We ran into the fountain room. “What are you doing today? Fishing or meetings? Or fishing and meetings?” Alkippe called.

“Meeting this morning, if I haven’t missed it, and then fishing this afternoon.”

“Granddad would have woken you in time so you wouldn’t miss the meeting,” Alkippe pointed out.

“True.” She was so smart, she lapped up learning, and she had that kind of common sense too, like Ma, because she was absolutely right, Dad wouldn’t have let me miss the meeting.

*   *   *

My life was good and full of daily pleasures. In addition to the satisfactions of my political work, I had valuable and healthy work fishing, where I could see Jason every day and keep an eye on Hilfa. I enjoyed my food. I loved Alkippe more and more each day as she came to the age of reason. I had Dad’s full approval, and now that I had been elected I felt worthy of it. I made a real effort to get on with Ma and Thetis, and even though they sometimes seemed more alien to me than the Saeli, I had been doing better at this recently. So things were going along smoothly and my life was good. I’d hug Alkippe, or put my back into hauling nets with Jason and Hilfa, or get some groups to agree to a compromise in Chamber, and realize all at once that I was happy. I also felt I was doing what Plato wanted, though I suppose strictly speaking he wouldn’t have had me doing it until I was fifty.

The morning was all meetings, and there was an important debate scheduled for the evening. But in between, I went out on Phaenarete on the tide and had a delightfully busy afternoon hauling in fish. After a day out on the ocean, I had expected a couple of hours to get ready for the evening’s Council session. At the very least, I’d have appreciated a hot drink to warm myself up, and time to change into a formal kiton. As it was, Crocus collected me on the quayside and I had to take the chair in my fishy work clothes, on no notice, and deal with the most difficult and controversial of all topics—human recontact, and what the gods really want us to do. Oh, and Grandfather was dead, and I hadn’t had any time yet to think through what that meant.