plant she had placed on the railing had fallen down -- blown by the
breeze, no doubt. She was stepping out onto the balcony to right it when a hand touched
her shoulder.
Gasping, she pulled away.
109
"I had to see you," Artem said. "Why did you not wait for me?"
"Wait for you?"
"I sent word with Charis, your slave woman." She shook her head, not understanding. "I received no message."
He told her all that had happened. Hyacinth cursed Macar for the pain he'd caused them
both. "And Charis, too. No doubt she received the message but didn't see fit to pass it along to me," she said.
"Only now have I recovered enough to come to you," he explained.
"If only I'd known," she said, dropping her head. A tear wound its way down the planes of her face and she didn't bother to wipe it away. "Now it's too late."
"It can't be," he protested fiercely. "The gods would not play with us so."
She laughed bitterly as a torrent of tears soaked her cheeks. "We are only playthings to the
gods," she said, her voice cracked with sorrow. "They must be very entertained indeed at this turn of events." Breaking down completely, she buried her face in her hands and
sobbed.
"No," he insisted. "If this is the will of the gods, then I defy them. I do not agree to be blown by the winds of some divine game." Turning his face up to the sky, he hissed in an intense
whisper, "Hear me, gods of Olympus! I do not submit to your will. Curse me as you choose
but I do not care -- my
110
destiny is my own and I will have this woman whom you have so laughingly taken from my
side."
Hyacinth clutched his arm. "Do not tempt fate. The gods are powerful. They hear your
defiant words and will destroy you."
Artem laid the tip of his fingers gently over her lips to stop her fearful rush of words. He
shook his head as he wiped the tears from her face with his other hand. "Athena does not
want your service if your heart is elsewhere. I'll win the Olympic archery contest -- there is
no one better with a bow and arrow -- and we will go away together with the prize money."
He was so sure. If only she could feel as confident.
Artem reached for her hand and poured the contents of a pouch into her palm.
She drew in a sharp breath.
The green earrings sparkled in the sun.
"They are beautiful," she said, struck with awe. She looked at him with sudden alarm.
"Where did you get them?"
"I didn't steal them, if that's what worries you," he said with a note of bitter chagrin at her assumption. "It seems they are my inheritance, all I have of value -- and I give them to you."
"I would so love to have them, Artem. They are amazing of themselves and as a token of
your love, even more so."
"They're yours to keep."
111
Tears began anew, streaming down her cheeks, spattering the air as she shook her
downcast head. "My family would be in disgrace. Their lives would be completely
destroyed."
"What of my life?" he countered. "It is over if I don't have you."
"Your life will go on. It must. You will meet another. You will be happy yet. My family cannot recover as you will be able to. You must go. Take back these gorgeous earrings and please
leave."
He pressed the earrings into her hand. "Is it what you really want me to do?"
Bitter, salt tears fell on the green stones in her hands. "No! You know it's not what I want, but you have to go," she insisted. "Please go," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He swung his legs over the balcony and prepared to climb down. "Keep the earrings," he
said. "If the gods can't stop me, neither can your sense of duty. I refuse to give up on our
love, Hyacinth. It comes from a place older and more sacred than even the gods themselves
know of."
His words struck her as true and yet dangerously irreverent. "There is no place older and
more sacred than Olympus," she said.
"There is, and it is in us," he insisted.
She held the earrings out to him. "You must take these. Give them to another who is free to
accept your
breeze, no doubt. She was stepping out onto the balcony to right it when a hand touched
her shoulder.
Gasping, she pulled away.
109
"I had to see you," Artem said. "Why did you not wait for me?"
"Wait for you?"
"I sent word with Charis, your slave woman." She shook her head, not understanding. "I received no message."
He told her all that had happened. Hyacinth cursed Macar for the pain he'd caused them
both. "And Charis, too. No doubt she received the message but didn't see fit to pass it along to me," she said.
"Only now have I recovered enough to come to you," he explained.
"If only I'd known," she said, dropping her head. A tear wound its way down the planes of her face and she didn't bother to wipe it away. "Now it's too late."
"It can't be," he protested fiercely. "The gods would not play with us so."
She laughed bitterly as a torrent of tears soaked her cheeks. "We are only playthings to the
gods," she said, her voice cracked with sorrow. "They must be very entertained indeed at this turn of events." Breaking down completely, she buried her face in her hands and
sobbed.
"No," he insisted. "If this is the will of the gods, then I defy them. I do not agree to be blown by the winds of some divine game." Turning his face up to the sky, he hissed in an intense
whisper, "Hear me, gods of Olympus! I do not submit to your will. Curse me as you choose
but I do not care -- my
110
destiny is my own and I will have this woman whom you have so laughingly taken from my
side."
Hyacinth clutched his arm. "Do not tempt fate. The gods are powerful. They hear your
defiant words and will destroy you."
Artem laid the tip of his fingers gently over her lips to stop her fearful rush of words. He
shook his head as he wiped the tears from her face with his other hand. "Athena does not
want your service if your heart is elsewhere. I'll win the Olympic archery contest -- there is
no one better with a bow and arrow -- and we will go away together with the prize money."
He was so sure. If only she could feel as confident.
Artem reached for her hand and poured the contents of a pouch into her palm.
She drew in a sharp breath.
The green earrings sparkled in the sun.
"They are beautiful," she said, struck with awe. She looked at him with sudden alarm.
"Where did you get them?"
"I didn't steal them, if that's what worries you," he said with a note of bitter chagrin at her assumption. "It seems they are my inheritance, all I have of value -- and I give them to you."
"I would so love to have them, Artem. They are amazing of themselves and as a token of
your love, even more so."
"They're yours to keep."
111
Tears began anew, streaming down her cheeks, spattering the air as she shook her
downcast head. "My family would be in disgrace. Their lives would be completely
destroyed."
"What of my life?" he countered. "It is over if I don't have you."
"Your life will go on. It must. You will meet another. You will be happy yet. My family cannot recover as you will be able to. You must go. Take back these gorgeous earrings and please
leave."
He pressed the earrings into her hand. "Is it what you really want me to do?"
Bitter, salt tears fell on the green stones in her hands. "No! You know it's not what I want, but you have to go," she insisted. "Please go," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He swung his legs over the balcony and prepared to climb down. "Keep the earrings," he
said. "If the gods can't stop me, neither can your sense of duty. I refuse to give up on our
love, Hyacinth. It comes from a place older and more sacred than even the gods themselves
know of."
His words struck her as true and yet dangerously irreverent. "There is no place older and
more sacred than Olympus," she said.
"There is, and it is in us," he insisted.
She held the earrings out to him. "You must take these. Give them to another who is free to
accept your
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