Skouros Island
The island had beautiful scenery, and the olive forest made Skouros Island look very civilized. At the same time, Skouros Island was also rich in spices.
These products made the residents of Skouros Island wealthier, and their lives were more relaxed.
Odysseus and the Greek prophet Calchas were on a ship heading towards Skyros Island. After a few months of trekking on the sea, they could finally see the outline of Skyros Island in their sights.
"We're almost there." Carcas said as he gazed into the distance at the faintly discernible island. Anyone who had been sailing at sea for two months would feel a heartfelt joy as they approached their destination.
Austin, on the other hand, was worried. "Prophet Calchas, it will take us a few months to go back and forth. This is too tiring and a waste of time. Are you sure Achilles is on this island?"
"I'm sure," Calchas said seriously. Not only did he know where Achilles lived, but he also knew Achilles' role in the Battle of Troy. This was all God's guidance.
Achilles had never been out of God's sight, and all of Tethyas' efforts were in vain.
As the two spoke, the ship approached the port of Skouros Island.
At this moment, there were seven ships at the port, and people were coming and going. Most of them had come to Skouros Island to collect olives and spices.
When the ship docked, Odysseus and Calchas disembarked. Odysseus looked at the port and said with envy, "Skouros Island is so prosperous."
He looked at the prosperous scene before him and thought about his Kingdom of Itaka. He felt that it was completely different.
"These are all merchants who come here to collect spices and olives. This is normal," Calchas said. "Let's go and visit our old friend, Lycomedes."
Then, Odysseus and Calchas led a group of soldiers to the palace. At the palace gate, King Lycomedes had received the news and was waiting there.
Soon, the chariot that Odysseus and Calchas were in appeared in Lycomedes's sight.
When the two got off, King Lycomedes went up to them and said warmly, "Honorable guests, welcome from afar. I have prepared a sumptuous banquet for you in the palace."
"King Lycomedes, thank you very much for your warm welcome." Calchas and Odysseus chatted. After that, they followed Lycomedes to the banquet hall of the palace.
Inside the banquet hall, Lycomedes had called all the princes of the kingdom to attend the banquet. It was obvious that the arrival of Austin and Calchas was very important to him.
The tables in the banquet hall were also filled with all kinds of barbecued meat and fine wine.
Austin looked at the wine jugs on the table. They were all inlaid with gold, and the cups were also bronze. He could not help but think to himself, The Kingdom of Skylus sure is rich.
There was another burst of envy in his heart, along with a faint trace of jealousy.
Of course, Lycomedes did not know what Odysseus was thinking. When he saw that everyone was seated, he picked up the wine cup on the table and said, "Come, let's toast and welcome our guests from afar, King Odysseus of Itaka and the Greek prophet Calchas."
After that, he downed the wine in one gulp. Everyone followed suit and downed the wine in their cups.
The atmosphere of the banquet was very warm. Suddenly, Calchas raised his wine cup, stood up, and said, "Respected King Lycomedes, thank you very much for your warm welcome. This time, we are under the orders of the commander of the Greek allied forces, Agamemnon. We hope to bring Achilles, the son of Peleus, back to Troy."
When Lycomedes heard Calchas' request, he shook his head and said, "Peleus' son? No, no, I can swear to God that I have never adopted Peleus' son. "
Lycomedes' tone was firm, and it did not seem like he was faking it. Odysseus and Calchas were momentarily speechless.
He then continued, "But the child that you are talking about is only a girl. She grew up with my princesses, and I have not seen her for a long time. I do not recognize her."
Odysseus and Calchas were overjoyed and expressed their intention to take a look at the girl.
Lycomedes was a little unhappy with the two's request, but he still agreed in the end. He turned around and ordered, "Go get all the girls in my palace."
Lycomedes summoned all the princesses to the banquet hall for Odysseus and Calchas to identify them.
After a while, a group of princesses arrived. They were all around 15 or 16 years old. Odysseus and Calchas immediately left their seats and carefully looked at the many princesses. Their eyes swept up and down, trying to find some clues from these princesses.
However, no matter how sharp the two heroes' eyes were, they could not tell which one of them was Achilles in female clothing.
Odysseus sneaked up to Calchas and said, "Could it be that King Lycomedes is playing a trick, or is Achilles not even among them?"
Odysseus was very good at scheming. It was easy for him to judge others by his own standards. Whenever something did not go his way, he would think that others were also scheming to fool him.
Calchas looked at Odysseus and replied, "Honorable Odysseus, King Lycomedes is not playing a trick. He really thinks that Achilles is a girl, and Achilles is definitely among them. It is just that he has been playing with the princesses since he was nine, so it is not easy to tell."
"Also, even if Lycomedes is hiding it, it is normal. This is something that Thetis entrusted to him, so he has to take good care of her."
Thetis herself was not strong. She was only a lesser goddess, but she was the daughter of Nereus and Doris, the goddess of the sea. She had also performed meritorious deeds for Zeus, so it was natural for Lycomedes to take care of her.
"I see, but it will not be easy to find Achilles," Odysseus said.
"Although it will not be easy, we have to complete the mission this time."
Odysseus nodded. He understood the special nature of this mission. This was a mission given by the gods, so he could not reject it. He had to find a way to complete it.
After a while, the banquet gradually dispersed, but Odysseus and Calchas were still thinking of ways to find Achilles.
Looking at the princesses standing in the hall, the cunning Odysseus suddenly came up with a plan. He said to Calchas, "I have a plan to find Achilles, but I need King Lycomedes' permission."
Calchas was a little curious and asked, "What plan?"
So Odysseus told him his plan in a low voice, but Calchas was the one to communicate with Lycomedes.
After Calchas heard the plan, he looked at Odysseus in a new light. He felt that although he was cunning, he was very intelligent and could often come up with plans that normal people could not think of.
He found Lycomedes and said, "Honorable King Lycomedes, we will use the Horn of War to find Achilles. I hope it will not affect your kingdom."
Although Lycomedes was not happy, he could not reject Calchas' request.
"The great Greek prophet Calchas, just do it. I will give the order, and it will not affect you."
"Thank you so much, King Lycomedes," Calchas said and left to tell the good news to Odysseus.
Hearing that Lycomedes had agreed to this plan, Odysseus was happy.
He asked someone to bring a spear and a shield and placed them in the hall. He then ordered his followers to blow the Horn of War and the sound of footsteps, as if enemies were charging into the palace.
As soon as the battle horn sounded, the princesses in the palace turned pale with fright. A small country in Greece only had a few thousand people, and the so-called royal palace was a relatively grand building. It was not impossible for it to be attacked. They immediately hid, and only one girl remained in place.
In order to protect her beloved princesses and to show her bravery in front of them, the girl resolutely picked up the spear and shield on the ground.
Odysseus and Calchas, who had not gone far, secretly looked in the corner. When they saw the Horn of War sound and the princesses ran away, they saw someone pick up the spear and shield on the ground. They were sure that this person was the Achilles they were looking for.
The two ran out excitedly, and Calchas said, "Achilles, we found you."
"Your father, the great hero Peleus, once swore on Helen's marriage, which was blessed by the gods, to protect the legitimate marriage from being broken. Now that Prince Paris has broken the sacred marriage, all the princes who swore must go to war."
"Your father is too old to go, so you have to go in your father's place."
Achilles, who was standing, was speechless. He was too young and did not know about these complicated plots. He really thought that the enemies had attacked the palace.
When his mother left, she warned him not to expose his identity, but now it was all over.
"Are you here to ask me to help you defeat your enemies?" Achilles asked directly.
Odysseus rolled his eyes and had an idea. He said, "No, Achilles, you can't defeat them alone. We are just following the oath and bringing you to Troy."
Even though Achilles was not old, he could not tolerate Odysseus' disdain. He said, "Don't worry, since you found me, I will go with you to Troy. I alone can defeat Troy and kill Prince Paris."
The corner of Odysseus's mouth curled up, revealing a smile of success.
"I hope that when I go to Troy, I can bring my coach Phoenix and my friend Patroclus with me."
"We have 50 battleships."
"No problem," Carcas said as he exchanged glances with Austin. Both of them were overjoyed.
Odysseus only had eight battleships in the entire Itakel Kingdom, and the wealth left behind by the hero Peleus was not small!
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