******I'm back This is going to be a short chapter before I get into a deeper plot. Enjoy and review! ******
The air smelled wonderful. Merina inhaled and exhaled the wonderful Grecian air. She ran her feet through the sand. She enjoyed the feeling of sand against her skin. Night time was approaching. Merina looked at the setting sun. She sighed. Merina took her finger and wrote something in Egyptian in the sand.
"I thought I'd find you here." Merina turned around to face Achilles. She was slightly annoyed he found her. She just wanted some time alone. "Dinner is soon. Will you not eat?" Achilles asked. Merina had just noticed Achilles didn't have on a shirt. He wore a pair of white linen shorts that extended to his knees. They were hoisted up by a rope like belt. Achilles poured a bottle of water over his head.
"Were you running or something?" Merina asked.
"No. I was in the gymnasium." Achilles said sitting beside Merina. "We should get back soon and get ready for dinner."
"You really want to attend dinner with Agamemnon?" Merina looked at Achilles from the corner of her eye.
"No. Not really." Achilles replied. He picked up a pebble and tossed it towards the line where the sea and sand met.
"Did you decide what you're going to do about his request?"
"Oh. Believe me. I have. My father and I have a plan."
"That being?" Merina asked. Achilles winked.
"Come to dinner and you will find out."
"You're not going to hurt anyone? Are you?"
"No." Achilles said accidentally rubbing sand into his eye. "I understand my father owes Agamemnon a favor but hurting people to gain territory isn't my style. I think of Neoptolemus. If someone went to Skyros and obliterated his town with him in it, I'd be devastated. I don't want to bring that devastation to anyone unnecessarily. Agamemnon is just greedy." Merina noticed Achilles kept rubbing his eye.
"Stop." Merina said taking Achilles hand away from his eye. "You'll make it worse." Merina sat on her knees and inched her face to Achilles. She blew the sand out of his eye. Achilles blinked feeling relieved.
"Thanks Mimi." Merina rolled her eyes.
"It's Merinanac- "Merina caught herself.
"Merinanac?" Achilles repeated.
"Sorry. I just got tongue tied." Merina got caught in Achilles golden eyes. They were calming. Achilles extended his hand to Merina's cheek. He wiped a grain of sand off it. He smiled.
"Just returning the favor." Merina and Achilles stared at each other for a while. Merina felt her cheeks burn. Achilles was extremely handsome. She could understand why women were so easily swooned by him. Achilles found Merina very beautiful. Her big eyes were like puppy eyes. Merina broke the gaze. She cleared her throat. Achilles grinned. He stood up. Merina looked up at him.
"Why are you smiling? You better not be getting any perverted ideas."
"Oh no. No perverted ideas are present in my mind." Achilles said. "Can you stand? I think I saw something dig its way into the sand." Merina jumped up quickly.
"Really? Where?" Merina said scanning the ground. Achilles swooped Merina over his shoulder. Merina screamed.
"What are you doing?! Put me down!" Merina screamed. "Achilles!" Achilles whistled as he walked towards the shore. "What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" Merina saw that Achilles was getting closer to the shore. "Achilles no! You better not! I swear on everything I love!" Before Merina knew it, she was submerged in water. Luckily, the water was warm. Her dress and hair were drenched. Her mouth hung open from disbelief that Achilles threw her into the sea.
"Can you swim?" Achilles asked.
"Yes. I can." Achilles smirked and dived into the water. Achilles pushed his wet hair from out of his eyes. "Come for a swim." Merina stood up and ran into the water with Achilles. Her hair stuck to her cheek. She splashed Achilles in his face. He laughed. "That's for throwing me in the water." Soon a splashing match occurred between the two. Achilles stopped getting lost in Merina's bright puppy eyes. "What?" Merina asked noticing how close Achilles had gotten to her. Achilles snapped out of it.
"It's nothing." He replied. The two started splashing each other with sea water again. Little did they know they were being watched.
"I've never seen Achilles like that with a woman, have you?" Erato asked Thetis. Thetis smiled.
"Never." Thetis replied.
"Hm." Erato said continuing to watch Merina and Achilles.