Percy – VI

Achilles grunted as he was pushed against the door, wet lips smashing onto his as he kissed Elena vigorously. It was the girl he had spotted while talking to Hippodamus.

Apparently, she was the daughter of the castle caretaker, and had been unfortunately caught in the crossfire when the raid reached the castle. He talked with her for a few hours, as they strolled a side of the castle that was splattered less in red.

She was scared, as expected, but eventually, Achilles was able to calm her down, as he charmed her with tales of his quests. Well, that and the undoubted fact that he was a handsome guy. Add to that his divine heritage, he was like one of the golden apples.

A knocked resonated on the door, as the girl parted from him, looking at his eyes questioningly.

Achilles smiled at the girl. She was cute.

"It's ok. Let's just ignore that." Achilles said as he kissed the girl again, his hands grabbing her waist tightly.

"I can hear you, dumbass." Patroclus' annoyed voice came from outside, as he continued to knock repeatedly.

"For fucks sake. Can't a man have some peace after a long battle?" Achilles sighed as he parted from Elena.

Achilles started to move away when a hand grabbed his arm.

"Don't go." Elena started, "Please."

Achilles smiled as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back as soon as I can, sweetheart." Achilles moved as he swiftly put on the shirt that was tossed aside earlier. An annoyed Patroclus awaited him outside as he opened the door with an equal amount of irritation.

"What is it, Patroclus. Can't you tell I am busy?"

Patroclus scoffed as he eyed Achilles.

"Busy? Please. You were just going to fuck, you whore."

"What did you call me? I am no-"

"We have a problem Achilles." Patroclus interjected, stopping their banter.

Achilles just looked at Patroclus, as he sighed, knowing there was no way out of this. "Explain." They both walked towards the throne room, as Patroclus explained the incident to him. From what Achilles could gather, the Myrmidon was about to take a woman forcefully.

Achilles grimaced at the thought. Make no doubt about the fact that he such atrocities, especially when committed his Myrmidons. There was a line there. Slaves? Yes. Afterall, to an extent, it is the choice of a man to follow a particular kingdom and support it during a war. Indirectly, more or less every man is contributing to bloodshed. No captive can say that he was not helping the enemy army in some way. But this was something that he never agreed with, and yet…

Achilles continued to ponder about this twisted tradition. In his view, if a woman was charmed, so be it. If not, she could work like any other slave. But war was never that simple. It was ugly, and he knew it.

Achilles held his train of thoughts as they reached the gateway to the throne room. His eyes immediately eyed the knelt figure in the centre. Achilles saw his back as he entered the throne room. The perpetrators posture was almost lazy, as if your hands strangled by a rope, with a spear at year throat was not something to think about.

The court was filled with the soldiers of both armies, all tense, as their hands itched towards their hilts, as if expecting a fight anytime soon.

Hippodamas, the king of Lebadea, stood beside the throne.

'Huh' Achilles thought. That was perhaps to maintain neutrality of power. Achilles respected that. Kind of.

Achilles marched straight, turned around to face the assembled court as they all held their breath in anticipation, and sat on the throne with authority, Patroclus standing beside him.

Besides Achilles, Hippodamas side eyed this power play from Achilles. While Hippodamas did not appreciate this, this was not the time to further fuel this dispute, and to be honest, nor was it within his power. Well, it seems his soldiers had other plans.

"How dare y-" A soldier from the Lebadean army started, but quickly sat down as he saw Hippodamas shake his head.

Hippodamas saw Achilles smirk from the corner of his eyes. He gritted his teeth as he restrained himself from speaking.

Achilles was not someone he wanted as an enemy. But now, neither could he say he was an ally. Achilles clearly did not respect Lebadea and he could clearly see that Achilles thought there was a large gap in the power of their kingdoms.

As a king, Hippodamas shouldn't let the disrespect go. But he was not only the king of the land of Lebadea. He was the king of its people. He did not want to lure his men into a battle that they can't win, and neither should they sway from their goal to seek glory. The political position of Lebadea was weak, and they needed to have patience to rebuild it, rather than directly challenging the big players.

"Begin the hearings." Achilles said, as the assaulted Myrmidon limped forward, blood still leaking from his bandaged face.

"My king, Achilles, this boy attacked me without reason, injuring me gravely, and his friends rallied against the Myrmidon army. How dare they raise their swords against us? He and his accomplices should be punished heavily!" the Myrmidon ended as murmurs of agreement ran through his camp.

"Without reason?" Kostas said, as he came forward, eyeing the Myrmidon disgustingly. "You were forcing yourself upon a woman, is that not reason enough to beat you up?"

"She was a war slave!" The Myrmidon retaliated. "I had the right to bed her. And, you guys look at us like we are barbarians, wild beasts. But you are wrong." He pointed at the Lebadean army, as he looked at them with anger. "You all are the same. Can you say to me, that none of your comrades did the same thing? NONE OF THEM?" he ended, as he looked at Kostas.

Kostas was caught off guard. The crime in front of him was clear. But could he vouch for his comrades? This was his first war. He had heard about the slaves that were captured during this period. But he never thought, that someone who he fought along with….

The Myrmidon smiled, as he saw Kostas stammering to come up with an answer.

"I thought so. You see that, Achilles. He can't even say that his comrades didn't enjoy the spoils of war. I think the result of this discussion is clear."

"Wait! That doesn't mea-"

"Silence."

Kostas stopped, as all of them turned towards Achilles, who sat up straighter in his chair. Gone was his carefree attitude, as he looked upon the assembled court.

"Make no mistake of this, any man, that even thinks of forcing himself upon a woman, is just a ball less coward and he is no warrior in my eyes." Achilles looked pointedly at his comrade, as the Myrmidon stared back in surprise, not expecting this. "Lord Hades has the worst of the worst punishments ready for his soul in Underworld."

"That being said," Achilles continued as he pursed his lips, not quite agreeing with what was going to come out of his mouth, "the tradition of taking war slaves has been a long standing one, and what one does with the slave he captured his and only his concern. I, as a King, shall not take away the spoils of war who from those who serve the Kingdom, however sinful they may be."

The Myrmidon, looked up, and smiled, as he looked at Kostas tauntingly.

"As for the small skirmish in between the armies, let's just say it was a misunderstanding, and let it go just this once. What do you say, King Hippodamas?" Achilles asked, not wanting to insult the King more. It was not that he hated him, but he should be smart enough to know that there was a difference between his small nameless Kingdom and the Myrmidons.

Hippodamas looked at Achilles, as he nodded his head in agreement. The stress on 'just this once' was loud and clear, something that Hippodamas will have to look out in the future. For now, in this small tugging war for political power, it was Achilles' victory, and he will have to accept it.

Patroclus watched in silence, taking this all in. What Achilles was doing may not have been well received, but it was necessary. It should be clear, that the Myrmidons were the leaders of this raid, and such skirmishes initiated by the Lebadean army would not be tolerated.

Just as Achilles was about to stand up, ready to throw away this silly matter away and rejoin the girl waiting for him, a scoff echoed thorough the hall.

Achilles froze, as his gaze snapped to the centre of the room.

The boy stared straight into his eyes, and the sentiment of disrespect was clear from the smirk on his face.

"Do you wish to speak something, boy?" Achilles spoke softly, almost daring the captive to take a bait.

Well, Percy was not one to be intimidated such easily.

"Man, all this display of power, from making a show out of sitting on the throne, to taking hold of the proceedings as if you were the only King," Percy sneered, his smirk dripping with disrespect, "all that for what? To not even honour something you believe in, letting old traditions walk all over you? Your show of power just comes off as hypocrisy."

Percy ended as he giggled a little, partly because it was 'funny' and partly because he just wanted to fuck with Achilles out of anger. Consequences be damned for now.

"How dare you, you mother fucker!" One of the guards shouted as the tip of his spear grazed Percy's neck, drawing out a small amount of blood.

But Percy didn't care, as his green eyes stared into Achilles' soul, as he sat on throne, his eyes narrowing in anger. The person holding the spear was no threat. The sweat on the guard's body was completely under Percy's control, and he could use those to harm in just a blink of the eye.

The rest of the court just stared at the proceedings stoically, not wanting to come in between the expected outburst of Achilles.

Achilles stood up as he slowly walked towards Percy, his steps resonating in the dome of the throne room. Hippodamas watched attentively, as the things unfolding before was something he would've never expected.

Achilles squared up to Percy, and crouched down on his knees. Their eyes levelled, as Achilles looked at Percy with ferocity.

"You simpleton, what do you know about war, its old traditions, about the internal workings of all things that you mindless zombies ignore?"

Percy mouth turned into a scowl. He didn't know?

He knew all about war. He commanded the armies against Kronos, he commanded them with the seven against Gaia, he knew everything all too well. He knew about the torture, the crimes that the monster's army committed. The way the encircled a young lonely demigod, and played with their 'food' like hyenas. He knew it all too fucking well.

But these were also the things that differentiated them from the good and bad. Yes, they did not always play clean, but they knew where to draw the line.

But there was no way to explain this to Achilles. So, Percy just stared at him, anger clear on his face.

Achilles scoffed at that. "I thought so. All that fire without knowing how to use it is just going to burn you."

Achilles inched closer as he grabbed Percy by his hair. Percy eyes dilated, as suddenly he was able to sense all the water around Achilles, on Achilles, in Achilles. Percy gulped. This feeling. He did not like it. This was not something he wanted feel. He wanted to abandon this feeling as soon as possible.

"You better stay within your limits, mortal. I am not someone you want to fuck with." Achilles whispered, as he stood up, and nodded at the guards beside them.

Percy controlled himself, as he took the hit of the blunt end of the spear coming to his face without retaliation. He fell to the ground, as more spear hits were thrown on his stomach as he took them silently without a voice.

The guards spat on him, as they moved away, letting him lying on the ground. He held his ribs, where a small bruise was probably forming, as he sat himself up on the ground, grateful that for his demigod body this was practically nothing and he probably wouldn't even need to use water to heal himself, and if he does, it would take merely seconds.

Achilles left, Patroclus following him and soon, everyone started trickling out of the court room. A few Myrmidons cursed him, some of his people looked at him with pity, people like Phobos looked at him like they wanted to kill him, probably because this whole fiasco mad Lebadea lose a lot of face.

Kostas and his friends tried to approach him, but he just shook his head. He was not in the mood to deal with their pity. This restraining of his powers irritated him, and taking this beating just made him angry. He was the son of Poseidon, and just like water, he did not like being restrained.

A few minutes passed as the last of the audience left, leaving Percy alone in his thoughts. His godly blood had already dulled the pain fast. It didn't even take an ounce of his power to break the ropes that tied his hands behind his back. He rotated his stiff shoulders as he warmed them up a bit.

Footsteps echoed, as Percy suddenly become aware of the only person that hadn't left the room.

Hippodamas made his way towards Percy, as Percy sat there silently looking at him.

"You are a fool, you know." Hippodamas bluntly stated.

"So I have been told." Percy replied. It was fair, he supposed. What he did was certainly reckless, and conflicted with his goal to make his way to Annabeth.

"It is not a joke, child." Hippodamas' cold tone made Percy eyes widen. He looked at Hippodamas, as his forehead was creases with anger.

"You have no idea what you and your friends could have caused today. Seriously, having skirmishes with the Myrmidons? What were you guys thinking?"

Percy did not like this. What he did was foolish, but it was necessary. He even sabotaged himself in the process.

"Yeah, and what about the girl whose life was about to be ruined? Does that not matter?"

"That's not the point! Pick you battles you idiot. There was no way in which this could've ended in a good way." Hippodamas replied harshly.

To be honest, Hippodamas respected Percy for standing up to someone that even he could not stand up to. In some ways, the king was shackled to his duties to the kingdom, and if it meant taking the insults quietly, he will have to do so. But this young man, Percy, if he remembered correctly, had done something that even the brave couldn't do. But he had to reprimand him. This was just too risky. In the name of justice, this could've ended in a battle with the Myrmidons. That just meant one thing.

Death. Plain and simple. No strategies, escape plans, demigod powers, or luck could save them from the wrath of Achilles.

"This would've ended nicely, if Achilles would just act upon his beliefs." Percy replied, breaking Hippodamas from his thoughts.

Hippodamas shook his head at the naivety of Percy. "It's not that simple. Yes, sometimes glory or the love for one's nation is enough to surge a warrior into battle unquestioningly. But all people are not the same. Some are in it for the thrill, some for money, and some are just twisted in their head. If you control their spoils of war, it is harder to control them. Especially in war that is definitely going to be drawn out long. You need something to tether them to the army."

Percy looked at Hippodamas as he took everything in. He hated the fact that it made some sense to him. In his era, the thing that held them, the tether, was just simply survival. It was easier to rally people into surviving rather than fighting a war to retrieve someone else's wife.

But no. That still did not make this right. There were ways to work around this.

"You cannot say that this is right just because you can't find something to hold your army together. That is something that you have to think about. Perhaps, you can't stop them from taking the spoils of war, but you can certainly impose laws on the way slaves are treated, and you can certainly stop them from committing crimes that even most gods frown upon." Percy replied coldly, catching Hippodamas off guard with his tone, as he completely forgot for the moment that he should not be talked to in such a way.

"If you think that the Gods shall save you from the sins you have committed just because you went to war for some petty drama they started, then you are wrong. Lord Hades shall treat you equally and justly, regardless of the 'reason' you went to war for."

Percy stood up as he dusted down his clothes, and looked at the quiet Hippodamas in front of him.

"So, tell me, would you still do what Achilles did?"

Hippodamas stared at Percy as he waited for an answer. Percy made some very good points, and he spoke much more maturely than he let on, as he seemed completely different from the . But surely, that would be impossible, right? That would just create more problems for him in the future. He was correct, right? Right?

This doubt was what made him hesitate, as he stood there silently still pondering. Percy looked at him and just nodded, as he got his answer.

"Well, I guess I was wrong about you. Please, my king, allow me to leave so that I can rest." Percy replied coldly.

Hippodamas idly nodded, as for some reason that pricked his heart. Is what he doing right? If not, then how was he to solve this. He did not think Percy was right. It was not as simple as he made it out to be. But, then, he wasn't right either. It did not have to be that cruel too.

As Percy left the room, Hippodamas pondered on his dilemma for a very long time, till he suddenly realised, that he forgot to provide Percy with doctors for treatment. But wait, considering the amount of beating that he received, he seemed relatively unharmed, whereas any other person would've fainted, and probably bled from the blows.

Percy even walked off without any help, as if he was not just tortured moments prior.

Wait, how exactly did he break the ropes that tied him?

'That's weird.'

It had been two days since the whole civil fight between the two Kingdoms. It had been tense, although no other skirmishes had aroused. The city had been nearly looted, and the Lebadean army was ready at the gates to leave Pedasus. The Myrmidons had decided to stay for three more days, wanting to rest and enjoy the city for a while.

Percy stood in a corner alone, just looking at the clear skies. After the whole incident, there were a few groups formed in the army. There were ones that supported him, ones that pitied him and the ones that hated him, which mainly consisted of the people that committed the crimes. Those that supported him, did not have the courage to support him, due to Phobos. He had not yet said anything to Percy personally, but the hateful glances he sent towards him whenever their paths clashed were clear enough. He had avoided his friends during this time in order to not drag them into this. Things were still fresh, and he did not want to cause any problems.

His friends let himself be alone reluctantly, after making sure he really wanted this. Percy just shook his head and sighed.

No, he did not want this. Any of this.

If he kept meddling in unwanted affairs, he would never be able to influence the war in such a way that his contribution is worthy enough for Athena. He cannot go on fighting big players like Achilles.

He clenched his fists, as the memories of the incident came back to him. He did not think that saving the girl was wrong, and he would do it all over again. But he needed to approach this carefully.

'Pick you battles wisely, Percy. You cannot save everyone.' He remembered Annabeth saying that to him whenever he mourned his fallen comrades. Perhaps she was right, as usual. He was no God. He couldn't do everything on his own.

He needed someone. Someone whose thoughts matched his. But that was not possible.

Neighing of horses broke him from his thoughts, as a fine brown stallion stopped in front of him.

'A Son of Poseidon? I did not know my King had sired a child. Greetings, little Lord.' The horse bowed to him subtly, as Percy just nodded.

Hippodamas climbed off the horse as he looked at Percy. All the soldiers gather looked at them curiously, not knowing what was to come.

"My fellow soldiers," Hippodamas started, as he looked at each one of them, "the recent events have been rather…unwanted and contradicting."

"What are we? Are we warriors first, or humans?" Hippodamas questioned, as silence followed.

"As someone said to me recently," He looked at Percy, as he continued, "At the end of our life, no God is going to spare us just because we participated in some war. Yes, Lord Ares shall stand behind anyone that may have killed in battle, but who will back us outside of it? No one. We are responsible for our own actions. And as a King, I can't stand as my subject commit crimes that even the gods look down upon."

"There are ways to pleasure or entertain yourself, where you do not have to force yourself upon someone."

Murmurs erupted, discussing about what was said and its implications. Hippodamas raised his hand, silencing all of them.

"I, the King of Lebadea, as of now, pass the law that all the slaves shall be treated as humans, you shall not force yourself upon them, you shall feed them an appropriate amount of food, however small that ration may be and you shall not deny them water. Further details will be discussed when a court is scheduled among the courtesans."

"My king, surely you cannot do this! This is not fair to those that ha-"

"My word is final. Anyone who goes against my word shall be punished accordingly. Now, get back to marching formations."

That shut everyone up, as everyone started to assemble into formation, whispers still running through the army.

Percy smiled, as Hippodamas slowly turned back towards him. He guessed he was wrong about Hippodamas.

"My lord, I apologize, for the things that I said before. I crossed the line. It is my mistake." Percy started, as he bowed his head, trying to mend things up a bit. He supposed it was not wise to question the morality of a king so bluntly. Well, old habits die hard, after all, he did the same things with Zeus.

"Well, you shall not be forgiven, at least not that easily." Hippodamas replied.

Percy became still, not sure what was going to happen.

"I want you to leave your place in the army as of now."

Percy was caught off guard with this as he stammered to get something out of his mouth.

"My lord, I apologize, for every-"

"From now on, you shall be my personal attendant. You will do everything I say," Hippodamas smiled, as he saw Percy relax a bit, "and, regarding your little rant, maybe you were not wrong, but neither was I. It is more complicated than you think, and I would be naïve to think that there won't be repercussions for this. So, from now on, you will listen, and learn from the conversations I have with people and the decisions I make during the war and follow me in battle by my side. Understood?"

Percy blinked, caught off guard. Then, slowly, a grin formed. This was… an opportunity. Yes, he would be an attendant, and a few tasks assigned to him may be menial, but the knowledge he would gain from this was invaluable. He would have access to the inner workings of the war, insights into the decisions shaping it, and, more importantly, the chance to learn from a great ruler.

And perhaps, Percy would be able to understand Hippodamas' side in these events. Percy was a great commander, but he was no ruler. He didn't know how to keep everyone content while making sure everything runs smoothly. Percy was immature to think of things so linearly, and he understood that. Percy was grateful to Hippodamas, for trusting him enough to have him by his side.

"My lord, I shall be honoured to be by your side."

"Well, well, don't make this out to be a gift. That would take all the fun out of it. Now, carry this." Hippodamas said as he handed Percy a set of armour.

"Can't this be kept in the supply cart?" Percy questioned. The armour itself was not heavy, but carrying it would be a hassle.

Hippodamas smiled wide. He will be able to keep a close eye on Percy, and at the same time, it was going to be fun.

"Well, it can be, but where's the fun in that, attendant."

Percy gulped, as he dreaded the long day that was about to come. Hippodamas laughed as he climbed his horse, as Percy followed them as it walked away.

'That was interesting.' Phobos thought, as he grinned ear to ear. What Hippodamas had done just now was just and kind, something good, too good.

If there was one thing that the soldiers were eager about in this war other than glory, it was the spoils. And Hippodamas had just taken a small part of it away from them. That was good.

Well, at least for him.

It was time to start whispering in the ears of the angered, as one whisper in itself was nothing, but when it was conveyed to one more, and then more, and more, it could do many things.

Just like a plague in the heart.