Perseus: Excidium Troiae

Twenty-Eight

A/N: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW, THE ROUGH TRANSLATION OF EXCIDIUM TROIAE IS ''OUT OF TROY'' SO I GUESS THAT SHOULD TELL YOU HOW THIS ENDS, SHOULDN'T IT?

PERSEUS ran a frustrated hand through his hair, trying to shut out the loudness of the council room. His head hurt, and he could swear someone had amplified all the voices in Priam's audience chamber. He sat at attention next to his brother Aeneas, his other hand clenching and unclenching around the spear he held. Beside him, the son of Aphrodite looked equally miffed at the proceedings, which had been going on endlessly for what seemed like hours.

The immortal demigod cleared his throat amidst the shouting. There was no sign that anyone had heard.

He pounded the spear into the ground. This time, the audience chamber was silenced. Perseus looked them over—all the kings and allies from the territories surrounding Troy, all the royals and courtiers in Priam's service, the Amazon leaders and the Ethiopians, and then lastly, all the many sons of the King, still dressed for battle, still bouncing with anxiety, as though the Achaeans were going to burst through their gates any minute.

"I think we should burn it," His voice boomed through the chamber, the intensity carrying his words to the farthest corners. "I destroyed the Greek camp. Why not finish the job?"

"I agree," Aeneas backed him up almost instantly, leaning forward in the seat. "We must wipe away every remnant of their influence from our island. From our city."

"The Greeks are gone," one of Priam's courtiers, Polydamas, argued. The soldier Sinon admitted as much. The soldiers mutinied and left."

"He's right," one of the Amazons piped. From our understanding, it's not something they have not done before—or tried to."

"This time, there was no Achilles to stop them," Another courtier spoke. Perseus was getting quite annoyed. Priam's court officials hadn't been with them on the battlefield. They didn't know the Greek host like he did. After everything they had gone through to bring Troy down—after a decade and more of fighting and being away from their home, he didn't believe they would just up and leave without finishing the job, much less leave behind a present. And he found it quite suspicious that they had left a soldier behind to tell them all this.

Perseus' voice was hard and brutal as he said, "The Achaeans have been fighting us for ten years. They've killed our sons, our brothers and our fathers. They've taken almost every surrounding territory, which is why most of you are even here in the first place. Athena had stood solidly behind them for these years, pushing us against our walls, using trickery and cunning to support Odysseus and fulfil prophecies which signal our doom. They just brought in the son of their most prized fighter hoping he can take us down. Do you really believe they would just leave us with gifts?"

His voice was condescending. He hated that this was even an ongoing discussion. How foolish could they be? How stupid were these men and women?

"He speaks true," Deiphobus supported from his spot beside Priam. "The final decision rests on your shoulders, father. But Perseus is right. I think we are all too anxious and weary for this war to be over, and so we are jumping to accept this happenstance even though it seems so good to be true."

"Exactly," Aeneas was scowling. "Something smells fishy here—no offence to my brother—but I vote for destroying that stupid wood carving." Perseus snorted.

He turned to gaze at the King. Priam looked...haunted, and the son of Anchises supposed that Deiphobus was right. The king had seen much carnage, and everyone was just eager for this to end. They had scouted the whole Island, and there had been no sign of the Greeks apart from the soldier Sinon, whom they had left behind. The horse still stood on their shores, menacing and beautiful, hauntingly looking upon their city walls. It was taking everything within him to restrain himself and not call a gigantic wave to rip the 'gift' to shreds.