Agamemnon answered Achilles's summons to Pedasus. He didn’t like being ‘summoned’ but it wasn’t unreasonable for Achilles to remain in the small port city rather than return to the Achaean base camp. Even without ships it had value, and now they had two. Two merchant ships was a far cry from the several hundred galleys they'd arrived in, but it was more than they’d had two days ago.
The Myrmidons had moved into the town, taking over the abandoned homes and raising modest defenses in the form of spiked wooden palisades and screens for their archers. Many people – traders and camp-followers had moved in to profit off of the soldiers’ patronage and protection. By the looks of it, the Myrmidons were healthy and comfortable – it was a far cry from the carnage and chaos outside Dardanus, or the weariness that hung over their camp outside of Troy.
Achilles, back in his golden god-armor, met them on horseback as they rode in. He could have remained in his tent and let his servants bring them to him, but he was in good spirits, and didn't feel the need for such posturing, “King Agamemnon, King Odysseus,” he bowed slightly.
“Prince Achilles,” Odysseus nodded, “Your courier described a significant strategic victory?”
“It turns out that Lyrnessus and Thebe are uncomfortable allies of Troy, and the port of Adramytium sits in a diplomatic limbo between them. As a result, they have not follow Hector's demand that they should burn their ships to deny us access. A few days ago we infiltrated a festival at Adramytium and captured a number of well connected individuals.”
“You think we can use them to convince the cities to surrender to us?” Agamemnon asked.
“If not surrender, then at least abandon their alliance with Troy and deal with us neutrally."
"If nothing else we can trade your prisoners for some more ships," Odysseus said, "Maybe enough to re-establish our supply line. Good work Achilles."
"Did you expect anything less from the great Achilles, Odysseus?" Achilles continued, "Additionally, among our prisoners is the daughter of Chryses, the high priest in the temple of Apollo on Mt. Ida.”
“That’s the same temple many of the Trojan’s worship at,” Odysseus noted, "Or at least, they would if they weren't holed up in their city."
“Yes sir,” Achilles said, “And apparently it has considerable wealth that Chryses will almost certainly trade for his daughter’s freedom.”
“Better than that,” Odysseus said, “the girl might give us leverage to negotiate with Apollo.”
“Negotiate with him?” Agamemnon said, “That seems unlikely.”
“I'll grant you that Apollo’s become somewhat cold, but he’s still a good man at heart,” Odysseus said, “If we treat the girl well, and I offer her freedom in trade, he might at the very least agree to give aid to our wounded at Dardanus. Has she been treated well?”
“She’s been sharing a lodging with myself, Patroclus, and her friend Briseis – the king of Lyrnessus’s daughter-in-law. We have been perfect gentlemen.”
Odysseus smiled, “I wish we had more men like you and Patroclus in this army.”
Achilles nodded in appreciation of the sentiment, while the innuendo slipped right past Agamemnon, “With an army of men like Achilles we could rule the Mediterranean. I assume we can ransom the other girl as well?”
“Unfortunately not,” Achilles said as he led them to the house he’d occupied, “Her husband, the prince of Lyrnessus, was killed in the battle to take the ships they were on. As she has no children, her father-in-law doesn’t seem to give a crap about her. He’s willing to negotiate for some of the merchants and legal men we took, but he offered only a paltry sum for her. A sum I’m prepared to match and double.”
“No need for that,” Agamemnon said, “She’s your prisoner. If she’s of no strategic value, do with her as you see fit. You’ve certainly earned it.”
The men dismounted and walked to Achilles’s temporary home. It was – not surprisingly – the largest in the city. It was also very close to the agora, where most of the invading profiteers had gathered. One of them, an attractive looking red-headed woman ran over to them and threw herself on Agamemnon, offering him a variety of intimate services. She even reached up under his tunic and leather tassets, and grabbed him.
“Ow!” Agamemnon yelped and pushed her off of him, “Begone wretched woman! I’m a married man, and I have no such interest in your nonsense!” The woman burst into tears and ran away. Odysseus felt uneasy about the whole exchange, but quickly lost the retreating woman in the crowd. With the strange moment past, they followed Achilles inside.
Briseis was in the small abode’s kitchen, happily showing Patroclus how to prepare some local food, and Chryses’s daughter was sitting at the kitchen table, looking sullen. Agamemnon took one look at her sad face and flushed red.
“What is it?” Odysseus asked him, “What’s wrong?”
“She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“You’re married to Helen’s twin sister...” Odysseus said. Achilles couldn’t see the appeal, but that would have been the case regardless of the point of comparison.
“Helen and Clytemnestra are but dogs compared to this woman’s radiance. She shines with the beauty of a thousand setting suns!”
“A thousand setting suns? Really?” Achilles asked.
“Yes, a thousand, do you not see it?”
“I might have put her in the low four hundreds in terms of setting suns,” Odysseus said, “But then that would have been ignoring the part where she’s a person, not jewelry…”
“You were content to use her as a bargaining chip ninety seconds ago,” Achilles said, “I don’t see how one form of objectification is better than the other.”
“My form of objectification stands a chance of saving lives,” Odysseus said. He walked over and sat across the table from the woman. “I am Odysseus, king of Ithaca. My friends say you’ve been treated well,” he said, “Of all men, I would trust their word before any others, but has anything happened to you that they’ve not been witness to?”
“No,” the woman shook her head, “They’ve been very merciful. They’ve kept us here, away from the other men, and given us our own room to sleep in.”
“Good, good,” Odysseus said, “Now, let’s talk about getting you home. You want to go home, right? To your father?”
“Yes, please, very much. That’s all I want.”
“I want you to go home too, so let’s make that happen, okay?” Odysseus said, “Your father is Apollo’s high priest – is he good at his job? Is he a pious and reverent man?”
“Yes sir,” Astynome said, “Apollo loves our family so much he still comes to our temple to teach.”
“That’s great, that’s perfect,” Odysseus said, “I used to be pretty good friends with Apollo. If you and I talked to him, do you think we could convince him to heal some people who’ve been hurt?”
“You want him to side with you against Troy?” Astynome asked.
“No, no. I just want him to help some of our men who’ve been injured in the fighting. I want to see them get home to their families, just like I want to get you home to your family. Does that seem fair?”
Astynome nodded, “If you offer my freedom, and promise not to molest the temple any further, I think that he might do that for you.”
“Great,” Odysseus said, “Let’s not waste time then. Achilles, please have your men set up an altar to Apollo outside of town. I’ll draft a message inviting Chryses to our negotiation, and when it’s all sewn up, you can go home with him.”
“What about Briseis?” Astynome asked.
“I’m fine,” the widow said, “I’ll see you when the war is over.”
“You can’t be serious!” Astynome exclaimed, “They will take you back to Greece as a slave!”
“I was already a slave,” Briseis said, “I traded up from a cruel master to someone who at least sort of treats me like a human being.”
“But I will never see you again!”
Briseis looked to Patroclus plaintively.
Patroclus shrugged, “If we have a treaty with the temple we can take you up there once and a while.”
“Patroclus is a big fan of Apollo,” Achilles winked, “He’ll be happy to go up and make the occasional offering. And I don’t think either of us is in a terrible hurry to sail home when this war is over.”
“Wait, what?” Odysseus asked.
Achilles shrugged, “The Myrmidons are my father’s men, not mine, and when my father passes, they will be my mother’s men. And she will not pass for a very long time. And why should Patroclus hurry home to Greece? Briseis has told us much about the lands east of Troy, and there is much I would like to see with my own eyes.”
“Okay,” Odysseus said, “Sounds fair. Astynome, the deal will only be for you. Are we still good?”
The priest’s daughter nodded in slight disappointment.
“You know,” Patroclus said, “Going to Apollo’s temple isn’t a bad idea. Why don’t Briseis and I take the message to Chryses ourselves? Briseis is a familiar face and I can talk to a man of Apollo’s cloth as a fellow worshipper.”
“That would be a good show of faith,” Odysseus said, “I can make proper plans for our reception and work out the details of our bargain.”
“And I can look after Astynome!” Agamemnon said.
Achilles raised an eyebrow, “Remember that it’s vital that no harm come to her,” he said.
“On my honor,” Agamemnon said, “I swear that no man will enter this domicile with lecherous or malicious intent.”
Achilles and Odysseus exchanged a look of obvious discomfort, but Agamemnon appealed to their solidarity as commanders of the Greek army, “Do you doubt the integrity of my word?” he asked, “How can our men follow us if we do not show each other trust?”
After some further verbal sparring, Odysseus and Achilles relented. Neither of them terribly liked Agamemnon, but the king’s word was not given lightly, and neither of them had ever seen Agamemnon harm a woman – even Clytemnestra, who Odysseus had seen take a swing at Agamemnon on a couple of occasions.
All parties separated to see to their various duties.
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