Byzantium Volume 1: The Rise of The Golden Sun

[RedAmber]

Maria and many of her relatives, especially male relatives, had been gathered in Athens against their will. Since The Golden Sun party claimed victory in the most recent Greek elections, many things had started to change under their administration. The government made many promised reforms in its first week of power, however it slowly became clear that they had more planned for Greece than simple economic and legal reforms. Maria could hear the boots of marching soldiers on the streets below her. They had been ordered out into the city, by order of the government, to march around and show the power of the Greek military. From the window beside her, she could see the sparkling lights of the city of Athens which was filled with much celebration among the more radical people, while others stayed at home. She was seated in a small stud in, of all places, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Greece.

Except for the few interactions she had with politicians that groveled to her godfather for money, she had never met such an important leader before in her entire life. Several of her cousins had been brought into the room before her, but she never saw them leave. They probably had been brought through the backdoor of the small room, but she wasn’t sure where it led to. She gasped when the copper doorknob to the side door jiggled, and then turned. The door was opened by an old, thin man with white hair. He was wearing a suit and a noticeable gold watch. The man smiled at her while he gently closed the door behind him. For some reason, the smile made Maria uncomfortable.

His eyes briefly examined her petite frame. She was wearing a white sundress which clashed with her red hair, which was rare in Greece. The man seemed to be checking boxes off in his mind as he looked her over in a utilitarian-like fashion. “Do you know who I am?” the man asked her.

“Yes,” Maria said, “you are Vassilis Drakos, the new Prime Minister.” Vassilis smiled again, and put on his reading glasses. He looked her over one more time, and then reached for a piece of paper in the breast pocket of his jacket. He asked her a new question, “How old are you, and what is your name?”

“My name is Maria Angelos. I am 17 years old. Why am I here? Why is my family here? Are we in trouble?” she asked a bit frantically. Vassilis didn’t answer, instead he waited a few moments for her to calm down. “Maria, look up at me please,” he said in a slightly softer voice. Maria gulped anxiously and looked up at her Prime Minister. He momentarily felt himself getting lost in her blue eyes.

“None of you are in trouble, Maria. You’re all here for a few reasons. First, the government is going to be making some very big changes in Greece. While these changes are being made, we need a few very dedicated people to help us," he said.

Maria kept her hands in her lap and looked up at him only long enough to ask a question, “How on Earth can I help you?”

Vassilis rested his elbows on his desk, folded his hands in the air, and rested his chin on them. “I cannot explain everything to you right now, Maria. But, I can tell you that we will be working to restore some version of the monarchy. And we need people with royal blood to do that.”

Maria interrupted him, “Why don’t you go to the old Greek Royal family? King Constantine the second is still alive, so are his children. My family is only distantly in the House of Glucksburg. King Constantine could…”

Vassilis slammed his hand on the desk before him to shut her up. “They’re not interested in what we have planned, Maria. Now stop talking. You’re going to be sent to a camp to teach you more about the party, and Greece in general. When you come back, things will be different, and you will be ready. I’m going to send two soldiers to your uncle’s mansion with you, so you can pack some things for the camp. You leave tomorrow for Sparta at 5 in the morning.”

Vassilis got up, knocked on the back door, and two armed soldiers walked in. One had light, copper, Greek skin with black hair and a charming smile, while the other could simply be described as bitter looking. The second one was also smiling, but it looked like he was smiling for the wrong reasons. He was shorter and, unlike the longer black hair of the other soldier, he had a short buzzcut and snake-like green eyes. Maria got up, and walked toward the two soldiers who escorted her out of the Prime Minister’s residence.

The more charming soldier drove them, while Maria and the less-than-pleasant soldier sat in the back with her. They were riding in a SUV which had two back seats, along with a row of seats behind those which could accommodate a total of five people. Instead of sitting in the two back seats that were apart from each other, the lesser of the two soldiers shoved her to the back and into one of the corner seats. He sat next to her, and put his arm around her. Maria immediately felt very uncomfortable. The charming soldier accelerated, and they began driving towards her uncle’s mansion.

The soldier’s hand carefully, and slowly, felt up her upper arm and then her shoulder. It almost felt like he was trying carefully push her dress over her shoulder. “You don’t see many redheads in Greece,” the man, who was probably in his early thirties, remarked. “Are you Greek?”

Maria tried to shrug off his hand and nodded, “Yes, I’m from Crete. Could you… stop?” she asked the man. His hand moved to the side of her neck and lower jaw which he grabbed for just a few moments, before he let go of her. “Sorry, I’m just trying to make sure you’re comfortable…” the soldier said. Maria was not comfortable. The more charming soldier, who was driving, seemed to be somewhat focused on the road, but also looking back at the two of them. “Lieutenant,” the charming soldier said from the driver’s seat, “Ms. Angelos has had a long night, you should give her some breathing room.”

The touchy soldier didn’t seem very pleased with the order, but he obeyed. He removed his arm from around her, but still blatantly stared at her every now and again. The drive to her uncle’s mansion felt like it took forever. Traffic from recent celebrations was probably part of the reason to blame. She’s lived with her godparents, who were also her aunt and uncle, for as long as she could remember. She didn’t know who her parents were, but they were actually more important than she could ever imagine. Her godfather was a very wealthy businessman from Crete who had made a fortune in a number of ventures, and her godmother owned and operated a successful fashion-line. While Greece didn’t have a monarchy since the 1970s, the royalty of Greece was still respected and admired as it was in other European countries that had abolished their monarchies. Both her godmother and godfather were, in some way, noble. They assured Maria that she was as well.

The lights at the mansion were off as they pulled up to it. Maria’s godparents were in Crete, and were probably being kept under a watchful eye by the government. This estate was one of their many residencies. Maria got out of the SUV with the two soldiers. She unlocked the front door, and they stepped inside. It was a beautiful home. To most other Greeks, they would think of it as a majestic place, but to Maria it felt cozy compared to their home in Crete. She casually walked in. The more charming soldier waited outside, while the less charming one followed step-for-step after her. “I’ll make sure you don’t grab anything you don’t need,” the man said with his unsettling smile. Maria didn’t respond, and instead started the journey to the third floor where her room was.

Her room was probably the size of the soldier’s apartment. She turned on the light, and began packing her bag. The soldier repeatedly went through her things and watched her carefully as she packed. Once she was almost done, he approached her and put one of his hands on one of her shoulders. “You wont need dresses where you’re going. Why don’t you put on some jeans?” he said. The first sentence nearly broke Maria’s heart. She loved dresses.

“Okay, I guess I can if you think that’s necessary,” she responded. Instead of leaving the room, he just backed up and waited. She looked at him and he shook his head, “Well?” he reached into her bag and threw a pair at her, “Put them on,” he said.

“Could you step outside, please?” she asked. The soldier shook his head, “No, how do I know you wont put a weapon in your bag while I’m outside? Here, let me help you.” He came up to her and attempted to help her take off her dress. It was an attempt, because he didn’t seem to know how to take it off her. She began struggling as he tried pulling down the arm bands to her dress. Getting tired of the charade, he shoved her onto her bed and turned her onto her stomach. She started screaming and managed to kick him once in the stomach. He growled and retaliated by grabbing her head and forcing her face into the mattress as he started pulling her dress up. She felt his hands on the back of her legs before she heard a loud sound, and he was no longer touching her.

Maria turned onto her back and scooted back to the other side of her king-size bed. The other soldier had come up the stairs, probably after he had heard her scream. The soldier that was trying to “help” her undress was now sitting on the floor in the back corner of the room. His nose was bloody, and he looked dizzy. The charming soldier put his fists down and looked at Maria who was now sitting on her bed. “Are you alright?” he asked her. Before Maria could say anything, the other soldier sound like he was going to make an excuse, but the charming soldier wanted nothing of it. “Lieutenant, go guard the car. We’ll be down in a few minutes. It would be a shame if the party found out about this, wouldn’t it?”

The defeated lieutenant stood up and exited the room. He glared at Maria the entire way. The more charming soldier stood at the foot of Maria’s bed, and looked down at her. “I’m sorry, Ms. Angelos… I hope that you’re okay?” he said. Maria got off of her bed and stood up. She made sure to flatten her dress before she nodded, “Yes, thank you. He… What is your name?”

The soldier zipped up her bag and put it over his shoulder. She could see the outline of his arm muscles through his uniform when he lifted her bag. “I’m Captain Helios Panagos. I shouldn’t have let him be alone with you. Please don’t let him be reflective of the Greek Army to you – the government decided to let in many new recruits and for some reason they’ve relaxed background and psychological tests. I will be reporting him to the higher ups in command, and maybe the party,” he said.

Maria noticed the red armband around Captain Panagos’s arm. It had the symbol of the party on it in black. He grabbed her other bag as well, and started walking towards the door. “Can you tell me about where I am going?” she asked.

Captain Panagos nodded. “You are going to the education camp in Sparta. I haven’t been to that one. I think it’s for more upper-class people like your family. They are going to teach you about the party and why their vision for Greece is what will save us from the socialists and immigrants. They are going to help us make Greece strong again, and you will get to play a part in that,” he explained to her while they walked down the stairs. Maria decided to not mention that one of her closest friends in Crete was a Jewish immigrant from Israel.

“I’m not trying to virtue-signal when I say this – it is too often that only men are involved in political revolutions. A beautiful girl like you will be a great edition to the cause, I hope more women will get involved,” he said. While Maria was only 17, Captain Panagos looked like he was only a year or two older than her. She was only half paying attention to what he was saying, partly because it sounded like crazy propaganda, and partly because she was admiring his back muscles that she could see the outline of in the back of his tight uniform.

“When you are out of the camp, you will be an official member of the party. I hear that there is a lot of change coming to Greece – since the Prime Minister spoke with you, maybe you will play a big part in these changes,” he continued. “I’ll give you my card. When you are done with camp, you can call me if you need any help, or if you want to join the Army,” he concluded.

Once they were outside, he effortlessly threw her bags into the vehicle. The touchy lieutenant was waiting beside the car, and was still nursing his nose. Captain Panagos ignored him, and opened the passenger door for Maria. The lieutenant approached the car, but Helios shook his head, “You can walk back to base. I think you need the time to think, lieutenant,” he said. The captain got in the driver’s seat, started the car, and backed out before the lieutenant could get a word in. Maria got comfortable and sat back. She closed her eyes and tried to think about anything else. Captain Panagos, who still felt bad about what his subordinate did, did admit to himself that she was beautiful. He slipped his card into her bag, and turned the radio on low. He put it on one of the party’s official channels and listened to the “Always Fair” news that was anything but objective while they drove back to Athens.

That night, Maria slept in the Prime Minister’s residence. She had her own room and bathroom. She tried to sleep, but could only lay there in anxiety. Eventually, around one in the morning, she finally fell asleep. She was awoken at 4 in the morning and was told to get ready to be shipped off to Sparta. She, and some other young children of aristocrats including some of her cousins, were shipped off for Sparta at 5.

The camp was for three weeks, and it was like nothing Maria had ever experienced. The first week, they were all separated by sex. She was of course only with other girls in “Camp Athena” while the boys were in “Camp Zeus”. For her, that first week was the worst. There was one girl, in particular, who appeared to be more of an Amazon than a girl her age, and for some reason she really liked to harass Maria. On the first night, while everyone was eating dinner in the mess hall, she took Maria’s dinner from her. Maria’s mistake was that she didn’t put up a fight.

Over the next week, this psychopath bullied Maria. She stole her food, and some other girls joined together with the bully. They gathered Maria and other “lightweights”. They made them do stress tests and push-ups if they couldn’t answer questions about the party. Maria had never done a pushup in her life, so she was repeatedly beaten with socks filled with soap as punishment for her lack of knowledge. Toward the end of the week, however, she did admittedly learn a lot about the party. For all of that time, they had been wearing party uniforms. They had a number of things they could do to earn ribbons and awards. Maria wasn’t any good at the physical competitions, but she one awards for knowledge of Greek history, knowledge of party information, and knowledge of the Orthodox Church. These awards, which were mostly ribbons, were worn on their party uniforms. Unlike the uniforms of other regimes, the Golden Sun’s female party uniforms highlighted their feminine form. She wore a white blouse that had to be neatly tucked-in to a bright red skirt that, she felt, was just a little too short for her taste. She also wore a short and thin black tie. On the last day of their female-only camp, they were awarded the armband of the party, which they were all required to wear on their left arms.

A small award ceremony took place where a number of the girls were awarded for different things. Maria, to her surprise, was given one of these more grand awards for “ancient wisdom”. Instead of a ribbon, it was a small silver medal with a scroll that was adorned with olive leaves. She worse it above heft left breast with her other ribbons. She felt a sense of pride when it was given to her, especially because her bully had to watch her get it.

Things changed for the next two weeks, though. The two camps were now mixed. Boys and girls still slept in their own quarters, but daily activities now brought them together. The boys demolished the girls in most of the physical activities. Maria was knocked unconscious twice in wrestling by a boy three times her size on time, and his older brother the time after that. In volleyball, which was started in Greece, the boys and girls were more evenly matched, by the boys still overpowered the girls. This theme of male-domination continued. However, when it came to academics, it was a true level-playing field. Maria earned the highest score on several tests and her teams won several competitions for academic competitions and even debates. This won her the admiration of some boys, and girls, and hatred from some of the others that she defeated.

Over this three week period, she noticed that she was starting to question some of her core values and things she had known for a long time. She was told that democracy wasn’t the best form of government, at least not absolute democracy. She learned more about the ancient Greeks and how even Athens limited who could vote, while mighty Sparta had kings that led them to controlling most of Greece. They had to learn a number of stories, some true and some fabricated, about the rapes and atrocities done by immigrants in Greece. The co-ed classes were told how male Greeks were duty-bound to defend the women of Greece, and they were told that while many of the immigrants were good people, the male foreigners especially wanted to rape and take Greek women for themselves. More distorted or false data was presented.

Slowly, over time, they were told to refer to each other as “Citizen Maria” for example. They spent days learning about the Eastern Roman Empire, and that Greece was the true descendant to Rome. A new directive of the party was that they were to refer to themselves as Romans, which many Greeks had actually done through the 19th century.

Maria was confused on the inside. Everyone around her was conforming and accepting this new information. She wanted to accept it to, because it seemed like the easy thing to do, but something in her mind kept telling her to stay true to what she knew. She wasn’t perfect, however. She was only 17 after all. By the end of the three-week period, her beliefs were now a combination of the party platform and what she knew to be true before. This was better, however, than most of her fellow citizens at the camp, who had been entirely brainwashed.

In the end, she was stronger, supposedly smarter, and had some level of confidence she didn’t have before. At their graduation, she earned a number of medals that she even outcompeted boys for. She also won the final award, which was the highest. It was a crown of olive leaves and the olive crown medal. It was to highlight her intense knowledge of the party and history, her “dedication” to the mission of the party, the improvements she had made, and was due to the number of medals she had won before. Absolutely no one, especially in the beginning, thought she would be the one to win this award.

She returned from Sparta to Athens with her new uniform. She met with the Prime Minister again, who was pleased with her achievements. It was then that he explained to her what the party, and Greece, needed her to do for the nation.

Around the same time Maria was sent off to camp, the borders of Greece were closed and most of the country’s television and radio stations were quietly taken over by the state. The spread of information out of Greece went from free-flowing to a trickle of state-sanctioned information. Foreign journalists were not allowed to enter the country. The changes that were now taking place in the country were largely unknown to the world, until they were announced.