Twenty

We were still trekking through the forest as the sun rose higher in the sky. The heat was claustrophobic buried in the depths of the trees. Sure there was more shade, but the humidity was heavier, especially after the rain, the air rife with damp and growth. I'd long stopped caring about the sweat that dripped off my face and back.

After our fight, the tension lifted and we refused to drift too far from one another. Zoisme told me of her home in Anatolia, of the days spent training under the hot sun, of the nights spent looking at the stars.

"What about the boys?" I asked, running a hand through my damp hair. We'd found a small, winding river and determined it a safe spot to take a break. The water had been a welcome relief from the heat.

"What about them?" Zoisme asked back. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth before leaning away from the water.

"Even you Amazons cannot control what gender is born. What happens to the boys born?"

"Ah, I see." Zoisme crossed her legs and sunned herself by resting on her hands. Now that I knew who she was, it was easy to see the traces of her mother in her features. "If a child is born a boy we leave them in a nearby village."

"Well, at least you are heartless killers," I muttered.

"Heartless?" Zoisme raised an eyebrow at my confirming expression and huffed. "Do people think we kill innocent children? They do not ask to be born male. Why should we condemn them to death for such a thing?"

"I mean...you do hate men," I pointed out. Zoisme rolled her eyes.

"We hate men because they would have us confined to kitchens and keep silent. As an Amazon, we are free to be us."

"And yet you train like warriors. You hate men, yet you act like them."

Zoisme pursed her lips and climbed to her feet. "We've stopped for long enough. We must continue before night falls."

With a sigh, I followed her and brushed off my dress. All that did was smear sweat and more dirt across the material. With another sigh, I trudged after my friend. By the time we continued, the sun rose up over the treetops. Slivers of sunlight trickled through, and despite stifling air, I was glad we weren't roaming around on open terrain.

"I'm sorry if that struck a chord," I said.

She shrugged and leapt onto a large boulder. "We've learned long ago that, in order to survive in a world where men despise us, we need to defend ourselves. So, we use their tactics against them." She glanced over her shoulder and flashed a wicked grin. "We are heading in the right direction."

"And where, exactly, are we going?" I asked as she leapt down. I envied the way she managed to stay upright. My ankle would have rolled if I attempted something like that.

"To Mount Olympus," she replied.

My heart skipped a beat as I hurried to match her swift pace.

"Mount Olympus. Really? Artemis said I shouldn't waste my time going there."

"It will certainly garner the attention of the gods," Zoisme said. "Zeus cannot ignore you forever so, perhaps we need to give him a slight nudge."

Something told me to listen to Artemis but Zoisme was there, willing to help me. What harm could it do, anyway?

As we lapsed into silence, my thoughts turned to Patroclus and Bacchus. Patroclus was capable of handling himself, even if Achilles insisted on protecting him. And I had to believe Patroclus knew the terrain. If Bacchus stuck with him, they should be okay.

It dawned on me that, should our journey to Mount Olympus succeed, I would never get the chance to say goodbye. Achilles was one thing but Patroclus and Bacchus...

And Paris. A deep, longing ache spread through my chest as I imagined his warm smile, his chocolate brown eyes. His soft lips against mine and the rough brush of his calloused hands along my skin—

I shoved that thought away quickly, though the ache continued in tandem with the gnawing hunger in my stomach. Fortunately, Zoisme was preoccupied and didn't notice the way my cheeks blazed with heat.

"Is there anything we can eat around here?" I grumbled, eager for a distraction. The way the sun was positioned, I'd say it was about noon, which meant the last meal I'd had was dinner the night before. No wonder I was so hungry.

"Of course there is, if you know where to look," Zoisme grinned. She wandered to a nearby shrub with plump, purple berries and spindly leaves. "These berries are edible, though quite bitter. But these..." Zoisme wandered to the next bush where familiar berries grew. "These are also edible and quite sweet."

I lunged for the berries and plucked several from the bush. Their sweet juices exploded in my mouth, leaving a slight bitter aftertaste. "Oh, my god, blackberries. These are the best I've ever had."

I snatched more from the tree and shoved them into my mouth as Zoisme showed me other plants and berries that were edible, and the ones that weren't. But we couldn't fill up on berries alone. We had remained close to the river for an easy source of water. And where there was water, there was likely to be fish.

Sure enough, Zoisme caught a couple fat, silver-scaled fish and while she skinned them, I stoked the fire. Smoke was a risk but we were both too hungry to care.

"Do you think the Amazons or Achilles will come looking for us?" I asked, once we had our fill of fish and berries.

Zoisme picked her teeth with a slender fish bone. "My mother will come for me. Achilles might not." She looked at me, her dark eyes glinting like coal. "Do you want him to come for you?"

"What?" I scoffed and drew my knees under my chin. "No, of course not. I'm just wondering if everyone is okay."

"They can handle themselves."

She said it with such confidence that I almost believed her. The only thing that rang true was that all of them had a part to play in the Trojan war. All except Zoisme, whose name never appeared in the story.

I glanced at my friend, a strange feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't tell what it was, but worry pressed in around me.

"Tell me about your world," Zoisme said, her voice knocking me back to my senses.

I frowned

Then she froze, her hand shooting out to block me. Her shoulders were tense, alert. I saw and heard nothing, though I inched closer to her. If she was wary, I was wary.

"Something is out there," she whispered.

The words were out of her mouth the second I heard it. A rustle of leaves, a twig snapping. The only other sound came from my breathing, and I wasn't entirely confident my heartbeat was quiet.

"What is it?" I asked. The question was no more than a breath.

Zoisme shook her head and frowned. She didn't know what it was either. And when the sound of hooves hit the ground, her head snapped up and she paled.

"Alexis, we need to run. Now!" she ordered, shoving me forward.

I didn't need to be told twice. In this world, if you were told to run, you didn't ask questions. Especially if an Amazon warrior was telling you to run.

I sprinted through the trees, Zoisme outpacing me without difficulty. The trees were getting denser. Zoisme had little trouble weaving through the trees but for a clumsy human? I winced as a sharp branch scratched my arm.

The first sign of our pursuers came as we neared a small clearing. Aside from the clopping hooves, they remained well hidden. It was strange, however, that they were able to ride horses through such a dense forest. It was hard for me to move, let alone a large beast on four legs.

Zoisme pushed out into the clearing and spun around, searching for an exit point. My heart stopped as I crashed after her, sprawling onto the ground. I was not built for running in sandals and forests. My thighs protested and my left shin cramped.

"What are you doing? Keep going," I wheezed.

And then I saw them.

Patroclus lay among the tall grass, little flowers brushing his cheeks. He looked like he was sleeping—if not for the blood staining his forehead and golden hair, and the waxen pallour of his skin.

Bacchus knelt next to him, sword out, eyes scanning the trees. When he saw us, he leapt to his feet, his eyes widening. I was running, ignoring Zoisme as she called for me. I dropped beside Patroclus and placed a tentative hand on his cheek. He looked so young, so vulnerable. Other than the wound on his head, he looked unharmed.

"Patroclus," I whispered, my voice cracking.

"They came out of nowhere," Bacchus muttered. The boy was trembling, his skin whiter than a sheet. "They chased us into this clearing. Patroclus...he was hit b-by a rock."

"Who?" Zoisme asked but I was focused on Patroclus.

His eyes fluttered and I smiled, cupping his cheeks. He met my gaze, glossy and lined with confusion. I helped him up and crushed him in a hug, muttering an apology when he grunted in pain.

"You're alive," he breathed, when I finally, reluctantly, pulled away from him.

"And so are you," I said, "are you okay?"

"I've had worse." Then Patroclus pushed my hands away. "Alexis, you need to get out of here. Now."

The urgency made me freeze. It was then that I realized Bacchus and Zoisme were no longer speaking. Something was wrong. A breeze rustled the trees, the only sound that filled the clearing. Not even the critters chittered, an indication there was something bigger and scarier than us in the shadows of the forest. I opened my mouth but a warning flashed in her dark eyes. The Amazon's expression was feral, a dagger in her other hand. She pulled me closer, a protective stance, I realized.

"We're surrounded," she whispered.

My hand slid into Patroclus' who gave it a reassuring squeeze. Bacchus gripped his sword, eyeing the and the first pursuer stepped out of the shade of the trees and into the clearing, and when I lifted my head, I knew we were in trouble.