The Sight of Sea and Spirit: Circle of Souls book 3: (A steamy reverse harem romance with a reincarnation theme) by Lacuna Reid

Author:Lacuna Reid [Reid, Lacuna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Twist Press
Published: 2020-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

16

Mira

After a brief stop at the embassy to get the paperwork started, we arrive at the hotel, which is sleek, and modern, and very Gino. We check our bags in at the front desk, but we don’t even make it to our suite before Elias excitedly drags us off to roam the streets of Athens. Being back in his home country has brought a new liveliness and confidence to Elias that I haven’t seen in him before, outside of our more… intimate… moments, anyway.

There is a beauty and a charm to Athens, and also a roughness that is different from the refinement of Barcelona. Helio was right, there are hardly any trees, but many of the streets are cobbled. There are too many buildings that look like they were designed and built in the 60s in that particularly ugly era of architecture, and that makes me sad, thinking of all the older buildings and ruins that must have been demolished in the name of progress… but the streets we walk through this sunny afternoon are lively – filled with brass bands playing and street vendors with stalls selling delicious looking things like olives, pistachios, dried apricots, and fresh produce. There are markets filled with antiques and clothing, and some very unusual looking guards standing stock-still, wearing little red tasseled caps, pleated black kilts and white stockings.

“It’s something to do with celebrating the end of the 400-year occupation of the Ottoman Empire,” Elias says.

“Do they just stand there all day?” I ask.

“Yes,” Elias replies. “It’s like the English who have those guards with funny hats outside the Queen’s house. At some point they march around and then get replaced by other guards.”

“Ridiculous,” Helio says.

The guard in front of us maintains his neutral expression.

“You Spaniards can talk,” Elias retorts. “Your traditional guards look like they’re about to strip for a hen’s night.”

“But look – the giant pom poms on their shoes!” Helio crows. “How is that supposed to look threatening to anybody?”

The guard’s face reddens slightly.

“You know, those pompoms traditionally have concealed knives inside of them,” Elias says. “For sneak attacks... you better watch out, maybe they still do.”

I giggle at Elias’ explanation while the guard looks Helio in the eyes prompting him to gulp. It all seems so surreal. The Ottoman Empire took control of Greece for 400 years, and yet centuries before that, we were here, or somewhere near here, living out our lives. A shiver runs through me at the thought.

We continue our walk, and I look up at the hills rising above Athens and at the Acropolis, which seems to perpetually be looking down over the city.

“It was once a strategic point,” Elias says, pointing up towards the pillars that still stand of the Parthenon. “And it was considered an entrance to sacred parts of the city.”

“What does Acropolis mean?” I ask.

Elias shrugs, “It just means the highest point of a city.”

“You’ll find the Greeks are a very literal people,” Gino says, jabbing Elias playfully in the shoulder. Elias smiles and reaches for Gino’s hand.

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