The Song of Achilles one shots

Patroclus, Patroclus, My Patroclus

The night had come, but not my Patroclus. Worry built a shell around my mind. Where was my Patroclus.

I plucked my fingers raw on the lyre to distract from my worry. Red my fingers had been, they will heal.

"PRINCE ACHILLES!" Automedon came in out of breath, winded.

"What is it Automedon? What is the problem?" He startled me with his urgency.

He was hesitant "P- Patroclus he has... he has been struck down by Hector!" His words confused me. Patroclus struck down by Hector? Hector? He was struck down?

I sit down.

I breath.

And I ask "Where is Patroclus?" I'm calm in my confusion.

"Sir, Prince Achilles, Patroclus has been struck down by Hector. Patroclus is dead." He talks to me like you would a child, slow, deliberate.

The news balances in my mind. My Patroclus is dead.

The news brings me to me knees. I can't seem to get air.

"Prince Achilles?"

"Prince Achilles?"

A scream leaves my body. A blinding scream. Automedon covers his ears in pain.

I scream over and over and over again. All blinding horrible painful screams.

I beat the floor with my fists. I pull at my hair. I rip the tunic off my body. I claw at my skin. I feel no relief for as soon as I bleed from my clawing it heals.

Automedon still stands there paralyzed.

"Bring him to me!"

Automedon try's to speak "But sir his bo-"

I don't not care for his excuses "Bring me Patroclus."

Automedon nods and runs off.

He is gone for what feels like years, maybe minutes I do not know.

Men come in before before the body does. They tell me that they are sorry, that they feel my pain. Fools they do not feel my pain. My pain is unbearable.

"Prince Achilles, we have his body."

It is Odysseus this time. How I hate that man. How I hate all the men in this war. How I hate myself. I feel like peeling the skin off my body and ripping the hair off my skull.

I don't answer him.

When they set his body down I cling to it.

His skin is cold, it has a grey hue to it.

I hug his cold body tight. A animalistic noise leaves my body. I scream.

I kiss his cold lips. I do not care that others are there.

My Patroclus. My Patroclus. My Patroclus.

The others cringe. They do not understand for they are fools.

"Where is Hector?" My voice startles them.

"We, I- he's back inside the walls, Prince Achilles."  Odysseus never faltered with his words.

"I will kill him. Tomorrow at dawn I will kill him. Go tell the Trojans that tomorrow I will kill their leader."  They blinked at me dumbfounded.

"What are you waiting for? Get one of you messenger boys to go to tell the Trojans."

"Prince Achilles." Ajax finally spoke. He disagreed. That fool.

"GO!" I scream at them. They rush out of the tent.

I sit rocking his body back and forth when I hear a scream. A horrible high pitched scream.

"AHHHHH! AHHH!" The screams are a woman's. Screams I had only heard from widows and mothers who had just lost their children.

The flap of the tent opens "YOU COWARD!" It is Briseis. She has tears on her face. Similar to my own.

"YOU STUPID MAN!" Her words are bold and of grief. If this where any other time her actions would have been inappropriate, but this is not any other time.

She approached the body and falls on to her knees and cries. 

I knew she loved him, but I did not know how far that love extended. I think if he would have picked her over me he would not be dead right now.

So we both cry together of our grief.

I begged him to come back to me. I repeated his name over and over until only my mouth moved and no sound came from my throat.

Patroclus, Patroclus, Patroclus.

AN: Hi so I'm posting a lot because tmrw I go back to school and I do not know if I will have time to write, but I promise I will keep writing. Maybe just not as frequently. But anyways what are some of you all's new year resolutions, goals, or just anything exciting that's gonna happen this year for you