It was a dark moonless night and the city was quiet. There were no people on the streets and everything seamed abandoned from a fair distance, like it was resting. But if you look close you can see that there is life here and things only seem peaceful, while beneath the surface things were much more complicated.<br/>Even at that late hour someone was working. Gaiana, punctual to her work as usual, couldn’t live the idea of not finishing in time so she stayed up late. Times were difficult for her father’s business. With all the pirates’ attacks, only last month they lost three of their ships.<br/>So she had to write. Letters to her father’s Egyptian and Persian partners had to be ready by morning. The candles were nearly finished and she saw how the slave girl walked in and replaced them with new ones.<br/>“Laena, bring me some more ink.”, the mistress said to her with a distant voice. The slave bowed and silently walked out of the room. It had passed awhile since she was free, but sometimes, you could tell that once she was a free spirit. There was something in the way her eyes glowed that gave her away (and had earned her many lashes in the past). She returned shortly, bringing a small vial that had been prepared earlier today. The girl left it on the wooden desk and bowed again, but didn’t leave. It was a sign she wanted to speak with her mistress. Gaiana didn’t notice that at once and when she did, she just said “Yes, you can speak, girl.”<br/>“I had to remind madame that tomorrow is the big dinner in honour of your little sister. And your father wanted you to participate and write a speech of gratitude towards the guests.”<br/>Gaiana sighed. She was so into her work she had nearly forgotten about that. It was a great honour, actually, to have your little sister be a potential High Priestess of Athena. But it also meant she had more work to do. Her whole family was devoting most of their time to prepare and support Diana for the day the decision would be announced. But for Gaiana, the pirate problem was came first. To get her elected, they had to give lots of presents to the right people, and money was drying…<br/><br/><br/><br/>In another part of the city, Donaracles was concerned with his missing servant. She was one of the best in the kitchen, daughter to his cook and her disappearance was strange and shocking to people that knew her. She always worked with passion and it was not in her character to just leave things and run away. Young girls do that, but it didn’t seem to be the case. Her parents were convinced that she was kidnapped by a sea monster because the last place she’d been seen was near the pyre. Most of his servants were talking about the other three girls missing in the town, and there were rumors of a vicious monster that ate maidens. Donaracles was fairly skeptical about the monster part, but this cast disturbance in his household and some of the younger slaves and servants were terrified of going outside, even in broad daylight.<br/>There was something good about that, though- with the monster attacking maidens, most of the other girls had taken the appropriate measures not to be targeted.<br/><br/>There was one place that was usually full of life even at the small hours of the night. “Rest for heroes” had never seen a hero cross its door since the tavern was built, but it was the most respected tavern in the city. Unlike other places of that sort, it gathered not only the scum and low-life of society, but sometimes, it even had honest visitors that hand never been afraid a price could be placed on their had. They were still a minority, though.<br/>It was one of those places where night didn’t pass without a lovely fight. Licinia was sitting at a small table, in the far corner of the room. From time to time, she looked at the growing fight but tonight she just wasn’t in the mood to join. She was thinking about her assignment. This time, she was sent to deliver a message to one of the priestesses of Athena in Lindos, some Alexa girl. She was going to the temple first thing in the morning, because the massage was urgent. Or so they said, but it couldn’t have been something so important. Otherwise it would have been sent with a ship from the city of Rhodos. She had good mind to go straight to the temple, but since she arrived so late, Licinia decided to spend the night in the tavern and deliver the message in the morning.<br/><br/>The Acropolis of Lindos. A huge construction overlooking the city and the sea. From up there, you can see all the peninsula. And inside was the temple of Athena, the buildings in which her priestesses lived. It was like a small city, inhabited mostly by women. It had its own leader, the High Priestess, its own guards and the warrior priestesses were its army. And now, with the time to elect a new High Priestess, everyone was on pins and needles. The old one was very sick and could die at any moment. The priestess that had amassed the most support by this time, would get the title. The decision was made by the Ten Priestesses, acting like a little council to the High Priestess, and each had her own area of competence. And their decision was mainly dictated by the deeds of the elected ones, their recommendations and many other factors. Money was supposed not be a factor. Well, it was supposed it wasn’t.<br/>Alexa was one of those Ten, and this night, she couldn’t go to sleep, thinking about the upcoming decision she had to make.<br/><br/>There was a noise. Such a loud noise that it woke Alyssandra up It took her a while to realize what was going on.<br/>Someone was knocking at her door. It wasn’t something new to her. People often came at odd hors searching for miracles, believing that she could do magic or something. This was very annoying to her, especially when they brought black dogs for sacrifice, supposing she’s a secret priestess of Hecate. But sometimes, there were people who actually understood the nature of her work, and such people provided her with a fair amount of money for the things she could do. Alyssandra rolled from her bed and grabbing the first clothes-like thing she could find, she went for the door. There was a man in his thirties, or prematurely old, with raven-black hair and very well-dressed.<br/>“I am looking for Alyssandra of Pyrrha.”, he said in a gallant voice.<br/>“You have found her. And may I ask why the late hour?”<br/>“I need something. It’s a matter of life and death, and should be handled in private. And they said you are the best. I’m going to pay generously.”<br/>And with those words, he showed a purse that looked…nice. In a heavy way.<br/>Obviously, his four guards allowed him to carry such amounts of money in the city at night. She just hoped he wouldn’t bring these four brutes in her house, since he needed privacy. They seemed little better than animals or barbarians.<br/>“You can come and we can talk in private, but your guards stay outside.”<br/>He nodded to them and followed her in.<br/>“So, what is this about?”<br/>“I need two things from you. I need a sleeping potion, and a love mixture.”<br/>