(A/N So, this is for my friend, Matisse. Because she's the only one who reads this story.)
When Chloe reached the temple, Achilles was rubbing his head, in a way that showed that it must have been throbbing, and Eudorus was inching closer to him, looking worried.
The temple was huge, with what looked to be fifty steps, with a giant gold statue of…some God sitting on them. Chloe came up so that she was facing Eudorus, and just behind Achilles.
"Speak." Achilles suddenly snapped, looking at Eudorus.
"Apollo is every thing!" Eudorus answered, hurriedly. That was probably who the statue was of. Chloe guessed that Apollo was the gold man. It was then that Eudorus noticed Chloe, and had trouble keeping his mind on track. "Perhaps…perhaps it is not wise to offend him."
Achilles looked as if he were considering this, and then turned around, but quickly spun back, and chopped the head right off the gold statue of Apollo.
Chloe screamed, and darted out of the way of the massive gold head. Eudorus looked horrified, and Achilles looked smug. Then he turned to Chloe.
"I told you to wait on the ship." He said in a dangerously calm tone.
"No…you told Patroclus to stay at the ship. You didn't tell ME any thing…" Chloe began to argue, while Eudorus shook his head in the background. But both men were soon distracted by the pounding of horse's hooves.
Achilles slowly shoved Chloe so that she was between him and Eudorus.
"Warn the men." Achilles said, to the advancing parade of Trojans. Eudorus grabbed Chloe's arm, and slowly backed away, pulling her with him, until Achilles simply said,
"Wait." He thrust out his hand, and Eudorus let go of Chloe, and gave Achilles a spear.
Achilles grunted, and threw the spear, hitting one of the Trojans squarely in the chest – and killing him. Chloe gasped, and the advancing Trojans all looked around at each other, equally as shocked.
One of the riders threw a spear back, but Achilles simply moved his shoulder, and it hit the stone wall. Chloe was glad that Eudorus had pulled her away earlier, or else SHE would have had a spear through her chest. She looked around to thank Eudorus, but he had disappeared.
"Don't move." Achilles said to Chloe, and then turned to walk into the temple. But first, he turned back to glance at the Trojans dismounting their horses, and then turned to Chloe. "Don't move a muscle." He repeated, his deep blue eyes peering into Chloe's soul. At least, that's what it felt like.
Chloe ran to hide behind the headless figure of Apollo, hoping that the soldiers would move by without noticing her. They came around to her side of the temple, though, and she couldn't figure out if they just wouldn't hurt a girl and were pretending not to see her, or if they actually didn't see her. Either way, she was glad, and decided to keep silent.
Even though her bare feet were dangerously close to stepping on a dead guy's head. Ew.
"Oh, you idiots!" Chloe said to the dead nearest dead man. "You're obviously going to be swarmed!"
One of the live soldiers turned around, and looked at her, his face void of emotion. "We are trying to protect our country, young one. You shouldn't even be here. This is the middle of a war."
Chloe nodded. "Yeah, Achilles told me not to move. And I'm kind of afraid of him, so…"
But then Chloe started hearing battle cries, and the awful sound of sword, slicing through some ones flesh. Fueled by fear (and disgust) Chloe decided to go around to the other side of the temple, just in case some angry Trojan (or Greek, for that matter) decided to come out and attack her, out of spite. At least, that seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Chloe had made it to the back of the temple (which had very small steps, and two big statues, of what Chloe assumed to be the Gods) where she could see all the ships setting up, when she heard a frustrated cry of "Fight me!" From a man that she had never heard speak before. Yet the voice was strangely familiar…
"Why kill you know, Prince of Troy, when there is no one here to see you fall." That was Achilles. And it was getting closer. Chloe squeaked, and tried to make her way back to where she'd been told to stay put, but it was too late. Achilles stared at Chloe in a way no one had ever looked at her before. He looked mad. Livid. But as soon as the man with the familiar voice came out of the temple into the hot sun, Achilles went back to ignoring Chloe's very existence. She sighed, one part relieved, and two parts frustrated.
The other man didn't notice her at all, he had eyes (and a sword) only for Achilles.
"Why did you come here?" He asked. From any one else it would have sounded rude, but this man made it sound conversational, although slightly angry.
"They'll be talking about this war for a thousand years." Achilles answered, while Chloe stood behind him, trying to figure out why she recognized the other man's voice.
"In a thousand years, the dust from our bones will be gone." The man snarled, and Achilles replied, "Yes Prince. But our names will remain."
All of a sudden, Eudorus ran out of the temple. Both his sword, and his face were covered in blood that hadn't been there moments ago. He waved his sword threateningly at the Prince, but once he caught sight of Chloe, he sighed, like he had to reprimand a naughty child, time and time again. He did the 'come here' beckon, and Chloe's eyes widened. She walked over to him slowly, and more Greek soldiers ran out and surrounded them. Chloe wasn't sure if they were all Myrmidons, but they all had the same helmets.
"Oh my god! Eric Bana! That's how I recognize you're voice!" Chloe suddenly blurted at the Prince.
The Prince refused to look at her, but his eyes furrowed in confusion. "That's Prince Hector, of Troy." Eudorus corrected in her ear, and Chloe's face reddened.
"Well, you're a great man." She said boldly, and thought she was seconds away from being slapped upside the head. It wasn't her fault, she had no filter. She said what she though right when she thought it. Thankfully, no one but Eudorus paid her any attention.
Achilles exhaled sharply, and made a step towards Eudorus, who now had Chloe's upper arm firmly grasped in her hand, as if she might try to move again. "Go home, Prince. Drink some wine. Make love to you're wife. Tomorrow, we'll have our war.
Prince Hector took a few steps towards Achilles. "You speak of war as if it's a game. But how many wives wait at Troy's gates for husbands they'll never see again?"
"Well said." Chloe muttered, and Eudorus shushed her.
Achilles didn't skip a beat. "Perhaps you're brother can comfort them. I hear he's good at charming other men's wives." He said with a smile.
"Oh no he didn't!" Chloe said, louder this time, and several of the men shushed her. Chloe could tell no one was sure why Achilles hadn't cut her throat already.
Hector glared at Achilles, until he made a "Skit." Noise, with a twitch of his head. In no uncertain terms, that was Hector being dismissed.
Hector shuffled away, and the soldiers jumped out of his way.
"My lord…you let him go?" Eudorus asked the question every one was thinking. Every one except Chloe, that is. She was pushing back her cuticles.
"It's too early in the day for killing Prince's." Achilles explained quietly, and every one watched Hector ride away on his horse. Seconds after, Achilles walked away.
"Do you hear that music?" Chloe asked Eudorus over the shouting, who, by now must have thought she was crazy. He shook his head, and Chloe shrugged. "It's quite catchy."
