Twenty-One

They looked like Chiron. Half-human, half-horse. But where Chiron was academic and civil, these centaurs were wild. Their black eyes glinted like sharp stone, their bare chests darker from living out in the elements. They carried crude weapons made of stone, vines and wood but, hey, a weapon was still a weapon. And the spears looked deadly. They outnumbered us by at least double and they circled us with leering, drunken grins.

Chiron had told me he was nothing like his other brethren. He'd been raised by Apollo to be civil and use his intelligence to train heroes. The other centaurs, however, were chaos incarnate. And, by the way they eyed me and Zoisme, I believed Chiron. Although, I wouldn't want to be in the centaurs' place if they tried laying a hand on the Amazon.

Overhead, a large raven cawed, his shadow rushing through the clearing. Breathing became difficult as I faced down our odds. I sent a silent prayer hoping we got out of this alive.

"Get him up," Zoisme ordered, not taking her eyes off the centaurs.

She thrust a dagger I hadn't noticed into my hands. My fingers were just closing around the hilt when the first centaur lunged. Zoisme dropped, sliding her dagger across his shins and then his horse legs. Bacchus swung at another, his sword nicking the tail as the centaur swerved in time.

Chaos erupted with a blur of centaurs, and I quickly lost track of Zoisme and Bacchus.

"Patroclus, can you run?" I breathed, tugging on his hand.

Patroclus nodded, when one the larger of the centaurs pawed the ground in front of us. His animal eyes bore into me. I helped Patroclus to his feet and the movement made the centaur twitch. He smiled, a cruel gesture that cut through my chest.

"You can't run," the centaur grinned, "but we'll let the men live, if you give us your women."

I stiffened, but Patroclus was moving. He spun me around as if we were dancing, placing himself between me and the centaur. The dagger appeared in his hand, and when I blinked, he flicked the dagger. It buried deep in the centaur's chest and Patroclus grabbed my hand, dragging me away from the screaming beast. He snatched the centaur's spear as we dashed by.

The terror was enough to follow him without hesitation, but I realized that I'd never seen Patroclus fight before. Of course, I knew he could. He trained with Achilles, after all. But watching him now, I saw how effortless he moved. His fighting matched Achilles in precision. He tripped another centaur with the sharp end of his spear. When a centaur attacked, Patroclus avoided, and launched a lethal payback. There was still a roughness that had been finessed out of Achilles, but Patroclus was a warrior worthy of his friend's glory.

Bacchus appeared, blood staining his leathers, and I hoped none of it belonged to him. I caught sight of Zoisme swinging her sword. The way her lips curled and her eyes sparkled, the Amazon was enjoying the fight.

"Get her out of here," Patroclus ordered, grunting as a centaur kicked him in the chest.

"Patroclus!" I screamed.

He flew back and hit a tree. Hard. I lunged for him, dodging Bacchus as he tried to stop me. I managed to avoid the centaur, who reared back on his hindlegs. Patroclus was on the ground, not moving. No. No. No.

And then another beast appeared in front of me, blocking my path. I skidded to a halt and staggered back, skinning my hands on the ground. My head snapped up, fear driving me like prey—only it wasn't a centaur.

The man perched on top of the horse stared down at me coolly, his dark skin glistening with sweat. A triumphant smirk was plastered on his lips as he regarded me and it took me an embarrassingly long moment to understand that I recognized him.

"Odysseus?"

Odysseus' smile widened. "The prisoner of Achilles."

"I'm not a prisoner anymore."

"No, you're just friends with the Amazons and cenataurs now."

Cheeks flaring, I clapped my mouth shut.

"Tell me, prisoner of Achilles, do you need some assistance?"

"Um..." I shrugged, suddenly unsure of what to do. Yes was the most obvious answer but something in his gaze made me hesitate. No, no hesitation. Patroclus needed help. "Obviously?"

Odysseus raised his eyebrows in amusement, though a twinge of iciness sent up red flags in my mind. I took a tentative step back. He knew I had nowhere to go. We were trapped and the centaurs were rallying.
Odysseus thrust his sword out to the right, slicing right through the torso of a centaur running at us. My stomach threatened to throw everything up and I spun around to avoid watching the torso fall. Around us, the hero was catching the attention of the other centaurs, and a murmur of uncertainty rose among them.

"I'm feeling generous," Odysseus declared, his eyes never leaving me. "If you want to live, you will leave right now. You're not my target today." He tilted his head, his white teeth flashing.

After a moment, they all dashed towards the trees. As if Odysseus scared them. I noticed that Zoisme was gone as well. Vanished into shadows like a ninja. The red flags continued to multiply, warning sirens rang in my ears. There was something off about the Greek hero, something I couldn't quite place. I glanced at the trees. If I could make it into the trees I'd lose him. I'd risk losing myself too, but I'd deal with that later.

"Running won't help."

I froze, heart beating faster than a scared rabbit. His back was to me, his tone casual and syrupy. He was right. I couldn't run. No more.

"I know all about who you are, Alexis of Troy." Odysseus turned to me. His cheerful smile belied his words. "You're not the only one with a direct connection to the gods. Some can be quite conversational if they like you."

Of course, it was a god. Why not?

"What do you want?" My voice quivered, and I curled my hands into fists to stop them from trembling. I glanced at Bacchus, who was too far away, checking on Patroclus.

"I want the same thing I wanted when I rode to Phthia: Achilles to join Agamemnon in the war for Troy. So, you are going to help convince Achilles to join the war."

"And why would I do that?"

Odysseus stepped closer. His smile never waivered, his posture never changed, yet I felt like a trapped, terrified animal. He was so unlike Achilles but, at the same time, so similar. Unpredictable. Dangerous.

"Because if you don't, I'll tell everyone your little secret. Judging by how hard you've worked to keep it to yourself, I doubt you want that."
"No one would believe you."

I wasn't even convinced. It didn't take much for people to believe someone was a witch. I was struggling to blend in. My foreignness was like a beacon and everything happening around me was fuel for the fire. Besides, it was Odysseus. He was the voice of reason. If he said something people were inclined to believe him.

"I also happen to know that you've caught his attention, haven't you? I thought his little pet was the key to swaying his will, but perhaps it's you."

My breath caught in my throat. "What do you mean?"

Odysseus' smile widened. "Oh, there is not use playing dumb, hm?"

I rolled my eyes. "Please. I'm not the one Achilles cares about."

I pushed past Odysseus who put his hands up, his eyes glinting. then motioned for me to lead the way. His voice was low, just low enough that I barely heard him as I made my way to Patroclus.

"Then it is a good thing I have his pet too."

I ignored the way his words sounded like a threat as I crouched beside Patroclus. He was coming to, my to my relief.

"You make for a good punching bag," I said, placing a hand on his cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," the warrior groaned, easing himself upright. Then he noticed Odysseus lurking over my shoulder and sighed. "Thank the gods you're here."

The hero smiled and extended a hand. Patroclus took it and when he was on his feet he swayed, but remained standing.

"Achilles has had us searching for you all morning," the hero explained.

"Well, you are a very welcome sight," Patroclus said, clapping Odysseus on the shoulder.

I wasn't so convinced. I crossed my arms, glaring at the hero. "Why did you wait so long to attack?"

"The Amazons were waiting for the Myrmidons. The only way to successfully attack was for them to lower their guard just enough for us to move. They're fierce savages."

"And you're all afraid of them," I pointed out. "I think that makes them pretty amazing."

Odysseus smiled. "I was told your time approves of strong women. I suppose that is why you feel that way."

"I wouldn't say they always 'approve'," I remarked, very aware of Patroclus and Bacchus watching me with curious confusion, "but it is slightly better for women, sure. Who told you about where I'm from? It was Athena, wasn't it?"

"Hmm, that is information I cannot share. But you angered the god, so perhaps they wanted to get back at you."

Great. That narrowed down the list to half a dozen.

"Alexis, what are you two talking about?" Patroclus demanded.

Odysseus raised his eyebrows, a silent challenge. I crossed my arms, glaring right back. Perhaps it wasn't the time to have that conversation, but Odysseus wasn't going to escape it forever.

"It doesn't matter," I replied. "We should get back."

Our staring contest was cut off when a twig snapped to our left, followed by the flurried sound of wings. We froze, Odysseus' eyes snapping left and right. With his free hand, he reached for his sword. Bacchus passed his sword to Patroclus, who swung it with expert grace. If there were any straggling centaurs, they were going to meet the wrath of heroes.

"Please spare me the theatrics of waiting," Odysseus called out. "I know someone is out there."

There was a rustling in the bushes to our right. I remembered Zoisme had slipped away just in time to rush into the clearing, gunning for Odysseus.

Odysseus parried, surprise flitting across his dark features. "Unhand her, Odysseus of Ithaca."

"Who's this? An Amazon bastard child?" Odysseus laughed. "Run along, little girl. I will not fight a child."

Zoisme's head cocked to the side like a curious bird. "Are you scared this child will win?"

"You think you could match a hero of Greece?" Odysseus shook his head, amused. "You Amazons are all the same."

I moved without thinking, slashing my dagger out, catching him in the arm. Surprised, he dropped my arm with a grunt and spun around to face me. Gone was the jovial casualness. In its stead was a raging bull. Patroclus threw up his hands, while Bacchus gaped at me.

"You shouldn't have done that," the hero growled.

Zoisme leapt on his back before he could lunge at me. They did an awkward dance, where Odysseus wormed about, trying to fling Zoisme off. She was smaller than the other Amazons so they didn't fall, but her weight slowed him down. He managed to throw her off, but she was ready. She tackled him to the ground where they rolled through the dirt. When she swung her fist, he caught it with one hand and twisted it backwards. Grunting, Zoisme kneed him in his ribs, springing to her feet.

Her movements were so different than the two heroes. Like most of the divinely touched beings I've met, she moved with inhuman speed and agility. The only difference was Zoisme moved with a fluid grace, like waters winding through a river. She was stunning, powerful. Unpredictable.

Odysseus had clearly underestimated her.

Zoisme slashed her dagger at Odysseus, who jumped back out of her reach. The smirk was gone when he realized she was putting up more of a fight than he anticipated.

"Alexis, come on," Patroclus said, grabbing my arm.

"No—Zoisme." I tried to shrug out of his grasp but, injured or not, he was strong.

Before he had the chance to blink, Zoisme was on top of Odysseus. The blade Artemis gave me glinted dangerously in her hand as opposed to mine. When did she take it? I tried to look for any trace of the Zoisme who had travelled with me and Paris but she was long gone.

She pressed the dagger against his neck, a thin line of red forming.

"Just like that, this bastard child beat you," she sneered. "You're not Achilles. You bleed. I suggest you let Alexis go and keep her secret to yourself."

"Savage," Odysseus spat, and he struck.

Time slowed as Zoisme let out a small gasp. Reality slammed into me like a punch in the gut. I squirmed in Patroclus' grip, but he had an arm around my waist, lifting me off the ground. A ringing in my ears turned into roaring when I saw Zoisme staggering off Odysseus, her face an open mask of shock. She trembled harder than a leaf on a windy day, her hands reaching for her stomach. Something protruded out of her armour.

Odysseus climbed to his feet, stalking towards her calmly. My vision narrowed on Zoisme as her knees buckled. Patroclus was saying something, dragging me further and further away. No matter how much I kicked and sobbed he didn't let me go. A trail of blood dripped out of the corner of her mouth. The handle of my dagger stuck out of her stomach. Oh, how pale she looked. An ashy version of her former self. Odysseus was almost upon her and she drooped her shoulders. Her eyes found mine and they were filled with defeat and apologies.

"Zoisme!" I screamed. This wasn't happening. She couldn't die. "Zoisme get up!"

"It's an honourable to die by my hand," Odysseus said. He gripped the dagger and ripped it out of her. Then he kicked her. Blood gurgled in her throat and she fell onto her back. "Even for a savage."