Gangs. A girl. War. Fights. Love. Hate. Death.
All words to describe the city of Athens. The most dangerous city in the country. But only those who have been there know that.
Athens is not a place for tourism. Not many people who visit, make it out...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Watching my daughter get a dress fitted is honestly a dream come true.
Granite, I did expect a son as heir. That's what I was raised to expect. Then I met Vicki and Andrew's mother. Leader of Dionysus.
They strongly believed that a woman should be the one to lead. As she told me many times. Men tend to choose one or the other, to hurt or help, but can never do both. Women on the other hand, could do both flawlessly.
I found most of what she said very true. But I disagree that we choose one or the other. But I find we are strong in one. I've always been one to help. But with her help, I found a balance. A balance that I needed to defeat my brother in this war.
My brother knew no balance. He was more of one to hurt. My little brother was a fighter from the moment he left the womb. He never had a chance to find a balance.
Vicki smiles to me from her stand.
She has a balance not even her mother had. She loves training. She also loves doing everything she can for the people she loves.
From the time he could do anything, my son was one to help. He hated hurting people. He'd only hurt them if it ment he was helping.
The night I helped him escape I asked him a simple question.
"Who do you want to be son?"
"I want to help people," he smiles and jumps a little, "I want to be a doctor!"
So I sent him off to be a doctor.
I've missed my children everyday since I had to leave. Every damn day.
My heart dropped the second I was informed that Taylor lost contact all those years ago. I swore my baby girl was dead.
But now, now she is standing in front of me, being measured so they can alter my late wife's coronation dress.
I want to make sure everything is perfect for her. The entire party.
I can't fail as her father any longer.
"Daddy," she calls out, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Yes?"
"Would Mom be proud?" She hangs her head a little.
"I don't think there would be any way for her to be more proud. You've done more than your mother or I ever did as leader, and you've found a balance that no one ever has. I don't think your mother could raise the bar any higher for you," I smile as I feel a small sting in my eyes.
Her phone goes off and she sighs. "I knew it," she mumbled.
"Knew what?" I stand and reach for her phone.
"Jason had my phone earlier and I guess he impersonated me and texted Michael," she shows me the conversation.
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I'll ask him about it later," she takes back the phone.
"What will you do if it doesn't turn out how you expect?"
"Forgive him, as long as he promises to not let it happen again," she puts the phone back in her pocket.
"Your mother did the same," I smile as I remember my stupidity.
"Really?"
"Yeah," I laugh, "she was expecting an important letter, but she wouldn't tell me why..so I went through her mail for a week. When she confronted me about it, I told her the truth. Turns out, it wasn't going to be mailed, it was being delivered by a subject of an ally. It was a declaration of independence from them. They were still allies, but a merge happned from long ago would no longer stand. She said much of the same thing. 'promise to never do it again,' I did. And I kept the promise. She loved me through the worst and the best."
"Like Jason for me," she smiles as she plays with her rings.
"Did you give him my ring?"
"I just couldn't. Something was off about the moment," she holds out the small box.
"Every one knows the real timing. If its right, you will know."
"I love him Daddy. But how do I know I mean the words I say?"
"When you talk about him but he isn't there does your stomach feel like its going to fall through you?"
"How'd you know?"
"You miss him," I pull her closer as she finishes the measurements, "means you love him."
"And the feeling of your legs on the brink of collapsing when you finally see them? Is that a sign?"
"Its like you're me. I can't tell you how much I loved that feeling when I was with your mother. I wanted to give her the world."
"I love him then?" She looks up and steps back from the embrace. She bites her lip just a little.
