The Heir of a Thousand Lifetimes (A PJO Universe Story)

The truth?

The whispers are faint, but Cassius hears them too. He's gripping the pommel of his sword.

"They say the only entrance to the grove is the Myrmeke's Lair," he says uncertainly. I glance at him, warly.

"What's a myrmeke?" I ask. I don't think I actually want to know the answer, but realistically, I need to know.

"Basically huge, armored, poisonous, killer ants," he says with a rueful smile. "They're the size of German Shepherds."

I kick at some dirt and shrug. "Can't be any harder than killing a previously-uncatchable fox the size of a bus. Or maybe it was bigger? I can't remember."

He nudges me. "That was pretty cool, you know. You should be proud of yourself."

I blush, smiling to myself. If anyone else had said that, I'd clap back with something arrogant or sarcastic. But with him, I can only appreciate the compliment.

"And then I told off Zeus and collapsed on you," I joke, giggling a little at myself. He grins.

"It certainly was memorable."

A comfortable silence settles between us as we continue walking, and I can't help but start to wonder about the prophecy. What could it possibly say? What has been worth waiting this long for? What prophecy is important enough that the Fates do not trust Apollo not to intervene in its delivery?

I cannot say I question their judgement. Everything within me is screaming not to trust anything that has to do with the sun god. He is the reason my ancestor- the man whose soul resides within me- died as he did. Because of that, in a way, he is responsible for my death too, all those centuries ago.

Do not let the sun blind you.

"Have you ever met your mother?" I ask Cassius suddenly, desperate to drown out the echoing voice ringing in my ears. He glances at me.

"No," he replies after a moment. "I saw her in dreams twice. Once, she gave a warning. The second time was when she told me the...the truth, but...no, I've never met her."

"The truth?"

He lets out an nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. I do not say anything. I know he will tell me, given the time to put together the words to say. I cannot quite say how I know he will tell me, but I do.

Finally, Cassius sighs. He stops walking, so I do the same and turn to face him. I watch him patiently, waiting for him to speak.

"I told you I'm descended from Patroclus," he begins uncomfortably.

"You did."

"That wasn't everything. It was only part of the truth."

I tilt my head, frowning slightly. What is he talking about?

"It was true, don't worry, but- but well, you know how Achilles still lives in the Underworld?" Cassius asks. His eyes watch me intensely. I nod slowly. "Patroclus...he had the option of Elysium due to his sacrifice in the Trojan War, but he rejected it. He chose to be reborn.

"He had to be reborn into someone of his bloodline. I don't know why. And the Fates- they waited for his rebirth until it was time for the Prophecy of the Heir. I guess Patroclus' return was a sign that the heir of Achilles wasn't very far behind. That's- that's how Chiron knew you were ready and how he knew to send Josie to make sure you were safe," he rambles, rubbing his sword's pommel repeatedly.

My ears are ringing again, and I start to feel lightheaded. I look up at him, and his amber eyes are suddenly crystalline golden-brown. I blink and they are his own again.

"That's why I saw him the first time I saw you," I say softly, everything suddenly making sense. He falls silent. "I see Achilles' life in flashes, because a piece of his soul lives inside me, but you- if you're somehow Patroclus..."

Cassius takes a chance and steps closer to me. He places a gentle hand on my shoulder. I swallow hard at his sudden proximity.

"I'm still me," he says softly, assuredly. "I'm me just as much as you're you. But I'm him as much as you're Achilles. We cannot deny part of them live within us."

My eyes slowly meet his. Does he mean-

"What else did your mother tell you?" I ask him. I try to will my voice not to shake. He smiles slightly at my perception.

"She told me that I would have a role to play in the prophecy, just as Patroclus had in Achilles' fate," he replies. "Achilles' fury over Patroclus' death was capable of defying fate. It's why the gods were forced to intervene, to prevent Troy from falling before it was fated."

I nod, the aching, all-too-familiar rage I have felt all my life radiating in the hollow of my chest. I have never known its origins, but I know now- it is not mine. It belongs to Achilles and lingers in my bones.

"That fury was fueled by love," Cassius continues, nervously. The forest seems to fall silent. "They were soulmates in the purest sense of the word, according to my mother. Whatever this prophecy is, it's fate's way of giving them- us?- a second chance. I don't know if you believe me, but-"

"I believe you."

The hushed words leave my lips before I can think straight. I must be going mad, I must be. The insanity of my mind being split between realities must finally be getting to me. Yet, somehow, something inexplicably is right with this.

For the very first time in my entire life, the longing ceases. Everything is still. The ache fades. The throbbing in my heel goes numb. My chest feels light rather than weighed down with lead.

I know it will not last, but I embrace it for as long as the moment lasts.

"What?" Cassius whispers, shocked by my fast, easy acceptance. My hands shaking, I clasp them together as I nod.

"I have spent my entire life longing for a love I've never known," I begin, and my voice comes out a bit scratchy. I don't know if I am speaking more to him or to myself. "I have known Achilles' fury every moment of every day for as long as I can remember, and I have known the pain of Patroclus' loss even longer."

I look up at Cassius with a bitter smile, and I find him looking down at me with glassy eyes, as if he can feel the sharp, stinging pain in my chest.

"I believe you, because Achilles had to burn Patroclus' pyre. I've burned it a thousand times in my visions. I can still smell the smoke as I stand here right now. I can still hear the screaming Trojan sacrifices. I just never realized it was his pyre- but now, I know it was his. Why else would it feel like I was dying myself every time it caught on fire? And if this wasn't a second chance, I don't think I'd finally feel the otherwise constant pain dwindle for the first time in my life."

Achilles lives within me, and he is Patroclus reborn. His ashes were made one with mine on the ruins of Troy. He is my soulmate.