Lila pivoted and glanced back. "How you
know she doesn't want to talk to you?"

Gabrielle looked at her mother and stood up.
Hecuba, thinking that this was her chance, took a step forward.
Gabrielle then turned and walked away.

Lila turned back to her mother and watched as
a desolated Hecuba walked to the food hut. Lila ran after her
eldest sister.

"Gabrielle wait!" She caught up with
her sibling and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Gabrielle, you
may not realized this, but this isn't helping. She misses you
so much."

"She did this to herself."

"And she knows that Gabrielle. She told
me about her promise not to push herself on you, to give you time
to come to terms with her. And she has kept her end of the
bargain." Lila turned Gabrielle so she could see her face to
face. "Do you know what Mom's day is like? She wakes up
bright and early and goes to the food hut to teach the cooks her
recipes of your favorite foods. Then she stands by the tree lines
or in the shadows and watches you, wishing that she could see you
up close. And at night when she goes to bed, she cries herself to
sleep. I know cause I'm sometimes in the hut with her."
Lila softened her voice. "Mother is trying, can't you give
her a chance?"

Gabrielle sighed. "Lila, I don't know
what to say to her."

"What do you want to say?"

Gabrielle looked at the sky, trying to gather
her thoughts. "I want to ask her why. Why did she let Father
have so much control over us? Why didn't she step in? Why
didn't she believe me?"

"Gabrielle, no one can give you those
answers, except for her. If you really want to find out, you are
going to have to ask."

"The problem is sis, I'm not sure I
want the answers."

Sophia had traveled four days to reach
Spatmos; and those four days of travel did not do much for her
disposition. For four days she thought about what Hera did to her
stepchildren, their mothers and families; the torture and cruelty
her own grandmother unleashed. As she entered Spatmos, she saw that
the celebration was in high gear, and it was all in honor of Hera,
Queen of the gods. *Like she deserves any honor.*

She hitched her horse and headed into the
temple. As she closed in on the wooden front doors, a priest
stopped her. "Excuse me, young lady, but where is your
offering?"