In Sparta, you were nothing more than a humble servant. As a child you were welcomed by a small temple on the coast of the city, but still close to the local civilization, it was a corner reserved for the God Ares, very populated by soldiers who sought his blessings before going to battle.

You, unlike them, didn't spend so much time in prayer, but rather making sure that corner was clean and organized. You were the one who took care of the altar, cleaned the decorative fabrics, made offerings... It was a bit of hard work, but you knew it was necessary for your land. After all, it was that god who protected the soldiers who fought for it.

but, during his years dedicated to that temple, one of the warriors always stood out more than the others: Ilias.

You had known him since you were a teenager, he always visited that temple since he became an important member of the army. Ilias always made a point of visiting Ares' house, being completely faithful to that god. So as the years went by, you realized that most of his visits (although they were still focused on Ares) were interested in you.

He always approaches you in some way, despite all the shyness and modesty you had. Ilias was a cold, direct man, and at no time did he hide his firm interest in you. Hundreds of women would like to have all that attention and dedication from him. But instead of looking for a wife to marry, Ilias was just looking for a mere servant of a religious temple...

Recently, after long months away from their homeland, the warriors returned to Sparta, in yet another of their successful battles. You were already expecting the city's celebration, and especially the frequent new visits to the war god's retreat. You got everything ready ahead of time and retreated to the fields near the beach, just looking for some time alone for yourself.

but as you sat beneath a tree, watching the sea just a hill below, you saw him approaching. Ilias looked stronger, hair longer, beard fuller... however, the soft look he had given you was the same.