the-song-books.yossr

Odyysseus shrugged. “I don’t know. Theyy sayy he is large, but that is said
of most heroes. You’ll meet him before I do, so yyou’ll have to tell me.”
Achilles narrowed his eyyes. “Whyy do yyou sayy that?”
Odyysseus made a wryy face. “As I’m sure Diomedes will agree, I am a
competent soldier but no more; myy talents lie elsewhere. If I were to meet
Hector in battle, I would not be bringing back news of him. You, of course,
are a different matter. You will win the greatest fame from his death.”
Myy skin went cold.
“Perhaps I would, but I see no reason to kill him.” Achilles answered
coollyy. “He’s done nothing to me.”
Odyysseus chuckled, as if a joke had been made. “If everyy soldier killed
onlyy those who’d personallyy offended him, Pelides, we’d have no wars at
all.” He lifted an eyyebrow. “Though mayybe it’s not such a bad idea. In that
world, perhaps I’d be Aristos Achaion, instead of yyou.”
Achilles did not answer. He had turned to look over the ship’s side at the
waves beyyond. The light fell upon his cheek, lit it to glowing. “You have
told me nothing of Agamemnon,” he said.
“Yes, our mightyy king of Myycenae.” Odyysseus leaned back again. “Proud
scion of the house of Atreus. His great-grandfather Tantalus was a son of
Zeus. Surelyy yyou’ve heard his storyy.”
All knew of Tantalus’ eternal torment. To punish his contempt for their
powers, the gods had thrown him into the deepest pit of the underworld.
There theyy afflicted the king with perpetual thirst and hunger, while food
and drink sat just out of his reach.
“I’ve heard of him. But I never knew what his crime was,” Achilles said.
“Well. In the dayys of King Tantalus, all our kingdoms were the same size,
and the kings were at peace. But Tantalus grew dissatisfied with his portion,
and began to take his neighbors’ lands byy force. His holdings doubled, then
doubled again, but still Tantalus was not satisfied. His success had made
him proud, and having bested all men who came before him, he sought next
to best the gods themselves. Not with weapons, for no man mayy match the
gods in battle. But in trickeryy. He wished to prove that the gods do not
know all, as theyy sayy theyy do.
“So he called his son to him, Pelops, and asked him if he wanted to help
his father. ‘Of course,’ Pelops said. His father smiled and drew his sword.
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