Aphrodite had very little time to do what she intended before Achilles arrived, but she did manage it. Aeneas was long gone, and her captivation spell cast, waiting the right moment to be activated. Aphrodite decided to see how things transpired, and assumed the form of an eagle to perch upon one of the ships’ masts.
Achilles was quite the specimen, but if he really was her nephew, that was no surprise. The man burst from the dark water like a great white shark striking a seal from below. He landed on the deck of one of the ships with nothing more than a knife and a loin cloth, and proceeded to effortlessly cut down the handful of lightly armored guards that rushed towards him. The first one died to a slit throat. The next was killed when Achilles threw his knife and struck him between the eyes. The third missed Achilles with his spear – Achilles grabbed it, used it as leverage to flip the man into the air, and then stuck him with his own weapon in midair. Achilles caught the man’s wooden shield as it fell and threw it at another man, shattering his pelvis.
The last man managed to score a hit – he struck Achilles with his bronze sword. Unfortunately, bronze would not break Achilles’s divine flesh. The blade deformed as if it had struck a rock. The man jumped back and tried to stab Achilles, but the blade bent harmlessly. The man fell to his knees and begged for mercy. Achilles granted it and treated the man respectfully as a prisoner of war. He didn’t think less of the man for groveling; for a mortal man, facing Achilles unarmed was like challenging a landslide – there was no honor in bravely standing your ground.
Achilles leaped onto the nearest railing and shouted across the decks of the tied together ships, “Attention, allies of Troy. You are now prisoners of Achilles, son of Peleus, and the coalition of Greek states. Any servants and slaves aboard this ship will have a choice – jump ship and swim for shore, or be taken as spoils of war. The useless people will not be given that choice. You will be ransomed back to your families.”
One woman spoke up, “You seem more than capable of dispatching a handful of men hired from the lowest bidder, but you are but one man! You cannot hope to challenge a real man, like my husband!”
The man with her immediately appeared surprised and alarmed, but the woman pressed a dinner knife into the man’s hand shoved him towards Achilles. The surrounding crowd began shouting and cheering for Mynes, which gave the proud man enough impetus to foolishly rush forward. Achilles grabbed the hand clutching the knife, twisted it around the man’s back, and thrust it up under his ribs with incredible force. Mynes died, having stabbed himself in the back.
“Do any other women aboard these ships wish to get their husbands killed?” Achilles said. A few hands went up. “That was sarcasm,” Achilles shook his head as he walked over to the woman who’d challenged him.
“Do you have any comprehension what it means to be taken prisoner by an invading army?” Achilles said, “As a woman? You’ll be lucky if you aren’t raped a dozen times before the morning.”
“Perhaps,” Briseis said, “But my fate was sealed the moment you set your sights on this ship, wasn’t it? Now at least I can close my eyes and remember the sight of you killing the miserable man that’s raped me three times a week since we were married.”
Achilles was taken aback for a moment, “Girl. You are dark,” he finally said, “What’s your name?”
“Briseis,” she said, “the king of Lyrnessus’s daughter-in-law.”
“So you just tricked me into needlessly killing the most valuable person at this party, then.”
“Well, ‘needlessly’ depends on your point-of-view. I’d wanted to do it for a long time.”
Achilles studied her for a moment, “I like you. You can come with me.”
Patroclus and the other Myrmidons’ little boats finally caught up and began disgorging lightly armored men onto the tethered together ships.”
“If you would protect me from your men’s depredations, I beg of you to extend your protection to my friend Astynome,” Briseis grabbed a beautiful blonde woman and pulled her over to face him, “Her father is Chryses, the high priest in Apollo’s temple on Mt. Ida. Artists and worshippers donate much to that temple, and Chryses would part with all of it to have his virgin daughter returned unspoiled.”
“Briseis!” Astynome cried.
“What?” Briseis said, “It is what it is. You play the hand you’re dealt.”
“Is that all true?” Achilles asked the blonde woman. Astynome confirmed that it was, and Achilles called Patroclus over, “King’s daughter-in-law, high priest’s daughter. Make sure no one touches them.” Patroclus pounded a fist against his chest and relayed the word to the other men who were spreading through the party appraising their spoils.
Achilles had everyone loaded onto two ships, cut them free of the rest, and set sail for Pedasus.
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