<strong>"Iron this toga well, Themistocles. I do not want to look like a poor sailor!"</strong>, Orion ordered his young, hunky apprentice to be careful with the richly ornated white toga. It was plain white, but the embroidered details showed a sophistication that only aristocrats and rich traders could afford - he had already seen finer items in Alexandria that unfortunately didn't exist in Athens.<br/><br/><strong>"Why are you so picky today, Orion? Any pretty Athenian girl?"</strong>, Themistocles sarcastically asked, aware that his master had already told him poorly about the women in Athens.<br/><br/>Laughing loudly, Orion was laying on the bed and thinking about what he should do next.<br/><br/><strong>"What makes you think that way, Themistocles?"</strong><br/><br/>Indeed, the apprentice was right. Meeting the blonde beauty was slowly unlocking senses that Orion considered to be deprived of. Day after day, even under the surveillance of her father, Daphne made Orion envision what was behind. For a long time, the sailor had been blind. However, since the rendezvous next to the fountain, Orion began to bring the pieces of Daphne's puzzle together. She was certainly a great woman and would be a star in his villa in Alexandria. She seemed to be the delicate touch required to make life flow in a more harmonic way: beautiful and intelligence, she had been educated in a way that made Orion envisage what a great person she could become.<br/><br/><strong>"Indeed, there is...."</strong>, Orion paused, closing his eyes and seeing Daphne in hands with Eirene.<strong>"Indeed, there are...."</strong><br/><br/>Themistocles let the ashes fall out of the iron onto the wooden floor of his ship. Orion swiftly stood up and using an old mop, he grabbed the ashes and put them back into the iron.<br/><br/><strong>"Be more careful. Luckily it did not ruin my toga"</strong>, Orion reprimanded Themistocles, examining the expensive fabric.<br/><br/><strong>"Sorry, master. But I did not think you would ever get interested in one of those women. You spoke so lowly about them... and those who are waiting for you in Alexandria are marvellous"</strong>.<br/><br/><strong>"This is why you nearly set the ship on fire. Think less about my life and focus on your tasks", </strong>a calm Orion replied, while laying on the bed. Themistocles continued ironing the toga and left his cabin.<br/><br/>Orion returned to his bed and stretched his arms. He yawned and laid onto his right side, giving the back to Themistocles. With his closed eyes, Eirene's image came to his mind. While Daphne seemed to be charmed by him, the same did not happen to Eirene. His challenge was double: to steal Daphne from Eirene and to steal Eirene too. Slowly, Morpheus blessed with with a relaxing nap - he would need to be revitalized to reach his objectives.<br/><br/><div align="center">****</div><br/>Just as Orion expected, Eirene was not at the door greeting the guests. Only slaves were at the door, cleaning the feet and providing any assistance the guests would need. That aspect of the Athenian hospitality was largely unknown to him: as an orphan, he had never the chance of attending a family house. However, given his high emotional intelligence, it was not hard to figure out how to behave. Shortly after, he was inside the main open space. From far, he spotted Eirene's presence: she was gorgeous, irradiating a natural confidence and an untamed beauty. Indeed, Orion had a good image of Athens when he departed many years ago. As she had not seen him, the rich sailor just paid attention to her toast and after taking a plain silver glass with red Boeotian wine from a tray, he smiled and repeated what everyone did in the large hall. By then, a question tormented his thoughts.<br/><br/>Where was his prey? Where was his Daphne?<br/><br/>As a predator, Orion mingled with the selected crowd in search of the gold-haired woman. It was not actually a crowd, but a large group of smartly dressed noblemen. At first, Orion had the impression none of their faces was familiar - in reality, tracking Daphne down took some time as Eirene's mansion consisted of several different rooms and halls, so that the guests would not be in the same place at once. Orion concluded that Daphne was not there and started to pay attention to the guests' semblances. One after the other, all of them were to a certain extent familiar: traders, aristocrats and politicians. From time to time, he would recognize one of those who bullied many years ago. Always paying attention to the door - Daphne would probably come from there -, he got entertained with the chitchat and did not realize Eirene coming. Accident? Coincidence? It didn't matter - as the sailor turned the face, there she was.<br/><br/><strong>"I know this lacks originality and you deserve more, Eirene. Take it as a small token of my renewed consideration for the woman you are"</strong>, Orion spoke, bowing and handing her in another rose, taken from his toga's lapel. His gaze was just like the one spent on Daphne in the fountain. He did not blink, waiting for Eirene's reaction. Deep inside, she probably despised him - this only made her more interesting. Suddenly, with the corner of his eyes, Orion spotted Daphne and her father entering.<br/><br/>Orion's eyes turned to Daphne, who had not seen both of them yet. Waving with the other hand, Orion walked towards the blonde juvenile woman, wearing an enthusiastic smile.