Ancient Greece Spy Journal Project
By: Grace Wilson and Daelyn Sanders
Introduction
Grace – I, Genesis Milonas, just got ordered from Captain Ajax that my mission is to go spy on Sparta because we all need to know if they are going to send a spy over to Athens for war. Since I was going to be gone from Athens for a while, it was very hard to say goodbye to my mother, Aria, my father, Oscar, and my two younger brothers, Oliver and Stephen. After they all said their farewells, I was off to spy on Sparta. I wouldn’t have ever dreamed that I was going to be spying on Sparta at age 14.
Intoduction
First Journal Entry
First Journal Entry
"Day dreamin' again?" Captain Galahad's rough and tough voice spoke. Ever since the day my parents and brothers died in the war effort, I hid my true emotions inside, deep deep down, for my families sake, and for mine. I'd learned how to control my feelings around the men in the training camp.
"No, captain, I was just thinking," I responded.
"Well stop, just 'cause you've been re-cruited," his voice hinting at strong Spartan accent,"don't mean you can just gallivant around like a chicken with it's head cut off!"
"Yes, sir," I said and I was off to training for another day.
Second Journal Entry
Grace - I just arrived at Sparta. This is completely different the city-state I am from. I am looking around and basically all I see is everyone fighting, and people running around naked, because that's what they have been born to do: fight naked.
Second Journal Entry
Daelyn - I was going to try to figure him out. Before Captain Galahad left he told me to get the new guy situated. I was guessing that he was the lanky little guy I saw yesterday.This was perfect, I'd finally be able to get to know him, to see if he was who he said he was. When Galahad left, I motioned to him with my long fingers. When he came over he looked curious enough to be one of those weird philosophers or a bard from Athens. Now that he was closer to me I could see the stability in his posture, but something in his facial features looked more feminine than any other man I've seen.
My plan is to bring him into my cabin and question him there. If I did it here he might make a scene, and I couldn't afford for anyone getting suspicious about me. After a few minutes of silence he couldn't handle it anymore and asked, "What's your name?". His voice was pressured to sound more masculine. This would be a very interesting evening.
Third Journal Entry
I decided that I was going to strike up a conversation with the boy. In my head I am trying to think of some answers to questions he might ask, even though it doesn't look like he will start talking to me anytime soon. I am going to try to ask questions that have some comedy in them, so then he might actually answer me, but I'm hoping he doesn't try to start conflict right now. "What's your name?," I ask. He didn't answer. I am thinking to myself, "this is going to be a very long mission in Sparta".
Third Journal Entry
The walk from camp to my cabin was about seven miles. I hadn't always lived on my own since I got to the training camp. My request didn't go through until a year later. My bunk mate from that long year was Bate. He turned out to be my new and only friend ever since. His life before training wasn't at all like mine. Bate had it all, the money, popularity, and the thing I wanted most a family. I envied him ever since.
Fourth Journal Entry
I can finally see something up ahead. Hopefully, it is a rest stop or something. I look even closer, and guess what it is? The cabin... yay.. I am really not in the mood to go to some random persons' cabin, but this could be the chance where I get all the information that I have been sent to get. We get inside, and surprisingly, it is one of the cleanest places I have ever seen. Everything is put away, and all of his clothes are folded in piles. I have never seen a boy who is this organized. I am not even this organized, and I'm a girl! I hear him talking to himself, and either it's just me or his voice sound very feminine. Bu that doesn't matter right now. All I need to do is get the data that is needed in order to still be hired to go on more missions. I take a deep breath, and tell myself, "it's going to be okay".
Fourth Journal Entry
At last, my home for the past four years came into view. To me, my little cabin was perfect, but to anyone else, well they'd probably call it a run-down shack. If you looked at it with an open mind the cabin wasn't so bad. Lush oak and spruce trees towered overhead with moss hanging down. I imagined it like the stories my mother used to tell me before I went to bed each night. As I looked around I saw Milo looking around. He looked pleased and at peace, like he'd come to complete serenity. That was something Spartan men were never allowed to be. So one would teach him soon enough, I thought as I tried to suppress a sly smile.
Fifth Journal Entry
I keep thinking to myself that I might actually be right. Since we haven't talked for the past three hours, I'm going to ask the same question that I attempted to ask earlier. "What's your name?," I ask.
"Umm... uh.. Scarlett, I mean Scar, sorry." he said. I was actually very surprised that he answered me this time. I am still wondering if this 'boy', or whatever he claims to be at this point, is actually a girl. Hopefully I will figure this out sooner before later.
Fifth Journal Entry
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Milo take a note on sheet of paper. Okay, I'll let that go, maybe he needed to remember something for later, I hoped. Next, I took off my jacket and neatly folded it then put it away in my wooden drawer. My hair was fighting to be loose, so I took off my cap and started to brush each side of my long blonde hair. Milo asked me what my name was after I was done combing. I hesitated at first, "Scarlett, I mean Scar sorry." All I could do now was investigate this strange man and hoped that he didn't figure me out before I could question him.
Sixth Journal Entry
"So, who do you usually live with in Sparta?," I ask Scar.
"My parent died in a war effort, and so did my brother. I was taken in by the Spartan military that's for men, but I'm not a ma.. I mean I'm in the military because I am a man, sorry."
"Oh sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," I say.
"It's fine, people ask all the time about that," he says, sounding a lot more feminine than usual. Now I am very curious if this boy that I am talking to is actually not a boy. If it is a girl, she probably has a reason for posing as a boy in the first place; hopefully.
Sixth Journal Entry
Each minute counted loudly at the back of my head while I was answering Milo's questions. While he was asking I was cleaning my little bunk. Every once in awhile I'd put things I'd need in Athens into a little bag that would help me on my "spying". When he thought I was looking away he'd take out his piece of paper and write something down after I was asked a question. I was getting suspicious to see what was on the paper. Especially because he was being so secretive. I keep hearing voices around the room, and there "he" is, whispering to himself while looking at the paper, like he was trying to remember something. His voice sounding even more feminine as I listen to the whispers.
Seventh Journal Entry
questions I knew he wasn't who he truly said he was. Now it was time to have fun with this weak "boy".
We sat down on a log, the farthest away from the fire people had started. "Have you ever been to one of these before?" I asked trying to get a confession out of Milo.
"No,"
"Well, this will be fun then," I said,"for me." I said under my breathe, barely able to hear it myself. The sun was almost all the way down and dark was creeping into the last light. At last, the bright, harmful sun died and the moon was born with a bouquet of stars to go along. Now the worst part would start, making dinner. Thankfully, tonight wasn't my turn to prepare the soup. Some other men stood up with limp animal bodies in their arms. They started to chant words, hoping for forgiveness to Artemis the god of the hunt and wild. Then, they started. After a few minutes the cooled soup was passed out in tin cans. I still hadn't gotten used to the taste of the blood and chunks of "meat" inside of the soup. But I did find out how to stop the flavor from spreading all over your mouth. All you had to do was stop breathing. But, occasionally the cool liquid would break through my defenses and fill my mouth with a copper smelll. Tonight I finished it in just a couple of slurs, then belched out. As I looked over at Milo I saw that he hadn't had the blood soup yet. I couldn't stand it anymore. "Drink it fast, it tastes worse when it's cold. After it's in your mouth go and run to my cabin and do what you please. I'll be there soon." I finally spoke. He looked at me warily. So I pushed him even more,"Do it now, or you'll be punished in the town square. Hurry!" At latitude he finally put the can to his lips and took a big drink of the blood soup. Then he was off.
Seventh Journal Entry
When we got to lunch, it doesn't look like I would expect it to look. As soon as we sit down, there was some sort of soup in the bowls that are out in front of both of us. "What exactly is this?", I ask the boy. "Oh! This? Well it blood soup! It is our tradition to eat it every day at this time," he said. I couldn't believe that I had to eat this soup that was made out of *gulp* blood. But, I have no choice bu to just eat this disgusting bisque.
Eighth Journal Entry
"Uh not much," I said laughing as I could.I got up from sitting on the dirty, dirty cabin ground, I walked out of the bathroom so that I could get some more questions out of him.
Before I could walk out of the bathroom, Scar got in front of me and went to go grab the cleaning tools for the bathroom that I just vomited in, of course. As soon as he finally finished cleaning the bathroom, I got to the questions. I couldn't even ask my first question without Scar asking his first. "You might want to get in the bath to rinse off," he said. "Oh no, it's fine. I don't want to take one right now, thanks though."
"Why don't you want to rinse off after that whole thing that just happened in the bathroom. I will give you new clothed so you don't have to change back into these gross clothes again!", he says trying to persuade me into cleaning off.
"Okay, I give up. It's already hard enough being away from my family this long, but it's even harder pretending to be a different gender. I'm actually a girl.." I could tell it was hard for him to understand that I was pretending to be a boy but I was lying the whole time.
"Oh umm... I've been needing to tell you the same thing the whole time," Scar said.
"Wait, so you are as girl too, Scar?".
"Call me Scarlett, if you think I'm a girl," Scarlett said.
" Okay Scarlett: I guess we could just take off our disguises then," I said. "And by the way, my real name is Genesis,". We both laughed.
" So you never actually answered my question; why are you here in Sparta?", Scarlett asked. "Well, here's the deal. So my captain in Athens sent me here for my first mission so I could spy on Sparta and get information to see if you are going to plan a war against our military anytime soon. But I should probably get going now. thank you so much for..." I said. I couldn't even finish my sentence without her cutting me off to talk.
"CAN I COME WITH YOU?!" she asked excitedly. I can't believe she wants to come back to Athens with me. Maybe she wants to spy on us now. Honestly I don't even know what is going on at this point.
"Why would you want to come to Athens, your rivals?" I asked Scarlett.
"Oh, don't you know? I have always wanted to live in Sparta and get out of this gross place. I would love to come with you and live in your 'tribe', if I'm allowed of course."
"We don't know until we try. I guess we both are on our way to Athens together!" I said.
Eighth Journal Entry
"Help me," Milo pleaded. His voice was just like mine when I didn't try to have my voice masculine. All over my floor was the remnants of the blood soup that was in his mouth and vomit. That's how I was the first time I tried the horrible soup. It was so bad that Bate had to help me get up the next morning from the bathroom floor (where I had spent my night). " If you're not going to," he continued with a big gulp,"then go away, now!" I started to back away, not sure if I could keep my guts where they should be. "Sorry, please come back, please."
"Hold on let me get the cleaning supplies," I said and went to a drawer in the kitchen to get the supplies. I forgot that I was only allowed a mop for the cleaning, it would have to do.
When I got to the bathroom again, Milo was trying to get up. "No, don't get up yet." I was going to have to carry him/her to my bed, my bed! I'd have to clean every inch of this cabin. I finally finished cleaning the bathroom and went out to Milo. I started to ask him new questions to get his mind off things and to get to know who he was. Then I said, "You might want to get in the bath to rinse off."
"Oh no, it's fine. I don't want to take one right now, thanks though." He said too quickly.
"Why don't you want to rinse off after that whole thing that just happened in the bathroom. I will give you new clothed so you don't have to change back into these gross clothes again!." I countered. Then he said it, her confession. "Oh umm... I've been needing to tell you the same thing the whole time." I gave up
"Wait, so you are a girl too, Scar?"
"Call me Scarlett, if you think I'm a girl," I told her.
"Okay, Scarlett, I guess we could just take off our disguises then, and by the way my real name is Genesis," she told me while smiling.
This got me thinking, was she lying to me before? "So you never actually answered my question; why are you here in Sparta?" Her answer wasn't that shocking, I'd been expecting it the whole time I first saw her, but I was even more happy to hear it. She was a spy from Athens and she was planning to go home soon.
"Can I come with you?!" I asked, maybe too excited.
"Why would you want to come to Athens, your rivals?"
"Oh, don't you know? I have always wanted to live in Sparta and get out of this gross place. I would love to come with you and live in your 'tribe' if I'm allowed of course." I said.
We don't know until we try. I guess we both are on our way to Athens together!" She responded.
Ninth Journal Entry
Grace - We are right outside of Athens. Scarlett and I are trying to look as presentable as possible because I just got back from my mission in Sparta, and Scarlett needs to look good when she shows herself to the Athenian Captain for the first time. We both take a deep breath, and we are going in.
Conclusion
"Well, Captain Ajax, I'm back from my duty at Sparta." the tall girl said. His eyes widened with disbelief.
"But... but you're a girl Milo, what did those Spartans do to you?" Ajax asked.
"Sir, it's Genesis, and not all of the Spartans are bad. I even made a friend." Genesis responded looking over to the other, shorter girl as she stepped forward.
"Hello sir, I am Scarlett Morin," she introduced.
"Why are you here Scarlett?" Asked Ajax.
"I have come from Sparta, where I was born. My family died and I was alone, so I acted as I was a boy and joined a training camp. Ever since then, I have worked hard to get a 'job' of spying on Athens to finally have a chance to run away from the life I had. When the offer arose I took it, but I found a friend on the way to my dreams. If it is okay with you, sir, I would like to stay in Athens and fight with these true warriors, for they take pride in life not death." Scarlett responded.
"I will put you both through tests to see if you are worthy of staying here in Athens, and to see if you are strong enough to fight in these wars. As long as you, Scarlett, don't bring any bad traits of those horrible Spartans you shall do fine. You are dismissed." Captain Ajax orderd.
Five months later - The two true friends stood side by side in the war against Sparta. They had devised a plan to catch the Spartans off gaurd. This would not have worked if these two similar opposites took a leap of fate and jumped into a new discovery. For anyone can find the light at the end of the tunnel, we just have to keep are heads up and eyes open.
Dear Captain Galahad,
Recently I have been ordered to act as an Athenian, while I was really spying on them. My studies have shown that the Athenian men are not planning to invade our beautiful city-state. Instead they are sitting in chairs and wondering about the meaning of life and eating different types of fruit! We have nothing at all to worry about with Athens. They dont even train at their camps daily! This mission has proved that the Athenians are no match for the unforgiving Spartans.
I will be back soon, Scar.
Dear Captain Ajax,
Thank you Captain, Genesis.