First, let me say that there is much, much more to this trip than their race, though I do get to that eventually. I'm not going for total historical accuracy here, so please excuse any inaccuracies. More than likely they are deliberate. I don't know exactly who accompanied Alexander to Troy, I don't know everything they did, and I don't know how long they stayed…so I made a lot of it up. I played with parts of the story to suit my liking. But hey….that's why they call it fiction, right?

"Give me a place to stand and I will move the earth."

― Homer, The Iliad

The fleet of ships slipped smoothly through the relatively calm waters of the Dardanelles. It was a nearly cloudless and beautiful day, the sky brilliantly blue. The sound of hundreds of oars stirring the water and the excited chattering of the men carried on the breeze along with the fluttering of the sails.

Hephaestion smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the sun on his shoulders and the wind in his hair. He understood perfectly why Nearchus loved being on the water so much. There truly was something about it…a sense of freedom and a feeling of exhilaration in the soul.

This was a rare trip indeed. They were not going into battle or seeking a place to build another city or port. No, this trip was strictly for pleasure. Hephaestion leaned on the railing, looking around at the group of some 60 ships that were making this pilgrimage. A greater number of ships and the largest part of the army under Parmenion had gone on ahead, but for Alexander, this had been an opportunity that he would never have missed.

Hephaestion chuckled softly, recalling how excited Alexander had been last evening. He had been so wound up that, late into the night, he was still excitedly chatting away. An exhausted Hephaestion had managed to drag the king back to his tent so that they could get some sleep. Alexander, still a bundle of energy, was not ready to go to sleep and had kept Hephaestion up half of the night. Finally, Hephaestion had grabbed him, tossed him down on the bed and let Alexander burn off the rest of his excess energy. After a couple bouts of vigorous lovemaking, Alexander had finally fallen asleep…much to Hephaestion's relief.

Looking behind them, Hephaestion saw the shore fading from view, and he wondered briefly if he would ever see home again. They had done so much and come so far already, that Pella seemed almost a distant memory. He turned his attention back to Alexander and smiled. Whether he ever returned to Macedon or not did not really matter. As long as he was with Alexander, he was home. His home was at Alexander's side, wherever that took him.

Alexander had taken the helm of his trireme, wanting to guide it himself to the opposite shore. The young king was so excited that the air around him seemed to practically vibrate with energy. The mood was contagious, and everyone seemed to be in great spirits. Alexander turned and caught Hephaestion's eye and smiled widely. Hephaestion smiled in return, so happy to see the joy on Alexander's face. He certainly deserved it.

When they were about halfway across the river, Aristander assisted Alexander in sacrificing a perfect white bull to the god Poseidon. He was pleased with the omens. Alexander then took a golden cup and poured libations to the Nereids, tossing the cup into the waters as an offering as well. Hephaestion had stayed at a distance, simply watching Alexander and giving an encouraging smile or nod of his head once in a while. This was Alexander's moment and Hephaestion was happy to stand back and let his king shine.

And shine he did. Alexander once again resumed the helm of the ship. He stood proudly, dressed in his full suit of armor, golden cuirass gleaming. Sunlight danced on shiny blonde curls that fell in tousled waves around his face, making him almost seem to have a halo around his head. When he turned to Hephaestion again, his smile was bright enough to blind Helios himself. Hephaestion felt his heart swell with pride and love.

Alexander reached out a hand towards Hephaestion. "Come, Hephaestion. Come and stand beside me."

Hephaestion walked to where Alexander stood at the helm of the ship, laughing as Alexander grabbed him in a bear hug. "Alexander! I can't breathe! Let loose of me!"

Alexander released him with a wink, but kept one arm draped casually over Hephaestion's shoulder. He looked towards the bow of the ship and a look of pure joy was reflected in his eyes. "Look, Hephaestion! Look there!" He pointed towards the shore, still some distance away. "The port of the Achaeans! We are nearly there!" He turned to Hephaestion once again. "Oh, Hephaestion…I have dreamt of coming here since I was a boy. I can scarcely believe we are here." He reached a hand up and tenderly touched Hephaestion's cheek. "And I am honored to have you beside me, my Patroclus."

Hephaestion turned into Alexander's hand and kissed his palm. "It is I who am honored, my Achilles."

They exchanged a tender look and a smile, then both turned to look ahead as the coast grew closer. No more words were spoken as they continued their journey until at last they arrived at the shore. Their ship reached the beach and stopped as it grounded there.

Alexander stepped to the bow of the ship and took in the scene before him. A wide beach led into gently rolling hills. Beyond that, he knew, was the windswept plain of Troy itself. He closed his eyes and offered a quick prayer of thanks to the gods for giving him safe passage and for allowing him this opportunity.

Turning to Hephaestion again, he smiled. "We are here. I shall claim this land, Hephaestion. All that we see will be ours."

Hephaestion smiled at him and nodded his head. He had no doubt that Alexander would outshine the deeds of Achilles. Knowing what Alexander had planned to do, he handed him his helmet and a spear. "Claim your land, Alexander. Asia is yours."