Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter Read Free Book Online Page A

then.
May I live as you live, may I rule as you rule, may I die as you die
.

CHAPTER FIVE
    Sing O goddess, sing of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus —
that murderous anger which condemned Achaeans
to countless agonies and threw many warrior souls
deep into Hades, leaving their dead bodies
carrion for dogs and birds —
all in fulfillment of the will of Zeus
.

    “Good,” Euphronius said, raising a hand to stop my recitation. “But before we move any further, let us discuss this murderous rage of Achilles.”
    I groaned inwardly and sat back down on my short stool. We had gone through the entire
Iliad
a number of times and were now starting again, this time reciting from memory. I hated it when Euphronius interrupted us to parse out every little line. I preferred it when we just focused on the
story
, the fighting, the great moments of sacrifice, bravery, and passion.
    We sat in a small shaded garden outside the reading rooms of the Great Library. I stared up, squinting into the brilliant blue of the sky as waving palm fronds skewered fluffy white clouds. The intermittent calls of shipmen and merchants drifted in from the Royal Harbor.
    “Now,” Euphronius continued, popping me out of my reverie, “how can Achilles’ great rage be the fulfillment of the will of Zeus?”
    “Because everything that happens, even bad things,
must
be the will of the gods, otherwise they would not happen,” Alexandros said after our tutor called on him.
    “Yes, but is there anything people can
do
when the gods have turned on them so viciously?” he pressed.
    “No, there is no escaping the fates the gods have set for us,” I said, even though Euphronius had looked at one of the other children whoaccompanied us in our lessons, sons and daughters of the most noble families of Alexandria. I responded out of turn because I was still mulling over what the old rabbi had said about “free will.” He was wrong. Fate set our futures.
    Euphronius turned to me. “And what happens when humans try to escape their fates? Someone
else
, this time, please,” he added.
    “They either end up dead like Achilles or blind like Oedipus,” said Euginia, my sometimes partner in
trigon
.
    “Yes. Now let us look a little closer at what we really mean by
hubris …
,” Euphronius continued. But again my attention wandered. I looked over at Euginia, her black ringlets arranged prettily past her shoulders, cascading down her fine yellow linen tunic. How long did she have to sit still, I wondered, while her nurse used heated tongs to create those perfect curls? This detail of her appearance always fascinated me, for she did not seem to me a girl overly concerned with her looks. Especially since she played such a mean game of
trigon
.
    Euginia must have felt me staring at her, for she looked at me and gave me a quick smile. I cut my eyes at Euphronius and made a face. Euginia looked down at the wax tablet on her lap, suppressing a grin.
    “So, then, if punishment — great suffering and death — is the inevitable result of trying to escape one’s fate, why do men continually try?” Euphronius droned on. “What, then, should our role be in relationship to the gods?”
    “Excuse me, revered teacher,” a voice said.
    Euphronius’s white scholar’s robe whipped around him as he turned to face Mother’s lady, Iras.
    “The queen calls for her daughter. You must come with me now,” she said, turning to me and inclining her head.
    My heart soared with excitement, and I jumped up and raced toward her.
    Alexandros rose too. Iras put a hand out. “I am sorry, young prince. The call is only for your sister.”
    Alexandros looked at me, his face flickering surprise, hurt, and then anger in a matter of seconds. I shrugged at him, feeling guilty. I did not know why Mother was not including him.
    “The queen instructed me to tell you that she would meet privately with you later, after the evening meal,” Iras said quickly.
    Alexandros sat back down on his