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For refusetofight

Through the smoky miasma, thick and smelling of conflict and heat and pressure, on the other side is a forest. This one is less garish, less saturated than the rest of Tír na nÓg. Two fae creatures, odd feathered humanoids that resemble crows with cracked and broken beaks, sit at the rocks around a steaming hot spring, soap and strigils beside them.

The fae are seemingly mute, but won't allow Achilles to leave without a thorough wash. The sort that practically scrapes a whole layer of skin off, the sort where they insist on his hair to be cleaned and his nail beds scrubbed. His white tunic is whisked off to be burned, and only once he is deemed fit by the fae attendants to be properly cleaned of the remnants of the Morrígan does one bring the clothes he left behind with Hermes. They're neatly folded, but Hermes' scarf sits on top like a nest, holding Achilles' ring, his bracelet, and the stone with a hole in the middle. The scarf smells distinctly of Hermes, like cleverness and courage and Greece. Almost like Hermes is trying to give Achilles his blessing and support, even when they can't see each other before his trial.

After he's clean and dressed, the bath attendants point in the direction he's meant to walk, a plunge into the dark woods. There's the soft giggling of children within.

In the woods, children from all across time and the world huddle together. A boy holds a fist of straws, and each of the children draw a straw at once. They mumble amongst themselves, checking the straws, and three boys have the shortest one.

"Seems unfair to make him convince Stab," says a girl with messy red braids and two missing teeth.

"If you want a mulligan, you gotta give up treats until the next hunt," a blond boy with gray eyes and a short straw says, waving it in her face. She wrinkles her nose.

"I didn't say I want a mulligan!"

"Then shoo!"

As Achilles approaches, the children with longer straws scatter into the woods, some laughing. Three boys remain. One boy, with pale skin, ragged dirty blond hair and crooked teeth, wearing an oversized sweater and shorts and no shoes and a canvas bag big enough on him to almost drag on the ground. A second boy, skin dark as jet and head shaved, a pair of binoculars dangling from his neck, wearing loose sweatpants and an old linen button-down with sneakers with a check drawn on. A third boy, the smallest of them, maybe close to Lyra's age, looking like one of the people from the far east but with a permanent glower in his face, sitting on the ground and looking a little like he's drowning in the adult-sized jacket draped around him.

The blond boy jumps up on a tree stump to greet Achilles at eye level, putting his hands on his hips and smirking. "Hello, grownup! Here starts your trials! I call being the judge."

"Don't be silly. It's not a court trial." The boy in the button down approaches, holding an aluminum can colored bright red. He pops the tab, a sickly sweet smell rising in the air as the liquid inside hisses, and he holds the can out to Achilles. "My dad said men welcome each other with a beer, but if you get to Birdy she's going to make you drink a lot, so here's a coke instead."

The boy in the button down strategically stands between Achilles and the smallest boy. The smallest boy makes no movement to greet Achilles, instead staying on the ground, glowering at him with dark eyes.

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"Birdy flew me in one of her planes," Pyrrhus says. His smile is fond when he talks about her. He clearly considers her a friend. "It was breathtaking. Like seeing the majesty of the world for the first time. And then it was utterly terrifying when she showed me what she'd do in her war."

He laughs, shaking his head ruefully. "It's as mad as running into battle fully naked. And yet somehow winning the fight."

He easily ranks Birdy among the greatest warriors he's met. He doesn't think any of the people he met at Troy would have the nerve to do what she does.

Pyrrhus sighs through his nose as Honey's house grows larger the closer they get. "I'll miss her. I'll miss them all."

Achilles has technically experienced flight, but the context is awkward. Namely: once in the clutches of a massive buzzard and another time as a mouse, kidnapped by a trickster god. In fairness, this is every bit as wild as riding in a massive machine with a woman who effectively drinks poison for fun, but still. Stories for another time.

“They’re fine warriors, all, even if they didn’t wish to be.” Their reluctance makes them even more impressive; it was necessity, not pride and ego that drove them to war.

“They spoke very fondly of you too, lad. Perhaps you should leave them a token as well?”

Pyrrhus gives a soft smile at the news they spoke fondly of him. There's a touch of bittersweet in it. He really will miss these people, this place full of friends who understand and accept him. But he cares more about being there for his wife and children than he cares about his comfort.

"You're right, I should." Pyrrhus hesitates as they approach the house. Nephos, sensing his master's conflict, rubs against his leg before standing up and placing his paws firmly on Pyrrhus' shin, grounding him in the moment.

"What do you think it could be?" Pyrrhus asks, eyes distant. "What could I give that's worthy of these people who've been so good to me?"

The children who sought his company, the young adults who were his friends, the old woman who cared for him and welcomed him as one of her own.

Achilles pauses beside his son. He considers the question and rubs his jaw, looking up at the house. Making shell bracelets could take most of a day, but Pyrrhus has other skills …

“Your letters are well-practiced. You could write your thanks?” The time spent here seems to have helped Pyrrhus open up about his feelings, but this will still require some careful thought.

“What do you think of that idea, little Nephos?” he asks the brownie-dog, in a not-so-subtle bid to win back his favor.

Nephos looks at Achilles. And immediately, his tail stops wagging.

Pyrrhus huffs a laugh. "He said sorry, Nephos," he says, but Nephos' tail doesn't start wagging again.

He looks to his father with a small, amused smile. "I think you'll need to give him treats. I'm sure Honey has something."

Nephos' forgiveness will not come cheap. He requires treats in this deal.

But Pyrrhus' smile turns to a thoughtful frown as he crosses his arms and considers Achilles' suggestion.

"I could. But Honey is the only one who can read our language, and it's difficult for her." He rubs his beard, furrowing his brow. "Whenever we leave this place won't affect when we arrive to our destination. Would you mind waiting a bit for me to make something?"

He's sure Honey would be happy to host his father in the meantime, but he doesn't want to press his father to stay in this strange world longer than necessary.

Fickle beast. He resists a frown. Achilles is more accustomed to Méli’s unconditional happiness. Then again, she’s an actual dog, not a fae imposter.

“I suppose there’s no harm in lingering. It seems time behaves differently here.” He mostly worries about Pat and Hermes—they’ll be anxious to have him back—but Pyrrhus may never see his friends again and his son has precious few of those. This shouldn’t be rushed.

Achilles clasps his hand behind his back and cocks his head. “What do you have in mind, lad? And may I help?”

Pyrrhus hums in thought, looking at nothing in particular as he thinks, tapping his fingers on his arm.

"If I make an individual gift for everyone, we'll be here forever. Literally, possibly, with the way this place is. So perhaps one thing people could share."

He hums again, rocking back on the balls of his feet.

"...You know, I was taught this amazing means of knotting yarn in very flexible ways. The technique can be used to turn string into anything from a pair of gloves to a soft plush toy. They call it crochet." He looks to his father. "Many of the people here need comfort in dark moments. I could make a big, soft blanket to share."

“Mm. The children would particularly appreciate that.” His mind particularly goes to the likes of Stab, who like to stay hidden.

“You know, during my time on Skyros, your mother taught me to weave,” Achilles says with a note of pride. He wasn’t particularly great at it, and the women unraveled most of his work as ‘a shameful waste of good yarn,’ but by the gods, he tried. “If you would teach me this crochet, I could lend you a hand.”

This is absolute hubris, albeit a relatively harmless expression of it. Achilles genuinely believes he can learn to do most anything at a passable level of competence.

An amused smile tugs on Pyrrhus' lips, the corners of his eyes crinkling. He's pretty sure that his father is not going to find crochet as easily picked up as combat, but still... "I would love to teach you, Dad."

Even if his father can't help him crochet, he'd just like to have the chance to teach him something. Or, at least, try to teach him something.

"Oh!" As if just thinking of something, Pyrrhus digs through his bag, pulling his book out again and flipping it open, taking out his fountain pen and balancing the book precariously on his arm. One of the many advantages of books and pens is that they're MUCH easier to write with on the go. "I want to make sure I remember: when I return to Epirus, I want honeyguide birds to be made into a symbol of honor and courage. Commission mosaics and pottery and the like."

Honey and Birdy are unlikely to ever be truly recognized for their glory and heroism because of their sex and early death. But thousands of years before they're born, Pyrrhus wants to honor them, even if he's the only one who understands the symbol. Maybe one day, in one of Honey's many tomes of history, she'll find traces of his gratitude.

At this point, Achilles will happily take any excuse to learn about something his son enjoys. Particularly while time is somewhat pliable. Maybe if he remembers even half the technique, he can teach it to Lyra in turn.

“Honeyguide? I’m not familiar with it.” Achilles is beginning to think both of his children have surpassed him in knowledge. Quite a change from Zagreus, who required so much tutoring (by no fault of his own). “Seems a fine choice by name alone.”

He looks back down at Nephos expectantly, arms on his hips. “Will you fetch your master the supplies for this crochet?”

"Really? They're birds that merchants from the south and the east will often bring when they pass through Epirus," Pyrrhus says. "They're birds that have learned that, if they lead humans to beehives, the humans will break them open and deal with the bees so the birds can pick at leftovers. Very helpful creatures."

Nephos, meanwhile, looks at Achilles when he's addressed. Then his tail stops wagging. He does not respond to Achilles' request.

"Please, Nephos?" Pyrrhus tries.

Nephos starts wagging his tail again, barking before chasing his tail in a circle and then running off. Pyrrhus laughs, shaking his head before stepping up to Honey's door and knocking. "Hopefully, Honey won't begrudge me a chance to work at her kitchen table one last time."

“Very clever creatures.” All the more appropriate for the likes of Honey and Birdy. Perhaps one of Prometheus’ designs.

Speaking of clever creatures …

“If you return quickly, I promise you a choice morsel from Honey’s pantry,” Achilles calls after the industrious fluffball. He’s determined to earn Nephos’ forgiveness before they part ways.

“I doubt she’ll turn you away, but … should Birdy threaten us with more of her special libations, let’s politely decline?” he suggests with a wince. Maybe a united front will help preserve their pride. “Perhaps she can be persuaded to drink wine instead.”

Pyrrhus gives a wince of his own. "Oh no, they've ruined wine too. Everyone drinks it straight in the future. My theory is that medicine has come so far that no one has any respect for their liver anymore."

It is the only explanation he can think of that so many people would drink poison for fun.

"I'll ask Honey if we can sample 'beer' instead. Beer is a drink that doesn't hit as hard, and her homeland is known for it, so she's very proud to serve it to people unfamiliar."

There are footsteps behind the door. As a final thought, Pyrrhus leans to his dad and says with a conspiratorial wink, "Nephos' favorite snack is cheese. And he can tell the difference between fine and subpar cheese." How does he know that? Because Nephos is the world's most spoiled little cloud dog, is how.

The door opens up. There's Birdy, immediately grinning when she sees who it is. "Lamb! Glad you came back, I would've had to hunt you down in the past if you left without a goodbye."

“A discerning creature,” he laughs at the insight about Nephos’ tastes. Quite the contrast to Méli, who will eat most anything regardless of whether it is, in fact, food.

When Birdy greets them at the door, he hums and says, “Please, Night Witch, keep the silent metal wings in your own time.”

He slings an affectionate arm around Pyrrhus’ shoulders. “My trial here has ended, but Lamb’s will begin anew once he leaves this place. Fortunately we’re in no great hurry if you’ll have us for one last visit.”

Achilles squeezes his son close. “He should leave with the joy of friendship in his heart.”

"Lucky for you, friendship is something we have in great supply," Birdy says, grinning and affectionately clapping her hands on Achilles' and Pyrrhus's shoulders. Then she pauses, frowning.

"...An eye switched places," she says, squinting.

"Bring them in, Birdy!" Honey calls from the kitchen. "Don't leave them just out in the cold!"

In the house, there's the sound of giggling, roughhousing children. They're nowhere visible from the door, nor in the kitchen, but there's the definite sound of kids wrestling each other.

Achilles raises a hand to the dressing on his eye, as if he’d already forgotten about the exchange. He shrugs, as if this was as normal as lending him a useful tool. “Lamb has greater need of it than I.”

But he still smiles and winks at Birdy as he steps into the house. “I think he looks quite striking with the mismatched set, don’t you?”

In the kitchen, he gives Honey a respectful nod in greeting and peers into the adjacent rooms for the roughhousing boys. “Seems your lads are full of energy. Shall I take them outside for a bit of play before they destroy your lovely home?”

Birdy looks at Pyrrhus as he steps in, holding him in place for a moment to squint at his eyes. The difference between the brown and blue is, indeed, striking. She gives an approving nod before releasing him.

Honey, meanwhile, is midway through kneading bread dough when Achilles arrives, wearing an apron covered with a generous dusting of flour. Her face lights up as Achilles walks in, faltering only a moment when she notices his eye.

"Oh, that would be wonderful. They have so much energy. More kids came to say goodbye to Lamb, and--"

"I BEAT YOU!" And then a bundle of child crashes into the kitchen. A girl bright red braids has pinned Gavroche on the ground, grinning wide enough to show she's missing a tooth.

"Not yet you haven't!" Gavroche twists and licks her arm. The girl immediately recoils, jumping off him.

"EWWW! No fair!"

Gavroche laughs and grins at Achilles, waving at him. "Hi again!"

In the other room, there's the sound of Scout pleading with more kids to please be more careful, but from the sound of screaming and wrestling, no one's listening to him.

“Cerberus is better behaved than these pups,” Achilles laughs, hauling Gavroche up to his feet.

This isn’t the first time he’s entertained the rowdy shades of children and he knows exactly what will tire them out.

He claps his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Young Gavroche, shall we give Lamb a proper Greek sendoff? Gather up your friends and we’ll hold a pentathlon outside. The winner will enjoy a place of honor next to him at the feast.”

A quick glance at Honey and he adds at a whisper, “And perhaps a second helping of sweets.”

Honey winks with a smile, understanding the assignment. Gavroche giggles as he's hauled up, twisting around in Achilles' grip so that he can swing side to side, grinning.

"What's a pent--penta--pentath--"

The girl with the braids doesn't bother with silly questions about their task. Instead, she cups her hands around her mouth and shouts, "GREEK GAMES OUTSIDE! LAST ONE OUT'S A ROTTEN EGG!"

And a squealing, rowdy mass of kids erupt from seemingly nowhere, laughing and racing each other down the hall to the front door. Pyrrhus steps into the kitchen to give them space, wincing at the noise but smiling fondly nonetheless. The girl with braid lets out a whoop that sounds more like a war cry, giving Pyrrhus that fastest hug of his life before sprinting out the door.

"Wait up! I'm not a rotten egg!" Gavroche runs after her.

"Good luck tiring them out," Honey laughs, shaping her dough into a rounded loaf. "They're all very competitive."

“It may come as a surprise, but I happened to be a competitive lad once myself.” Also a competitive man, even though he encountered few worthy challengers in life. “I’ll ensure the proceedings remain civil.”

Achilles follows the herd of children and organizes them outside the kitchen window, such that the adults can watch the games in progress. He enlists the kids to find replacements for the discus (frisbees) and the javelin (some reasonably straight sticks), while others set about clearing space for foot races, long jump, and wrestling.

“Is Stab about?” He tests the weight of a ‘javelin’ and peers around for any small, hidden figures. “I need a second judge with keen eyes. Two of them, if possible!”

The children are all rough and tumble, some with strange erratic responses and some far moodier than is usual for their age, but they are good at managing each other's less predictable traits. Usually with a shoulder check to remind each other of manners, or leading a fellow to the shade to sit and brood until they are ready to return to the group. It's treated as usual, normal.

At the invitation, Stab emerges from the crowd. He's still drowning in his far-too-large jacket, but he walks, coat dragging in the dirt, to Achilles' side. He's not within arm's reach, but he is next to him.

Scout comes next, already exasperated trying to herd the more needy children to quiet places or cheerful friends, and flops to sit next to Achilles and Stab.

"I have good eyes," he says, raising his hand. He and Stab are more than content to work as judges, and Gavroche, the red braided-girl, and a few other confident and cheerful children herd the others into following Achilles' instructions to play the games and compete. (Competing kids launch themselves at each other to bite and scratch only a few times.)

Inside, the adults are chatting, with Honey busy in the kitchen and Pyrrhus and Birdy sparing fond looks out the window at the gaggle of kids while talking. Birdy brings something to Pyrrhus, and he starts work on something not visible from the window. The games are far along when a little cloud emerges from the jungle, Nephos proudly dragging a bag in his jaws, leaping nimbly down from root to rock to cobblestone, tail high and wagging. He's a good boy, yes he is! He got the things they needed! Lots of good things for crochet!

Achilles oversees the games with an almost theatrical air of ceremony, invoking “Lord Hermes of the Games” to bless their efforts with speed and strength. It’s a shame he couldn’t be here to watch, Achilles thinks, no doubt he’d enjoy this rowdy bunch of little athletes.

The children seem well-accustomed to managing their conflicts and he defers to Scout rather than intervene as a strange adult; he certainly hasn’t earned their trust like Honey, Birdy, or Ember.

Between flurries of activity, Achilles cuts supple, leafy branches and winds them into a half-dozen makeshift laurels for the victors in each of the events. Nephos doesn’t escape his notice, and he gives the dog an approving nod, but expects nothing in return.

After the last wrestling match concludes, he consults with his judges, then steps back inside the house. “Lamb, will you join me in crowning your champions?”

Pyrrhus is in the middle of making a complex weaving of purple thread around pins placed on a soft pillow. The purple is deliberate, the richest of purple usually associated with the most wealthy of royal clothing in Greece. He's only just taking the bag from Nephos, putting out a whole new set of strange and foreign tools on Honey's kitchen table, when his father calls.

"Absolutely," he says with a small smile. He comes outside, and while his manner isn't quite as lighthearted or theatrical as his father's, he still offers a sense of gravitas to the proceedings by honoring each of the winners by name and with a bow as he bestows their laurels. He knows the name of all the children, and he knows exactly how much familiarity each of them prefer. Some, he favors with a clap of the shoulder, and some he doesn't touch at all, offering them their laurels to put on themselves rather than be crowned by him.

The children are proud of their laurels, though they don't quite seem to understand the context behind them, instead calling them crowns that declare them kings and queens of the forest. Pyrrhus doesn't bother correcting any of them, instead putting his hands on his hips and smiling fondly at all of them, a touch of melancholy in his eyes.

"Never have I seen such a group of brave, noble athletes," he says, "and never shall I again."

Achilles echoes each name and assigns an epithet based on each child’s observed traits: light-footed, of the strong arm, or far-leaping. His judges are awarded their own—Stab of the keen eyes and fair-minded Scout—along with his thanks.

Once Pyrrhus has made his own speech, Achilles raises his arms. “Lasses and lads, thus ends our games. I beseech you all to hold them again in a year’s time,” or whatever makes sense in this ever-shifting land. “When you do, remember Lamb, the good king and nimble-handed craftsman.”

Satisfied that the children have burned off their chaotic energy (for now), Achilles turns to his son. “Speaking of, let us return to your task. I would enjoy nothing more than to see your work.”

The kids seem pleased with their epitaphs, ready to declare themselves such and such epitaph king of the forest. Scout even manages the smallest smile watching the ceremony, playing along. Stab doesn't smile, but he does occasionally drift within arm's length of Achilles, which might as well be whoops of joy.

Pyrrhus, for his part, is smiling warmly when Achilles approaches him. He takes a moment just to smile out at the children, much more tame now that they've burnt off energy and mostly sitting on the ground and admiring laurels and giggling over jokes. Then he jerks his head towards the door, leading his father inside.

"While I was waiting for Nephos, it occurred to me that I'd like to give you something for Ophelia before we part."

Inside, Birdy and Honey are bantering at the stove, nodding with smiles to acknowledge their arrival but engrossed in talking to each other. Pyrrhus sits down at the kitchen table, inviting his father to sit as well before turning the pillow he was working on towards Achilles, showing the rich purple fabric he's creating, more finely woven than anything made on a loom.

"I wanted to make her a head covering." The color and finery is a clear statement of her wealth and prestige, and therefore the foolishness of harassing her and risking insult to her husband. All married women must cover their hair, and Ophelia deserves to shine above all other woman.

His smile falters a moment. "And if my daughter marries before I return, I want her to have it after she weds."

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