Eirini jolted upright, her heart pounding in her heart. With a start, she realized that someone was banging on her door. She looked out the window to find the moon staring back at her, and after briefly wondering who in their right mind was outside her house in the dead of night, she got up and went to her door, opening it to find Lyra in front of it.

         "Can I come in? Andreas realized that I was sleeping in his shop and kind of banned me from there and—"

         "Of course," Eirini opened the door wider for Lyra to come in, "You can always sleep here, you know. My offer still stands."

         "Thanks, Eir, but my answer is still no. Where can I sleep anyway?"

         "In my—," Eirini's voice caught, but she willed herself to continue, "—my mom's bed."

         Lyra's face softened, "Are you sure?" Eirini nodded.

         "Thank you Eir," Lyra hugged her, "I owe you."

 

                                                                                              *                   *                   *

 

         Eirini couldn't sleep. Lyra seemed to have no problem with it, as she had fallen asleep the second her head touched the pillow, but Eirini's mind was too noisy for her to fall asleep. The aftereffects of the nightmare persisted, and thoughts of her family circled her brain. At some point, it became too overwhelming, so she got up, put on her peplos, and got out of the house for a midnight walk.

 

                                                                                              *                   *                    *

 

         Troy was beautiful at night. The city was quiet, and the soft dance of the waves and the light breeze only enhanced the peace. The streets, lined with houses made of stone and wood, were empty, casting long shadows across the pavement.

         In the middle of the night, it was easy to forget that Troy was in an active war. The war hadn't affected the grand architecture of Troy, as proven by the temples all around the city. There was Zeus, Athena, Artemis, and Apollo, and there, clearly visible in the dark, was the great temple of Aphrodite. Eirini was six when Prince Paris built it, and at the time, she thought it was the greatest thing that ever existed. Fluted columns encircled the temple, and the whole structure was adorned with carvings of various shapes and meanings. Only now did Eirini see the peril that the temple had caused, and what Aphrodite and Paris had brought on the heads of the people of Troy. 

         Ten years ago, Helen had come to King Priam's palace, and the Greeks declared war on Troy. Ten years had passed, and the men were still fighting the same war. 

         When the war started, all the men in the city of Troy were drafted into the army. Hence, the last time Eirini had seen her father was when she was six, and a year later, their family got a notice saying that he had died, passing on all of his property to his only son, Dion. Three years ago, Dion had also been drafted, and a year later, his regular letters to Eirini had stopped, although no notice of death had been sent to Eirini and her mom. One year ago, Eirini's mom died because of a sickness that their family couldn't afford to treat.

         Lyra's family has gone through the same thing, but the only difference was that Lyra didn't have an older brother, and so when her dad died in the war, her mom and she lost the house. Lyra's mom died of heartbreak, and Lyra had become a homeless orphan.

         Eirini looked up at the sky, full of millions of constellations, all representing different myths. She had been fascinated by myths and folklore when she was younger, dwelling on stories of monsters, gods, princes, and princesses. Mythology, though, always glorified their heroes and gods, never once acknowledging those who may have been caught in the crossfire of these conflicts.

         The myths told stories of glory and honor, but they always ignored the silenced pain of those whose lives they had destroyed. The stories barely mentioned the mothers who had lost their sons, the daughters who had lost their fathers, the husbands who had to leave their families, or the girls who had been left on the streets. The sufferings of people like Eirini and Lyra were a mere footnote in the grand scheme of things.

         Eirini's thinking was cut short when she passed King Priam's palace and saw a human figure on the balcony. Eirini retreated into the shadows and realized that the person on the balcony was on their knees, looking up at the sky. They were begging aloud, and Eirini heard their soft sobs through their prayers.

         The person had long brown hair, and when they turned their head, Eirini had a clear view of their face. Helen.

         Rage rose inside Eirini. Why was she crying? She was the whole cause of the war. If she had not eloped with Paris, none of this would've happened. Eirini's family would be alive, no one would have suffered. She had no right to even cry. Who did she think she was—

         Don't hate. You never know what someone is going through.

          Her mom always said that. Eirini wondered what her mom would say now, knowing Helen's role in the war.  

         She probably would say the same thing. 

         Suddenly it dawned on Eirini that maybe Helen was also a victim of the war, just as they all were.  

         Eirini walked back home. As she passed the city gates, she saw the soldiers bringing in a big wooden horse. Like they didn't care for the people who suffered, they didn't seem to pay much attention to the horse either.