My nose wrinkled as my sleep was interrupted by the smell of smoke and the ringing of alarm bells. “Miss... Miss Ismene-Eirene… you need to wake. The village is under attack.” My maid’s fear-filled voice filled my ears as she shook me gently. “Rea? What? What’s going on? What time is it?” I asked, sitting up. “The village is under attack. I don’t know by what, but we must evacuate. Your parents are waiting.” she said, pulling me up by the arm. “Hurry,” she said, pulling me along. I suppose I should be used to this. It has been the way of my life since I was born. I was born without sight and have never been without my parents or a servant guiding me. Though generally, it was not in such a rush. I could hear yelling outside and hurried to keep up. I didn’t know what had come to attack our village, but I didn’t want to be here when it got closer. “Yes, let’s hurry, Rea.” I agreed. “Rea… Eirene… over here. Hurry. Leander and Eline are waiting.” the distressed voice of Alkaios

I don’t know how long I’d been out. I had restless dreams. A mixture of remembering the sounds of the chimera attacking, Rea screaming, Alkaios telling me to run, and the smell of his blood, my blood, for that matter. I relived the feeling of fear and desperation as I tried to navigate my ruined village. But then the fear faded, and I felt safe and could feel the steady rhythm of Andy’s heart beating. Andy?!I suddenly woke up, sitting up, trying to figure out where I was. I last remembered being on Atlas, supported in Andy’s arms. “Eirene...” I heard my father’s voice call out to me moments before I felt him pulling me into a hug. “Oh, my sweet daughter.” he sighed in relief, hugging me tightly. “F...father? Oh, thank the gods.” I sobbed, hugging him as tight as I could with my injured arm. He is alive. My father is alive. I felt fresh tears sliding down my cheeks, releasing my fears for him. “Is mother… is mother okay? What about Rae?” I asked, fearful of the answers. “Yo

Two months. That’s how long it took to get things settled in the village, and mother recovered enough to travel. We’ve begun to settle into the estate in Olympia. I’m still learning my way around the house and the property. I haven’t started to explore the city, not that my parents would let me anyways. “Eirene? Can you come and sit with us?” Father called me into the sitting room with him and Mother. Carefully finding my way with a cane, I managed to find a chair. “Yes, father?” I asked. “I know that much has changed for us. And that you are still mourning Alkaios.” Father started. “But given your age and, if anything, recent events showed us, we want to ensure you’ll be taken care of if anything happens to us.” Mother added. I frowned, knowing where this was going. “We don’t want to arrange a marriage in which you wouldn’t be happy.” Father quickly said. “Of course.” I nodded, taking a calming breath. I know they want to protect me. And to them, having a husband is

I was so happy when we returned home, and they allowed me to ride. Of course, that was dulled when I realized I would be confined to a pen on an older mare used to teaching children to ride. Father excused himself, probably not wanting to deal with my annoyance, as he headed to another enclosure to prepare horses to show a customer coming by, leaving my mother and a servant standing by the pen watching me.  “Oh, I hate how he allows this...” I heard my mother sigh nervously.  I know she loves me and, at her core, just wants me to be safe. But her overbearing behavior is going to drive me insane. She was always hovering over me as a child due to my condition. And it only became worse after my brother died. And now it has tripled since the chimera. I can't f

It was that thought that stayed with me the rest of the week. Even as I entered my childhood home of House Zeus for my Sunday lunch with Diokles, it was one of the rare days I was given no tasks. Diokles had always insisted, even when he first came here, that we have a meal together on Sundays. He told me that in the mortal realm, his family would have Sunday meals together with whoever was able to attend. Eugenius felt this was good practice for me. He, of course, wants me to carry on the long-standing alliance between Ares and Zeus. But nothing about Sunday lunch with Diokles is business. It's just a chance to relax. Sitting in the dining area waiting for Dio, I found my mind returning to Ismene-Eirene, again. I need to stop that. But she said she wanted to see me again, to speak again. I don't know how or if I should. I am not shopping for a wife, and I know my father and Eugenius would probably not approve of her, given her blindness. Though they may be talked into considering h