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Kat was trying to figure out what "enough" ht up with Patroklos and Jacky, and deciding okay, fine She was a professional She would just ask him When Jacky turned to her and with a relieved expression said, "Good There you are Tell hio swimmin’ with them because we have nothin’ to wear in the water"

Kat looked at Patroklos, as sht This silk stuff"--she picked up a fold of her outer dress and swirled so that it flowed gracefully around her--"is pretty, but not good for the water"

"Then you should both do e’re going to do Shouldn’t they, cousin?" Patroklos said, with a lance at Achilles

The corner of Achilles’ lips lifted "They should, indeed It would save the lovely fabric of their robes"

"Shall we?" Patroklos asked

"Yes, cousin," Achilles said

And while Kat and Jacky watched, the tarriors stripped off every bit of their clothes and leaped, shouting, into the turquoise waves

"Holy shit," Kat said

"God My god" Jacky fanned herself vigorously "I owe you an apology, Kat Even if there has been a mix-up about one straight to heaven"

"Have you ever in your life seen such a beautiful body?" Kat asked drea desperately that he would swim back to shalloater And then stand up

"Kat, tell the truth Patroklos looks like Spike, doesn’t he?"

Kat wrenched her eyes froh to roll them at Jacky "You are such a dork And your Buffy infatuation is truly pathetic"

"He does look like Spike! Check out that lean yet muscley physique and that silver-blond hair All he needs is a change in hair-style and a long black leather coat Seeping baby Jesus he has a six-pack to beat all six-packs I’ht How can I let all of that deliciousness go to waste?"

"He’s not Spike, fool Patroklos is a nice guy Spike was the Big Bad"

Jacky gave her a look that telegraphed you’re a moron "Spike from Buffy season seven, Kat Please try to stay with ?" Kat’s eyes followed Achilles’ every muscular, naked movement

"Kat, is Patroklos’ penis pink?" Jacky asked, shielding her eyes with her hand to get a better look as she squinted against the sun reflecting off the waves

"Jacky, do not even try to pretend like you haven’t had sex with a white guy before"

"Just Bradley and just those few times Remember how unsuitable I decided he ith his weird addiction to chocolate-covered maraschino cherries? He used to bite the bottorossness out Vile--totally vile" Jacky shivered dramatically "Anyway I didn’t notice any overly pinkness with hiuy Hey, think about it like this His pink penis matches your blond va-jay-jay"

"Oh, lord, I need to sit down Being white is exhausting"

Jacky was looking around for a log of drifthen Patroklos ran out of the sea to grab her hand "Sith me, my beauty"

Kat tried to keep her eyes to herself, which was da wet, smooth skinned and totally nekked While Jacky babbled about not having a thing to wear, Katslowly toward her The water was still just a little over his waist, aves lapping to his wide chest, so she was able to watch every bit of hiolden and powerful and seductively imperfect He made her body feel flushed and ultrasensitive, and her ht before like an erotic projector flipping on inside her head Just as she ondering how she could drop her clothes and wrap herself around hi, Achilles’ posture changed He left the water, walking swiftly to his discarded clothes

"A runner from the Greek camp co tug-of-war he was playing with Jacky and pulled his clothes on, too

Kat squinted back down the beach and, sure enough, athe sa was running toward the sure to show Achilles careful respect by saluting hihtly

"My lord, Odysseus, has sent ht his breath

"Is Odysseus well?" Achilles asked

"Yes, but not all of the Ithacans have been so lucky Today’s battle was hard fought" The warrior’s voice was not conde and his voice held no hostility, but beside her she could feel the tension that radiated from Achilles "Odysseus sends me to ask if the healer, Melia, would be allowed to tend theamemnon to bother to tend the wounded?" Achilles said in a cold, flat voice

"Kalchas!" Jacky practically shrieked "You mean that filthy old fool who tried to be sure Patroklos’s arm rotted off?"

"Yes,an aro" Jacky extracted herself froer

The er looked from Jacky to Patroklos to Achilles Jacky looked froer to Patroklos to Achilles to Kat, and then back to Patroklos Kat braced herself for trouble

Jacky put her hands on her narrow hips, an action which was totally Jacky-like when she was pissed, and Kat thought hoeird it was that just the way she was holding herself made her look like her body was more lush But before she could tie into Patroklos or Achilles, Kat stepped forward

"She should help Odysseus’s men You knoe’ve been sent here by Athena, and Athena is Odysseus’s patron goddess She’d want Melia to tend his wounded men"

"It does oing alone" Achilles looked pointedly atwith her"

"My beauty will not be going alone," Patroklos said, putting his arm back around her "She has ave hi, one part amusement and one part appreciation "And will you be sure the men do what I tell thes?"

"I will do that for you, if you perform a favor for me later" Patroklos’s infectious sht be interested in that, if it doesn’t involve anything that will tear out those stitches"

Achilles gave the runner an al and whispering to Jacky, the three of the off down the beach in the direction of the Greek camp

"Ithacan! Leave your spear," Achilles said abruptly The runner paused, looking nervously back at the scarred warrior Achilles’ lips twitched up slightly "I have a taste for sea bass" The warrior, with obvious reluctance, handed Achilles his spear "Cousin, be sure this is replaced with one of ours" Patroklos smiled and nodded, and then he and Jacky hurried after the retreating warrior "Did theto spear hi to borrow a healer?" Achilles muttered, more to himself than to Kat

"Sure looked like it"

"And here you are, alone with such a fearsome warrior Some people would call you mad" His turquoise eyes studied her

"And how often have you speared one of Odysseus’s men?"

"Never"