(A/N Thanks for putting up with Chloe and all her unrealistic adventures!
B T DUBS: This is dedicated to every one who reads and/or reviews, but I'd like to give a shout out to Sayuri of the Sakura for actually motivating me to update by sending my a private message. Totally made my life.)
Chloe stood beside Patroclus, among all the rest of the living Greeks, shivering. One part from the cold, and two parts from the bodies they were all burning. It was beyond creepy.
"Why do they put coins on people's eyes when they burn them?" She asked Patroclus quietly, in case it was a dumb question that every one knew the answer to.
"Do you really not know?" He turned to face her.
"Uh…no…I was trying to be funny." Chloe rolled her eyes, and that was the end of that.
Once the group of men (and Chloe) dismantled, Chloe was pretty disgruntled. She definitely didn't like this war thing, and wanted to go A.S.A.P. She was walking to her shared hut, when she ran into King Odysseus. Literally.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Chloe said, accepting the King's hand to help herself up. She had fallen. Again. "I'm not usually so clumsy, I'm not sure what wrong with me…"
The King looked tired, and some what sad. "You were…uh…really brave, today." She smiled weakly, and he returned the smile. "Thank you, young Chloe. Where are you off to?"
"I'm not…really sure." Chloe scratched her head, and pulled out the wilted flower from her ponytail.
"I'm going to meet with King Agamemnon. Why don't you join me?" Odysseus asked, and Chloe nodded. "Okay. Sure."
During the walk, Chloe quickly undid her side pony, and fluffed out her hair, so that it had a little bit of volume. She didn't think any one would care what she looked like, but hey, she was going to be in the presence of Kings.
Chloe and Odysseus entered the tent, and steered into a section that was not where Chloe had first been. It was smaller, and more roomy. Odysseus took a seat right away. It was only Agamemnon, and the man who Chloe had dubbed his 'side-kick', the white haired man with the weird beard, who was the brains of the operation.
"Hi!" Chloe said, waiting to be invited to sit down. But she never was, so she just took a seat beside Odysseus like she was royalty too. And then leaned over him, and grabbed an apple from the platter of fruit beside him. Well, if no one was going to act like she was there…
"They are laughing at me in Troy." Agamemnon said angrily. "Drunk, with victory. They think I'll sail home at first light!"
"Maybe we should." Countered Odysseus, his mouth full.
"FLEE! Like a whipped dog!" Agamemnon turned to his side-kick, and nearly toppled over.
"How much have you had to drink?" Chloe asked aloud. No one bothered to dignify her question with a response.
"The men believe we came here for Menelaus' wife." Odysseus snapped. "Won't be needing her any more." Now he sounded amused.
"My brother's blood still wets the sand, and you insult him!" Agamemnon growled, his eyes darting to Chloe, who was slurping juice from the apple, then back to Odysseus.
"It's no insult to say a dead man is dead." Odysseus replied calmly, and Agamemnon looked as if he were thinking about that statement really hard.
"If we leave now, we loose all credibility." Butt in 'weird-beard.' There were those brains. The ones that ran the operation. "If the Trojans can beat us so easily, how long before the Hittites invade?"
"If we stay, we stay for the right reasons." Odysseus insisted, and Chloe found herself wishing that she hadn't come. Things were getting a little too intense for her. "To protect Greece. Not you're pride."
"Yeah!" Chloe held her hand up for a high five, but, like usual, she was ignored.
"You're private battle with Achilles is destroying us." Odysseus continued, and Chloe chuckled.
"Achilles is one man!" Agamemnon yelled.
"Yeah, but he's a good warrior." Chloe muttered, but it was drowned out because Odysseus was yelling back.
"Hector is one man! Look at what he did to us today!"
"Hector fights for his country!" Agamemnon snapped, and Chloe looked at 'weird-beard', who shrugged. They both knew to stay out of it. "Achilles fights only for himself!"
"I don't care about the man's allegiance, I care about his ability to win battles!" Odysseus snapped, and Agamemnon knew that he was beat.
"He's right." 'Weird-beard' cut in. "The man's morale is weak!"
"Well, even if I could make peace with Achilles! The man won't listen to me!" Agamemnon was getting frustrated now.
"Well, maybe if you got a better sense of fashion…" Chloe muttered, and all three men turned to stare at her. "Just saying."
"He's as likely to spear me as to speak to me!" Agamemnon continued, and Odysseus rubbed his face.
"I'll talk to him." He said, finally.
"He'll want the girl back." 'Weird-beard' said.
"He can have the damn girl." Agamemnon collapsed onto his mini-throne.
"I don't think he'll want you're sloppy seconds." Chloe snapped.
'Weird-beard' glanced at Chloe, and then back at Agamemnon. "I haven't touched her!"
"Where is she?" Odysseus asked.
"I gave her to the men. They'll need some amusement, after today." Agamemnon replied, which made Chloe mad.
"You know, women aren't property, you can't just give her away. Those men will hurt her! Just because she's Trojan, and you're Greek…" But Chloe was cut off.
Agamemnon waved her out. Chloe just stood up and glared at him, so she was dragged out by King Odysseus.
"He's such a…a…ugh!" Chloe couldn't think of a word bad enough to call Agamemnon.
Odysseus laughed. "Yes, little Chloe, I agree. And I'm sorry you had to witness that. I thought you would be able to get some nourishment. You're all skin and bones."
Chloe rolled her eyes, and said, "Thanks. I got an apple."
"I noticed."
"So, why are you…under his command if you don't respect him?" Chloe asked.
"As a King, I can't afford to have an enemy like Agamemnon." Odysseus replied, and Chloe nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. Like, how I can't have Ellie Winschester as my enemy, because she would destroy my social life. But I don't really like her. And I have to pretend we're friends."
Odysseus didn't reply, and Chloe cleared her throat. "You know, some one should go tell Achilles about the uh…about the girl."
Odysseus nodded, and turned on his heel. Chloe thought she was expected to follow, but got distracted.
She was getting really cold, and saw a bunch of men gathered around a campfire. She thought she'd go join them, and get warm. They were probably all nice men, right?
"Hello." She said cheerfully. "You guys fought well today!"
"We lost." Said some man who obviously hadn't had enough sleep.
"Yeah well…you're alive!" Chloe said. "Glass is half full, guys!"
No one bothered to answer her, but they all started to whisper to one another. Chloe decided to ignore it, and warm her frozen feet. She wished that she had brought a jacket.
And then suddenly, two strong hands gripped her arms, and forced her onto her feet.
"What are you doing?" Chloe screeched. The men just laughed as she struggled. "I thought you were ordered to leave me be!"
The men didn't listen, and started throwing her to one another. Suddenly, they stopped, and two men grabbed her arms while another grabbed a red hot spike.
"Stop! Stop!" Chloe cried, while she tried to free her arms, but the men were too strong. And then, Chloe heard one of them gasp.
Chloe shut her eyes, and heard a few men cry out in pain, and then fall. And then she opened them, and she was alone, standing in front of Achilles.
"Did they hurt you?" He asked, his face stoic, as usual.
"No, I'm fine. Thanks for saving me!" Chloe hugged Achilles around the waist, but he remained stiff. She didn't even get a pat on the back. She decided that Achilles cared for her, but he just didn't know how to show his emotion. "Why do you think they attacked me, any ways?" She asked.
Achilles pondered this for a moment, and then said, "They may have heard you saying how you wanted to Trojans to win. And they obviously needed some amusement after that pitiful show today." Achilles exhaled softly, and the pair was silent.
"The Myrmidons have a fire near their tents. Go join them." Achilles ordered, and Chloe turned to go, but he called her back.
"Have you seen Briseis?" Achilles asked, his big blue eyes filling with hope.
"Who's he?" Chloe wrinkled her nose, and Achilles smiled slightly at her, almost in disapointement, and left.
Chloe finally returned to the hut where she belonged, and collapsed into the first empty bed she could find.
(A/N Tell me what you think!)