Alexis of Troy (Book I)

κζ′ - Eikosi Exhee

Twenty-Six

"Great, you again," I groaned.

Just when I thought I had seen the last of Athena, there she was, in all her arrogant glory. She always had impeccable timing. Now that I thought about it, did that mean she was keeping tabs on me? I doubted neither of us had anticipated me running into Dionysus. The party was fun while it lasted.

"Oh, Athena, I am worth a lot more than you might think." He tilted his head, his hand coming to rest at the base of Paris' neck. "I give them the chance to let their hair down and release all that pent up energy. If you want to get rid of me I think you'll have a lot of pissed off Greeks. We both know Zeus loves his little playthings enough that he would eventually cave to their desires."

Interesting. Zeus had often been depicted as flippant towards humans. He played with them at his whim, didn't care much about what happened to them. Just look at all the women he impregnated and abandoned. Knowing that he might have some care gave me a glimmer of hope.

"Believe it or not, this story is not for you to mess around with, Dionysus," Athena said coolly. "And that boy is supposed to stay alive."

"Alive? I don't want to kill him," Dionysus laughed.

He leaned down so his lips brushed Paris' ear. The prince shivered, tilting his head in response. Somehow, I did not picture Dionysus to be so compelling. I remembered reading that some considered him evil, but he was a god tied to wine and religious ecstasy.

"I just want to have a little bit of fun. All the women, and some of the men I noticed, want him, and understandably so. Perfect in every way. He had you goddesses practically at his feet, begging for a piece of fruit." His fingers snaked upwards into the prince's hair before tugging on the strands tightly. "But he's here with me, aren't you, Paris?" His lips caressed Paris' cheek. "Out of everyone at that party, you were drawn to me. How about giving the poor thing a chance to let loose before condemning everyone to their fate. Unless, Alexis, you want to give him that pleasure."

"You really like the sound of your own voice," Athena sighed. "What would Ariadne think about your antics?"

She stomped up to Dionysus and Paris and my breath caught in my throat. Judging by the way Paris hissed through clenched teeth, Dionysus had tightened his grip on the young prince's hair. "You always were all talk. What do you think this little show is going to prove?"

"We're not all at your beck and call, Athena," Dionysus sneered. "And not all of us are participating in your pathetic game with Zeus."

Athena lifted her chin, her helmet catching in the lantern light. "Maybe not, but our pathetic game involves these two, so it'd be best if you left them alone. I would hate it if I had to put you in your place."

She didn't sound like she'd hate it. If anything, she looked beyond ready to whoop his butt. Maybe even a tad excited.

"Oh, really?" Dionysus' lips curled into a taunting smirk. "I'd like to see you try."

Athena and Dionysus were two polar opposites. Athena represented order and intelligence and strategy. Dionysus was pure chaos: wild and carefree. Clearly a bit of a rebel and rulebreaker. It was obvious how they clashed. The irritation between them sparked something fierce. I needed to get Paris away from both of them before we became collateral damage. The only problem was that Paris sat between them and Dionysus was using him almost like a shield.

And then Athena spoke up as if she read my mind.

"Well then, let's do this," Athena goaded, "but get rid of the human shield. Unless you're scared to face me."