Athenian Arrow

Chapter XXVIII

When night had fallen and most of the soldiers went to their respective beds with others keeping watch, Zoi and Habib were sitting on a bed in their shared tent alone together. Alexi purposely gave them their own private tent in fear Zoi would be sexually harassed by the other hoplites as she was the only female actively fighting. It didn't make matters better when she was the only female on the battlefield as women were not allowed to become doctors either. So in order to protect her, he had Habib be the only male she could be around in closed spaces when she wasn't fighting. If anyone touched her, Alexi warned his hoplites that they would lose all their rankings and be banished from Athens forever.

Don't get Habib wrong, he saw Zoi as a feminine-looking woman. Her jet-black hair made her look more sophisticated while Anastasia's blonde hair made her look innocent. Zoi reminded Habib of his women back in Egypt since she wore dark eye makeup most of the time. She would dress like a lady when she wanted to. Seduce men to get her way. That being said, when it came down to a fight, she was always game. She was the type to rip her dress so she could fight in easier if she needed to fight at that exact moment. She couldn't care less if her hair or makeup got ruined from the blood splatter of the enemies, she wanted to kill. 

As of right now, she is sitting in a way that if other Greek women were to see her, would call manly. Her legs were spread open with her hands clasped together as her elbows rested on her thighs, leaning forward. Funnily enough, Habib was sitting the exact same way as her. 

Many people questioned Habib about his feelings for her as everyone knew Zoi was not a typical woman in Greece. She was always breaking the rules, causing women to become envious of her freedom and trying to convince Habib to be with them instead as they could be the real woman he deserved. But it was because of Zoi's very different character that Habib grew attracted to. Her freedoms reminded him a lot of the Egyptian women as they had a lot more freedom than Greek women because they were legally equal to men in court. Her spirit was more of an Egyptian than a Greek and although he fell in love with a traditional Greek woman, he missed his home country. Zoi reminded him of home so he felt at home with her.

To Habib, Zoi and Anastasia brought very different aspects when it came to their relationship. Just because Zoi felt like home to him didn't mean that he loved her more than Anastasia. Anastasia gave him the feeling that he could protect her and be dependent on him. He felt dominant with her. Anastasia also had that motherly aspect that Zoi didn't have. Although men hate to admit it these days, Habib loved having someone with whom he could be vulnerable. He could be small with her if he was hurting and she would know exactly what to say and how to comfort him. Zoi was too dominant for Habib to ever feel small with her.

They both brought different needs to Habib's life and it made him start to believe that it's alright to not depend on one person to meet all of a person's needs when it comes to any sort of relationship.

As for Zoi, she never felt any soft spots for men. She was dominant and she made sure they knew that. But when she fell in love with Anastasia, she felt differently than how she felt with men. While she is both sexually and romantically attracted to both sexes, the love she shares with women feels a lot softer than it does with men. She has a serious soft spot for Anastasia. She isn't sure if it's because Anastasia is a defenceless woman but when she loves Anastasia, she feels like she needs to protect her and care for her more than for Habib. She's not as rough in her love-making with the blonde compared to her time with the Egyptian. She's gentle with her. If Anastasia asks for anything, Zoi is there within a second to serve her. If Habib were to ask for the same thing, Zoi would laugh and tell him to get it himself. That didn't mean she loved Anastasia more. She was to protect Anastasia while she was to put Habib in his place to humble him. That's how she showed her love to both of them.