Epic Ch. 02

"Over the next days I acted like a total slut to win him over. Constantly teasing, flaunting my boobs, eyeing his package, caressing his dick until it got hard and then giving him head. I'd masturbate in front of him to get him hot so he'd want to fuck me again, and even stick a finger up his ass when he came.

"Anyway, it worked, and, just like with Thor, I got him to like fucking me. A lot. He even started to be a little sweet, caring enough to use his fingers to get me off if he came before I did. But then, after a few days, for some reason he gave me back to Thor. I was thrilled, and so was Thor. Our sex was fabulous, but just a couple days later Thor got killed in battle and..."

"OMG, Ali! I totally know this story! In my World Lit class we just read the Iliad. You're describing what happened to a woman named Briseis. Achilles killed her husband and brothers, claimed her as his slave girl mistress, then Agamemnon took her from Achilles, but somehow had to give her back. What a coincidence! Have you read the Iliad?"

"I did in high school when I was a sophomore, but I don't remember much of it. It seemed pretty stupid to me, all those gods acting like spoiled children, interfering with what the men were doing. Do you think it's possible that my subconscious is making up dreams along the same plot line?"

"Maybe, IDK. I think you should talk to Professor Logan. He knows everything about the Greeks and could probably tell you more."

"Good idea. I'll do it tomorrow."

"Gosh, Ali, look at the time. Sorry, but I need to go. George and I are going to, well, hang out." Even without the sly twinkle in her friend's eye, Ali knew what that meant. Nikki continued, "Are you going to be all right?"

"Sure, I'll be fine," Ali lied. She still felt awful, from the morning-after pill, lack of sleep, appalled by what she'd done at the party, and heartbroken by Sean's mystifying behavior. That Nikki was now in a serious and torrid relationship that was taking her away when Ali really needed her didn't help. Not a bit.

***

"So Achilles actually existed? Wow!"

Alison's eyes were wide in amazement at what Professor Logan was telling her. When first she sat down in the professor's cluttered office -- books and papers scattered helter-skelter, covering every inch -- she had begun by telling him a sanitized version - playing down the sex parts - of her dreams. He had agreed that there were distinct parallels between them and what happened to Briseis in the Iliad.

Then, as professors are wont to do, he gathered up some books, turned to the relevant pages, and provided context. "Scholars now believe that Homer simply wrote down the common lore of Greek history passed on orally for many centuries by the bards. That history, we now know, is true. First, Troy actually existed. Many Troys, in fact. Multiple layers of ruins were excavated by Heinrich Schliemann circa 1871 -- 1890, and Troy VIIa was the one extant when the war occurred. It was destroyed violently, despite the 30 foot walls with higher watchtowers encircling it, making it impregnable. Except to an earthquake, or perhaps Greek trickery.

"The Linear B tablets conclusively prove that the Mycenaean culture, beginning in the Bronze age, was Greek and that they fought a long war with the Trojans. Plus, we know there was a great warrior named Achilles. He was tall, strikingly handsome, and fought with unsurpassed speed, courage and strength. He was likely the greatest warrior ever. Now, whether his mother was the goddess, Thetis - well, all our mothers are goddesses, aren't they? - that is another matter."

"And Bry, er, Bris, uh, Briseis? Did she exist?"

"Everyone stumbles when pronouncing her name. The Greeks say 'Brie,' like the cheese -- 'say,' as in 'I say this' -- and 'eece,' like in Greece. Brie-SAY-eece, with the accent on the middle syllable. She must have been real. She appears in far too many epic poems, early tragedies and other documents to doubt it. Evidently, she was very beautiful, like you, Alison."

The professor picked up a book and read her description:

"'Tall and white, her hair was black and curly;

She had beautiful breasts and cheeks and nose, and she was also well-behaved.

Her smile was bright, her eyes radiant, and her eyebrows big.'"

Ali wasn't sure how well she fit Briseis' description. She wasn't especially tall, her hair wasn't curly, and, as the party had shown, she certainly wasn't well-behaved. But she definitely wanted to know more. "And was Achilles in love with Briseis?"

"Evidently very much. When Agamemnon, who was commander-in-chief of the Greek army, claimed Briseis after Apollo forced him to give up his own slave-girl war prize, Achilles was very angry, and refused to fight for the Greeks, or let his elite force, the Myrmidons, join the battles. When the war began to go badly because of their greatest warrior's absence, Agamemnon proposed payment to Achilles in restitution for Briseis. He offered, and I quote, '7 tripods never used for cooking, 10 talents of gold, 20 glittering cauldrons, 12 prize-winning race horses, his own daughter to be Achilles' wife, 7 women from Lesbos skilled in crafts, 7 cities, and 20 Trojan women once the city fell.' All in all, quite a gift. Yet Achilles was so taken with Briseis that he refused."

"He truly must have liked her."

"Yes, and further, Achilles was criticized by Ajax for not accepting Agamemnon's gift. According to Ovid in his Heroides, Ajax said, 'A man even accepts amends from the murderer of his brother or for his dead son, and the killer remains in his own country, having paid much. But for you, the gods have placed an implacable and evil emotion in your breast on account of a single girl.'

"Finally, in the Iliad, Homer related Achilles' speech to Agamemnon's soldiers, where he describes the love of Helen of Troy's husband for her: 'Why has he gathered and led here his host, this son of Atreus? Was it not for Helen's sake? Do they then alone of mortal men love their wives? No, for he who is a true man loves his own and cherishes her, as I too love Briseis with all my heart.' So, Achilles' love for Briseis seems to have been quite powerful."

"And did Briseis return his love?"

"Well, that's more complicated. You see, they first met when Achilles attacked her village, Lyrnessus, killed her husband and three brothers, and took her as his war prize. Slave-girl, concubine, whatever. Not very romantic, methinks, but it was the custom of that era to treat women, and even young girls, as sexual objects used for the gratification of the winning warriors. Often, at the victory banquets, the drunken men would pass the women around, making the festivities into full-blown orgies.

"Also, we now know that Briseis lied. Homer wrote that, when Agamemnon returned her, he swore to Achilles that he never touched Briseis. He knew that if he had, it would anger Achilles and be a deal breaker. However, one of the Linear B tablets contradicts that. It indicates that Agamemnon raped her, repeatedly, and, feeling abandoned by Achilles, Briseis used her considerable sexual wiles on the commander, winning him over. They became lovers.

"However, when Agamemnon returned her, swearing that he'd never lain with her, as they say, Briseis affirmed it. She lied, brazenly and shamelessly. Ovid quotes her thusly: 'By the bones of my wedded lord, ill covered in hasty sepulture, bones ever to be held sacred in my eyes; and by the brave souls of my three brothers who died well for their country; and by your head and mine, which we have laid each to each; and by your sword; I swear that the Mycenaean has shared no couch with me.'

"Of course, one must have sympathy for Briseis. She was in fact a slave, and had to please the men who owned her or face maltreatment, even death. She had no choice but to have sex with Agamemnon, and then lie about it to Achilles. So the extent of Briseis' actual affection for Achilles always seemed in question.

"However, more recent discoveries indicate that Briseis in fact loved Achilles very deeply. A tablet uncovered just 20 years ago describes how she threw herself onto Achilles' funeral pyre, dying so she might join him in Hades where they could be together for eternity.

"Certainly, she grieved for Achilles after his death. As she prepared his body for the funeral ceremony, she cut off her hair and put it on his body. Ovid quotes her, 'Never on me came anguish like to this—not when my brethren died, my fatherland was wasted—like this anguish for your death! You were my day, my sunlight, my sweet life, my hope of good, my strong defense from harm, dearer than all my beauty—yes, more dear than my lost parents! You were all in all to me, you only, captive though I be.'"

"That's very romantic. She must have cared deeply to die by burning herself up."

"There's more. Though written by an unknown bard, a very recently discovered epic poem fragment describes a previously unknown event during Odysseus' sojourn to Hades detailed in the Odyssey. According to this latest source, Odysseus saw both Achilles and Briseis making sacrifices to Zeus, asking to be reborn, to live again so they might consummate their fated, perfect love.

"They were assisted in their appeal by Thetis, Achilles' goddess mother. She had been very helpful to Zeus when Hera, Poseidon, and Pallas Athene tried to overthrow him, so he owed her, and this source indicates that Zeus granted the request.

"However, concerned that others in Hades would file similar petitions for new lives, Zeus made the terms very severe. The lovers would have to prove their undying devotion by remaining in Hades for three millennia, 3,000 years, and each day would seem to them as long as a week. Also, though they would be able to see each other constantly, they could have neither contact nor conversation. Like Tantalus, they would suffer unending torturous temptation.

"Further, Achilles would have to renounce all other women -- he was quite the roué, evidently -- and Briseis would have to return to virtue. Zeus knew of her squalid behavior winning over Agamemnon, and decreed that she would have to repent her wicked ways.

"Finally, if they were able to last the 3,000 years -- their torture could end only if one of the two recanted, renouncing their love -- they would be reborn into other bodies, and would have to find each other again, amongst the multitudes of that far-in-the-future society. A daunting task indeed."

Alison exclaimed, "Goodness! What a fantastic story! It's amazing how new research can bring the far-distant past back to life. And to think that I might have remembered what I read years ago, and have it all turn up in my dreams."

The professor scratched his bearded chin thoughtfully, leaned back in this chair, and looked into the distance. "That is an interesting supposition, Alison. However, I'm not sure that what you suggest -- that your reading the Iliad in high school -- furnished all the details of your recurring dream."

"No? Why not? What I dreamt seems very similar."

The professor's voice deepened and his eyes bore into hers. "Much of it is, eerily so. However, what you told me at the beginning, how you saw the oikos -- large house or castle, the center of the city or settlement -- attacked; the slaughter of all the males, even the boys; then how you hid, were found and taken to the large central hall where all the treasure was; the details of how you were then chosen by the warlord as his prize; and that later the rest would be doled out equally to the warriors by lot, NONE of that, not one bit, is covered in the Iliad."

When Ali just sat, dumbstruck, the professor went on, "We do know from historical sources that the winners of raids did kill all the defeated males. Then the chieftains first chose a prize, and that thereafter the booty was distributed equally by lot. But nothing about the specifics of Briseis' capture is recorded. Anywhere.

"Further, and even more intriguing, according to the Iliad, Briseis and Agamemnon did not have sexual relations. That they in fact did was discovered and confirmed only recently. Yet it happens in your dream. My dear Alison, many of the details you told me, of the attack, Briseis' capture, and her sex with Agamemnon, must be your mind's own creation."

Alison felt her mouth gape even wider when the professor continued, "Or perhaps they are long-lost recollections from a previous lifetime. Hm?"

Ali shivered as the chill ran up her spine. "Professor Logan, surely you don't believe THAT could be possible!"

The professor's voice got even deeper. More penetrating. "Well, perhaps not, but it was also prophesied that the Greek gods would return. After three millennia, a period of time which has now elapsed. Given the prison sentence Zeus imposed on Achilles and Briseis, it is a very interesting number of years. Who knows what is really possible?"

The professor let his words hang heavy for a moment, then said, "You seem very interested in the old Greek legends, Alison. It happens that the history and theatre departments are collaborating to present one of Euripides' tragedies, Iphigenia in Aulis, this Saturday. Perhaps you might find the play interesting. Briseis does not make an appearance, but Achilles does..."

***

"God, this is SO boring! Can't we just leave?"

Ali shushed Nikki immediately, but fellow audience members still turned their heads. Annoyed. Ali had to admit that the play was pretty tedious. Iphigenia in Aulis, and its author, Euripides, might be famous, but really? The plot was so far-fetched. First, one had to accept the premise that, just because he'd annoyed one of the gods, Agamemnon was being punished. Though his army and fleet were gathered in Aulis, ready to sail for Troy, there'd been no wind. And a plague. For months.

Then a seer tells him that if, and only if, he sacrifices his daughter, Iphigenia, will the wind come up. And, as a bonus, his victory over the Trojans will be assured. It was not magical theatre, Ali was not transported, and the play was not furthering her understanding of how her dreams could so closely parallel a portion of Greek mythology.

The endless speech-making had been broken up only by a chorus wandering past adding background info, and Ali could feel how intensely Nikki and George wanted to leave. Like immediately. So they could continue fucking each other's brains out.

Still hoping it would get better, Alison tuned in again. Clytemnestra, Iphigenia's mother, had just learned that her no-good husband, Agamemnon, had tricked her into sending Iphigenia to Aulis, supposedly to become the wife of Achilles. In truth, it was so her throat could be slit and her blood spilled to appease the gods.

The actress playing Clytemnestra was stunningly attractive, one of the most beautiful women Ali had ever seen. Statuesque, tall and lissome, blonde tresses falling onto her large, exquisite breasts, classic face, sensuous lips, narrow waist, full hips, and a voluptuous ass to die for. Though Ali, herself, had often been described as beautiful, she felt that she suffered in comparison.

Alison knew her face, framed by amber-streaked caramel locks cascading down past her shoulders, was her best feature. Nearly black eyes drew people in, and, even without makeup, her pale, translucent skin was luminous. Her lips, framed by the cutest of dimples adorned by small, kissable moles, naturally formed the smile that everyone found so intriguing and mysterious.

She had that "je ne sais quoi" appeal. Her allure, enhanced by innate grace, poise, classic curves and proportions, vastly exceeded the sum of her parts. But Ali had to admit that her parts individually couldn't compete with Clytemnestra's. Even the actress's voice, reciting the odd, formal lines of translated Greek, had a mellifluous, appealing quality that brought Ali's attention back to the play. Only to find that it was still plodding and stagy. Boring.

She was just about to give up, whisper to Nikki that they could sneak out, when her mouth fell open. Achilles was making his first appearance, approaching Clytemnestra.

It was Sean!

Ali's sense of déjà vu rocked her. She couldn't believe that she had not noticed before how closely Sean, now dressed as a Greek warrior, resembled Thor, the man in her dreams.

At least Nikki's excited whisper was quiet, "OMG, Ali! Look!"

Nikki's excited fingers dug into Ali's thigh as Achilles began to speak. He addressed the audience, raising his right arm and turning full circle in the theater-in-the-round. "By the goddess Modesty!..."

The ensuing silence grew uncomfortably long as Sean froze, seeming to have forgotten the next line. His eyes were fixed on Alison, his mouth agape. He kept staring at her when he finally resumed, "By the goddess Modesty! Who is this exquisite woman I see here?"

Ali was so immersed in the hurricane of emotions and images flooding into her that she did not even hear what followed. The dizzying sense of déjà vu, her intense attraction for Sean, the erotic fun at the party, the feel of his large penis gushing inside her after it ruptured the condom, the taste of his semen when she blew him, her mystification at how he had just left, her anguish afterward, the sickness from the morning-after pill, and the incredible legend recounted by the professor. Each image competed for primacy, swirling in her addled brain, and she watched dumbly as Sean recovered his composure and resumed his role in the play.

When it finally ended with a last-second, magical substitution of a deer for poor, doomed Iphigenia in the final scene's sacrifice, Nikki and George rushed off. They had things to do. Ali wandered about the theatre looking for Sean. Her mind was still in a tizzy, not knowing what to do or say, but she absolutely knew that she needed to find him. To talk to him. To get some idea of why, after they had made such a significant, meaningful connection - she'd come to trust her instincts about that - and then his screwing the daylights out of her, he hadn't called or texted. Made any attempt at contact for over a week.

Just as she spied him exiting the men's dressing room, his eyes found hers and he rushed to her.

"Alison, come with me, quickly! I need to talk to you!"

He pulled her out an emergency exit into the alley behind the theatre. Even before he turned to her, she could not help but gush, "Sean, bravo on your acting! You were marvelous! It was wonderful!" When he didn't immediately reply, she blurted out what was really in her heart, "Just like last Friday was wonderful. I had such a good time, and I'm so sorry I did something wrong and spoiled everything. Please tell me what I did. I'm truly sorry."

"It WAS wonderful, Ali. I'm the one who should apologize. You were amazing, beautiful, clever and such fun, and we were a great team in the game. But I just... Well, I needed to say...I tried..."

Confused by Sean's reticence, but encouraged that he said it was wonderful, Ali simply went for it. She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him. He froze at first, but then she had to struggle to breathe when his arms clasped her to him so tightly. He lifted her into the air like she was a doll, and the kiss blossomed as fiery passion ignited inside each of them, swirled up, met at their lips, and exploded. It was simultaneously joyous, intimate, sensual, pure and carnal.

The best kiss, ever, ended with the loud, grating slam of the emergency door.

A shrill, angry voice pierced the night. "Sean! What's going on! Who the hell is this?"

Sean's arms fell from Alison as their lips parted. When Ali turned her head, she saw a vindictive Clytemnestra, arms clamped across her chest, red face contorted in anger. Despite her rage, she was still a vision, tall, voluptuous, simply dazzling. "Answer me, Sean! Who is this tart?"