Chapter Text
The fates were never particularly kind and gods even less so. Achilles had learned that the hard way. His failure in war, in his destiny , had changed it. Because he had not died as he was expected to, the fates had decided he shall never die at all. Or if he did, it wouldn’t stick. He’d wake up the next day sore and healing and it was awful.
Others had been granted similar fates, similar punishments. To be as immortal as gods without their home. To see everyone they have ever known perish around them time and time again.
To know the truth of the world.
Rebirth happened over and over again. Souls returned to the cycle of existence.
Souls matched to one another finding each other time and time again.
The first time it happened he had been drunk on the cheapest wine or ale he could buy in bulk. Not that his drunk matched a mortal’s. Not anymore.
He had looked over and… there was his Patroclus. He looked different, younger, but he was the same man. His soul knew. He had made contact readily.
“Patroclus!” He exclaimed, flinging his arms around the man heedlessly. With gentle hands he was pulled off of the man.
“Do I know you?” Achilles faltered a moment.
“Pat stop teasing. I never expected to see you after…. After… all of that. Please just let me apologize properly and-“
There was a shake of the man’s head. “I’m afraid we’ve never met stranger.”
He had raged at Olympus until they told him what was going on.
He missed the first couple of Pat’s new lives because he was heartsick or unable to find him. Others by the time he found his love, he was happily married with children. Sometimes they became friends and Achilles’ heart ached in his chest with every happy anecdote about the wife of the century, or worse, boyfriend. Pat had never been picky when it came to the gender of his lovers. Neither of them were. They loved whomever whenever and Achilles had always adored that about Patroclus.
As the ages went on Achilles got better at feeling the thread that tied him to Pat. He knew if he focused hard enough; he would be able to find Patroclus’ house. He had done so one lifetime. Just sat outside his house and watched him.
Unsurprisingly, he wound up in jail that time.
So now he limited it to the town and let nature take its course.
This time the pull of Patroclus brought him to a small town in America.
It was a college town, and so Achilles enrolled. It seemed like he always had the appropriate paperwork delivered for a variety of identities. Charon was behind it he thinks. Or Persephone. She still talked to him sometimes. Often enough
He enrolled in an education program, specializing in athletics, and five years later he had a degree. Patroclus hadn’t left the area yet, so Achilles got a job at a local high school, teaching teenagers how to stay healthy. He coached track after school and that was the closest he had felt to fulfilled in a long time. Thankfully Patroclus didn’t show up at his school and began moving about the area at times not associated with someone in a high school so he didn’t have to worry about that throwing him off. He wasn’t sure he could handle himself if Pat was a student. Not that he’d do anything illegal, but he would be far too invested that it would be improper. He didn’t want Patroclus to have to deal with that.
He didn’t want to hear Theseus gloat either. (“See, this is why I got a job in information technology, I can work on my games, and not have to worry about my Asterius showing up before I am able to woo him again. A little restraint goes a long way hero .”) He couldn’t stand the former king sometimes, even if he was in much the same position as Achilles was himself.
One spring the invisible thread tethering him to Patroclus went taut so suddenly Achilles nearly fell over as he gasped for breath. That meant he was going somewhere and fast. Cars were more gradual and he had never had Patroclus get on a train. So, it must have been an airplane.
He forced himself to take a breath. College students went on holidays. That’s what they did. They flew to other parts of the world and spent time there. He had to finish the contracted year before he did anything rash anyways. He shook his head and returned his focus to the class. Not that a bunch of teenagers playing basketball really needed his attention right now, but still.
The days passed by and Achilles had managed to narrow down Patroclus’ location to somewhere in Europe. He didn’t have any proof of course, but it felt right. If he focused extra hard, he was able to feel a bit of the excitement that Patroclus himself felt.
Good.
Beyond anything else, he wanted Patroclus to be happy.