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streets-in-paradise · 1 year ago

Text

Diverted Course

Troy (2004) Reader Insert Fanfiction / Achilles x Mycenaean Princess!Reader Precuel - Part 22

Word Count 10 K

Warnings: Thetis is being portrayed as a supportive mother. Clichés from the historical epic-swords and sandals film genre mixed with mythology.

Characters (main): Achilles, Patroclus, Thetis, Phoenix, Eudorus, Agamemnon, Hesione.

Summary: Returning to his homeland gives Achilles time to meditate on the intense experience he has lived and he intends to take drastic choices on the matter. However, the reminder of a pernicious detail leaves him in need of good advice and Patroclus convinces him of visiting the best sources available.

In the meantime, Hesione attempts to penetrate the stubborn mind of her master hoping to persuade him using his loneliness on her advantage.

Notes: In the movie Achilles afirms to have seen the gods, implying he is the only mortal arround who had any contact with at least some of them. From this fact i attempt to add some of the mythical element into the story without changing the original tone of Troy centered in mortal actions and motivations.

Tags: @yerevasunclair @mysticaldeanvoidhorse @spideyanakin @spideyanakin-interacts @awakenedevildays @alaysha-of-middle-earth @zoegarfield @helie-brain @rfkfan

There were many silent sacrifices that Achilles accepted to endure for Patroclus since he took him in, but having to stand his new friend during a good portion of the journey back to Pithia was a very annoying one. The bard that the lad befriended in Mycenae was quite talkative and obtrusive, constantly meddling in matters that weren’t his business. He would never stop reminding him that he was a witness of his greatest crime, the only one Greece wouldn’t cheer him for. The awakening of passion in the heart of the queen among greek princesses, splendid daughter of the King of Kings, woman meant to belong with some mighty lord ruler of rich lands. The story brought forward the bard’s curiosity, seeing in it great epic potential and for so, filling the hero with unwanted advice in hopes of making him reveal more details.

Death threats weren’t enough to keep him shut, not at least while being around them. It was most likely that Alexander knew the risk that the rage of the myrmidon champion meant for him and wouldn’t challenge it anyways, but he also wanted to have privileged access to the novelty. He would keep it secured awaiting for better times in which his songs would be an honor instead of a source of scandal. That didn’t stop him from accidentally bringing many questions to the hero’s already troubled mind.

Her suitors and what he was going to do with them were a concerning conversational topic between them on the way. The artist was coming up with ideas on the assumption that Achilles would follow the less subtle route to obtain the lady as wife. Go directly to her father, expect the obvious negative, then do a carnage that wouldn’t leave a single one of her suitors alive and kidnap her. He wouldn’t be the first greek hero taking that path, many stories in the past were evidence of it. Other remarkable warlords before him met with the refusal of their fathers in law and resorted to war like violence.

It would be what everyone expected of him, a typical Achilles reaction according to the brutal fame he was acquiring. He didn’t want that, their nuptial thalamus should not be stained with a bloodbath. However, the reminder brought him the realization that he was indeed capable of jealousy. Despite being completely sure of her feelings for him, the idea of returning to her city and finding out that Agamemnon betrothed her to someone else was unbearable to him. Suddenly, killing the chosen suitor in a rage outbreak didn’t seem an improbable possibility. Not even an oath like the one forced on Helen’s suitors would stop him. If he would have been in their situation he would have killed Menelaus in the blink of an eye. Except that he wasn’t even a legitimate suitor for his lady’s hand, he was only the most dreaded soldier at her father’s command.

Reproaches about his lack of patriotism and long lasting hate were all Agamemnon had for him because he never valued or understood myrmidons like he should. Phthia grew with the frequent arrival of persecuted runaways from other greek cities, many of whom were protected during the times of Peleus, mixing themselves with the descendants of the original habitants of the land. National feelings would hardly emerge among people that were once forced to leave their homelands, mycenaean occupation didn’t change that. The king loved to insult him based on his lack of loyalty to the country ignoring that his definition of Greece was himself. Myrmidons weren’t happy with submission just to feel like belonging to a closed identity given to them by his empire, they were only loyal to themselves.

Reclaiming political power wasn't his particular ambition like was often suspected of him only because he was from a conflictive province. The greedy king could keep the throne and place his favorite crawler general on it; all Achilles wanted from him was the princess. The way to eternal glory, he would win on his own through his actions in the battlefield. She was the only of his wishes that strictly required from the approbation of his hated rival. For her he was going to endure him, since she had the loyalty of his arrow pierced heart. It didn’t take long for him to realize he was starting to miss her, in Mycenae he got used to seeing her everyday and he underestimated how much he loved that. He wanted to wake up beside her, to see her smiles witnessing his training combats with Patroclus, to introduce her with everyone she couldn’t meet the first time she visited him.

Remaining separated in times of war was understandable and normal, but being without her in peace was harder to accept. Something on him was changing and the people around him were noticing it. Patroclus was surprised to see him pick the lyre again, then offering him lessons with the excuse of his recently noticed strong interest in music. They had tried it before and made some good advances, but Achilles postponed those because combat training was a priority. Not only that preoccupation seemed to change, but he even catched the hero playing alone at one given opportunity.

The song sounded melancholic, but it was beautiful, and the lad didn’t dare to interrupt until it was finished.

“ I’m so full of jealousy, I can't believe this… I will never be as great as you. Everything you do feels epic, Achilles!”

The man smiled for him, used by then to be the center of his admiration. It was no secret that Patroclus looked up to him and he didn’t want him to doubt himself in pointless comparisons.

“ You are the one with the musical inclinations, I only play when I’m bored.”

“ You know I’m not talking about musical talent.” The lad clarified. “ When a normal man falls in love, he acts like a fool until successful courting leads to marriage. When you do it, it has to become an intricate adventure for a distant maiden that is practically unreachable. Look at yourself, you are in the part of the tale where the hero mourns his longing for an impossible love because his great challenge hasn’t come yet.”

Achilles wasn’t following the joke.

“ Life is not an epic tale, Patroclus. If it was, I would know what happens next.”

Seeking to help out while trying to differentiate sadness from bad mood, he sat next to him hoping to provide him comfort. Achilles would never ask for it first, especially from him, but Patroclus knew what to do when he needed it.

“ I know exactly what would happen, her father would do something incredibly stupid that would anger the gods. They would punish him through her and you would become her only hope, so Agamemnon would be forced to let you have her in payment for saving her life. “

“ What worked for Perseus didn’t turn out well for Hercules. “ Achilles recalled. “ For some heroes passion leads to doom.”

The pessimistic claim didn’t bother Patroclus in the slightest.

“ But you are Achilles, you are greater than all of them! And your princess already loves you, which means you only have obstacles in the way because the world would not easily accept that her heart belongs to you. All the other heroes won the right to marriage before the girl’s affections … Although Andromeda is still questionable, I like to think that she liked Perseus on sight.”

“ When the choice is marriage or being devoured by a sea monster, the bride is just offering herself as payment for the rescue.”

The stubbornness of Achilles would have disencourage anyone else, but the boy had an inextinguishable spirit.

“ Think of the lack of conflict due to loyalty to her family. Agamemnon is not a father, he is a jailer. From what I saw, she seems to be like a ghost haunting the palace for him. If she has to choose between him and you, he will pick you faster than Medea picked Jason… And with you she wouldn’t be making the worst mistake of her life. You would not abandon her for a younger princess once she would stop serving a purpose for your heroic journey… not unless you want to be fed a stew made with the flesh of your own children as the main ingredient.”

The casual application of her most frequent dark joke got a chuckle out of him, on that he noticed the mark she left on his cousin.

“ That won’t be necessary, once she would be rightfully mine I would never let her go.”

Patroclus had a triumphant smile that gave his expression a mischievous look.

“ What are you up to now?” Achilles inquired, knowing something was coming. “ Don’t give me that look, I know what it means.”

“ Now that you ask, I was going to see Eudorus and I wondered if you wanted to come with me. “ Patroclus innocently offered. “ Phoenix will be there and I bet you would like to talk with him.”

“ I’m not looking for advisors, but you can leave if you want.” Achilles concluded. “ Salute everyone on my part.”

The harsh negative would stumble once more with infallible insistence.

“ Achilles, I’m being serious now. I lost my father and you are the person I search for when I feel lost. Who is yours, if not the old friend of your deceased father? “

He had a point, Phoenix was the closest thing Achilles had to a parental figure found on father’s side. However, he was behind someone else in the matter of being a trustable source of advice.

“ My mother.”

It was the obvious answer, only that Patroclus didn’t consider her first in that opportunity because he thought she was already aware of everything.

“ Haven’t you spoken with her about this? You always tell her everything and you had already visited her before seeing anyone else when we arrived.”

There was a certain glimpse of shame in him.

“ I didn’t tell her yet, don’t make me feel any more guilty about that. “ Achilles confessed. “ If we do what you want, would you go with me to visit her later?”

“ We have a deal." Patroclus agreed. “ I like your mother, tables turn when we are with her. She treats me fairly and you become the little boy.”

Their first stop was the house of Phoenix, adoptive father of Eudorus and old teacher of Achilles. The family had a modest home not too far away from theirs and have been there since the beginning of the mycenaean occupation. The countryside villages were untouched by it, an inheritance of the deposed king that wasn’t magnificent enough for the mycenaean eye. Comfortable places, but not symbols of power they cared to occupate. Those were once conceived as retirement country houses for royals of old age, but with enough patience and work put on them they were turned into suitable places for families. Phoenix took excellent care of Achilles’ inheritance while he was growing up and by the time he reached adulthood the place reserved for him was magnificent compared with its initial state. An architectural hybrid between the palace of a prince and the house of a traveling mercenary, not absolutely sophisticated nor fully rough. In contrast, the place of the old man and his family was just a homely country house.

The disposition intended to imitate the order of things from the times of Peleus. but the space was susceptible to expansions. In times of peace Eudorus was often seen occupied in home improvement labor. Before the rushed travel to fight in Argos he was working on an ampliation to emplace a thalamus for the eventual time of his marriage. It was his wishful project for the future, so he was getting the house ready in advance of finding a woman he would want to take there.

Achilles used to mock the sequential order of his efforts, wondering why he would bother in getting the bedroom ready before actually finding the bride. At that particular opportunity, he was the one asking about the state of the project.

“ He has been working non-stop since he returned, it’s almost ready.” Phoenix told the freshly arrived visitors. “ The women of the argives must have inspired his purpose. “

The impetus didn’t come from Argos, his friends imagined it linked to his mycenaean admirer. The sweet servant girl with an obvious crush on him must have reinforced his will to work on that.

“ We have met Helen of Sparta in Mycenae.” Patroclus innocently excused him. “ That woman is an unstoppable source of inspiration for anyone.”

The old man was absolutely unimpressed by his implications.

“ Those thieves are hoarding treasures from all over Greece, the least they can do with that is getting stunning wives.”

“ … And they do, women were arguably the best thing there.” Achilles joked to soften things. “ When we’ll become truly rich, I would like to get one of those for me and one for my friend.”

“ A mycenaean serving us would be a nice change for once. “ The man snarked, letting them see he thought the hero was talking of buying slaves. “ You know I don’t like to see you both leave knowing you will be fighting for Agamemnon, I accept it because I have no choice.”

“ I fight for myself and your son fights for me. We only use that king to get our deserved rewards.”

The conversation was paused to make proper libations to the gods with the wine that Polymele brought for them.

“ And how good were those this time?” The mother of Eudorus asked. “ I’m absolutely proud of my son’s glory, but we weren’t expecting him to arrive without you. Haven’t you thought about how you were going to scare the people, Achilles? At first sight we could have thought you were lost in battle! “

“ Mother, he was being honored in Mycenae for the great victory against Diomedes.” Eudorus jumped in his lord’s defense. “ The conqueror of Thebes, of seven gates, was never forced to retreat before. Achilles made him.”

The hero seemed pleased with the accurate description of the official motives masquerading his reasons for staying in the mycenaean palace more than necessary.

“ Not easily, he is worth the fame he acquired. Diomedes is the best I have faced, just not good enough to contain me. He knew when to back down, or a deity who loves him inspired him to do it. “

“ Then he got his army submitted to Agamemnon, paid the tribute, and you got the argive blood cleansed from your skin by the hands of the mycenaean princess. “ Patroclus added. “ Not a bad outcome, you got honors that have never been given to any other hero during the ruling of Agamemnon.”

“ Diomedes can still be called a King, Achilles takes the myrmidons to battle as a mere commander.” She recalled, showing disdain for the descripted situation. “ No honors can repay that, a ceremony in the palace of Agamemnon isn’t enough.”

“ But it was a great start.” Achilles insisted, on a positive note. “ His own people are fascinated with me, Mycenae loves me against the wishes of its king.”

The affirmation was accurate, but also an excellent metaphor. Mycenae discovered a fervor for him that Agamemnon despised, but the most special of his subjects actually loved him against his wishes.

Phoenix seemed to have a clear position about that.

“ A bath? If they want to vindicate you, at very least they should have let you sleep with her.”

The joke made everyone chuckle for all the wrong reasons. He wasn’t speaking seriously, but Achilles truly had the even more delusional idea of taking the princess of Mycenae as payment for all past and future offenses when he would finally be able to part ways with the Atreide.

“ Don’t make him wish for so, father. “ Eudorus spoke first. “ The girl is a delight, she surprised us all. Kindness like hers is rare to see in the highest royalty, especially in the House of Atreus.”

The remark made him feel taunted and Achilles wasn’t going to remain impassible.

“ The only one in that family that is worth something. Let me tell you something, Phoenix. That princess is splendid and her personal entourage is not far behind. Her servant girls are as lovely as her, one is very feisty but the other one is pure tenderness.”

Polymele retired to a subtle sign of her husband, understanding he was going to share things that she wouldn’t like to hear.

“ It may seem like that, but servant girls are no game.” He strictly commented. “ Not even with the ones belonging to his own household a young man is safe. One may say that everybody does it, but things are never so simple.”

Patroclus was weirded by the strange reprobation.

“ As long as she consents, I don’t see the problem. Those girls are often offered as part of hospitality. Why should we be the ones to beware of them and not the other way arround?”

“ Because there will always be someone else willing to ruin your life for one of them. Servant girls aren’t prostitutes, you don’t remain free of consequences. Don’t underestimate the damage that a jealous owner can cause you. Everything is fun until he realizes that she wants you for real and barely tolerates him. Some don’t like to get reminded that those girls spread their legs for them only because they have to.”

The passion he showed in the intense explanation was suspicious, almost like a defensive reaction.

“ That’s not ethical advice,” Achilles pointed out.” you are treating us like kids that want to put their hands over the fire because they don’t know it burns.”

“ You already know I was not born a myrmidon, your father offered me shelter after I ran away from my homeland. What I never told you or my son was the reason.” The man replicated. “ I was once a prince of Hellas, son of King Amyntor. My father humiliated my mother with his blatant preference for a concubine of the palace and she begged me to do something about it. She wanted me to seduce the slave so she would despise him and so I did. I got close to her, at first for the sake of my mother’s sorrow, but I got to experience a sweet furtive passion with that girl. I awakened in her the fire that only love brings, she wanted me like she had never wanted my father. When we were discovered, Amyntor forgot I was his son. His jealousy overcame everything, he summoned the Furies to curse me with childlessness and they heard him. “

He stopped the tale for a brief instant and glanced at Eudorus.

“ You know now why my blissful union with your mother has never produced offspring. My seed is cursed, dear boy. I came to this land escaping the hate of my father and you were a miracle that happened after I thought I lost everything. It was decreed that I would never conceive a child of my own and when I met Polymele she was already pregnant with you. I got blessed with a chance to raise two boys, my son and my apprentice, and I thank the deity who had mercy on me for that.”

“ Maybe it was your mother, Achilles, I will never know. “ He continued, back on his main interrogator at that opportunity. “ After all, she allowed me to educate you when you reached the proper age. She honored my friendship with your father by letting me be the one teaching you what he couldn´t. I’m obliged to transmit you the humble wisdom that I acquired in a lifetime. Don’t get in the way of a master and his possessive love, he would destroy you no matter what just to keep the illusion of full ownership over his favorite girl. “

The words of advice Phoenix had to give weren’t a calming balsam for the worries of the heart poured for them. Eudorus received those like a personal alarm while Achilles felt his existing doubts increasing after the visit. The outcome contradicted all expectations, he was still feeling conflicted because the advisor didn’t succeed on the accidental intention of making him desist from his secret purpose. Nothing would, not even Zeus himself coming down from Olympus to tell him that woman was forbidden. Speaking of the servant girls was easier than directly confessing he was going after the mycenaean princess, but he knew the advice wouldn’t change much if the man would be aware of his actual target. In any case, it would be harsher and more determinant giving the substantial difference in the high rank.

On his part, Patroclus was amazed recognizing in them the same fear of disappointment he sometimes felt regarding them. It was a strange realization, since normally his cousin never seemed vulnerable to expectations and Eudorus would only care about disappointing him in particular. Phoenix felt to him then like the patriarch they all wanted to make proud, but whose wisdom they wished to put in question. Not a single word of complaint came out from the men, despite the lad waiting for it to emerge. The two grown adults he admired the most, fearless warriors and makers of massacres, wouldn’t dare to question the advice of the man who raised them taking the lead of their absent fathers.

His hope was in a presumably kinder advisor, the only one who could help Achilles out of the tribulations in a way that wouldn’t make him feel hopeless.

Thetis received them the next day in the usual grout by the sea. Only her son knew the precise location of the isolated spot where he spent the early stages of his childhood and Patroclus was the only company he ever admitted. The reason would have been evident to anyone who could witness his interactions with his mother. The stoic mask would fall completely in her presence, she was capable of discovering the deepest secrets of his heart with amazing ease.

“ You have found more than glory in Mycenae.” She told him right away. “ I saw it in you, but I preferred to wait until you would come to me with the news.”

It never stopped to impress them, Achilles found his initial guilt over hiding the secret absolutely pointless and Patrocus was in disbelief for what he was witnessing.

“ I didn’t want to overwhelm you so soon. You were receiving me as your son coming victorious from battle, it wasn’t a proper time to come to you for help.”

Once he approached close enough she gave him a soft caress on the cheek.

“ There is no wrong time to need your mother.”

He had a sweet smile always ready for her.

“ Your little helper has convinced me.”

Patroclus peeked from behind his shoulder waving one hand and Thetis smiled at him.

“ I see. It's nice to have you with us this time, Patroclus! I heard about your journeys, your first steps outside your homeland. I’m very proud of you.”

The boy was bright with happiness receiving the praise.

“ At least I'm not the only one who is here for your validation.” Achilles mocked him. “ Although I’m not sure who needs it the most right now.”

Sitting on top of some rocks on the shore, she allowed him to rest his head against her shoulder in a calming pose.

“ I always wondered why you didn’t try to sneak into the competition for the hand of Helen.” She commented as a subtle entrance for the matter. “ It’s true that I advised you against it, but many achaean heroes were there. I thought pride could have pushed you anyways.”

“ I’m the best, I have nothing to prove.” Her son answered right away. “ It didn’t matter to me how pretty they said she was, I told myself I was married to the sword and nothing would distract me from fighting. When I had to leave for her wedding party, many men told me I was going to regret it once I met her. I didn’t, Helen is beautiful beyond measure but meeting her didn’t change my life and that made me feel safe in my position. If the prettiest girl in Greece wasn’t trapping me, no other would. “

He made a brief pause looking for exact words that would describe the best what he had to tell her.

“ I met someone else there, a shy girl nobody was paying any attention to. She was the niece of the bride, I thought I was never going to see her again and that’s why I never spoke about her before. I visited her palace, I stayed for more than I should have and now I feel I can’t live without her.”

There was no judgment in his mother’s reaction and he felt encouraged by that.

“ You have a good eye for trouble.” She sweetly mocked him. “ I thought you hated the Atreides, the eldest surely hates you. He invaded the land of the myrmidons in spite of your existence. The age of the demigods was starting to fade, a direct descendant of gods was rare to see. Prince Agamemnon of Mycenae was horrified when he heard people were saying the little boy of King Peleus didn’t have a mortal mother. A demigod child ruling anywhere else was a threat to everything he wanted to build, so he came here with lies claiming the myrmidons were hiding Thyestes and took away your crown before you could get to rule. "

“ No way, he is your Eurystheus!” Patroclus recalled with weirded excitement. “ This is getting very interesting.”

" Deep down Hercules cared for his lost throne, I don't. " Achilles corrected him. " Everyone thinks I say it because I'm trying to escape who I'm meant to be, but I'm not. Agamemnon did an excellent job shaping my fate for his benefit because the man I have become is not the one that prince boy was meant to be. I'm a fighter, not a politician. I can barely look after myself, nobody in their ríght mind would ask me to look after a kingdom. "

" ... Too bad, because your princess seems born to rule. I bet you wish you had your old title just to give her a throne to sit on. "

The tease wasn't ill intentioned, but it touched a detail he didn't consider until then.

" I don't need to present myself to her as the one I was born as. Consider it for a moment, Patroclus. Her mother committed treason sleeping with a traitor. If she finds out I was born a prince, she could think I want her just to get my throne back and she will find logical reasons to believe it. It's the only detail everyone remembers about the Queen of Mycenae, you can naturally assume her daughter is haunted by that. I don't want a scepter of king, I want her... but how do you convince a woman who has been told over and over that her dead mother was a weak bitch seduced by an enemy? "

It made sense and for so, the lad didn't object.

" I have a plan, but it requires time I can't afford and patience I don't have. " Achilles continued. " I can win the dowry with the sword, make Agamemnon owe me so much that he will have to acceed regardless of the mutual hate we feel. Once his greed will be satisfied he will not have any believable excuses. I put the world at his feet and all I ask in return is a wife. The great emperor will not look good if he refuses and we know he will pick his damn empire over her anytime. He could be capable of selling her to old King Priam for the control of Troy."

" Well, to be exact there is nothing he wouldn't give to rule Troy."

" What I mean is that he will not miss her and before he will sell her to anyone else for power he will have to sell her to me. I will bring him all the power he wants so he will not have to exchange her for it on any of the few free kingdoms that remain. " Achilles clarified ríght away. " The problem is that this is a long term plan. She is clever, so far she has managed to delay marriage, but i don't know for how long she will stand. "

There was genuine worry in his face when expressing his deepest concern.

" What if I come back one day to find her married? Maybe she resisted as much as she was capable of, but Agamemnon forced her to marry someone else. Doubt is driving me mad, I don't know how long it will take me to find a new excuse to return. My only comfort is knowing that she is with Odysseus now, that should keep her safe for some time."

Thetis kissed his forehead and prepared herself to deliver bad news.

" I lament to inform you that your friend conspires against you. Is not personal, he still loves you, but nothing comes above the love he has for his wife and son. He fears you could recklessly unleash a country-wide war for that girl and hopes to contain the situation with manipulations. Nothing new, he is once more playing with forces he can't understand trying to cheat fate. "

He raised his glance at her with confusion.

" Mother, are you sure about this?"

" Which one of the two?" Patroclus asked him." Odysseus playing on his own side or her being your fate?"

Thetis seemed quite surprised by the comeback.

" You have returned with a sharper tongue, dear boy. Is that another prodigy from the women of the Atreides?"

Patroclus easily confessed his guilt.

" For cursed people, they are very nice. "

" Don't insult her like that, the only curse my princess has is being born from that father."

" So easily you claim her yours!" His mother followed in a teasing tone. " This is not the same man who left the homeland for war. A true miracle has occurred, my son was visited by the children of Aphrodite!"

" Is that all you both plan to do? Join forces to mock me?" Achilles defended himself. " Yes, I am in love. I thought I would never feel that need for someone else and here I am, losing my mind for the daughter of Agamemnon Atreide. Maybe it is the punishment he got for all the offenses he caused me, or it's yet another motive of suffering I have to endure from him. In either case, it's already done. I love her, I can't conceive the idea of finding her married to someone else or witnessing her wedding as an invited guest. If what you say is true, mother, then Odysseus is ríght in just one thing. I would kill the groom if i have to, she wouldn't even have to ask me to slaughter the husband being forced on her."

" Or you could also remember that the goddess of marriage is the woman who educated me. '' Thetis interrupted before the rage inside him could escalate. " You don't have an immortal mother in vain. "

Achilles wasn't fond of the idea, the mere thought made him feel uneasy. He stood up out of sudden and gave a few steps away contemplating the sea.

" You know I don't like to owe favors in Olympus.You never know how the ones up there will choose to collect payment. "

" I'm loved and respected by both sides of the ruling marriage and that is not an easy achievement." She insisted. " Do you truly want the princess of Mycenae for a wife?"

" Ask Hera if she wants us to honor her getting married or to offend her with an adulterous relationship. In either way that girl is mine. ” Was his terminating answer halfway into an angry ramble “ In fact, being her lover would never be enough. Only a coward would conform with that. I would steal her from her dying husband and if I have to spill blood all over the temple, I will. "

" That sounds like a threat, I think it's not wise to offend the goddess whose favor you need." Patroclus mocked his lovesick rage. " ... You truly are lucky that this lady is your mother. "

Thetis smiled once more, purposely avoiding chuckling to the comment and the overall situation, but remained silent.

" Do you think threatening the Queen of Olympus is a viable option?" The boy continued, horrified. " Are you completely out of your mind?

" I'm not a coward, I speak my mind. If Hera doesn't make her my wife, I'll take her by myself. "

" Or the goddess can obviously go one step ahead of you and marry her to someone that would screw your plans."

To the immortal woman in front of them it was like seeing the argument of two children. However, the unusual wisdom that the youngest was showing was unusual to perceive in someone of his age. He had a healthy fear of gods her son had never acquired.

" No one will get in my way." Achilles confidently answered to Patroclus' provocation. " No one would be that stupid. "

" What about a man you wouldn't kill so easily and she wouldn't want to cheat on despite not loving him ? I know of a prince that fits the description, a great fighter and a very honorable man... Agamemnon would love to get him on board. "

The mere reminder of that man annoyed the demigod. Although the idea seemed improbable,he had realized that his cousin was in the ríght.

" Prepare an expiatory sacrifice for tomorrow morning or Hera will gift your girl to Hector just to give you a lesson. "

Thetis wanted to show support for Patroclus' advice without revealing too much of certain information that could be upsetting for her son. As a sea deity she was aware of many things happening on the domains of Poseidon.

“ That would be an excellent start, I can do my part and speak with her later. “ She quickly took the lead in the conversation. “ The alignments on Olympus could also be useful information to you. I will try to figure out what the great deities think of her, but don’t expect much. Your discredit of Olympians comes from the fact that you have met them, your girl has never felt divine presence. Zeus hates the Line of Tantalus, no one assists them directly. Agamemnon has done more harm than good trying to restore the relationship with the Great King. He thinks that ruling the world would prove that he is better than his ancestors and Zeus will forgive him. I feel confident guessing that the young princess must be secretly watched by Athena, anyone loved by Odysseus gets at least a bit of her attention. Aphrodite is over Helen, if they are close she may be keeping an eye on her too. “

“ Aunt and niece have become hard to separate. That must be why the goddess of love couldn’t keep turning a blind eye anymore.” Achilles commented. “ It explains a lot. I thought the world was going a bit more insane than usual when no other man seemed to mind leaving that gorgeous girl all by herself. She even used to boast of being invisible to the eyes of men and I heard that while my own eyes were feasting on her.”

They shared a few chuckles to the amusing sounding confession.

“ Aphrodite is called the laughter loving for a reason: she adores pranks. Expect some more pranking now that she is bringing her favorite mortal man. “

The words escaped from her in a moment of distraction because the thought was already on her mind. Her son suspected immediately and questioned her about it.

“ Mother… is there anything else that I should know?

She was reluctant to keep speaking, as if they were reaching a cursed topic, but there was nothing else she could have done.

“ Your beloved was invited to Ithaca under false pretexts, Odysseus has a mission for her. To be the bridge between his people and the trojans, Prince Hector is on the way on board of a ship that will arrive soon there. His brother Paris is with him, he is the favorite mortal of Aphrodite. Hector is the predilect of Apollo … and of their entire nation. “

Patroclus cackled loudly to the incredible coincidence.

“ Well, looks like all our mockery will be put to test. “ He concluded. “ Do you think Athena could be connecting her thoughts with Odysseus’? She didn’t tell him about her old escape plan, I'm sure of that. If she sees him the same way I see you, I can confirm that it didn't come out from her.”

Achilles was certainly dismayed, but not even in front of his mother he would admit it.

“ It’s only a shame that I can’t be there to see her gaining fame. Her glory is a motive of cheer for me, she always takes pride in mine. I want the trojans to adore her so Hector can envy me later. And as for Paris, he can check on the wonderful woman that could have mindlessly gifted herself to him if she wouldn’t have met a real man first. He will see how unworthy of her he is and she will feel embarrassed to have ever considered him.”

Surprisingly calm reaction making everyone else suspect there was more behind he wouldn’t acknowledge at the moment.

“ May I ask you one more favor?”

The goddess secured some of the strands of golden hair falling at the sides of his face behind his ear

“ Anything. No matter the path you take, I’m always on your side. “

Achilles seemed partially encouraged and that was a relief.

“ Take care of her, keep her safe when she is unreachable to me. “ He sweetly begged. “ I don’t need you to spy on her because I want to test her loyalty. I trust her, I feel it every time she is close to me. She wants no one else, the world demands her differently. The request is not about me, I just want to know if there will be someone out there looking after her when Athena or Aphrodite would be too busy with the mortals they like more. “

The petition was clearly heartfelt and he hugged her right away.

“ That will not be a problem, she has been praying to the Nereids.” Thetis shared with him in complicity. “ She thinks I don’t listen to her talking of her love for you, but if you would know the things I have heard you will be swimming to Ithaca. “

His eyes went wide realizing that his mother had been aware of everything all along.

While such matters were occupying him, the situation in Mycenae appeared to be diverting the course...

The atmosphere in the palace was moderately quiet, but that wasn’t doing any wonders for the king’s mood. He seemed distracted at best and more easily irritable than usual at worst. Dealing with him wasn’t simple even for his royal advisors. The absence of Nestor complicated things even more and there were no future prospects for an imminent military action that would justify his comeback from Pylos.

For Agamemnon, it was just him and the mundane issues of Mycenae in a boring in between wars period he would be spending alone. It was hard to admit he didn’t enjoy peace, not even the domestic one obtained in solitude after getting rid of his daughter for a while along with all the uncomfortable visits they were forced to receive. Having her around was often a source of headaches, but letting her go to any place other than his brother’s palace and being uncertain about her time of return wasn’t nice.

He was worried, no matter how much he trusted Odysseus or how advantageous it would be to have information about Ithaca after the conflict with Diomedes. To some extent, he was regretful about letting her go.

It was a constant in his relationship with her, taking choices as king that he would later regret as a father. In a more busier context, with some war upcoming or anything to distract his mind, he would simply ignore it. All his usual topics of concern were in control and he had no better idea than turning his thoughts back at her. Their bond was of constant struggle, if there was one thing she learned good from him was the insistence on doing things her way and there was nothing he hated more than being contradicted. She would always stand in the opposite viewpoint for any issue, from the petty things to actual conflicts, and drive him insane.

However, the palace wasn’t a constant battlefield at all times and she was a nice company. Whenever being anywhere else was impossible and campaigns had to be postponed, in the cold seasons when receiving guests was less frequent and the palace would reduce to just the two of them and their servants. Hunting wasn’t her thing, but in the bad weather she did appreciate the fur clothing. He would typically mock the hypocritical stance and she would laugh, admitting her guilt, to later extend the discourse claiming that hunting trophies were the useless side of it she didn’t enjoy. He once tried to explain to her his taste for keeping trophies using battlefield comparisons. In war when one man kills the other, the defeater has the right to take the fallen’s armor as a prize to display at his home. Without hesitation, she told him that an armed man in battle was a danger to another armed man, but a deer in the woods wasn’t. Only greater prizes from actually dangerous creatures made sense to her for that. The hunt of the Calydonian boar or the gorgon head kept by Perseus, not parts from the lifeless remains of animals that weren’t extraordinary.

If wars had to be fought following her logic, only killing the extraordinary people, he wouldn’t be at the edge of ruling Greece. Their philosophical arguments were at least entertaining and he would always crown those with some intricate wartime anecdote that would keep her listening. At some of those occasions she would simply hear him vent about Achilles driving him insane without stopping to question him a single time. Her silent support was comforting to him, seeing her simply nodding and smiling to whatever he said for once was definitely helpful. That man would often manage to outshine him while making him look like the villain of his heroic tale, so the king liked to have someone with whom he wouldn’t feel that way. His girl was always understanding, the onlyone besides Menelaus that seemed to be completely on his side.

Watching her sitting among her slaves, directing their work while keeping up with her own beautiful embroidery works, would sometimes secretly fill him with pride. She already looked like a queen and she had reached the age to become one. Although he was hoping to receive her back before the end of the season, soon he would have to let her go definitely. His empire needed offspring, from his viewpoint as a king he had to get her married as soon as possible. From his feelings as a father, he couldn’t grow the courage to let her go.

He would never admit it. Not even to himself, always up to find new motives to place on her. Blaming her was easy, stating she was not ready yet to be a good wife sounded more rational. In that line of thought, delaying the marriage was saving an unlucky man the disappointment of getting stuck with a disgraceful mess of a woman that would ruin his life. He was merely providing the useful service that Tyndareus should have given him before he married Clytemenestra, making sure the daughter she gave him would be in optimum conditions before her engagement. He managed to truly convince himself of that, satisfied with his self deceiving. She wasn’t good enough for any man and it was his responsibility to perfect her. Behind his cruel reproaches he was hiding the consequences of his paranoid fears, but also the possessiveness of his filial love.

It was no mystery to anyone that Agamemnon was a greedy man in every sense of the term and that included his affections. Shouting that he wanted her out of his life only masqueraded his necessity to keep her by his side. He preferred to have her in the palace, far away from the world, because she belonged with him. A fierce, jealous love was the guide of his parenting style. Taking anything away from him was already a difficult task, expecting him to give it away was nearly impossible. He was the accidental creator of his own difficulties, living in the contradiction of needing her to provide an heir to the house and feeling like any man wanting her was stealing her from him. She, who he had raised to be the exception to the rule in the troubled history following the women of the family, was a final product meant to be handed to someone else.

His mother abandoned him and his little brother when she sentenced herself to death for being unfaithful to their father, then his wife followed the same path. She carelessly left that child lonely for the sake of a lover, but her father knew very well what that little thing endured growing up without a mother. He promised himself he would do better with her, that he would keep her safe from the curse. Her innocent acts of rebellion in the palace were a fair price to pay for rescuing her from that fate.

Under her watch she was doing fine, occasionally trusting her to Menelaus wasn’t doing any harm either. As the only woman they managed to save, she was theirs by right, meant to be their caring company from her roles of daughter and niece. For the same reason she was their special responsability. Odysseus was a great man, but he wouldn’t understand it. He was probably being indulgent with her, allowing corruption to happen accidentally just to be a nice host. He was her favorite for a reason, he would often destroy all of her father’s good work on a week of visiting by giving her permission for anything she wanted.

She adored the King of Ithaca and he had an evident soft spot for her. She was always all smiles at the news of his arrival to Mycenae, even happier than if they would tell her that her father was returning from war. No other visitor would spend as much time alongside her as he did yet it never seemed to be enough. She would always beg for him to stay a few days more, looking at him with an adorable expression. It was the exact kind of trick she used to play as a little girl to stay for longer in Sparta, only not about her uncle anymore. She had built a great affinity with Odysseus, one that replaced Menelaus from the spot of favorite. It was granted that, despite the good intentions of Penelope, that man would give the girl too much freedom.

There was no doubt that his friend also meant good, but he wasn’t the one dealing with the consequences. Odysseus was responsible for her only while she would remain on Ithaca, nothing obliged him to be severe. For as much as Menelaus enjoyed being a relaxed uncle, he was aware of the limits he couldn’t let her cross. He would be more careful because he was aware of the risks, they had a secret mission to accomplish keeping the curse at bay. Although, at the end of the day, it was always up to him. The eldest brother, head of the house and father of that girl he wasn’t ready to raise alone when circumstances made him. His younger brother was a good support, but he wasn’t there all the time.

The trojan was all he had on a regular basis, that damn woman he would never get rid of. She knew too many secrets of the family, so he could never sell her, but he was too dependent on her and could never kill her. They were stuck with each other and over the years she had at least proven a consistent loyalty. It was a bond of relative mutual convenience making itself more evident when there was no one else around.

“ I’m bringing your meal, the poor boy that pours your wine is afraid you may slaughter him so I told him I can handle everything.” She announced herself carrying a tray to serve him. “ We are far beyond that, aren’t we?

Agamemnon tried to remain as composed as possible to show kingly dignity.

“ Just because my daughter has made you a queen among slaves, that doesn't mean you can talk to me as if you were a real one. She uses you to fulfill a need, as slaves are meant for. Queen Penelope of Ithaca is now in your place, surely doing a better job than you.”

The woman began to serve the table for him with cold carelessness.

“ Perhaps you are the one worried wondering if Odysseus is doing better work pretending to parent her. “

She poured wine and handed him the cup with total naturality, upsetting him even more than a claim that got him a bit too deep.

“ That’s an insolence I can't tolerate, not even from you. Hesione, favorite of the princess, I can’t care less about your old age and she is not here to protect you. “

“ The last time you marked my body she didn’t speak to you for days. I have seen her shredding tears of resignation whenever her benevolence wouldn’t be enough to calm your wrath against any other of us. Anger is what will be awakened if you touch me or her handmaids. Only three persons in this palace she expects you to protect in her absence, two of them are away.”

The reprobation made sense, so he switched the topic.

“ Odysseus was blessed with a firstborn boy, but I fear he would never be a good parent for a girl. Not only was he luckier than me regarding his offspring, he has an irreproachable wife and in this fortune lies his optimism. He has no idea of what it's like to have been married to a traitorous whore knowing your mother was one too while you beg for your only offspring, that just HAD TO BE yet another WOMAN, to not end up like that. I’m sure the pretentious little bitch is going to be insufferable at her return, that’s what he does to her.”

“ Be honest to yourself, King of Kings. “ Hesione warned in a mock. “ You are thinking of the people she will meet. Provincial nobles that will be dazzled by her shine, she may make new friends. Some that you didn’t buy for her, that you can’t control in the limits of this palace. Your sad attempt to control Patroclus wasn’t only about upsetting his cousin, he is the first friend your daughter made from outside your borders and that makes him dangerous… Who knows who she may befriend next?”

“ YOU KNOW WHY I HAVE TO DO IT! “ He yelled out of blatant rage for the callout. “ Your intrigues mean nothing to me, I’m protecting her from the curse she was born with.”

If she would have been completely free to speak, Hesione would have said he was that girl’s curse. At least for that she missed the presence of Achilles, he would never hesitate on freely insulting him without fearing repercussions and through the blade he had earned the power to do so.

“ It will not happen again because I have paid enough attention. From the claws of that harpy I rescued her and I made her a decent girl.” Agamemnon strictly concluded . “ Too nice, perhaps, her sense of morality drives me insane… But she has high morals, even if she often uses those to judge me.”

“ Trojan sense of morality, too elevated for the House of Atreus.” The woman clarified, reclaiming what she considered her accomplishment. “ That rectitude and virtue didn’t come from you.”

“ She is a righteous woman anyways, Hesione! I made that possible, on my watch she grew up safe.”

The king had a long sip of his drink while the slave kept accommodating plates.

“ She can’t be under your watch forever. “

He swallowed his first bite of food quickly to eagerly reply.

“ I can’t trust her to another man, they don’t understand. With me the curse is contained…”

“ She is a girl, not a feral force of destruction.” Hesione recalled. “ You don’t need to contain her, you need to understand her. It’s not about finding a husband to control her in your place, she needs one that would care for her. So far you have received prospects following nothing but your own interests. Your local flatterers and a few foreign princes from families you like, all focused on your personal gain. Have you actually checked on any of those men, besides from their inventory of richness or political influence? What about their personalities, goals and morals? Do you find any virtue in at least one of her suitors?”

“ Antilochus is a good young man, Nestor and I have been thinking about it since they were kids. He was my strongest favorite, but he became a suitor of Helen and our plans got ruined. Until quite recently, many of the most righteous princes were too busy fighting for her.”

Hesione was subtly heading the conversation into a very important point she wanted to make. Always letting her master believe that she was simply helping him think, what she actually seeked was to persuade him.

" It's not about righteousness. Look for a man that is in perfect balance with yours and her morals. One that would follow your brutal ways of heartless conqueror but would still make her happy. "

" That man doesn't exist, no one can reconcile such extremely different interests. Agamemnon insisted. " Her purpose in life is to serve me, it's logical that the choice has to be useful to me. "

He was incredibly stubborn, but she wouldn't stop.

" The kind of man you are looking for is a fierce warrior with a good heart. One that would be with you exterminating an entire population of men, but would pretend he didn't see the children escaping. A son in law fitting for your needs that would still have softness reserved for her. A mighty arm to destroy your enemies that would wrap her in a tender embrace."

The servant was purposely describing Achilles in a language vague enough to plant the seed of an idea that was favoring him. Despite the king didn't figure out the underline meaning of her words, the advice seemed sensical to him and precisely for that he was feeling conflicted.

None of his trustfull advisors would have ever been so direct.

" I fail to see what makes you so interested in her departure from this house. '' Agamemnon snarked with poisonous disdain. " You'll lose everything with her marriage and I am not speaking only about your position of privilege. You don't have a family, that girl is all you have. I have many other matters to care about, my mind will move on, but without her you will lose your purpose. "

Her answer was a hard strike.

" My love is selfless, I want the best for her no matter what will happen to me. Perhaps because I have nothing I can call mine and you own so much, you will never understand that. "

Agamemnon cackled carelessly and shamelessly.

" There you are again, playing to be the sacrificial matriarch! It doesn't suit you as good as you think it does. "

Hesione watched him completely unamused.

" You still hope for it, don't you? How many years humiliating me in front of her got you nowhere? How many teachers and etiquette trainers that you have collected among the best wives in mycenaean nobility have failed before? Now you think that Penelope of Ithaca, of all queens, will be the one successfully training her to hate me and my kind? "

" She needs a fitting role model to follow and Penelope is a flawless queen, i believe her influence can inspire her into becoming one. Acknowledging your inferiority is part of that, she is too old to keep pretending you are her mother. "

Her mockery was turning into rage. She had no doubts about the love of her girl, but it was true that her social position demanded other teachings besides from hers and the king was pointing it out to hurt her.

" You are spiteful because she hasn't learned to dehumanize trojans like you wanted. Growing up with me was supposed to show her that we are all pets your family will dominate someday, but you failed in poisoning her with your hate..."

She made a brief pause, unsure of letting the anger dominating her get its outlet.

" ... Let’s revisit some basic facts about your daughter. She loves horses more like any other noble girl who has been in this palace. Do you remember when you whipped a lad working in your stables thinking she was sneaking there to see him, only to later find out she was there talking to the horses? "

The king remained silent.

" If given the choice, she loves dressing in blue clothes as much as your traditional red. She can recite the story of the foundation of Troy as fluently as she would tell you about the origins of Mycenae. Dardanus and Tros are names as familiar to her as Perseus or Tantalus. "

She didn't want to get that far, but couldn't stop herself.

" My child calls me her anna, and she speaks my language with the cutest greek accent. She is insecure of it and would never dare to speak it with another trojan, but King Priam himself would get emotional hearing her because it's perfect mixing. Troy is her secondary homeland, she made my roots as hers as the ones birth assigned her. "

" Being attached to you doesn't make her an honorary citizen of your old kingdom." Agamemnon mocked her. " It's true, you taught her some unusual traditions behind my back, but a princess of Mycenae can only be destined to rule trojans after I'll raid their city."

" Start thinking of her beyond your wishes or you'll lose her. " The trojan concluded, a genuine piece of advice wrapped in the harshness of her emotional state. " Now is the time for you to do it, before it will be too late. Don't get surprised later if once your grandkid is born Odysseus receives the news first."

The callout didn't convince him completely, but it gave him a new problem to think about.

The king sent away emissaries with important messages the next morning. Two to Pylos and several more to Argos, making his advisors suspect he had developed a remarkable interest in Diomedes after managing to submit his army.

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