"Alright, today we're practicing together." Charax scanned his crowd of actors. "Those of you who appear Agamemnon, stay on the stage. Those who first appear in the second or third play, sit and watch from the steps."

Hallie retreated to the steps with Nikas in tow, climbing up the steps a little way before stopping and sitting on a step. Nikas sat next to her.

Charax stood at the front of the stage with his arms folded. "Begin."

A Taktikós Hallie now knew to be Andreas stepped forward and began their speech about hearing the word of Anthropótita's downfall.

Hallie watched with curious fascination. Andreas was delivering their lines perfectly and without stuttering once. Nikas mentioned in one of their practice sessions that Charax liked to put on a showing of all three Oresteia plays over three weeks every year. It gave his subordinates plenty of times to know the play like the back of their hand.

"This is now the tenth year since the kings, Menelaus and Lord Agamemnon," the Chorus of Elders said, marking the end of Andreas the guard's speech with another even longer speech of their own.

Nikas nudged Hallie's shoulder and gestured to the right of Charax. Hero stood there, waiting to make her debut as Clytemnestra. It was obvious she was nervous, as she was doing a poor job of hiding it.

Hallie turned back to Nikas, and he shrugged, so she focused her attention back on the play unfolding before her.

Soon enough, she would be a person on that stage. No one should be able to say she messed it up.

No one.

---

"Great job, everybody. I see you excellently used your practice time." Charax had a satisfied smirk painted across his face. "We'll go over this again tomorrow and start on the second play. You may leave early today."

Niobe threw her hands in the air. Cois whooped. It was a similar reaction to those of the people around them.

"Are we not going to discuss it?"

"Discuss what?" Cois asked, shaking Charax's hand repeatedly much to the older man's annoyance.

"Don't talk to me."

Cois pouted. Niobe patted his shoulder.

Charax got out of Cois's grasp and massaged his eyes. "Discuss what?"

Hero crossed her arms. "Discuss the rumor."

Charax froze. Andreas pursed his lips. Cois stopped pouting. Niobe coughed.

"You know which one I'm talking about. I can tell by most of your reactions."

"What rumor?" Hallie whispered, watching Nikas with anxious eyes.

Nikas's eyes darted between Hallie, Charax, and Hero. "I don't know," he whispered back, rubbing his neck. "I was never one for gossip, and I don't have any friends who I consider being 'in the know'. Hoiples is the only one, and I never see him often."

"What's there to talk about?" Charax gave Hero a tight-lipped smile. "It changes nothing. Plus, it's just a rumor. It's not true."

"It could be true." Hero brought her chin up and didn't break eye contact with Charax. "And I'm not losing this job because of it. I'm not losing anything."

Hero continued to stare her unblinking stare, only moving to place her hands on her hips. Charax crossed his arms.

"Fire Niobe."

"What?!"

It was as if the entire crowd recoiled in unison, gawking at Hero with wide-eyed disbelief.

"F-Fire Niobe?" Hallie raked her hands through her hair. "But -why?"

"Yeah, Hero, why?" Niobe shook her fist at Hero. "I did nothing to you!"

"Yeah!" Cois placed a hand on Niobe's shoulder. "Also, getting rid of her won't solve anything."

Hero cocked her head to the side. "You're right. Getting rid of you won't solve anything."

Niobe halted, brow furrowing. Cois's lips tightened.

Hero smiled. It didn't reach her eyes. "Firing all the Taktikoí will be more effective."

Silence. Raw shock and horror flooded with ire and resentment.

"Are you crazy?!"

"Hero, I always knew you were a bdelyrós, but this is a whole new level of evil."

"What kind of mortal does something like that?!"

"Shut up!" Hero held her hands over her ears. "Keep talking and you'll lose more than just your job!"

The shouts ceased, but the irked glares didn't.

Hero turned her attention back to Charax. "Well? Are you going to fire them? If not, I'll tell the city you refused the will of a Kardián. And be happy I'm not forcing you to quit."

Hallie held her breath, feeling the sharp stab of pain in her chest, screaming for oxygen. Hero couldn't legally do this, could she? No, of course, she could. She was Kardián. Charax was a Mitec. He was lucky Hero wasn't forcing him to quit.

"Hero-"

"What?" Hero barred her teeth in Hallie's direction. "What do you want?"

Hallie brought her head closer to her body, covering it with her arms as if Hero was a ball aiming to knock her unconscious.

Hero frowned then brought her lips back up into a fake smile. "Yes, Hallie?" she said, her eyes shifting from Hallie to Nikas to Niobe to back at Hallie.

Trembling, Hallie brought her arms off her head. "U-Um, what is the rumor?"

"I'll tell her." Doriskos wrinkled his nose at Hero. "You're going to scare her and spread misinformation."

Hero yawned and waved at him in a dismissive manner. "Go ahead."

Doriskos continued to gaze at Hero and only look at Hallie when Hero began tapping her feet. "Basically, mortals are saying the Tyrant is planning on taking either the Taktikoí or the Sómata and putting them all in a new social class underneath even the Freed. But," Doriskos glared at Hero one last time. "it's only a rumor. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Exactly," Cois said without taking his eyes off Hero. "It's just a rumor. Even if it was true, how does firing Niobe and the rest of the Taktikoí solve anything?"

"It's simple, really." Hero rolled her eyes. "The Kýrous is a well-known amphitheater, right? If it turns out it's Sómata the Tyrant puts into the subFreed class, the Tyrant won't close the Kýrous since there's only Sómata keeping it in business!"

Niobe hit her head with the heel of her palm. "That makes no sense. They could just hire new actors! Also, cutting out all the Taktikoí gives the amphitheater a huge setback."

Charax nodded. "Yeah, I'd have to hire at least twenty more actors to replace the ones you made me let-go."

"Quiet!" Hero threw her hands up in the air. She massaged her temples and narrowed her eyes. "None of you understand. You're all Mitecs." She glanced at Hallie, lips curling. "Except you."

Except you. Oh, gods, Hallie could fight this. She could stop this.

She opened her mouth, but the words died in her throat. No, she couldn't stop this. Hero wouldn't give up just because Hallie opposed her idea. She'd find others who like her idea and declare war against Hallie. It wouldn't work.

They were right. Even with her propitious social class, she can't do anything right.

"So," Hero continued. "what will it be, Charax? Are you going to fire them, or must I get others to intervene? Life or job?"

Hallie watched Charax as he looked between Hero and all his Taktikós actors, stopping on Niobe more than others. He hunched over, sweat dripping down the side of his face, fists clenching and unclenching.

"O-Okay."

Niobe darted over to Charax. "Y-You're kidding, right? You're not going to let her ruin our lives. Um, remember 'Does not the donkey bear the load you're bearing?'"

Charax didn't look at her.

"Who am I playing, sir?" Niobe's voice was small.

Silence.

Niobe let out a small wail and dashed off the stage. Cois's expression no longer looked able to hold any emotion as he locked eyes with Hero. He looked away after a second, opened his mouth as if to say something - maybe to address Charax, who was shaking and staring at the ground - but he closed his mouth and ran after Niobe.

Doriskos stormed up to Hero and whispered something in her ear. She flinched but let him walk away unscathed.

The cast trickled out of the amphitheater, some stumbling, some staring off into space, some gritting their teeth.

Hallie was dragging her feet. Nikas wasn't, but he was walking slow enough that he didn't pull ahead of her. Impressive, considering he was deep in thought.

They stopped at a vendor five minutes into their aimless walk. Nikas passed the merchant a couple drachmés and received two pouches of olives in return.

Hallie focused on the olives, mostly the olives Nikas handed to her.

The few who still believed in the old gods said olives were a gift to Kardiá from Athína. She created them to win herself the title of patron and protector of Kardiá instead of her uncle, Poseidónas.

They were supposedly a blessing. They could be anything: be ingested, be a light source, or be a medicine. Anything. But not a lifesaver.

Hallie's stomach clenched. Twenty Taktikoí just lost their jobs. Jobs that - judging by Niobe's wail - they sorely needed.

Hallie clenched her hand around the pouch as Nikas nudged her back into a walk.

Olives. Nikas could buy olives. Nikas could but olives for her until she gets settled.

The fired Taktikoí couldn't buy olives. They'd want to save their money until they found a new job. New jobs weren't scarce. For Kardiáns. But they weren't Kardiáns. And some might need to provide for their families, and an actor was a high-paying job willing to hire Mitecs like them.

"I could have done something."

"So could have the rest of us."

"And you all did, you just stopped when Hero threatened you."

Nikas tilted his head. "I'm the only one who says nothing when Hero's being stupid and discriminatory."

Hallie squinted her eyes shut. "Yeah, but she has power over you. She doesn't over me."

Nikas sighed. "Hallie, were you the one who demanded Charax to fire all the Taktikós actors?"

Hallie turned away, squeezing her pouch of olives like a stress ball. "No... But I had - no, have - the influence to get them their jobs back. Do you know how many of them will die of starvation because of this? They don't have anti-starvation laws in place to protect them." She laughed bitterly. "I can see why Taktikoí hate Sómata so much."

Before Nikas could reply, a Taktikós, no older than thirteen, hobbled up to them.

They was dirty and wore roúcha with many small holes. A Freed.

They opened their mouth, then closed it. They bent their head and pulled out something tied around their neck.

Hallie's breath hitched at the sight of it.

It was a necklace. A necklace on a bronze chain connecting to the two sides of a drachma painted a deep, piercing blue with the letter alpha written large and in dried blood.

Without speaking, Nikas handed the Taktikós five drachmés.

The Taktikós gawked at the coins as if they hadn't expected to get anything, let alone five drachmés, before muttering a quick thank you and scampering off.

Hallie stood there, her hand drifting up to touch her bronze chain hanging around her neck.

Nikas looked at her hand and froze. Hallie did, too.

They locked eyes and stayed frozen for a few seconds.

Nikas was the first to break eye contact. He looked at the ground and motioned for them to continue walking. Hallie nodded.

They walked in silence, eating their olives. They were now tasteless, in Hallie's opinion.

Great, he knew. He didn't seem to care, so it wasn't all bad. In fact, his face portrayed a sense of mutual understanding.

Hallie looked at his neck, hoping she wouldn't see the familiar metal glint out from where so many anepithýmitos kept their necklaces hidden.

The Taktikós didn't seem shy to hide theirs, keeping it concealed under their roúcha but not feeling ashamed to pull it out to ask for money.

Now that Hallie knew what they was, she didn't know if the Taktikós was Freed. They could be an anepithýmitos Mitec who wasn't lucky enough to get a job.

Come to think of it, was Kirphis Freed? No, they practically said they was Freed before Hallie's conscience made her tell them her true social status.

Hallie hadn't seen or thought about him much since her first day in Kardiá. Was he doing okay? Were the upper-class-mortals treating him okay? Were the Sómata?

Wait.

Hallie stopped in her tracks. Nikas stopped too and looked back at her. "Is something wrong?" He cringed afterward. He knew everything was wrong.

Hallie ignored that and said "Kirphis."

"What?"

"Kirphis. They'll have our answer."

"I beg your pardon? The answer to what?"

Hallie looked Nikas dead in the eyes. "Our question."