Athenia had agreed to send envoys to the conference, and to send all their art for redistribution on condition that all the other cities agreed to do the same. “They think the Amazons won’t,” Alkibiades had explained. “They’re sure the Amazons have the head of Victory, and that they won’t give their art back because they’ll think it’s a trick to find out who took it.” Father had nodded thoughtfully.

Now Ikaros took both of Father’s hands and kissed them. “I was so sorry to hear about Simmea. A loss to you, and to the world. She was a true philosopher.” Astonishingly, he was sincere. He really had admired Mother.

“We need to stop fighting about art and concentrate on increasing our excellence,” Father said, with no preliminaries.

“Yes,” Ikaros said. Father’s eyes flicked to me. I nodded quickly. He meant it. “Do you have a plan?”

“I do,” Father said. “Shall we go somewhere and discuss it? Do you have a committee for me to meet? Or should we go aboard and share a cup of wine?”

“We’re guest-friends already,” Ikaros said. “I remember sharing lemons with you and Simmea in Thessaly when Sokrates was still with us.”

“I have the other member of your debate team. Aristomache is back in the City,” Father said.

“Wonderful!” Ikaros sounded delighted. “You rescued her from Kebes?”

“It’s more complicated than that, and I don’t want to discuss standing it on the harbor,” Father said.

“Oh, be welcome to the City of Amazons, both of you, come share food and drink and tell me everything you know about everything,” Ikaros said.

He took Rhadamantha’s arm, and we all walked along the quay to a nearby eating hall which, as it was the middle of the afternoon and not anywhere near a meal time, was almost empty. He sat us down so that we were in sunlight from the window. Rhadamantha ran off to the kitchen and came back with rather good cold cakes spread with quince and red currant conserves, and wine.

“Now run and find Lysias, and your mother, and Damon, and Klio,” Ikaros said. The girl nodded and ran.

“Our Foreign Negotiations Committee,” Ikaros explained.

“Four Masters and one of the Children?” Father asked, sipping his wine.

“Three. We were so used to running things,” Ikaros said, narrowing his eyes. “Children, and even some Young Ones, are on lots of committees. Your boy Porphyry is on the Farming Committee.”

“How you run the City of Amazons is your affair,” Father said. “But I do want to tell you that other people have equal significance—they’re just as real as you are, and you have to allow them to make their own choices.”

Ikaros blinked. “Why do you want to tell me that?”