With the event at the harbor ending so inauspiciously, Imeeya could only hope that she was doing the right thing now to continue her prayers to the gods. They would see that she wouldn’t be deterred from making sure that her cousins and uncle and Silanos might return from war safely. They would know how special all these people were to her that she would go out of her way to ask for their victory and their safe return, even if it wasn’t convenient. This had been a test, and she was determined to pass. She wanted no one else important to her to go off to war never to return.



It had been Leto’s suggestion, and the woman accompanied her down to the temple to pray with her. The woman had been very helpful of late. As much as Imeeya rarely spent much time with people of her status, Imeeya had been growing fond of her. Besides, she was the Master Informer’s sister, it’s not like she was a nobody.



Since she was offering up prayers to multiple gods, Imeeya chose the general altar in the temple, although, she was considering visiting some of the individual shrines once she had finished the prayers that had been meant for the beach. On the altar, Imeeya began arranging her bowls and candles yet again to prepare for prayers for those who were off at war. The largest and most elaborately decorated bowl and candle were for her uncle, the king. It was upon his head that the burden of the entire war rested.



Her other bowls were similarly decorated, but on a less grand scale, those three were for her cousins, the princes Vangelis, Yiannis and Silas. They were highly ranked in the military, and their sucess also was vital to the sucess of the Colchian forces. The prayers for the king and the princes were as much prayers for the country as for her own family and the people that she knew and loved.



The last bowl was different. That was the one borrowed from Leto. In it, there was a hastily prepared candle. She hadn’t even decided that she had wanted to pray for Silanos until that morning. This candle was purely for a selfish prayer. Unlike the others, Silanos had no great role to play in the war, as far as she knew, he had no great military skill. She wasn’t even entirely sure she liked the man, but she desperately wanted him to live long enough for her to find out.



Imeeya held an oil-soaked rush to the lamp in the temple and used it to light the candles one by one, murmuring a prayer to the gods. To @ares that they might fight bravely, to @athena that they might keep their head in battle, and bring about victory for their forces, to Poseidon to ensure their safe travels back home and reluctantly to Hades, that should they fall in battle they would find some peace in the afterlife.



With that done, Imeeya rose and turned to her friend who had done similarly. “Who were you praying for?” Imeeya asked, curiously. She didn’t know that Leto had had anyone away at war. Besides, it was polite to be interested in your friend’s life.