Summary

Chapter 1 opens with a twelve-tear-old Helen playing knucklebones with her cousin, Penelope. Penelope is fifteen and doesn’t care for games anymore, but Helen is enjoying being a child. Penelope tells Helen to put on a veil when she is riding her horse because she can’t be the most beautiful girl in Greece with a sunburned nose. Helen answers she doesn’t care about her nose. While they are playing, Theseus of Athens storms in and announces he is kidnapping Helen for ransom. According to Theseus, news of Helen’s beauty is spreading throughout Greece, and he will be the first of many men coming to claim her. Helen’s parting words to her cousin are instructions to take care of her foal.

Theseus places Helen and her maid, Hessia, on his ship, The Minotaur. Helen puts up a brave...