Legends Among Us

A Story by MagicMika006

This is a twist on the tale of Achilles. (I liked to toy around with Greek and Roman mythology when I was in high school.) I always meant to revisit the story and write more or maybe write a part two.

I took off down the field. The soccer ball and I became one as I tactfully moved along the green. I faked a goal on the sweeper, turned to my left and kicked the ball into the net, all ready knowing my team won even though the goalie attempted to catch the pentagon-coverd sphere.

“Yes!” I exclaimed as I punched the air and ran back to my scrimmage team's side of the field. Some of the guys clapped my back with a “good job” while responding to Coach Brown's whistle and hand gestures to retire playing for the evening.

“You boys are getting better every practice. The Trojans are gonna have a hard fight tomorrow night,” Coach Brown said.

A couple guys next to me whooped and fist-pumped. I had a good feeling myself that we might be able to beat our rival school this year. “It's a good thing you've got Kyle on your team.” Coach Brown pointed at me.

I smiled and shrugged a little. “Thank you,” I said.

“You all better get a good night's sleep tonight. And eat a good breakfast tomorrow. You're dismissed.”

I stood quickly, almost leaping. Ozzy walked over to me as I picked up my Adidas gym bag.

“You think your mom would let me spend the night?” Ozzy asked.

I knew what that meant. Ozzy's parents had to be fighting again. “Yeah, man. Let's go.”

I was happy to be home. “That was a good game, man. An awesome game,” Ozzy said, as he reached out his fist.

I pounded it and nodded my head. “I gotta go take a shower,” I said as I began my job upstairs.

“Save some water for me,” I heard Ozzy say through what I guessed was bites of food.

I eagerly turned the cold water on the faucet more than usually. I grabbed my “anti-bi-polar pills” and swallowed one, bitterly, now realizing I “forgot” to take one this morning. I know it's not a good idea, but I sometimes experiment and see how often I can go without taking pills before my insanity interrupts me. I stared in the mirror, seeing my harsh reflection in return. I usually liked my appearance, but there seemed to be something different about my rounded-rectangular, pale face and green eyes. Maybe it was just the bi-polar kicking in. That had to be it.

I stripped the rest of my clothing and stepped into the cool shower in an attempt to wash away the confusion.

I massaged my long, wet blonde hair with the towel and tossed it into the hamper. “You were great tonight, sweetie,” my mom said, giving me a peck on the cheek.

“Thanks, mom,” I said. Even though I was fifteen, I never was embarrassed to receive a kiss from the woman who gave me birth.

“It's nice to see the Eagles conquer the Trojans for once,” my grandpa Richard said, his presence surprising me.

“I sense a story coming on,” my mom said and set a plate of crackers and cheese on the counter beside us. “I'll leave you boys alone to talk.”

My mom exited the kitchen and walked into her bedroom, carrying her favorite new romance novel. “You're showing that warrior spirit, my boy.”

I smiled, sitting next to my grandpa at the breakfast bar. I always liked it when he compared me to soldiers.

“Did you ever learn about the story of the Greek war hero, Achilles?” my grandpa asked.

I nodded. “I don't know much,” I admitted.

“Well, he was a young man much like yourself. A strong, demigod; unafraid of any enemy. You know that much?”

I nodded again.

“Well, you're not a demigod, but anyway... he had everything he could have ever wanted. Women falling at his feet, enemies cowering in fear, respected by one of the greatest kings of Greece. Well, the only thing Achilles never gained was true immortality. Sure, his name will be carried out for ages to come, but I think that the only thing he ever wanted was to live forever; to see his son's son's sons follow his footsteps into battle. But,” my grandpa leaned in towards me, gesturing with his finger to lean in as well, “some believe that he still lives,” he whispered.

“How is that possible?”

“He reincarnates himself into young men. Takes the souls of them and lives in them until they die and then moves on to the next.”

“Wow,” I said. Seconds later I snapped back at myself. “Nice story, grandpa. I better go to bed. Good night.”

As I was leaving the room, I could swear that I heard him say, “You'll find out that it's not just a story soon.”

“I can't believe we're seriously doing this unit,” I told Ozzy as we grabbed plastic swords. Apparently, our school had ran out of ideas for sports to play in gym, so someone decided on a sword-fighting unit.

“Dude, you're awesome at this. You look like Leonidas when you compete,” Ozzy said.

Yeah, we had competitions at the end of the unit. You have to win at least two matches out of five to get a one hundred test grade. I always get the one hundred by the end of my second match.

“Kyle, would you mind working with Osmund for a match?” our gym teacher Mr. Vines asked me.

“Yeah, no problem,” I said.

“Go easy on him,” he joked.

We laughed a little. “I heard that,” Ozzy said as Mr. Vines walked away.

“All right. I'll count us off,” I said posing in my usual starting stance, right arm held above my head, my elbow protecting my heart. “Three, two, one, en guard.”

I swung down at Ozzy, my sword landing on top of his. It was a good thing that they were sturdy, otherwise every one I used would break. I twisted my arm back and turned in an attempt to confuse my opponent. I attempted to strike again, our swords clashing once more. Ozzy aimed for my legs, in an attempt to trip me. I jumped and hit his left shoulder-blade, behind his heart. Ozzy knew that this would have meant death for him, and fell on one knee, admitting defeat. I sighed and withdrew my sword. I believed that the story of Achilles's reincarnation was possible, and I believed my grandpa's hint that he lived in me.