Achilles POV

My mother kissed my like I was a little girl when she sent me away to Skyros. I was only ten. Must've been only ten.

However she kissed me, Thetis couldn't hide the fact that I really was a boy. Not a girl like she pretended I was.

When she foresaw the war everything changed. I almost wish she never saw it in her dreams, but she did. One day she sat me down and told me that they would be coming for me. The kings would come for me.

She explained that six years into the future there would be a war. A most amazing war that would take up ten years in time. She said that I was needed in this war, and that the Greeks couldn't win without me. She said the worst part was that in a few years time, the Greek seers would begin to prophesise the war, and they would eventually know that they needed Achilles, son of Peleus, to win.

She pondered about what to do for days. She would pace and pace, then she would visit the waters and think and think.

I remember walking up to her and in my innocence I suggested something.

"Mommy," I said, "why don't I just go to Troy? Why can't I just go and fight for Agamemnon and Menelaus like they want? What would be so wrong with that? I want to fight and kill for Greece."

Thetis shook her head.

"NO Achilles. When you are older you will have changed your mind. You are too young to understand now. This war is going to last for ten years. You don't want to get pulled into that do you? You will not come free until you are twenty six, and then will have lived away your life." I nodded.

"Yes Mommy, but that is what I want. I don't care how long it will take Thetis. I want to fight. I will still have plenty of time left to live and love once the war is over." Thetis picked me up.

"Sweetheart. Achilles. I didn't want to tell you this but I have seen something else in my dreams too."

"What is it Mommy?" She seemed to find it hard to tell me.

"You…you will die in Troy." I stopped to think.

"Then I will die honourably, doing what is right. I will not hide from the world. I am Achilles, son of Peleus. I cannot hide. If the Gods say I shall die in Troy, then that is where I shall die."

"You don't know what you are saying."

"Yes I do. The Gods have chosen then to be my time." Thetis got angry then, but it wasn't at me. She was angry with the world; it is such an unfair place.

"But I am a god too! And I say that you are not going to Troy!"

She disguised me as a girl, grew my hair long, and sent me off to Skyros. No matter how upset Thetis was, she knew as well as I did that I WAS going to Troy. It was inevitable. It is what had been decided.

In Skyros I met Deidamia. She was the princess there. The pair of us fell in love even though she was ignorant to the fact I was male. We went swimming one day and she discovered. I made love to her in the pool and held her in my arms.

Deidamia later informed me that she was pregnant with my son Neoptolemus.

That is when I knew it was almost time for me to be found.

Thetis had told me I would never see my son. They would come for me before I ever saw him. So I decided to get ready.

I began to train hard. Before I just did it as a hobby, but then I began to get really serious. I killed lions with my bare hands. When those Greek monsters come I will be ready for them. That is what I told myself.

Then one day they did come and I didn't even run. I heard that in the main hall of the castle the Greeks were giving out gifts to every girl in the palace. I didn't see the trick. I went along and stood in line to choose a gift.

When it was my turn to choose I suddenly gasped. On the table in front of me was a shield, a sword and a spear. The other girls had all chosen things for hair and make-up. I reached out and picked up the three things I wanted more than anything. As I begun to walk away a man stopped me.

He smiled and then laughed.

"Achilles." He said. I was so angry at being caught out that I raised high my spear and I stabbed him, ending his life. The king of Ithaca, Odysseus, turned his head.

"Ah, Achilles. There you are. I knew you couldn't resist a fight." He held out his hand. "Come with me, Son of Peleus."

I had no choice. I turned and followed. I didn't even get to say goodbye to Deidamia.

I didn't get to say goodbye to my son.

We sailed for a while, everywhere I looked people where looking back at me. I felt like a prisoner on the ship. I was locked in my room at night and I was spied on in the day. I felt like an outcast, a Trojan that we were fighting against. One day a Greek man spoke to me. I never learned his name.

"Are you really Achilles?" he asked me. I groaned and walked away from him. I got this a lot. I shouldn't have been so rude, but I had grown arrogant, knowing I was fantastic at everything I do. I was also only sixteen, a teenager, and a rude, arrogant one at that. But then what can you expect from the most feared person? I was only in my teens and grown men coward from me. It made me laugh and gave me my first taste of power. A power that would never leave me as long as I lived..

But this time the man stopped me.

"Please talk to me. I've been watching you and I…"

"I know!" I interrupted him. "I am not a prize you know! I've seen you all looking at me. I've seen you leer at me. I am not a prostitute either!"

The man jumped away from me, afraid I would attack.

"I no you aren't, My Lord. I didn't mean to imply…on any level that you were a…a…prostitute. I Merely…."

At this point I walked off leaving the man desperately thinking of some verbal attempt to save himself for my famous wrath.

Laughing at his vulnerability, I turned my back on the stranger.

Sitting on the deck of the boat, I sighed. I lifted my knees and rocked myself, not sympathetically, just from boredom.

I counted the stares I got as men walked past me, sailors, warriors.

I just threw them all filthy looks. They all KNEW I was a prisoner here, and that I had no choice whether or not I was taken to Troy and forced to fight for a King I hardly knew. The knew that I would fight away my teenage years. I was the youngest there. The other men were at least twenty. I had seen too few summers to be aboard this boat. No one cared what I wanted though.

A while later, when I was considering jumping off the boat to see how many frightened soldiers would jump in after me to retrieve the warrior they needed most, a man came to sit next to me and demolished my amusing plan.

I looked up at him, annoyed that there was someone taller than me. Infact, I hadn't noticed it but most of the warriors were taller than me. I'm sure, being the feared man that I am, they hadn't noticed it either. I was sixteen though, and had more growing to do.

He was a good looking man; I estimated that he was about twenty nine. I presumed that I was accurate enough, as I had inherited my mother's gift for being able to guess ages.

I threw him a filthy look for being confident enough to sit next to me. Even attractive men didn't think it was too good for their ego to be seen right beside me.

"What do you want!" I spat, too rude in my arrogant adolescence. You couldn't blame me though. No man was confident enough to make me apologize or even regret what I had said. So I was rarely polite. It was something I eventually learned in my adulthood.

"Just to look at you," he replied, as cocky as my father often was.

"Look at someone else. Something so bright might hurt your female eyes." You couldn't call me vain; I had a gift to be able to see myself as everyone else saw me. I knew what I looked like, and I knew why men and women lusted after me. You couldn't blame them.

He laughed at me like it was a joke and I tried not to laugh too; I was in a filthy mood.

"Why do you keep me here?" I demanded.

He looked into my eyes.

"I don't keep you here, the Kings do. I don't have a choice who goes or stays. I am relieved that you are here though. Everyone has heard of you. We need you here, My Prince." I coughed.

"Don't call me Prince unless you are willing to treat me like one."

The man nodded.

"Ok, I will treat you like a Prince."

I laughed.

"Oh really! And if I was a prince what would you do to save me in this situation." I stood up quickly and in a second had dived off the end of the boat. I don't know what he did then, but I assume that he cursed, called for help, and the next thing I knew I had about ten warriors diving in after me. I bobbed back out of the water and laughed at the men around me fighting for breath. Suddenly someone hit me from behind and I submerged for a second. When I returned I was facing the man who was talking to me up on the deck. He made me laugh because he was purple with anger.

"Why do you care so much," I mocked once I had spat out all the salt water. He reached out, grabbed hold of my shoulders and shook me. I could have easily kicked him off. He didn't realise it but if I was to bring me knee up a few more inches he would be in excruciating pain. I didn't hurt him though. I laughed as he shook me and it seemed to make him madder, which made me laugh more.

"I don't care!" he shouted. I giggled.

"Let me drown then!" He released his grip for a second, only to come in close to me. If I was only land I probably would have jumped back, but kicking about in water made that a lot harder. He quickly brought his lips down on mine and held me tightly by my shoulders, bringing me closer to him as he licked my lips and tasted my flesh. He grabbed my neck as he kissed me harder. I didn't move during this time, I was in mild shock and I was also being held pretty tightly.

Suddenly he slipped his wet tongue into my mouth and I felt like biting it off. Instead I lifted my knee and let him scream and sink for a bit before I pushed him towards another soldier. I spat in the sea and turned to swim back to the ship. I grabbed hold of an oar and hurled myself out of the water like it was the easiest thing I had ever done. When I was pulling myself over the side and on to the deck I felt someone pulling on my shoulders, trying to help me up. I would have kicked him off but couldn't so I let him pull me up. Dripping wet, my cloths sticking to me I stared at the hundred anxious eyes watching me intently.

I threw off the damp cloak that was weighing me down and left it on the floor making a puddle as I walked away. I was wearing a skirt but I still felt naked with their eyes on my back as I stalked off, not caring for the other warriors in the water.

Then night arrived

I went back to my so called bedroom and relaxed on the bed. It felt weird being in this room without the door being locked. There were no windows either, so when the light wasn't shining through the whole in the ship, I was plunged into darkness. I often felt so alone in the night, surrounded by black. I always slept with some in my bed back in Skyros, be it a prostitute, a lover or my partner Deidamia. I did have many lovers though, even though Deidamia was carrying my baby. I slept with men and women and never knew what alone was like.

Until now.

I didn't like it but then the appetite changes. Maybe being alone would grow on me. I found out that it never did.

I suddenly felt regretful for refusing the man on the deck. At least I wouldn't be alone again, and he'd have something to talk about with his boring friends tomorrow.

Suddenly I heard the door starting to be locked and I bounded out of bed just in time to hear the wood locking me into place.

"Wait! Stop!" I cried as I bounded on the door with my fists." Please, don't do!"

I was lucky enough to get a reply

"What is it, My Lord?"

"Let me out!" I wailed.

"I am sorry. I can't do that. Orders." I felt my anger rising.

"Fuck your orders! If you don't let me out right now I am going to put my fist through this door and beat you black and blue!" I shouted.

The man tutted.

"You know that even you couldn't do that." I hated it because I knew that he was right.

"Please! I need to…go to the bathroom!" I heard him sigh, but the door was opened at last. When I saw the cocky man's face I didn't know whether to thank it or punch it in. I chose nothing, instead I ran off.

I didn't really know what I wanted, just not to be alone.

Just to be with anyone. Why was I being like this? Was I really so frightened of being on my own? I don't have a weakness, I told myself.

I went back onto the deck and saw the other soldiers laughing, drinking, gambling and wrestling. I walked up to one table confidently. An arm wrestle was taking place.

"Can I play?" I asked them. It was more of a demand than a question.

I watched them exchange worried glances and I smiled innocently.

"Erm….well, you could play but….but….you don't have any gambling money so you can't. Sorry."

I raised an eyebrow and extended my hand and took what was on the table.

"I do now. Let me play." They groaned and my determination and persistence, but nevertheless, let me pull up a chair and join them.

They looked at me once the match was won and the winner collected nothing. I had taken the money for my own but he didn't dare complain.

"OK, I'll play now. I bet…1,000." One of the men coughed as I plonked it down on the table.

"That's only…60." He told me. I scowled at him and nodded.

"Fine," I said, "beat me and I'll lie with you tonight."

I instantly had many offers.

"But…if I win…I get to kill you." Suddenly the hands flew down and I laughed.

"As much enjoyment as that would give me, I recall it. If I win…I get all your money, no complaints, and any possession of yours that I choose. You must also guarantee that if I win, you will find a way to let me be able to go wherever I want, whenever I want. And if you fail to comply then I really will kill you. Agreed?" I said with a smile. I obviously wouldn't kill the person, but I really wanted freedom and I hated that I had to buy it. I usually had everything I wanted.

Some men caught eye contact with me and I looked right back. How they wanted me.

I ended up wrestling a man of twenty eight. I sat opposite him, loads of people around us all craning their necks for a look. Other tables had left their stuff and were now watching the son of Peleus offer his body for freedom. I knew I would win though.

Suddenly my component pulled his arm back.

"Hey!" I said.

"I'd prefer to wrestle." He moaned. I laughed.

"Why? You would loose at that too." He scowled at me.

"Fine." I said. "Whatever you want." I pushed back my chair and stood waiting for him. He joined me. I raised my fists and we circled for a while.

Suddenly I lunged at him, catching him square on in the jaw, lifting him off his feet. He landed un-conscious at the bow. I was shocked. I hadn't actually meant to do that. Obviously I pretended that I had.

Everyone looked at me and I smiled. Suddenly I spotted the man who kissed me earlier.

"That doesn't count." He said.

"What do you mean it doesn't count? Of course it does!"

"You never said that you could hit the face!"

"What? That's a load of rubbish. We were wrestling!"

"That isn't wrestling!"

I growled.

"Fine!" He stepped forward.

"But I'll fight you," he said. I smiled at the chance to kick is ass.

"Same bet. You win and I'll lie with you, I win and you give me my freedom. No matter what!" I nodded. "Oh…and anything goes!"

He shook his head in approval.

I laughed to myself. Why was he asking me to embarrass him? He was going to be knocked out by a sixteen year old. He'd never live it down.

We fought. I hit him in the face but he didn't fly like the other guy did. He groaned but cam back to hit me. I dodged it and kicked him in the nuts. He didn't appreciate that and he grabbed a nearby chair and whacked me round the head. A sudden banging filled my ears as I was knocked to the floor in pain. I got up quickly despite the ringing in my ears.

I dived for him and we tumbled to the floor. I punched his stomach and his face until he howled. He kicked me off and stood up, grabbing a barrel as he did so. He threw it at me. I rolled out of the way but it just hit my cheek and began to bleed. I began to get worried even though I had never lost a battle. I was considered a godlike warrior. He stood up and kicked him with my heel. He fell backwards into his friends who pushed him back up. Cheers filled the deck and many new people came to watch.

The fight persisted. We were both covered in bruises and cuts but I was better off. Suddenly, when I was about to deliver the finishing blow I felt something hit me and I fell to the ground. Someone stood over me with one of the metal cooking pots in his hand. I looked up at him from the floor and frowned. He wasn't who I was fighting!

He brought the pot down on me again so quickly that I had no time to move. It hit me forehead and I cried out in pain. I rolled to my side but was pulled back by the stranger's foot which he pinned me to the floor with. It must have been pitiful but he caught me off guard!

I began to breathe really heavily, realising he was treading on my lungs. I coughed under his weight. My opponent pulled him off me.

"When do I win?" he asked.

I coughed again.

"When I'm out." I said. He smiled and nodded to his friend who brought his hand back down and ended my consciousness.