Fifteen

"You're alive," I whispered. "How...?"

The blade fell away from my neck, though I noted she didn't put it away. "I'm not so easily killed as humans."

A tumble of emotions fell upon me. She was alive but I'd left her to die on that boat. I abandoned her and now she stood before me, not as the slave I remembered, but as a warrior. She'd lied to me, made me think she was helpless. She spun a tale about a brother, a poor family...

"You lied to me," I snapped, pulling my arms back. To my surprise, she let me and I tumbled backwards, hitting the ground with an oomph.

She stepped over me, grabbed my arm and yanked me up again. Our faces were so close I noticed a trace of a small birthmark under her left eye. It was so faint and concealed by her dark skin but it resembled an arrow.

"And you left me to die. I think that means we're even."

"Far from it."

"I did what I was ordered to do." She cocked her head. "Besides, I am not the only one who lied, time traveller."

Her words only added fuel to the raging fire in my gut. It didn't even matter how she knew my secret. I was so overcome with anger, relief and guilt, they were spilling over the edges. I wrestled free from her again and shoved her.

"We were friends! You know what? Take your orders and shove them up your—"

A sharp, hot pain flowered in my cheek from where she slapped me.

"Be quiet," she ordered, "I was ordered to keep an eye on you. To ensure that you made it safely through this difficult task. You couldn't know about me."

"You didn't have to lie," I whispered, biting back tears. My cheek pulsed with heat and the embarrassment of losing my temper. My ranting arguments surfaced into a tangled mess. There was nothing I could say except a defeated, "you could have told me..."

"I can say the same." Zoisme's expression softened and she dipped her head apologetically. "Alexis, I'm sorry. If I were permitted to tell you, I would have–"

Dismissing her apology, I shoved past her. "Forget it. Just take me to your leader, or whatever."

I rubbed my eyes with my arm, surprised to find the tears had broken free. Zoisme had known all along that I didn't belong here. She knew and let me carry on thinking she was an escaped slave. The list of people who betrayed me kept growing. Even if I had abandoned her, she still knew who I was.

I clenched my hands into fists, still fighting with my tears as she led me back to the river. There was no point in resisting. She would only force me back to the other Amazons with her superhuman strength or whatever. But, as we walked, I glanced over my shoulder, my heart aching. I'd come so close to freedom. And now I was back where I was before—a prisoner.

The river bank was bursting with activity. Towering women scurried about, scouring the area for more people, preparing to leave. Thetis lay on the ground near the river, so still I feared she was dead. But then I saw her wrists and ankles bound. Nausea twinged with relief washed over me as Zoisme led me past the nymph. Everyone who helped me wound up in danger, but they wouldn't bind her if she was dead. I wanted to ask Zoisme but the words fell away when I saw Achilles.

He knelt on the ground, blood and dirt and sweat painted across his face and hair. The Amazons had overpowered him after all. Judging by the amount of Amazons nursing an assortment of injuries, he hadn't gone down easy.

Two Amazons hoisted Achilles to his feet. They carried him as if he weighed nothing more than a feather. Even as he struggled against his bonds, a wild animal ensnared in a trap. A very wild, very dangerous animal.

"Foolish beasts," he spat, rage igniting across his face. A sore loser, considering he'd won plenty of battles, only to be taken down by a bunch of Amazon women. "You think you can outmatch my men?"

"If your men are anything like you, hero Achilles, I don't think we will have any problem," came a husky reply. "Though we have another method of keeping you compliant."

A giant of a woman approached Achilles, a thick coil of black hair draped over her shoulder. She towered over Achilles, at least two feet taller, dark eyes glinting in the moonlight. The Amazons were a good deal taller than the average person. Close to about seven feet tall. The only exception was Zoisme, though she was still at least a head taller than me.

The husky-voiced one towered over all of them, probably closer to eight feet. She snapped her fingers and two of her warriors dragged someone forward. My heart skipped a beat and all the heat drained from my face as I recognized Patroclus. His jaw was set, eyes blazing, a trail of blood slipping down his cheek, but he didn't struggle. In fact, he looked a little embarrassed to be caught. Our eyes met and, given the dangerous glint in his eyes, I realized he'd been following us.

"Achilles," Patroclus breathed, eyes wide. He tried to step forward but was pulled back.

"You savages," Achilles growled. His back arched against his restraints and when I made to move, Zoisme grabbed my arm with a warning. "Let him go."

Rage oozed from every pore, every word. But there was an edge of panic, enough to soften the anger. Enough to betray his weakness. Achilles may be impervious to injury, but Patroclus was not.

The woman sighed with a shake of her head. "We found him over there. There were rumours of your affections towards a certain male..." She trailed off as Achilles thrashed against the ropes. "Those bonds tighten on you just as they do on anyone else. There is no escaping our hold unless we allow it, Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, so I suggest you calm down. As long as you cooperate the boy will be safe."

Achilles opened his mouth to say something further, but a piece of cloth was shoved into his mouth. He refused to take his eyes off Patroclus, who was bound and dragged away. The woman who carried herself like a leader approached us. Her dark skin was like the velvety night sky above and she moved like a panther. Another predator to watch out for.

"Is this the girl?" she asked Zoisme.

Zoisme nodded. "Yes, my queen. This is Alexis."

The queen's hand lashed out and forced my chin up. "All this fuss for such an insignificant creature... you have made quite a mess, Alexis, haven't you?"

"Take it up with the Olympians," I spat, and tried to pull away. Her fingers dug into my cheeks painfully. "None of this is my fault."

"Perhaps," the queen said, tilting her head. "We'll see what She has to say about this."

She? Who was She? What if it was Athena and this was another one of her games?

My heart sank at the thought.

"We cannot delay much longer, Penthesilea," another Amazon said. "The Myrmidons are leaving the city now." She glanced at Achilles who glared back. "They ride with intent."

"Pack them up," the queen, Penthesilea, ordered. She addressed the Amazon who had spoken. "Give us a little bit of time, Myrine, and keep the Myrmidons at bay. We'll rest when we've put enough distance between us and Phthia."

"What about the goddess?" Myrine asked.

Thetis was still unconscious, her hands and ankles bound like Achilles, forgotten on the ground. It would take more than a blow to the head to kill a goddess, even an unconscious nymph, but it was easier than facing her head on.

"She's not important, leave her." Penthesilea paused, a cruel smile spreading across her lips. "Though, keep her bound. I'd like to see the gods try freeing her."

"Yes, my queen," Myrine said, dipping her head. Then she rounded on the other Amazons, barking orders of her own.

My gaze wandered in the direction of the city. There were still no signs of the Myrmidons. I'd lost track of time but, surely, we would see traces of them by now.

Myrine and a troupe of Amazons took off in the direction of Phthia, moving with unsettling grace on foot.

"Zoisme, keep watch on the girl," Penthesilea said. "She's not to be harmed."

"Screw you," I spat, the anger returning.

"A fighting spirit," Penthesilea smiled. It was the kind of smile that chilled me to the bone. "Hold onto that fight, girl, you'll need it in this world. Perhaps we can make an Amazon out of you one day. For now, though, we must go. Amazons, ride!"

There was a resounding cheer as the Amazons on horses all sped off after their queen. Zoisme pushed me onto her horse and hoisted herself up behind me.

I glanced over her shoulder and saw the shadowy mound of Thetis near the river. She'd wake up, alone and trapped, no doubt furious over the kidnapping of her son. She didn't deserve what happened to her, and she wouldn't be in this predicament if it wasn't for me.

Maybe Penthesilea was right. I was making a mess of things.

The Amazon queen kept us going at a steady pace. We rode with silent urgency, but eventually I tired of the monotonous ride. The vibrations from the horses' hooves pounding the ground, the permeating silence from the group, giving me a prickling sense of deja vu. The night Achilles took me prisoner. It was night then too...I'd moved from one captor to another.

The further we rode from Phthia, the more I found myself missing Troy. Looking back, there was a simplicity to it that I longed for. Sure, I had been nearly killed by cannibals, almost drowned thanks to Poseidon, but before that? There had been Paris' farm, the glamorous palace and Dryope and her little oasis.

My hand reached for the little acorn I tucked in the folds of my dress. Dryope had given me that acorn. To remember her by. I pulled it out, brushed my thumb against the smooth edges of its side. She'd told me it was something to help remember her. Now I wished she would come and rescue me.

But it wasn't just her that I missed. There was someone from Troy I'd grown to trust. Someone who had been genuine and open with me since the moment we met. In a world that wasn't my own, caught up in a dangerous game, Paris was the only one who made me feel safe.

I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to stave off more tears that threatened to escape. The chances of seeing him again were slim, slimmer now that we were riding into the wilds of Greece. The ambassador trip wasn't meant to last more than a couple of weeks. For all I know, Paris could be on his way back to Troy now. And there was a high chance Helen would be on the boat with him.

I pushed those thoughts away, pushed myself to think of anything else but Paris.

Exhaustion weighed down my limbs, burdened my eyelids. With adrenaline wearing off the aches and pains in my body started to come forward. My wrists throbbed as the rope chafed against my skin and my cheek smarted from where Zoisme smacked me. In an effort to resist falling asleep, I posed a question to Zoisme.

"Before you attacked, Thetis said something: that you're here for me... why?"

Zoisme remained silent for so long that I wondered if she was going to answer.

"There's someone who'd like to meet you. She knew you wouldn't make it if you stayed with Achilles so she had to plan another way."

"I really hate being popular," I mumbled. "I'd rather take my chances with Achilles rather than meet Athena again. Or another goddess."

I ran through the list of goddesses I'd yet to meet. There were a few but that list was slowly dwindling. If it wasn't Athena, then who could it be?

Zoisme made a disbelieving sound in the back of her throat. "You think you'll be better off with the likes of Achilles? If you return to the city, what do you think the king will do? He might think you had a hand in Achilles' abduction and kill you. Not even the precious hero can save you from his father's wrath." My shock must have been deafening, because she added: "You can't trust men, that's all I'm saying. At least with us you will be safe."

"I've been hearing that a lot," I said, catching a glimpse at Achilles. "What about Patroclus? He didn't do anything... can't you at least let him go?"

Achilles had ceased resisting and now sat stiff as a board on his horse. His back faced me but I knew the rage simmered under his skin, waiting for the right moment to be unleashed. He wasn't accustomed to defeat, but his rage made me nervous. I'd become too complacent with him, testing how far I could go before he snapped. Up until that moment, he'd been deceptively calm, lulling me into a false sense of security. Seeing him fight his restraints now reminded me that, despite how he might appear, he was still a predator, born with a thirst for blood. The Amazons dangling Patroclus as leverage didn't help either. If anything it only made things worse.

"Setting them both free now will only complicate matters," Zoisme said.

She didn't elaborate on when they planned to let them go. I knew the stories of the Amazons. They had no need for men outside of procreation. I wasn't exactly team Achilles but I didn't want him or Patroclus to die.

"If I cooperate with whatever you want, will you promise me not to kill them?"

Zoisme didn't answer. I knew she probably had no power to keep them safe even if she wanted to. I glanced at Achilles again and, as Penthesilea turned us towards the horizon, I hoped he wouldn't do anything that would get us all killed.