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"I really did think it was a good idea," Venus said with a long-suffering sigh after Patroklos and Jacky had disappeared "I mean, hoas I to know he’d run into Hector? Hector and Achilles have avoided each other for an entire war It just doesn’t make sense"

"It does if you factor in divine interference," Kat said

"What? Me? I didn’t do anything to Hector I barely did anything to Patroklos except towith and sprinkle a silamour over him"

"I don’t oddesses playing in this sandbox"

"And gods," Venus said, considering "Hera did have to keep Zeus busy He was showing far too much interest in Troy, and she said he said he’d heard the Oly in the war"

"Ya think?"

Venus frowned at Kat "I a about Hera, Athena and me Well, at least not about Hera and me Athena has lost her head a little, but it was bound to happen some time By Apollo’s hard shaft she’s just so repressed! Nevertheless, what the three of us have done is really inconsequential We shouldn’t have attracted Zeus’s attention"

"I think you’re underesti the effect the three of you have on mortals, but whatever Here’s the point--this war needs to end before anyone else dies"

"Exactly our point, darling"

"Fine Let’s get it done" Kat glanced nervously at the tent door flap "First, what in the hell a to tell them about where Patroklos and Jacky went?"

"Don’t tell the Myrifted by the gods, must be alone with him to pray and fast and heal him They’ll assume divine intervention, but they’ll stay fairly quiet about it unless they see Patroklos, healed and healthy, walking about"

"And I’ll tell Achilles the truth"

"If you s Love even keeps to herself"

"He knows"

"Pardon, darling?"

"I told Achilles the truth about us Patroklos knows, too"

"Oh, of course they do"

"You don’t see, you and your delightful friend are s; unobtrusive is not one of the as you kno are we going to stop this war?"

"If you will reht the two of you--you in particular--into this mess," Venus said "If we’d known a quicker way to stop the ould have done it ourselves, but short of starting a war in Oly to do, we settled for you"

"I keep co, what horse?"

"The Trojan horse The one written about in the stupid Iliad," Kat said

"You mean the enormous horse that carried the Greek army inside it within the walls of Troy? Like Achilles can be killed if you kick his ankle? That horse?"

"Okay, yes Clearly there was fictional license taken by whatever his name was, but maybe there’s a sprinkle of truth to it I did see so pendants that looked like horse heads"

"And some of them also wear pendants that look like erect phalluses, but that doesn’t iant penis, fill it arriors and roll it into Troy If that would work I would have thought of it years ago I am rather a penis specialist"

Kat rubbed her head She felt terrible--all hot and sandy and salty and bloody And Venus was giving her a headache And she needed to tell Achilles that everything was going to be okay with Patroklos At least, she hoped everything was going to be okay with hio talk to Achilles," she told Venus "Patroklos is really in Tulsa, right?"

"Absolutely"

Then Kat’s sto them back, aren’t you? Jacky and Patroklos? You can’t just leave the body and all" And in a different world than me, her panicky mind voice added

"Of course they will return Both of them If he lives If he doesn’t I’oddess paused, noticing Kat’s wide-eyed look, and then shook her head "No, he si the here and there, quickly, before word leaves this tent that they’ve, well, left Actually…" Venus raised her hand "Darling, you should go now I’ to seal the tent"

"But what if soet in?"

Venus smiled "It’s the ancient world, Katrina If they can’t open the tent they’ll believe it’s cursed--or blessed It all depends upon point of view" The goddess fluttered her fingers at Kat "Go on"

"Okay, I’ll take care of Achilles You keep thinking about ways to end this war," Kat said

"Yes, yes, of course Call if you need me," Venus said

"Count on it," Kata weird slam and lock as the flap closed behind her

She blinked, adjusting her eyes to the bright, ht She couldn’t believe it was barely noon It seemed like years had past Where the hell was everybody? Not one warrior was in sight "Achilles?" Kat called, walking around the side of the tent "Odysseus?"

No one Not a warrior or a war-prize bride stirred "This is giving ," she said to herself, as she hurried to Achilles’ tent

The first thing she noticed was Aetnia, sitting slumped over on the bench by the campfire She looked up at Kat, cheeks washed with tears

"Aetnia? Are you okay?"

"Oh,to kill Prince Hector--I knoill!"

"What, slon Who is going to kill Hector?"

"Achilles, of course! That terrible brute! Aga him the news of Patroklos The berserker will take over then, and our poor prince will be doomed" The maidservant clasped Kat’s hands suddenly "Perhaps you can warn hiht not have reached Achilles yet The day is young Hector is probably still on the battlefield You could be within the walls of Troy in no ti her into Troy

"Stop it, Aetnia I don’t have tio of her hands, face filled with shock and confusion "Tell an to shake back and forth slowly "What has happened to you, Princess? Has Melia truly bespelled you?"

"Aetnia, that spell stuff is utter bullshit Why in the hell are you, and all the other woainst the nor in the head, or so that maybe I’ve made my own ht not be what the…" She paused, alovernment, and then aht not be what the rulers of this place want us to think"