What Legends Are Made Of Revised

by angle of death103

After the fall of Troy, the people are left scattered, hunted, and are slowly becoming extinct. Achilles is still alive, but he’s changed somewhat maybe for the better or maybe not. Troy cries from the grave for revenge, will her people answer her cry or

1. The Fabled Meeting

Disclaimer: I own none of this. Achilles belongs to Homer and those whack ass people that made that whack ass movie. Everyone else is mine.

AN:

Italics- Naomi's thought

' '- Achilles' thought

&&- Aeneas' thoughts

- Iciles' thoughts

- flashback in thoughts

$$- Eudorus' thoughts

Bold- arguing thought

( ) - a group of soldier's thought

Chapter One:

The Fabled Meeting

Naomi couldn't take it anymore; all the waiting, the worrying, the misery; it had to stop. She couldn't stand another day of not knowing what happened to her beloved. Against the pleas, the threats and the scolding of the other survivors, she was going back on her own. She had to see if he was still there, looking for her. She didn't want to hear the cowards' paranoid prattle about the Greeks still occupying the ruined city. It has been three months since the war ended. What reason would they have to stay and continue to deface our beautiful city? After three weeks that would become boring. Though, as a precaution she doubled back her tracks incase any Grecian warriors could capture her and searched for the others. She didn't want to be the cause of anyone else's death but her own.

Naomi was a very good fighter, but she doubted that she could take on 1,000 men today. She didn't look much like any warrior anyone had ever seen, but then again there were only a handful of women out there who could fight and even less of them were well known as warriors. She had done her share of fighting and bloodshed and was considered a great strategically mind where she came from; but not in this war. This war was much too complicated.

Her appearance and gender, or lack of, was one of her greatest advantages; the power of underestimation. She was no more than 5'5, lean but not skinny; healthy looking and well feed. She had an hourglass shaped body with a small waist, generous breasts, and flared hips. Her arms and endlessly long legs were well toned, not big and bulky but noticeable and well sculpted and covered by silky smooth rich brown skin. She had a regally long neck, dignified high cheek bones, pointy chin, and a heart shaped face with small almost elf looking ears. She had big vibrant wildfire gold eyes, creamy unblemished caramel-bronzed skin; long thick wavy black hair that ended in a braid at the top of her butt, and the most delicious color of ruby red lips that would set any mans heart on fire. She was by definition gorgeous, but had the illusion of delicateness, which would have been extremely wrong. It was said by many at first glance that her beauty rivaled that of Helene and Aphrodite; but once you get to know Naomi and her viperous tongue, incredibly quick wit, unbreakable devotion and loyalty to those she loved and cared about, and her legendary skills as a fighter; all her beauty was forgotten.

She silently and stealthily crept down the dark, dank, passageways of her ruined home of ten years. Everything was destroyed; not a stone left in place. What couldn't burn was smashed; all the evidence of a once peaceful, prosperous and proud city was left scattered to the winds. She sighed knowing there was no hope for this cursed place and that it would take many more lives and years just to rebuild it. It is worse than those people waiting in the caves could have imagined. She thought. In the beginning the people made trips once a week to scavenge food and valuables from their own homes, but the Greek scouts were said to appear. After loosing thirteen men and four women, the people stopped going into the city and are slowly starving to death in the caves. She hadn't seen the city since she left, she had been living in the caves with the people, helping and protecting them, but also waiting and hoping for his safe return; but he never came.

She gracefully stepped around the fallen pillars and jumped over the large statues of their gods as she came to a halt. She heard something shift around in the darkness; she knew someone else was out there, but whoever he or she was or what he or she wanted, she did not know. She wouldn't alert them to her knowledge of them until it was clear that they wanted to do her harm. Her grip on her sword tightened, readying herself to unsheathe it just incase the situation turned out for the worse. She stood there still as a statue with all her sense alert and aware of each wisp of wind and drop of water for more than five blocks.

When she was sure that the intruder would not attack, she returned her sword to its hidden place underneath her tattered and dirty silk light blue wrap; the last present he gave her before the war had started. She continued on her way still listening out for any other sounds; a weapon, anything, but she heard nothing. It was probably just an animal or something, she thought as she continued to navigate her way through the now forgotten city.

She headed up the broken stairs of the once breathtakingly dazzling palace and then towards the room where she stayed after her husband left for the war. She found bits and pieces of what were once paintings of Helene, Paris, and the whole royal family before the war. She searched through her old stuff for any of her prized books, maps, jewelry, cloths, and weapons, anything that once belong to her or at least a clue to her beloved's fate; but she found nothing. What wasn't stolen was destroyed and there was no trace of a note or anything that would lead her to believe her husband had survived.

She sat down on top of the palace steps with a tattered and burnt piece of paper. On the paper were 14 neatly scripted words. "My dearest love Naomi, I will always love you. Your ever devoted husband, Offru--". She felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she read the small half note over and over again. Soon that one tear gave way to a rainstorm of sobs and tears as she rested her head on her knees, not caring that she let her guard down. She looked up off into the setting sun and began to hum an enchanting song, sung to her by her mother in times of despair, in hopes that it would heal her. After the song was done, it took all emotions with it as she hid her sorrow behind her mask of indifference. Looking up into the still setting sun, Naomi silently prayed for her dear husband's safe return or happy passage to the afterlife.

Suddenly she felt an eerie presence around her; she looked all around her and started to hear the loud laughter of men coming from the city square only five blocks away. Unsheathing her sword Naomi crept quietly, like a predator pursuing its prey, behind all the houses till she got to the loud group of men in her sight. They were all Grecian soldiers, probably scouting the city. Well, I guess I was wrong. Thought Naomi, thinking back to the paranoid Oracles who had warned her. She followed the men with her eyes as they nosily ransack and destroyed the remaining temples and houses; she gritted her teeth during every one of their crude and lewd remarks. After what felt like hours, the men finally got bored and began to leave the city. Naomi followed them wanting to know where their camp was.

They walked in a single file towards the back gates of the city and past that to the forest behind the south wall; she stealthily crept behind them ducking down each time one of them looked back. When they finally reached the tree line, she noticed they stopped and heard a sound like an owl. The man in front whispered the word Aegean, but said it loud enough so the archers in the trees could hear him. With a quick rustle of leaves the soldiers continued on their way into the forest. Naomi smirked as the archers gave away their positions in the trees, which made it easy for her to sneak pass them. Remember 20 men in the trees, each caring a quiver of 25 arrows and only 12 of them carry swords.

With a grin Naomi continued behind the men. The encampment was 228 paces from the tree line and 1506 paces wide; there were 528 tents that she could see and soldiers occupied 509 of them. She counted up to a thousand men, 556 horses, 200 prisoners, and 5 ships. Within 30 minutes Naomi had made a map in her head of the campsite. She snuck back out from whence she came and ran back to the caves to let the others know of her findings.

Back at the cave, Naomi was trying to convince the people to move out of the caves and to take shelter in the nearby countries. "We cannot stay here. We're running out of food, the Greeks will find us in another week at the rate they're searching, and we need medicine for the sick. We cannot find all of this here." She announced to the council, or what was left of it. All that was there were two lords that were on the old council, the king's soothsayer Oracles and Aeneas, the boy Paris left the sword of Troy with. As usual Oracles had to put in his two cents against her, "Are you mad! We cannot move these people; we have not the resources; and even if we did, where would we go? We should stay here until the mighty Apollo commands otherwise." as usual the religious bastards sided with him, knowing it was his superstitious bull crap that got them there in the first place. It's a gift from the Greeks as a sign of our might. We must take it, the gods wills it. Indeed. She recited sarcastically what Oracles said on the shores of Troy when the king found the Trojan horse. If they had just let Paris burn the damn thing, none of this would have happened; but that is in the past now and nothing can change it.

Frowning at her thoughts, Naomi pushed them aside and continued her argument. "We can't stay in this cave forever." Oracles sneered at her retaliation "We are still in Apollo's favor. He will smite those barbarous Greeks and return Troy to her people." "Really? If we're so in his favor, why are we left to starve and perish in these caves while the Greeks ransack our homes, rape our women, murder our people; and get fat and rich while doing it? What if he doesn't smite your enemies? What then?" replied Naomi. "Then it is Apollo's will that we perish, whether by Greek hand or starvation. We are still in his favor and so we shall not perish until he asks for it. We are his servants and are only here to do his bidding." "Well excuse me if I don't like being treated like a child's toy; the fickleness of the god's favor could be compared to no other. I say we are the makers of our own fate and it's blind faith like yours that gets you and others killed. I have no time to sit around and wait for a god to favor me when I can favor myself and survive." "Blasphemy! It's talk like that that got us on the bad side of Apollo and gave us his ill favor. You don't even practice our ways or come from the same city, much less country as ours. So what would you know! You couldn't possible love Troy more than I, a son born from her. This is all the fault of you and that whore! Why are you even here?" shouted Oracles.

In an instant Oracle was on the ground holding his jaw where Naomi had just planted a bone shattering punch to it. "You know what…. You're right. I don't have to be here, wasting my time saving your lives." With that she walked out of the cave, desperately needing a fresh breeze because of all the hot air Oracles was blowing.

Within 5 minutes Aeneas ran to her side. "Don't be angry, Naomi; we need you! Oracles is just desperate, they all are. They're living by a thread, never knowing when that thread will be cut. He's just looking for someone to point the finger at, don't let him get to you; don't let him push you away. We all know how much you loved Troy, as much as any of her children; and how you stayed here out of respect for the royal family. You have done more for us than any of us can imagine. We have so much to thank and repay you for, but they still need you. We need you Naomi. I need you. I can't do this without you. I was raised as a merchant's son, not a leader. I don't know why Paris gifted me with this burden, but I know I'll try my damned hardest to make him proud, but I need your help. Please!" He pleaded, as he plopped down on a rock next to her with his shoulders slumped in defeat and tiredness.

With a chuckle Naomi looked down upon him. The boy was no more than 17 when Paris gave him the sword of Troy to protect. In doing so he also made the boy the sole protector of the sword and the very people it represents. So young, yet he's seen and lost so much; it's a pity what war does to the young. She vowed to be his friend, advisor, protector, and his mentor. She taught him the basics; he was a natural and a fast learner and had great potential. Maybe in a couple more years he could become a master of the sword and cloak (AN: like cloak and dagger. The master of the cloak is like ninja and guerilla warfare.) , but for now he could defend himself well enough; and that's what's important. He had such a fire in him to prove himself; always striving to do better and that's what was good about him. He had a kind heart and a good mind, but he still needs a nudge in the right direction once in a while, as all boys his age normally do.

"You've become a man so quickly. It's rather sad that you haven't experienced the blush from a young girl's first kiss or your first game at the arena, but you make a fine leader. Sometimes a king must serve in order to rule; a good king may only serve his people and the land. There's still so much for you to learn; but remember, kings aren't born, they're made." She said in that velvety tone of hers, that always sent shivers done men's spine; either out of great lust or fear. "A king? Me?" Aeneas asked truly shocked and confused by her statement, and somewhat proud that she had such confidence in him.

While training, all she ever did was reprimand him; she never said a kind word. She said it built character and confidence in oneself and their abilities. # If I had to hold your hand and tell you what a good little boy you were, you'd never grow up. You'd be depending on me for constant approval and a warrior needs no one's approval, but his own heart. # He remembered her saying once, and he guessed in someway she was right. He needed to grow out of the habit of wanting approval all the time, so in the future he could make decisions for himself without hesitating to think of what others would like him to do. & She won't be around forever to take care of you. But one kind word would have been nice. You'd know what she'd say if she knew what you were thinking? She'd say I was a wuss and not a man; only babies want kind words. Yep! & He secretly smiled.

"Well the sword is only meant to protect its people. Who shall ever wield and protect the sword shall take on its duties, which more or less makes you king since that is what a king does or well is supposed to do."

Aeneas looked up at her and the both of them broke into a fit of laughter. "That was a good one. Me… king! Ha! I can barley keep the people together now and there's only 50 of them. What would I do with a whole nation?" Aeneas chuckled. Naomi just placed her hands on his shoulders and proceeded to give Aeneas a massage. Aeneas groaned as he felt his tightly wound muscles relax under her ministrations. "You need not worry; I will be there to help you." "I don't care what anyone says, you'll always be a goddess to me." The two chuckled once more, which eddied away into a companionable silence.

After staying like that for another 20 minutes, the two returned to the cave and gathered the council once again. They announced their decision to move again and as usual Oracles protested, "Where will we get the food for such a journey and where shall we go? The Greeks have bounties on all Trojan heads. They will not stop until we're all dead" he shouted. "So you propose we wait here for that to happen?" shouted Aeneas. While they argued an idea came to Naomi. "We can either go to Sparta or Carthage; I know important people in both places. They will find a place and supplies for you if I ask them. I know this sounds risky, but I believe I know a way to get enough food for the trip. We can steal it from the Greek's encampment."

"Oracles is right, you are mad! First you say the Greeks will find us and exterminate us in a mere week and now you want us to go to their camp and live in their most prosperous cities! Aeneas, please banish this girl from the council so we can have a non-suicidal plan of action. You should know better to bring a woman into sensible conversation and planning. Her feeble mind is overwhelmed to the point where crazy ideas, such as the one suggested, seems possible." Said lord Iciles. Naomi nearly growled at his condescending and mocking comments. Lord Iciles was a tall yet stout auburn haired man, who for some reason still had all his rich possessions. He dressed in a casual white toga that barley had a smug on it and deep velvet black caped draped around his shoulders. His beard of chestnut colored whiskers never had on hair out of place; the hair on the top of his head was a mixture of braids and wavy curls put into a short ponytail at the nap of his neck. He was probably no older then 35, but in these times that was a pretty old age. If Naomi didn't know any better she would have thought he was still a spoilt aristocrat coming back from a stupid high society party at the bathe house. It made her sick how he stared down his big crocked nose at those he thought were below him; which mainly consisted of children, poor people, people of sense and knowledge, and most of all women.

Naomi remembered the first day she met the bastard. She remembered how his glaring sea blue eyes burned her with his hate and disapproval as she walked off the ship called Sirens and placed her foot for the first time on the sands of the northern shores of Troy. She remembered the look on his face when Helene explained to everyone on the council that Naomi was a warrior and she was to be her bodyguard and guard to those in the palace as well. To say he was livid would be the understatement of the century; they literally had to throw him out the room with all the ruckus he was making, cussing and all. How he got back into the king's good graces after that fiasco, she'll never know. Naomi smirked at the memory and nearly laughed out loud as she remembered the first thing she ever said to him, which was the reason he started cussing in the first place. # hmmm… lord is it? Where I come from no man is allowed to where armor unless he can hold a weapon and fight for his country. Nor can a man carry the title of lord without being directly related to the royal family or has at least shown some type of immense bravery on the battlefield, protecting his country. From what I can see you have not seen a day of war in your life. You hide behind your servants and sons when the country demands your service. The armor you boast to wear should be called a dress because it has no purpose but to flatter the person who wears it. I've been in more wars than you have taken breaths. Don't underestimate me because I'm a woman, it only serves to make me ten times as worse when I strike at you. For if you come after me you will no just die, I'll make sure you lose everything that you hold dear and let you take your own like. Would you like some white tea? I just got my shipment today, so it's as fresh as it can be. #: sighs: memories. Now it was that face that I want to remember. The poor man looked like he would have peed himself if I didn't change the subject to tea. Hahahahaha. Snickered Naomi, but Iciles was not pleased "What are you giggling about you seed brain bird!" (AN: couldn't think of a good insult.) He shouted. Naomi's smirk was completely whipped off her face and she looked as if she were to jump across the table and strangle Iciles. As usual it was Aeneas to the rescue as he saw the issuing fight between the older males of the council and Naomi. "Iciles, please be quiet. I trust Naomi with my life and if she suggests something then it's best we do it, if not at least consider it." Said an exasperated Aeneas. "That you may, but do you trust this...this...woman with all our lives and the future of Troy?" Iciles grinned thinking he'd put the young boy in a corner which he could not get out of.

From day one Iciles thought it foolhardy to leave the fate of the survivors of Troy in the hands of such a young and empty headed boy, but the people would not hear of another taking his place. They all said #If Paris thought him good enough to leave him the sword of Troy, which is the embodiment of all our hopes, pride, and all that is our Trojan culture; then he is good enough to lead them. # Iciles tried everything to show the boy up, even tried having him killed, but he always made it through each obstacle he put before him; all because of that bitch! Iciles knew that if it wasn't for Naomi he would have been able to take the sword and the people's blind faith in the boy from day one, but the sniveling boy child hide under her dress as if she were his mother. It was sickening how he clung to her every word and command, she might as well have been leading them; that thought sickening him even more. All of the council, except Naomi and Aeneas, hated Naomi with a passion. If they could, they would have thrown her off the cliff or handed her over to the Greeks. That's not a bad idea he snickered quietly.

Iciles was pulled out of his thoughts when Naomi said "And that's my plan". Looking to the other occupants in the cave he saw a look of awe and brooding on all their faces; whatever she said must have impressed them. Not caring whether it was a good plan or not, Iciles had to put it down. "I say it's ludicrous!" he yelled with a satisfied smirk. Every eye was on him now and he had a sneaky feeling that he had just unknowingly made an ass of himself. "Well that's funny. I thought you'd like that idea, considering that you'd be rid of me." She smiled evilly knowing full well that he didn't hear a word she said. She told the men that she'd be doing a one-man one-night raid on the Greek's camp. She knew the less people, the better the chances of success. Her being the most likely candidate since she knew the camp inside and out; and she being strongest and most skilled in the art of stealth and speed.

Smiling as the bewildered man stared at her, she finally relayed her plan. "Now are we all on board?" Naomi asked. "I will come with you" volunteered Aeneas; the boy was aching to get some practice in the field even if it was a stealth operation. "There will be plenty of fights young pup, but this one, not more than one person is necessary." "But you will need help carrying all that stuff. You should at least take one man with you." Naomi smiled at the boy's insistence. "Aeneas, I appreciate your concern, but you know that I'm stronger than all of you combined and multiplied twice. I could sneak up on a panther in the middle of the day." She said amusingly with mock pride. "Still, I'd feel better if I at least came along" Aeneas still insisted. "Fine! You may come, but no one else." She finally agreed. "Nonsense child, we'll send Hepatitis and Claris with you. They are our best men. We'll need as much food as possible; meaning as many shoulders must go." Stated Iciles, wanting to find any way to ruin Naomi's shining moment of selflessness.

Rolling her eyes Naomi already knew what Iciles was trying to do. "True as that might be, you'll also need your strongest men here to protect you if something goes wrong." Countered Naomi. "Look, wench we no all about your want to save the world attitude but reason overrules your silly impulse. Reason being the fact that you can't do everything by yourself. Either our men go or we forget the plan!" demand Iciles. Seething Naomi replied, "Fine! But no one else." She agreed to do it because she wasn't in the mood for anymore arguing. She was tired of talking; it was time to act and if she had to bend a little to appease them, so be it. With that settled, they decided that it would be better if the raid were done at night, when most of the soldiers would be asleep and the night's natural darkness would give them good cover. After going over the time and the backup plans incase of a problem, they all shook hands and the men prayed to Apollo that their plan worked; and off to sleep they all went, while Naomi went out to do more scouting on her night watch.

It was night once again the next day, as four silent black cloaked Trojans traveled over the tall grassy field before the tree line of the forest behind the south gate. When they came upon the hidden archers, Naomi threw a rock 20 feet away from them and watched as all the archer's attentions were directed in that direction. When she was sure, she dashed through the tree line and went into the forest with the three men close behind her. One of the archers tuned back and announced to the others that he had heard something. Counting on that, Naomi knelt to the ground and told the others to keep going until they came to the creek between the camp and the forest entrance.

As the others ran passed her, Naomi put down the only bag she carried and opened it, releasing a family of rats she came across that night. "Go my darlings, keep them ignorant of our presence and then return to your homes. This is the only service I ask of you."

The rats ran back from whence they came and the archers laughed at the one who announced his alarm at hearing something. "Are those what you heard?" he pointed to the huge rats scurrying about the forest in plain view of them. With a shiver the man replied "filthy little buggers aren't they? I hate rats. Funny, I never noticed them in the forest before." Shaking his head he heard the other man say. "Don't knock 'em. If you're trapped on a ship long enough they become your best friends." All the men started to laugh at that and continued their watch over the fields for any sign of movement in the tall grass, which wasn't easy since the moon wasn't out that night.

Meanwhile, Naomi and her band were already on the edge of the camp and were slowly creeping into it. Not a sound was heard except for the men's snoring and all was dark, but Naomi could see well enough in the night and Aeneas made sure he stayed close to her. "You see those five tents over there? They are what we're here for, but if we go four tents in and two to the left; we'll be able to get into their armory, which usually has two men guarding the entrance. If we go from this direction then we'll be behind the tent and can easily slip in from the back and take the two guards by surprise. Also, on the other side of the camp, which is our exist route, are the prisoners' tents. We cannot free everybody, but the women and children are kept in separate tents; it is important to release them and get as many men as possible." Whispered Naomi.

"That wasn't apart of the plan" whispered Claris. Aeneas turned to him quickly in annoyance "Those are our countrymen. We cannot just leave them here if there's an opportunity to help them!" he nearly yelled "but sir, too many people can put us in jeopardy. We can't risk it. Apollo has smiled down on us so far, but we shouldn't tempt him." Countered Hepatitis.

Naomi just rolled her eyes. "You three just get as much food as you can; I'll worry about the rest. The reason why I choose the other side of the camp is because it has the least amount of guards and there are no surprises on the shores; I checked this morning. We can get the people out through there and gather up some of the wild horses that live in that part of the forest." Not wanting to waste anymore time she moved out before they could protest.

Naomi went to the armory tent as she said she would and quietly slipped under the tent from the rare. Slowly creeping to the entrance, she saw the silhouettes of the two guards. Slipping her sword from her dress Naomi came up behind the first silhouette and slowly guided her hand over his mouth from behind him. Before he knew what was happening and let out a warning to his partner, Naomi's sword was plunged into the back of the man's neck. The other soldier did not so much as flinch since he hadn't noticed his partner's death. Hearing the other man slide down to the floor, the other soldier turned slowly to investigate and saw the blood on the tent. Before he could register the other man's death Naomi was in front of him, she used her hand to cover his mouth, which muffled the gurgling sound he made as he drowned in his own blood after she slit his throat. Taking the weight of his body onto herself, Naomi dragged him into the tent, letting him down slowly so his armor didn't make any noise.

Quickly she stared to wrap up swords in pig skins so they wouldn't make any clanking noises in the bag and put as many of them in the three sacks given to her by Aeneas. A half an hour later, Naomi heard what sounded like footsteps and quickly prepared herself; her bloody sword raised to attack whoever came through the front entrance. When she was just about to strike the shadow on the tent, it whispered her name. "Aeneas, you know better than to walk through the front when I told you to come through the back." The young man popped his head into the tent just as he heard her whispered voice; seeing Naomi's still poised form, bloody sword raised to strike him, he gulped. Smiling sheepishly as he put his hand in the back of his neck like a boy who'd been caught doing something wrong by his mama. "Sorry. I knew you'd take the soldiers out, so I didn't think…" he began to explain. "That's right, you didn't think. I could have killed you. Now hand me that axe over there."

Doing as he was told, he continued to speak, "All the bags are full and I sent them up ahead so I could come get you." "Good. We're a bit ahead of schedule, but things happen so keep your eyes peeled. I'm almost done here." Looking down at the bodies of the two soldiers who were guarding the tent, Aeneas could do nothing but stare in awe and a little fear of the woman in front of him; his mentor, his advisor, and best friend. &I wouldn't want her on the Greek's side.& He smirked to himself. How such a woman can take on two skilled warriors such as these that were twice her size, he'll never know, but he guessed it all had to do with the element of surprise, as she always stressed to him. #Never let your opponent know of all the stones in your bag; keep them guessing. Never be ashamed to sneak up on them in the dead of night from the back because they would have done the same to you if given the chance.# Smirking at yet another lesson, Aeneas noticed he was the only one in the tent.

Looking all around him, he jumped when he felt a slender hand on his shoulder. &How did she do that. I looked behind me. & "Keep daydreaming like that and you'll get yourself killed." Naomi smirking at what she knew he would say next. "Keep sneaking up on me like that and you won't have to worry about me getting killed by the enemy. I'd die of fright." the two smiled at their friendly banter and quickly dashed outside.

Carrying the five bags filled with heavy weapons on her back, while he struggled with just two, Naomi stealthy crept to the other side of the camp. So far; so good, she could see Claris and Hepatitis waiting for them at the edge of the forest. Wondering where the five guards that were supposed to be guarding the clearing were; she looked around. Naomi saw their still bleeding bodies on the ground before them. "Well done, troops. The easy part is over. Did you round up the horses, horse master?" she asked Hepatitis. He pointed to six horses tied to a tree a few feet into the forest, two of them already packed and ready to go. Naomi frowned at the little amount of horses that Hepatitis was able to get, we'll need more; but it's probably smarter if we had few, so we can make the least possible sound. With that Naomi shrugged.

Loading up the rest of them, Naomi turned to Aeneas, but he held his hand up "Already ahead of you. We releases two tent fulls of people into the forest already and sent them ahead with some horses, so they have time to get far enough away." Naomi raised an eyebrow at this. I couldn't have taken that long, how could they get so much done without me and without my knowledge? Aeneas was in charge. Smiling Naomi patted Aeneas' shoulder proudly. "Good boy. Always think ahead and multitask. You're fast becoming a man and a great leader." Beaming with pride now, Aeneas puffed up his chest and breathed a sigh of relief at her compliment. "Now let's get the others."

There were 8 tents with 27 people in all. They were able to let free five more tents, but then all hell broke loose. When Naomi and Aeneas returned with the people from the fifth tent, Claris and Hepatitis were nowhere in sight; they had left the two men behind to guide the people after they set them free, by the third tent. Looking around aimlessly, the two couldn't find them. All of a sudden there was a certain amount of shouting and Naomi knew then that they had been found out.

"Okay, if you go all the way to the shore there will be a cave right in front you as you come out the tree line. It's hidden underneath the seaweed and the grass, but you can't miss it; the flowers on it are red. Go into that cave and don't turn back. Go all the way into the cave until you come across a lake with a small waterfall, behind that is a passage to the caves in the cliffs above the sea. There you will find the other survivors and tell them to go through with plan Beta. Do you understand? This is very important! Never stray from the path; go straight; even if you think there's light, keep going until you meet another opening covered with red flowers. Run and keep as many with you as you can!" she told a dark haired girl no older than thirteen. The tent that they just freed was full of kids, the two before that was filled with women and the three before that were just men.

After getting her instructions the girl ran off into the forest with the small troop of kids behind her. "Boy, are they fast." Aeneas joked knowing full well the weight of the situation. "You know, we must hold them off until they reach the cave. You should go with them." Said Naomi. "And let you have all the fun? Nah, there is glory to be had and I will finally be able to prove myself worthy to wield this sword." With that he unsheathed the golden sword of Troy and dropped his long black cloak. "They need a leader and the sword of Troy should never fall into Greek hands." she reprimanded. "It won't." he said with determination that even she didn't know he had. "So be it!" she said coldly.

By then the sun began to rise and the waking soldiers noticed the two figures walking calmly out of the forest. As they walked towards the camp, an eerie fog seemed to follow them; making the figures look like ghosts. "It was an honor knowing you." Aeneas whispered to Naomi softly. Naomi turned her head slightly to him and smiled "It was an honor to meet you as well, and it will be an honor to die with you." With that the two smiled at each other from out the corner of their eyes.

So young and already so ready to die. I cannot allow this. With that thought, Naomi slowed down her strides and walked behind him; with a swift knock to the back of his head with the butt of her sword, Aeneas was out cold. Naomi quickly dragged his body back towards the forest and covered his unconscious form with grass and moss. "I'm sorry young pup; you maybe ready to die, but I'm not ready for you to die. Have a good life and remember what I've taught you. No heroics or I'll kill you myself!" she whispered sternly to the body and placed a kiss where his forehead would be underneath all the cover. Naomi rose to her feet and was met with a small crowd of soldiers staring at her like she was an aspersion. Walking slowly down the hill towards the group of men with her sword in hand, she took off her cloak and revealed her luscious form to their hungry gaze.

Two huge red haired and green eyed men, who looked sorta identical, stepped out of the group and walked up to her "Well, well, well. Looky, what we got here Max. A little monkey whore." Said the first one, both chuckling at his little joke. "Come on, Mike. That's not how you speak to a lady. No wonder you never get laid." Said the one called Max. Naomi rolled her eyes at the pissing contest she was sure was about to begin. Just then a small boy with curly black hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, and brown torn up tunic, ran up to the two men. "Sire, sire….." Mike looked at the boy annoyed "What is it boy!" "The prisoners! They're almost all gone." Said the boy hurriedly, not wanting to be the messenger of bad news. "WHAT! What do you mean they are gone!" he screamed. "The women and children are gone, but some men still remain. Only one tent wasn't set free. The binds were cut, so it must have been someone from the outside." All eyes turned to Naomi.

Max looked down at Naomi and smiled "It looks like you're in a lot of trouble, little lady. All the Trojan whores you set free were the boys' here entertainment. I guess that means you'll have to make up for it by taken their places." All the men snickered at this, but Naomi kept her face calm and neutral. "Seems like I might get laid by a pretty lady after all. It's been a while, but I'm sure to make it unforgettable." Mike grinned lecherously at Naomi. By then Naomi's eyes had narrowed and were set on no one else but Mike. Yeah, I'm sure you are big boy, but I'm pretty sure you have gotten any in so long that you can't tell the difference between a man and a woman; and it'll stay that way, buddy. Well, I knew I'd have to get my hands dirty. No time like the present.

"Uh oh. You better watch out, Mike. I think she didn't like what you said." At that both men started to laugh. "Nah man. You just don't know how to read women like I do. That look means she wants some of this. The poor bard probably has a crush on me. Well, I'd hate to disappoint." Mike reached for Naomi, a bad move on his part.

Naomi grabbed his arm with her left hand and brought her fist up to his face, hitting him square in the jaw. She dropped his arm and tried to run. Max grabbed her right arm and swung her so that her back was pressed to his chest, catching her left arm. "What are you gonna do now, bitch?" Max whispered into her ear. Mike got to his feet holding his jaw. Naomi kicked up and swung herself behind Max, catching Mike's face with her foot. When she landed she kicked the back of Max's knee, sending him to the ground. Naomi took off running further into the camp with all the men chased after her like a pack of wild dogs after a meal. She used herself as bait to busy them till everyone else was safe;

She was only a tent away from reaching the armory, when a pair of strong arms encircled her from behind and preceded to bear hug her tiny body. Naomi made a pained moan, but refused to give up so easily. Using all her strength she placed her feet on the ground and pushed back with her heels and ran him backwards into another tent; making both of them crash unceremoniously into the tent; destroying it and the occupant's sleep. She got up quickly before the man could right himself, but by the time she untangled herself from the tent, she was already surrounded. There were at least 17 men to her one and odds didn't seem to get any better. That's the way I like it. Smiling seductively at the men, Naomi slowly raised her hands in the air in mock surrender. "Come now boys, you don't want to pick on little ole me. Now do ya?" she said innocently. The soldiers all looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

As they moved in to tie her up, Naomi couldn't help but roll her eyes at their lustful gazes and stupidity. Rule number one; never underestimate an opponent. Rule two, keep it in your pants or it might get bitten off. Wait that's not a rule! It's my rule. Naomi smirked at her thought and continued to wait until they were close enough to strike. One of the smirking idiots reached for her right hand, with a twist of her wrist and then her arm, she had him bent down before her screaming in agony as she pulled his arm behind his back and slowly broke it.

At the sound of the snap all the men rushed in at once to get her. She pulled the pathetic excuse for a man up by his hair and through him into his fellow comrades. Two came from behind her so she made a cannon ball back flip (AN: I don't know what it's called.) and landed her knees on both men's shoulders. She pressed her thighs together and made them crash into each other; both were knocked unconscious. One of the soldiers from earlier came charging towards her. She simply dodged and close lined him. Another man came running at her from her left side, but this time she just pulled back her arm and sent a jaw shattering curved punch right in to his face. He fell back holding his now blooded nose. Next, three men charged her from opposite directions. She held her ground to the last minute then ducked just in time to see them bash into each other's skulls. She chuckled at that, but she missed the punch that went right for her face and everything seemed to stop at that moment.

Not a sound was heard and nobody moved, the man that threw the punch smirked even though he was surprised that he put everything he had into the punch, not to mention caught her off guard, and yet all it did was turn her head and maybe give her a little bruise (she should have been sprawled on the floor, knocked out. Don't worry I'll get it right this time.) He was about to go in for a second punch, but his hesitation wasted his valuable time. You should never waste time when fighting Naomi. Before he knew it his legs were swept from under him by Naomi's under kick. When his big body hit the floor, Naomi was on him like a wildcat attacking its wounded prey.

She alternated pulling her arms back and punching him relentless in the face until the poor man was crying and screaming, as he held up his arms in a feeble defense against his face; but Naomi wouldn't have it. Every time he brought his arms up she'd bite them and when he'd scream she'd scratch him in the face and continue to punch him into a bloody pulp. Secretly, Naomi was a vain woman and a bruise on her cheek would not do. That's why she let loose her fury on his face, a face for a face.

By the time the rest of the conscious soldiers pulled her off of him, he was a bloody mess. All his teeth were scattered around his mutilated face. Sometime during her bashing, she must have hit him at an odd angle because the unnatural angle of his broken neck attested to his death. One of the men went to the body and checked to see if he was still alive, while praying that he wasn't. No man could live with injuries to the face like that and there would be nothing they could do to help his pain.

When he confirmed all their suspicions, they all gasped and stepped away from her as he neared. Without so much as a word, he slapped her, punched her in the gut, smashed his knee into her face, and let her fall to the floor in a crumpled mess. Then he spit on her; the nasty thick greenish liquid got caught in her hair, as she lay there defenseless against their attacks on her person. They kicked and punched her until they were all breathless with the effort, but she never let anything other then a grunt out of her mouth. The same bastard who started it called her a Harpy slut, one of the worse insults for a woman back then, and that's when she started to lose it.

She shakily rose to her feet and stared defiantly into the soldier's face. Another soldier placed his heavy hand on her left shoulder. With a speed that everyone thought not possible, she twisted around, pulled his sword out of its scabbard before he could register it and stabbed him in the abdomen with it. All the while her face was just as emotionless as a statue and with her hair loosely spread around her body; covering parts of her face. She had in one mere second become a frightening nightmare monster that all the men were told to stay clear from as a child. Using her foot she pushed the lifeless body off of the sword and turned dramatically towards the man that had insulted her not too long ago. With no words she pointed the sword at him and began to charge him, but before the sword could pierce his chest plate another soldier had jumped in front of him; sacrificing his life for his fellow soldier.

All the other soldiers couldn't keep up with what was happening with their eyes. In just 30 seconds, she'd already killed two men mercilessly. She stared down at the new body impaled on the sword, she would have admire him for his loyalty and valor if it hadn't been the scumbag that he was protecting; instead she looked on him with disgust and got rid of him in the same manner as the other one. Looking up loathingly at the man she meant to kill she continued to stalk towards him. The loser was pale as sheet and backing up into things as he tried to escape her wraith. Then the wuss let out a straggled cry for help, like a wounded dog, which seemed to wake the others from their stupor.

They all ganged up in arms in front of him and raised their weapons to her. She smirked, but then it vanished at the smug expression the one she was after had on his face. It enraged her that such a coward could walk the earth, but then again she'd seen worse. Finally deciding her plan of action, she pointed her sword out towards them and rushed them in a blind rage. Surprised soldiers watched her race towards them without moving in defense when she slashing those who tried to stop her.

Ten or more men died by her hands before they managed to overtake her. They had to dog pile her and knock the sword out of her hand. The one she wanted dead had only lost two of his fingers, the pointer and the middle finger, which she bit off while they dragged her off of him, and four long horrible gashes, two on either side of his face, in the attack and was now on the ground screaming like a girl as the blood rushed out of the stubs that were once his fingers.

She clawed at them, bit them, and screamed until they jumped back in fear. She had bashed the two who held her wrists in the throat with her elbows and bicycle kicked the soldier that stood between her and freedom.

Just when she was about to make a run for it, a soldier grabbed hold of her leg and tripped her. Then all the conscious men jumped on top of her, holding her legs and arms down till she stopped moving. They made an X with their swords around her neck so they could get off of her and not worry about her moving without cutting her neck. Breathing heavily Naomi waited on baited breathe for death, but none came. All the soldiers that could stand bowed to the three men that just ran up to the piles of dead, dismembered, and some unconscious bodies. Naomi couldn't see their faces because of the awkward position she was in, but she could see their torsos.

One of them spoke; the shortest of the three, "What is this? What happened here? Were we attacked? Why did no one come get me?" he said in a panicked yet still very demanding voice. When he got no response from the pale faces he pointed to the nearest soldier. "You, tell me what happen?" Eudorus motioned towards the dead and mangled bodies as he spoke. The soldier just shook his head still not believing in the story that he was about to tell Eudorus, he couldn't even look Naomi straight in the eye. What? Hadn't these men seen battle before? Why are they so squeamish about a few dead bodies? Naomi questioned.

Then out of nowhere another soldier pushed him out of the way to look Eudorus heatedly as he spoke and pointed at Naomi. "It was that witch! She did it. She did it all. She came after us in our sleep and tried to put a spell on us. Poor Thomas tried to fight her, but look. Look what she has done! I want vengeance. Do you here me Eudorus? I want her dead!" he yelled as he kicked dirt into her face; and all the remaining men around them roared their agreement.

Naomi just scoffed at the name they gave her. Witch. They couldn't come up with anything more original. First it's slut then whore, now witch. For once I'd like to be called by a more manly insult; like scoundrel, charlatan, asshole, or son of a bitch. No, I have to be a witch in order to beat the living shit out of them. Give me a break. I wonder what this Eudorus will do. He seems sensible. Eudorus just stared at the man in disbelief. $How could this be? $ He thought to himself, but got his answer when he looked at her blooded appearance; none of the blood was hers. He looked all around him as the soldiers chanted death to the witch, but all he could do was look. $Achilles is not going to like this$ he thought miserable.

Looking back towards the man in question, Eudorus cringed at the bored expression on his face. Ever since he came back to find Achilles' limping form on the shores of Troy three months ago, the man has never been the same. Agamemnon took Briseis back to Greece with him and ordered Achilles to watch over Troy till he returned in six months, or he'll kill Briseis. And the impossible happened, or at least in his opinion; Achilles obeyed. Since then it was almost impossible to get a smile out of the man and he'd taken on the very bad habit of drinking until he was unconscious. He always had a stoic scowl on his face that scared half the men most of time; except the ones that knew him for a long time, like himself. He hardly ate and never partook in the women or the victory parties. Once in a while he'll go off into the city and find more prisoners, survivors of Troy, but nothing seemed to rouse his spirits and the very mention of Briseis set him off.

Eudorus did not know what else to do, but he guessed that was what love did to people; even great men like Achilles. Feeling his friends stare on him Achilles just shock his head and walked away. He'd gone somewhere into the crowd probably not wanting to draw too much attention to himself since it seemed Eudorus had things under control.

Eudorus was now looking back at the girl, $She couldn't have done this. $ He thought disbelievingly. He strode towards the girl who glared up at him unafraid and defiant to the last. He looked her up and down; and he saw so much beauty, even under the dirt, the blood and the mud.

Achilles' men weren't pushovers. They were the world's greatest soldiers and warriors lead by the almighty, almost godly Achilles. They weren't the myrmidons, they were only rookies for now, who signed up after they saw Achilles fight in the war; but still most of them were trained in more arts of war, defense, and killing than any man alive. She, a small nothing of a woman, could not take down twenty of them without even being a little out of breath or without a scratch. She had to be a demi god or some supernatural thing, yet neither would have been caught and trapped like she was now. $Well, seeing is believing. Unless she really is some kind of witch or the men were too blinded by her looks to fight straight. She probably had help, these fools were so busy with her that they didn't even look or consider that she had partners. :sighs: so hard to find good help these days, but I'm curious as to what happened here. I will test the little nymph. $

With that settled, "Release her" spoke Eudorus; ignoring the gasps and protests of the men. "Sir! Have you gone mad? She'll kill us all with her magic!" a soldier shouted amongst the crowd. The one that informed Eudorus of what happened once again stepped forward. "He's under her spell as well. We must get Achilles before it is too late…"shouted the soldier. "There will be no need for that. I am not under any spell. I just want to see if all your old wives tales are true. If you want vengeance, Lucas, then fight her to the death. I don't believe one little woman could take all of you down; and you better hope that it is not true. Achilles will not take the shame of his warrior's defeat at the hands of a woman too lightly. So for the sake of your honor and your fallen comrades, prove me right!" There was silence, and then the one called Lucas stepped forward.

The men cheered their champion on as Eudorus quietly regarded the woman in front of him. "You have now angered the men and they want your blood. I don't know how you did what you did before, but you're going to have to do it again if you want to survive. Lucas is the third strongest and skilled warrior here. Second to Achilles and myself. I'll pray for you." Naomi just stared at the man as if he'd just given her the answer to life itself. Why is he coaching me? I thought he'd be on the side of his men. Naomi just shrugged off her last thought.

She looking across the clearing the other soldiers made for them to fight in, she set her sight on the one known as Lucas. Skilled warrior indeed. I haven't even accepted the challenge yet and already he's boosting like he's won. I'll make quick work of this fool. You better. Hey! Where'd you come from? It doesn't matter! He's ready for you.

Walking towards him, Naomi held out her hand in sportsmanship and had on a smug grin on her face. Lucas just stared at her hand and spit on it, the men cheered at the spectacle, but clearly Naomi was not amused.

With one hard thrust, the fight was over before it even started. Lucas raised his sword to bring it down on Naomi's head leaving his torso wide open for attack; with one quick jab of her sword, the tip of it was sticking out the back of him. He looked down at the sword now rune right through his belly into his spine and dropped his sword. Bleed began to gush out the wound and his mouth; his eyes rolled into the back of his head and then he fell down dead. All was silent except for the sound of small running feet of Naomi as she fled the scene; not needing to be told. No one could move, the shock was so strong; even as the pool of blood leaking from the now lifeless body became wider and wider with each passing second, no one could believe their eyes; especially Eudorus.

Naomi ran all the way back to the archers in the forest entrance, without a care she kept running and dodged the rain of arrows coming down upon her. She made it all the way to the palace steps of Troy, where she bent over panting heavily trying to catch her breathe. I don't think I've ever run from anything in my life and if I ever did, I've never ran as fast or as far as I did just now. Almost laughing at the absurdity of the whole thing, Naomi felt an eerie presence. She looked all around here, but her quick reflexes were not quick enough to deflect the rather strong hand that wrapped around her neck.

She screamed slightly, but all she could get out was a meek eep before her captor added more pressure to her trapped throat to cut off any more sounds that may have come from her. She blinked as she realized who it was. She'd heard stories of his arrogance, savagery, and bravery; but she's only seen him once, from afar on the shores of Troy. She had watched as he fought and slaughtered the Trojans mercilessly in battle. She was hidden inside the temple of Apollo at the time; she'd come there to meet her husband on the shore and to pray for his well being, even though he was the enemy. Then this beautiful god like creature invaded their shores, slashing his way towards the temple walls; she evaded capture through a hidden passage behind one of the altars.

"Achilles: The murderer of Troy." She snarled, the name only making him squeeze his hand harder. "I thought you dead, but obviously not dead enough. Please let me go so I can remedy that." She replied with a sneer. She winced as he slapped her across the face with his free hand; her cheek now bruised and her full succulent lips were split and shed a bit of blood. She returned her shocked gaze toward his emotionless face, which caused her teeth to grit with anger and her eyes to fill with hatred and malice. He's a lot stronger than I thought. He made me bleed and he bruised my face. Serves you right for letting your guard down. Goddess I hate acting like a weak whiny simpering female, but that bastard just hit a defenseless woman. Hahaha!

By then the men had all gathered around them after waking out of their stupor and chasing after her. "Oh, the little Trojan whore looks angry. What? Never had a real man teach you your place? Allow him to fill you in." said some stupid idiot in the crowd she couldn't see. She thought to herself that she'll get him later, but turned her attention back to Achilles when he finally spoke. "Your first lesson is: do not talk to any man as if you were his better. And if I remember correctly, it was your cowardly prince Paris who led to Troy's destruction; not I. I came for the glory, which I have richly acquired. The Greeks left me behind because they want me to watch over this city until they return… to occupy it. " Said Achilles in a rather icy and haughty tone that just sent shivers down her spine as he smirked at her look of horror. 'She's beautiful. I wonder where she learned to fight like that and where did she come from? She's too beautiful to ever have to lift a finger much less to fight and kill. She should have men at her feet to carry out her every fondest desire. Yet she seems to be able to hold her own.' He thought quickly before shaking it out of his head.

Achilles had been present at her capture, but just hung in the back to avoid seeing another defenseless girl get raped. Usually he didn't tolerate such behavior among his men, but as of late he has been slack in training them properly. Everything of late seemed so meaningless and mundane, he couldn't figure out how at one point in his life this was all he lived for. It took a shy, feisty, virgin, Trojan priestess of Apollo to show him that there was a life outside of all this chaos and madness. Now she was gone, possibly in danger and there was nothing he could do about it; but wait and obey. Nothing seemed right anymore, nothing seemed purposeful; even sparring had become a bother, but out of old habit he couldn't give it up. He was ready to give up on everything until she came along.

He'd watched her fight with Lucas with surprise interest and was even more intrigued by her when she won. It was then as she watched the man's body fall to the ground that he saw the beauty of her. He was blown away and for some strange reason very interested, which was weird because he had not been interested in anything after the end of the Trojan War. Seeing her here now, in front of him made him almost want to laugh with the amusement of the whole thing. 'How such a little thing can cause so mush trouble is a mystery.'

After he realized he was staring at her and that the whole camp was staring at him, Achilles turned his head slightly to Eudorus and as if communicating secretly; Eudorus began to bark out orders. "Oi, get out of here! Nothing to see. We have prisoners to find and a whole big mess to clean up." At this all the men groaned like children being told it was bedtime when their favorite movie was about to show. None of them had breakfast yet, they were still tired from having to wake up so suddenly because of all of the commotion, and they all wanted to see what the master would do with the girl.

Naomi turned her face into a mask of dark ice after her initial shock at the Greeks' plan for the fallen city, but then she smirked "You seem mighty proud of yourself even though you squealed like a sissy when Paris shot that arrow into your heel. Your men have a got a lot of nerve telling me who is and who is not a real man. I'm sure you could never fit into that category, you savage. I'm surprised that for all you Greeks' talk of honor that they didn't think to kill you for the embarrassment that you've brought them with that traitorous whore. How sure are you that your precious king didn't just lie to you to save face and leave his wounded embarrassment out here to die?" Achilles stoic face soon turned into a frown, he let out a vicious snarl at the girl's words. He picked her up so she was now eye level with his 6'3 tall height; leaving her feet to dangle almost a foot off the ground. He yelled into her face. "Don't you ever speak that way about Briseis again! Do I make myself clear, BITCH?"

He waited until she nodded her head in understanding to continue hissing viciously. "I'm no longer wounded and I have healed fine. Just fine enough that if you keep angering me as you are now I will show you to which extent that I am fit." he replied threateningly and then gave a menacing smirk afterwards. "Yes, they know what a real man is because unlike the cowards you've whored yourself out to, none of them are here to protect you from this savage; as you say. Don't worry your pretty little head off; I won't leave you here alone to the wild dogs. I'm very interested in showing you how savage like I can be."

That remark held a dark promise that she never wanted him to keep. The way he smirked sent shivers and goose bumps through her whole body; her face of indifference during his tirade twisted under his heated stare. She grimaced when he came closer to her, he was so close now that his nose was nestled in the curve of her neck and his body was pressed firmly to hers. His free hand was pressed so hard into her mid back that she was sure there'd be a bruise there later. She could hear his in takes of breathe as he smelt her hair and skin, then a sound that almost sounded like a purr came from his throat signaling his delight.

Achilles couldn't understand why the mere heat of the woman excited him so. His body felt drawn to her, not merely attracted physical, but it was like her presence was pulling at his very soul. He couldn't understand it at all. It felt good; it felt right to have her near him, much less pressed up against him. In a way he has never felt this way before for anybody; except one person, his mother. But Achilles had no son to mother intentions in this embrace. He wanted to feel this woman, not just her body, but her heart and soul; the best way being what he was doing right now.

'What's that intoxicating smell?' He thought perplexed. It was subtly yet a strong smell of rain, roses and desert air. It was fresh as the morning sun on the leaves' drops of dew. It was the smell of a spring in the high mountains that he had seen due east and west of this place. It was the smell of orchids, lotuses oranges, strawberries, and cactus juice; all rolled up into an alluring mind numbing smell.

Taking a deep whiff, he discovered that the smell came from his little tree nymph, the dark princess in his arms. Pressing his nose to her head he took deep gulping breathes of her heady scent. 'Oh, god this woman is tempting. I can barley breathe and my eyes are foggy, yet I can't seem to pull myself away. What's going on? I can't be this enamored with a woman I just met, especially since it's not Briseis; the woman I claim to love! Oh, foul heart, body and soul, why do you betray and confuse me so. This woman is the enemy. As is Briseis yet you covet them. (Sighs) then it is decided; I must have this woman, if only to spar with her. I must figure out her mystery so I don't fall prey to another like her.' With that satisfying thought Achilles returned to the moment of his degradation as he called it.

Naomi could literally feel his confusion, hesitance, and contentment to have her near. "You smell so good. I've never smelt a woman with a more beautiful natural scent." He purred into her ear. By this point she was terrified at what he would do to her. Okay Naomi think. Don't panic that's what he wants you to do. You can beat him. All you have to do is knee him in that huge bulge between his legs and make a run for it. Something hit her, what bulge?

She pressed her thigh to his pelvic area and her eyes bulged as she felt the size of him. She gasped when she realized he was getting aroused by her and knew she had to get out of there fast. She searched for the sword that was still attached to her thigh and when she felt the cool firmness of the steel pressed to her skin, she slipped it out from her dress. Achilles smirked at what he thought was her eagerness to have him and moved his hand from the small of her back to the firm curve of her bottom, giving it a playful squeeze. Naomi yelped from shock at his bold moves on her body and nearly dropped her sword in her rage.

She started to squirm and beat her fist upon his hard, well-muscled, broad shoulders. Achilles getting annoyed at the pretty thing's interruption of the inspection of her body, pulled away from her reluctantly. He looked deep into her eyes as he set her feet back onto the ground and held her arms length away from him.

They stared each other down for what seemed like hours; him under mask of bored indifference and hers in defiance and hatred. With a suddenness that even surprised him, she had the tip of her sword pushed deep to his throat, creating a small cut that bled a little. With a smirk in her eyes she finally spoke "Let me go." She said coldly. "I want nothing to do with you. I was just looking for my husband—"she emphasized the last part with a growl. It wasn't a complete lie; there could have been an off chance that her husband was actually at the camp yeah, right. Give it up, he's dead. He probably was one of the first ones. "I will leave, okay?" She tried to get out of his grasp.

"No, I think I'll keep you as my slave until the Greeks come. You're a very entertaining woman and I haven't even gotten to the best part yet. I don't know what will happen when Agamemnon comes, but it will all depend on how good a slave girl you are be. I might put in a good word for you, if you're really nice." He laughed cruelly. He tried to draw his head back from the blade, but it only followed his throat. "I think you misunderstood me. I said let me go and I wasn't asking." She said pressing the blade deeper to his throat.

Achilles smirked at her spunk and could see nothing but the hard pressed determination of a lioness when cornered and the calculating emotionless ness of a seasoned warrior, like himself. 'How did I not see this before? So she doesn't just fight as a defense; she's a warrior. Not only is she beautiful, but she has a deadly tongue and is a fighter that can be as deadly as her words. This can get interesting' he thought as he grinned down at her.

This ticked Naomi off to no end, what is he smiling about? The jerk probably thinks I don't have the balls. Well I'll show him. With that thought she smirked back at him. She was about to push her blade through his throat, but in a movement she couldn't pick up in time, Achilles held the blade of her sword away from his neck using his right hand that had been stationed on her lower waist. He tried to pull the sword free, in the process cutting his palms, yet Naomi refused to give up her sword. If she lost, she'd have no protection against him and Achilles wanted to get the sword away from here so he wouldn't have anymore obstacles in his way to get to her; and so a heated tug of war ensued. 'She's quite strong. Her punches did hurt and caused a little damage, maybe some small bruising, but I actually have to put in some effort to take this sword from her. She is no ordinary female; either that or I'm losing pathetically to a woman nearly half my size.'

"Seems I've underestimated you, little one," he said still grinning like a man who'd won a second chance at life. "I get that a lot, as you must imagine. What's wrong someone forgot to pray to their gods today, cause it seems to me that you're losing to an itty bitty woman?" she said in a mock concerned voice.

Of course the insult to his pride made the grin on Achilles' face go away and with one big tug, he took the sword from the dangerous female. The force was so strong that it ended up pulling Naomi with it; she landed on his chest as he held her sword up in triumph at a height she could not reach. She beat her fist on his chest plate, screamed at the top of her lungs, and kicked him in numerous places, but it all didn't seem to faze him. She took a few steps back under his wary eye, ready to give chase if she ran. She took a deep breath and with a hellish war cry she charged him.

Achilles realizing what she was about to do and prepared himself. He watched amusingly as she ran right into him and fell to the ground in a crumpled mess of moans and pain. "Damn! You're built like a stone wall. What the hell do you eat? The whole damn cow!" she half groaned half-shouted. She got up and dusted herself off and took more steps back than last time, leaving a distance of seven feet between. "You ready?" he yelled over to her. She tilted her head to the side signaling that she was not amused; and again charged him, but this time was different.

This time about half way in, she started to do some flips, totally catching Achilles off guard; and she used his shock to attack him. She used his body as a ladder; first jumping on his slightly bent knee then his chest and then she stood on top his shoulders. She grabbed her sword out of his lose grasp and flipped back in front of him with her sword readily pointed at his chin. She let out a chuckle of satisfaction at Achilles confused face.

When every thing finally registered he too began to laugh whole heartily at the whole situation. Naomi smiling at his childish laugh; but she did not waiver with her sword, which was still pointed at his chin, as she slowly backed up. "Well until we meet again, my dear Achilles. It's been fun, but I have more important things to do." With that she bowed and walked away. About ten steps in, she heard his laughter stop and knew that this would be a good time for her to run; but she didn't get too far. Achilles used his incredible godlike speed and ended up behind her before she could take another step. She turned around and slashed at him with her sword, but he dodged it easily.

She kept jabbing it at his stomach, but he was just too fast. With one last jab he grabbed her arm and pulled the hilt of the sword from her hand, dropping it uselessly to the ground, where it made a loud clang noise in the deathly silent citadel. She gasped as once again he had his body pressed close to hers. "Let me go" she screamed not wanting what was so clearly burning in his eyes. Achilles stared down at her lustily only wanting to ravish her for that small display she did. She fought vigorously and had he been an ordinary man he would be dead, but he wasn't; nor was she. For some reason he could sense that she was holding back, as if she really didn't want to kill him.

'Wishful thinking, boy. You have the proof of her intent dripping down your neck. Focus, it's just a pretty piece of ass. A very gorgeous piece. A piece nonetheless. You'll get tired of her like all the rest; they're all the same, except Briseis. It's been a long time. You've never went for months without a decent fuck.' His subconscious whispered to him.

"That was fun. We must do that again. Say around noon?" he smirked at the elegantly raised and neatly arched eyebrow he received at his offer. "What do I get in return?" she asked skeptically. He chuckled at her wariness of him, when by all means it should be he who should be wary of her. "Since you are so intent on not being my slave and not meeting up with Agamemnon, how about I set you free and never bother you again?" he said suggestively, like he needed to seduce her to take such an offer. "And what do you get if I lose?" dumb question isn't it. Hello, anybody up there! What do you think? Her subconscious scolded.

At this question Achilles' grin grew ten sizes "I get you, of course, and the pleasure—"he drawled the last part and came closer to her face with each word, and whispered seductively into her ear "of your company". Such innocent words with such dark intent. They sent stampede of shivers down her spine and strangely, into her lower half. Am I really attracted to this guy? Who wouldn't be? I'm sure men fall head over heels for him. It's just been awhile since you've had someone great in bed and from where I'm standing this man would be astronomical (AN: I've always wanted to use that word, lol.) in bed. No! He's the enemy; and especially not after the way he treated me. He's the most egotistical, arrogant, ignorant, brute I've ever met. Look at the boldness at which he speaks and touches me. I'm nothing but a common whore to his; he's said as much.

With that thought, the rage inside of Naomi began to boil and the prospect of kicking his ass all over the desecrated city, which he helped ruin, would bring the most joy to the fallen people and surviving people of Troy; and most of all her. "I accept!" she yelled a little hastily while pushing his face away from hers.

He smiled knowing she could not pass up an opportunity like this if he was right about her. "Very well. Come along." He grabbed her arm and started to walk through the city the same way she came in. Waking up from her daze, she halted her movements and jerked her arm out of his grasp. "Wait a minute!" she said while massaging her hurting arm, Achilles looked at her apologetically for forgetting his strength. "What do you mean 'we'? There is no 'we'. I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't trust you. I'll meet you here later. I refused to stay at the encampment where all my enemies reside." She stomped her foot to add to the finality of her voice.

Achilles smiled at her determined face and walked up to her. He took her arm again, this time a little more gently and continued on his way towards the forest with a screaming Naomi behind him. He ignored her protests. Naomi kicked, screamed, and punched with all her might; but she couldn't get out of his iron grip. This was not looking like a good day for her. Let's just hope she had enough fight in her to survive a battle with the fabled Achilles.

A/N: I know all of you were looking for an update, but school's come and gone and I've been real busy. Over the summer though, I decided to revise my story because I didn't like the direction it was going. I changed it around a bit and added some new characters. I hope you like the new stuff and the continuation isn't far away. Please review so I know how you feel.