TWO
"Where exactly are we going?" I asked, struggling to keep up with Athena.
She strode with purpose and such speed I had to jog to match her pace. It hadn't taken long before I worked up a sweat between the heat and the humidity. I panted, my heartbeat steadily climbed. I was sweating in places I didn't even know could sweat, but Athena still looked flawless. Radiant and arrogant.
Typical.
"Somewhere not so in the open," she replied. "And to find you a change of clothes. Whatever you're wearing definitely doesn't belong in this timeline..." She paused and gave me a judgey once-over. "I don't even know if it has a place in your timeline."
My cheeks coloured as I wrapped my arms around my torso, suddenly very self-conscious about how I looked. Standing next to a goddess with a flowing robe, I undoubtedly paled in comparison. My hair was starting to curl and frizz thanks to the humidity, and I'd already removed my makeup. My pyjamas were old and worn out, but they were still the most comfortable pair I owned. I wouldn't say these were my sexiest pyjamas, but whatever. When it came to sleeping, comfort was all that mattered.
"My PJs? I don't wear them when I go out, and I certainly wouldn't be wearing them if I'd known I was going on a time-travelling trip."
How would you plan for that anyway? Would you pack sunscreen? Your passport? Your camera? I shook my head. It wasn't the time to be dwelling on such thoughts, especially when the distance between Athena and me was growing. Somehow she'd managed to get thirty paces ahead of me. I hurried to catch up.
"Regardless of what you're wearing, I doubt you have a Trojan outfit stashed in your closet," Athena pointed out, "and, though I don't anticipate you running into anyone, blending in helps. There's not much I can do about the boyish hair. Perhaps a veil."
I wrinkled my nose. I'd studied about the gods and goddesses and their personality traits, but her blatant arrogance kept throwing me off. She played it so smoothly in her no-nonsense tone that it was rattling. If Athena was like this, the others were probably similar, if not worse. I thought of Zeus and shivered.
"You really have a way with words, don't you?" I mumbled as I attempted to smooth down my hair. When she ignored me, I sighed and tried again. "Tell me more about what I'm doing here. You said Zeus overheard my wish to escape?"
"Yes, he did. As far as I can tell, he must have placed a bet with Odin or Yahweh, or one of his other gambling buddies. Whatever the reason, let's focus on getting you out of here, because it will not be an easy journey."
"Great, just what I want to hear."
Athena barely glanced over her shoulder. "Well, you haven't died yet. That's a comforting notion."
"Comforting... That's anything but comforting. Can't you just, I don't know, snap your fingers and take me home? How about that?"
"I can't do that. Unfortunately, the only person who can send you home is the one who brought you here." Athena was looking around, trying to determine our next steps. "And I happen to know Zeus isn't in a charitable mood, so until I can figure out how to bypass his silly rule, you're stuck here."
"You're joking." I threw my hands in the air. "I can't stay here. I have a life to get back to, okay? People who will be looking for me... who will be distraught that I'm missing. Not to mention, I don't even belong here."
"I don't joke," Athena sighed, "certainly Zeus likes to lie and trick people, but I assure you, I do not. It was better to tell you straight away to give you a chance to accept your situation. If I had lied and you found out, would you have trusted me?"
She had me there. Once she realised I had no snappy remark to give, she nodded her head and faced forward. After a moment and with an eye roll, I trailed after her.
"Can you answer this: are all deities and mythological beings real?"
A surprisingly breezy laugh escaped the goddess's lips and, even though her back was to me, I imagined her exasperated look.
"They are, and you should be thankful that it wasn't Odin who caught your wish. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if he were in on this. He and Zeus have grown quite close over the centuries. They like to make wagers every couple hundred years or so. We've all banded together since the rules fell into place. It's been pretty entertaining, actually, watching you all turn on each other instead of having us do it for you."
That shouldn't have been as surprising as it felt. The gods from myths and legends all exist, and they like to watch humanity slowly self-destruct like it's some reality TV show.
Jerks.
"Great, I'm just a pawn in this big, cosmic joke," I mumbled, "no big deal."
"Mumbling is a sign of a weak mind," Athena noted. "And you humans really do like to mumble a lot. Speak up so I can hear you."
"Yeah, well, just... ugh! You're infuriating!" I huffed. She whirled around, stunned by my outburst. I clutched my hands into tight fists, embarrassment and anger fuelling me on. "We've only just met, but you are horrible. You have been insulting and making me feel bad about myself, and... you didn't even ask me what my name was."
"I know your name," she said, but I steamrolled over her.
"Any respectable person would have asked anyway." I huffed and crossed my arms. "I'm not some puppet. I appreciate your help, but stop insulting me."
Silence engulfed us as I struggled to collect myself. She stared at me coolly from under her helmet's visor, her arms folded over her spear. She reminded me of a teacher dealing with a difficult child with her fingers tapping on her arm.
"Are you done having your tantrum? We really need to get you out of sight. "
I pursed my lips, shoving past her. "I need a moment."
I threw a bunch of curses at her as I stormed away—insulting, cold, callous, bitch—and sent a rock into a bush with a rage-fuelled kick. Of course, that turned out to be a mistake because I was barefoot. You know the feeling when you stub your toe? It was like that, only a hundred times worse. The crippling pain buckled my knees.
"Ouch," I hissed at the same time I heard another voice cry out.
"Ouch!"
A moment later, a young man popped out of the bush, clutching his temple. He staggered forward, and when he dragged his hand away, his fingers were stained red.
"Oh my god," I gasped. "I'm so sorry." I raced towards him as he blinked at his hand. "A-are you okay? I-I didn't even think... for what it's worth, I hurt my toe... That doesn't matter; you're bleeding. Is there anything I can do?"
I had no idea if he understood me. I understood Athena. Maybe that meant I understood other people in this world too.
"I'm fine. It's a small cut."
His stunned gaze drifted from his hand to mine, and the ground shifted under my feet. Be still my beating heart. He was handsome. And tall. And lithe, with veins coiling around his muscles. Hair a dark shade of brown curled playfully around his soft features and brushed his sun kissed skin. Even if he was dressed in a faded smock, there was a naturally regal air about him. A thin trail of blood from the cut to his brow, a slight marring to his otherwise beautiful face.
He tilted his head, curiosity sparking in his chocolate-brown orbs. "What are you wearing?"
He leaned in close, squinting for a better look, the cut on his forehead clearly forgotten now that there was something new to inspect. His fingers plucked at the cotton fabric of my pyjamas, and when they brushed my skin, I jumped back as if shocked.
Oh...no... Oh no, oh no, oh no. It was the one thing Athena insisted on, not to interact with anyone from this world. Two seconds away from her, I broke the cardinal rule.
I wrapped my arms around my torso as if that would hide the hideous pyjamas. I dropped my gaze to avoid his, which was for the best, considering the verbal vomit I felt bubbling up my throat.
"I-I'm not wearing anything unusual. Just normal, Trojan attire. I mean, not normal, normal, it's like the latest fashion. Short robes, you know, because of the heat. It's really not that weird...?"
Oh, Alexis, shut up. There was no way any of that made any sense, and even though I couldn't see his expression, he didn't buy it either. Obviously, he wouldn't buy it. It was a ridiculous excuse in the world of excuses—
Slow but steadily growing laughter spilled out of his mouth, and my look seemed only to make him laugh harder.
"The words coming out of your mouth make no sense, but you are funny," he grinned, "you must have come in on one of the ships, right? Merchants like you usually bring strange things to sell."
"Heh, yeah... yeah, totally, I came here on a ship," I said, nodding like a Bobblehead. "The ship where I sell worldly things. Look, I-I should go. My... friend is waiting for me, and I don't want her to worry."
"I should walk with you," he offered, "a young lady like yourself shouldn't be wandering by herself."
I wanted to argue that I didn't need a man looking out for me, but before I could, he stepped in front of me, flashing a disarming smile. Curse him and his gorgeous face. Were all the people in this world beautiful?
"It's okay. She's just over there," I replied, waving flippantly behind me. "So... bye."
I whirled on my heel, but he matched my speed with ease. Curse my little legs.
"I really must insist. I would hate it if something happened to you."
"I'm the one who gave you that cut," I pointed out, "I think I'm good."
"Is it presumptuous of me to ask your name?"
"No... I mean, yes, it is."
I kept walking, and he kept following. "If you feel guilty about hitting me with that stone, don't. I was looking for some wood for a fire, so, of course, you didn't see me."
"You were looking for wood in a bush?"
I'd be the first to admit that I didn't have a lot of outdoorsy experience, but even I knew little twigs from bushes didn't provide much fuel for fires.
Encouraged by my response, he hurried to block my path again. "I see now it might not have been the best spot, but going into the woods is dangerous. There are stories that the gods like to hide away in there and pounce on unsuspecting mortals."
I stifled a laugh. After meeting Athena, there was probably some truth behind those stories.
With a sigh, I placed my hands on my hips as an idea crept into my mind. Interacting with one person surely wasn't going to bring a bunch of changes to the story. He hardly looked like an important character in his old clothes. Probably some farmer's son or something. He was better company than Athena in any case.
His brow knitted together with a frown, the drying blood above his eyebrow cracking. Without thinking, I reached forward and brushed the drying smudge away. It wasn't a big cut, and it had stopped bleeding thankfully, but a brown ring of the beginnings of a bruise formed around it.
He tensed like a scared rabbit but didn't swat my hand away. I gave him a small smile. Then I noticed what I was doing and yanked my hand away, a red hot blush creeping onto my cheeks.
"I'm sorry," I said slowly, "I was rude earlier. I could actually use your help. Obviously, I can't go around wearing these clothes... can you help me get new ones?"
The smile that lit up his face was dazzling, and I knew I'd made the right choice in picking him over Athena. She probably didn't even care what happened to me, as long as I didn't mess things up. I would lie low, figure out how to get back to my timeline and pretend that this was all some wild dream.
"Of course," he replied without hesitation. "Will you tell me your name now?"
"Oh, yeah, duh," I laughed, "I'm Alexis." When I extended my hand to shake, he raised his eyebrows, unsure of what to do. I dropped it, trying not to look like I'd embarrassed myself in front of this handsome man. "And you are?"
"Alexis..." His tongue wrapped around my name. With his accented voice, it was a beautiful note of music, a gentle caress against my skin. I resisted the urge to ask him to repeat it. "Is that a shortened version of Alexandra?" I shrugged, and when I didn't elaborate, he carried on. "I am Paris, son of a herdsman."
"Paris, huh?" I smiled back. "That's not a very common name in Greek mythology..."
"Mythology?"
My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped as the name hit home. There was only one person that I could recall with the name Paris. I was in Troy. How did I not even consider that I might encounter him? Because I didn't think I'd be in this mess in the first place.
"You're Paris."
He gave me a weird look. "That's my name, yes."
I bit back a hysterical laugh. "Well, fu–"