It was a stupid plan. Gaiana had nothing to her name. No connections, no money, nor any real survival skills outside of the city. It was a 'go that way and hope for the best,' sort of mentality. The sort of mentality that got so many runaways killed in the first place. She didn't want to go home, but she did. And Mimoza promised not to tell anyone what happened.

Mimoza told her that her family needed her. And that if they were selling her, it meant they couldn't provide for her anymore. Gaiana believed it. Archos had put himself into so much debt, that he'd have probably sold his own body if that were an option for a man.

So Gaiana went back. Not for Archos' sake, but for Sophus' sake. She at least wanted to be on good terms with him before going off. Despite having a low opinion of her master, she still loved them both. They were the family that took her in. The family that saved her as an infant and owed her livelihood too. Her option was to either runaway and most likely die from the forces of nature, or to get sold, and at least have a shelter over her head.

At the very least, satisfying some of the family debt might make Sophus' life easier. That alone made it worth it.

The center of the markets square was bustling with life. Not just merchants from the city, but foreigners from Sicily to Egypt. People constantly visited the city for trade, and most of them leaving better off than when they came. She'd have liked to have become a merchant. She'd even seen a few Egyptian merchants that were women. If she were lucky, maybe she'd get sold to an Egyptian that could let her practice medicine.

Not many people were looking for slaves at the moment. It was summer, so many people wanted slave labor for mines or plantations, but that wasn't an option for Gaiana. She'd be sold as a house slave. Good for housework and child caretaking. But if she was very unlucky, she'd be bought as a prostitute.

Gaiana carried a small makeshift shiv underneath her tunic, crafted out of a sharp stone with a wooden handle. Although she knew being sold was her only option, she'd at least get a final say in what master she wouldn't tolerate. If she got sold to a good master, she'd go along happily. If she didn't, the shiv was either to run away, kill her master, or kill herself depending on what was needed. She wasn't sure if she could through with that last option.

The slaves for sale were few. There were only three people left to be sold. It was Gaiana, a scrawny young boy, and a balding old man. The old man was more likely a burden than a benefit. Sure he was healthy, but with so few years left to his life, there was little return value from actually buying him.

The man auctioning them was a middle-aged man. Greying hair, but still healthy. He might've been an athlete once but now he had a heavy gut from a comfortable life as a merchant. The old man stepped up next to him first. The auctioneer scowled in disgust at the sight of him, but it didn't keep him from doing his job.

"One Drachma!" The auctioneer called to the streets. The amount of coin he called was equal to a soldier's daily pay. It was a modest price for the old man, because the auctioneer clearly didn't expect much from the old man's value.

"One Drachma, one drachma?" His enthusiasm waned. Even at a low price, no one wanted to buy the slave.

The people in the crowd only averted their eyes. Bored, and tired of seeing a useless product. But the auctioneer continued his calls, refusing to give up on a potential sale.

Gaiana scanned across the crowd, picking out people on the streets that she most wanted to avoid.

The first she saw was a Spartan veteran. Nereus was his name. She knew he was a Spartan because he wore a cowl with Spartan colors and symbols on it. He was very clearly prideful of his position, and wanted to show it to everyone who looked at him.

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But at the same time, maybe he was compensating for something. Most Spartans were humble about their feats. But Nereus wanted to flaunt his hometown like he needed to prove his own worth. The man was fat. Like a pig who had eaten too much. His leg was missing. Crippled from combat, he lost the ability to fight and became a sailor instead.

He was no doubt wealthy. His attendees were following him all day. Two beautiful young women fulfilling his every need. Losing his ability to enter combat, he had to become satisfied with becoming as extravagantly wealthy as possible to display a certain stature to everyone else. Very unspartan-like, ironically enough.

He visited the city often, and Gaiana shuttered at the thought of being bought by him. He always bought the prettiest young slaves, and there were rumors that he would 'break them' into servicing him.

Gaiana made a personal promise to stab him if he got too close to her.

No one bought the old man the auctioneer tried selling. Making a contorted face, the auctioneer told the old man to stand by the wall, and wait for the auction to end. At this point, it seemed the old man would die of old age before getting sold off.

Gaiana wished she was in that same position.

"Next up," the auctioneer gestured at the boy next to her. "Kyros, a Cyprus boy. Speaks Greek and Barbarian perfectly, a strong boy with time to grow up into a stronger man. He'll row ships, mine silver, plow the field, plow your friends. A strong sturdy laborer for all of your hardest needs."

The crowd chuckled at the subtle joke he gave. Kyros walked in front of the crowd with a grin on his face, not at all concerned with the position he was in. In fact, he reveled in it. He looked forward to the auction like it was the highlight of his life.

Gaiana really shouldn't have felt surprised. In some places, slaves had it better than free Greeks. She just wished she had a reason to feel just as optimistic. The slave boy stepped next to the auctioneer waving happily at the crowd. He even winked at Gaiana after walking by.

Gaiana's eyes rolled. In the crowd, a man in a dark cloak and scarf, eyed at the two of them with silvery colored eyes. Gaiana stared at him intensely, realizing quickly who he was.

It was Zora. He wore a dark cowl around his body, covering his features and making him seem heavier than he actually was. Zora was known for never showing his true face, keeping a scarf around his head while being the shaman doctor of the city. Hailing from outside of Greece, the man was infamous within the city. More like an anomaly than a medicine maker, citizens visited him only when they were truly desperate for cures and medication. He had an aura of mystery to him, which gave him a reputation for being a bad omen.

It was a bit ironic, considering that all of his ailments always worked. Whoever came through his doors, he would always cure people free. Spirits, disease, emotion sickness. Anyone who came to him ill would leave fixed, but it was viewed as bad luck to ask for help by a non-Greek.

Gaiana made a personal promise to kill herself if Zora bought her. Zora was known for buying large numbers of slaves and then having them disappear from the city forever. Theories ran wild into what happens with his slaves. Demonic rituals, human sacrifices, medical test experiments, the theories ranged between plausible and horrifying, and Gaiana refused to find out the truth.

She held the shiv more tightly to her thigh, ready to take it out just in case.

"One Drachma!" A bystander in the crowd said.

"Two Drachma!" Another man shouted.

Kyros smiled, happy to hear his own value go up. He really got off at the sight of it, like his value truly was worth exactly a few coins. Gaiana wasn't sure whether to envy Kyros or pity him. Among the both of them, Kyros was technically doing better with this than she was.

The crowd took long minutes raising up the stakes. Kyros was almost sold at nine Drachma, but then Nereus interfered. "Twenty Drachma!" He called out.

He grinned, glad to outbid the rest not out of practicality but as a show of wealth. That price was worth more than three prime bodied slaves, but Nereus called for it like it were nothing. Guess he needed more rowers, Gaiana thought to herself. Or he really likes wasting money. Gaiana rolled her eyes, disdaining the man more and more.

The Auctioneer clapped his hands, happy to sell another slave to one of his favorite customers. Kyros stepped down from the steps, proud that his worth was more than anyone expected.

"Tool," Gaiana muttered beneath her breath.

Kyros passed by her when she said it. Kyros softly replied, "the best tool a man could ask for."

Kyros only winked at Gaiana again, like he'd defeated her somehow. Gaiana only frowned. Now it was finally her turn.