Thalassa Angelos and the Cult of Chaos

Ch. 1

I never asked to be the daughter of a god. To be exiled from my home, and be sold to merchants and nobles alike. I was treated like dirt and spat on whenever I did something wrong. It was bad enough being a woman in Greece. But being a little girl gave me no voice and no way to be treated equally. For years, I kept silent. I learned quickly how to survive. Regardless though, I practiced what others called magic. I learned to bend the shadows to my will, and summoned black stones. As I grew up, men wanted me more. My most recent owner kept them away for years. She liked me. To her, I was her daughter, since she never had any. Only boys. And when she died, her oldest son sold me again, leaving me to the world. I just hope I will live long enough to see my father.

It was dawn when the dockmaster woke me up. The old man had no respect. He only ever mumbled nonsense that confused me. 

"Get up. Now." He unlocked the cage, grabbing my wrist and pulling me to his office. My eyes went wide. My hands clenched, trying to pull the stones to my aid, but there was nothing but water beneath us. 

"Say nothing unless you are spoken to, understand." Sour wine flowed with the words. 

I nodded, stumbling to keep up. 

The old man slammed open the door, pushing me into a corner. 

"There she is. Take a look." I rub my wrist, looking at the two men who shared the room. The older one smiled. The younger glanced at me before looking back down. 

"Quite a beauty. What is your name, miss?" 

I purse my lips. "Thalassa Angelos," I whisper, placing my hands behind my back. 

"Thalassa. Any particular reason for a girl to be named after a primordial goddess?" 

I glance over at the dockmaster, who gave me an icy glare. 

"I was born during a storm. My mother said that my screams shook the house along with the thunder." I explain quietly. 

The man nods. 

"Well then. She is quite different. Mr. Chloros, shall we discuss terms of pricing?" I pull the skirt of my tunic, watching the boy. He had sky blue eyes, the kind before a storm rolled in. 

"The girl is from Sparta. A warrior at heart. Prices for Spartans are quite high." The boy looked up, locking his eyes on mine. I pursed my lips, not removing my gaze. 

"Thal!" I flinch, dropping my gaze. 

"Stupid girl. Thinking she's equal." "Nonsense. She is Spartan after all. Those women are natural leaders." I lean against the wall, listening to the breeze outside. 

"100 drachmae. Now. You can take the girl whenever you like." I lift my head slightly. 

"Yes, yes. Here. Gunnar, take Miss Thalassa to the horses. She'll be riding with you."

The ride quiet, except for occasional other riders that passed by. 

"While I understand that you are from Sparta, I truly think you'll like Athens, Miss Angelos. It truly is a beautiful city." I rest my chin on Gunnar's shoulder, watching the clouds pass by. 

"I've heard much of Athens. They say that many battles were fought in the city." 

"You're correct. The Spartans almost made it to the city at one point, but the Athenians pushed them back." I hum slightly, letting silence comfort me.

As the sun lowered further, we made camp outside of Korinth. 

"We'll head into Korinth tomorrow to get you some new clothes, Miss Angelos. Perhaps even some armor." I nod at Jacob, poking at the fire Gunnar made. 

"Though, I'm sure you're wondering why we took you in, yes?" 

I look up. "I do have questions, yes. I suppose we can start at who you are specifically. I'm not stupid." 

Gunnar gave a grin. "We know. But there's isn't much we can tell you just yet. All we can say is that you have great power. Jacob was able to tell that much." He says, laying down. I follow suit, watching the stars glimmer. 

"Thalassa." I look over at Jacob, who stares at me. "Your mother. Did she ever mention who your father was?" I look back up. 

"She never said much. That he was an important man, that he respected the dead very much. The only thing she ever kept of him was a black pendant. Cerberus was carved into it, with great detail. I was supposed to get it on my sixteenth birthday. But after she died, I never got it. The city of Sparta still has it." I look back over at Jacob. 

"They blamed me for my mothers' death. I've lived with it ever since." I turn away, facing the shadows.

The next day we headed into the city. It was weird, being able to walk without having to watch my back. 

"The blacksmith is this way. Have you thought about what you'll be getting?" I nod, lifting my bag. It was full of pure onyx ore, perfect for the swords I had in mind. 

"I was thinking about double kopis swords. I've always been an offense fighter." Jacob smiles. 

"Perfect choice. Very Spartan from you, my friend." Gunnar and I exchange a smile as Jacob disappears into the crowd. 

"Any specific reason for choosing that armor?" Gunnar asks, pointing at me. I look down at the armor I purchased. 

The heads of Cerberus were engraved on the front of the breastplate. The waistband was made of black leather and silver pieces. I simply smile. 

"Let's just say it felt right." Gunnar smiles back before his eyes wander behind me. 

"Well, we better complete the set." He walks off, leaving me behind to try and keep up. 

"Sandals? I've already got some." Gunnar looks down at mine. 

"Yours are old and worn out. They'll be difficult to fight in. These should work." He points to a black pair, embedded with onyx pieces. 

I pick up the sandals. They were calf-height and tightly woven. 

"You have a good eye, miss. Those onyx pieces were found on Hephaestus Island, near the heart of the volcano." I rub my thumb over the pieces and leather. Something was infused into the pieces. Something familiar. 

"How much?" I ask, looking up at the shopkeeper. He peers at them, eyes full of mischief. 

"Well, such beautiful sandals require many drachmae. Or, a simple request." I look over at Gunnar, who shakes his head. 

"Drachmae count. Then the request." I say, setting the sandals down. Solaris smacks his forehead. 

"150 drachmae. As for the request, I need the necklace returned to me. Some followers of Ares took it about a day ago. Said they were heading west. You might be able to catch up with them." I frown. Followers of Ares were vicious. I would need my swords made to get what I needed. 

"Tell you what. I'll give you two days. Whichever you get first before then, I'll take. Deal?" I look down at the sandals. They were important. I could feel it. "Deal. I'll see you in two days." I spin around, heading for the blacksmith.

"Thal, what were you thinking?" I look up from the arrow I was crafting, seeing Jacob pace. 

"Look, those sandals are important. I could feel it when I touched the onyx pieces. Besides, I could do some good." I explain, wrapping the leather around the onyx. 

"You need either 150 drachmae or find the necklace." I shrug. 

"I know. That's why I'm leaving right now." I place the arrow into my holder. Jacob groans, sitting down. 

"Relax. I'll be back by tomorrow." I sheath my swords before climbing onto Erebos. 

Gunnar grabs my hand quickly. 

"Thalassa, promise you'll come back. Please." I smile. 

"I promise. I'll meet you both on the other side of Korinth." I nudge Erebos, following the barely lit road leading west.