Alexis of Sparta (Book II) - Unedited, first draft*

κ′ - Eikosi

Twenty

We were still trekking through the forest as the sun rose higher in the sky. The heat was claustrophobic buried in the depths of the trees. Sure there was more shade, but the humidity was heavier, especially after the rain, the air rife with damp and growth. I'd long stopped caring about the sweat that dripped off my face and back.

After our fight, the tension lifted and we refused to drift too far from one another. Zoisme told me of her home in Anatolia, of the days spent training under the hot sun, of the nights spent looking at the stars.

"What about the boys?" I asked, running a hand through my damp hair. We'd found a small, winding river and determined it a safe spot to take a break. The water had been a welcome relief from the heat.

"What about them?" Zoisme asked back. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth before leaning away from the water.

"Even you Amazons cannot control what gender is born. What happens to the boys born?"

"Ah, I see." Zoisme crossed her legs and sunned herself by resting on her hands. Now that I knew who she was, it was easy to see the traces of her mother in her features. "If a child is born a boy we leave them in a nearby village."

"Well, at least you are heartless killers," I muttered.

"Heartless?" Zoisme raised an eyebrow at my confirming expression and huffed. "Do people think we kill innocent children? They do not ask to be born male. Why should we condemn them to death for such a thing?"

"I mean...you do hate men," I pointed out. Zoisme rolled her eyes.

"We hate men because they would have us confined to kitchens and keep silent. As an Amazon, we are free to be us."

"And yet you train like warriors. You hate men, yet you act like them."

Zoisme pursed her lips and climbed to her feet. "We've stopped for long enough. We must continue before night falls."

With a sigh, I followed her and brushed off my dress. All that did was smear sweat and more dirt across the material. With another sigh, I trudged after my friend. By the time we continued, the sun rose up over the treetops. Slivers of sunlight trickled through, and despite stifling air, I was glad we weren't roaming around on open terrain.

"I'm sorry if that struck a chord," I said.

She shrugged and leapt onto a large boulder. "We've learned long ago that, in order to survive in a world where men despise us, we need to defend ourselves. So, we use their tactics against them." She glanced over her shoulder and flashed a wicked grin. "We are heading in the right direction."

"And where, exactly, are we going?" I asked as she leapt down. I envied the way she managed to stay upright. My ankle would have rolled if I attempted something like that.

"To Mount Olympus," she replied.

My heart skipped a beat as I hurried to match her swift pace.

"Mount Olympus. Really? Artemis said I shouldn't waste my time going there."

"It will certainly garner the attention of the gods," Zoisme said. "Zeus cannot ignore you forever so, perhaps we need to give him a slight nudge."

Something told me to listen to Artemis but Zoisme was there, willing to help me. What harm could it do, anyway?

As we lapsed into silence, my thoughts turned to Patroclus and Bacchus. Patroclus was capable of handling himself, even if Achilles insisted on protecting him. And I had to believe Patroclus knew the terrain. If Bacchus stuck with him, they should be okay.