A Wistful Silver Lining

After the god of war made his procession, the people began to be at ease and so was Athena. 

The silver-eyed beauty pretended nothing had happened as she returned to her wandering thoughts about the people and the possibility of her work. 

And when the clouds fully covered the sun, overcasting the place with nothing but dullness and austerity, Athena finally made it to the end of the line where an old and cranky man was sitting with his scroll and his reed pen waiting to pound a name on the smooth sheet. 

"And you are?" The old man asked suspiciously—looking at her with an intense eye. 

"Good day, my lord, my name is uh—Thena—Thena of the north. I am Vivinna's nearest kin and here to replace her while she rests."

"Rest?" The man's ears perked up. "My, my, my—an indentured servant who rests? When I became the headmaster of these grapevines I never permitted one for a rest. Tell me, who permitted this Vivinna to rest?"

"She is heavy with child, my lord." Athena graciously responded—not one note in her voice rose despite sensing the growing tension from the headmaster. 

"Ha!" He grunted. "There are also pregnant women here, but they do not complain! They are more thankful, knowing they will be rewarded with a room inside the boat when the great move begins."

"All for a room that will last for how many moons?" Athena started to retort, eyeing him like an eagle. "That is not quite a fair prize if a woman, with a growing child in her womb, also had to break her back all for such an uncertain space whether her family would even be comfortable?" 

His eyes began to heat as his soul simmered like the burbling fumes of a mad volcano. He hated her confidence and assumed that Athena was disrespecting his title. 

"Are you saying that the law is unjust? Are you telling me that the system here does not benefit anyone?"

Seeing his frustration, Athena remained collected. "I think I need not to answer that, my lord. I did not mean to be uncivil but I am just worried about my cousin. Anytime now she might give birth."

"That is no concern of mine unless her quota was met."

This time, Athena was equally mad by his answer. She was deeply insulted as if Vivinna was nothing but an object of no importance. 

"How can you call yourself a leader when you look at your subordinates as objects?"

"These workers are no subordinates of mine!" He started to yell, matched with bloodshot eyes that one could best describe as horrendous and unflattering. "Do not equal me with these desperate nobodies! If they want to sail comfortably then they have to earn it."

"And then get nothing in the long run? Was it also included in your law to give them the same duties when we arrive in this new paradise? Because all I see are people being exploited."

Upon hearing the growing debacle, the crowds began to circle them—wanting to see that one lady who bravely stood her ground before the authoritative headmaster. 

There were whispers now—talks about the mysterious woman who never bent her words as the headmaster crumbled in madness with ad hominin rebuttal. The workers secretly nodded to Athena's reasonings and were pleased to know that finally, someone had their thoughts laid candidly onto the table of the cruel man. 

"This law you implemented is horrible. It is a crime against morale. Look at everyone who gathered—there are old, those who are unable, and other delicate mothers who were supposed to be resting and raising their children. This law of yours insulted their very dignity! The compensation you created has no value like an olive to stone."

"Why you little prick!" The old man fumed, rising from his seat. But as he was about to strike her, someone from a distance called his attention. 

"Hold your temper, Sethre!" 

Noticing her amongst the crowd, the headmaster gradually eased down. "Haemona." He said. 

Discerning her name rang bells inside Athena's memory. She knew of such a name but could not recall when and where she heard of it. Gazing back to the newcomer now that she was closer, both women had this certain familiarity—a certain connection where one was benign and the other had this malice in her head. 

"I knew it." The woman—pale and had eyes as dark as the starless sky—quietly acclaimed. "If I were you, Sethre, I would not confidently hit this woman. You do not want to end up becoming a spider, right?"

Sethre raised a brow, confused about what she implied. "What do you mean a spider?" 

"Oh me, oh my, my dear Sethre." She purred, grinning as she brushed his pointy chin. "You may be titled yet you are equally dumb as a stump. Don't you know what happened to that poor girl who was very talented in weaving? She was hexed with eight legs and her human beauty faded into a monstrosity. Have I said the story right—goddess Athena?" Haemona then violently yanked the cloak out, revealing Athena before every civilian present. 

There were wheezes of shock knowing that a once great goddess was among them. Sethre too was not immune to the revelation, taken aback by the reality that he was arguing with an ethereal being. Silver-eyed beauty had not failed to mesmerise the mortals once again. 

"Look at you, Athena. Once a revered divinity now walks among the unfortunates. Are you finally raising a white banner?"

Athena did not say anything, remembering now that Haemona was once a nymph serving under Enyo's rule. She recalled murmurs of her and how her suddenness matched that of her mistress's. Her senses did not disappoint for Athena had finally seen the wickedness of the former nymph's character. 

Haemona got frustrated and growled under her hot breath as she received no response from her. What seemed to be seconds wasted, she then violently pulled Athena and dragged her to a place she only knew where. 

Rightfully so, the silver-eyed lady could not comprehend the swiftness of the event—yelling only, "Unhand me!" to her captor. The people were also too stunned to say more about the incident, letting the situation be as they could only watch in horror the assault of once such a respectable being. 

After a mile of running and escaping the vineyard, Haemona led Athena to a moving camp where armoured men gallantly walked and rode on their great steeds. Noticing their approach, they made way and permitted the former nymph to humiliate Athena as she tore off her upper garments—exposing her breast—and dragged her by the hair. 

As the horrid Haemona anticipated, the men giggled and were fascinated to see such a sight. 

"Ha! A chaste goddess like you sure did arouse a band of grown men." Haemona sarcastically teased while glorifying the struggle she put Athena through. 

Finally reaching the one she intended to see, Haemona threw her prey on the ground, surprising a black horse and its rider. 

"What is all this, Haemona?" Enyo shouted. 

"Look who I saw lining up to work for the vineyard, my lady."

When Enyo looked down, she met Athena's glare. Indeed shocked, she immediately composed herself and smirked at the very sight of her pitiful state. 

"Well, look at you, Athena. Such grace it is to see you—and oh! With no upper garments? Oh dear, what a revelation to know you now wanted to sell your body to my men." As Enyo loudly quipped, soldiers, who followed her tail, laughed. 

"A repeated insult of my body? Is that all you can do to punish me, my gracious goddess of war?" Athena mocked, trying to rise despite it being arduous to cover her bare chest. 

"Oh, do not try to hide your newfound calling." She bitterly told her while climbing down from her horse. "I am not at all stone-hearted, my dear. I can accept you to work at my vineyard. It is wrong of me to let a poor woman surrender every bit of her dignity to a man's lust all because she wanted to survive."

"I wanted to work on the vineyard to replace someone. A heavily pregnant lady requires rest, Enyo. Who knows if her time will come to give birth? It would be chaos amongst the grapevine!"

"It doesn't matter to me, Athena. She can give birth wherever she wants but if she is desperate to stay in a comfortable room on the ship, that woman had to work for it."

Athena was even more upset to hear such vileness from her as her heartbeat increased along with the boiling of her temper. A dark heart was truly the right description for Enyo when silver orbs studied her merciless being. "You are a mother, Enyo." Athena began, raising her chin high upon sensing the dangerous static between them. "You should know the feeling of motherhood when you carried Enyalios. Not unless those whispers were true—"

"Say it!" Enyo rushed towards her—grabbing her face with brute force as Athena struggled to speak. "Say what you wanted to say!"

"It is imprudent to ask her to speak when you hold her face like that, Enyo." Ares entered, riding his beast that was dark as a shadow and had the same raging amber eyes as his master. "The owl will speak if you let her go."

By his command, the goddess released Athena—leaving her with a red mark on her cheeks and an adrenaline rush that painfully doubled the speed of her lungs and pulse. 

"What is your business here, Athena?" Ares asked, seemingly veering his disposition as he descended from his horse and walked towards her.

"Haemona told me that Athena wants to work in the vineyard." Enyo discreetly halted him, taking his arm as if she were his better half. 

"The vineyard?" He looked back at Athena who was giving all her might to be stout even though her circumstance was far from better. 

"It is true, my lord." She respectfully bowed before looking back at him. "I was willing to take someone's place in the vineyard, but as I perceived, I think my chances are futile." In an unusual occurrence, she beamed them a poised smile and said to him coquettishly, "So, with that being said, I now accept your offer."

"Offer?" Ares was puzzled, followed by Enyo who questioned the same thing. 

"Yes—I am accepting your offer to work for you. To service you. Remember now, my lord? You told me the other night." Her grin became enticing—a whispering seduction that was rare and truly gleaming. 

Without knowing her prowess, Ares was starting to adore her scheme—treating it like a sport he would gladly strive to win. "Ah, now I remember." He shammed, unknowingly releasing himself from Enyo's grasp. "I did offer you something that night. I asked you to be my hetaerae."

Enyo could not control herself as she gasped at his very words. 

"Oh, Athena—Hellas's once favoured goddess, you will now be my companion. You will be with me in whatever engagements, advised me if necessary, and—" Ares oddly chuckled as he played the tips of her curls, "and I want you to obey me if I need your nightly service." 

Athena felt queasy. She had a great nausea whirling in her head while her stomach was knotted tightly with no space to breathe. Her ears became deaf, muffling the echoing heaves of those astounded by Ares's words. 

The world around her was beginning to slow down, drawing to a pace that shifted into a pause when she intently stared at him. There was no clear vivid reaction from him, yet painted on his face was the definite somberness. Oh the desire to burn him was growing like a vine wrapping around a wall. She wanted to fight him. She desired to curse him for all eternity. However, Athena had already forfeited her chance to do so as she could no longer escape him realising this time—Ares was her only escape from Enyo's challenge. 

"Ye—yes" She stuttered while delicately bowing down. "I will honour my word. I wholeheartedly obliged to your conditions, my lord." 

Pleased with her answer, Ares cupped her chin and raised her lowered face—a gesture for all to witness that the lovely Athena has now surrendered to his will. 

"That is right, my owl." Ares sneered.