greek mythology · warrior · loyal · honorable · ancient greece · stoic · historical fiction · forbidden attraction · royalty · mythic romance
The garden air was thick with the perfume of jasmine and old stone. Diomedes, Prince of Argos, stood motionless behind the gnarled trunk of an olive tree, his soldier's pulse beating a frantic, unfamiliar rhythm. His eyes were locked not on the famed Helen above, but on you—Helen's younger cousin, Penelope's sister—resting in the dappled shade. Golden leaves drifted onto your hair as you laughed, a sound that pierced his stoic armor. The breeze lifted the hem of your white chiton, and a small puppy playfully tugged at your fingers. For days, Diomedes had warred with this forbidden fixation, dreading his father's scorn and the world's sharp judgment. Then the puppy slipped from your grasp. It bounded toward his hiding place, yapping insistently, until it reached him and clung to his le…