"But your a woman." said Agamemnon dismissively. "Cerberus is always portrayed as a male dog"
"Well I'm sorry, but no one has ever lived long enough to portray me correctly." she crossed her arms over her chest, bored over having this conversation what must have been more than a hundred times now.
"My brother," said Menelaus warningly "Please remember this woman has just transformed into herself from Hades' favorite servant." Agamemnon nodded "Yes I suppose your right...well I assume you know why you here, Ceres." He addressed her more politely. "But I'm afraid our 'great warrior' hasn't decided to arrive ye-" he was interrupted by a door nearby being thrown open. "You know," said a blonde haired powerfully built man wearing armor of his own design as he strode in. "If the two most powerful men in Greece wanted my respect they might not want to disrupt my sleep." he looked at the woman "And who is this?" he addressed Agamemnon now "One of your whores?" The old king growled "Achilles watch your tongue in this, the house of the gods." Achilles laughed "Why am I to be afraid of the gods? How many legions does Apollo, or Aphrodite command? They can strike me down at their leisure"
She watched him walk in, her upper lip twitching in half amusement. Oh how she heard Hades speak of how he'd laugh in this man's face when he was dragged down into the underworld finally. Wh-...why the pure nerve. She laughed at him, not even meaning to. It was completely hilarious to her, most men trembled as they begged for their lives, and this one...but then, he didn't very much know who she was. But she highly doubted he'd care then either "Achilles!" growled Agamemnon "I would watch your tongue, this 'whore' as you called her is the human for of the guardian Cerberus"
Achilles snorted "Enough of your petty tricks, Agamemnon, I've enough of your ranting." "If you should like me to prove it to you...?" She eyed Achilles with a half amused, half admiring smirk.
"No!" said Menelaus quickly. "I'll have no more distress in my city. Now, we must talk about our bargain. You help us conquer Troy and all the souls of the soldiers shall go with you, to your master." he said to Ceres. She inclined her head, "That is correct..." she slipped her arms down from being crossed over her chest. "My master and I shall guarantee your victory- but be warned, go against us and you will suffer greatly, I'll be sure of that personally"
"I an assure you I have no hidden emotions against you. Now," he turned to Achilles "I told you of this bargain and your part in it"
"yes and I informed you that I would not bond with some creature from the underworld. I have achieved my greatness alone and I shall do so for the rest of my time." he said stubbornly crossing his arms. "Let her help if she wishes but I refuse to let her name go down in the annals of history alongside mine"
She eyed him, "Not bond with some creature from the underworld?" She whispered in excitement, "I cannot blame you, normal men are all afraid..." "If you sense fear about me you are hardly a goddess of the underworld." he said casually. "That I'm not. Goddess is too high of a ranking for me. Servant of the gods, but be reprimanded, not a whore either." She walked around him slowly, observing him, "I smell no fear in you, or respect for that matter. Stubbornness, that is highly evident. You're a narcissist, aren't you?" She finished her observation, and snorted, "I am high enough in ranking to choose my own fate, and I don't find you fitting to be bond to me. Bring me someone else." She looked towards the two kings. "Narcissist I'm afraid your wrong. If I valued myself so highly I would fear death, which as you can see I don't. "
The kings both looked apprehensive. "There is no warrior greater than Achilles." said Agamemnon slowly. "then my part here is done." said Achilles beginning to walk off. "except.." said Menelaus suddenly. "Patriclus." Achilles stopped, turning around. "Play your games on me but leave my cousin out of it all"
"It is either Patriclus or you, Achilles." said Agamemnon, catching on to Menelaus' game. Achilles growled looking at Ceres, staying silent.
"Patriclus, hmmm?" She sounded interested. "I suppose if he's the only other option, then Patriclus it is." She smirked.
"No." said Achilles sternly. "If it is to be Patriclus or me then it is me we'll be using." he glared at Ceres and walked over to her. "My cousin is no concern of yours." Menelaus smirked "Then it is settled"
"Don't look so glum. It always seem the ones gifted with chances like this are always the ones who don't want them. Show me your wrists and your dagger"
"I would not refer to this as a gifted chance." he said darkly complying with her. "And why not? When we're bonded, immortality is yours." She dipped the dagger into his flesh, slitting his wrists, and then doing the same with hers, muttering a small chant under her breath before quickly pressing her wrists down on top of his before any blood dripped onto the floor.
The two kings watched in fear as this was preformed. He looked at his slitted wrists "I suppose if you die once, you can't die again, can you"
"Dying wasn't in the contract." She murmured as the heated sensation ran through their bodies, leaving their fingers and toes numb for a moment, before suddenly ceasing when she pulled her wrists away, his wrists clean of blood, wound healed over with light scars, as was hers. "It is done then?" Achilles said with an air of one who did this regularly. "It is." She stated calmly. "Then my part is done here." He said lamely, walking out of the palace and headed the port. He only got about halfway there before the strangest sensation ceased him - loneliness. The only time he' ever felt something like this. He immediately knew what had happened. He stormed back into the temple palace "You toy with my thoughts"
"I did no such thing." She said, involuntarily stepping closer to him, "It may have slipped my mind to mention the fact that if we're far apart, we'll both feel sickness and sorrow fueled by loneliness until we either both die simultaneously, or are reunited. It is our only weakness." she smirked, all too amused at his new predicament.
Achilles was half determined to kill her but the thought of suicide steadied. "Am I to fight alongside you in war then"
"Looks that way, doesn't it." She said boredly, "And am I to accompany you"
"You are to accompany to me to the fight of Troy..." he growled.
"And the many immortal years after that? This isn't going to go away, Achilles, I thought I made that clear. Our souls are one now, a binding like that doesn't disappear after a day or two." She snorted.
As this
conference was taking place, another of its kind was taking place in
Troy. There sat Hector and Paris, princes of Troy. In front of them
stood a woman of beauty to rival Helen's. Her dress was strange and
dark as the two princes beheld her and she came with strange tidings.
her tidings were those of fear. That Menelaus and Agamemnon had made a
deal with Hades to help conquer Troy and that they would succeed if
Troy did not begin a counter attack. Paris blinked, looking confused,
"But how can that be? The sun god won't let that happen...He'd stop
Hades"
Hector too looked rather confused, but didn't say anything.
The girl shook her head "Your precious sun god will not fight the legions of Greece anymore than your precious bride"
Paris
glared, "Hold your tongue. This is nonsense. The sun god won't let us
down, and there is no pact with Hades. We've nothing to worry.
Hector snorted, what an odd girl.
She was now getting quite irritated. "If you remain idle your city will be crushed! Hades will get exactly what he wants"
"That won't happen! Troy shall not fall!" he growled.
She
finally got angered beyond her wits. She grabbed Paris' sword out of
its scabbard and chopped the head off of a statue of Apollo nearby. "Is
this your great and powerful God!" he shrieked at him. "Is this he
lying at my feet, as he will before the power of Hades? He, whom you so
lovingly adore and worship. He whom you pride above all and you hope
will defend you. He who's head lies at my feet! Yes that is he, but it
is I who stand before you. I who am telling you of your doom that I
have myself foreseen! If your great god is so powerful then, O! great
Apollo strike me as I stand!" she looked up at the ceiling, holding her
arms wide, laughing slightly. "Strike me now and pay me for my heinous
act! Kill me dead, in front of these princes so that I may be gone from
their sight and trouble them no more with my lunacy!" she paused for a
moment, lowering her arms and glowering at the two princes.
"Nothing…Your god has done nothing to reprimand me in the slightest!
Nothing has come of me, just as nothing will come of Troy if you do not
heed my warning"
Paris gasped, and stumbled backwards a bit, as if
she'd explode...but when she didn't, understanding slowly began to pass
through him, and he shivered, turning away.
Hector spoke up, "How...How do we strike now? We can't. We have to wait for them to appear on our grounds"
She
laughed "I'm not asking you to strike." she threw Paris' sword on the
ground not needing it any longer. "I'm asking you to ready yourselves
with Greece hits you. Ceres has already bonded with Achilles he will be
immortal now...you must find some way to defeat this army or Troy will
see it's doom." "Achilles is unstoppable as it is!" Cried Paris, alarm
in his eyes "Now how are we going to stop him"
Hector blinked, unfamiliar to a 'Ceres', "Ceres? Why should we be afraid of this...Ceres"
"That
is the human name of the guardian Hades has sent forth." said the girl,
waving his comment aside. She looked at Paris he is not the only man in
the army of Greece, keep him occupied and destroy all followers but
him. One man can not take down an entire country, as much as the
opposite may seem to be true"
"But if he is assisted, and this Ceres is to be as revered as you say, is it not hopeless anyways?" Paris still looked fearful.
Hector thought about it, "...Alright, We will do as you command. You better hope you are right"
"He
is one man, Paris." she said calmly. "Achilles will not be the fall of
Troy." she looked at Hector. "Then it is settled, my work here is done"
"Wait, what is your name?" Paris asked curiously.
Hector contemplated what he was told, rubbing his beard and looking off elsewhere.
She
blinked "My name is Aeneas." she nodded to him. "If your done with my
service I will take my leave." Helen had been watching this from her
throne aside Paris'. "Wait." she called out to the girl as she began to
walk away. "Hector, Paris," she addressed them. "She speaks with
guidance and plans to keep Troy alive. She knows more of gods and war
and the Grecians than we could ever hope to know in a thousand
lifetimes. You need her as your counsel"
Hector
looked over, pondering it, "...Yes, That is a smart idea, Helen...Will
you stay as our Counsel? At least until the war is over, longer
hopefully"
Paris looked at Helen, and nodded, "Brilliant Idea..." He half whispered.
The girl looked at them curiously for a moment. "Yes. I suppose I will"
Hector nodded, "Good"
/A few weeks later/
