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Intro
Patroclus, a young Greek prince, grows up disliked by his father: his mother is intellectually disabled, and his father resents them both for their weakness. When Patroclus is nine, his father takes him to Sparta, home to the beautiful princess Helen—she’s ready to marry, and Patroclus will make his case as a suitor. At the palace, one of the gathered men, Odysseus, worries the suitors will kill one another over Helen. He proposes a solution: Helen should choose her husband, and the men should vow to defend him. Everyone—including Patroclus—agrees, and Helen chooses Menelaus.
Later, when Patroclus is back home, he gets into an altercation with a nobleman’s son, pushing the boy and inadvertently killing him. As punishment, Patroclus’s father strips his son of his title and banishes him to the kingdom of Phthia, which Patroclus knows is a fate worse than death. Phthia is ruled by another king, Peleus, who’s married to the sea-nymph Thetis. Thetis was forced by the gods to mate with Peleus, producing a half-god son, Achilles. Patroclus remains distant from everyone on the island, but Achilles eventually befriends him.
Patroclus accompanies Achilles everywhere, and the two become inseparable. Achilles even reveals to Patroclus that he’s prophesized to be the best fighter of his generation. Eventually, Patroclus meets Thetis, who dislikes him; she tells him she wants to make Achilles a god, although Achilles doesn’t want this yet. When Achilles and Patroclus are 13, they kiss. Thetis witnesses this and reacts furiously, sending Achilles away to train with the centaur Chiron on Mount Pelion. Patroclus impulsively decides to follow. While on Mount Pelion, Achilles improves his skill with the lyre, and Patroclus learns medicine. Chiron attempts to teach them to fight but soon discovers that Achilles has nothing more to learn, and that Patroclus would rather not be a soldier.
Two years later, Achilles initiates sex with Patroclus, who realizes that he’ll love Achilles forever. But their peace is disrupted when a messenger arrives to bring them home. Upon their arrival, Peleus reveals that there will be a war: the Trojan prince Paris has stolen Helen away from Menelaus and brought her to Troy. Menelaus and his brother, Agamemnon, now demand that Helen’s suitors sail to protect her, as they vowed to do—Patroclus is, of course, among them.
To keep Achilles away from war, Thetis hides him on an island, Scryos, ruled by the ailing king Lycomedes. Patroclus discovers Achilles’s location and sails after him; when he arrives, he learns that Lycomedes’s daughter, Deidameia, runs Scryos. Deidameia also oversees the kingdom’s foster daughters—Achilles is among them, posing as a woman. Deidameia reveals that she and Achilles are secretly married, and that she’s pregnant—it turns out Thetis arranged the marriage under Lycomedes’s nose. But Thetis now demands that Deidameia keep silent about the marriage and the baby, which will mean giving birth in exile. Thetis will then raise the child. Jealous that Achilles loves Patroclus instead of her, Deidameia initiates sex with Patroclus.
Soon, Odysseus arrives on Scryos, pretending to recruit soldiers while searching for Achilles. To convince Achilles to sail to Troy, Odysseus says the Fates have prophesized two futures: if Achilles fights, he’ll be famous. If he stays, he’ll be forgotten. Thetis then shares the third part of the prophecy: Achilles will die in Troy. Patroclus tells Achilles that they’ll be together if he stays, but it’s not enough to convince him; Achilles will go to Troy, and Patroclus will follow. Grief-stricken, Patroclus demands more information from Thetis, who says Achilles will die after the Trojan prince, Hector; Hector’s fighting is second only to Achilles’s. Patroclus assumes this means that Achilles will kill him, and he tells him not to.
Patroclus and Achilles return to Phthia, where Achilles receives a new spear. The Phthians then sail to Aulis, a strip of land where the Greeks—including Agamemnon—will convene before charging Troy. Agamemnon expects Achilles’s loyalty, but the two immediately butt heads. The Greek army is marooned on Aulis with no wind, and the goddess Artemis demands a priestess sacrifice before the war. Agamemnon summons his priestess daughter and sacrifices her upon arrival; Achilles is horrified by Agamemnon’s cruelty.
The Greeks sail to Troy, where they decide to begin the war with raids on local villages instead of peace talks. Soldiers are given access to spoils, which include women whom the soldiers enslave and rape. Patroclus urges Achilles to claim the first, a woman named Briseis—the two give her free reign in the Phthian camp, and she and Patroclus become friends. They repeat the same process with other women whenever possible. Soon, the Trojan king Priam summons the Greeks for a parley, where Priam says the Trojans will defend Helen. Achilles and Patroclus wonder whether Helen went with Menelaus voluntarily, but then they decide it doesn’t matter: Agamemnon would attack Troy regardless.
The war begins in earnest. At first, Patroclus has to fight, and he notices that Thetis watches Achilles on the battlefield. Patroclus begins to assist in the medical tent as the war drags on, the army finding a rhythm but not making ground. The Greeks grow restless with the pace and attempt to mutiny before Achilles calms them down, which angers Agamemnon. Thetis, now anxious, reveals a new prophecy: the best of the Myrmidons (Achilles’s people) will die within two years, but Achilles will still be alive then. In the midst of this, Briseis reveals that she’s in love with Patroclus, which makes Achilles jealous.
One day, Agamemnon claims a priest’s daughter as a spoil. Her father offers ransom, which Agamemnon refuses; soon, a plague besets the army, revealed to be the gods’ punishment. Achilles insists that Agamemnon accept the ransom, but Agamemnon declines, insisting that Achilles swear fealty to him. When Achilles won’t, Agamemnon says he’ll take Briseis back; angry, Achilles tells Agamemnon that he’ll no longer fight for him, and that as a result, the Greeks will fall. Patroclus realizes that Achilles intends to allow Agamemnon to assault Briseis, which would provide a reason to kill him. Horrified, Patroclus reveals Achilles’s plan to Agamemnon in exchange for Briseis’s safety. Achilles accuses Patroclus of trading his honor for Briseis, but Patroclus insists that he’s really preserving it. Achilles, ashamed, reveals that he’s done far worse: Thetis asked the gods to ensure the Greek army’s failure until Agamemnon apologizes.
After this, the Greeks begin to lose the war; Agamemnon sends Odysseus to broker peace with Achilles, but Achilles wants a real apology. Patroclus worries that Achilles is damaging his reputation; he may end up famous only for his pride. Patroclus tells Briseis to escape as soon as she can, and she tenderly refers to him the “best of the Myrmidons.” Patroclus then begs Achilles to return to battle, if only as a favor to him. When Achilles refuses, Patroclus comes up with a new plan: he’ll wear Achilles’s armor into battle to fool the Greeks. Achilles reluctantly agrees, and Patroclus swears that he won’t really fight.
Patroclus’s appearance as Achilles rejuvenates the army, and he grows cocky. Angry at the bloodshed and desperate to end the war, Patroclus begins scaling Troy’s wall, where the god Apollo stops him. Ignoring Apollo, Patroclus tries again; Apollo throws Patroclus back, which knocks his helmet off, revealing his identity. Hector then kills Patroclus.
Now a restless spirit, Patroclus observes the fallout from his death. Achilles goes on a rampage to kill Hector, tussling with a river god who tries to keep the two apart. When Hector is on the brink of death, he begs Achilles to return his body to Priam, which would set his soul to rest—but Achilles refuses and kills him. He then desecrates Hector’s body and preserves Patroclus’s, disgusting Thetis, who believes living with humans softened Achilles. Her only hope is Achilles’s son, Pyrrhus, whom she raised and who is fated to end the Trojan War. Priam visits Achilles, begging him to return Hector’s body and connecting with him over their shared grief. Achilles agrees. He then cremates Patroclus and asks the Greeks to mix their ashes after he’s dead.
Many try and fail to kill Achilles; eventually, Apollo spurs Paris to shoot him, and Achilles falls, relieved to finally die. Pyrrhus arrives at the Greek camp and demands that Achilles’s grave be marked only with his name, not Patroclus’s—Achilles will go to the underworld, but Patroclus won’t. He then attempts to rape Briseis before killing her, and her body falls underwater, lost. Odysseus tries and fails to convince Pyrrhus to mark Patroclus’s grave, and the Greeks soon leave Troy after winning the war.
Thetis comes to visit Achilles’s grave; the gravestone is marked with his most violent acts, and Patroclus worries that this is how he’ll be remembered. He speaks to Thetis from beyond the grave, and Thetis tells him that Pyrrhus was killed by Agamemnon’s son after he assaulted her wife. She asks Patroclus to share his memories of Achilles, and Patroclus tells her about Achilles’s small kindnesses and acts of love. Thetis, in turn, tells him about her assault at Peleus’s hands. She can’t go to the underworld to see Achilles, which grieves her, as does her failure to make him a god. Eventually, she tells Patroclus that she marked his grave herself. He and Achilles find each other in the underworld, finally at peace.
