Starcrossed

House of Thebes care for their cousin, Helen, Heir to the House of Atreus, while she fulfills her destiny in the Underworld. In exchange, I, Daphne, Head of the House of Atreus, will grant refuge and protection to Hector Delos, Outcast of the House of Thebes.”
    Everyone shot each other looks, stunned by both the request and the offer that Daphne had made. The room hung in silence as expectations recalibrated.
    “Why would you do this for my son?” Pallas asked as he partially rose from his seat, torn between thanks and indignation.
    “Because he is one of the strongest Scions I’ve ever seen, but he’s also one of the proudest. The loss of his place in this House is going to change him, and without guidance he could become a danger to us all. I’ve seen it before,” Daphne said evenly. Then she turned to Lucas and looked him in the eye to ensure that what she said was proved true by him. “We are all family, and it’s time we started acting like it.”
    “She isn’t lying,” Lucas said, looking over at Pallas, who nodded with relief. Lucas, however, looked devastated. He had heard the truth from Daphne herself—Helen was a member of his family.
    Castor and Pallas looked at each other, already in agreement, then glanced over at Cassandra for final approval. She nodded her head once, and then stood up and left the room without another word.
    “One last thing,” Daphne continued, tactfully ignoring Cassandra’s rude exit. “Hector wants to know what’s to happen to Creon’s body.”
    “We’ll be contacting Mildred to come and retrieve her son,” Castor said, looking down at his hands. “She’ll want to bring him back to his father for the funeral.”
    “Of course,” Daphne said sadly. “Will you let me know when she’ll be here? Hector mentioned something about facing her to ask for forgiveness . . . ” she trailed off uncertainly, as if she wasn’t sure Hector should do that.
    “I’ll call you,” Pallas promised stiffly, and then hurried out of the room.
    Daphne stayed for a bit longer and reassured the rest of the family that physically Hector was going to be fine; but she was blunt about the fact that he wasn’t doing well emotionally. After letting them all know that she would convey their love to him, she departed hastily, saying that she had left Hector alone for as long as she dared. Helen walked her to the door.
    “Did Hector see you in Pandora’s shape on the beach tonight?” she asked her mother quietly when they got to the front door.
    “No. And he can never know,” Daphne said, staring at Helen intensely. “You and I are the only family he has now and he needs to trust me. You both do.”
    Helen knew her mother had risked her life to help Hector, but the way Helen saw it, trust was something that was earned, not something that another person could demand from her. Even if that person was her own mother.
    “I’ll be in touch with you over the next few days to let you know what the plan is,” Daphne promised as she took her bag down off the hook and opened the door.
    “One last thing?” Helen asked as she held the door open. “I’ll stay quiet about what I saw on the beach if you agree to release Jerry from the influence of the cestus. You never loved him, but Kate does, and I think it’s about time you let someone in your life be happy, don’t you?”
    Daphne stared at Helen, shocked that her obedient daughter had finally expressed a mind of her own, then looked off to the side distractedly, like she was listening to a faraway sound.
    “It’s done,” she said in a brisk voice, snapping out of her momentary trance. “I can’t make any promises about his relationship with Kate working out, but Jerry’s heart is his own to give or to keep as he sees fit.”
    “It’s about time,” Helen said coldly.
    “All of this pain I’ve caused, I did it to protect you. And it worked. So I’m not sorry for any of it,” Daphne said, giving Helen a sad smile before turning and walking away.
    Helen shut the door and wandered back to the rest of the family, forehead furrowed in thought. As soon as she stepped into the living room, Lucas’s head snapped around to look at her. He gestured for her to come to him. Although she knew it was the last thing that she should do, it was the only thing she wanted to do.
    “I have to go home,” she told him as soon as she got to him, trying not to shake too much. “I left a good-bye note for my father on my desk when I