"You look regal," Hylla told Reyna as she placed a crown of golden leaves among her sister's dark hair.

"I can be a princess when I need to," Reyna replied.
A slave girl held up an etched bronze mirror so Reyna could admire her white linen tunic embroidered with golden thread. A pink mantle was draped across her shoulders and she wore chunky gold earrings and a delicate chain around her neck.

"Do you think Prince Jason will like me?"
"He doesn't have to like you, he just has to marry you."
"I know, but do you think like me?"
Reyna felt silly for hoping that a man she had never met would like her. But since they were to spend the rest of their lives together, perhaps it was not that silly.
"Of course, why wouldn't he?"
The reflection which looked back at Reyna had strong, symmetrical features, clear, olive skin, and fierce, dark eyes. Dressed up in court finery, she almost didn't recognize herself. Simple wool tunics, bronze and leather armor, and messy braids were what she and Hylla usually wore back in Latium.
Most of their time was spent in army camps throughout central Italy, where long dresses and heavy jewelry would not be practical, rather than at their palace in Rome. Aside from the greenish tint that sea sickness had given to her complexion, Hylla seemed more at ease than she did; Hylla could at least avoid tripping over the skirt of her red tunic and the hem of her white veil as she rushed to find a place to throw up. Her gold jewelry included a diadem which held her veil in place and a girdle which belted her tunic.

Whether she wore jewels or armor, Hylla Ramirez-Arellano always looked every inch a queen, even as she wretched into an amphora.
A skinny slave entered the cabin. His dark hair fell in front of his pimply face in mop of curls. A scruffy little beard gave him a goat-like appearance.
"Excuse me, My Lady," he said to Hylla. "We're about to dock in Thessaloniki."
"Thank Fortuna," Hylla said. "I've seen men die in every gruesome way you can imagine but a two day sail turns my stomach."
"In your condition, that's to be expected," Reyna added.
"Five months along, and I wasn't sick until I boarded this damn ship."
Hylla never had much desire to marry. She took whatever man she wanted to her bed and kicked him out when she was finished. But a need to provide Latium with a legitimate heir made her settle on Marcus Vitellius, one of her most trusted generals. Reyna doubted that motherhood would soften Hylla. Like with a she-wolf, anyone who tried to harm her cub would do so at their peril.

The first thing Reyna saw of Thessaloniki was Mount Olympus looming over the city. As the ship sailed closer to shore, Reyna could see the city's skyline. She picked out the palace complex, her soon to be new home, spread out across the Acropolis.
Reyna wondered what was waiting for her in Thessaloniki. She hoped that Prince Jason would be something like what her brother-in-law Vitellius was to Hylla: some who would trust and respect her; a partner and an ally.
"My lady, we're just about to dock," the goatish slave announced to Hylla.
"Make sure the sailors are ready to unload our things off the ship," Hylla replied. "And Mercus, take it easy with the wine today. We want to make a good impression on the Macedonians."
Mercus flashed her a cheeky grin which said "I'm not making any promises."

The sailors tossed lines to their counterparts on land and the ship was moored at the quayside. Reyna felt her stomach drop as she set foot on the gangplank and she hesitated a moment.
"Don't worry, My Lady," Mercus called to her. "You're the prize."
"Thanks Merc," Reyna shouted back.
Another friend waited for her on land: a splendid stallion with a light brown coat that had been brushed until it shone like bronze. A leather bridle and reigns inlaid with gold were placed on his head and a blanket of Tyrian purple wool was spread across his back.

"Scipio, don't you look handsome today," Reyna said to the horse as she stroked his muzzle.
Scipio whinnied and stamped his hoof.
"I know Skippy. I'm glad to get off that ship too."
Mercus brought over a stool and helped Reyna on to Scipio's back. She was to ride on horseback alongside Hylla's chariot. Hylla whistled and pulled at her reigns: the signal for the procession to begin. It wound its way through the streets of Thessaloniki, past the modest stucco and wood shops and dwellings near the docks and the palatial marble temples and mansions closer to the Acropolis.
The city made Rome look like a frontier trading post, which was not far off. Citizens from all walks of life lined the streets in order to get a good look at the visiting queen and princess.
Wealthy merchants and nobles stood with their retinues of slaves holding parasols over their heads and fanning them with peacock and ostrich feathers. Shop keepers and their apprentices huddled in the shade of awnings. Pretty children in their best clothes and on their best behavior tossed flowers. Mothers held up their little ones so they could get a better look. Fathers pointed out things as they passed by to their sons and daughters. Maidens admired their clothes and jewels with envious eyes. Youths winked, blew kisses, and called out lewd things, which Reyna was composed enough to brush off.
She greeted the crowds with a smile, or a nod, or a wave and they cheered her. Her first appearance in Thessaloniki was a success-one of the weights holding her down was removed.

King Zeus, Queen Hera, and their court meet them on the steps of the palace. Mercus brought a stool so Reyna could dismount from Scipio's back, then helped Hylla down from her chariot.
"So who's who?" Reyna asked her sister as they approached the portico.
"You'll know." Hylla replied.
The tall, burly, bull-necked man the long, dark curly hair and bushy, dark beard streaked with silver and white was presumably King Zeus. A slight, girlish woman with elaborately dressed blond hair and a sickly sweet smile stood next to him. She was dressed in a white short-sleeved tunic and a one-shouldered peplos over her chiton and a sky blue himation. Judging by how much gold and pearl jewelry she wore, she was Queen Hera.

Hylla approached the couple.
"My Lord, My Lady," she announced. "I present my sister, Reyna of House Ramirez-Arellano, Princess of Latium."
Reyna stepped forward and bowed. King Zeus walked down the steps of the portico.
"My ladies," he boomed. "I present my son, Jason of House Grace, Prince of Macedonia."
He gestured for a young man to join him.
Prince Jason was as tall and powerfully built as his father with the same rugged good looks but had his mother's blond hair and mercilessly charming smile.
"My Lady," he said to Reyna, then kissed her on both cheeks. "You are most welcome here."
"Thessaloniki is stunning," Reyna replied. "And most welcoming. It is an honor to be here."
She took his arm and he lead her into the palace. Their first meeting had gone well- another weight was removed.

Reyna had thought that her family's palace in Rome was luxurious but it looked like a shepherd's hut compared to what stood before her. The vaulted, marble halls were painted in vivid colors. Frescoes and mosaics depicted stories of gods, heroes, and monsters. Reyna recognized some of them since she had heard a number of Hellenic myths from Greek traders who passed through Rome. She would ask Prince Jason to tell her the ones she did not know.
Prince Jason was every bit as handsome as she had heard. He looked like a hero from the legendary early days of Latium's history; like Aeneas or Romulus. Hopefully he had their steely virtue along with their rugged, austere, good looks.
After the formal introductions, Hylla and Reyna were shown to their chambers, so they could rest and freshen up before the banquet that evening. Reyna's chambers were called the koraiceum because they were where the unmarried women slept. She recognized the tales told in the frescoes and mosaics. They involved the Goddess Diana, though the Greeks knew her as Artemis.
The day's events had left Reyna feeling exhausted but had given her plenty to think about. So taking a nap seemed like a good idea. The bed had a down-stuffed mattress and Egyptian linen sheets and looked quite inviting. The slave girls who had come with her from Rome helped her to undress for sleep. They laid out her clothes so she could put them back on before the banquet. Reyna laid down on the luxuriously soft bed and quickly nodded off.

A slave Reyna did not recognize woke her up from her nap. She was tall and gangly with messy hair and a filthy chiton.
"Excuse me, My Lady," the slave mumbled. "I was sent to wake you. Your maids should be here soon to dress you for the banquet."
Reyna sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes.
"Thank you," she said. "What's your name, slave?"
"Aphrodisia, My Lady."
Aphrodisia had delicate, feline features and with her sloppy appearance and lanky form, she reminded Reyna of a scruffy, overgrown kitten. The slave bowed to her before leaving the room. Reyna's maids entered as she left. They descended on Reyna like vultures on fresh carrion.
"You look beautiful, Princess," one of them exclaimed when they were done.
Reyna looked at herself in the mirror. Her maids had arranged her dark hair in a simple braided wreath around her head, the style which suited her the best. The golden jewelry twinkled in the lamplight against Reyna's olive skin. Her kohl lined dark eyes smoldered seductively. She agreed; she did look beautiful.
"Prince Jason won't be able to take his eyes off of you," another maid chirped.

Aphrodisia showed her to the megaron, where the banquet was to be held. Reyna found Prince Jason talking and drinking wine with two young women. One of them was dark haired with constellations of freckles across her pale skin who wore a dark purple chiton and a midnight blue himation. Crowning her elaborate hairdo was a simple golden diadem.

Standing next to her was a stunning girl in a beige chiton embroidered with multicolored patterns, and a red himation. Her rich brown hair was pulled back into a cone shaped teal headdress.
"How was your sail from Athens, Lady Piper?" Prince Jason said to her.
"Brief, thankfully," Lady Piper replied. Her long, lashed eyes were lowered shyly when she spoke with the prince and her face glowed in the lamp light.
"When should we expect Annabeth to arrive from Delos?"
"Any day now. I doubt she'll tarry longer than necessary. She's anxious to get back to her beloved Percy."
Reyna knew that another couple, Prince Perseus of Crete and Princess Annabeth of Athens, were to be married around the same time as her and Prince Jason.
"I doubt even the Gods themselves could keep those two apart."
The dark haired girl with the freckles locked her icy eyes on Reyna.
"Don't look now," she whispered to Prince Jason. "But here comes your Italian she-wolf."
"I take that as a compliment, My Lady," Reyna replied. "A she-wolf suckled my forefather Romulus. If it wasn't for her, the city of Rome wouldn't exist."
The icy eyes warmed a bit.
"Princess Reyna," Prince Jason cut in. "How are you liking Thessaloniki so far?"
"I was quite impressed with Mount Olympus," Reyna replied. "Is it true that if you climb to the top of it, you'll find your Gods." 
"I wouldn't know. I've never been to the top but I've been hunting in the foothills all my life. It's such a beautiful landscape that you can feel their presence."
"I would love to see it."
Prince Jason flagged down one of the slaves, who brought Reyna a small, bell shaped cup of wine. The delicate little cup was painted with an intricate scene of revelers processing towards an alter where priests were about to sacrifice a bull.

"There's a shrine to the King of the Gods, you would know him as Jupiter, at Dion. It sits at the foot of Mount Olympus and is one of the best places to see the mountain from. I've been meaning to go there and make a sacrifice."
Reyna smiled. This was a good sign.
"Would you excuse me, please," Lady Piper added.
She walked away from the group and over to where a slave girl was singing and playing the lyre. Her face looked pale and the radiant smile she had while speaking with Jason was gone.
"I better leave you two alone as well," Icy eyes winked at them. "There are feta stuffed olives with my name on them."

"Be careful, Thalia," Prince Jason said. "Your suitors won't want you anymore if you don't keep your figure."
Thalia flashed an obscene hand gesture at Jason before heading towards a slave with a tray of refreshments.
"That's my sister for you." Prince Jason shrugged.
Princess Thalia's eyes watched them as she stuffed her mouth with olives.
The slave girl who played the lyre began to sing a ballad about two star-crossed lovers who met tragic ends.
"She's singing about Prince Eros of Sparta and Princess Psyche of Cappadocia. She died giving birth to a stillborn child and in his grief, he slit his own throat." 
"What a sad story."
"She was sick throughout her pregnancy. My mother gave her some medicine to try to heal her but it didn't work."
The singer's tale presented Reyna with a new set of worries. She would be married soon and marriage meant pregnancy and childbirth. What if she died within the year under similar circumstances to Princess Psyche.
"Would you like something to eat?"
"Yes, please."
He walked over to a table spread with delicacies but was intercepted by his sister.
"Jason," Princess Thalia playfully shoved her brother. "You're just as bad as Patír."
"What do you mean?" Jason replied.
"Subtly asking Princess Reyna to go with you to Dion...didn't you try that same trick with Lady Piper?"
"That was meant to be a group trip with Percy and Annabeth as well as her and I."
"Alright, alright. Princess Reyna seems a bit uptight, anyways. I doubt you'll have much fun with her."
"That's because she's in a new country among strangers and is nervous. And calling her a she-wolf won't help that."
"I'm sorry. It's just that you're my baby brother and no one'll ever been good enough for you."
So, I'm not good enough for you, Reyna thought, Well, your opinion doesn't matter. You're not the one I have to please.
Jason kissed Thalia on the forehead before filling a plate with lamb kabobs.
His eyes fell upon Lady Piper and rested there a moment too long. Reyna thought he looked like a man who had seen a vision of Venus. Lady Piper was talking to a woman in a deep, wine colored chiton with a gold trim.

A wreath of golden leaves crowded her dark hair.

When she moved, gold and garnet jewelry jangled musically.

The singer, a small, waif-like girl with a pale, sullen, oval face and long, blond hair, finished her song about the tragic story of Prince Eros and Princess Psyche. She put down her lyre and went to get a cup of wine from Aphrodisia, who was one of the slaves serving the banquet's guests.
Lady Piper tapped her shoulder.
"Athenaíí," she said. "How are the wounds on your back? How's Aphrodisia's cough?"
"Better, My Lady," Athenaíí replied. "If you'll excuse me."
The singer brushed Lady Piper aside and accepted the drink Aphrodisia offered her.
Jason returned to Reyna with the plate of lamb kabobs.
"Thank you," Reyna said.
He was about to respond with "you're welcome" when a messenger ran into the megaron.
"The Hermione was lost in a storm," the messenger announced. "It's crew and passengers are missing and believed to be dead."
"Princess Annabeth was on that ship," Jason explained to Reyna.
"My daughter," said the woman sitting with Lady Piper, who Reyna assumed was Princess Annabeth's mother, Queen Athena of Athens. She rested her head on Lady Piper's shoulder and began to sob.
Jason went to offer words of comfort to the both of them. He looked tenderly at Lady Piper in a way which made Reyna wonder what there was between them.