The Song of Patroclus

Chapter 4

Meals in the vaulted dining hall were my only time to see Patroclus. We lead different lives, seeing each other only for that one hour during meals.

He had always sat far from me, but I could always catch his eyes wondering to me at least once during every meal.

There was a day I had sat very close to him, only a table apart. The boys were talking about their drills, explaining to me an event I had missed.

However, I had vaguely heard something someone else had said. "Prince," The voice had said. It was Patroclus, I was sure of it.

I turned to look at him, and found him looking back, eyes narrowing like his first day in meals. He looked down, cheeks red and eyes aflame, and I turned back to give the boy my focus again.

What I could not deny was the disappointment I felt when he did not, in fact, call for me.

—

My mother's visits were common.

I was waiting on the beach, alone, when she had come.

She rose from the ocean she called home, skin hauntingly pale and legs longer than any human I knew.

Her eyes and her hair had much in common; pure darkness, through and through. No visible pupil or iris.

It was as though her eyes had stolen from the deepest depths of the ocean.

There were little sparks of gold floating around in her eyes as well, the only real color I could ever find in her shades of black and white.

Her impossibly thin lips broke into a smile when she saw me.

I smiled and waved. She left the water and hugged me. Her embrace was not warm, like a mother's usually was. It was cold, she offered me a different type of comfort. She reeked of eel and fish, no doubt her last meal.

"Hello Achilles," She said when she finally let go.

"Hello mother."

I do not remember much of our conversation that day. We had walked on the beach for a while and had then sat down, her nymph legs were not used to the chore of human walking.

There; however, was one aspect of the conversation I remembered clearly.

"Achilles, we both know it is time you become a god."

Gods, here we go again.

"Mother-"

"My son, how much longer will you make excuses?" She stopped me. I did not have an answer. "How much longer will you stay here, on this dirty land, your abilities taken for granted?"

"My abilities are not taken for granted here, mother."

"Achilles, you are becoming more like them every single day," Her voice turned into a sneer when she said them. "I don't want to see the day all you can be is human."

"You will not see it, mother," I was exasperated.

"Your word is not enough Achilles."

"Mother, I will not come to live with you," I stated simply. After seeing her hurt expression, I add, "not yet." She's still disappointed.