Chapter 14: Immortality

That night as I lay snuggled up to him I replayed the conversation I had with Iphis earlier in the day. Looking up at him I had to smile he looked so peaceful laying still. If I did not know him, I would of thought he was some young youth, but more likely think he was Apollo. "Are you immortal?" I whispered more to myself than anything, wondering at how someone this young and good looking could be a destroyer of nations.

"No," his simple reply was murmured.

"Are you sure? Everyone thinks you are, and you are extremely handsome not to mention supposedly the best warrior in the Greek army."

At that he open his eyes and looked down at me. "Let them think what they want to think. My mother is a goddess. My grandfather Aeacus was the son of Zeus. So that makes me just over half god, however the rest of me is mortal."

"What about the River Styx?"
"I don't know if that is true or not. Rumors spring up all the time – my mother has neither denied nor confirmed any or them."

"Them?"

"The other one was that when I was an infant, she covered me with ambrosia and placed me in a fire to burned the mortal parts away. Peleus, my father, saw this a grabbed me from being burned."

"What do you believe?"

"I believe that I will become the best warrior this world will ever see."

"It must be great being so brave – never afraid of anything." I smiled to think of him will to rescue me no matter what faced him, although it was a childish fantasy of a knight in shining amour coming to kill the dragon to save the damsel in distress.

"Being brave doesn't mean not fearing anything. It means that you are willing to do the very things you are scared of."

"You never seem to be scared of anything though."

"I'm scared that something might happen to us." He replied after a short break, and in a sort of sheepish voice.

"I thought we established that everything was fine, in spite of any risks that might be involved." I said slightly annoyed that I might have to defend our relationship again.

"I know, but I still can't help being slightly nervous about something happening to you."

Before I could respond there was a rough loud knock on the outside door. Annoyed Achilles rolled out of bed and quickly dressed, all the while someone was knocking.

"What is it?" I heard Patroclus' voice harshly growl. "Oh! Hello Agamemnon. What brings you here in the middle of the night?"

At the mention of Agamemnon's name Achilles slowed downed, and looked to be hesitating. Turing towards me he said quickly, "Get dressed, we might need you."

"Ok." And with that I also got up to dress.

"Achilleus are you up?" A rough voice shouted.

"Yes." Achilles replied in an emotionless voice and a stone face, walking out the door only after making sure I was fully dressed. However, before I could follow him out, the door was shut. Assuming that he did not want me to meet Agamemnon yet I waited annoyed at the sudden change in him. Pressing my ear up to the door, I listened to their conversation.

"I am going to lead the army in an attack against the Trojans tomorrow." Agamemnon was saying in a voice laced with arrogance.

"Really?" came Achilles reply, I almost laughed because it was dripping with some much sarcasm.

Agamemnon did not seem to notice, and continued by saying, "I need you to take care of the right wing."

"The right wing? How so?"

"I need to encircle the Trojans – the wings are key."

"Are you retreating the center slightly?"

"No – I need you to lead the men around the Trojans."

"I understand that but don't you want to make it easier on the men by drawing the Trojans in a 'trap' we have to be casual about it – or they will never take the bait."

"Don't try to give me tips on strategy, boy..." Agamemnon continued to say something in a low voice that I could not quite make out. But calling Achilles a 'boy' was ridiculous. Granted he was extremely young, but their was very little about him that was boyish. Plus didn't he know that Achilles planned all the strategies he used against the cities he conquered. I could only imagine the scrawl on Achilles' face as Agamemnon said these things.

"Although Odysseus is a great tactician, I think the plan can be modified slightly to ease the strain that will be placed on the soldiers." Patroclus said in an annoyed voice that I never heard before.

"We are NOT here to plan – I am here to TELL you the plan. Be prepared to face the heat of battle – we attack in the midmorning." After that I heard the door slam.

Waiting, I did not hear anything for a couple of minutes until Iphis' voice broke the silence. "You should get some sleep tomorrow will be rough."

Walking back to the bed I sat down, not sure how I felt about it. Achilles walked in shutting the door rather loudly, his face dark with annoyance, and did not take any notice of me at first.

"Do you think I am a dumb brute?" He asked suddenly.

"What?" I was thrown off guard by the question.

"Do you think I am a dumb brute?"

"No, I think you have a good head on your shoulders. You might be young, so you might not have as much experience as the other warriors in this camp."

"I have experience." He stated rather defensively.

"I know, and you have to be a smart warrior, otherwise you would never get the title 'Destroyer of Nations.' But considering your age, do you think you have as much experience as Odysseus?"

"Hmm." he looked rather put out, "I could still kick his ass." His sudden hostility towards a man I knew only through reputation came as little shock but it still surprised me.

"I did not know you were competing against each other."

"Everything in this world is a competition." He said as he changed into his PJs. "I always have to prove myself, no matter what happens. Someone somewhere always has doubts about me." Turning to me he looked like a lost boy wanting to be reassured. However, I knew this was not the case that I was looking at a man that was confused by the treatment he had just gotten from Agamemnon and angered by it.

"You don't have to prove yourself to anyone."

"Agamemnon never sees that I am capable of thinking. Odysseus doesn't see me as anyone other than a fighting machine. Ajax can't stand the thought that I can plan out battles so claims me to be lucky. Little Ajax says I'm too young to know my way in this world. Diomedes says that I'm an amateur in every regard. Nestor says that I should sail home until I grow up. And the list goes on and on." He suddenly spat out seeming not to hear me; "They never see me as a great warrior, a warrior that is far better than any other person who dares to step out on the field of death. No they see me as a good soldier who is there to fight and follow orders." Taking a couple of deep sharp breathes he turned to me; there was fire in his eyes, and his expression dark. "And why shouldn't they? I have done nothing to prove that I can defeat the Trojans, that I can make Troy fall. No. In fact I haven't fought against the Trojans. Yeah, that's right. I have faced them but they have never faced me fully. They know that I am a good warrior; they probably know that I am better than any other Greek facing them that is why they flee me in fear. But I have never been able to bring myself to fight them 100 against their defenses only about half of what I am capable of. No wonder the army does not see me as a warrior worthy of respect, but just a young soldier that has a gift for fighting." He stopped looking angry now; he looked disappointed and upset as if he just came across a fact that had a very bitter taste to. He did not see me anymore, he was wrapped up in his own world, and upset about everything he saw.

Hugging him I did not say anything. I just stood there hugging him close to me; he was so young in a world that did not look to youth for things that it could respect. He was thrown into a world made by men for men when he was a young innocent boy. He had to grow up too quickly for his own good, he was made to face demons as a kid that even men would want to run away from. I understood him better that night than ever before. I also understood that I only knew a small portion of this man that was drawing in ragged breathes, and barely hugging me back as though he did not notice that I was there for him. Pulling away from me he walked over to bed a slowly sat down.

"I shouldn't have done that."

"What?"
"I shouldn't have gone on like that."

"Don't you realize that I am here for you? That I want you to open up to me?"

"I guess, I ... I don't know."

"I care about you. I do. And I have been taught that once you care about someone they should come first, and..."

"Briseis, you don't have to put me first. You never think about yourself, and you should. I am fine, just tired and not thinking straight." He interrupted me, yet confusing me.

Seeing my confusion he stood up and walking over to me. Kissing me softly that increased in passion he pulled me onto the bed.

"Achilles, I..."

"You should come first, and I would like to show you how much you mean to me." He said when I did not continue, and swiftly kissing me again. He turned so he was on top. He pulled away looking down at me in such a way that I felt like a goddess.

"I would really love to see just how much I mean to you, but you have to fight tomorrow do you think it is wise?" Hoping he would continue till I lost myself in love, but not wanting to risk his life.

"I think I can handle it." He said smiling slyly, "besides I might just be immortal."

Laughing I kissed him and allowed him to show me the depths of his love.