The Alyta Trilogy: Handmaids, Heroes, and Hierarchy.

Hercules and Iolaus head for the castle.  Jason has never been this late to meet them.  When they get there, they see Loua and another woman they don�t recognize sitting on a bench outside the castle. 
�Uh, Loua, is Jason here?�  Iolaus asks.
She throws her arms up exasperation.  �Ha!  Is Jason here?  Is Jason here!  Ida canne ret la pehf lev Jason chhi ti levaa!  No, he�s not here!�  The other woman tries to calm her.
�Well the last we saw of him was with some girl yesterday in the market.�  Hercules offers.
At that, the other woman stands up and interrogates: �Some girl?�
Hercules definitely does not want to offend this woman.  He meekly nods in response.
�Some girl with light brown hair, and a blue dress, and staff?�  Sytifa asks.
The two boys nod, and grimace, expecting the woman to blow up like a volcano any time now.
Instead, she laughs wholeheartedly.  �Well, at least they�re together.  They can�t be too much danger with an Amazon�s student.  She doesn�t know that he�s the prince, does she?�
Hercules and Iolaus exchange glances.  Not what they had expected.  �Uh� no, no ma�am, I don�t think so. Uh, do you think so, Herc?�
�No, that�d be a negative.  Clueless as a Minotaur.�
�Good.  Otherwise she�d slap him a couple of times.  She doesn�t exactly enjoy the company of princes.  Though from what I�ve heard from Loua here, yours isn�t exactly the type who she usually meets.  They�ll get along just fine, I think.�
�So, is she like a servant for one of the visiting princes?� Iolaus asks.
�Ha!  So she fooled you two as well did she?�
�Well, she did say she washes clothes with a former Amazon��
�Sytifa, at your service.  I am a former Amazon, and Princess Alyta of Atlantis� handmaid.� Sytifa says with a sweeping curtsy. �No, boys, she is not a handmaid herself.  She may wish it sometimes.  She does help with the washing, though she be the second-generation blood of Poseidon himself.�
�Okay.  That�s definitely not the normal sort of princess you meet around here.�  As if to illustrate Hercules� point, a caravan comes through the royal gates and turns the corner towards the castle.  A tall princess dressed in yellow and draped with gold and emeralds being carried on feather blanket was getting her long nails manicured at the same time as dictating a letter to her father by a messenger.  �Start with �dearest daddy��, she says in a squeaky voice.  ��Dearest daddy, how could you do this to me?  You send me to meet this prince guy, without even sending my entire wardrobe!  This just isn�t going to work for me.  I can�t stay in this wretched pigsty for a week with only 40 dresses.  I just can�t.  Hey, you, slave: watch it with the corners.  You could wreck my nails.  Sign it, her absolute beautifullness, Larva, the Princess of Samara.�  They hear before her caravan goes out of earshot.
Iolaus starts laughing, and the others look at him as if he was crazy.
�No, no.  It�s just that I really pity Jason.  He has to act regal with things like� he points to the retreating caravan, �things like that!�
They all laugh, knowing that they will all have to deal with it the next day.

                                                                     *~*~*

Back on the road to Corinth, Jason and Alyta are passed by caravans belonging to foreign princesses.  One princess yells for her driver to hurry up.  He flicks his whip at the horse to run faster.  The chariot speeds by, the wheel picking up some mud and flicking it in Jason�s direction.  A huge glob of dark earth hits Jason on the shoulder. 
�Aw, man.  It doesn�t look like this day is going to be much better than yesterday.�  Jason says as he tries to get the sticky substance of his arm.
�You helped me yesterday, I think I can help you this time,� Alyta says.  She opens her hand and places her palm over the dirt.  Jason feels a chilling sensation as water runs down his arms, washing the mud away.  He looks in Alyta�s eyes.  They seem to be changing from that sea color to a clear blue, the color of a fresh stream, and then change back as she takes her hand off his arm. 
�You are definitely not what I expected to find this week.�
She shrugs it off. �It�s an old Atlantis trick.  It�s only water.�
That�s not what I meant, Jason thinks to himself.