Achilles' POV
"I will not fight for Agamemnon's army! But, more than that, you want me to fight for an unworthy cause?"
"Achilles, you will not be fighting for Agamemnon, but for the Greeks! They need you, and the cause does not matter; if you go your name will be remembered forever."
Odysseus had me for a moment, but I still could not take his offer for joining the Greeks. I had to consult with my mother first.
"Leave me, Odysseus, I will think about your offer. Now go, you are interrupting our training session!" I said, and smiled at my cousin, Patroclus.
"Very well, but remember, friend: forever! We leave tomorrow," Odysseus said as he got on his horse, and then proceeded to ride away from the ruins.
"Cousin, will you fight with the Greeks?" Patroclus asked as he got his wooden sword.
"I might, I have to ask Thetis first. Are you ready for another round?" I replied, smirking.
After a little more sparring with Patroclus, I went down to the ocean to see my mother. I wanted to know what she thought I should do.
I found her in the shallows collecting sea shells and before I could say anything to her, she spoke. "I knew they would come for you. I'm making you another sea-shell necklace; like I used to do when you were little...You want to know whether you should fight in Troy…"
I bent down and took a shell from the water. "Mother, what would you have me do?"
"My dear…I will not say what I want you to do—that is your choice to make—but I will tell you what will happen if you choose not to go. If you do not fight with the Greeks, and stay in Larissa, you will find a wife—but not love—and you will have children, and then they will have children. Your children will love you and they will remember your name, but when their children die, your name will be forgotten," she paused and took a deep breath. "If you leave and fight in Troy, your name will be remembered and honoured for eternity. You will also find true love. Your true love will be found in a golden sign.But in Troy, you could also die if you do not follow the path you are meant to. Whatever your choice, I will always be proud of you."
I was going to Troy. If I was going to die in Troy, I would die doing what I did best. I really did not care about true love…or did I?
Later that day, I left for Troy. I brought along Patroclus, not because I wanted him to come, but because he wouldn't stop pestering me about it. We left when the sun was setting, and now, two days later, as the beach of Troy became visible dot on the horizon it was a crisp and sunny morning.