King Atticus sat upon his throne and looked at his ministers and courtiers arguing. There had been a problem regarding the taxes imposed on farmers of wheat. But the king couldn't care less. He saw how his son was debating furiously with the ministers to reduce the tax burden on farmers as they were integral to the economy of the nation.
He wondered how a mere boy of seventeen would be so politically astute instead of being irresponsible and chasing girls like he once did. But then again he was after all a demigod.The royal council meeting ended with Atticus announcing a reduction in taxes for the wheat farmers.
The next day the king slipped out at the break of dawn in a disguise to roam about his kingdom. He reached near a river and was surprised to see a boat out in the large river. Fishermen went out into the sea at evening not at sunrise.
As the boat reached the land, a woman stepped out of it carrying a net full of fish.
The woman had long black hair and was breathtakingly beautiful. She was drenched in water and Atticus could see the outline of her body through her clothes.
He approached the lady and proclaimed," I am Atticus, King of Hastinos. Will you be my woman?"
"I may be the mere daughter of a fisherman but my morals are not loose enough to share the bed of a man out of fear or for personal gain."
Atticus shocked at her stubbornness replied," What if I agree to marry you and make you Queen of Hastinos? I also promise to take care of you and treat you kinder than man can."
Atticus was completely mesmerised by this woman. But this was different from his time with aphrodite. He worshiped aphrodite but this is a woman he could love.
"You come to me and proclaim you want to marry me without even asking my name. I do not know how to reply to you."
"Think of yourself or even that of your children. All of you can live comfortably in excess if you marry me.", replied Atticus.
"My children is it. Fine, I agree to marry you if you are ready to name the firstborn son I give you as heir apparent."
Atticus ,hearing this , left without a word. She asked for the one thing he could not give her. There was no one more deserving in Hastinos no, in Europa than Darius to become king. He might have been infatuated by this woman. She might have been the first woman after aphrodite he felt attracted to. But there was no woman or worldly possession that could outgrow his love for his son. After all his son was his greatest achievement.
Back at his palace the king started to appear extremely moody and aloof at least much more than usual. This worried Darius. He inquired to his father about this but his father always dismissed him. At last he revealed to his son about the fisherwoman and her conditions. Darius asked his father where she lived.
The next morning Darius set out to find the fisherwoman. He saw her fishing in the river and called out to her. As he looked at her he understood why his father was obsessed with her. She only seemed a few years older than him but was atleast more than a decade younger than his father.
"Who are you?", she asked.
"I am Darius son of Atticus. What may your name be?"
"Now he sends the boy prince to pursue me. I have already told him the conditions under which I would marry him."
"Fine. Your firstborn son can have the throne." Darius said.
The woman was shocked. It almost seemed to easy. The prince had to be lying. No one would give the throne up that easily for his father's lust.
"Even if you don't want the throne, your children may fight my children for the throne" replied the fisherwoman.
"Then I won't marry or sire children.", said Darius.
"Is this prince a fool or is it a trick? I am taking no chances.", thought the fisherwoman.
"If you really mean what you say Prince Darius, I want you to swear it on the river Styx."
Oaths made on the river Styx could not be disobeyed that is if you did not want the wrath of the Gods upon yourself. For the river styx separated the world of the living from that of the dead.
"I swear on the river Styx that neither shall I be king nor shall I marry or sire any offspring", proclaimed Darius.
The skies thundered and a voice boomed from the sky," I Zeus, King of the Gods, am impressed with the love you hold for your father prince Darius . Neither I nor my children have held such love for our own fathers. Hence forth I give you this blessing that you will die only when you want to and in your own conditions. Also from now you will be known as Darius of the fierce oath. "