A/N: Thanks again for sticking through another wait. I hope these waits are worth it for yall!

FYI, I decided to make the symposium the next chapter instead. As I was writing, it started to get really long, really fast lol. So I just split the chapter and figured it would be better to post a slightly shorter chapter to tide yall over!

It will probably be a decent amount of time before I can write the rest of the symposium chapter as the amount of school work is crazy now…so apologies in advance!

I will say that I do have certain things regarding Kassandra's character planned for this story. I love the idea of diving more into that inner turmoil that we don't always see play out in the game. I think it adds even more complexity and depth to the character and I'm excited to keep this going.

Side note: A little canon divergence leading up to the symposium, but can you really blame me ;)

Chapter Warnings: Depictions of graphic violence, some language

Chapter 3: The First Temptation

Kassandra didn't have much information on Metiochos aside from what Perikles had given her. She originally had no idea where to even start looking, but she had resigned to asking some of the Athenian guards if they at least knew where he lived. She figured that would be the best place to start. Maybe he was missing or maybe he was sitting quietly in his home, safe and sound. Kassandra hoped it was the latter. She had learned from one guard that Metiochos lived near the fishing district on the northern side of Athens. So, that's where Kassandra went.

Thankfully, Kassandra had indeed found Metiochos in his home, albeit he had been surrounded by venomous snakes ready to lunge at him if he moved a centimeter in the wrong direction. Kassandra had sliced through the snakes as if they were nothing, although deep down she was actually terrified of them. One could easily kill a bear with a single bite. Pitting about seven or eight of them against one thin, tiny man was just cruel. Kassandra nearly felt sorry for Metiochos. However, she hadn't felt sorry enough given that she practically intimidated the man into paying her for saving his life. These were Athenian politicians after all, and by the hands of Ploûtos she would get them for drachmae at every step of the way.

However, her work wasn't done by just finding Metiochos, although being able to confirm to Perikles that his friend was indeed alive would certainly help her case for getting into his symposium. After getting the information she needed from Metiochos, Kassandra set out to the outskirts of the Fishing District to find the people who had locked him up surrounded by snakes.

When she got there, she knew she had found the right place because there were several more snakes in the small courtyard of the currently vacant house…and there was also a dead man lying in the grass covered in snake bites. The scene was suspicious enough, but as Kassandra poked around the home, she found a letter that proved to be most interesting. The letter was not signed, Kassandra figured as much, and it read like a public announcement to anyone who would listen. It praised Kleon for his words against Perikles, and it called upon the people of Athens to use snakes against politicians within Perikles' circle. So, Kassandra figured, whoever the thugs that tied up Metiochos were, they were acting on the behalf of someone else.

"Hey!" shouted an angry voice from behind Kassandra. She rolled her eyes. Here we go… she thought. "What the fuck are you doing sneaking around my house?"

She turned around to face the man who was joined by three other men. She could already tell this likely wouldn't end peacefully by the looks on their faces. They scowled and puffed out their chests, trying to appear bigger and scarier in order to intimidate her. Kassandra nearly laughed at them. If it came to it, she'd cut all of them down without hesitation. But before she could do that, she needed information.

"I take it you're the ones who attacked Metiochos," she said calmly. "Snakes, a letter from your friend calling you to arms, and a body full of snake bites. Looks pretty obvious to me."

"Yeah, and? We knew the risks. Change don't happen without a bit of blood being spilled."

"Very true," Kassandra replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. "So, before I spill your blood everywhere, how about you tell me why you tried to kill Metiochos with snakes?"

The man gave a grunt in return and took a step back from Kassandra. With the spear on her back and the sword secured to her hip, golden hilt etched and carved with the figure of Pegasos, along with her armor that emanated a soft orange glow at the tips of her shoulders and legs, the man already knew that if Kassandra wanted to kill him, she absolutely could - she was no ordinary mercenary. So he gave her the information she wanted in hopes that maybe it would let him keep his life.

"We're prisoners in our own city because of Perikles and his crooked friends. They don't actually care about us. The snake dealer told us it was time to send a message and take things into our own hands. Kleon says it's time to fight and take the city back from the elite. It's time those politician scum suffered."

So Kleon could be involved in this somehow. Kassandra mused over the thought. While these thugs were only citing Kleon's words to the people of Athens, she thought that it was too much of a coincidence for the letter she had found to also mention Kleon. That man was doing more than just instilling people's minds with the idea of rebelling. His reach went further, Kassandra was sure of it.

"Look," Kassandra started, "I know someone gave you those snakes and you're doing their dirty work. Tell me who it is."

The man rolled his eyes and scoffed at her, which only made Kassandra's short temper flare. She didn't have time for this.

In one swift motion, Kassandra lunged at the man and within seconds had her left hand around his throat, her other hand already holding the Spear of Leonidas with the sharpened edge pointing toward the man's chest. He let out a yelp of surprise, and the other thugs around him went into defensive stances, prepared to launch themselves at Kassandra. She didn't care about them though. They didn't threaten her.

"Tell me what I want to know or I'll cut all of you down right now. No one will care. Your cause will be forgotten and so will you." Kassandra knew that when it came to thugs like these men, the threat of death typically got them to talk. However, if Kassandra made a threat she almost always followed through on it. As a misthios, she had to cover her tracks; she had learned well and good enough from the past that leaving people alive who held a grudge against her never turned out too well. So, she had gotten into the habit of just getting the inevitable over with.

The man gasped for air under her strong hold around his neck, but he managed to nod nonetheless. He was desperate now…anything to make sure his life was spared. "Alright, alright!" he yelped, and Kassandra loosened her grip, but she didn't let him go just yet. "It's the snake dealer. He has a camp just outside the city walls here. That's where he sells the snakes. Now please…just let us go!"

Kassandra tilted her head slightly and the corner of her mouth tugged upward into a smirk. The man felt the grip around his throat tighten again. "See, that's not how this works. You've crossed a line…you didn't really think I was going to let you walk away from this, did you?"

"And you're not crossing a line either?" one of the other thugs interjected. "Killing people you could show mercy to instead…what's the difference here?"

The man she currently had in a chokehold was struggling more now, and he punched at Kassandra's arm, trying anything to get her grip to loosen so he could breathe. But Kassandra was strong…much stronger than he had anticipated, and she didn't budge one bit.

"The difference is," Kassandra started, her tone low and hard as she turned her head to look at the other man who had spoken to her, "I'm getting paid for this, and I get to decide if you live or die." And in the next moment, she squeezed her hand around the man's neck harder than should even be humanly possible. A loud crunching sound followed as his neck snapped, and the man went limp, crumpling to the ground when she let go.

The rest of the thugs lunged at her all at once, and Kassandra found herself weaving around their attacks with ease, striking blows in between her movements with her spear and sword. The men wore no armor, so wherever her blades landed she sliced through with no resistance. But Kassandra felt different during this fight - her movements seemed as if they were guided by something. The Spear of Leonidas seemed as if it was humming in her hand, almost like it was telling her what her opponent's next move would be and where she should step to evade them or lunge to attack.

She cut down two of the remaining men easily. She wasn't quite sure when she had run her sword through one or sliced her spear across the other's neck, but only one man was left standing. He charged at her. A stupid move. Instead of dodging him though, Kassandra brought one leg up and rammed the heel of her foot into his chest, dealing such a powerful blow that she felt his chest cave slightly against her heel. But the sheer strength that came from Kassandra made her feel as if she had blacked out in that moment. One second she was kicking the man, and the very next he was lying on the ground about twenty feet away from her. His body had collapsed, limbs hanging loosely, and it looked as if every single bone in his body had been shattered. And that's when Kassandra noticed the wall of the building she had kicked him against - a large dent along with a fairly large red splatter remained in the center of the wall where he must have made impact, and large cracks stretched out in every direction. Some loose rocks even fell off the wall and onto the ground.

Well, that was…something, Kassandra thought, and no other civilian that had been around to witness whatever had just happened dared take a step in her direction. Among them, hushed whispers of 'impossible' and 'did you see that?' spread from one to another. There were mostly shocked faces, but Kassandra noticed several of them with looks of absolute terror and fear in their eyes, almost as if they would suffer a similar fate if they so much as looked at her the wrong way. Kassandra didn't want to admit it, but that kind of power felt good. She didn't know where it came from - perhaps the encounter between her spear and that ancient forge had awoken something inside her. She couldn't explain it yet, but she knew she wanted more of it. She felt unstoppable, untouchable, like she could take down an entire army if she wanted to. She felt like a god.

Much to Kassandra's annoyance, Herodotos had turned out to be right about Perikles' tasks for her. These weren't simple political tasks that required her to be diplomatic or smooth talk her way out of situations. Rather, Kassandra was getting herself into a decent amount of fighting. And a decent amount of killing. After she had eliminated the snake dealer, Kassandra had immediately turned her attention to finding Perikles' friend, Phidias, the artist. She figured she wouldn't waste any time; the quicker she could get these things over with, then maybe Perikles would have an even easier time justifying her invitation to his symposium.

However, Phidias and his particular situation had given a slight hiccup to Kassandra's intended time frame for completing Perikles' tasks. Having to sail to Seriphos had set her back a couple days, and she was lucky that she had made it back in time before the ostracism vote on Anaxagoras. But for the information she had received in return for delivering Phidias safely to his friend, she felt it had proven to be worth the time investment.

Before Phidias had met her at the Port of Piraeus, he had revealed to her a scroll with assassination instructions. That scroll had been sent by none other than the Cult of Kosmos. Kassandra had been puzzled by that, as she couldn't understand why the Cult would want to kill Phidias. But Kassandra had been paid a hefty sum for her efforts in sailing Phidias to Seriphos, and not just in drachmae. Phidias' friend, Theras, had given her a sheet of parchment that contained information about the Cultist who had led the efforts to have Phidias killed: Brison, a lowly Cultist in the Delian League. The document Theras had given to Kassandra was actually a letter Brison had written, and in it he had stated his exact location, the Isle of Salamis. The information had been most useful to Kassandra, and she had made a mental note to visit Salamis at some point after Perikles' symposium to eliminate Brison.

The Cult's reach was much further than Kassandra had imagined, but despite the control and power they held, it seemed like there were just as many people throughout the Greek world who wanted to take them down…they just weren't powerful enough on their own. But Kassandra was. She and Deimos were siblings, after all, and if they believed him to be a demigod then she was one too.

Kassandra brushed the thought from her mind for the moment. Now, she was only concerned with seeing how the result of Anaxagoras' ostracism vote turned out…not that she really cared about the man. She was really just curious to find out which outcome she had rigged for Perikles.

Kassandra walked around to the front of the Bouleuterion after she had confirmed to Perikles' contact that she had indeed swapped out the ostraka for the vote, and a small crowd was starting to gather in front of the building. On her way over, she caught the eye of a heavy set man in a blue chiton. He scratched at his beard as he started heading in her direction, and the Athenian official began reading out the verdict.

"The votes have been tallied," the man started. "Overwhelmingly, the people have decided that Anaxagoras should be ostracized from Athens!" Several cheers and boos alike rang out from the crowd as Anaxagoras was escorted away. Kassandra was slightly confused, as she had figured Perikles would have rigged the vote in order to keep Anaxagoras in the city.

"Be slow to fall into friendship," the man beside her said, "but once you do, continue firm and constant."

Kassandra squinted her eyes as she turned to face him. He was stocky, but he had a kind expression on his face and his deep brown eyes held far more wisdom than his years. "Is that how you always introduce yourself to people?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

The man gave a soft chuckle in return. "It will be difficult for me now that Anaxagoras has to leave Athens. We were quite close, good friends, but he and Perikles were even closer. It's strange to me that Perikles wasn't here to try and defend his friend."

"Does Perikles normally defend people at ostracism votes?" Kassandra asked. She had been instantly swept into a conversation with this man, which was strange to her. She typically avoided chatting as much as possible, especially when it came to strangers.

"If they're a good friend? Of course. But, Anaxagoras seems pleased with the result of this vote. It brings more questions than answers to me."

Kassandra nodded. So perhaps Perikles was also trying to get Anaxagoras out of the city…because of the Cult again? She mused the thought. It was possible. The Cult had been hunting Perikles' other friend Phidias. It made sense that they likely wanted to whittle down his inside circle.

"So…want to tell me who you are? Or are you just going to keep giving me cryptic messages?" Kassandra asked, yet an amused glint flashed across her eyes when she saw the shorter man perk up with a soft smile.

"I can do both," he replied, his smile never leaving his face. "Ask anyone around here and they'll tell you that I am Sokrates. But, a name gives you nothing. Our actions determine who we are…every action has its pleasures and its price. With that being said, who do you claim to be?"

Kassandra grinned and pointed a finger at him. "Now that I can agree with. I certainly know the price of actions. As a mercenary, I have to. But I do also have a name, Kassandra, also known as the Eagle Bearer, maybe you've heard that one before."

"Indeed I have. But you being a mercenary tells me more about you than your name ever could. Explaining oneself must be carefully done. So many labels out there, and people judge so harshly depending on which word we choose."

Kassandra smiled and shook her head. "Well, explaining myself would take more time than either of us have."

"Then tell me," Sokrates started, and Kassandra could tell she might be here for a while, "as a mercenary, is there anything you wouldn't do?"

"Such a deep question," she said, and she was met with a grin from Sokrates.

"I take it you aren't asked these kinds of things too often then?" He quirked an eyebrow at her as she shook her head. "Just as it is important to possess physical strength, it is also equally important to do a little self-reflection. Ponder these questions from time to time. So tell me…is there?"

Kassandra shrugged, and she hated to admit that Sokrates was right, his question had made her aware of how little she ever actually gave thought to her own values or feelings about the jobs she had done as a mercenary. "Well, just because I'm a mercenary doesn't mean I'll do anything and everything."

Sokrates raised his eyebrows a bit at her response. "Even if the pay was more than adequate for the task being proposed?"

"Even then…I don't think about it too much, but I guess even I have a line I won't cross, depending on what's being asked of course."

"So you would move this line you've drawn for yourself? I'm curious."

"It moves when I need it too," she answered, and she clenched her jaw a bit as she thought back on times when she had adjusted that line. This conversation was starting to get more personal, and now Kassandra was pulling away. "I make adjustments depending on the situation." She left it at that, and Sokrates could tell he had hit a roadblock with her.

"Sounds like a strategy for those who need to be adaptable and to also justify their actions," he said, choosing not to press Kassandra further on the matter. He rather enjoyed their conversation. It wasn't too often he met someone who looked like Kassandra, clad in armor, sword on her waist and bow on her back, who was willing to engage in his discussions. They often didn't have the brain for it. But Kassandra was different, and Sokrates appreciated her for it, even if she was only doing this to entertain his ideas, he still liked talking to her.

"Ultimately, I decide if my actions are just," Kassandra answered. "I'm the one choosing whether or not to do the job, right?"

Sokrates gave a short hum in response, and Kassandra gave up trying to interpret what all his mannerisms meant. But the underlying message of Kassandra's words had been clear; whenever she took a job from someone, she decided who lived and died. That sort of power was something other people left only to the gods. "But you are still weighing the options. Perhaps you do certain things because you feel they are absolutely necessary to further a personal goal, hm?"

Kassandra shrugged, and she noticed most of the people had cleared away from the building as the sun was starting to set. It was later than Kassandra had anticipated, and she really wanted to report back to Perikles that all his requests had been taken care of. "That would describe a lot of people," she replied. "Doesn't make me any different."

"Oh, but I think you are different. And I mean that with all my respect. I'm just curious why you did this for Perikles…and you have become the reason why one of my friends is now forced to leave the only home he's ever known."

Kassandra didn't get the sense that Sokrates was trying to make her feel guilty or anything about what had happened to Anaxagoras. She wouldn't have felt that way regardless, but on some level she did feel sorry for Sokrates. After all, as he had said, he was losing a close friend today because of this ostracism.

"I did what I was asked to do," she said. "And as you brought up earlier…maybe I have a personal goal that I'm willing to further by any means necessary."

Sokrates couldn't help but grin at the way Kassandra had flipped his words back onto him. She was clever, although he could tell that Kassandra likely didn't think of herself that way. "So here you have made your needs greater than the ones of the man you helped ostracize. Still though, you've brought up a good point. Is Anaxagoras most responsible for getting himself caught up in this, or are you, for simply sealing his fate?"

"Anaxagoras, of course," Kassandra answered with a light scoff as she waved her hand in front of her chest. "I'm not responsible for his actions that got him into this situation in the first place. I have my own actions to worry about."

"Indeed," Sokrates said, and Kassandra could see him thinking about his next response. To Kassandra's relief, another man approached Sokrates and began ushering him away, but he turned back to face her. "I do hope you think about our conversation, and I also hope we'll get the chance to speak again. This was enlightening. Thank you, Kassandra."

"I must say, that was a very different pace than what I'm used to. I think I need to give my mind a rest after that. But it was refreshing in a…weird sort of way. I'm sure I'll see you around again, Sokrates." Kassandra gave the man a polite smile as she watched him walk away.

She let out a long sigh as she started the trek back to Perikles' home, which, naturally, was basically on the other side of the city from the Bouleuterion. With the sun nearly set, she didn't want to report to Perikles too late tonight. After all, the symposium was tomorrow, and she didn't want to keep the man waiting until the last minute to extend an invitation to her. She knew Phobos wouldn't be too far from her, always loyal and waiting should she need a quick escape from a situation - or a faster travel to another destination - and soon after she whistled for him she heard his hooves clicking against the ground behind her…followed by several startled shouts of civilians that Phobos nearly ran over on his way to her.

"You really need to work on your people skills," Kassandra muttered to him as she hopped on his back. He responded with a short huff, and she was well aware of the glares she received from the people who had barely made it out of Phobos' way in time as Phobos set off in the direction of Perikles' residence.

Kassandra arrived just as the darkness of night began to fully envelop the city of Athens. Perikles' home was grand in every way, and while the home itself wasn't incredibly large, the property was sizable and it was protected by high gates on all sides. Kassandra approached the main entrance, and as she expected, there were two guards in place there.

She brought Phobos to a halt right in front of them, his hooves stirring up some dust in their faces as he stopped. The two men instantly scowled at her, but Kassandra could care less. After all, she rather enjoyed seeing how easy it was to get under their skin. She hopped off Phobos' back and stood in front of the guards. They both eyed her carefully, but Kassandra kept her stoic composure.

"I'm here to report to Perikles about several tasks he-,"

"Save it, misthios," one of the guards, an archer, interrupted. "You really think we're gonna let you into the leader's home at this hour? Come back in the morning."

Kassandra narrowed her eyes at the man. "I don't think you understand how urgent these things were. Perikles specifically sent me to-,"

"And I don't think you understand how little we care," the other man said. "There's no way we're letting a mercenary into Perikles' home now, especially one with your reputation, Eagle Bearer."

Kassandra sighed out heavily - in times like this, she wished she had the tiniest amount of extra patience. But, she didn't, and she would sneak into Perikles' home if she absolutely had to. "Listen," she started, "I'm trying to do this the right way. Perikles wanted me to report back to him as soon as I was done with the things he asked of me. I'm just asking to see him. I don't know why you're being so difficult, but if you want to keep being that way, then I can always knock both of you out right now."

The armored guard rested his hand on the sword hanging from his waist. "I'd love to see you try."

"Really?" Kassandra challenged. "You were the one who mentioned my reputation…surely you know that you're no match for me. Just let me in. I won't be long at all. And you two will avoid being knocked uncon-,"

"Are the guards giving you a hard time?"

The two men straightened at the woman's voice behind them, their eyes widening slightly as they both turned to face her.

"We were just trying to-,"

"I wasn't speaking to you," she said, cutting the archer off with a wave of her hand.

Kassandra watched as the woman walked toward them. Her dark brown hair flowed over her shoulders in soft waves, and she carried herself with authority and grace. As she came closer, Kassandra let her eyes trace the woman's high cheekbones and sharp jawline - she looked as if she had been placed on the Earth by Aphrodite herself, an image of sophisticated beauty. And when Kassandra met the woman's grey eyes, laced with a light shade of green, she felt as if she was in a trance. Although, Kassandra wasn't about to let herself be completely dumbfounded by such a beautiful woman, so she took a short breath and addressed the woman's initial question.

"As a matter of fact, they are giving me a hard time," Kassandra said, shooting both men a glare. "I was simply coming here to report back to Perikles that I had completed the things he asked of me."

At Kassandra's words, the woman's eyes widened slightly. "Guards, leave us," she said, and the two men looked as if they wanted to protest, but at the stern look the woman gave them, they both resigned to her will and walked away. "So you must be Kassandra? The misthios my husband hired to take care of several incredibly important issues for him?"

Wait… Kassandra thought. So this is… "Aspasia?" Kassandra asked.

"I'm surprised you know of me," Aspasia replied, although a small grin came to her lips as she eyed Kassandra up and down, and it certainly did not go unnoticed by the Eagle Bearer.

"Yes, well, a friend told me that I would meet you at Perikles' symposium. Your husband gave me these tasks so he could justify inviting me over…I don't know…"

"Other aristocrats, artists, philosophers perhaps?" Aspasia quirked an eyebrow at her, and Kassandra just knew there was a certain kind of intensity in the way their eyes met, there was no denying it. Aspasia clearly had a way of drawing someone's interest instantly and keeping them locked in with the way she spoke and moved, and Kassandra had a feeling it would be quite difficult for her to find her way out of this.

"When you put it that way, it makes someone like me sound insignificant. Sounds like there are many other important people Perikles could have invited."

Aspasia placed one of her hands on Kassandra's arm, an action that was most definitely deliberate. Even though her forearm was covered by her armor, Kassandra still felt her skin tingling from the contact. There was a lot of…something going on right now, so much unspoken tension, and Kassandra wasn't quite sure what to make of it. But she figured she could play along.

"Insignificant? But you saved three of Perikles' dear friends," Aspasia answered, her voice strong and convincing, and before Kassandra knew what was happening, she was walking with Aspasia toward the main entrance of Perikles' home. "He asked you to demonstrate loyalty to him, and regardless how you truly feel toward him, it's the outward appearance of the acts that matter. To others, you have done noble deeds for Perikles, and they will recognize that. Trust me, no one will question your invitation to the symposium tomorrow evening. After all, I'm the one who approves all the guests anyway."

Kassandra squinted her eyes at that, and she let her gaze drift to Aspasia as they entered an open room at the front of the home. Kassandra didn't want to admit it but in just the last minute she had let her mind wander to quite forbidden places involving Aspasia. While a woman being married had never stopped Kassandra before, she knew, begrudgingly, that Aspasia was off limits. But, Kassandra thought, that only added to the thrill. She could tell that Aspasia felt it too - the tension and attraction between them. Even if they never admitted it out loud, neither woman could deny it was there. It was a dangerous place to fall into, especially given Aspasia's status, but at the moment Kassandra couldn't really care about that.

It was rare for Kassandra to feel this strongly about someone right away. In fact, the only other woman Kassandra had felt this instant spark and intensity with was Daphnae. Although, she thought, Daphnae was different. The huntress wasn't just tempting to Kassandra physically. As beautiful as Daphnae was, she also tempted Kassandra's heart, and that worried her, and that was also something Kassandra really didn't want to think about right now. She nearly hated that she found herself dozing off at random times, thinking about Daphnae and the next time she'd be able to see her. It was strange for Kassandra. She had never allowed her mind to become so stuck on a woman like this. But as usual, whenever Kassandra found herself starting to feel things she didn't want to feel, she pushed the thought away. She'd cross that bridge when she got there, although Kassandra felt she was nearing it much quicker than she thought. But whatever Kassandra felt toward Aspasia only involved physical desires. That much, she was sure of.

"Did you hear what I asked you, Kassandra?"

Kassandra blinked before she brought her eyes to meet Aspasia's, the shorter woman looking at her expectantly and with a smile on her lips that Kassandra didn't know how to interpret.

"I didn't, sorry…I was too captured by your beauty for the moment," Kassandra replied, and she watched Aspasia's smile shift into a knowing grin. Kassandra returned the expression. She was definitely pushing her luck right now.

"I must say I'm usually not too receptive to compliments from others, given the reputation I have to uphold. But you, Kassandra…" Aspasia paused as she took a step closer to her. She placed her hands on Kassandra's shoulders before running them across Kassandra's armor, her fingers delicately brushing against the small area of exposed skin on Kassandra's biceps. "You intrigue me." Aspasia watched Kassandra clench her jaw as her deep brown eyes darkened, and even though she could see the desire there, she wished she could know exactly what Kassandra was thinking of right now. As for her, well, Aspasia was imagining how it would feel to have Kassandra's hands all over her, ravaging her without limits and taking her to a place of ecstasy she was sure only Kassandra could make her feel. It was a very intimate thought, and Aspasia mentally shamed herself for even having it. While her expression remained even, Aspasia took a step back from Kassandra before she could give herself any more time to potentially submit to her fantasies.

"So what was it that you had asked me?" Kassandra said, her voice quiet but purposeful. She knew what Aspasia had been thinking. Well, not exactly, but Kassandra had a good idea. Even though Aspasia had kept her lips tight, Kassandra could see her eyes swirling with lust. It almost made Kassandra smirk, knowing that a woman of Aspasia's status could fall into those kinds of thoughts about her so quickly. Kassandra had never seen herself as naturally charming despite many women saying she was, but in this moment, she thought that maybe those claims held some merit.

Aspasia cleared her throat before she spoke, needing another moment to gain her composure. She almost felt embarrassed for herself - she had never let anyone crack her stoic and cold exterior the way Kassandra had, but the Eagle Bearer hadn't even done anything to her but stand there, serving as a reminder of something Aspasia could want but would never be able to have.

"I asked if you had somewhere to stay tonight," she said. At her words, Kassandra grinned, and Aspasia could tell that a snarky comment was coming, so she spoke again to avoid having to face that. "While I don't doubt your ability to find…someone to spend the night with, perhaps you would be more comfortable simply staying here. We have plenty of spare rooms and it's really no big deal."

Kassandra placed a hand over her chest and frowned, seizing the opportunity to poke fun at the woman. "Aspasia, you think of me as so shallow? I'm hurt, really."

Aspasia rolled her eyes, but she found herself swept into the small moment with Kassandra. "I'm sure you wouldn't make it one step out of here before you have a heterae begging you to be their patron for the night."

"Well, when you put it like that…sounds like an enjoyab-,"

"You'll stay here for the night," Aspasia interrupted, and she took one of Kassandra's hands in her own as she led the taller woman down a short hallway to the right of the main entrance they had been standing in all this time. It was foolish of Aspasia, but her jealousy flared at the thought of Kassandra taking a random woman to bed tonight, even though she was sure that was nothing out of the ordinary for the misthios. Kassandra was not hers to have - she never would be, and Aspasia needed to remind herself of that unfortunate truth.

"You know, all you had to do was say you wanted to spend more time with me." Kassandra smirked when she saw Aspasia glare back at her, and they stopped in front of a small room. While the decorations in the room were sparse, everything was of the highest quality from the gold vases lining one of the bookshelves to the silky red sheets and pillows atop the bed in the corner. It was more luxurious than anything Kassandra had growing up, and if this was only a spare room, she could only imagine what the rest of the residence looked like.

"You are quite the smooth talker when you want something, Eagle Bearer," Aspasia said, motioning Kassandra into the room. "Now get some rest before tomorrow. I'll tell Perikles you're here, and I'm sure he'll want to speak with you in the morning so he can extend his official invitation."

"I thought you said you're the one who actually does that."

"While I ultimately decide who gets invited, everything is done under Perikles' name. I am not Athens' leader, nor would I wish to be. Regardless, I'll see you tomorrow, Kassandra. And please, when we're surrounded by the prying eyes and ears of others at the symposium, do keep your unbearably irresistible flirtations to yourself."

Before Kassandra could even respond, Aspasia turned from the entrance to the room and left, and Kassandra let her eyes drink up Aspasia's slim figure once more. She made her way toward the bed, only taking off the top layer of her armor along the way so she'd be more comfortable. Kassandra would admit that she was slightly nervous for the symposium. She wasn't sure what was expected of her, and she didn't even know how she would approach the topic of asking people there for information about her mother. But she trusted herself enough to figure it out. She didn't want to keep herself up all night stressing over it, especially when she felt her body actually relax the moment she felt the soft sheets beneath her. And for the first time in a while, Kassandra was able to just lay down and rest.

A/N: Again, the symposium chapter will take a little while for me to finish with all the crap grad school is throwing at me now. I hope this was enough to hold yall over until then. Happy reading!