Page 77 of Concluded
With a slight huff at the ridiculousness of that command, Dee stalked away.
* * *
The next severaldays passed by in a weird limbo.It was like waiting for a really painful dental procedure: a part of Dee dreaded what was to come, but another part just wanted to get it over with.
The good thing was that he got a lot of rest and was able to charge his magic battery to a hundred percent.The bad thing was that he and Achilles were bored silly, although Dee was at least able to take walks and run errands.Achilles was stuck inside an apartment that suddenly seemed far too small.He did chores.He read books that Dee picked up at one of the nearby bookshops.He doomscrolled on his phone.He paced.He had short phone conversations with Charles and, occasionally, with a few other Bureau agents.
Achilles and Dee played cards—Dee nearly always won—and Achilles taught him some key phrases in Greek.They sorted through Dee’s collection of charms, with Dee describing how he’d obtained each one.
They had sex two or three times a day.Sometimes hard, fast, and a little painful.Sometimes slow and gentle.Always very, very good.Dee worked on perfecting his blowjob technique.They grew to know each other’s bodies so well that if Dee were given a bunch of clay, he was sure he could have sculpted an exact likeness of Achilles, the result worthy of any art museum’s collection.
And sometimes, late at night, pressed together in Dee’s bed with sweat cooling their skin, they simplywere.Together.A single, united entity that existed apart from the rest of the universe.
“Caesura,” Achilles murmured during one of these times.
“Is that Greek?”
“Latin.It’s a pause between two phrases in a line of poetry.”He said something in Greek and then continued in English.“Sing, goddess—caesura—of the wrath of Achilles the son of Peleus.”
Ah.“We’ve had the singing part and now we’re waiting for the wrath.”
“Something like that.I don’t want….Anger has its place.Right now in the world, a lot of people are feeling righteous anger, and it’s giving them strength to fight for good.But I don’t think it’s all that useful as a tool for me.Just look at the text of theIliad: Achilles acted out of rage, and as a result so many people died.Including Patroclus.”
Dee had never readTheIliadbut knew the general story.“His beloved.”He took Achilles’ hand, which had been resting on Dee’s flank, and kissed it.“Let’s try not to die.”
The next afternoon, Dee walked to Powell’s bookstore, where he bought a translation ofTheIliadand, just for the hell of it, a copy of Madeline Miller’sThe Song of Achilles.Because the route was lined with restaurants and food carts, he also picked up some pastries and a lot of Thai food, making a quick detour to a game shop before finally heading home.
“Food,” he announced to Achilles, who was frowning at his phone.“Books.And a two-player board game that the clerk said is a lot of fun.”
Achilles put the phone down.“Sounds as if you have an exciting evening planned.”
Dee was about to suggest other things they could do to pass the time—he’d stocked up on lube as well—but someone knocked on the door.Hard.
Although his blood turned to ice, Dee didn’t hesitate.He marched to the door and opened it only as far as the security chained allowed.A trio of people stood there.The one in front was large, hard-faced, and dressed like a Mormon missionary—dark trousers, white shirt, and navy tie.Dee couldn’t get a good look at the others.
“What do you want?”he demanded.
The frontmost one took a half pace forward.“Damnation Martell.”A statement, not a question.
The chain was not going to hold if he exerted any force on the door.Dee did his best to sound pissed off and aggressive rather than terrified.It helped that he channeled his father a little.“Who are you?”
“Acquaintances of Ashley Dunn.”
His heart sped up a few more notches, and behind him he heard a slight rustle but didn’t dare turn around to look.Although he didn’t hear Achilles invoke the charm, a barely perceptible tingle on Dee’s skin told him that Achilles had made his wish.Dee’s heart increased its speed.
He didn’t move, however, and made no motion to unlock the door, even though this was exactly what he and Achilles had been waiting for.An irrational voice in his head babbled away, insisting that he could still back out of this plan, that he and Achilles could run away somewhere and hide forever.Maybe if Achilles made the right wish?Maybe they could at least have another month, or week, or day.
One of the figures in the back made an impatient noise, pushed the front man out of the way, and stepped forward.It was an older woman, her long hair steel-gray and the corners of her mouth turned down.She was tall and thin and wore black trousers and a mustard-hued silk blouse.
“Dee,” she said.“Enough nonsense.Let us in.”
Dee unlocked the chain and stepped back, allowing his mother to enter.
CHAPTER31
Achilles knew as soon as he heard the knock: it was time.
He pulled the hinge out of his pocket, where he’d kept it for days, and clutched it tightly.Oddly, he wasn’t nervous or frightened.He’d made up his mind about what he was going to do, and at this point, the outcome was out of his hands.He’d done his best.Now it was all up to fate, or luck, or the brave and wise actions of his lover.
