I stand up and almost fall over.

I drank too much, but I won't miss such an opportunity.

Following the angelic figure of the beautiful woman in white, I stumble across the hall.

To my disappointment, she doesn't leave but leads me to the center.

Every eye is on us, and the annoying Spartan princes rub their hands with a grin.

They must know something I don't, but I should be the smart one here.

Ugh. And the drunk one too.

Swaying on my legs, and balanced by the owl on my shoulders, I reach a strange spot.

Large cushions surround a board carved into the stone floor. It's a checkered rectangle with an 8x8 layout, and the beauty who lures me here plops down next to it.

"I heard about your intellect, Lord Odysseus, and I challenge you to a game of petteia." She giggles, that low and smooth voice an angelic melody as she says my name.

She pulls out a handful of pebbles in two colors, and it takes me a moment to process what she said.

Challenge me to a game of what? She spreads the pebbles across the board with practiced moves.

"I'm sorry, I never played this game." As much as I hate to say this, it wouldn't be much of a challenge to beat me in something I know nothing about. I'd rather play chess with her.

I'm not good at it, but I know the rules, and have a good head on my shoulders.

It's too bad it will take thousands of years until someone invents it and brings it to Europe.

"Don't worry, My Lord, the rules are easy." She smiles, once every pebble is in its place. Athena's holy owl jumps off my shoulder and lands near the board, staring daggers at me.

What the hell is wrong with that bird? I'm feeling dizzy and enchanted by this beautiful woman.

I don't have a single brain cell to spare for learning a new game. Why is it staring at me?

Oh, wait, am I supposed to say something? The Spartan princess still waits for my response, her grey eyes staring straight into my soul. The owl pecks at my finger, and pain jolts through me.

"Ow, of course, My Lady. If you explain the rules, I'll try it with you."

Was it the bite of the bird, or Athena's magic? My brain is a little less foggy now.

I have other problems than the wine though. I got much more drunk on the beauty of this woman I still know nothing about. Well, she's Spartan. She must be Iphthime's sister.

That means all those annoying princes are her brothers. What a big family. And the only name that rings a bell is their father's, Icarius. Now I'll learn petteia before her name.

"It's simple." She starts, and I try to focus on the board and her voice, rather than her beauty.

The problem is that even her voice is intoxicating. The owl helps with that, biting me again.

"Ow, for Athena's love, please continue." I'm going to strange this bird. Why didn't it go with Ktimene and the other ship? Ah, of course. It's because I'm the one the goddess keeps under watch.

"This is the leader and these are the soldiers or dogs." She introduces the figures, but there are only two types. Even my drunken brain can comprehend that much.

There is one leader and eight dogs from each color. The dogs line up on the first row, and the leader stands in the middle. She moves them up to show the legitimate steps.

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"The goal is to block the leader from all sides or capture all forces. You can capture a piece by surrounding it from any two sides." She demonstrates a few valid captures and blocks.

"Each piece moves in any direction and as far as you want, but can't jump over others. You can capture more than one dog with a step, but if I move my dog between yours it won't get captured."

It's not complicated, but she's way too fast, and even if her voice is nice to listen to, it makes my head spin. She keeps going, giving me no time to comprehend or catch up.

"The leader can take place in captures but you can't capture him, only block him. And you can use the board's edge to block him too." She knows no mercy. How much more do I have to take?

"The only rule remaining is against repetition. You must make another move if you repeat the same one three times. That's it, would you like to try, My Lord?" She ends it, and I'm done.

I can't say no after all this talk and every eye on us.

I nod, not trusting my voice, and she flashes that wonderous smile at me.

She waves for me to begin, and I move a random piece.

It's an ancient game, how hard can it be? In four steps, she blocks my leader and wins the first game without me realizing it. Right. I have to keep an eye on that piece. It would have been easy to avoid.

"That was a warm-up." With a forced laugh, I reorganize the board. "We can begin now."

She starts this time, and it's easier for me to react. Keep an eye on the leader and avoid my pieces getting surrounded. At least that's the plan, but being drunk doesn't help.

She wins the second game by clearing all my dogs in thirty steps, and her brothers laugh even louder. Before I realize it, they all sit around us on the cushions and enjoy my losses.

Her little sister sits by my side.

She is so close that her chest brushes against my arm, but I focus so hard on the game, that I won't notice until I lose. Damn it, this Spartan princess is good.

"Uhu-hu." The owl mocks me, and I can't leave it at that.

I demand a rematch and do my best to focus but to no avail.

She beats me in fifteen steps, and her brothers roll on the floor.

"Don't take it on you, Lord Odysseus." Iphthime tries to comfort me, hugging my arm. Jeez, she's way too close. "My brothers refuse to play with her for a long time."

I can see why. She's good.

She's more than a stunning beauty with a nice voice and a talent for poetry, she's also good at board games. Is it okay to fall in love now, Odysseus?

But this game drives me mad, and I concentrate so hard, that I almost forget about her, and being drunk too. The next rematch takes a hundred steps and is closer than ever.

We both have a single dog and the leader left. I focus so hard on taking her last piece, that I don't notice mine getting stuck in a corner square. She blocks it, and it's over.

If the board weren't carved into the ground, I would have flipped it. The hall bursts into ecstatic cheering and laughter, and I join them too. She got me. She got me good.

"That's Penelope for you. Nobody beat her in a year, including myself." King Nestor hollers too, and the world shatters around me when I connect the name to the angel before me.

"What did you say?!"