As he’d read through the final chapters of his grandfather’s biography that morning, before heading to the palace, it had played on his mind how much his grandparents had given up for him and his brothers to ensure they had stability. It wasn’t just that his grandfather had kept the monarch’s crown, but the way his grandparents had enfolded their grandsons in their care.
Given that Helios was heir, it was hardly surprising that Astraeus had taken him under his wing more than he had Theseus or Talos. But Theseus had never felt excluded by it, in the way his father had made him feel excluded. His grandfather was often remote—he was the King after all—and he’d been strict with them all, but growing up Theseus had never doubted his love. And his remoteness had been countered by their grandmother; a loving, generous woman with all the time in the world for him.
Theos, he missed her as much as he missed his mother.
After reading the biography in its entirety, with all the pieces of his research stitched together to create the final picture, he’d understood just how much they’d given up for their grandchildren and for duty. The death of their son and heir had meant the death of their dreams, but they’d risen to the challenge with a grace that left him humbled and aching with regret. It was too late to tell his grandmother how much he loved her and to thank her for all she’d done and all she’d given up.
Toby bounded back to them, waving an enormous stick in his hand. Theseus marvelled at the freedom that came with simply being a child.
Did he really want to take that freedom away from him?
And could he do it to Jo too?
‘I’ve found a stick,’ Toby said, coming right up to him and holding it out like an offering.
‘Throw it to Benedict and see if he’ll catch it.’
‘’Kay. How will he know what to do?’
‘He’ll know,’ he said, smiling down at him. ‘You can always yell ferto to him when you throw it—that’s the Greek word for fetch.’
‘Ferto,’ Toby repeated, then ran off, shouting, ‘Sas efcharisto,’ over his shoulder.
‘Did he just say thank you to me?’ he asked, staring at Jo in astonishment, certain that his ears must be blocked with water from his morning swim.
‘I’ve taught him a few words and phrases in Greek,’ she conceded.
The admission caught him right in the throat.
He’d become so accustomed to speaking to her in both their languages that he’d taken her fluency in his language for granted. It was a joke amongst Greeks, Cretans and Agonites alike how dismally the British spoke their tongue.
Fate did indeed work in strange ways.
If Jo hadn’t been fluent in his language and the only credible person to take over the workings of the biography—
Suddenly he was certain that she hadn’t spoken Greek when he’d known her on Illya. Her speech now was practised, but not flawless. She could read the language well, but struggled with the more obscure words. He’d never seen her attempt to write it, but he was sure it would be an area she would have trouble with.
This wasn’t a woman who’d been taught his language from a young age.
‘When did you learn Greek?’
‘When I couldn’t find you.’ She looked briefly at him, then shifted her focus back to the light pink sand before them, following in Toby’s little footsteps. ‘I bought some of those audio lessons and spent every night listening to them, and I got Fiona to give me lessons too. She helped me with context and pronunciation.’
‘You did all that in five years?’
‘Four,’ she corrected. ‘And now I’m trying to teach Toby too.’
‘But why?’ His head spun to think of all the hours she must have spent studying, the determination it must have taken...
‘I told you before—I wanted to find you. I even started a savings account to pay for me and Toby to go to Athens.’
‘How did you think you would find me?’ he asked, more harshly than he’d intended. ‘Athens is a huge city. It would have been like looking for a specific tile in a mosaic.’
She shrugged. ‘I knew it was a long shot, but I’d have tried for Toby’s sake.’
‘And what did you think would happen if you’d found me?’
‘I stopped thinking about that. All the potential consequences were too scary.’
‘But you were still going to try?’
Her smile was wan. ‘It was the right thing to do. If I hadn’t have found you I still could have shown Toby your culture. Or what I thought was your culture.’