Chapter 2- Can't Stay, Away

"I must go," Patroclus told Gelasia softly.

"You do not wish to stay here, with me?" Gelasia asked, sitting upon an enormous clam in front of a seashell designed mirror.

"I would love to, but I must go."

Gelasia still cheerful, brushed her long hair slowly, "A warrior's responsibilities crowd his judgment."

Patroclus looked puzzled as the young woman in front of him concentrated more on her hair than him. He knew he couldn't stay because Achilles and his parents would worry, but the maiden was so temping, how could he refuse her?

"You may leave," she sweetly said.

"But how? For it was you who brought me here. I know not how to find my way back."

"Ah, maybe you are not such a great warrior as I thought. A real warrior would rely on his instincts," she giggled.

Patroclus looked back at the pouring water behind him. It was almost like a portal, the water fell straight, but he was not able to see on the other side.

Gelasia lightly hummed, keeping her eyes on her mirror, "Well?"

Patroclus gazed back at her, but she failed to return his glance. He felt confident enough to find his way back so he ran through the falling water. Once on the other side he stood dripping wet looking back at the cave. When he decided to go back and apologize to Gelasia, all he could feel was hard rock behind the waterfall. There was no where for him to enter and when he listened closely he heard Galasia giggle.


"And where have you wondered off to?" Achilles asked his cousin, sitting out in the courtyard."I went for a swim," Patroclus said tiredly.

As Patroclus walked past Achilles, Achilles grabbed his arm and pulled him down on the ground, "You smell like a woman."

"Woman? No cousin you are mistaken," Patroclus lied.

"Of all the scum and thief's, you lie to me cousin?"

Patroclus rose from the ground and sat next to Achilles, "A goddess, I was with a beautiful goddess."

"Goddess?" Achilles chuckled, "They are nothing but voluptuary creatures who come to earth to entice naïve mortals."

"This one, I think she's in loves me," Patroclus shyly blushed.

"Love? Love? Cousin you no nothing about love and goddesses can make any man fall in love with them," Achilles spat.

Patroclus shifted uncomfortably against the stone wall behind him, "I guess you are right."

"Good, come, you missed a lot of practice today," Achilles grunted, helping Patroclus off the ground.

They began to spar fiercely, "Does this goddess have a name?" Achilles asked as he ducked from a close blow of Patroclus's sword.

"Gelasia," Patroclus huffed out.

Achilles swung his sword to Patroclus' neck, pinning him against a pillar, "Gelasia? The queen goddess of the sea?"

"Yes," Patroclus coughed as Achilles' sword cut of air to his lungs.

"Imbecile!" Achilles angrily mumbled as he threw his sword down on the ground, leaving Patroclus in the courtyard.

Patroclus followed Achilles into his house, "What? I do not understand."

"Of course not," Achilles sighed, "Gelasia is Poseidon's wife, if we travel by sea, he will curse our voyage. She is also wanted by my good friend the god of war, Ares. If he finds out of your little masquerade, who knows what will happen."

Patroclus looked worried, "I saw Ares, seducing Gelasia in the sea."

"And you still pursued her?" Achilles asked heatedly.

"Yes cousin, but…"

"No, you must not go back to her, hear me? Leave her to Ares and Poseidon to fight over."

"Yes cousin," Patroclus obeyed.

When Patroclus returned home late that evening, he found his mother strolling along her flowers in the courtyard.

"Mother," Patroclus whispered, "It is late."

"My boy. When you were only a few new moons old, I use to come out here and pray to the gods to let you be safe," she said gently stroking the side of his young face.

"Mother…"

"Patroclus, yesterday you came to me with a smile brighter than Apollo's sun and tonight you bare the look of man is waiting by the River Styx without a toll."

"It's nothing."

"The young woman whom you mentioned yesterday, has she gone away?"

"No, I am not allowed to visit her again," Patroclus sighed.

"Achilles? That man, Zeus bless him, but he can not control your whole life," his mother told him.

"She is a goddess, a queen," Patroclus whispered.

"Oh, well there are other woman my dear, a handsome young man such as yourself should have no trouble," his mother said as she kissed him on the cheek, "Goodnight my son."

"Night mother," Patroclus said as he walked down to the small pond on the courtyard.

He bent down and stared at the clear blue water. It was cold, but refreshing to his warm face after a long day of sparring. He had been furiously angry at Achilles ever since he forbade him from seeing Galasia. All of a sudden a flash of light sparked across the water. He looked closely into the small pool, swearing that he saw Galasia reflection.

"Hello," a brawny tall man whispered as he threw Patroclus half way across the courtyard.

Patroclus woke up several minutes later to find the man crouched down in front of him. The man was tan, very tan, he had black hair, and he wore a black warrior's uniform.

"Get up," the man ordered.

Patroclus couldn't find his balance after being thrown up against a large pillar. It took him a minute to gain his senses back, and then he realized he recognized the man.

"What?" Patroclus wined out breathlessly in pain.

"I don't appreciate you going after my precious little water nymph," the man's voice boomed, causing the night's creatures to grow silent.

Patroclus took a good long look at the man, holding his bleeding head, "Ares, god of war?"

"Well aren't you a quick one," Ares grunted sarcastically, lifting Patroclus up in the air by his shoulders.

"Water nymph?" Patroclus asked confusingly.

"Don't play your moronic human games with me," Ares growled, "The goddess, Galasia. She's mine, meaning, I don't want to see your pathetic mortal face near her again. We clear?"

Patroclus stumbled to his feet after Ares dropped him on the ground, "Don't worry, I don't plan to go back there," he chocked out.

"Good. Oh and by the way, tell your cousin he's doing a miserable job at training his soldiers," Ares laughed as he went out in a bolt of lighting.

The next day, Patroclus woke up to find himself lying in his bed, but he thought he never made it inside his house.

"A dream?" he whispered to himself.

He chuckled and began to dress himself for the day. As he bathed, he noticed that a portion of his blonde hair was caked up with dried blood. Remembering his dream, he touched his head, finding a rather large cut behind his right ear.

"Was it a dream?" he muttered.

Hearing his cousin call him from the veranda, Patroclus jumped up from his bath, put on his uniform, and headed outside.

"Morning cousin," Achilles said cheerfully drinking from a wine filled chalice.

"Morning, so what fun and festive plans do you have for me today?" Patroclus smirked as he sat down next to Achilles.

"I think you've had enough beatings for one day don't you?"

Patroclus stared at his cousin's pleased expression, "What do you mean?"

"Ares, he visited me this glorious morning to tell me of the harsh midnight beating he gave to some poor soul," Achilles chuckled watching as Patroclus shifted nervously in his chair.

"He told you?"

Achilles got up from his seat," Yes, indeed he did. Now you know not to fool around with goddesses, and gods. Come, we must go."

"Where?"

"You'll see," Achilles grinned.

"Oh, Patroclus!" Menoetius, Patroclus' father called.

Menoetius walked out onto the veranada, seeing Achilles, he shook his hand, "Achilles, taking my boy away from me again I see? How is he doing?"

"He shows promise. He's strong, quick, agile…stubborn," Achilles smiled.

"Good to see he's taking after you. Just make sure you take care of him," Menoetius winked.

"No worries uncle, he's in good hands."

"Very well then. Oh yes, I came out here to tell you my agenda for today. My old fishing comrade, Simaleous, has invitied me to join him on a little fishing trip, therefore I will be gone the remainder of the day."

"Have a safe voyage father," Patroclus said as he hugged his old man.

"Yes, thank you son. See you later," Menoetius said, hugging Patroclus back.

After they departed from Patroclus' home, Achilles lead him all over Greece finally stopping in a small town outside of Thessaly.

"Where are we?" Patroclus asked as his cousin unmounted from his horse.

"Come with me," Achilles grinned.

Patroclus follwed Achilles through a heavy black curtain attached to the large hut in front of them. On multi-colored pillows, there sat twenty women waving and giggling as they entered.

"Achilles," the women moaned in unsion.

"Ladies," he smiled back as two of them rose from their seats to greet him.

"Achilles, we haven't seen you in ages," one of them said softly holding on to his shoulder.

"Oh Achilles, you grow more handsome with age," a blonde woman giggled, tugging at his arm.

"Ladies, ladies. I am not here for me, but for my cousin, Patroclus," Achilles smriked, indrocuding his cousin to the lustful women.

"Umm Patroclus," a bruennte mumbled into his ear, grabbing a hold of his large bicep.

"Your cousin is young, but very attractive," the blonde told Achilles as she rubbed her nose gently against Patroclus' neck.

Patroclus gave out a nervous chuckle as three more women joined the blonde and brunnette.

"He is strong," the bruenntte growled, as the other women roamed his body with flirtous hands.

Achilles could tell Patroculs was extremely embarrased by the enormous amount of attention the women gave to him, "That is enough ladies. We are here strickly on buisness," Achilles barked.

"Achilles must you always call it buisness? For we both know there is more pleasure to be made out of it," a short red haired woman got up and whispered into his ear.

"Lea, I need a girl for Patrcolus, only as a distraction. He will not harm her, I can guarantee that," Achilles whispered back to the red haired woman.

As soon as Achilles looked back up, his cousin was gone.

"Where did he run off to?" Achilles asked Lea.

"I have no idea."

They both heard laughter roar through the tent. Eight of the women were stripping Patroclus of his armor by the watering hole in the back of the hut.

Before they were able to fully disrobe him, Achilles disrupted their game,"Call your temptresses off of my cousin," Achilles ordered Lea.

"Girls, girls!" Lea shouted pointing for the women to follow her back itno the hut.

Achilles laughed at the site of his cousin collecting his garments, "Having fun?"

When he was done dressing, Patroclus turned to Achilles, "Why did you bring me here? I don't need some cheap woman to…"

"No, that is not why we are here," Achilles said sternly.

"Then why?"

"I made a promise to Ares, to help him in his presuit of Galasia."

"What? but…"

"No, listen Patroclus, I know you think you have feeling for her but I am telling you, she had you under a spell."

"You don't know that," Patroclus yelled angrily.

"Control your temper with me cosuin," Achilles warned, "If we go through with this deal, Ares will ensure futrue victories for us."

Patroclus rolled his eyes in annoyance, "What is the deal? What does it have to do with me? Is it greater than my love for her? Is it?"

"Ah you are too stubborn. You must find a woman and seduce her in front of Galasia. She has a wickedly jealous temper, and by doing this, she will turn to no one other than Ares to get back at you."

"What is the catch?"

"Catch? No catch. He gets Galasia, and you get to keep your life. It's simply buisness between to intercessors," Achilles grinned.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Patroclus said.

"We will go through this, now go in there and pick a girl," Achilles directed.

"I'd rather not," Patroclus sighed as he made his way back to their horses.

Achilles laughed silently to himself as he thought about his cousin's unwillingness. There were twenty gorgeous women in the hut waiting to rip both Achilles and Patroclus' garments off, but Patroclus was convinced that he was in love with Galasia. Achilles walked back into the hut filled with the beautiful women.

"Does he have someone in mind?" Lea asked, hanging onto Achilles' arm.

"The woman he requests needs to be young, and very beautiful. Preferably a brunette."

"I know just the one," Lea smiled, looking over at the blonde and the young girl who hugged the older woman.

Achilles emerged from the tent five minutes later after giving Lea a long passionate kiss. Patroclus was already mounted, ready to go. Following behind Achilles was a young brunette girl dressed in a short light yellow tunic, lined with gold leaves. She was very short, and very thin, but she had a natural beauty which seemed to shine through her cold grey eyes.

"Meet Tessa," Achilles said as the young girl stared up at Patroclus on his horse.

Patroclus nodded at the girl and then watched as Achilles mounted his horse and waited. The girl stood silent at the side of Patroclus' horse waiting to hop on.

"Help her up," Achilles motioned.

Patroclus sighed heavily, tired of taking orders from Achilles.

"Hold on tight," Patroclus grunted uncaringly as the small girl tried to settle comfortably on the uncomfortable saddle.