolaos and Myrrine after that night on Mount Taygetos. A piece of Kassandra deep down still nagged at her, saying that she should have killed Nikolaos. Dropped him off that cliff just as he had done to her. But right now, that wasn't who she was. Reason won over her mind in that moment; Nikolaos was far more valuable to her alive, and it was a better punishment for him to see Kassandra standing there, now a living reminder of the life he had given up all in the name of his Spartan duty.

But, no matter how much Kassandra hated it, Nikolaos was her father. It didn't matter that they didn't share the same blood. Nikolaos had raised her with Myrrine, had taught her how to fight, had helped her stand back up when she fell and made sure Kassandra knew that she could become the fiercest warrior in all of Sparta. He was there for her. Until he wasn't.

All because of some fucking prophecy! Kassandra scowled at the thought. Alexios was just a baby then. How could they have possibly known that he would be the one to bring ruin to Sparta? And then Kassandra nearly laughed at that thought. How ironic, then, that Alexios survived the fall and was taken by the Cult of Kosmos, raised as nothing more than a weapon of war, a means to an end, with the intention of plunging the Greek world into a never ending war so that the Cult could gain control of it all…Sparta included. Yes, Kassandra thought, it was almost funny to her that the prophecy was still turning out to be true. No wonder she hated prophecies.

But then where did she fit into all of this? Elpenor had been on Kephallonia, almost as if he was waiting for her to find him at some point or another. He had given her the task of killing Nikolaos only to reveal he was going to send her to kill her mother after that. And then for Kassandra to find out he was a member of the Cult of Kosmos? He had even said during his dying breaths that the Cult was coming for her and her mother, that they wanted Kassandra dead. And then at the meeting, she had found out that the Cult was obsessed with her family and bloodline, and some of the members of the Cult even worshiped it. That one Cultist had echoed Elpenor's words when he said that they needed to find her mother and Kassandra. Although, he never said anything about killing her mother, only Kassandra. Why? What was so special about them, and why was she the one in her family that the Cult wanted dead so badly? Surely, Kassandra thought, this couldn't all be some big coincidence. There had to be something deeper here that she was missing. But regardless of what their obsession was with her bloodline, she vowed that she would eventually kill every single one of them. There was no doubt in her mind that the Cult needed to be completely eradicated.

Kassandra had barely noticed that Phobos was coming to a stop, too lost in her thoughts and too tired to truly take note of her surroundings. They had stopped near a small temple, and from what Kassandra could tell it didn't seem like anyone was around it. Wherever they were, it was quiet, and Kassandra needed that. She hopped off Phobos' back and promptly laid down on a soft patch of grass next to a wall of the temple, stretching her arms and legs as she let out a long sigh of exhaustion. Phobos took the cue and put himself next to her, huffing out as he tucked his legs under his body. Ikaros followed shortly after, perching atop Phobos' head, something the horse didn't pay any mind to. With a soft chirp, Ikaros let Kassandra know she could finally rest a little before they would set off to Thermopylai. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon now, meaning she could take a good several hours to rest her body and mind. Ikaros would keep watch still, always a protective eye for Kassandra. And with that, Kassandra let her eyes close, allowing her mind to be still and quiet, even if it wasn't for long.

Kassandra woke with a start to Ikaros yelling at her, flapping his wings around her head in a hurried attempt to make her more alert. She heard Phobos jump up too, his hooves thudding loudly on the ground as he let out a loud neigh.

"Ah, alright, alright!" she exclaimed, pushing herself off the ground and brushing off some of the dirt from her armor. From what she could tell it was probably mid-morning by now. "I'm up, okay! So much for a peaceful-"

"You!" another voice cut her off, and Kassandra very quickly found the tip of a sword mere inches from her throat. "What are you doing here?"

Kassandra blinked a few times, focusing her eyes first on the sword, and then to the woman holding it. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. What could I have possibly done this time for someone to want to kill me?

"This is sacred ground. You shouldn't be here, so either tell me what you want or leave. Who are you?" the woman asked when Kassandra made no response, and she took a step toward Kassandra, the sword getting closer to her neck.

"Whoa, whoa, okay…I'm just a misthios," she said quickly, shuffling her feet back a few steps to get away from the sword. "I'm not here to start any trouble, but if that's what you want, then I'll end it."

"Your name, misthios."

"Kassandra. Some call me the Eagle Bearer…maybe you've heard that one before." She shrugged and her lips pulled into a grin as if on cue, Ikaros landed right on her shoulder, giving the shorter woman a loud squawk.

To Kassandra's relief, the woman withdrew her sword, her posture visibly relaxing as the tension left her shoulders.

"I have heard the name, yes. My name is Daphnae. I'm the leader of the Daughters of Artemis. And you may be exactly who I'm looking for, Kassandra the Eagle Bearer." Daphnae returned Kasandra's expression with a grin of her own, golden eyes flashing with the silent promise of a challenge. She eyed Kassandra carefully, trying to take in as much as she could of the misthios. Her armor was intricate, and she could tell it was strong, thick, layered leather, hard to pierce for sure. But it was the appearance of the eagle talons lining the strap along the neck of Kassandra's chest piece and the wing-like pieces on her shoulders, wrists, and legs that emitted a reddish-orange glow that caught Daphnae's attention the most. It gave Kassandra the aura of something far more intimidating and dangerous than any ordinary mercenary.

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"A warrior. A hunter. Someone who straddles our world with that of the gods. Someone who will meet my challenge." She noticed the corner of Kassandra's mouth briefly twitch into a smirk at just the mention of her in the same sentence as gods. Kassandra had the ego and confidence typically found with mercenaries, that was certain, but Daphnae could tell there was something more to her. There were deeper motivations than just becoming an infamous misthios.

"Well, when you put it that way, how could I not accept?" And Kassandra found herself mesmerized when Daphnae gave her a genuine smile.

"Good. We'll start with this - there is a boar not too far from here. Kill it, and bring me its pelt."

Kassandra's brow furrowed in confusion at Daphnae's request. She crossed her arms over her chest, and Daphnae ever so subtly took in the way Kassandra's muscles tensed briefly, sculpted and powerful from what Daphnae knew were years of combat and training. She almost mentally berated herself for stealing that kind of glance at Kassandra. Almost.

"So…you just want me to kill a pig?" came Kassandra's response, and Daphnae nearly laughed as she met Kassandra's deep hazel eyes.

"No, you see, this isn't any ordinary boar. It is the Kalydonian Boar. We shall see if you are worthy of my challenge. Kill it, and bring me the pelt. I'll be waiting here for you."

"Oh, I'm worthy. You'll see," Kassandra replied quickly, and a cocky grin came to her lips which nearly drove Daphnae insane. She would find a way to temper that ego, but for now she thought she should just enjoy it. The arrogance suited Kassandra in a way, acting as if she could move a mountain if she really wanted to.

"I'll be looking forward to that. Now go…head northwest of here. You'll find the boar at its marsh. It shouldn't take too long to get to."

Kassandra nodded to Daphnae, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of this challenge. She figured she should maybe send word to Herodotos somehow that she might be delayed on her trip to Thermopylai. She wondered how she would explain herself to him whenever she did manage to show up. Oh, a beautiful woman asked me to kill something for her, so who was I to refuse?

"Whoa…that's a big pig."

Daphnae hadn't been lying; the Kalydonian Boar definitely wasn't like anything Kassandra had seen before. Much bigger and more ferocious looking than any boar she had encountered in the wild. This certainly would be a challenge. But, Kassandra always rose to the occasion, and she knew she would be able to slay this beast.

It had only taken them an hour or so to reach the marsh where the boar lived. Kassandra had spent a little time getting a feel for the land, mentally noting where there was water, sand, grass, and anything else she could utilize during the fight or even things that could prove to disadvantage her in any way.

"Alright, let's get this over with, what do you say?" She glanced at Ikaros who was perched on her outstretched arm, and he chirped and bobbed from side to side to show his agreement. He launched into the air, preparing to assist Kassandra in any way. Kassandra drew her sword and her spear as she jumped down from the small hill she had been standing on and into the marsh.

She didn't have any intention of trying to sneak up on the boar, and the loud splash of her feet as they hit the shallow water beneath her was enough to get its attention, the boar letting out a loud huff as it turned toward her direction. It immediately went into defense mode when it saw her entering its dwelling.

Without hesitation, the boar charged at her, squealing loudly as it lunged at her, intending to ram her through with its sharp tusks. Kassandra rolled out of the way, easily dodging the large creature, and she dashed forward with her sword, landing a hard slash on the boar's side. But to her surprise, the boar's skin didn't break.

"Okay…big boar with thick skin," she muttered to herself. "Looks like I'll just have to keep at it."

She slashed her sword forward again, and she was able to land a couple more hits before the boar flung its head around at her. Kassandra wasn't prepared for how quick the movement was, and she barely jumped back in time, but one of the boar's tusks still caught her left arm. It wasn't a deep cut, but it was enough to draw blood, and Kassandra winced slightly from the initial impact of the tusk on her skin. It was razor sharp, and she had been lucky.

Kassandra readied herself again for another one of the boar's charges. Rather than simply rolling out of the way this time, Kassandra crossed her sword over her spear in a blocking position, and right before the boar could barrel through them, she deflected the boar's head to the side as she leapt out of the way. The tip of her sword just caught the boar's eye, damaging it as blood began to drip from the socket, impairing its vision.

That was all the advantage Kassandra needed. Without the right side of its vision, the boar couldn't track Kassandra as clearly nor could it coordinate its charges or headbutts or swift lunges as well as it needed to. Every time she dodged one of its attacks she would lunge back with her own, slicing her sword against the boar's body until eventually she pierced the thick skin. The boar steadily weakened as it lost more and more blood, and soon the water and sand beneath her feet was stained red. It gave one last futile attempt to lunge at her headfirst, tusks aimed right for her chest, but Kassandra saw it coming and rolled to the side, evading the attack. The boar collapsed behind her from exhaustion and weakness, and she heard its labored breathing. She walked over to it, and it made no attempt to attack her now, clearly knowing that its time had come.

"You gave me a good fight," she said. "Kept me on my toes. I didn't know boars could move that fast let alone one as big as you. Thank you for the challenge."

And with that, Kassandra took the Spear of Leonidas and ran it along the boar's neck, slicing through the critical arteries and vessels, and after a few more moments the beast stilled.

"Alright, that wasn't so bad. Now just to get the pelt back to Daphnae and I'll be set."

She had washed the pelt off as best she could before placing it on Phobos' back. She figured he wouldn't have taken kindly to having something covered in blood and guts splayed all over him, so she did what she could to get it as clean as possible before she began the short trek back to the Temple of Artemis.

At the sound of hooves thumping against the ground, Daphnae shifted her attention from the offering to Artemis she had been preparing and looked up to see Kassandra, a proud grin on her lips and the pelt of the Kalydonian Boar secured to her horse's saddle.

"Well, that took you longer than I thought it would. Did you get lost?" Daphnae teased, and she watched as Kassandra rolled her eyes before letting a small breath of a laugh escape her.

"Here, I killed your piggy for you," Kassandra replied, presenting the pelt to Daphnae. The huntress reached for the pelt, and Kassandra felt her breath catch in her throat when Daphnae's fingers skimmed her arms as she took the pelt from her. She had to try with all her might not to get lost in Daphnae's beauty.

"Yes, it would seem so. And barely a scratch on you. You are skilled, Kassandra, of that there is no doubt." Daphnae eyed the misthios for a brief moment, a bit stunned at how Kassandra had seemed to defeat the boar relatively easily. The only cut on her arm had already stopped bleeding and it didn't seem to bother Kassandra one bit; from the scars on Kassandra's arms and face, Daphnae figured the misthios had suffered much, much worse injuries than this. Daphnae had seen some great hunters lose their lives to that boar. So to say she was impressed with Kassandra, among other things, was a bit of an understatement. Although, Daphnae decided, she would just stick with being impressed to describe how she felt about the misthios for now.

Kassandra took the compliment and against her better judgment settled on trying her luck with the huntress. "You know, I have plenty of other skills. You can be sure of that," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, and she found her eyes taking in every inch of Daphnae's figure and Kassandra was not being subtle about it.

Much to Kassandra's relief, Daphnae seemed receptive to the not-so-discreet come on. If that's how Kassandra wanted to play this, well, then Daphnae could certainly return the favor.

"Is that so? Well…" Daphnae drawled as she took a small step closer to Kassandra, tilting her head to meet the taller woman's eyes with her own. "I'll look forward to putting them all to the test."

"And what do you have in mind?" Kassandra challenged, yet another grin coming to her lips as she found herself getting lost in Daphnae's golden eyes, and she noticed the slightly greenish hue at their center. Beautiful. This was almost starting to feel intimate beyond anything Kassandra had experienced before. Whatever this spark she felt between her and Daphnae was more than a simple attraction. Definitely different than when she had met Odessa, where Kassandra had been extremely upfront about her intentions. But this…this was something much more.

Daphnae returned Kassandra's teasing grin. "Hmm, many…things," she replied, and she swore she felt Kassandra try to move closer to her, to maybe start to lean toward her, but she stepped away from the misthios before Kassandra could get too far ahead of herself with…whatever that interaction was. "But first, to business. There are many beasts that roam this world, but they are not fully of it. They were placed here by the gods to serve as trials, as tests."

Kassandra followed Daphnae as the huntress walked toward the small cliff in front of the Temple overlooking the sweeping hills and valleys of Phokis. "Neither god nor mortal has stopped me so far from following and achieving my destiny, and I've gone through a lot. What exactly do you want me to do?"

Daphnae was glad her back was still turned to the misthios as she let a sheepish grin come to her face at Kassandra's confidence…or arrogance…or maybe a bit of both. She was extremely headstrong, that was certain, but that was also something Kassandra would need to hold onto if she was to succeed at Daphnae's challenge.

"I want you to hunt these creatures," Daphnae started, turning to face Kassandra again and found herself met with a curious expression from the misthios. "Prove your worth in the eyes of Artemis, and bring me back each pelt. If you can slay all of these creatures, then your relationship with the Daughters of Artemis will be forever changed."

"How so?"

"You'll just have to find out. I don't want to spoil anything for you."

"Alright, alright," Kassandra said with a soft laugh. "I'll do it. How many of these creatures are there?"

"Artemis has laid out eight trials, and by slaying the Kalydonian Boar, you have already started your journey. Now, you have to hunt down those that remain."

"And how will I recognize them?"

"Trust me, you'll know," Daphnae answered. She stepped closer to Kassandra, and whether it was out of her excitement at giving the misthios these challenges or just her desire to be near Kassandra, Daphnae couldn't tell. "They are beasts told of in legends, and only the bravest of warriors will be strong enough to defeat all of them. I will give you the location of them, but actually finding them will be up to you."

Kassandra nodded, and she found Daphnae's excitement infectious. She smiled at the huntress; it wasn't playful or flirty or trying to impress. It was a genuine smile, and for most of her life Kassandra had found those hard to come by.

"Bring each pelt back to me here," Daphnae continued. "And I hope you don't make me wait too long to see your face again." It was risky to say, Daphnae knew that, but she couldn't deny that Kassandra was nice to look at. But she had found herself truly enjoying Kassandra's company, and she wished to have more of it.

Kassandra's eyes lit up. Oh she was smitten already. "I'll try to make it back soon," she said. "I'm sailing to Athens tomorrow, so I will continue the hunt while I'm there."

"Athens," Daphnae echoed, eyebrows raising slightly, and she couldn't help her curiosity. "What takes you there?"

Kassandra wasn't expecting the question, and she let out a slow breath as she thought about how exactly to respond. It was certainly a loaded question, and after finding out about how far the Cult's reach was, Kassandra wasn't sure how much she should tell Daphnae out of fear of putting her in harm's way somehow…she seemed to have a bad habit of that, the people around her suddenly being thrown in chaos' way just for knowing her.

"Um…it's a very…involved story, but I'll save it for a later time," Kassandra started. "I guess the simple version of it is that I haven't seen my mother for quite some time. I thought she was dead, but new information has told me otherwise. I'm trying to find her, and someone I know has contacts in Athens who may be able to help with that."

Daphnae nodded. Of course, she wanted to know the full story. Kassandra had an air of mystery about her and her answer had done nothing to quell Daphnae's intrigue. But Kassandra had said she would share more later on, and Daphnae was more than happy to respect that as the hesitation in Kassandra's voice was clear yet it was still heavy with emotion. Whatever was going on, Daphnae could tell it weighed heavily on Kassandra's mind.

"Well, I wish you luck with finding her," Daphnae said, giving Kassandra a soft smile.

"Thank you. I'll certainly need it." Kassandra shook her head with a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I can't imagine it will be easy. But I promise you, I will return with a pelt as soon as I can."

"Easier said than done, Eagle Bearer," Daphnae teased.

Kassandra welcomed the shift in tone of their conversation. Just thinking about the journey that waited for her was daunting. Coupled with what she now knew about the Cult, well, her mind could easily get overwhelmed.

"Oh, I will. You should know this about me - I never break my promises. I'll see you again soon enough."

There was nothing more that needed to be said between them for now. Kassandra hopped on Phobos' back, and Ikaros took that as his cue to move from his position perched on the top of the Temple of Artemis and soar into the air above them. Kassandra gave Daphnae a small wave along with an easy smile before she pulled her shroud over her head and mask over her mouth, Phobos quickly taking off on a road headed west toward Malis where they would meet Herodotos.

Daphnae just watched Kassandra leave, her heart already aching to see the Eagle Bearer again.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed - I'm excited about this journey and how I can interpret various things in the game. Hoping to have the next chapter up within the next several weeks or so as I play through more of the game - I have a pretty good idea of how I want to segment this story.

BTW, Kassandra's armor described here is the Ikaros set. It is one of my favorite looking sets in the game save for the head piece lol, so I have her wearing the viper's shroud instead as I always felt it went much better and still matched the rest of the set - I know canonically you get that shroud from killing a Cultist but…we'll take that liberty here haha!