After Troy
Chapter 10 – The First Task
The same night that the gods decided his fate, Achilles was feeling somewhat worse for ware. The first thing he had decided to do when they had reached town was hit the drinks. Anything to stop his thoughts from dwelling on that kiss.
"So you're from Troy, too?" Asked the barmaid. She was a plump woman, in her late thirties, though she had very beautiful eyes. Achilles looked up, his own eyes struggling to focus.
"In a way." He smiled at her and winked. His speech had not lost any of its fluency. He had to be very, very drunk to lose that ability. He sighed, screwing up his nose at the drink and returning it, what remained of it, to the bench. He could feel his stomach beginning to roll about, and he grunted at the thought.
"You poor things." The barmaid continued. This man was very handsome, with the physique of a warrior. She hoped he would be staying in town a while yet. "Were you in the army?" She asked, spotting a few slightly obscured tattoos on his body, and his strong arms.
"I was in an army, and only because I so chose." He gloated. The barmaid thought him very secretive, though she continued to listen. Achilles mumbled now, mostly to himself. "No king has ever ruled or will ever rule me." He muttered. The woman could not make out what he said after that. "Nor any damned prince."
Achilles suppressed a burp and yawned. He stood up and waved a hand to the barmaid as he left the room.
"Good night, then." She called after him, admiring his retreating form.
"What an odd man." A woman spoke up from the seat next to the one in which Achilles had sat.
"He was." The barmaid smiled. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
Achilles stumbled back to the inn where they were all spending the night. He desperately wanted a bed. 'And preferably,' he thought to himself, 'one with a woman in it.' He chuckled to himself.
"Good evening, soldier." A lovely voice said from behind him. It had a melodic ring to it, like water trickling down a forest stream.
"What?" Achilles swung, albeit uncoordinatedly, around to face the speaker. "Who're you?" He squinted, though he still failed to make out the face.
"Oh, I'm sorry soldier." She teased, knowing his mind. "My name is Athena."
"I'm not in an army." Achilles raised his arms and looked about. "Why do you call me 'soldier'?"
Athena just smiled, awaiting the other question that would soon come.
"Hold on." Achilles caught on. "Athena?"
Athena nodded, then beckoned for Achilles to follow. He did so without question, wondering to himself why there was another goddess on his hands. Athena led him around the back of the inn, glancing about every now and then to make sure only one man followed her. She sat him down and stood at a distance she deemed safe.
"Do you know why I am here?" She asked.
"No." Achilles responded bluntly.
"I am here, on behalf of Aphrodite, to deliver your first task." She told him.
"What do you mean by task?" Achilles tipped his head back, drunkenly admiring the young specimen before him. He quickly righted himself as he almost fell of the back of the bench.
"You are to be given three trials." Athena spoke quickly, not wishing to divulge too much, too loudly. "Each by a different god. When you pass all three you will have succeeded and will ascend."
"I see." Achilles nodded. The truth was that he did not really see, nor understand. He would, however, pretend to. "So where do I start?"
"Your first task, as decreed by Aphrodite, is a complicated one, as it relies on others and not just yourself." She was still uncertain as to how to deliver the message.
"You'd best tell me quickly before I get bored and fall asleep. Unless you'd like to join me for the evening." He raised an eyebrow to Athena.
"You are embarrassing yourself, Achilles." Athena said, sternly.
"I am not embarrassed." He smiled and reached out a hand to her. "Not at all."
"Your mother is watching all of this from Olympus." Athena said simply. Achilles quickly withdrew his hand.
"Your task, as I was saying, is simply this: you must find true love." She nodded once, reassuring herself that she had got it right.
"What?" Achilles again leant back, brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"It cannot be much simpler, Achilles. You are to find true love and win it in return."
"Will you give me no hints?" Achilles asked.
Athena shook her head. "We can give you nothing."
She took a step closer, of a mind to leave soon. "This task will allow you to understand the love element of your godly being." She bowed to him. "I will leave you to ponder." She said, stepping back. She paused and smiled. "Good luck." She told him before disappearing into the night.
"Oh, thank you." Achilles frowned. His mind was still muddled from his earlier drinks.
"True love?" He shook his head. "I knew there was a reason I didn't worship them." He shook his fist at the sky, certain someone on Olympus would see him. "Crazy gods." He muttered, before settling back down to a few hours of pondering which, in truth, lasted a few minutes before he retired to bed. 'True love?'
A/N: Haha! The tests begin! Not much else to say, especially because I just wrote the authors note for chapter 9. But I can respond to reviews! Though I have no idea to what I have already responded. Anywhoo, thanks to those dudes I was able to email about the insanity du lack of updatability. So I guess... from the bottom of the page. Bradleigh, thanks for the adding to the favourites (I'm touched!) Yana, indeed, Helen was pretty cool. But it just doesn't work for the slash fiends. Or maybe it does, you never know. Jamy! Did you get my email. Oh, my dear lord, I love Johnny and Viggo. Everyone, who else adores Johnny and Viggo! So glorious, so brilliant, in every possible way. Oh, I love them. And, albeit unrelated, I saw Harry P on the weekend. So good! Though Sirius should have been hotter. I am in love with Sirius Black! There ya go, I've gone and said it! Purplemoofu, you crazy slash addict. But we're getting there. Can you guess who Achilles' true love is? No? Well, keep trying! EverKitsune, sorry dude. She is cool, I know, but she had to go. Rhyme! Also, I hope this chapter was longer. Yana, again! Review hogger! Thanks for being understanding. And the same can be said for x, purplemoofu and... well, I guess you are the only people who were able to read my apology before it was removed... hmm. Thanks guys! Lady Lenna, thank you very much ma'am. Lady, indeed! Lady who reads slash! I think not!!!!! mi-au, thanks for that! Hold on, I recognise that email. Why the unsigned review? Crazy. Cerasi1, oh wait. That's me! Hahahahahahaha. ('Oh, and in case you couldn't tell, I was being sarcastic.' Homer S.) And Golden song. Thankyou indeed! Hope you enjoyed!
The same night that the gods decided his fate, Achilles was feeling somewhat worse for ware. The first thing he had decided to do when they had reached town was hit the drinks. Anything to stop his thoughts from dwelling on that kiss.
"So you're from Troy, too?" Asked the barmaid. She was a plump woman, in her late thirties, though she had very beautiful eyes. Achilles looked up, his own eyes struggling to focus.
"In a way." He smiled at her and winked. His speech had not lost any of its fluency. He had to be very, very drunk to lose that ability. He sighed, screwing up his nose at the drink and returning it, what remained of it, to the bench. He could feel his stomach beginning to roll about, and he grunted at the thought.
"You poor things." The barmaid continued. This man was very handsome, with the physique of a warrior. She hoped he would be staying in town a while yet. "Were you in the army?" She asked, spotting a few slightly obscured tattoos on his body, and his strong arms.
"I was in an army, and only because I so chose." He gloated. The barmaid thought him very secretive, though she continued to listen. Achilles mumbled now, mostly to himself. "No king has ever ruled or will ever rule me." He muttered. The woman could not make out what he said after that. "Nor any damned prince."
Achilles suppressed a burp and yawned. He stood up and waved a hand to the barmaid as he left the room.
"Good night, then." She called after him, admiring his retreating form.
"What an odd man." A woman spoke up from the seat next to the one in which Achilles had sat.
"He was." The barmaid smiled. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
Achilles stumbled back to the inn where they were all spending the night. He desperately wanted a bed. 'And preferably,' he thought to himself, 'one with a woman in it.' He chuckled to himself.
"Good evening, soldier." A lovely voice said from behind him. It had a melodic ring to it, like water trickling down a forest stream.
"What?" Achilles swung, albeit uncoordinatedly, around to face the speaker. "Who're you?" He squinted, though he still failed to make out the face.
"Oh, I'm sorry soldier." She teased, knowing his mind. "My name is Athena."
"I'm not in an army." Achilles raised his arms and looked about. "Why do you call me 'soldier'?"
Athena just smiled, awaiting the other question that would soon come.
"Hold on." Achilles caught on. "Athena?"
Athena nodded, then beckoned for Achilles to follow. He did so without question, wondering to himself why there was another goddess on his hands. Athena led him around the back of the inn, glancing about every now and then to make sure only one man followed her. She sat him down and stood at a distance she deemed safe.
"Do you know why I am here?" She asked.
"No." Achilles responded bluntly.
"I am here, on behalf of Aphrodite, to deliver your first task." She told him.
"What do you mean by task?" Achilles tipped his head back, drunkenly admiring the young specimen before him. He quickly righted himself as he almost fell of the back of the bench.
"You are to be given three trials." Athena spoke quickly, not wishing to divulge too much, too loudly. "Each by a different god. When you pass all three you will have succeeded and will ascend."
"I see." Achilles nodded. The truth was that he did not really see, nor understand. He would, however, pretend to. "So where do I start?"
"Your first task, as decreed by Aphrodite, is a complicated one, as it relies on others and not just yourself." She was still uncertain as to how to deliver the message.
"You'd best tell me quickly before I get bored and fall asleep. Unless you'd like to join me for the evening." He raised an eyebrow to Athena.
"You are embarrassing yourself, Achilles." Athena said, sternly.
"I am not embarrassed." He smiled and reached out a hand to her. "Not at all."
"Your mother is watching all of this from Olympus." Athena said simply. Achilles quickly withdrew his hand.
"Your task, as I was saying, is simply this: you must find true love." She nodded once, reassuring herself that she had got it right.
"What?" Achilles again leant back, brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"It cannot be much simpler, Achilles. You are to find true love and win it in return."
"Will you give me no hints?" Achilles asked.
Athena shook her head. "We can give you nothing."
She took a step closer, of a mind to leave soon. "This task will allow you to understand the love element of your godly being." She bowed to him. "I will leave you to ponder." She said, stepping back. She paused and smiled. "Good luck." She told him before disappearing into the night.
"Oh, thank you." Achilles frowned. His mind was still muddled from his earlier drinks.
"True love?" He shook his head. "I knew there was a reason I didn't worship them." He shook his fist at the sky, certain someone on Olympus would see him. "Crazy gods." He muttered, before settling back down to a few hours of pondering which, in truth, lasted a few minutes before he retired to bed. 'True love?'
A/N: Haha! The tests begin! Not much else to say, especially because I just wrote the authors note for chapter 9. But I can respond to reviews! Though I have no idea to what I have already responded. Anywhoo, thanks to those dudes I was able to email about the insanity du lack of updatability. So I guess... from the bottom of the page. Bradleigh, thanks for the adding to the favourites (I'm touched!) Yana, indeed, Helen was pretty cool. But it just doesn't work for the slash fiends. Or maybe it does, you never know. Jamy! Did you get my email. Oh, my dear lord, I love Johnny and Viggo. Everyone, who else adores Johnny and Viggo! So glorious, so brilliant, in every possible way. Oh, I love them. And, albeit unrelated, I saw Harry P on the weekend. So good! Though Sirius should have been hotter. I am in love with Sirius Black! There ya go, I've gone and said it! Purplemoofu, you crazy slash addict. But we're getting there. Can you guess who Achilles' true love is? No? Well, keep trying! EverKitsune, sorry dude. She is cool, I know, but she had to go. Rhyme! Also, I hope this chapter was longer. Yana, again! Review hogger! Thanks for being understanding. And the same can be said for x, purplemoofu and... well, I guess you are the only people who were able to read my apology before it was removed... hmm. Thanks guys! Lady Lenna, thank you very much ma'am. Lady, indeed! Lady who reads slash! I think not!!!!! mi-au, thanks for that! Hold on, I recognise that email. Why the unsigned review? Crazy. Cerasi1, oh wait. That's me! Hahahahahahaha. ('Oh, and in case you couldn't tell, I was being sarcastic.' Homer S.) And Golden song. Thankyou indeed! Hope you enjoyed!