Patroclus' Melody

Always expect the unexpected

After Agamemnon's and Achilles' argument in front of the army, the prince stormed off to his tent, refusing to leave to fight unless the king of Mycenae apologized. I had never seen him so angry before. I followed with quick steps as best as I could but Achilles' 'angry walk' seemed to be more than what my legs could handle. In any case, I was too stressed just trying to make sense of the situation.

Agamemnon had publicly shamed Achilles in front of the army. He told everybody about the time he was in Skyros, when he had to dress up as a woman to not be recognized. Cross-dressing wasn't necessarily acceptable ammongst us men and it sure must've felt like his reputation with the army was ruined. There are only a few people who could've told him that secret of his. But that isn't important right now. I stormed inside the tent, seeing Achilles walking all over the place angrily. His footsteps were louder than usual and his cheeks were burning red from the anger and possible embarrassment. "Did you hear that?! He just said that infront of all those people when he had nothing left to say to defend his 'point' when he knew I was right about everything I had said! I am not fighting anymore and I will continue to refuse until he apologizes to me. He can take Briseis if he wishes, not my concern.".

We had a lot of arguments after the last sentence of his anger outburst. I just couldn't understand why Briseis was the one that had to pay for this mess when Agamemnon and Achilles caused it. It made my blood boil how stubborn both of them were, especially Achilles. This was a side of him I didn't even know existed and I already was hating every bit of it. A few weeks passed, and just from those few battles in which Achilles didn't participate, the Greeks started to lose grip of the war. The more they went without him, the more people came back wounded. The medical tent went from having a few soldiers to having sometimes hundreds in one day alone. Since I helped around there I always returned late to our tent. Not that it mattered since me and Achilles seemed to always start a discussion everytime any of us spoke a word. It was however at times like this that I was grateful I went with Achilles and Chiron to Mount Pelion. But one of those days, I felt weird to say the least. Like I wasn't supposed to be there? I couldn't put a finger on it either way.

I was sitting down in our tent cleaning some of our sandals that had gotten dirty recently. The men were preparing to go to war again, last time I spoke to Odysseus and Diomedes, they told me it wasn't looking good for our side. The Trojans seemed to be gaining back strengths. It was a bit scary, I must admit. I was surprised by the sudden movement of the entrance of our tent. Menelaus entered with his older brother Agamemnon. This was surprising but also promising.

"Go on brother, don't back track now. Please don't let that pride of yours kill anymore of our men." Menelaus whispered to his brother not seeing I was right there. Even though Menelaus tried to hide those words, I heard them loud and clear. Was he actually going to apologize? "Good morning, Menelaus. Agamemnon. Are you looking for Achilles?" I asked pretending like I wasn't there the whole time.
"Yes, we are. My brother and I would like to formally bring a message to him. I mean, my brother has the message. I just came to make sure he actually took the route to the prince's tent."
"Patroclus, who are you talking- ...to." Achilles must have heard us speaking as he was making his way to me from the other part of the tent. "..Menelaus. Agamemnon. What can I do for you?" He said as if nothing were, already showing the two kings his lack of interest in the battle that was going to take place in just a few minutes. He invited them to sit down, he was still civilised despite being upset. "My brother has come with a message." Menelaus started, just to get it straight out of the way.
Agamemnon's face said enough for him. He was NOT happy to be put in a position where not only he was wrong but he also had to apologize for it. "A few weeks ago, me and you had a very heated argument that I'm sure you remember. I took advantage of the situation and lost track of what was about the topic and what was about my own pride. As a king, one day you'll learn that you have to apologize...when you..are wrong. And that's why I'm here. Prince Achilles, I sincerely apologize about my behaviour. I hope that you accept my apologies and that we can once again rise together in battle."

I looked over at Achilles, trying to see what he thought just by looking at him. I for one could somehow always tell what went through his mind. On my own mind came the words 'please say you accept it, Achilles.'. Achilles fell silent for a moment, lost in his thoughts as he looked at the king of Mycenae. His golden hair seemed even brighter now that the tent was open exposing us a little more to the sunlight. "..Alright. Apologies accepted. But please make sure you tell the men about the lie you spread around, yes? My reputation shouldn't have to suffer due to your recklessness. I shall prepare my armor and my men." He left to the part where he originally was, our room.

Later that day they came back victorious. It was a great feeling seeing my beloved Achilles smiling with the good size of his pride again. But at the same time, the feeling of this morning had intensified. I still felt like I wasn't supposed to be here. It didn't matter, I thought, I simply enjoyed Achilles' stories and company once more. As the night settled, me and him laid both in our bed. It was so calming and relaxing just to be there cuddling. However, a soft breeze of air touched our feet and legs. I felt soft grains of sand. The sea? Could only mean one thing. "I think my mother wants to speak to me now. I will be right back." He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and then left.

When he came back, I had already fallen asleep. I tried my best to stay awake to ask him how it went, but I failed as my eyelids kept weighing heavier on me as time passed. I felt something jump on the bed, Achilles shook me awake "PATROCLUS! PATROCLUS! WAKE UP!". I shook awake from my sleep instantly sitting up holding him. The fear of losing him crawled right out again and penetrated every inch of my body. "What?! Are you alright?!" I asked with fear in my eyes. Achilles seemed to be crying, but why? I would've thought Thetis would be happy to hear he was fighting again. "Oh Patroclus, my mother brought me the best news I could ever hear in the middle of this war! We have nothing to fear anymore!" He hugged me tightly but forgot that I wasn't with him when he got this good news. "..Are you planning to tell me..?" I said, touching his head softly. "Oh! Right! Sorry."

We both screamed from joy in the middle of the night. We were jumping up and down, hugging each other as tight as humanly possible. We had indeed nothing to fear anymore. Thetis had told Achilles that she was called to come see Zeus and the oracles. The prophecy they had once spoken about her son was suddenly lifted and erased from the stars. That said, Achilles would survive the war. But she had also explained to Achilles something she had been hiding from him ever since the war began, and that I felt might explain her hatred towards me. I was suposed to die before he did. In another world, Agammenon would have never apologized to Achilles and so he never joined back. I apparently would take it in my hands to fight, but would be killed in the process by the hands of the Trojan prince, Hector. This is what would've led Achilles to pass away as well, both mentally and physically. He was too sad to continue.

In a matter of a few days, the war had been won by us. The men were so happy to know that they could finally return home to their beloved wives and children. The kings all drowned in the rich treasures they had conquered during this long war, especially Menelaus who at the end had gotten his wife Helen back. As for me and Achilles, we were just happy to feel each other's warmth. And couldn't wait to return to our normal life way before this. Achilles took it upon himself to warn the rest that he would not be joining any wars soon. He wanted to enjoy himself. We were both 25 years old, so we still had time. A lot more than what we thought we would've had anyways.

We loaded our ship with our shares of the war, food and supplies. The men we had left were already on board making sure we had everything we needed to go back to Phthia. It was going to be a long trip, but boy would it be worth it. I sat down on a wooden box looking over the horizon. My joy had no measures and everything seemed to be going for the better now. I was going to focus more on my medical studies, hopefully with Chiron as I feel I still have a lot to learn from the incredibly smart centaur. Probably, Achilles thought the same about his fighting. Or not, knowing him. But he would probably join me either way. I suddenly felt his arms around me, his beautiful face hiding on my neck. "Ready, Pat?"

"Absolutely, Achilles."