Even though Patroclus has basically declared undying love for Achilles, he’s still an insecure teenager, so of course he’s worried Achilles will regret what they’ve done. At the same time, this new, revealed love makes Patroclus feel powerful, like a “god”—yet this moment is ironic and almost bleak, since they
aren’t gods and
don’t control their fate. Achilles has never much cared what other people think. The less powerful or self-assured Patroclus always has cared, and so his refusal to be affected by how others think of him suggests the depth of his feelings for Achilles. It also suggests that he learned the lesson Chiron was trying to teach him: there are things besides honor worth fighting for.