Page 36 of Achille's Earth Angel

“And I love you, my little earth angel.”

The End

––––––––

EPILOGUE

Ange and Achilles rebuilt a spacious home on the land where his families’ palace had stood centuries before in Thessaly. He reconstructed it from his childhood memories with gardens, pillars along sweeping flagstones, and arches everywhere. There were even some stones left on the original site that he incorporated into the design of the fireplaces.

Uncle Hercules came to visit every now and then, although they were never quite sure where he came up with the gifts he brought their five children over the years. Three girls and two boys. There were underwater pearls, unicorn horns, gold and silver play swords, and other gifts that fired their young imaginations.

Achilles and Hercules also sparred now and then when they thought Ange wasn’t watching, but it never had the same impact that it did that night on the beach. It would be said in later years that their sons must have had the same dream one night. The dream where Daddy and Uncle Hercules had fought like maniacs, and Daddy had looked as young and strong as Uncle Hercules.

Ange even published her father’s book after hiring an artist to recreate pictures to go with the story. If the sea nymph’s love resembled Leonidas, that was okay because it was Grandpa’s book. The children loved that their Mama had turned their grandpa’s story into a picture book with him as the star.

Oh, the innocence of babes!

Whether or not they told their children about the gods being real was never revealed. After all, it was against the laws of Olympus for the gods to consort with humans.

The last time they saw Epaphras was years later, at the beach at Ange’s old cottage. He had six small children trailing after him, and a pretty young woman on his arm. He’d smiled sheepishly at Ange and Achilles with their five children, and nodded his head. He stopped as if he wanted to say something, but the young woman had spoken sharply and he’d hurried after her instead.

Ange was glad they hadn’t stayed on the island, but also glad she’d kept the cottage. It was a nice place to visit for the kids, and to reconnect with Ange’s family still living there. They’d heard from Hercules that Delia had not remarried yet and they wondered if she ever would.

I guess we’ll never really know if Zeus gave in and pulled Achilles out of the underworld and made him immortal once again, but we can be pretty sure Achilles never regretted staying with his earth angel for the rest of his years.

When all is said and done, the gods can do anything they like, especially the king of the gods, the mighty Zeus.

––––––––