Hey everyone,
Here's another chapter. Not much to say other than enjoy or don't. I don't care as long as you readers tell me why you didn't like it (or if you are a guest, leave an anonymous review). Anyways, have fun.
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Ciao,
SharkAttack719
Chapter 7
For Honor Not Glory
"I can't believe it," muttered a stunned Achilles.
Perseus looked down toward the Greek camp and found Cassandra being pushed along toward Agamemnon's tent. He gritted his teeth and took a step forward to help her. He was stopped by a voice.
"You can't save every girl you can find, Percy," Achilles said. "Even if he took her against the honor of the white flag, it's too late to do anything about it now. Either way, you won't be able to convince that Trojans that you didn't take her no matter what you say. They'll think you've seduced her into being your spy."
He turned around. "Exactly, Achilles. That is why I need to do this. Tomorrow is the duel. Agamemnon is going to use Cassandra as bait for the Trojans. He's going to lure them into his trap. He isn't stupid... just extremely cocky. Using Cassandra is a good way to show the Trojans that either they give Helen back or Cassandra will be shipped off to Greece as a slave or a wife."
The son of Thetis gave him a thoughtful look. "I understand what you want but—"
"Enjoy the night with Brisēís, my friend," Perseus said patting him on the shoulder. "The rest of you should head off to bed or continuing to burn the shrouds of the fallen. Go!"
"Percy."
He turned to face Achilles.
"Be careful. We don't want any more trouble."
He nodded and began jogging down to the Greek camp where soldiers were evacuating the burned tents. Telamonian Ajax was the first one to see him coming. The big man wasn't wearing much, so Perseus tried not to look at him.
"Perseus!" he called. "By Zeus, what just happened?"
"The gods have joined sides," was Perseus' quick reply. "Did you see where Agamemnon took Cassandra?"
"The red-haired girl?" Ajax asked. "Elephenor tried to tell Agamemnon off, but after hours of pestering and complaining, Agamemnon duelled him. Not to the death of course, but just to show the loser his rightful place. Agamemnon beat Elephenor quite easily. Aside from me, Diomedes, you and Achilles, he's probably the next best combatant."
"He duelled Elephenor to put him in his right place because he is against kidnapping a royal family member when we came in PEACE?!" Perseus roared. "What is wrong with Agamemnon?"
"I think he wants to exchange the two," Ajax said. "Helen for Cassandra, you know."
"I should kill him," he muttered.
"He has many soldiers under his influence," the King of Salamis replied. "Not even you or Achilles could control them after his downfall. It's completely possible to tell him off, though, as long as you can fight multiple men at a time. You should have brought weapons."
Perseus tapped his bracelet, and Aegis spun out. He gave Ajax a sly smile. "Happy. Now, where did they take the girl?"
Ajax's face darkened. "I don't know. It was chaotic just a little earlier. My tent was burning, so I had to evacuate quickly. After, some of the slaves we captured during battle helped me recover from all of the smoke. Luckily I wasn't burned. I did see her heading that way." He pointed toward the mouth of the Scamander River.
"So did I, but where exactly?"
"I heard Agamemnon built a tent there so that he could sneak during the middle of the night. Though... I think it just might be the tent for female Trojan slaves." Ajax blinked before narrowing his eyes. "You don't think...?"
The son of Poseidon nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."
Perseus tapped Aegis and the shield retracted. Then, he ran down the length of the Scamander River toward where Ajax had pointed him to. There were a few men who tried stopping him on his way asking if he needed help. They were all confused as to why he was headed toward the mouth of the river.
It didn't matter, and he pushed on.
When he burst into the slaves' tent, he found a couple of Agamemnon's guards tying Cassandra up to a post. The rest of the slaves stared at him in astonishment as he pulled out Anaklusmos. This tent was obviously meant for females, a whole assortment of women and girls tied up in here. Perseus wondered if Agamemnon had gone to surrounding villages already, sending troops while he went to the diplomatic meeting.
"Drop her!" he shouted, making the two guards turn around.
They let go of her and pulled out their own swords. Perseus didn't recognize them, but it seemed as though they recognized him.
"Whoa, whoa!" one said. "Drop your weapon. That's the son of Poseidon."
The second one looked into Perseus' eyes before shivering. "They look like storms."
Both of them dropped their swords.
"Are you two done tying the girl up yet?" called a very familiar voice. "You have been taking forever. We have to clean up camp because some stupid man shot flaming arrows into—" The man speaking skidded to a halt when he turned the corner.
Perseus curled his lip. "Why, isn't it pleasant to see your face at this time at night?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"You!" Agamemnon shouted. "What are you doing here?"
"A better question is why are you tying slaves up like this?" he growled. "They are completely immobile like this, the perfect way for them to be taken advantage of, don't you think?"
"I don't do that!" the King of Mycenae retorted. "Are you mad?"
"No, I'm not," he snapped. "I have every right to be suspicious about this."
"Well, you have no business with Princess Cassandra and the rest of the women," Agamemnon said.
"Actually, she has every single bit of business to do with me because I went to the diplomatic meeting where we were supposed to come peacefully and not to kidnap a young girl."
"Who are you calling young?" the red-headed girl blurted. "Ever look in a mirror?"
Agamemnon laughed, drawing quiet chuckles from the two guards. Perseus turned around and kicked one of the guards straight across his face. Then, he stomped on the other's face. He turned to the King of Mycenae and drew out his words.
"Let them free," he said coldly. "If you must tie them up, as is customary, tie only their hands. They should have the right to move their legs on their own will so they can crush your tiny little balls when you come to rape them."
"How dare you speak to a king of Greece like that, you lowly peasant! And for the last time, I do not rape them!"
Perseus turned to one of the women. "Has he touched any of you inappropriately?"
"No... No, sir."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
He turned back to Agamemnon. "All right, I believe you. You didn't touch them. Now about that other matter... So what if I'm a peasant? I knew who your father replaced as King of Mycenae. Remember, little Atreus replaced Eurystheus as king when the latter tried hunting down Heracles' children."
"So what if you know my past?"
"You're not a King of Mycenae by blood," Perseus continued. "Your grandfather was Pelops who was the king of Pisa, not Mycenae. Doesn't that make you feel ashamed, that you're not the king of the most influential city in Greece by blood?"
"Who—who cares about blood?" Agamemnon stuttered. "I am now the king of Mycenae. It doesn't matter!"
"Then does it matter about my blood?" he asked. "So what if I am a lowly peasant? I also knew Heracles, personally. Oh, and by the way, remember the story of the Argonauts? Yeah... I was one of them. Now, stop treating me like I'm some sort of baby because I know a lot more than you would think. Your great-grandfather was Tantalus. Let's just say he's having a wonderful time in the Underworld right now."
He took a step closer to the King of Mycenae. "I'm not asking you to stop everything you do and bow to me. I'm not asking you to stop from taking prisoners. What I'm asking you to do is to at least give them some freedom. And give me Cassandra so I can bring her back to Troy."
Agamemnon stared into his eyes with fear. For a second, it seemed as though he would bow to his wishes. Then his eyes hardened and he pulled out his sword. "No! You will not take my most valuable prisoner away! Don't you understand? The Trojans will give up Helen for Cassandra. I'm sure of it."
"They'll think that they we seduced her into spilling secrets," Perseus said.
"Cassandra can speak for herself," the King of Mycenae said. "There is a reason she has a mouth. The same reason why Helen's must be cut off."
He considered that. Cassandra could be a very valuable asset in order to retrieve Helen peacefully. That way, there would be no need for a fight between Menelaus and Paris.
"You ruined the diplomatic meeting by saying you planned to kill Helen," he said.
"Would you stop attacking me? And everything that I do? Trust me. If I cared nothing for my brother, I would not be here. If I cared not to protect the honor of Greece, I would not be here. What makes you hate me so much?"
Perseus exhaled in a frustrated manner. "The question is more like... What makes you hate me so much?"
He put Anaklusmos away into his hair and kicked Agamemnon in his soft spot as hard as he could. The kick was so swift and quick that Agamemnon didn't even react until it made contact. A high-pitch squeal emitted from the king's throat before he crashed to the ground writhing in pain. Perseus pulled Anaklusmos back out and slammed the hilt of the sword into Agamemnon's temple.
He went around the room, untying all of the females' legs and bodies before reaching Cassandra. She was giving him a suspicious stare.
As he completely untied her, she said, "You will be the downfall of Troy. But you will also help her people escape."
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you some sort of seer? Never mind, I remember what
Brisēís told me."
"Brisēís?" Cassandra asked, her face morphing into one of concern. "Where is she? How do you know her? Is she all right? What did you do to her?"
"Calm down," he said. "I didn't do anything to her. I swear to all of the gods of Olympus and the Underworld that I have not touched her in any inappropriate way. Now come on, we need to get you to the Myrmidon camp."
She slapped him across the face. "Liar! You said you would bring me back to Troy."
"Just wait, hold on! There is no way that we can head back to Troy without your family thinking that we are using you as ransom for Helen."
"You can persuade them," she retorted.
Perseus have her a half-hearted smile and stepped out of the tent. Torches were back up now, lights emitting from the Greek camp like a party or festival or something. He looked back up to the Myrmidon camp which had been untouched by the flames. He wondered what Brisēís and Achilles were doing at the moment. Hopefully they stayed in their own room, not rolling around in his.
Then he thought about what Cassandra said. It was entirely possible for him to persuade the Trojans that he was returning Cassandra from Agamemnon's grasp. He could only hope that "prophecies and predictions" didn't mean "telling what had happened" because that would mean Cassandra would be locked out of Troy.
"Fine," he said. "Let's try giving you back."
"I can't believe they didn't take you back," he said.
"Let go of me!" she said, struggling in his grasp.
They had just tried talking to the Trojans about returning Cassandra and how Agamemnon tricked them, but Hector overturned the return by accusing Perseus of stealing her and placing her as a spy after he seduced her.
"No, I'm not letting go," he replied.
"I don't want to go to your stupid camp!" Cassandra shouted angrily, still struggling to free herself from his grasp. "I'll just go and flee to another kingdom. That way, I don't have to become a servant of your people."
"They aren't my people," he said. "I wasn't lying about being a peasant. I'm from Athens. I just tutored their leader, Achilles. This is for your own safety. Agamemnon will stop at nothing to take over Troy, and as time flows by, he is going to have to cut the Trojan supply line short and destroy the kingdoms all around here. There is never going to be a safe place for you."
"Then I'll head out to the Far East, to India and China!" she retorted. "Anywhere but here!"
Perseus sighed. "What makes you despise it so much? What did I ever do to you? I did save you from being raped by Agamemnon almost every night."
"I just don't want to be here!"
He gave her a pitying look. "I'm sorry, Cassandra. This is for your own good. I promise that you will be safe in this Myrmidon camp."
He pulled her as she struggled, ending up having to carry her into camp with one arm at her back and the other arm under her knees. It wasn't exactly the best idea considering she was trying to knock him out, but he didn't feel like carrying her over his shoulder.
A lot of eyes were directed at Perseus as he made his way through camp. Quite a few of them were drunk, and were hollering and hooting at them.
He eventually made it back to his tent where Achilles, Brisēís and Patroclus were sitting in a circle discussing about something. Cassandra's eyes widened when she saw Brisēís. Brisēís stood up as Perseus let Cassandra down.
"Brisēís!" Cassandra cried, hugging her cousin.
"Cassandra!" Brisēís cried, hugging her right back.
Perseus sighed and flopped down next to Achilles. "Oh man. That took way too long."
"Where did you go?" Achilles asked. "I took you a long time to get back. Patroclus was wondering if Agamemnon had beat you into submission with his men."
He chuckled. "You know me. Strength and numbers mean nothing if you don't have tactics and a plan. Like they say, Athena always has a plan."
"You're a child of Athena?" Cassandra asked, breaking out of her hug with Brisēís. "I thought Athena was a maiden goddess?"
He shook his head. "I'm a descendant of Athena and a son of Poseidon. And the embarrassing fact for her is that she has brain children. Children produced from her brain. So technically, she still is a maiden goddess. She just favors some men. Let's just all rest."
"What, you're not going to tie me up to keep me here?" she asked.
"I thought about it... I decided to show you what it would be like here, to be safe. But I want to keep your interests at heart... so if you decide to sneak off in the middle of the night, be my guest."
"Why the sudden change of heart?"
"It was just knocked into my head. Literally."
She cracked a small smile.
"Good night everyone," he said. "We wake in a couple of hours for Menelaus' little celebration. Actually, if you're not tired, you don't have to go to sleep. I'm just pooped."
"Good night, Percy," Achilles said.
But before anyone else could say good night, Perseus crashed to the ground and fell fast asleep.
Perseus held the reins of the chariot as the Myrmidon army halted.
"Stop!" Achilles shouted. The Myrmidons who had continued stopped in their tracks. "This is where we stay!"
Perseus turned around to watch as the massive Greek army approached the walls of Troy. All of the men were there to watch the duel between Menelaus and Paris. They knew it would be an interesting fight to watch.
Patroclus walked up to him and Achilles. "Will this war end peacefully? All of this travelling for nothing?"
"Rumor has it, it will," Achilles replied. "Do not worry, Patroclus. I originally came here for glory. Now, it matters less to me. I do not wish to see the deaths of any more Myrmidons or other Greeks for that matter."
"But war is what we came for!"
"Who says that war won't come?" he asked. "Agamemnon might try to weasel his way into war."
"With a god or goddess' help," Perseus added. "He will have to find a way to trick the Trojans into not giving Helen up. We all know that he isn't capable of doing that himself. There is no other way unless Paris is protected by Hector before Menelaus can slay him."
"Achaean commanders!" Agamemnon shouted from his position at the center. "Forward!"
"Like he said," Perseus told the horses. "Forward."
The horses neighed and trotted forward.
"I'm actually quite surprised that Cassandra stayed," Achilles said. "You would think of how much she hates being in captivity that you wouldn't believe she would actually stay."
"It's always a mystery, Achilles," he replied. "You know, I'm kind of glad she decided to stay. I do want her to be safe. It's just the promise that I made with Zoë that I allow her the freedom she deserves. The prophecy is making me so confused."
The son of Thetis gave him an inquisitive stare for a little while before bursting into laughter.
"What's so funny?" Perseus felt somewhat offended, thinking he was laughing at what he had said.
"I never thought I would see the day when you've become attracted to a girl," he chuckled.
"First of all, just because I am immortal, it does not mean that I am not attracted to anybody," Perseus said hotly. "Second of all, I have been attracted to many girls before... I just haven't done anything about that. I'm supposed to isolate myself anyways, not give out too many secrets of the gods."
"Whatever you say, Percy. Whatever you say."
They drew up as Agamemnon and Hector got out of their chariots, ready to speak face-to-face once again.
"It seems as though you cannot control your men, Agamemnon," Hector said immediately. "Your friend over there stole a Trojan princess." He pointed at Perseus. "To seduce her and try to give her back to act as a spy for the Greeks. That is an all-time low."
Agamemnon couldn't contain his grin as he turned to Perseus. "Ah, yes. Him. I should do a better job of controlling my troops. Here's the deal. If your brother wins this fight, I'll get Perseus to bring Cassandra back and make sure she is purified. If my brother wins this fight, we get Helen and Cassandra. She's such a beautiful woman. No wonder he couldn't resist."
Hector turned to Perseus and gave him a cool stare. In return, Perseus gestured to Agamemnon with his eyes, a signal that said that the King of Mycenae did it.
The Prince of Troy turned back to Agamemnon. "Of course, I must take into consideration that the four soldiers who were escorting your two guards were all found alive and unconscious. They knew that they were your troops under your order. Unless, they are mistaken and have been given potions to mask the truth."
The King of Mycenae twitched before hastily changing the subject. "I offer you, again, another compromise. Have your brother given Helen up without a fight, and we may be saved from the spilling of royal blood. And of course, you must have heard the explosions from last night. The gods and goddesses of Olympus are choosing sides. Some favor the Trojans, some favor the Achaeans. I'm sure that the gods do not wish for their children to die."
"I see," Hector said. "You do not even listen to your own soldier's wise words. What do the gods care for us if Aphrodite promised a married woman to my brother? The gods would pray for blood to be spilled. You are invaders to our lands and we will not hand Helen over without something in return."
"So be it." Agamemnon turned on his heel and nodded to Menelaus. Then he made his way back to his chariot to watch the duel.
Menelaus retrieved his shield, sword and spear from a guard. He walked up into the open plains that stood out in front of him, twirling his spear around in a threatening manner.
Perseus looked up to the walls and saw Priam, Helen, Helenus and Deiphobus watching over the walls as their son prepared for his death. It wasn't any bias to the Greek warrior. In fact, Menelaus wasn't that great of a fighter. Paris just didn't hold that same warrior-like mentality.
Paris then entered the field and stopped across from Menelaus, his helmet strapped and weapons in his hands. They had a miniature stare-down for a little minute as the tension amongst the soldiers grew. Perseus heard some shuffling from the soldiers behind him.
Then Menelaus charged as Paris held his shield high in front of him.
With an explosion of force, Menelaus slammed his spear into Paris' shield so hard that the shaft of the spear snapped and the spearhead lodged itself into it. Using the other half to whack away at Paris, Menelaus threw blow after blow, making the Prince of Troy fall back ten steps.
Then, Paris seemed to suddenly gain a new strength. He blocked a jab by Menelaus with the splintered end of the broken shaft and kicked the King of Sparta backwards with such force that he fell to the ground, to his bosom.
Stunned, he barely had time to dodge the spear that Paris hurled at him.
"Where did he learn to do that?" asked Achilles, who was as stunned as everyone else in the crowd.
Out of his scabbard, the son of Priam drew a golden sword that seemed to reflect the rays of the sun all around him. Not being stupid, he didn't throw his heavy shield to the side. It had taken a beating for the impaled spearhead but it was still functional.
Moving forward two quick steps, Paris paused until Menelaus managed to get back up. Then, without hesitation, he charged at the angry king.
"Is that a golden sword?" asked Achilles. "A golden sword?"
"I don't know, but you have to admit Paris has got some courage," Perseus replied.
He took a wild swing at Menelaus, which in turn caused the king to block the strike with ease. The temporary advantage that the Prince of Troy had dissipated and all favor turned back to the King of Sparta.
Perseus was so focused on watching the battle that he didn't even realize it was raining until it became visible. He looked up. Thunder clouds had formed overhead, thunder rumbling and lightning flashing in the distance.
The rain didn't seem to affect the two fighters in the middle. The sunlight had quickly disappeared and the golden sword that Paris wielded didn't seem so bright anymore. Menelaus brought out his sword and brutally attacked him until his shield was useful no more. He threw down the shield and had to face an enraged Menelaus with just a sword. For someone like Paris, it would be his ultimate downfall. There was nothing that could save him now. It was evident he was no swordsman or spear fighter.
Growing a little brash, Menelaus laughed and threw his own shield down. His laugh seemed cold in the rain, though it must have been a side-effect of the moment.
The rain and wind wasn't pouring down too hard, but just enough so that everyone else was getting a little wet and felt cold from the breeze blowing through them. The top of the walls, where the royals sat watching with desperate eyes as their brother (or in Helen's case, husband) became set for slaughter, was still visible.
"This battle is over, Paris!" Menelaus shouted in the storm. "You have lost. Submit now and I will kill you quickly and cleanly. You will feel no pain, for I wish not for your pain. We love the same woman, but only one can keep her. The other must die!"
He sent a shocking blow to Paris' helmet, smashing his sword across it. To Perseus' amazement, his sword was the one that broke, only a dent imprinted in the helmet.
Time seemed to slow down, but it didn't feel like a Kronos-type time shift. It felt like an in-the-moment time shift. The rain lightened a little and the wind died just by a fraction. For a second, it was almost as if the gods were highlighting this moment to him.
Then, just as Menelaus grabbed Paris' head, time bolted back into real-time speed.
"Come here, Paris!" yelled the King of Sparta. He dragged the other man along the ground until they reached Paris' dropped spear. Menelaus picked the spear up and then dragged Paris by the helmet to the center of the battlefield. "For the men of Troy to watch their brave hero's demise."
Before they could reach the center, the straps of Paris' helmet snapped making Menelaus stop. Frustrated, he stepped on Paris' chest and brought the spear up over his head.
Perseus watched as Helen screamed from the top of the wall, "No!"
Helenus and Deiphobus grabbed her from behind as she attempted to claw her way down to the city gates. This didn't halt Menelaus one bit. Even for a split second, Perseus thought that Menelaus grinned after she screamed.
Priam was standing there with a stunned expression on his face. He looked as though he couldn't believe that this was happening. He looked as though he couldn't believe that one of his sons was about to die. Hector reached out and took a step forward, extending his arm just as Menelaus brought the spear down.
"Wait!"
Hector's shout echoed in the silence as the smell of a red-rose rushed through the air.
Menelaus' spear struck down right through Paris as the Prince of Troy's body disappeared from the battlefield. Achilles, Ajax, Agamemnon, Odysseus and the rest of the Greeks straightened out a little bit, wondering where the man had gone. Menelaus was the most stunned out of anybody, his spear having impaled the ground below.
Perseus saw all of Paris' battle gear shimmer and disappear from the battlefield.
"Where did he go?" Menelaus shouted. "Where did Paris go?!"
As an uproar came from the Greek crowd, Perseus looked up to see Helenus and Deiphobus looking around in confused manners. They looked as though Helen had disappeared like a ghost. It was almost as if something had swept the two away, something that smelled like red-roses.
"Hold on a second..." he trailed off.
"My brother won the battle!" Agamemnon shouted. "Give Helen back to us! You saw how Paris disappeared from the battlefield. What honor does this show Troy? Your coward of a brother left without dying first! Give us Helen!"
"You did not win!" Hector retorted. "Something has taken my brother away, and it is not a trick of his own. My brother may be a lot of things but he is not one who studies magic."
"Percy!" Achilles shouted. "What is going on?"
The Greek kings had begun a shouting match with the Trojans, unsuccessfully demanding Helen back from them. It was turning ugly, Trojan commanders walking out of their ranks to join in on the arguing that the Greeks didn't technically win the fight.
It seemed as though Menelaus was the only one searching for Paris, shouting out his name over and over again.
It took less than thirty seconds for Perseus to suddenly have a bad gut-feeling. He grabbed his bow and ran out onto the battlefield as if he were being controlled by a ghost of some sort. Without even thinking properly about what he was doing, he pulled the drawstring back and fired an arrow.
It flew right in front of Menelaus and collided with another arrow that had been sent flying from the Trojan ranks. A splinter lodged itself in Menelaus' thigh making the King of Sparta stare in utter shock as he pulled it out.
All conversations and arguments between the Trojans and Greeks halted as thunder rumbled once again in the sky.
"The gods." Perseus cursed. "That is not good."
"What is this?!" Agamemnon roared. "I be nice for once and do not ask you to put your arms up in hasty surrender! Is this what I get in return? Is this what Menelaus gets in return? That is the final straw, Trojans. You can attack me all you want with petty words and turn my soldiers against me, but you do not break the terms of the battle. For this, you shall pay!"
Fight for Greece, a voice whispered into Perseus' head. It sounded eerily familiar. Destroy the Anatolians! Make them suffer for what they have done to Greece's honor!
"Prepare for battle!" Agamemnon shouted, rallying up the troops.
Hector watched as all hope of peaceful endings came to an end. He turned around and ran to his horse. Slinging himself onto the horse's back, he trotted back into the midst of the army. He heard the loud shout, "Hold the line!"
Perseus turned to Achilles. "You don't mind if I borrow one of the horses, do you?"
Excuse me, lord, but I have a name, the horse in front of him said.
"Sorry, let me rephrase that. You don't mind if I borrow Tachys, do you?"
"Why do you need Tachys?" Achilles asked. "Wait, why is he called Speedy?"
"Ask him," Perseus replied quickly. "And I need to get back to Cassandra. This time, maybe Hector will accept her back. He was just being cautious last night in not taking her back. I should also head back to make sure that the camp is still okay. You never know. Maybe some Trojan-allied army has snuck up from behind our backs."
"All right, take him," he said. "Make sure Brisēís is all right as well."
"Got it."
Then Perseus took Tachys and rode back to the Myrmidon camp as the battle began to rage on behind him.
Hey everyone,
Hope you enjoy this chapter. Remember to tell me if you like it or not.
I apologize for any grammatical errors in the chapter above and if any historical facts are actually wrong. I have spent my time looking through different websites, and even a couple of books, but the story that will continue may have incorrect historical info. Still, I believe it just adds to the effect.
Ciao,
SharkAttack719