The Alyta Trilogy: Handmaids, Heroes, and Hierarchy.

They reach the gates, and sneak through as the guards are trying to deal with an unexpected princess.
Poor Limas, Jason thinks to himself, recognizing the guard.
Hand in hand, they enter the market and look around for some food: they haven�t had anything but berries since lunch yesterday. 

Artemis appears just feet away from them in the crowd, and sees a royal guard about to spot the pair. 
�No.  I don�t think so.� She says, and, in her invisible form, she trips the guard, so that he falls into the mud.  Aphrodite appears just as he�s falling, and gets splattered with mud. 
�Ugh!  Sis!� She says, before she snaps her fingers and the mud disappears.  �That�s one millisecond I don�t want to relive.  Anyway, sis, what are you doing here?�
�Well, if the happiness of a warrior depends on this charade not falling apart and� blah� love, then I suppose we�re working together for once.�
�Ooooh, sissy!  This is so exiting!  So, what�s the plan, warrior girl?�
�The plan is, �sissy�, that we leave them alone until they find out for themselves.  We can mess with whomever we want, just not them.  Example number one.� She Artemis says, motioning to the guard.  The couple is still in sight, so she kicks his face back in the mud for a while.

Jason and Alyta move over to a booth of jewelry.  Alyta looks at a tiny clear blue stone charm with a silver chain.  She breathes in slowly as she picks it up. 
�It�s beautiful,� she says to the owner of the booth.
�Brought that one in from a trader who scouts out the best stuff on the Mediterranean.  25 dinars.�
Alyta looks up at the merchant, and back down to the necklace.  She puts the necklace down. 
�No, wait.  Alyta, if you want it, you should get it.�
�I only have 16 dinars, Jason,� she says.  Jason stops himself short; he forgot that not everyone can just take what they want from the royal treasury. 
�Hey, just let me buy it for you, as� as a sign of our friendship.  Then you�ll never forget yesterday�s adventure.�
I won�t ever forget it, Jason, Alyta thinks to herself.  She just can�t take a gift from a commoner, no matter how much she likes him. 
�At least let me get you�� Alyta�s eyes scan the board of jewelry.  What would a guy like? �� This.� She says, picking up a necklace made out of long, jet-black beads that glimmer silver blue in the sun.
Jason looks at the necklace.  When the sun shines on it, it�s almost the color of her eyes, he thinks. 
�Deal.� He says, and the two share an exaggerated handshake to signify the deal�s being done.
They laugh and pay for each other�s necklace. 
The morning turns into afternoon turns into evening too fast for the pair, and soon enough they have to part their separate ways.
�Where are you staying?�  Jason asks.
�I�m staying with my friend, Sytifa.  She�s probably dying from worry by now.�
�Well, I�d better go,� Jason says, hoping just the opposite.
�Yeah, me too,� Alyta says, looking up into Jason�s eyes, pleading for him not to let her go.
�It�s not like we can�t see each other tomorrow, you know.�
Please don�t ask me to see the coronation with you, they both think.
�We really do have to leave now.�
�Yeah.�
Before Jason can say anything more, Alyta gives him a tiny kiss on the cheek, turns around and runs into the crowd. 
Alyta runs through the crowd and turns back to see if Jason is still there.  She turns around, and is faced with him.  He smiles, and kisses her on the lips tenderly. 
�I am going now,� she says and continues through the crowd.  She turns, but Jason is far behind, shaking his head.  She giggles as she realizes that there is a new feeling stirring deep in the pit of her stomach.

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