Fanwork:With All Doomed Might

*In the first Agon in the new millenium, two members of the house of the Theseides were set to kill each other, one the ruthless new Aphrodite, one a lioness with her own agenda. However, only two cycles before, it was a different story. In 1986, two novice hunters train beside each other, ready to put their lives on the line for the Theseides... and each other's futures.*

*What happens as these two rising stars among hunters collide? And how did the Theseides' hunter and most ambitious lioness set themselves on this course at all...?*

**Chapter 1**

*January, 1986*

Cyrene was ready for training. Menoetius was a hunter, and so was she. She'd never become archon, but if Menoetius became archon, or even if he didn't, she'd serve the archon loyally. The bloodline mattered more than one life.

She parried the strike of his blade. He tried again. She easily blocked it. Menoetius tried a different approach. He tried striking after feinting. It nearly failed, but another well-timed strike attempt finally went in his favor. The Agon was due in July; this time taking place in California; her first hunt as a lioness for the Theseides.

Her sister was busy writing notes on the solar eclipse two years back. Cyrene knew that Urania loved the stars and all, but that wouldn't help her at her designation.

Cyrene set her bag from training down, and took a nap.

**Chapter 2**

*August, 2000 (Day One of the Agon; 9 a.m.)*

Cyrene was waiting behind a bush. The field she currently was in had little cover, and she needed to take advantage of what she could.

*"*He's nearby. If he finds me, you know what he'll do to me-" she whispered into her two-way radio.

"Well, stay put. You should be able to see him, if you're careful, but not he you. If you keep the earplugs in, he won't be able to pursuade you out," Urania responded through the device.

The crew of hunters were allied with the man she was avoiding at the moment. She was technically, too. That didn't mean that he would tolerate Cyrene; however.

The Odyssides were likely nearby, and she knew that she'd be found out if she stayed in one place. With one last look at her hated leader, she left the area.

**Chapter 3**

*January, 1986*

Menoetius picked up his training staff. Training was over for the day, but part of him never seemed to leave that room. He sighed. Today was his first time beating Cyrene in quite a few months. His dad hadn't ever stopped saying that he should be able to beat her. How would he earn kleos for his bloodline if he couldn't even beat one hunter?

Bored, he turned on the TV. What would Cyrene do? Probably try thinking up what she did wrong so she could devise some strategies to avoid those same errors. Was she Odysseus's descendant or Theseus's? The talk of a robotic thing going past Uranus the other day was boring enough to get him to stop thinking about the next Agon.

**Chapter 4**

*July, 2000*

He had had enough of the new god favor-currying. After the new Ares, Lifetaker, had ascended, that's all that his bloodline had done for years until he died. Lifetaker had ascended when he was young, dying one cycle later to an Odysside.

The new god straightened. He'd not fall victim to Lifetaker's folly of letting praise disguise plotting.

How long had he been a god, again? Oh, right. Around seven years. Next month he'd be mortal again for a week. One week where all bloodlines would be at each other's throats. There was one hunter he needed; all he felt he was missing to stay alive that cycle.

**Chapter 5**

*Beginning of February, 1986*

Neither Cyrene nor Urania could sleep.

Urania was in mourning over a space shuttle explosion. Cyrene was worried about the Agon. At fifteen, she was potentially going to be appointed a lioness in a few weeks.

"Cyrene, what's wrong?" Menoetius had asked during the training's break.

"I had a rough night last night. Some dream about red snakes," she had said. It wasn't strictly untrue. The dream wasn't likely an omen, and the three word description didn't cut at the heart of the issue.

Cyrene had dreamed about snakes the color of blood emerging from a puddle of water. The snakes lunged at each other, and both bled into the puddle, turning it vermilion. The standard fare for a hunter's stress dreams. .

The bloodline's god, Lifetaker, would be appearing to the bloodline the next day, and Cyrene knew that she, not particularly beautiful and conditioned like one of the parthenoi, nor gifted in anything in particular, wouldn't see the new Ares manifested.

**Chapter 6**

*August, 2000 (Day one of the Agon, one p.m.)*

Cyrene dug herself out of her hiding spot. At least her reflexes had always been decent. Menoetius was gone; these last fourteen years took enough of a toll for three times the timespan's length. Urania was the only person she could trust anymore.

The Chicago sun was burning, and it was more muggy than San Francisco ever got. If any god found her at all, she was in for being another corpse never to be found alive again, like Thalia. Combined, it was agony.

"Are there any hunters near my location?" Cyrene asked Urania through her radio.

"Negative. However, Hermes is somewhat nearby, the Reveler as well," she said.

After traveling for an hour, she had escaped from the gods' vicinity. She, however, could see the new Ares after Lifetaker. He looked just like he had gulped down a lemon, just like when he was Athamas Odysseos.

All of a sudden, her radio flared into life, and Urania had only dire news to share. The Theseides were tracking her down, and her bloodline's new god had ordered them to bring her straight to him.

**Chapter 7**

*February, 1986*

Lifetaker had appeared to the Theseides. Menoetius was left in his room, not important enough to see his bloodline's god after the offerings had been made.

In training, all everyone had talked about was this event. Menoetius had been excited enough, but the gilded sacrifices and endless libations he got tired of after no time at all. It was agony.

When would he get fitted for his mask? When would Cyrene get hers? As the endless hours ticked by, these questions were all that remained.

**Chapter 8**

*August, 2000 (Day one of the Agon, 2 p.m.)*

Cyrene was in shock, but she let her face betray nothing. The new god of the bloodline had it out for her, one of the most renowned hunters in the family, apparently.

*Wait, Urania said 'capture', not 'kill'. Is he capturing me for his own ends?* Cyrene thought.

Other Theseide hunters would be searching for traces of her, but if she fled to nearby Lombard...

Before Cyrene could strategize, Urania chimed in again. "Cyrene- hunters are moving around your current location! Hurry!"

**Chapter 9**

*Febuary 1986*

Cyrene awoke with one thought in her head: *Today was the big day.*

She hurried to get dressed, and practiced her spearplay for a bit.

The archon, Pyramus, would announce the hunter assignments. Cyrene had never been a standout lioness (a contradiction if she'd ever heard one), so she would likely be hunting enemy hunters and not gods. The promise of the hunt was enough to get her practicing harder than before. She'd bring her bloodline kleos, her archon ascendancy, and herself areté.

**Chapter 10**

*August, 2000, the first day of the Agon; 2 p.m.*

After a lifetime of training with a bow and dory, Cyrene was decent enough at it. With a dagger, she was clean, precise, and best of all, *better than average.* However, her dagger skills wouldn't be enough to subdue more than two or three hunters.

Cyrene drew her dagger from inside her outfit. She wasn't wearing robes (to blend in with Unblooded civilians), but her outfit was easy enough to fight in. In the ancient tongue, she challenged the hunters undoubtedly waiting nearby.

Nothing came of it. Of course, she was out in the open. However, the nearby Athens House would be full of hunters, and that was likely where the new god was.

The truth dawned quickly on Cyrene. She wasn't closely surrounded. No, they were distant and hiding, to sneak up and capture her when she least expected it.

**Chapter 11**

*Febuary, 1986*

As usual, Menoetius was ignored in favor of planning the Agon. The most respected hunters (his father included) met to discuss the Agon. His mother was out in Norway as an archivist. As for Menoetius, he went to visit Cyrene.

Cyrene had received a likely post as hunting Athamas Odysseos's main hunter force. Compared to her, he'd likely be doing a grand total of nothing. Being posted at a hospital waiting to see if gods were delivered was known for being boring. He had overheard his father, Amphitryon, telling his mother that's all Menoetius was likely to do.

If he couldn't physically outfight the other bloodlines, he could at least tactically outfight them. Right...?

**Chapter 12**

*June, 2000*

He had to take a physical form. Ceyx had reported that his request to the one last hunter needed was denied. Denied.

The hunter in question wasn't particularly... devoted to the new god the Theseides served. Why were they even in any position at all for an Agon? After last cycle, she'd destroyed a prime opportunity to catch Warbringer, and Artemis had nearly been killed by Aristos Kadmou because she'd made a crucial decision. He glanced across a room to a leatherbound copy of *Dionysus's Downfall,* a book from his mortal life on the death of Dionysus and his fate-bound Perseous friend.

His estate surrounded him, yet in that moment, it was the Agon again, last Agon. He'd fought, and claimed his prize for doing so. They thought he'd mistakenly done the action setting him on the course he was on. No, he had framed it that way, but he hadn't. He knew that she was to blame for him deciding to do what he did.

If he got her, she'd serve the bloodline's god. Ceyx's report would be... interesting in terms of helping convince her. Maybe, just maybe, Cyrene'd come around without the persuasion he knew he could deliver well...

**Chapter 13**

*Mid-February, 1986*

Cyrene had just come back from sparring, when Urania's telescope had taken over the entire hallway. She was going to look at a star in the Orion constellation, and she had to get her telescope outside to do so.

Cyrene asked if Urania, nine year old that she was, wanted to learn the constellation's story. Urania gave an in-depth summary and then digressed into how it mirrored the movement of it and several other constellations. Cyrene wasn't sure whether to be impressed or worried about time--it was nearly Urania's bedtime.

That night, Cyrene had someone other than a stress dream for the first time in months.

**Chapter 14**

*July, 2000 (Day one of the Agon; 4-6 p.m.)*

Cyrene knew it best to lay low. If she was captured, the new god of the bloodline would have all sorts of terrible things he'd pursuade her to do. It was easy enough to be discrete, she had nothing on her but what was in her clothes, and her stolen body armor was underneath it all.

The wait was terrible. She had the ghosts of her past on her trail, and even potentially the new god tracking her too. Urania said nothing.

At six p.m. she was out. She had heard footsteps that she knew to avoid--that of a hunter. She had beeswax on her, just in case the new god decided trying to artificially talk her out of hiding.

Hiding in a nearby bush, she didn't last long there before they found her. The hunter revealed themself as a tall (not inhumanly so, but still decently tall) and somewhat intimidating hunter at first glance. At a second one, she realized that he was Melicerta.

"Dropped the silent assassin methods, Melicerta? If I remember, that's exactly how you said you'd capture an enemy." Cyrene inquired.

She'd never known him very well, seeing as he was five years her junior, but his technique was legendary. He had known Urania for a bit, as well.

"I wanted to give you an... opportunity to surrender," he said.

**Chapter 15**

*Late Febuary, 1986*

Menoetius awoke to yet another grey day. The lighting outside made it feel like yet another room.

Today, his hunter's mask was going to be made. He knew he should be excited, but he wasn't. Cyrene had told him that he should get more sleep. It was seven a.m., and he wasn't even a bit tired.

When he went over to Cyrene's area, her sister Urania was giving a long lecture to a tall boy her age. Cyrene was busy with her daggerwork.

She greeted him distractedly. When he commented on this, she didn't respond for a second.

"I guess that I'm just excited you're finally getting your mask! I haven't gotten mine. My dad says that I might not be getting one for awhile..."

Menoetius was confused. If she was a lioness (a very skilled hunter), why wouldn't she be fitted before the bottom-of-the-barrel hunter?

**Chapter 16**

*July, 2000 (The first day of the Agon, 6 p.m.)*

"Why ask my surrender and not just skip to capturing me?" Cyrene asked.

"Urania demanded it in private when she'd learned I'd been assigned this task," he said.

Cyrene's heart pounded. How had Urania contacted a hunter halfway across the world and not been dragged away? Urania was likely in danger, how can one pull off something like that *without* accruing suspicion?

"Unfortunately, I won't go so easily. I applaud your effort, however I'm not surrendering to the will of Loveweaver."

He drew his blade and sighed. "If this is how it is, so be it."

**Chapter 17**

*Late February/Early March, 1986*

Cyrene had a great deal of training to do.

To be on par with the other lionesses, she needed to be stronger. To be able to bring kleos to her bloodline, she needed to be stronger. Each strike of her xiphos formed a melody.

Her arm began to burn like the Phlegethon. She kept at it, so much so that Cyrene felt like she had dipped it in the Acheron.

She had nearly fainted when Urania bolted into the room. Urania wasn't a healer, but their mom was. It didn't take even that expertise to realize something was wrong.

"Are you okay? Cyrene, answer me!" The rest of what Urania said was muddled, as Cyrene passed out.

**Chapter 18**

*July, 2000 (First Day of the Agon, 7 p.m.)*

Urania and Melicerta had dueled often enough for Cyrene to know his basic retinue. Urania had never been a good fighter, but Cyrene had taught her some basic swordplay for fun anyway.

Melicerta drew his blade, and lunged. It was a bold, brash move. A feign. Cyrene knew that he'd never do something like that without a plan.

It was no surprise when he tried striking again while she presumably was recovering. His techniques were effective as long as he was unpredictable.

She was able to avoid him slamming down on her blade by a hair's breadth. Her skills with a dagger had eclipsed most of her other fighting skills in the past few years, but she hadn't gotten *that* bad.

Cyrene used the opening provided by her deflection to knock Melicerta off his feet. As a lioness, injuring people didn't tend to bug her as much as the idea of hurting Urania's friend did.

The battle ended without much fanfare. He hadn't intended to kill (or even seriously maim, given his attacks were gentle by hunter standards) Cyrene, but still, Loveweaver.

He was after her, and sending quite a lot of hunters if he thought that Melicerta would be able to successfully capture someone with proficiencies similar enough to predict his moves.

Suddenly, with Melicerta still recovering, her radio flared to life. Urania was trying to talk to her, in the audio range of Melicerta.

**Chapter 19**

*1986, March*

Menoetius bolted down the hallway. The healers tried to get him to slow down, but he wouldn't. Cyrene wasn't doing well.

Cyrene was awake, but needed rest. According to the healer, she'd be in a bad situation if she tried that again. She couldn't be anywhere near any kind of weapon.

"Cyrene!" he yelled. She was half-asleep, but concious enough to talk.

"Yes... Menoetius?" she said. Her words were slow, and her voice sounded gravelly with tiredness.

He handed her something. It was wrapped crudely, as he'd never been good at decoration. When she pulled it out, he couldn't see her reaction.

"It's your mask; it came today," he said.

That was a lie.

**Chapter 20**

*July 2000, first day of the Agon; 7 p.m.*

The grainy voice of the radio was notably Urania's if one llstened close enough. Cyrene hoped that Melicerta hadn't heard it. Of course he had.

"Cyrene! Melicerta isn't alone! *Demophon* is trailing him!" Urania said desperately.

Demophon was a hunter known for being a killer. He was a nasty kind of hunter, obsessed with his bloodline's advancement at all costs.

Melicerta's expression had nothing in it. Fitting for a hunter whose surprise tactics were his bread and butter.

He gained his footing quickly. His robes were noticeably darker. Blood. Melicerta grabbed his weapon, and slid it under his robe. Cyrene saw it, but didn't react. A reaction would give Melicerta an indication she knew could be fatal.

"So that's how Urania knew how you were in danger."

**Chapter 21**

*1986, March*

Cyrene, groggy and drained in her bed, heard footsteps like thunder coming down the hallway.

It was Menoetius. He was holding a poorly wrapped thing that she couldn't fully see. She greeted him best she could, and he handed him what turned out to be her mask. The Minotaur was intimidating on the mask, designed to scare enemies and rally comrades.

"It's your mask; it came today," he said. She thanked him.

Cyrene was stressed out, so she asked Menoetius if she had any good training weapons on him.

"Isn't that what got you here? Cyrene, you can't drain yourself body and soul every time!"

True, she was stuck in bed, but she needed to get better. Her bed had a bit that could be broken off to be a good dagger. She could train and recover, and be better than before.

**Chapter 22**

*July 2000, first day of the Agon; 7 p.m.*

Loveweaver was angry at Ceyx for not the first time this cycle. This time, he'd decided to send Melicerta to the scene of Cyrene's location. Melicerta, the hunter best known for losing to her in that legendary duel he'd seen seven years ago, before the start of the 1993 Agon.

Melicerta had also been known to hang around the archivist Urania. Urania had, notably, this cycle been talking to her sister illegally to feed info to Cyrene. Their radios had been, to them, unknowingly tapped, so that was resolved.

He was lost in thought when Ceyx knocked at the door. Ceyx came in at Loveweaver's reluctant accedance. Sometimes it was annoying to be the new Aphrodite, what with the accidentally ordering people to do things. No one had listened to a mediocre hunter, but seven years of everyone listening to you made every request a command.

"I presume that Melicerta failed," Loveweaver said. He knew it, based on Ceyx's sheepish look.

"Um... well... it's complicated-" Ceyx stammered.

"I need to understand, Ceyx, so get to the point," the new god hissed.

The power of persuasion did its work, and he got his answer. Melicerta had indeed failed, but Urania had fed Cyrene much more information than possible for an archivist to know. Urania must've been spying on high-level meetings, but for how long?

Loveweaver surged out of his chair, and Ceyx did a mix of begging for forgiveness and incoherent stammering. "My lord, I sent Demophon as well! H... he may be able to do a... better job."

"You sent Cthonius's son?"

"Y...yes, my lord."

"Leave, and tell Terminos that Urania is to be moved to this location, and that she will sort all the oldest documents immediately." With this order, Ceyx left in a hurry to do his job.

Mercy wasn't a privilege he'd spare for either of the doomed duo.

**Chapter 23**

*March, 1986*

When Menoetius visited Cyrene, she was passed out, a stick she'd turned into something that was roughly a dagger was in her hand.

"Cyrene!" he said.

She'd never recover if she didn't rest, but she never *let* herself rest. The healer was just as dismayed by her actions as Menoetius was.

"If she keeps this up, then her heart will have had too much strain. There's not likely any permanent damage, but I will remove anything that could possibly be used in training," the healer told the assumed family (plus Menoetius) of Cyrene.

Cyrene gradually recovered. She was still barred from training informally, however.

"I hate how I can't train anymore! Now my family beyond Mom and Dad are pushing me to join the parthenoi!" she vented at Menoetius.

Worse yet, Demophon during training had told Menoetius all about how he wanted to marry Cyrene. Even when fighting Melicerta, Demophon persisted. Demophon had told him all about how lovely Cyrene was, how Amazonian she was, and how much her snark towards Demophon fascinated him.

No one seemed to be able to leave Menoetius alone. It made him annoyed enough to want to retreat into his other responsibilities forever.

**Chapter 24**

*July 2000, the first day of the Agon, 7:10 p.m.*

Melicerta got back on his feet, and moved to capture Cyrene again.

"I thought that you knew more information than you realistically would. For Urania and the bloodline's sake, *come quietly.* Do you really want Demophon to capture you instead?"

Cyrene responded, "I'd rather not be captured at all. Loveweaver is a monster. The bloodline has plenty of Demophons. I want no part of the Theseides, not after what Loveweaver did."

"Demophon is nearby. Would you rather be dragged in by Demophon, the amoral 'killer of men', or me?" Melicerta asked, "He finds your very existence pathetically charming."

Demophon's name was literally 'killer of men', so his given name's origin was coincidental to what he became. He was never one for tactics. He'd be crashing through the area by now if he was really here, she knew, and putting on a show the entire way through. Demophon would find the entire thing adorable if nothing else, like a cat fascinated by mice who writhed.

To mention this would be to reveal her hand to the one person she shouldn't, so she didn't.

Just as she finished her train of thought, a hunter's loud voice echoed through the area.

"Cyrene, on orders of Lord Loveweaver of the Theseides, I will deliver you straight to him," the hunter said.

**Chapter 25**

*1986, late-to-mid March*

Cyrene had been away from the training room long enough. Her parents disagreed and so did the elders. However, privately she railed against this.

"Maybe it would be best that you stay away from training from now on," her mother said.

Cyrene could hear the poorly disguised relief in her voice. Demophon had proposed to her parents for Cyrene's hand in marriage, but on one condition. Cyrene would have to move to Pirithous House full-time along with Demophon. His family was moving all the way to Paris.

She wanted to say "Mom, Demophon is known for his love of all-out slaughter tacitly put aside as 'in the bloodline's favor'. I don't really care about marriage (even though Cyrene was an oddity; not already at least engaged at 15), and I don't intend to until I've had at least one cycle to hunt!"

However this would be considered disrespectful (even directed at one of the parthenoi), so she instead said nothing and went to her room.

**Chapter 26**

*July, 2000, first day of the Agon, 7:15 p.m.*

Despite his metal mask obscuring his face, Cyrene knew that the hunter was Demophon.

Melicerta said nothing. Demophon in his hunter's robes and mask looked like a generic theater version of a hunter.

"You're coming with me. In Lord Loveweaver's name, your reprehensible, vile defiance ends here!"

His voice had always been presumptuous, theatrical and annoying, but now he was insufferable.

"Demophon, have you considered that I *might* be more cooperative if you *didn't* pull out that xiphos?"

The xiphos he carried, too, looked like something from a theater preformance, all studded with impractical jewels in the hilt and blade, comically oversized, and gaudy as all heck. Cyrene had a special place of hate for this hunter reserved in her heart.

Melicerta was rolling his eyes faintly, and neither hunter had time to breathe before Cyrene took her dagger and tried to incapacitate them both. That was a mistake.

Knocked to the ground, she fought against a bloody wound to hide. Melicerta captured her. However, Cyrene knew she wouldn't go easy.

**Chapter 27**

*1986, mid-to-late March*

Menoetius was supposed to be alone, as per usual. He instead listened to his parents' conversations, as per usual. Instead of the usual politics, it was about Cyrene.

"Cyrene is supposed to be married off to Demophon next year. We should have Menoetius talk some sense into Cyrene about marrying him! It's a good idea, even if she won't see it,' his dad said.

Cyrene's arranged marriage she had told him about. She had also listed innumerable good reasons to not, such as her being relegated to being one of the parthenoi, being forced to marry the theatrical and terribly fight-happy person who had been known to be overagressive and defensive over minor issues, and her loss of her limited autonomy.

It seemed like his dad said that he should try *convincing* Cyrene to marry Demophon. He'd never do so; it was against his wishes and hers. Or... did he want Menoetius to... marry Cyrene? He had no romantic feelings for her, and she didn't for him, so both scenarios were terrible.

What would he do? What *could* he do? He had to do something, but what? These questions gnawed at him all night.

**Chapter 28**

*2000, July, the first day of the Agon, 7:20 p.m.*

Melicerta had captured Cyrene. Cyrene knew this, but even with a bloody injury on her leg, she could still put up a fight.

As Melicerta escorted her as gently as a hunter could, she exaggerated her injury's effects. If she let herself fall to the ground, odds were she'd be carried by Melicerta, be recognized as overblowing it, or injure herself more. If she could get him to think that she was playing along, but make a break for it later... no, he would figure that one out quick.

Her thought process was cut short by a realization: If she went through with going there, she did have the beeswax still on her person. Loveweaver couldn't persuade her without her hearing the new god.

What did Loveweaver want her for? He had 'requested' she ally with him, but he'd never told her what he wanted exactly. Cyrene knew, however. She was the lioness with her own priorities beyond helping the bloodline. Having her under his thumb would make the never-archon new god look better and would send a clear message. Plus, she was supposedly responsible for Warbringer getting away. No wonder he wanted Cyrene so badly that some of the better hunters weren't going after gods.

A realization struck her. She was here, at the Theseides' Aegeus House. The place she'd been avoiding for years.

**Chapter 29**

*1986, late March*

Cyrene had had enough of Demophon.

Demophon hadn't left her alone at all, sending her call after call to her landline (her later unplugging it), leaving tons of attempts to ask the dowry (written, called, even stuck to her door. How he had gotten into her house was another matter entirely.

She told him to cut it out. Demophon didn't cut it out.

Cut to March 31st, and Cyrene ignored him completely. That's all she could do, really. It had been only a few weeks, but she never wanted to see Demophon again.

"Cyrene, you have a guest waiting for you in your room. Go meet him," her father ordered.

Urania's astronomy stuff had gotten messed up, and she knew why, most likely, it was disturbed. Cyrene marched to her room, where he was waiting. She had never wanted to see this jerk again, but here he was, in her room. Allowed to be there, too. He was like a plague that never left.

**Chapter 30**

*2000, July, first day of the Agon, 8:15 p.m.*

Aegeus House was mostly without hunters; only one Blooded was there besides Loveweaver himself. Ceyx, Cyrene noted, despite being obviously well-fed, clothed, and respected, had gray hairs at 45. Stress, she presumed. But how much did the new god have him *do*?

Cyrene thought about trying to escape. No, that wouldn't work. Demophon and Melicerta were both escorting her. But what she could do was plug her ears. The beeswax was still there in her pocket.

As the door opened to the new Aphrodite's room (or luxury apartment), she saw the god himself, not a day over what he looked the last Agon, when she'd seen him ascend.

**Chapter 31**

*Late March, 1986*

Menoetius tried to read his book. His father, Amphitryon, was jumping down his throat again, and he wanted a distraction.

With Amphitryon, it was always "Why haven't you proposed to 'that girl' yet?", "Train to be a better hunter so you can honor the bloodline which raised you!", and other things berating him for not being a stellar hunter, or not interested in Cyrene (or any woman, really).

His book of choice was on Damen Kadmou, the old Dionysus, and Abas Perseous. Abas had bound his fate with Dionysus to protect Dionysus from the Kadmides, but that hadn't worked too well.

He couldn't read it, though. He was too preoccupied, and felt like tossing the stupid thing across the room. Being an only child meant that he got tons of alone time to ruminate on... nothing.

He'd gain his own freedom eventually. Serve his bloodline in a way he wanted. He'd ascend to heights no one else would in his own way.

**Chapter 32**

*2000, July, the first day of the Agon, 8:20 p.m.*

With the door opened, Cyrene waa hit by a flood of memories. Loveweaver was around, and he was gone, though.

"Yeah, Loveweaver, what do you want from me? It's been a couple years, and I'm exactly as eager to see you now as I was earlier," Cyrene said.

"Be that as it may, I'm not going to ignore your traitor status. Do not forget that you tried to kill me as I was ascending. I spared you then, but do not assume that'll be the case again," the new god stated.

"Yes, and I failed. I didn't stop you then, and haven't been able to since. Do you think you can hide *how* you ascended forever? I know how, even if you've fooled everyone else. An accident? A failed weakening of prey? No, it was all part of your 'grand plan' that you ."

Instead of answering, Loveweaver changed tactics. "What did you hit instead of "

Cyrene had no choice but to answer. "There. That's it. Happy? I have no grand plans, no "

"It was my mask. I gave it to you. And you will be serving penance for what caused him to break the mask at all. Mercy is not a privilege I'll spare for you or Urania," the new god said.

"Look, Menoetius, this was fun and all, but I have better things to do then talk to a ghost."

She then stuck the beeswax in her ears before anyone in the room could react.

**Chapter 33**

*Mid-to-late March, 1986*

Cyrene went to her room, knowing that Demophon awaited, invited.

"Yes, Demophon, I know that you're invited to be here. That doesn't mean I'll marry you, and that doesn't mean you're welcome here by me," she said, sighing.

Demophon straightened from examining her bookshelf. "I don't care what you want, what you get is far more important. Your rebelliousness wouldn't even be tolerated by half the bloodline. You have *so much* to work on. And besides, your stitches on this garment are clearly off! You need to know your stitchwork, or else how will you repair my heirloom robes?"

He produced a peplos she had stored in her closet. It was one her parents had commissioned for the last Agon, depicting Theseus's triumphant return from slaying the Minotaur. It didn't, however, show any of the unpleasant moments of that trip. Demophon examined it carefully, in a way designed to mock her.

"My wife will need to be good at stitchwork. I can send for a rag, if you need. What's this?" he asked rhetorically, poking at a dory and glancing at her as if the action physically wounded him. "I expect my parthenos to be poised, but how would a dory help? Your parents must have put it in here for me," he said, grabbing the weapon. He tested the balance, and then pretended to use it. Of course, the entire action was steeped in melodramatic flair.

"Watch that thing! I'd expect the illustrious son of Cthonius to be good enough with a spear to not hit someone accidentally. And besides, I'm not one of the parthenoi, I'm a lioness," Cyrene said.

"Well, you won't be a lioness in anything but name soon. Besides, it's a lot safer for a woman to be a parthenos than a lioness! I wouldn't want my *wife* destroying anything!"

Demophon laughed at his last sentence like a joke. Of course it was to him. Cyrene wanted now more than ever to take the dagger she had hidden and stab him, but recoiled at that thought. Kin-killing would anger the Erinyes, and he was a guest in her parents' apartment. Would that be enough to anger Zeus?

Demophon decided to leave, amused. "Maybe I won't need to pacify you. It's cute, really. Just be a little less aggressive, it ruins the charm."