That night, I could not sleep, tossing and turning after reflecting about what happened at the dinner. Patroclus did not deserve that disrespect. But more importantly, I could not stay in bed. I had to quell insomnia, the curse of Hypnos, by getting up and going somewhere. I defenestrated myself from the guest chambers and ran into the woods.
I went swimming in a local river I had passed. I always felt at home in the water. Having a sea goddess for a mother, I preferred salt water. Being in water regardless of salinity calmed me nonetheless, more so than racing on dry land. I thought about calling for Mother or an aunt, which would help mitigate the silence. If I wanted to enjoy being my own person, I had to enjoy being my own person free of everyone and anyone. It was just me, the wood nymphs, and Lady Selene or Artemis, depending on whose shift it was. Mother mentioned the Titans and the Olympians shared the chariot duties in something called "shifts."
I went down to the beach about an hour before Helios went above the horizon. His sister Eos was already in the sky, leading her chariot across it. As Helios went below the horizon that evening, her husband Astraeus would follow. I always wondered how their marriage was fruitful, given they worked at contrasting times and before and after Helios. Mother once took me to meet them at their house. As kinder gods of light, they were tolerable for a mortal to stare upon, unlike if I had seen Helios. They were pleasant gods and more generous to me than I deserved. Eos gave me a honeyed sweet pastry, topped with a thin layer of nectar. It was delicious. Astraeus tussled my hair, which annoyed me to a certain extent. I could feel the warmth of their personalities enshrined in their light that exuded from them. It radiated not with fiery heat, but with cool comfort.
I saw our ships ready to sail. Father waved me over.
"Ah, Son, there you are! Good, good, we are just waiting for our newest subject and then we are off…. ah, there he is! Patroclus! It has been quite a while!"
He and Menoetius came down to the ships. Patroclus was somber faced but Menoetius clearly had a hangover, since his eyes were mostly closed and had a wet towel to his forehead.
Father spoke. "Menoetius, my kin, it was a pleasure to visit your land and set up our alliance. I hope you can visit my kingdom as often as you desire. You do have a connection to us in perpetuity." He pointed at Patroclus.
"Come, my child. Let us leave this place. Oh, and you as well, Prince Achilles. Goodbye for now, my friend." He embraced Menoetius haphazardly. We turned to leave.
"Wait. Patroclus, come here."
Menoetius motioned for him to come back. He did so and knelt down to his level.
"Goodbye my son. I do not know if I will ever see you again. I do love you. I have not been good at sharing my emotions, and until last night, I had no semblance of how you felt. I am sorry not only that you suffered, but you suffered in silence."
He wiped Patroclus's tears from his face.
"I leave this piece of advice to you. My son, by birth Achilles, outranks you. By strength, he outranks you. However, you are older by far. Speak to him wisely, give him counsel. Direct him as you would a wife, and if he is wise and wishes to succeed, he will listen to you."
He glared up at me at that last phrase. I could read his eyes: "Take care of my son."
Before any response could be given, Menoetius hugged Patroclus once again, rose, tore Patroclus's chiton, and turned away.
"Patroclus Menoitiades, as King of Opus, I hereby exile you to Pythia. May Lords Peleus and Achilles have mercy on you. I hereby strip you of all princely duties, titles, rights, and succession. You are no longer my son."
A drop of salty water landed next to him; his face still turned away. "Leave at once."
He walked across the beach, farther and farther away, until he was invisible to us. Patroclus stood for a bit in silence. Father went over to him and knelt, grasping his face as Menoetius did before.
"Patroclus, your father never saw the glory in you. But as my subject, I will. I swear by Olympus, you will be a son to me. Forget about the man that sired you. He no longer exists. Your name and deeds will last forever, to the end of time. Since my son's will, so will you. He will be forgotten. You will be immortal as the gods."
Father rose and went up to the deck. He spoke with some of the crewmen. I turned back to Patroclus. He stood a few moments in silence. He pulled out a cutting of a tree, a myrtle tree. He came to me and pushed the cutting into my hand.
"Achilles, please put this with my other things on the ship."
He turned around, taking a deep breath. He screamed.
"GOODBYE MY HOMELAND! MAY YOU BE BLESSED AND BLOOM AND GROW FOREVER."
Patroclus made a quick bow to the land, took a few rocks from the beach, pocketed them, and said to me.
"Come, my liege, let us board."
I bowed before him. I heard a slight chuckle.
"Lead on, my loyal subject. Lead on."
From that day forward, he was considered my own, I always knew, in my heart of hearts, deep within my soul, I was subject to him. And always would be. I laid down against some furs as Patroclus circled the deck, introducing himself to the crew. At least I would not have to worry about him being shy. At that point, Hypnos blessed me with the impulse to sleep.
As my eyes shut, I swear I saw a figure on the beach, standing vigil, keeping watch. I could not tell who it was. I heard Father shout orders to sail back to my native land, our nostos, before Hypnos's magic took effect.