The Heir of a Thousand Lifetimes (A PJO Universe Story)

Do we have a deal?

Sometimes I wonder if my rage is irrational. I have spent my entire life consumed by it, by emotions that have never quite belonged to me, by searching the world for something that was never mine, by seeking revenge for wrongs committed against part of me that existed millennia ago.

I thought once these questions were answered, I would find peace. I was wrong. If anything, I have become even more determined to right the past, to get vengeance for the sins against me that were never able to reach absolution, to cleanse the ledger in blood.

I thought I'd try harder to make my peace with my father once I met him, but after I saw his face, my hatred only grew tenfold. I realize now I do not owe him peace. I don't want it, nor do I need it either, not from him. The god-king wants me to be his prize, his prophetic child who is meant to be a continuation of the greatest hero of old. I am meant to worship at his feet and praise the Fates for giving me the fortune of being born to the highest of the gods.

But when have I ever done what I was told?

Zeus has gotten everything he has wanted for far too long.

Perhaps I will find peace within the chaos, just as every hurricane has an eye. That is Cassius. He is my voice of reason, I'm finding. After all, wasn't that what Patroclus was to Achilles, and Hephaestion to Alexander? Both were hot-headed, reckless, dangerous, forces of nature on their own that could destroy everything in their paths if they so wished. But the other calmed them, gave them peace when none was to be found anywhere else.

What a legacy, I think fondly, kicking my feet in the water and splashing lightly. The naiads swimming under the surface smile a little at the sight of me. I'm discovering that they like me. Cassius once said it's because Achilles' mother, Thetis, was a Nereid. I think it's just because I'm likable.

He's probably right, though.

I think back to earlier in the day. I still have a sinking feeling in my stomach about going to Troy with Apollo. I cannot and will not trust him, not around me, but especially not around Cassius. Yes, he's a far better fighter than I am, but I can't help how protective I am of him.

I don't like any part of this.

I consider my options for a moment. I don't have many. I don't have any, actually. I know I don't know much about this whole 'Greek-demigod-creatures-of-legend' thing, but I've heard enough stories to know that trying to avoid fate is a pretty bad idea. It would probably end with me or Cassius getting killed in some terribly gruesome way, or both of us getting killed.

So, yeah, no avoiding fate for us. Not if we want any chance of surviving.

I stare down at the water, and as the seconds pass, I see the waves blur into dust. The dust builds into a temple, overlooking a port city and cerulean waves. Sunlight streams into the central chamber of the temple, and there is a massive cult image of who can only be Athena. What draws the eye, though, is what she holds: a bronze-headed spear, glittering in the sun. I feel drawn to it, as if it is somehow mine.

I blink, suddenly snapping free from the spell of the vision when a naiad splashes me. She giggles and waves before swimming off, and I sigh. It seems like every time I have a moment of my past, or one of my ancestors' pasts, within reach, it's taken away from me. What's the point of being a seer if I'm never allowed to truly see anything?

All it does is fuel my growing rage, I think bitterly.

Is fate really so kind if it forces us to live in these paradoxes? It gave Cassius and I this chance, but it stole Patroclus from Achilles to make it happen. Are Alexander and Hephaestion together, then, in the afterlife? Probably not, if we are indeed the third iteration.