Helen is the major player in this story, chosen because she is the center of the whole. She is the daughter of Leda, the sister of the famous twins, Castor and Polydeuces, and also the sister of Clytemenestra, Agamemnon's wife and Iphigenia's mother, or adopted mother as occurs here. Helen is Penelope's cousin and inadvertently plays matchmaker in Penelope's marriage to Odysseus. This book has a feminist slant. Menelaus may be the most interesting male character. It is a work of fiction, as are all stories about pre-historic times.