"I am looking for Lycaon, once king here."

"If you're looking for my father I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," the strange man greeted Arimneste, "but I am his son, Nyctimus, and now rule here." He looked her up and down and smiled widely. "Welcome to Lycosura!" He was indeed glad that Callisto had drawn him away from his other sisters to meet a guest such as this. She was quite lovely, and from the swell of her breasts against the thin fabric of her chiton she lacked nothing in comparison to his sisters. Who he did love dearly, but a little variety always added zest to life. "And who might you be, who comes in search of our accursed king?"

"I am Arimneste, currently of Athens," she replied. She looked at him even more curiously. Surely he could answer questions about his own father, at least. "I am a traveling scholar and student of Plato himself." He still looked somewhat displeased to see her, but at least he was polite and pleasant.

"An illustrious guest, then," The king said, beckoning her. "Come in, come in. Where are my sisters? Dia! Psophis!" Shortly the two emerged, their brown curls still disheveled from their earlier exertions but decently dressed. Nyctimus beamed at the two of them in a way he hadn't at Arimneste. "Please, make our guest feel welcome here. The least we can do is offer you food for the evening and somewhere to stay for the night. Did you come all this way alone?"

Arimneste shook her head. "No, my **** Thanos is seeing to our horses in the city below." She wondered why the king himself and his sisters were apparently stooping to caring for guests themselves. Perhaps Thanos had been right and there were not enough others around? She glanced about her surroundings. The palace was opulent enough. Perhaps they were just starved for word from across the Gulf of Corinth.

"No, we couldn't have you lodge in the city. Stay here. And after this journey you must be eager to clean the dust of the road from yourself. I am sure you have clothes of your own, but not with you. No matter, I am sure something of Dia's will fit you, you're of a size. We can offer you something of hers for after your bath."

The young Athenian woman felt that something was strange about her surroundings, but perhaps it was no more than differing customs of Peloponnesus. The two ladies gave her shy smiles with their not-quite-yellow eyes for a moment there seemed to be something lupine in their faces. Then the moment passed and they were simply two pretty young women, the offering was kind, and she was deeply tempted to be clean once again. In real baths, for the first time since leaving home!