Warrior Rising (41 page)

“Actually, darling, your name will be remembered forever,” Venus said.

“No, Goddess.” He pointed back at the burning body that had been reduced to smoldering ash. “
That
is Achilles. I am only a man, not a legend, not a myth and definitely not a god.”

“I have discovered that being a man means being more than any of those things,” Athena said, her gray eyes finding Odysseus.

“Go with our blessings, mortal man. And know that when love is strong enough it can even cause Fate to change her course,” Hera said.

Still clasping hands, Achilles and Katrina walked from the battlefield with the Myrmidons silently following them. The armies, Trojan and Greek, parted to let them pass. The fighting, after almost a decade, was finally over.

So it was with no little sense of shock that Kat heard an ear-piercing scream. They were in the middle of the dunes between the Greek and Myrmidon camps when a small party of soldiers stumbled into view. There were two women with them. One was being led by a rope around her slender, white neck. She held her head high and ignored everyone and everything around her. The other woman was hurling herself against the man leading the others—it was she who was shrieking and crying.

Kat recognized the hysterical woman instantly. “Holy crap, it's Briseis.”

“After all I've done for you, you
dare
cast me aside for Cassandra! A witch!” Briseis railed at Agamemnon.

The king called the line of warriors to a halt. “Briseis, I have already assured you that I will arrange for your return to your father and will send with you a handsome bride price. Your father will be able to make an excellent match for you.”

“My father is a reprobate! The reason that I'm here is that I fled his house.”

“And again I say that is not my concern.” Agamemnon motioned to his personal guard. “Escort my lady to the ship I have provided, and see her safely off with the next tide.”

The warriors saluted him. With utterly blank expressions, they began to drag Briseis away.

“I curse you, Agamemnon! You reject love, so love will be your downfall!”

Agamemnon yawned. “I'm afraid you're too late. I've already been cursed by love once.”

“Fucking asshole,” Kat murmured.

As if he heard her, Agamemnon's gaze turned her way. Kat watched his eyes glance past Achilles, discount him and then widen in disbelief and return to him. She looked up at her lover. His lips were curved up in his little half smile as he met the king's shocked gaze.

“Make that three times you've been cursed by love,” Achilles said. He didn't shout, but his voice carried easily over the dune. “You deserve no less than to be destroyed by that which you thought to use against others.”

Agamemnon paled, called an order to his men and the group hurried away toward the Greek camp.

Achilles glanced at Kat as they continued walking. “Was it you who cursed him the first time?”

“Absolutely,” she said.

“I'm glad of it,” Achilles said with a chuckle.

“I wish I could remember what happens to Agamemnon,” Kat said softly to Achilles as they came to the Myrmidon beach where the black-sailed ships were docked just offshore. “Well, I suppose I mean what happened to him according to Greek mythology. You know, Jacky is just as bad at mythology as I was, which is . . .” Kat ran out of words as the heartsick truth hit her. Jacky was still in the modern world.

“Remind them,” Achilles said.

“Huh?” Kat said.

“Didn't the goddesses grant Jacqueline a boon, too? Remind them, and if it is her wish, they will return her.”

Kat grinned. “And Patroklos.”

He mirrored her smile. “And Patroklos.”

She opened the locket that she still gripped in her fist. “Uh, Venus. Sorry to bug you again, but I think the three of you forgot that Jacky gets a boon, too. And I know for a fact that she would like to come back here with Patroklos. So, if it's not too much trouble I'd really appreciate it if—”

With an abrupt
pop
Jacky and Patroklos materialized on the beach in front of them. Jacky was wearing an exceedingly short, tight, nurse's “uniform.” The kind that can be found in smut shops, especially around Halloween, complete with white thigh highs, garters and red come-fuck-me pumps. She was obviously in the middle of a very nasty bump and grind and was caught midfling of her long, waving, blond tresses. Patroklos, who materialized sitting on his butt in the sand, was wearing an open-backed hospital robe. He was sporting several different sizes and shapes of bandages, the most evident of which was wrapped around his neck. Patroklos was very obviously alive and very, very obviously firmly in the middle of a recovery stage.

Jacky blinked and looked around, eyes widening. “Oh, Jesus wept! Could you not have waited a few minutes or so?”

“Jacky!” Kat cried, hurling herself into her friend's arms while Achilles and the Myrmidons descended upon Patroklos, thumping him not so gently on the back and commenting on his strange manner of dress.

Kat was happily telling Jacky how utterly stank she was when the sea began to boil. Achilles moved swiftly to her side, pushing the complaining, mostly naked Patroklos behind him with Kat and Jacky and shouting for the Myrmidons to form ranks as the god arose from the cove.

Kat had never seen, never even imagined anything like the being who towered out of the sea over them. He was huge. Instead of skin he had scales that were shaded all the colors of the oceans. His white beard curled down to his massive chest, matching his thick hair that fell in ringlets around his shoulders. Barnacles made of diamonds and sapphires and aquamarines decorated his body. He was carrying a trident carved from red coral, which he lifted and then thudded against the sea floor, causing waves to froth in the normally placid cove, and making the Myrmidon fleet bob precariously like a petulant child's bathtub toys.

“The walls of Troy have been breeched!” His voice boomed across the water. “They no longer keep out the Greeks, so they will also no longer keep out the sea. This is one oath old Priam cannot ignore.” The god lifted his trident again, as if he was getting ready to lead a charge, but the clearing of a lovely voice from behind him had him hesitating and looking around.

The beautiful Thetis of the Silver Feet stepped delicately forward, gliding over the top of the waves as if she was strolling on dry land. “Poseidon, wouldn't you like to reward the mortal who has finally given you Troy?” she said.

Poseidon lifted his bushy white brows. “I would, indeed, lovely Thetis.”

Thetis glanced in their direction. Achilles gave his mother a respectful nod and then took Kat's hand and moved up to the shoreline. He bowed deeply to Poseidon.

Poseidon inclined his head familiarly. “Achilles, it is with glad eyes that I see you have shaken off my brother's curse. For your mother's sake I am pleased that the berserker is no more. So what reward do I owe you for breeching the walls of Troy?”

“Great God of the Seas, I thank you for your kind offer, but it is not me to whom you owe a reward.” Achilles took Kat's arm and presented her to Poseidon. “This mortal woman is responsible for delivering to you the walls of Troy.”

Poseidon stared down at her. Kat wasn't sure of correct protocol, but she bobbed a nervous curtsey.

“This small mortal woman did what an entire army of Greeks could not?”

“I did,” Kat said.

Poseidon bent so he could get a better look at her, then his eyes widened. “You! But you are the Trojan princess, Polyxena.”

“It would appear I am,” Kat said calmly.

“Then it also appears I owe you a double boon—one for bringing me the walls of Troy and another for a slight, ur, misunderstanding earlier that could have ended very badly without divine intervention.” The god actually seemed chagrined, giving Thetis an apologetic look. Then he turned his attention back to Kat. “So, Princess, what reward do you choose? I offer you anything within the wide seas of the world as yours.”

Kat's gaze met Achilles'. “Choose for us, my princess,” he said. She looked over her shoulder at Jacky and Patroklos, who nodded and smiled at her.

She drew a deep breath. “I know exactly what I want. I want you to give me an island that can be hidden from the world—a separate place of unimaginable beauty dedicated to healing and peace and the goddesses.”

Poseidon stroked his beard while he considered. “I believe I do have such an island, but it is far from here. In another time— another place.”

Kat squeezed Achilles' hand. “The farther away, the better.”

“Then come!” Poseidon waved a hand over the cove. The black-sailed Myrmidon ships scattered like autumn leaves as a shining ship made of pearl surged to the surface from beneath the ocean depths. The waters of the cove parted, leaving a sidewalk of dry land leading to the glistening iridescent ship.

Achilles faced his men. “I can no longer lead you. That Achilles died in flames on the Trojan battlefield. I want no more battles—no more glory. I want only the magic of peace. If that is what you want for your lives, you are free to join me.” His half smile flickered. “But only if you are willing to bow to the goddesses.” Then he took Kat's hand, and they started down the god-made path, with Jacky and Patroklos following immediately behind them.

Kat glanced back and was pleased to see that almost every Myrmidon and several of their war-prize brides, Aetnia included, were choosing to take the path to the pearl boat, too.

“Um, Poseidon?” Jacky called as the last of the Myrmidons boarded and she and Kat, Patroklos and Achilles had moved to the bow of the ship.

The God of the Seas peered down at Jacky, his bushy brows lifting when he saw what she was wearing. “Yes, mortal woman with the unusual costume, you have a question for Poseidon?”

“Yeah. I was wondering, does this island you're giving the, uh, princess have a name?”

“It does, indeed. The mortals call it Avalon.”

Kat and Jacky exchanged stunned looks.

“Jesus wept,” Jacky whispered, fanning herself and leaning weakly back against Patroklos. “My heart! I feel my heart going again.”

“Holy fucking shit,” Kat said, shaking her head numbly.

“My god, Kat! I can't wait to meet the locals,” Jacky said, laughing softly.

Achilles' arms went around Kat. “Is all well? Do you know this island called Avalon?”

Feeling dazed, Kat looked into his beautiful eyes. “I do. And it is utterly, completely, perfect.”

She pulled Achilles down to her and kissed him while Poseidon waved his hand over the cove and the waters returned to normal as the pearl ship began to glide seaward into a bank of fog that shimmered and rippled magically. “I wish you a good voyage and a blessed future!” the God of the Seas called.

“Kat, stop making out and look at this. I do believe we're sailing into something that is less than normal,” Jacky said, thumping Kat on her back.

Kat turned, but stayed within Achilles' arms, and looked out at the rippling magic of their future. “I think we'd better just forget about what we used to think of as normal,” she said.

Jacky snuggled against Patroklos's side. Kat was glad to see that the warriors had pieced together something for him to wear— although the hospital gown had revealed a nice view of his firm backside.

“Fine with me. I've never liked normal,” Jacky said.

“You mean you've never
been
normal,” Kat teased.

“You're going to have to rename me,” Achilles said abruptly. “I don't want anything to taint our new life, so Achilles is a name that must forever die at Troy.”

“I have an idea,” Jacky said. Three sets of eyes turned to her. “I think you should name him Angel.”

“You know, you are a very troubled woman. Get over your
Buffy
addiction—it's just not right,” Kat said while the two men looked confused.

“I did not mean Angel as in
Buffy.
I meant Angel as in fallen. Please! He doesn't even have dark hair,” Jacky grumbled.

Kat shook her head in disgust. “I seriously do not think so. Anyway, I have a better idea.”

“What will you call me?” Achilles asked.

Kat turned in his arms. “What do you think of Kirk?”

“Kirk . . .” Achilles tested the name. “I think I like it.”

“Sounds like the name of a leader,” Patroklos said.

“Well?” Kat asked Jacky.

“I cannot believe you give me a hard time about my
Buffy
issue, Ms.
Star Trek
,” Jacky said.

“But you think it's a good choice, don't you?” Kat grinned mischievously at her best friend.

Jacky laughed. “What I think is that our future is going to be anything but boring.”

And the magical fog closed around the pearl ship, carrying them away to a new time . . . and new place . . . and a future that was definitely not boring.

EPILOGUE

The battle was over. Straggling remnants of the Trojan army were being rounded up and, under Odysseus's direction, treated with mercy. Athena had ordered Greek warriors to go to all of the temples outside the Trojan walls and be sure that the priestesses and priests were not harmed. When Poseidon showed up with his army of Oceanids and began ripping apart the walls, the three goddesses, rolling their eyes, moved to a safer position in the grove of ancient olive trees.

Hera was restless and kept jumping at every twig crack and leaf flutter.

“What is it with you?” Venus asked. “The war's over—we got what we wanted.”