《The Argive》 Prologue Under the veil of night, many schemes are in motion. After all, darkness was the only thing representing those people. Mystics of the faith, grasping for things prohibited to them¡­ Even dangerous¡­ But, witnessing the changes that this event could cause¡­ It was difficult for mere mortals to withstand this sensation of¡­ seduction. The ritual was sacred, secluded, secret¡­ forbidden. The woman was wearing a semi-revealing grey hue chiton. She was dancing seductively towards and around the man she laid eyes upon. Her target. At least for tonight. She could sense he was special. He could be of great use to her plans. However she had a rival in her pursuit. A woman that once thought of her to be her mentor. A guide to help her through the struggles she faced during her early years in the cult. But now? Now she was nothing more than an obstacle to her mission. But she had her ways. She knew how to prevail, something that she always did. * He joined the cult¡¯s rite uninvited, though he knew these kinds of rituals. Rarely the thought of joining crossed his mind. After all it was explicitly forbidden for his kind to enter those. Of course he knew that many of his own participated. But this time, it was different. He felt different. A desire was slowly burning inside him, the heat building up. Some-kind of curiosity triggered his mind. A weird but familiar scent¡­ The burning sensation tingled him, but not pleasantly. Was that¡­ Could he ever be jealous of him? He kept on, his mind fogged, his thoughts blurred. The event took place outdoors, past the vast fields of the kingdom of Macedonia, far away from even the outskirts of the city of Pella, in a forest, hidden, secluded and accessible only for those who knew of its existence. The dark rituals that were performed gave an ominous aura, but that did not stop the members from falling into the influence of alcohol and the dark sorcery. Things unspeakable took place. This wickedness of these humans had to be kept hidden. Under wraps. The mighty and influential leaders of the Greek realm had to keep their involvement a secret. He was not invited, but that did not stop him. Who could stop him after all? He was lurking in the river nearby and once he laid his eyes upon her, felt her aura and scent of divinity on her¡­ he was determined! Proud and full of confidence, with some arrogance that everybody from his family had, he walked towards her, with only one goal in mind. It was the first time since too long that those primal instincts took over him and there was nothing he could do to control them¡­ * She was dancing, with a slow pace, following the rhythms of the lyre. It was easy to realize from the corner of her eye that he caught his attention, dancing seductively like all the other women around her. But her rival was obviously in the lead. Like a siren, she was slowly approaching, luring him into her bosom. The probability of losing to her made her sick¡­ There was no way that she would lose once more to this shrew. Determined she took action, dancing in circles like everyone else. But unlike the rest, she hid a knife in her garmanets, a dagger familiar to her, given by a priest of Apollo to her. She kept it tight, ready to strike her adversary. These were by no means sacred grounds, so did not have to fear divine consequences, or in their case, chthonic. It seemed like she accidentally bumped into her, with the wine cup she was holding falling into her clothes. She fell to the ground, unconscious. Nobody gave her a second glance. She was just another drunken lady, tired and sedated by the laurel steam. No one looked twice and no one understood that the red stain on her dress was actually blood. With the sounds of the cithara, lyre and all the singing, no one cared to notice the murder, and went on continuing their drunken pandemonium. And just like that she had a rival no more. Although unfamiliar with the concept of murder, the prize made her calm and indifferent to the heinous crime she had committed. she continued to dance erotically, approaching her target slowly, captivating the gaze of the man, or rather the god that she aimed to seduce¡­ * The moment he entered the event a strong aura filled the area, everyone sensed it instantaneously, but that did not stop anyone from having fun. Everyone was so drunk after all¡­ Every step he made, he felt that he was losing himself. Some sort of primal instinct was taking over him. Or it could be magic. Maybe it was the influence of this dark ritual that made him feel like that. He could never know. The only thing he did know was that the Fates decided to bring him there. And his desire was part of their plan. He hadn¡¯t felt like this for a long, long time. Before he had met his wife he was like this; primal, direct, aggressive. This ancient cult did awaken those feelings. Every step he made felt like an earthquake was about to start, the night full of stars turned to become a night full of ominous clouds covering the sky. Nevertheless, his mind had but one though, one desire only at the moment. To take that woman. His eyes were fixed on his prey. His prize. * She reached him, danced around him. She exchanged glances with him, biting her bottom lip every time she looked directly in his sky-blue eyes. Truth to be told, she did not have to try hard to get him. She knew she was desirable to any man and beyond and she already made clear her intentions. She had not only his complete attention, but his desire as well. He has ripe for the taking. After making the first move she fell into his arms and whispered seductively, softly biting his left ear. He had to put great effort to stop himself from making a move on her, that could expose his identity to others. He did not wish for others to witness his presence. ¡°My lord, I was longing for your heavenly arrival¡­¡± ¡°What is your name¡­ girl?¡± ¡°I think anonymity will keep us both¡­ safe, my lord. Don¡¯t you think?¡± * The sea grew reckless by his every step. Like a reflection of his inner self. He felt drawn to her, with each step. he pushed everyone out of his way, his eyes grew blurry, seeing only and only her. Her scent was intoxicating. Driving him crazy. He wanted her. But the scent of the other made him want her even more. Finally, he would not be denied. Not from him. Not again. No one paid attention to his clear intentions. They couldn¡¯t even care for what he could do to her. After all, it was that kind of a cult event¡­ Everything was permitted. Hedonism was nothing else but means to an end. He reached her from her rear. Grabbed her, startled her and with force turned her towards him. He came face to face with her beautiful face. Clearly, she was royalty. The light colours of her symmetrical face could not hide this fact. He looked into her eyes. Those captivating blue eyes. She could not escape his grip no matter what. She was now his, forced to accept the situation she was in, after realising who he was. So strong, so powerful. Like an untamed horse. Raw, untamable power¡­ And certainly unreasonable. She was his conquest. Plain and simple. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Your name girl!¡± he demanded, his voice followed by a thousand echoes of the abyss. ¡°O¡­ Olympias¡­ My name is Olympias!¡± * ¡°Where is he?!¡± he asked his old comrade. The general bowed before his king. Although in his forties, the hardships of numerous battles and campaigns had taken a toll on him. His hair started to become grey, while wrinkles grooved his face. Marks and totems of enemy weapons were visible. The king was in a similar condition himself. Plus the deformities he had to withstand. ¡°Follow me, my lord. This way¡±. They walked down the corridor. The king was breathing heavily. First he was exhausted. He came all the way from Chalkidike, alone, never stopped galloping his steed. He left the horse downstairs, to a stable boy. The poor animal was out of breath too, probably on the verge of death. But the birth of a son, to his own royal family, put the horse in a secondary fate. After some moments they reached the door of his wife''s chamber. ¡°She is tired, sire. You should tread silently and carefully around her for the next couple of days¡­¡± But the general¡¯s words never reached the ears of his king. ¡°Out of my way, Parmenion!¡± he shouted and stormed into the room. He saw him in his small bed, sleeping, oblivious to the worries of the world. The king let his helmet fall to the ground, as he undid the leather straps of his breastplate. ¡°Husband¡­ Please. It took us a great deal to put him to sleep¡±. He ignored her, as he usually did. Maybe there was a time when she loved her, but now she was just a tool. Means to an end. And with the birth of their son, the heir to the Macedonian throne, she had fulfilled her usefulness. The king picked up his son gently, because he did not wish to wake him. Not that he intended to listen to his wife, but rather he did not want to deprive his newborn of his rest. He kept him near his chest, feeling the warmth of his soft skin against his hardened and scarred chest. The king tried to hold his breath, in order to hear the heartbeat of his son. ¡°Phillip?¡± He didn¡¯t respond. ¡°My king?¡± ¡°What is it, Parmenion?¡± he asked, in a hushed tone. ¡°What name will you give him, Majesty?¡± Phillip stood silent for a moment, before smiling broadly. ¡°His name will be Alexander!¡± * Apollonia was out in the woods, picking up mushrooms. It was pouring heavy rain, but that didn¡¯t matter to her. She knew from her books that rain was good for the soil. She was almost done when she came across the girl. She was young, not too young. More like in her third decade. She was wandering the wilderness, with her belly swollen and full. It was clear she was pregnant and in her last month. It seemed to her that the young woman was in great pain. ¡°Do you require assistance, younglin?¡± The woman was not startled by Apollonia¡¯s voice. She grabbed her belly. She was in great agony. ¡°Help me¡­ Please¡­¡± She was compassionate. It was the way of her people to treat anyone who passed from their territory and required assistance. Apollonia took her in, helped her lie down on a bed made from soft feathers. She helped the woman get comfortable with blankets, while she prepared hot water for the imminent birth of her child. ¡°Do I know you from somewhere¡­?¡± Apollonia inquired, but the young woman¡¯s face shot daggers towards her. The old herbalist understood that she should not ask further. Such action could prove fatal. She seemed like royalty, from her fierce gaze and delicate hands. ¡°Are you from around here, girl?¡± ¡°Epirus is my homeland¡­ The king is my kin¡± she replied. ¡°That¡¯s why you are out here?¡± The young woman smiled weakly. ¡°Do you believe in Gods and sorcery, my dear woman?¡± the young woman asked, amid her pain. Apollonia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve seen too much for my age, but the gods are not among the things I witnessed,¡± she answered. ¡°Then you cannot completely understand my situation¡± The old herbalist helped her sit on the bed. With careful and slow movements started massaging her belly. ¡°Your child is on the way now. Be strong and push hard. Is this your firstborn?¡± The young woman seemed reluctant to answer this question. But she nodded, positively. When the baby started to come out, she struggled a lot. Pain and agony were evident in her voice, as she plunged her fingernail into the hand of the old herbalist. But Apollonia did not even flinch, but rather she kept encouraging the young woman to keep pushing. Finally, after some time the woman gave birth to a son. She was weak but restless. Apollonia knew that she was searching for a way out. Although reluctant, the old herbalist managed to get her cleaned up, while she wrapped up the baby in linen cloth. After a while, the young woman got up from the bath, with a determined look. ¡°I have to go,¡± she declared. Apollonia gulped. She knew it was for the best not to get in her way. ¡°Where will you go now?¡± Apollonia asked. The young woman with her legs still trembling from the agony of birth, managed to get clothed on her own, while she covered her face once again. ¡°I will go back to my life¡± she said, with a cold look on her face. ¡°And the baby?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the hands of the Gods now¡­¡± She went on to open the door and head outside. She stopped. Took a dagger, a golden one and left it on a wooden table. ¡°My legacy¡­ to my son¡±. Chapter 1: Hubris Chapter 1 HUBRIS
It was already noon in the city of Pella. The celebrations for Philip''s daughter''s wedding, Cleopatra, had already begun. The king desired to showcase the might and wealth of the Macedonian Kingdom, so he had prepared a grand celebration. This was his chance to show dominance over the other Greek clans and city-states. Servants were bringing an enormous amount of food and drinks, while the soldiers donned their finest armor. Philip was a proud man, and this day was particularly good for him. He had also arranged a parade, featuring a line of beasts from Anatolia, groups of his finest soldiers, all dressed up in golden cloaks and weapons made from great-quality metal and also polished, to make them brighter than the sun itself and the powerful Macedonian Phalanx, for all the people to witness the war machine that made him victorious in so many battles. The shields, swords, and spears of his troops shimmered under the sun''s light. Everything was going to be perfect. Also, Phillip had arranged for thirteen statues to enter the stage: twelve of them representing the Olympian Gods, and the last one depicting Philip himself. He portrayed himself as a god, equal to the Olympians. Who could deny him this pleasure? He was the greatest general ever to walk the face of the earth. Even this Theban general, Epaminondas, who had Phillip captured in his youth, could not stand a chance against the feats of his time as king of Macedon. He was the one who united Greece. Maybe those Spartans were stubborn but nowadays they were a footnote in the history of the world. A shadow of the great warriors they once were. They would not stand in his way. And then, his magnum opus. His dream of Asia. He wanted to cross Hellespont and march against those women-like soldiers and take revenge for the assaults they did against the Greeks, almost 100 years before his time. And he would do it, with his son by his side. Noone could touch him. Noone could ever deny his authority. The glory would be his. His name would be echoed in the centuries to come, alongside Achilles, the Demigod son of Thetis, and Hector, the Horse-Tamer. As he observed the statues entering the stage, a smile adorned Philip¡¯s face. It was his turn to make his appearance. He was supposed to enter the stage from a stoa, which led to the center of the stage, surrounded by soldiers, beasts, and gods. The plan was for the part of the stage where he stood to ascend into the air, displaying his superiority. Lost in his thoughts, he was brought back to reality by his son''s voice. ¡°Father!¡± Alexander called out. ¡°Father! It''s time¡±. Alexander would lead the Royal Bodyguards, as the youngest commander in the history of Greece. When he was 16, he managed to subjugate the rebellious Illyrians, as the regent to Phillip¡¯s throne. Once he had 18 summers behind him, Phillip took his son on his campaign against the Greek City-States of the South, who had rebelled against the Macedonian hegemony once again. The United Hellenic Army would meet Phillip¡¯s Army outside Thebes, at a location called Chaeronea. There Phillip gave command of the Companions, the best cavalry fighters in the whole kingdom, to his son Alexander. The young prince demolished the Sacred Band, the most experienced group of hoplites in all of Greece. Then he charged like a demon among the lines of the Athenians, breaking their spirits and declaring victory for his father. The stories were doing justice to Alexander. He had earned this. He was only 21 and was already one of the most trusted advisors of his father. Now he was ready to accompany his father to the stage, in front of every important man of the Greek political and military landscape. Phillip was proud of his son and Alexander was pleased with the achievements he was able to complete beside his father. Now, he was standing overconfident, with a big smile on his lips, looking impressive in his father''s armor. Philip gazed at him with affection and care. ¡°Well, you look quite good in my armor, son,¡± he chuckled. ¡°The royal tunic suits you well¡±. "I''m doing fine so far, thank you," Alexander replied. Father and son laughed together. ¡°Are you ready for this father?¡± ¡°Of course, I am! And then, after all the Greeks realize the power of our civilization, they will have no choice than to obey me and follow me to the depths of the earth!¡± ¡°Me too, father! I will follow you and help you fulfill your dream of conquering Asia. And take revenge for the lives of those Greek who fought in Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plateau¡±. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Philip smiled. He could not be any prouder of his son. Although they might have their disagreements ¨C they almost killed one another during the wedding of Phillip with Euridice, his last out of his seven wives ¨C king Phillip had a soft spot for Alexander. He hugged him tightly. ¡°You know, everything I do, I do for you. For your future as the king of this land¡±. ¡°I know, father¡±. They hugged for several moments and then they broke apart. ¡°Alright, son,¡± Philip said, adjusting his tunic. ¡°Let''s give them a show to remember¡±. Alexander and the soldiers appeared first, greeted by cheers from the crowd. Everyone eagerly awaited the arrival of the king. However, Philip never made an appearance. As he was straightening his clothes and adjusting his golden crown, made from oil leaves, a cloaked figure emerged from the shadows like a ghost of the night. With nobody noticing, the figure swiftly struck Philip with a dagger, pressing it against the king''s ribs. ¡°The Gods send their regards,¡± the figure whispered to him before disappearing into the darkness. The hooded man approached a guard named Pausanias, handing him the bloodied knife. Then he ran away and vanished, climbing the stone structures of the theater. Pausanias hurried to the king''s side, but it was too late. Philip lay there, blood pouring from his mouth. Cleopatra was getting anxious and exchanged a look of worry with her brother. Alexander was nervous too. Something was off. Phillip should already appear on the stage. He nodded towards his best friend, Hephaestion, to follow him. Once they entered the stoa, Alexander realized what had happened. ¡°NO!¡± Alexander cried out. He saw Pausanias with the bloodied dagger standing over his lifeless father. Alexander knew that man. He was known for his distaste of the king. But to murder him? Right here, right now? During a sacred festivity like this? This crime wasn¡¯t going to remain unpunished. Other soldiers ran to Alexander''s side upon hearing his cry. ¡°Seize that man! Seize him now!¡± he commanded. Soldiers flooded the stoa, chasing after a fleeing Pausanias. He ran desperately, aware of the furious pursuit. He knew the rage that many times consumed the young prince. If he was caught, no matter what he said, they would have found him guilty of the murder of Phillip. Only if he could escape. He was heading to the stables in order to get a horse from there. If he was able, in moments he could disappear. However, an arrow abruptly ended his escape as it pierced his head, causing him to fall lifeless. ¡°Idiots! Stupid mongrels! I ordered you to seize him, not kill him!¡± Alexander exclaimed, appearing at the entrance of the gallery with red eyes filled with grief and anger. The men looked at each other in confusion. ¡°Who shot the arrow?¡± asked the king. No one answered. ¡°I¡¯ll ask for the last time, who shot the arrow?¡± ¡°But sir,¡± said one of the soldiers, ¡°¡­none of us carried a bow or arrows. The one who killed Pausanias is not one of us¡±. Alexander approached the dead body of Pausanias and removed the arrow. Then he took the dagger and gave it to Perdiccas, one of his friends who had just arrived on the scene. ¡°Give those to my teacher Aristoteles. He will manage to get information about the murder¡±. ¡°I think it is plainly clear that the bodyguard murdered the king. Why do you want to launch an investigation?¡± asked Hephaestion. No one could hear the voice in Alexander¡¯s mind, that was calling only one name. ¡°Zeus!¡± The young soon-to-be king stood up. ¡°I believe that we are dealing with forces much greater than us! That¡¯s why¡±. He then turned to the stoa and stood above the body of Phillip, who was laying there, in a pool of blood. ¡°Take care of the king''s body,¡± he ordered, more calmly this time. ¡°Disperse the crowd and try to calm them. And call Eumenes, the state official. The show is over¡±. Chapter 2: The Kings Assassin Chapter 2 THE KING''S ASSASSIN
The High Priest addressed Achilles, son of Poseidon. ¡°Brothers and sisters of the Sacred Brotherhood of Delphi,¡± he began his lecture. ¡°We gather here today to initiate Achilles into our cause. This young warrior before you have successfully completed his Trial. He put an end to a tyrant, an arrogant king of Greece who dared to compare himself to the Gods!¡± Many murmured in shock. Phillip was arrogant, but to ascend himself to godhood was unknown to many. But the Gods know better the hearts and minds of man. ¡°Such blasphemy could not be tolerated!¡± continued the High Priest. ¡°The Father of the Gods, Zeus himself, ordered his assassination!¡± Heads bowed as Zeus¡¯ name was mentioned. ¡°By the power vested in me by the ancient Olympians, I call upon you, Achilles, to stand before me¡±. Achilles, approximately 17 years old, stood tall before the entire Brotherhood. He possessed a mature physique with a well-groomed beard on his chin. His chest was exposed, revealing a peculiar mark resembling a burn. ¡°Now, you stand here in front of the entire Brotherhood,¡± the High Priest continued, holding a dagger. ¡°Almost a thousand years ago, after the bloody war on the sands of Troy, three war heroes¡ªOdysseus, Neoptolemus, and Philoctetes¡ªstood in this very place and created our Sacred Brotherhood. It is a society of warriors and priests with a singular purpose: to maintain the faith in the Olympian Gods and to punish anyone who opposes or dismisses them. They vowed to destroy those who defy the Gods, just as they vanquished Priam, his sons and countless kings and rulers before and after his time. They sealed their agreement with blood¡±. As he concluded his sentence, the High Priest sliced his palm with the dagger, causing drops of blood to flow. He collected the blood in a golden cup. ¡°Give me your hand,¡± he said to Achilles. Without uttering a word, Achilles extended his hand. ¡°This might sting a little,¡± the High Priest whispered. With a quick motion, he cut Achilles'' hand, allowing the blood to flow. Another priest took the golden cup and collected the running blood. ¡°The time has come,¡± the priest proclaimed, handing the cup with the combined blood to Achilles. ¡°Drink it,¡± he commanded. Achilles drank without hesitation. ¡°You have been blessed with the gift of Water Manipulation, bestowed upon you by your father, the Ennosigaios Poseidon. By consuming our combined blood, your abilities, senses, and combat skills will be enhanced. We will assist you in mastering and harnessing your power. And you, child of the Gods, you will listen and obey to their will!¡± Achilles finished the cup, consuming every drop. ¡°I hereby induct you into the ranks of the Warriors. Your new life begins now. You knelt before me as an Initiate. Now rise¡­ as an Argive!¡± [¡­] The hall was silent. Only the footsteps of some servants could be heard. Alexander was standing there, inside the stone structure. In front of him was the casket with his father¡¯s body. There was nothing godly about him now. Only rotting flesh and endless darkness. He would hope that his father would enter Elysium, but he doubted it. Phillip surely was a great fighter. But a hero, worthy of Elysium, he was not. He did not try to be like the heroes of Iliad or Odyssey. The only thing that he mimicked was the passions of the Gods. And now, his punishment would be Tartarus. Eumenes, the royal secretary, approached him silently. ¡°Tell me, friend,¡± said Alexander. ¡°Do you believe in the Gods?¡± Eumenes stood for a moment, deep in thought. ¡°I believe that even if the Gods exist, we have managed to kill them ourselves.¡± Alexander laughed softly. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°You always were a strange and unique man, Eumenes. One of the smartest people I know. But you are wrong. The Gods are real. And they are the ones responsible for the death of my father¡±. Eumenes sighed in disbelief. ¡°My friend, many are those that in their time of grief blame the Gods or any other entity to make sense of their mourning and pain¡±. Alexander turned and looked him directly in the eye. ¡°He told me. He speaks to me¡±. Eumenes thought for a moment if the Macedonian king had lost his mind. ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked, afraid of the possible answer. ¡°Even if I told you, it would be fruitless. It is not possible for you to understand yet¡±. Alexander moved to the exit of the room. ¡°Eumenes, one more thing¡±. The secretary bowed before him. ¡°Anything you want¡±. ¡°Find any hidden legends on the Gates of Hades, in the Indian Peninsula. In many years from now, we will go there to seize its power!¡± [...] The representatives of all Greek city-states were there to honor the passing of king Phillip. Even some more civilized clans of Illyria, Thrace and Dacia had sent some diplomats too. Alexander was standing in front of the casket that contained the body of his father. The late king seemed peaceful there, almost like he was asleep after a day of feasting with his fellow soldiers, like he used to do back in the day. Beside him stood Parmenion and Antipater, the old guard, both with sixty winters on their backs. Behind them stood Hephaestion, Ptolemy, Perdiccas, Lysimachus, Seleucus and Eumenes, the close circle of Alexander. All silent, ready to send Phillip to his last residence. ¡°Like a flower that withers and like a dream that comes to pass is the life of a man¡± said the priest, giving a nod to Alexander to proceed. Alexander placed two coins in his father''s eyes. ¡°And a coin for the Ferryman,¡± he said, placing a coin in his father''s mouth. They all descended from the wooden structure; he ensured it was grand to honor his father''s memory. He desired the people to remember Philip as the God he claimed to be. ¡°It appears even Gods can die,¡± his best friend, Hephaestion, remarked. ¡°I am with you, brother. I stand by your side,¡± Ptolemy added. Alexander nodded. It was a challenging time for him. Four men carried the bed of the king at the top of the wooden structure that would serve as a pyre. After the cremation, Alexander had created in only a few days a great Tomb Chamber at the small town of Vergina, which served as the Cemetery of the Greek Kings of Macedonia. Now his father would join his ancestors and the kings of this land, before him. ¡°The time has come,¡± he whispered to himself. Taking a torch from a nearby soldier, he observed as others poured pitch onto the wooden structure, ensuring it would burn more readily. Alexander ignited a line of pitch with the torch, and the fire quickly spread, engulfing the tower. He held back his tears, refusing to appear weak. ¡°I will avenge you, father... Curse the Gods, I will. Whatever it takes,¡± he declared through gritted teeth before retreating into the palace. He then moved back to his quarters and locked the doors, desiring solitude and refusing to see anyone. He didn''t eat anything until Ptolemy, his half-brother, approached him in the afternoon. ¡°Alexander! Enough with your mourning! The men are waiting for you. Your time has come,¡± Ptolemy urged. There was no response from Alexander. He knew that his brother was right. The time for mourning had passed. Now he would become the absolute monarch of the kingdom that his father built. He would stand tall and honor his father¡¯s work. But he would not just be a king. His heart desired much more. So much more that only a god could offer him those things. But he was certain that this voice inside his head was the one to lead him there. Five minutes later, the doors opened, and Alexander emerged fully armored. He wiped away any remaining tears from his face and drew his sword. He made his way to the grand balcony where his army and thousands of his people awaited him. As they caught sight of him, resplendent in shining armor with his sword gleaming in the sunlight, they erupted in cheers. ¡°Alexander! Alexander!¡± Ptolemy stepped forward, holding the crown in his hands. ¡°Hear me, Greeks of Macedonia, Thessaly, Athens, and Corinth. I present to you the new king of all Greeks, excluding the Lacedaemonians. Hail our king, Alexander!¡± Placing the crown upon Alexander''s head, Ptolemy proclaimed: ¡°Long live the king!¡± The generals joined in unison, shouting: ¡°Long live the king!¡± The crowd echoed their cheers. Alexander raised his sword, pointing it towards the sky. ¡°Oh, Greeks, relinquish your thrones and give them to me and I promise to give you the whole world!¡± he declared, prompting thousands of voices to cheer. Everyone reveled in jubilation, except for Ptolemy, who stood apprehensive and concerned. He briefly glanced into the king''s eyes and was startled by what he saw. While one eye remained its natural green color, the other exhibited an unfamiliar shade¡ªa blackened red reminiscent of the color of Hades. Chapter 3: City of the Damned Chapter 3 CITY OF THE DAMNED
Ptolemy walked slowly around the remnants of what used to be the great city of Thebes. The devastation was unlike anything he had ever witnessed. Such agony, blood and despair. Even now, half a day after the defeat of the unified forces of the Greek City States outside the city walls, new flames erupted, engulfing whole districts. People were screaming, begging for their life. Soldiers, drunk from their recent victory were running around the city streets looting, killing, raping¡­ They desecrated holy sites, defiled sacred grounds. Luckily, Apollo¡¯s Temple was still standing. No Greek had the guts to go against Apollo. From the times of the Trojan War, the Greeks knew not to cross the God of Light. Who knows what he would do if he witnessed the destruction of his second most holy Temple, after Delphi? He kept walking through bloody corpses. Women were holding their dead children in their embrace, calling upon the Gods to return them to this life. Ptolemy shook his head? What was the point of the Gods resurrecting the dead children of Thebes? So they could relive this hell on earth? He saw Hephaestion at the city gates, with a group of the Companions. The young general had rounded up a lot of Thebans, with the purpose of forcing them to dig and destroy the foundations of their walls. They were forced to obey, by Macedonian soldiers with whips in their hands. With tears in their eyes and blood on their chitons, from their butchered loved ones, they dug and dug. When they reached the foundations, Hephaestion forced them to destroy the stones with pickaxes. Ptolemy will never forget the sight of old men, women and even children being crushed by the same walls they thought would protect them. And the soldiers? The soldiers, with Hephaestion with them, were laughing and drinking, stepping over the corpses¡­ He heard horse hooves behind him. He turned and saw Bucephalus, the magnificent horse of Alexander, covered in mud, blood and human entails. The rider, Alexander himself, was in a similar situation. What made Ptolemy really wonder, was his brother¡¯s face. Stone cold, with no remorse or regret. He paid close attention to his eyes and he saw it again. While the one had its natural colour, the other bore the dark shade of Hades. Alexander saw him staring and moved on, leaving Ptolemy alone with his thoughts. ¡°What have we unleashed¡­?¡± * The young demigod was still in the woods, hiding from the massive Macedonian forces. He just hoped that his men would pull through with his plan. After exactly two minutes, he approached the city. He was wearing a macedonian chiton, which he took from a runner of Alexander¡¯s army the day before. The runner never woke up from his sleep. He also covered his face with a helmet. He walked through burned houses, butchered corpses with limbs and weapons lying around. All he could hear was the sounds of a dying city. He did his best not to attract attention. He even had to - he was looked upon with suspicion from a Macedonian soldier - remove a ring from the hand of a dead woman. Damn she was young. War is such a dirty business. He then made a small vow. He would keep the ring, only to offer it on her behalf to Charon, the ferryman, with a small sacrifice to him. After the officer had moved on, he did too. Not so long after, a group of soldiers seemed to call him. ¡°Hey, Lysistratus, come join us!¡± they said, as they poured wine down their throats. He went on to say that they were mistaken but he stopped himself. These Macedonians recognised him as the runner, because they knew him from his helmet. Many soldiers had mass produced helmets from the armories but some (such us runners) could have theirs as custom made. The helmet he was wearing was probably from the latter case. Fuck, he thought, from all the soldiers around here, I had to come across the ones who knew this man. He pretended to be tired and pointed towards a large red tent. ¡°Let him be Hippolitus. One must not make general Parmenion wait!¡± one of them said. Then they proceeded to loot the corpses. With the side of his eye he saw a soldier cut the hand of the fallen Theban to take his bracelet. ¡°Bloody monsters¡­,¡± he cursed, but moved on. He reached the districts outside the Temple. There he had but one objective. Remove any and all dangers near Apollo¡¯s Temple. As a son of Poseidon, he had plenty of privileges and powers. But as a man, he was disciplined and efficient. In a small frame of time he managed to kill twenty three men and hide the bodies. He did not harm the drunkards, or those sleeping. It was against his moral code to kill unarmed men. After he completed his part he proceeded into the Temple¡¯s courtyard. The Warriors he sent, had cleared the court outside of the Temple. He saw to the west of the Temple his Rangers had already sneaked and taken out the sentries. And Achilles had cleared any enemies that could obstruct their rescue mission.That¡¯s why he needed to send his men before him, entering from the back gate of Thebes. The majority of the army was still looting, so they did not have a serious opposition. They only needed to remain out of sight. Achilles slowly but surely approached the main door of the Temple, which was wide open. Only four Macedonians were keeping guard. He made a signal for another Argive, a Warrior, to approach. Achilles and the Warrior took a throwing dagger from their belts and kept it close to their chest. ¡°On my mark¡­,¡± Achilles said. The two daggers flew directly on two necks. The two Macedonians that saw their companions grab their necks while choking on their own blood, went on to unsheathe their blades, but were too late. The Warrior grabbed the one and smashed his head on the ground and Achilles pierced the skull of the second with a spear. After that, he called on the two other Warriors, who were waiting outside and moved to the inner chamber. In there they came across an unsettling sight. The chamber had become a hospital, with soldiers, citizens and children lying on improvised beds. The stench was something else, but the priests who were tending to the wounded seemed only to care to ease the pain of those inflicted from the cruelty of war. The three Warriors turned to the expedition leader, Achilles. ¡°What do we do?¡± asked one of the Warriors. ¡°We do what we came here for,¡± he said clenching his fists. The Gods were truly cruel. He could tell that his men did not support his decision, but they had no other choice. ¡°Who among you is the Elder High Priest of Apollo ¡°It is I, son of Poseidon,¡± an old man with a long grey beard answered. He wore a simple orange chiton with a green cloak. He also kept a wooden cane. In the eyes of an ordinary man, he seemed like an ordinary old man. But Achilles knew never to underestimate a servant of the Gods. ¡°You know me?¡± Achilles asked. ¡°Your aura is very distinct,¡± the elder replied with a warm smile. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I am here to escort you and your entourage to safety. It¡¯s a direct order from Delphi¡±. The room became quiet. All these simple people in the room understood what Achilles said. He had to take the High Priest and the rest of the priesthood away. They would be left without care, possibly to die from the wounds, or worse, from the swords of the Macedonians. Many breathed heavily listening to those news, while others were sobbing uncontrollably. But most of them are discussing in a heated manner the cruelty of such an order. ¡°What about these people? Who will tend to their needs?¡± For a moment the wailing and discussions stopped. ¡°We are here for you,¡± Achilles said, cynically. ¡°And only you. We have to get you to safety¡±. Before the old man could speak, some of the Warriors from Delphi, kind of forcefully picked up the old man, while forcing the rest of the priests to move on. The people were calling for them to come back, not to abandon them. Achilles nearly had to close his ears. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. We must not linger in the city for long¡±. The group the Argives had to save were around twenty, but Achilles only had six Delphians on his disposal. Two were already busy carrying the elder, who kept shouting to be left behind. ¡°My people are here, let me down!¡± These damn monks¡­, he thought. Not a hint of reason. But he did not have time to think about the elder. They had to move forward quickly. The Macedonians were in such disarray, that it was easy to repel any attacker that stood on their way out. The men from Delphi managed to do their job perfectly and got the priests out. As they were exiting through a destroyed section of the west side of the walls, Achilles turned around. A man on a black horse was looking at him from afar. He seemed important, because he had many horsemen surrounding him. Through the flames he could not see his characteristics. But he had an ominous feeling about this man. ¡°We have to move quickly,¡± he ordered. But this internal feeling never came true. The man never ordered his men to chase after them. He was just staring at Achilles and his escort. The demigod gave it no second though and he took the priests and his men and moved as away from Thebes as possible. Soon they arrived on the clearing the Argives had camped last night. The Warriors left the old man to sit on a log, while the priests were tending to their wounds. The Delphians just wanted to rest. Achilles was the only one standing up. After a while, the elder got up and approached him. ¡°We shall stay, son of the Sea¡± he declared. ¡°We cannot leave while our people need us¡±. ¡°Stubborn to the very end,¡± Achilles replied. ¡°My mission was to escort you to safety, so on this part, my job is done¡±. He stopped to think. ¡°At least remain here, until the main forces return to Macedonia. After all, right now, with so many soldiers in town, you would be cut down by the time you set foot in there¡±. ¡°But how many more do you think will die from the Macedonian monsters? We must return now!¡± Achilles started to lose his temper. ¡°You shall wait here or you will come with me. I am already disobeying orders by discussing that with you. So make your choice, or we are moving back to Delphi¡±. The elder of Apollo sighed with sadness, but shook his head in agreement. ¡°We shall do as you ask, young one. And may Apollo protect us¡±. A small grin full of irony appeared on the lips of the demigod. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that your god will listen this time. Because clearly he abandoned you in your hour of need¡±. * The rushed arrival of Poseidon in Zeus'' palace was going to disrupt the peaceful afternoon of the King of the Gods. When the Lord of all Seas and Oceans stood before his older brother, he bowed with humility. ¡°I bring word, brother mine,¡± he said, almost out of breath, something unusual for an Olympian. ¡°Word from one of the cities of the mortals¡±. ¡°Stand, Poseidon, stand,¡± Zeus smiled with affection, as he proceeded to hug his own flesh and ichor. ¡°How are the seas these days?¡± he asked. At this moment Apollo appeared in the hall. The God of Prophecies bowed his head respectfully to the King of Olympus. ¡°Apollo, my child, why are you here?¡± ¡°Heeding the call from esteemed Poseidon¡±. Zeus¡¯ gaze darkened, but he did not lose his composure. ¡°What do you need from me?¡± From his tone, Poseidon understood that Zeus already knew of the situation he was about to present, but also that he did not wish to talk about it. ¡°The city of Thebes, a place that Cadmus founded under the guidance of your son Apollo, was erased from the map. The conqueror Alexander from the Greek Kingdom of Macedonia is responsible for the massacre. We demand his punishment¡±. Zeus started walking up and down the throne room. ¡°As I see it, Alexander responded to a hellenic rebellion against him. Thinking him young and inexperienced, a demagogue in Athens called for a coalition against him. Alexander marched to Thebes, destroyed the coalition army and burned the city. I don¡¯t see why we should involve ourselves with human politics¡±. ¡°He erased my city from the map!¡± Apollo erupted. ¡°We slayed the people and destroyed everything. It is an unprecedented event in Hellenic history. Never a ruler erased a city from existence! Especially a city that was dedicated to a God!¡± Poseidon realized that Apollo¡¯s burst would not help their case. He stepped in. ¡°Brother, what if Alexander did that to Delphi? Would we remain neutral even then?¡± Zeus crossed his hands against his chest, anger evident on his face. ¡°That¡¯s a hypothetical scenario brother. I don¡¯t take action without facts¡±. ¡°We ordered the death of Alexander¡¯s father for assuming too much power, didn¡¯t we? Why are we making an exception for his son?¡± Poseidon pointed out. ¡°You are wrong,¡± Zeus replied. ¡°Phillip was killed for his blasphemy of equating himself with us¡±. ¡°Oh, so we shall wait until Alexander proceeds to make that step? Shouldn¡¯t we use precaution? After all he seems to possess even greater power than his father¡±. ¡°Apollo,¡± Zeus turned to his son. ¡°Is your temple still standing?¡± Apollo looked towards Poseidon. The God of the Sea understood what Zeus was trying to point out, but he didn¡¯t intervene. ¡°Yes, it is, father¡±. ¡°So you are admitting that your Temple was spared by Alexander?¡± Poseidon was furious. His brother knew well who spared the Temple. Why was he attributing this action to Alexander? ¡°The religious hierarchy was rescued by my son!¡± Poseidon shouted. ¡°We don¡¯t know if Alexander would have spared them!¡± ¡°That is true father,¡± Apollo seconded. Zeus sighed with discomfort. ¡°Is someone dead from your priests, Apollo?¡± ¡°No. All are accounted for,¡± he answered timidly. ¡°Then why are we still discussing this matter?¡± Poseidon exchanged a quick glance with Apollo. The latter just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°If you have nothing else to add, you should leave. I need to be alone¡± Zeus said, in order to end the debate. Poseidon felt anger brew inside of him. ¡°Why are you protecting him?¡± Poseidon demanded. Zeus had his back turned to him, to hide his sorrow from his brother. But he could not show weakness or vulnerability. Not again. He would not give another reason to Poseidon to defy his rule once more. His face hardened, as he clenched his fists. The sound of thunder tore through the sky. ¡°You assume too much brother mine,¡± he said, as he turned to face him. ¡°I assume nothing! I¡¯m merely stating¡­¡± he went on to say, but the King of the Gods would not have it. ¡°I will not accept orders from you!¡± he declared his voice deep, like all the thunderbolts of the world were in his reach. Zeus seemed ready to assume his divine form and strike both of these insolent gods, but he decided against it. Nothing would be achieved through violence. After all, he could see in the eyes of both his brother and son, Apollo, that his message was received. ¡°Thebes was an unfortunate event, brother. Nothing else. Just a battle like all others. If we were to take action against all the rulers and conquerors on Gaia, then we should annihilate them all!¡± Poseidon shook his head. ¡°I advise caution. You are the king and I accept your judgement¡±. He stood up ready to leave. Apollo followed him. ¡°We can¡¯t always protect our own, brother. Sometimes the Fates demand that,¡± Poseidon said, with his voice soft. The sound of thunder was heard once more, pointing to Zeus¡¯ distaste for his brother¡¯s comment. ¡°Go back to your ocean, Poseidon. I will be the one to decide the Fate of this mortal King!¡± Chapter 4: Inside Argive Chapter 4 INSIDE ARGIVE
Nine years had passed since king Philip of Macedon was murdered at the wedding of his own daughter. After that, his successor, his son Alexander, became the leader of his kingdom, to carry on the legacy of his father. Since then, the kingdom of Alexander entered a prosperous and thriving era. One could say a golden era, greater than any that the Greek homeland had ever seen. Even Pericles would be jealous of Alexander¡¯s achievements. He put down the rebellions at Pannonia, Illyria, and Thrace, he made every Greek City State who opposed him, to submit to his rule. When he was fighting in Thrace and Dacia, some ill-doers spread to the Greek world that Alexander had perished in the war. Most Athenians and Thebans, influenced by an Athenian orator, called Democritus, took up arms and laid siege to the Macedonian garrison at both Athens and Thebes. Alexander, upon hearing that, furious at those impudent Greeks, he marched from Tylis, a fishing village of the Odrysian Kingdom to the city of Thebes in 13 days. Although the united army of the Greeks decided to fight Alexander, they were defeated in the end. In his rage, the young king burned to the ground the city of Thebe, who challenged his authority. He only left one house standing, the one of the poets, Pindarus, because he was fond of his work. But he showed mercy to the city of Athens, due to her historical significance. After that skirmish, no one ever dared to challenge Alexander ever again. After all that, he turned his eyes on the prolonged enemy of the Greeks, the Persian Empire. He called a synod at the city of Corinth, where all the Greeks, except the Lacedaemonians, announced Alexander the leader of the campaign against the Persians. Against all odds, Alexander managed to defeat the huge Empire, into three major battles at Granicus River, the plain of Issus and the battle near the village of Gaugamela. Although the Persian Emperor Darius had the numerical advantage (in Gaugamela some said that his army reached up to one million men!) he could not stop Alexander¡¯s war machine. The King of all the Greeks seemed to be unstoppable, a god on earth. No one could oppose him. The whole world was his for the taking. [¡­] Life on Delphi kept going. No one blamed them for the assassination of king Philip yet. But the philosopher Aristoteles visited the Temple, not one but plenty of times. Some said that he did to honor the god Apollo, to enhance his faith. But those who knew better the great thinker from Stagira knew that something else was going on. After all, Aristoteles was never known for his piety. He was a reformist, like his teacher Plato and his teacher Socrates before him. They couldn¡¯t accept the polytheism of Greece and tended more to monotheistic points of view. But other than that, no one bothered the Temple or the Brotherhood. The regime of Alexander, after all, kind of helped the faith to thrive. All the Greeks were under one ruler. It was the first time, after hundreds of years, that there was peace in the land. The Brotherhood''s numbers were increasing by the day. Achilles, a full-grown man by now, was growing in strength and wisdom. His Elemental powers were increasing too, with the guidance of the Priesthood of the Temple, the most wise and knowledgeable people in the whole world. He was mastering Water Manipulation, a gift, which was given by his father Poseidon, upon his birth. The rank of the Warriors of the Temple was divided into small groups of individuals, usually six to seven. It varied depending on the purpose of that specific group, on the missions they were going to embark on. Achilles was the leader of such a group. Due to his agility and speed, he was given the name ¡°The Silent Assassin¡±. A fitting nickname that started to be used after the killing of Phillip. After that many other foes of the faith fell to his blade. He was wearing light armor, made from leather and wool, in order to move easily and also protect himself, and above this, he was wearing a cloak with a hood. He was always carrying a Celtic Dagger, which was given to him after his initiation. ¡°Now this is yours¡± said the High Priest after the ceremony. ¡°Your father Poseidon, the God of Seas and Earthquakes asked me to keep this Dagger and give it to you when you are ready. I believe that today is this day. The day you became an Argive¡±. Achilles had looked at the Dagger with rolled eyes and accepted this gift. It had some strange power in it, one strangely familiar and yet so difficult to understand. ¡°If he wanted, he could have come himself to give me that!¡± Achilles had answered to the Priest. The High Priest always knew the bitterness that this young demigod carried in his heart. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°That is not for us to decide. The thing you can do, is to master your powers, both godly and humane, in order to become the best of the best!¡± And he did a lot of training to use it for stealth assassinations, in contrast with the other weapons he was using, sword with shield many times, when he was hired by an army or warband in general, which he also carried with him ¨C a small but strong shield under his cloak and a sheathed sword, right under the shield ¨C and a spear, which he was using during one-to-one combat. * One day Achilles was summoned by the high priest, the head Argive. The meeting point was the edge of a cliff secluded and private, meaning that the matter in hand is serious and most likely secret. He was on time, as always. He gave the high priest a low bow and awaited his response. ¡°You may get closer¡± ¡°You summoned me, oh High Argive.¡± ¡°I have a very important matter that only you should know of and must be kept secret at all cost¡± Achilles kept silent awaiting the High Priest to continue, ¡°Since today we have a newcomer, a prospect that will soon be tested to join our cause¡­ I want you to be her guardian and teach her the ways of the Argive¡± A quick silence with the sound only of the wind and the leaves was present for some seconds, indicating that Achilles was gathering his thoughts. ¡°I cannot argue nor turn down your orders sir, but may I only ask¡­ why me? I have never taken such responsibility before; surely there would be better people more qualified for this kind of request¡± ¡°The Argive is a brotherhood committed to the will of the gods and the faith our people put in them¡­ We Argives achieve wonders and exceed in combat by the Gods blessings and boons, but there is one more thing that unites us¡­ Do you know what that is?¡± ¡°No sir¡­¡± ¡°Our mortality, our¡­ humanity! Respectfully my son Achilles, you are not equal to us and the rest of our brothers know it, they can see it, feel it. You are a son of Lord Poseidon, this information brings disturbance in the balance of our brotherhood.¡± Achilles hearing his masters words lowered even more his head and sat on his knees, as the high Argive continued ¡°That is what should have happened normally, but your case was different¡­ You were actually brought here as an infant by your father, so even though we knew you were a son of a deity, you were just a baby so we watched over you and raised you properly as our own¡­ That is something I am proud of, and of you who always stayed humble with your powers and never provoked or caused anyone any harm.¡± ¡°It is only natural, oh High Argive¡­ You are the only family I ever know¡­ The only family I¡¯ll ever need!¡± ¡°Do not say that your father loves you¡­ surely in the coming years you will find a way to bridge your relationship.¡± ¡°Respectfully, I doubt it sir¡± ¡°A topic for another time¡­ Silly me, again I let myself speak a tiny bit too much ohoho.¡± the elder man giggled as he continued his train of thought, ¡° What I was trying to say is that¡­ The newcomer is also an offspring of a God!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Achilles was shocked at the news ¡°Yes! She is a daughter of ¡­ Hermes!¡± ¡°Hermes? The messenger of the gods¡­ How did she find us?¡± ¡°Nikolaos actually found her, in his recent rogue mission. He must have told you, since he belongs in your squad.¡± ¡°So it is her. Yes, he told me he found someone in a dire state, he rescued her and brought her here¡­ Does he know?¡± ¡°No! No one knows that she is Hermes¡¯s daughter but me, and this because the god himself appeared only to me and revealed this truth to me. As I said before, no one else has to know of this but you. Train her, allow her to join your team and slowly bring her to the truth of her heritage. Only you can do that and you can understand why!¡± ¡°I understand. Where can I find her?¡± Chapter 5: The Tricksters Heir Chapter 5 THE TRICKSTER''S HEIR
He reached the training grounds, an enormous field area filled with soft dirt and grass. There he found her running against other Argives and seemingly leading the race. She was the first to cross the finish line, without breaking a sweat while the others were trying to catch their breath. Achilles approached her, thinking hard to find a way to initiate their first conversation. After all, it was the first time he found someone like him¡­ Some he could probably relate to. ¡°Hey, young girl!¡± he caught her attention. ¡°You are¡­ pretty good runner, those guys you were up against are sworn Argives¡±. ¡°So?¡± she answered him with a cold look in her eyes, completely ignoring him. She splashed some cold water on her face and fixed her hair so that they would not be in her way while continuing her training. Then she turned to him, pushing him out of the way, making her way to the next race. Damn I suck at this, Achilles thought to himself, frantically trying to find a way to let the conversation flow. But he was interrupted by one of the runners who lost the race ¡°Hey! Achilles, how have you been, long time no see!¡± ¡°Hey it''s Achilles!¡± another one said enthusiastically. ¡°Where have you been man? How are the Greek islands this time of year?¡± ¡°Did you bring us a souvenir?¡± More and more people started to group next to him. He was popular, not only for his demigod status, but because in the past he trained with most of them, either as a companion, or as a trainer. This often would overwhelm him but since he knew all of them he tried to cut the conversation short as soon as possible and turn his attention to the girl. His popularity turned out to work for him though! The young woman saw the crowd with the corner of her eye and once she heard the name ¡°Achilles¡± she made her way towards him. ¡°YOU are Achilles? The one Nikolaus told me about?¡± the girl grasped, once she managed to stand before him. ¡°Yes, indeed I am,¡± he replied. She was looking at him with wonder in her eyes. ¡°And you are?¡± With that remark from Achilles, she snapped out. ¡°Oh, excuse me, my name is Nephele ! Pleasure to meet you sir!¡± ¡°Sir? Please no need for such courtesy,¡± he said with a smile. He then turned to the rest of the guys that were seeking his attention. ¡°It''s nice to see that all of you are well, please continue your training. I have some matters to attend to!¡± He urged her to follow him. As soon as the Argives around him saw him leave, they dispersed. Although he was still shy about what Nephele''s first impression of him was, it seemed that the popularity gig did its job. ¡°I heard there has only been a couple of weeks since you arrived here, and yet I did not get to meet you. And I apologise for that. I was away,¡± Achilles was the first one to break the ice. ¡°I was eager to meet you, too. Nikolaus told me so much about you! Do you know that he admires you and your capabilities?¡± Achilles chuckled. ¡°Are you sure we are talking about the same Nikolaus?¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty sure!¡± she replied, probably not getting his rhetoric question. ¡°He also told me that it was you who had to decide¡­¡± The son of Poseidon raised his left eyebrow and looked at her. She was embarrassed. Her face was red. He smiled at her with affection. ¡°Decide what?¡± She stopped, made two steps forward and stared directly at him. ¡°Please let me join your Team!¡± she screamed unfazed, but it was obvious that her demand was genuine. This plea pleased Achilles but also made him chuckle a bit since everything seemed to align perfectly for him. First, the way they got to meet, and second, she already, from the very start, expressed her will to join him on her own. His work to recruit her was not so hard after all. ¡°I am sorry¡­ it was¡­ I ¡­ It is only natural to laugh at me¡­,¡± she lowered her head as she thought that Achilles was laughing at her. ¡°It would be my honor to have you in my team!¡± he said, still smiling. ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°I can say though, you are pretty forward with your demands. Straightforward and honest. I like it!¡± ¡°Seriously? Are you toying with me? Is this sarcasm?¡± ¡°I am serious! I would love to have you in my team!¡± ¡°But, why? You barely know me¡­ What if I fail?¡± she asked. ¡°Just a minute ago you wanted enthusiastically to serve under my command,¡± Achilles commented. Nephele lowered her head with embarrassment. ¡°You know what I mean¡­ I don¡¯t like to disappoint people¡­¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Well, since I value honesty, it is my duty to be honest with you. The truth is it was asked of me to test you and to judge if you are of Argive material, if you were I would have trained and taught you, but you already showed me some aspects I look for in my comrades¡± he explained. ¡°But I was told I have to pass some sort of test, a trial in order to become an Argive and join the Brotherhood¡±. ¡°Yeah but that doesn¡¯t mean you aren¡¯t allowed to be around us! We will teach you, me and my team. We will explain to you how everything works! Come let us go and meet them!¡± * Not long after they started walking together, young Nephele started to bombard Achilles with all kinds of questions. ¡°Nikolaos told me, you are the leader of the team¡±. ¡°Yes, our team consists of me and five more members. I chose them all according to three factors. Skill, Intelligence and¡­ Sense of Duty¡­,¡± he said, before adding ¡°...though having sense of duty towards the Gods is like selling your soul to Hecate¡± under his breath. ¡°Duty huh¡­,¡± she commented, probably overhearing his last comment. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered, his gaze vaguely staring at the horizon. ¡°Being an Argive is all about loyalty, being truthful to others and to yourself, and of course the certainty you will carry your mission no matter what¡­ Even to the bitter end¡­¡± ¡°Incredible!¡± she exclaimed, trying to cheer up her companion. She was certain that many memories were haunting this man, but there was no reason not to enjoy himself on this sunny day. So she tried to change the subject. ¡°I heard talks and rumors about you during my stay here at the camp!¡± Achilles laughed. ¡°Rumors eh? Well, that¡¯s reasonable. I practically grew up in Delphi¡±. ¡°You truly are an incredible person!¡± Achilles hearing that made him almost blush¡­ He didn¡¯t expect a comment like that. ¡°There is one more rumor I heard about you¡­ and I have been meaning to ask¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s about my father right?¡± ¡°Is it true that you are a son of the Olympian God Poseidon?¡± He sighed. The last thing he wanted was to talk about his absent father. ¡°Yes¡­¡± he said and as they were walking he made a move with his hand and some water that was flowing in the river nearby traveled above his hand creating a sphere that was spinning around it¡­ ¡°Not something I brag about¡­¡± ¡°AMAZING!¡± she shouted, ¡°You are amazing! What a wonderful skill! Your powers are awesome!¡± Achilles, confused and surprised at the same time did not know what to say¡­ The woman that was at first so shy and timid, proved to be more than willing to speak with him and join him, and now she was screaming with excitement like a little girl. ¡°I always hoped I could find someone like me! I will do everything to join your squad!¡± ¡°Someone like me¡­ I see¡­¡± ¡°Yes! I am a daughter of¡­¡± she went on to say but Achilles stopped her, with an anxious look on his face. He instantaneously put his hands on her mouth blocking the end of her sentence. ¡°I know¡­ I am the only one who knows¡­ but please, for your own sake, for the Argives¡¯ good, we have to keep it secret¡­ I¡­ I do not want you to face discrimination for the wrong reason, here,¡± he whispered to her ear. Her face turned red, even when Achilles removed his hand she put hers on her mouth indicating that she will remain silent on that matter. ¡°I am happy that we understand each other. You and I will be great teammates!¡± he said. They walked silently for several minutes. After a while he reignited their conversation. He didn¡¯t want her to feel bad about what happened before. ¡°Oh, speaking of teammates, let me give you some hints and insights before you meet the rest of them. We are getting close to our own camp, so let me give you a head¡¯s up¡±. He cleared his throat. ¡°Nikolaos, you have already met him. He is a fire Elementalist. He used to be between the ranks of the Priests and the Warriors, being a member of the priesthood of Delphi and also accompanying me and the rest of the squad to most of our adventures that we were assigned by the Temple order. Because of that, he couldn¡¯t always be in the Temple to perform his priestly duties. After consulting with the High Priest, Nikolaus lost some of the privileges as a priest, such as not being able to perform sacrifices on his own, but also gained the right to become full -fledged official member of our squad and to join the Warriors division. Because of that, nobody could actually put him in a specific category, he knows the way of both Warrior and Priest¡±. ¡°What is the difference between Warrior and Priest?¡± asked Nephele ¡°Ah, yes sorry, I forgot you don¡¯t know about that. Well, let me explain to you how the Brotherhood is structured. The Argives are a sacred band of heroes with exceptional capabilities that bid the will of the Gods, with sacred, but secret missions. There are three divisions, the Priests, the Warriors and the Rangers.¡± ¡°You are a Warrior?¡± ¡°Precisely, the Warrior division deals with the most missions, which can be done either solo like Nikolaos did when he rescued you, or with a group. We used to rarely be at the camp since we always went out for multiple expeditions, especially when Alexander took the throne. But since his reign managed to bring stability to the Greek realm, our missions grew fewer. We have some kind of peace now¡±. ¡°So you are more frequently here at the camp¡­¡± ¡°Correct¡±. ¡°What about the Priests?¡± ¡°They are different, in combat and in their role in the Brotherhood. They are mostly around the Delphi, the temples and they focus on receiving and interpreting the messages of the Gods, study ancient manuscripts and perform sacred duties, like praying and offering sacrifices. They do not go on missions - it has happened, but they rarely leave the Temple - but that does not mean they are powerless. They are granted gifts of elemental control, based on their allegiance to the God they choose to follow. After all, they are the fierce defenders of everything that is holy here on Delphi¡±. He leaned into her ear again, as they walked past a priest of Dionysus. ¡°Don¡¯t ever get to their bad side. One time, this guy had me tied from a vine that he summoned for a whole day and night¡±. She chuckled. He was relieved that Nephele was taking all the things he was saying so well. He thought she would be overwhelmed. ¡°Cool, so Nikolaos has those elemental powers and gave up his position as a Priest to join you. But what about the Rangers division?¡± ¡°Their main purpose is accuracy and distance. They have a more stealthy approach on missions, in contrast to a Warrior. They are filling in every mission and task the Warriors are given. For instance when we are tasked to go on a group mission at least one Ranger is mandatory, that is because they provide range, accuracy and tracking, skills that most of the Warriors do not have. Even the Priests when they perform rituals, when they go to different towns and cities to spread their divine messages or whatever they do, a Ranger is always accompanying them, for protection. They offer a much wider presence than a dude with a sword¡±. ¡°So that means in your team you also have a Ranger?¡± ¡°Two, in fact!¡± ¡°Wow, could you tell me about them? Is it true that the women are followers of Artemis too? Do you think that maybe I¡­?¡± she went on to say, but Achilles touched her shoulder softly. ¡°Slow down, Nephele. With all that much talking, we actually arrived. You can ask them directly yourself,¡± he said and showed Nephele a small clearing under two big oak trees, where some tents were set up with few people around, trying to set up what seemed to be a campfire. The night was approaching as the sun was beginning to fall. Chapter 6: Legends Three young adults around the age of 25 and other two, quite older and more mature than the rest, were sitting near the recently lit fire. The crackling sounds of the flames devouring the small logs were covered by the joyous conversation of those five individuals, sitting around the fire. Four of them stood up upon seeing Achilles¡¯ arriving at the camp with Nephele. A young priest was the first one to approach him, his arms wide open. ¡°Brother, long time no see! How was the trip to Crete? I heard you managed pretty well!¡± Nikolaos greeted him, as Achilles accepted the hug. He was the man that rescued Nephele, the one they were talking about on their way to the camp, a healthy young man around the same height as Achilles with a blue chiton as his attire with a belt for his daggers. Nephele realized that this young man was the one closest to Achilles, because he was first to greet him. Of course at least three others shared the enthusiasm of Nikolaus, except one of the women. ¡°Welcome back, esteemed leader¡± one Spartan warrior said with a smirk and irony, as he embraced Achilles in his arms. ¡°How have you been, man?¡± a second Spartan said, going in for a unique salutation, that probably had to work on for a long time, due to its complexity. Although not visible at first, Nephele could tell that those two were brothers. The name of the first one was Dienekes and the other was called Aristides. It was obvious that Sparta was their homeland. Both well built, they wore the red military chiton, a piece of clothing that distinguished Spartan hoplites from soldiers of other City States. Also their trimmed and well oiled beard was a giveaway. Only Spartans took such good care of their facial hair - and hair in general. Nephele always found this obsession weird. One time that some Spartans had visited her island, she had asked one of the Homoioi hoplites about this weird fixation. He had told her that they did that for two things. Discipline and preparation. When she asked ¡°prepare for what?¡±, the soldier chuckled and answered ¡°all Spartans must look their best for Hermes and Charon¡±. Spartan culture was like that. Boys like Dienekes and Aristides were born and raised with a single purpose. To become hardened soldiers through the hardships of Agoge, the cruel Spartan method that raised the Legendary Hoplites of Leonidas and his Three Hundred. A good Spartan Soldier was not only a killing machine, but a poet and philosopher too. Not a philosopher like the big mouth Athenians. They had their own, Laconian philosophy. In brief, speak little, do much. A truly unique tribe among the Hellenes. Later it was revealed to Nephele that Achilles himself learned from them. He admired them for their way of life, their simplistic worldview and their undoubting skill at combat. Looking beside them, she could see their golden Spartan breastplates. Always battle ready, she thought. Simple soldiers, with unmatched skill. ¡°Welcome back my dear,¡± a woman then greeted him back with a swift kiss on his lips, making Nephele drift back to reality from the thoughts of Spartans and their cultures. This woman¡¯s action caught her off guard. The Spartan brothers released a loud sigh and Nikolaos just looked the other way smiling. ¡°I am Thalestres,¡± she introduced herself. She was surely an attractive woman, with long curly blond hair and bright green eyes, her look when the sunlight hits her face could seduce even a deity. It was not long ago since Thalestres became too close to Achilles. Actually, this happened during their time in Boeotia 5 months ago. The squad was tasked to clear the area around the destroyed city of Thebes, which was infested with godless bandits. During their journey, they were ambushed. Nikolaus was wounded and Anthea managed to drag him out of the battle. The two Spartans were trying their best to keep the bandits away from their wounded comrade. During the chaos, Thalestres and Achilles strayed away from the rest of their friends. Because of the heavy rain that followed they had to stay together in a makeshift tent they made from wood and foliage of the area. They spent the night together. It was true that many times before that night, Thalestres showed interest or even flirted with Achilles, but nothing ever happened between them. This night resulted in their relationship. All of Delphi were talking about the most beautiful couple of their community, although the High Priest was really skeptical of his decision. The only member that did not stand up to greet him was Anthea, a Ranger just like Thalestres. She was a more masculine woman not particularly in her looks but in her character. Her voice, the way she moved. Sometimes the language too. She always felt like she wanted to be the ¡®predator¡¯, and femininity did not make her feel that way. That''s why she was following Artemis'' virginity path. Well, that wasn¡¯t the only reason¡­ * ¡°My friends, I present you Nephele! She will soon be our next member of our squad!¡± Achilles announced, while everyone gathered around the campfire, pouring wine into each other''s cup. There was a quick pause of silence, processing Achilles¡¯ words, but it was soon cut short by Nikolaus¡¯ shout of joy raising his cup towards the stars. ¡°Hell yeah! Nephele, welcome to our team, glory to the gods!¡± he cried out and brought the cup to his lips and drank it whole in one go. ¡°We are eager to learn about you and draw swords together in battle! You honor us with your presence, we swear to be forever by your side,¡± the two brothers said like they were in sync. Nephele shyly saluted their vow with a small bow with her head. It felt like a warrior¡¯s promise to their comrades. In their eyes the squad is a sacred family that must be protected at all cost. ¡°We welcome you sister,¡± Anthea with a calm and collected manner, welcomed Nephele with a pat on her shoulder. ¡°Thank you all,¡± Nephele replied, her face all red, overflowing with emotion. ¡°But dear, how come she joined our squad? I hear she was rescued and brought to Delphi quite recently,¡± Thalestres asked Achilles sitting right next to him. The young demigod was more than willing to wrap his arm around his woman. ¡°She is¡­ important¡­,¡± Achilles tried to say with a normal tone, failing miserably. He did not wish to reveal the secret that she is also a child of an Olympian God. At least not yet. At the end of the day, these were the orders of the High Priest. But the way he said it only made Thalestres curious, maybe even jealous. The sting of such strong emotion was always inside her. Not that she saw Nephele as more attractive than her. Nor she worried that Achilles was developing romantic feelings for her. The only thing she noticed was that Nephele was quite important for her demigod. She was easily triggered by those kinds of things. Before Thalestres managed to process his comment enough, Nephele, excited, started asking questions about the Brotherhood, the Argives, the missions, and stories about the squad members. It was a long night with much explanation, talking and of course, drinking, the most widespread tradition in Greece. Soon the question of Nephele¡¯s past came out. She grew pale for a few seconds¡­ ¡°Ehm, you do not have to answer, sister, if it makes you uncomfortable¡­¡± Dienekes said, seeing the girl¡¯s reaction. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s fine, I guess¡­ If I am supposed to be part of your team, you have the right to know about me¡­ I¡­ Well, I come from the island of Thasos where I grew up with only my mother. I remember her, she was so kind and gentle¡­ Five winters ago, when I already had fifteen summers behind me, our village was raided by mercenaries. They were ultimately driven out by Macedonian soldiers. When we were in their possession as captives, we learned that they were slave traders. They raided around the Aegean and arrived at our doorstep eventually. The raiders looted our small village, burned the temple, killed the priests and enslaved only women and children¡­ They took me and my mother, but my mother was ill at that time¡­ they branded her as ¡®useless¡¯ and killed her¡­¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. For a moment she stopped, wiping tears in her eyes. Nikolaus, the man who knew her better than anyone after spending about a week with her, patted her on the back. ¡°It¡¯s alright now, Nephele. All these are in the past¡±. She sniffed her nose and cleared her throat. ¡°I ¡­ I did not have the strength to scream nor to do anything¡­ But I wanted to, I needed to have revenge¡­¡± Her gaze grew suddenly fierce. ¡°Which I did! One day the leader of the mercenaries wanted to have some ¡®fun¡¯ with me¡­ he was a fool and arrogant, leaving his weapons unprotected. I managed to grab a knife and cut his throat on the spot. He couldn¡¯t even scream, choking on his own blood. It was not pretty but it was perfect¡­ Justice served. After that, I managed to escape, and from then I lived in the wilderness, trying to survive, until that night. As I was wandering, I heard screaming from a nearby village and remembered the exact same scenario that happened to me five years ago. I could not let it happen again. Never did I know that Nikolaus from your Brotherhood was there to save us!¡± Nikolaus¡¯ cheeks turned red from the complement and smiled with a wide grin. ¡°You fought bravely, I must admit that. And your purpose is honest and true. You are more than fit to become an Argive and join us,¡± Nikolaus admitted. He encountered her on his mission to rescue the village from a cults raid. She appeared out of nowhere and rescued tons of villagers. He ought to thank her since she made his mission a thousand times easier. ¡°We all have a dark past, maybe that is what brings us together, unites us. Urging us to do good, be better and act as the bidders of the gods to save humanity!¡± Nikolaus grew more emotional. ¡°Tell her about how you joined the brotherhood Nik,¡± Achilles said. Nikolaus having come to terms with the loss of his parents on a young age, was more comfortable than Nephele to talk about his past ¡°Well, I lost my parents during the attacks of the Paeonians in the region of Epirus. Later, some bandits found me and raised me as their own. I was and still am grateful to them. But that was not how my life would turn; at the age of thirteen, I was captured by some Macedonian soldiers during some heist, but I managed to get away. With nowhere else to go, I chose to dedicate my life to the Gods. I found a home here among the priests and since then I live in the Temple. I had the time and the freedom to research ancient documents, files because like the rest of the priests when I became an adult at the age of twenty one, I had to decide on one god to offer my allegiance. Through my research I felt closer to Helios, the god of the sun, he offered me in return the elemental skill of Fire Manipulation¡±. ¡°Nikolaus¡¯ skills are great, he is a master of fire. I strongly believe he is the most skilled out of all the other elemental Priests!¡± Aristides commented. ¡°But he has one weakness! Could you guess what it is?¡± Dienekes asked her. ¡°The counter to fire, I would guess¡­ Water?¡± ¡°Achilles to be precise! Nikolaos is always at a disadvantage when facing him,¡± the older Spartan brother replied. Achilles did not comment on that as he did not want to stand out and be arrogant in front of Nephele, their new member. So he praised Nikolaus in return. ¡°Yeah, but skills aside he is the most knowledgeable and intelligent amongst the team, after all the scientific research he was conducting in the Temple¡±. His comments made Nikolaus proudly puff his chest up and smile. ¡°What about you two?¡± Nephele asked the two Spartan brothers. ¡°Well,¡± Aristides took one sip of his cup, ¡°...ours is not a happy story either¡­¡± ¡°In short we were betrayed by our own country¡­¡± added Dienekes. ¡°We were cast away from our own society, due to a disagreement of¡­ opinions¡±. ¡°When Phillip declared himself leader of all Greeks at Corinth, the State of Lacedaemon remained neutral. Lacedaemonians didn¡¯t want to follow the king of Macedon, but that didn¡¯t mean that they were hostile towards him. While at the gathering at Corinth, only us two showed up; to show our support to the king¡±. ¡°Later, the rest of our brothers in arms found out about it. We were forced into a trial and we stood before Gerousia and the two kings of Sparta. When the Elder gave us permission to speak up for ourselves, Dienekes replied simply, according to the Spartan way¡±. ¡°We choose to believe in this man,¡± both of them said together ¡°This was enough for a verdict to come out and they sent us into exile... We tried to become members of Philip''s army, but the king had banned all the Lacedaemonians from his army. The known phrase ¡°all the Greeks, without the Lacedaemonians¡± started to take root in the years of the kingship of Phillip. With nothing left, we became members of the Brotherhood of Delphi, which to be honest, we found, totally by accident¡±. ¡°Ha! I remember your early days here,¡± Achilles recalled. ¡°They were just bodyguards at the beginning, but their unmatched skill at Greek weaponry made them teachers of arms for the new recruits in no time!¡± He took a sip from his cup. ¡°I remember when it came to me to create this squad you were the first to ask to join,¡± he added proudly. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Anthea who was the first?¡± corrected Aristides curiously. An unexpected awkward silence followed as most of them were looking at Anthea, who was quietly sitting, not participating much in this conversation. Upon realising most of their look were pointing at her, she gave an irritated sigh, ¡°Ts¡­ I am tired¡­ Goodnight¡­ Welcome Nephele¡­ we¡¯ll talk some other time¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps tomorrow?¡± Nephele asked ¡°Maybe¡­¡± She stood up and went into her tent. Thalestres, gave out a ladylike yawn, and urged Achilles, pushing him gently, to also go to sleep, probably alongside her. Time had passed quickly. Around them Delphi was deep asleep. The only lights in the horizon were their campfire, the stars and the Moon, which was now descending to its final destination for the day. Nephele, Nikolaos and the two Spartan brothers Aristides and Dienekes continued to sit by the almost worn out fire. Nikolaos put his hand in front of it and with a quick spell lit the fire again. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with Anthea?¡± Nephele wondered. The men looked at each other for a moment¡­ Dienekes was the one to take the initiative and explain the situation. ¡°Thalestres and Anthea, those two are very close friends, sisters bound by the God protector of the Rangers, Artemis¡­ The best archers in the whole Temple! They say that Artemis herself showed up at their initiation ceremony and gave them her blessing. We cannot say for certain because when that happened we weren¡¯t here yet¡­ They were not related, but their friendship was everlasting. Until that event¡­¡± Nikolaus and Aristides lowered their heads as they were sad about it. A pause followed until Nephele insisted on knowing what happened. Nikolaus, with a sigh, continued where Dienekes left off. ¡°Before I continue, I need to explain something to you. Artemis gives each initiate the choice to follow her in her path of virginity. None of the two chose that. After all, five years ago, Achilles and Anthea almost got married!... But their relationship came to an end, due to Anthea¡¯s behavior. She didn¡¯t let Achilles take any initiative and always tended to boss him around. Although he knew her well and even loved her much, Achilles decided that it was for the best to end things¡­ So, broken-hearted, Anthea vowed to the goddess Artemis to never be with a man¡±. ¡°That¡¯s not the end of the story though,¡± Aristides continued¡­ ¡°As you have probably realized by now¡­ Achilles is with Thalestres¡­This only worsened the already heated things between Achilles and Anthea. She never got mad with her best friend, but she never forgave Achilles. She believed him to be the initiator of this relationship only to make her jealous and annoy her. Although Achilles never understood that he tried not to have hard feelings towards her. After all, they had been through a lot. They continued to work as a team together, but their personal life is a little bit more complicated¡­ After all this situation is new to us as well, this has been going on only for a few months. With the addition of not having many team missions, we never got the chance to solve this issue¡­¡± ¡°What do you say you solve this problem for us?¡± Nikolaos said jokingly, trying to light up the shady mood. Nephele played along saying she will do her best. And the four of them lift their last cup of the night before falling to sleep as well. Chapter 7: A Gods Will Chapter 7 A GOD''S WILL
So, life continued at beautiful Delphi. It was a mix of glorious, peaceful, and adventurous days there. Achilles really liked that. And Nephele seems to really grow in their way of life. For the young son of Poseidon, Nephele¡¯s wellbeing was of the utmost importance. He was really enjoying her company. The rest of the company seemed to be in high spirits too. ¡°We live in great times,¡± Nikolaos was always saying. The Priest was fond of Alexander and the Macedonians but always knew the wrath of the Gods, if Alexander would become a tyrant like his father. After all it was public knowledge in the limits of their community, that they were the ones to bring divine justice to Phillip, with Achilles holding the bloody knife too. But the peace and quiet of the Delphian heroes was about to change. Because the gods after all, were not after tyrants. They were after blasphemers. One day, Nikolaos and Achilles were testing their Elemental powers, beside a lake, near Delphi. Nikolaos was an expert at his specialty, but he had a disadvantage against Water Manipulation. On the other hand, when they were away from a water source then Achilles had a disadvantage, because he could not find water to manipulate. Now, the fight was on Achilles territory. Blasts of water and fire were coming out of their hands, aiming at each other. Of course, they had taken precautions and used ward spells. ¡°Tired yet?¡± shouted Nikolaos from his position. ¡°Son of a God, remember?¡± he answered laughing. ¡°Demi-god or not, I will not go any easier on you!¡± he said and sent a huge fireball towards Achilles. He stumbled and couldn¡¯t deflect the attack resulting in him flying and landing on his back. ¡°Yeah!¡± Nikolaos cheered. Achilles made a painful grimace. ¡°For a demi-god, you got your ass kicked alright¡± said a cloaked man, who appeared from thin air, and now was standing above his head. Nikolaos fell to his knees immediately. ¡°God Poseidon!¡± he shouted with excitement. Achilles stood up immediately hearing the name of his father. ¡°Achilles, kneel¡­¡± whispered Nikolaos. ¡°No, I don''t think I will,¡± he said, staring right into the eyes of his father. ¡°Everything is fine, my child. You can stand,¡± Poseidon said. His appearance now did not make him look like anything remotely to a deity. His cloak was casual, kind of afflicted, with some seaweed appearing to be hanging next to his shoulders. He looked like an elderly, concerned father, who tried to sneakily meet with his son. And that was exactly the case. Nikolaos obeyed Poseidon¡¯s request and stood up. ¡°It''s not an unusual phenomenon to get this kind of disrespect from my son¡±. ¡°You get what you deserve, old man. First of all,¡­¡± Achilles was about to start a very aggressive talk, but Poseidon stopped him. ¡°Nikolaos, my child, I would like a moment with my son¡±. Nikolaos just nodded, bowed and disappeared in seconds. ¡°So, father,¡± Achilles started. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I was in the neighborhood, and I said, ¡®Why not visit my son?¡¯¡±. ¡°Please, cut the crap,¡± Achilles said, as he was washing his wounds at the lake. ¡°Every time you visit me or any of these priests here, is only to ask from us a task or an errand, because you cannot move your royal ass from your thrones¡±. Clouds appeared out of nothing, bringing shade to the scenery, and with an instantaneous earth rumble the god increased his voice. ¡°Watch your tongue, young one. You may be my son, but I am an Olympian nonetheless!¡± he shouted, and the sky went a little dark only for a second, He lowered his voice and relaxed his nerves, with the clouds disappearing and the sea becoming still again. ¡°But you are right, I am here for a reason¡±. Achilles chuckled. ¡°As expected,¡± he commented. ¡°Things have gotten far worse than we had imagined. This is no laughing matter, and I request you to hear me with utmost focus!¡± Achilles wiped his hand in a towel and started walking with his father. ¡°So, what''s the occasion this time?¡± ¡°I have to explain the situation back from the very beginning¡±. Achilles stood for a second and crossed his hands to his chest. ¡°I have nothing else to do today. So, why don¡¯t you begin?¡± Poseidon sighed. ¡°Well, after we the Gods defeated our ancestors, the Titans, we imprisoned them in Tartarus. We had to decide who among the elder brothers, me, Zeus, and Hades, would be the Keeper of the Underworld. Nobody really liked Hades, due to the fact he almost betrayed us to join the side of Kronos at some point.¡± ¡°What do you mean he almost betrayed you?¡± ¡°When the Gods were scattered by the Titans and were routed, Zeus took it upon himself and fought with everything he had. Hades on the other hand, when he saw the tide turning in favor of the Titans, he went in front of our father¡¯s throne to seek forgiveness. This lying snake¡­ Can you believe that out of us Hades is actually the oldest one? And he behaved like that¡­ He did not believe neither in himself nor in the rest of us. Now that I think about it¡­ It¡¯s kind of sad¡­ When Zeus managed to single handedly defeat the Titans and make his way to the palace where Kronos was, full of blood and wounds, Hades realized his fault, his betrayal, maybe he even felt regret¡­ He took out his Dagger and slit our father¡¯s throat¡±. ¡°Kronos died?¡± asked Achilles in shock. ¡°I thought it impossible for immortal beings to die¡±. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to call it. As Gods, we can still feel his presence in the Cosmos, but he is not here in any kind of form. Something like that happened only once. After that the Gods ensured to consult the three Fates to ensure their immortality. You see the Titans, although they didn¡¯t die, they were incapacitated. Zeus in the beginning asked the Fates to sentence the Titans to death. They refused¡­ But I got carried away, not the topic I was talking about.¡± Achilles smirked. ¡°Like an old man telling stories. Continue with Hades. How did he become the king of the Underworld? Your purpose of the story is about him is it not?¡± ¡°There was a meeting of the six brothers and sisters, the children of Kronos. Hades, myself, Zeus and Hera, Demeter and Hestia. When the topic on who was to be the ruler of the primary domains, which were the Sky, the Seas and the Underworld, everyone unanimously chose Hades to take the Underworld since no one wished for it . We knew ¨C Zeus had told the rest of us¨C of his almost betrayal. In our eyes this was his punishment. As you can understand, he didn''t like it one bit. He said we were traitors, traitors to the cause. Back then, we thought he was exaggerating. But we saw the real danger during the Trojan War¡±. ¡°The war that Agamemnon waged on Priam? That all the heroes of the past took part in it? How was it possible for Hades to interfere?¡±. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It was not a simple war, son. Helen, Hector, and all the heroes, were just a part of the story. Have you ever wondered why the war lasted for ten years? The Greeks had at least twice the army¡±. Achilles stopped him with a move of his hand. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time that a great army is held off or defeated by another. Look at what Leonidas did. Or Alexander, if the rumors are true¡±. ¡°You may be right, but when an army has soldiers like Achilles, the son of Thetis and Ajax, the son of Telamon, you are able to take the city in a matter of months. It was Hades the one who made this war so long and deadly. Hades whispered sweet lies in the ears of Priam making him able to withstand the armies of the Greeks. Troy was a city Apollo was fond of. Athena and Hera despised Paris for not offering the golden apple to one of them¡­ It was a matter of time before this war became a conflict between gods, not between mortals¡±. Achilles seemed confused for a second. ¡°Wow, back up. What do you mean Hades was behind the Trojan war?¡± ¡°As you probably already know, the initiator for the war was Helen¡¯s abduction from Paris. But the conflict started way before that¡­Aphrodite was the one who promised Paris the most beautiful woman in the world to him. That''s because Paris gave her the golden apple. The golden apple which was thrown into the marriage banquet of Thetis and Peleus, the parents of the great Achilles. Eris, daughter of Nyx, a chthonic goddess of the underworld was the one who threw the apple and created mischief and strife amongst the rest of the goddess. We recently found out that she was sent by Hades, as she answers to him since she is a goddess from the Underworld, Hades¡¯ domain¡­¡± ¡°So Hades was behind the most renowned war in history¡­ what of it?¡± ¡°Our power, after we defeated the Titans, had been diminished. We needed a source to keep our power intact. This source came from your worship. As long as we have people to worship us and make offerings to us, we will have power. Well, Hades wants to take that away from us¡±. ¡°So, by initiating a war of that scale, with the human losses unmeasurable¡­ He was ¡­ weakening you, the rest of the Olympian gods¡­¡± ¡°Yes, but of course he never shared his intentions with the humans he seduced to his cause. After the death of Hector, Priam grew desperate and sorrowful. Hades perfectly manipulated him, bringing him to the edges. So, he said to Priam that in India, there are the Gates of Hades. Upon unlocking the Gates he would unleash the hordes of the underworld. Priam was so resentful, so desperate at that time that he was willing to sacrifice all mankind rather than admit defeat to the Greeks. The Gates can be opened with his own Dagger, the one he used against Kronos. And thankfully for us, Hades had left it on Earth, he didn¡¯t have it with him in the Underworld. Unfortunately, the weapon was present during the Trojan war, held by a Greek hero. He was looking for it. By extending the duration of the war, he was not only trying to find out who holds it, but also reducing the human population¡±. ¡°What about those Gates? Why would he need to open them since he can freely roam the earth?¡± ¡°This Gate was the gateway of Hades and his way to communicate with the outer world. Of course, it was possible for him to use the gate, but only for him to leave alone. His beasts and hounds were locked forever in the Underworld. With the Dagger, he would unleash these monstrosities upon the face of the planet¡±. ¡°So, you needed to stop him from taking that dagger¡±. ¡°Correct. Once we realized his ambition, we took action to end that war. I was the one who told Achilles about this. It was then when they realized that they could never take the city by force. But Achilles then was shockingly killed by Paris. Although as you know, Odysseus managed to take the city with the trick of the Trojan Horse. After that it was only a matter of time before your brotherhood was formed". ¡°How so? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Odysseus, Philoctetes and Neoptolemus, as you know, are the founders of the Temple here in Delphi. With the presence of all the twelve Olympians, we could not destroy the Dagger but we could divide its influence and purpose into more pieces, with all our strength and sorcery combined we managed to bless two more divine weapons bounding them as keys similar to the fate of the Dagger, with special power, in order to seal Hades once and for all in his realm, never to come out. These weapons were the Shield of Achilles, the Bow of Hercules, and Sword of Peleus, which used to be the original Dagger. Once the Gates were sealed, Hermes scattered the weapons to three different places, the one here in Delphi, the other in the Temple of Siwa and the other left in Troy. According to our calculations, no man alive could ever find them¡±. ¡°If that was the case father, you wouldn¡¯t be here¡± said Achilles, sitting on a large rock beside the lake. Poseidon seemed tired for a second, as if his power was flickering. But almost immediately he found his composure and continued. ¡°After many years, Hades found a way to communicate only with certain individuals. Those who craved the destruction of the Gods and kept the worship of our brother Hades alive. That''s why your Brotherhood never allows someone to gain power. Because power gives strength. That leads to arrogance and defiance of us. The notions and ideas of immortality and unlimited power take roots. Oh Achilles. Only if you knew how many leaders I saw being corrupted from power. Themistocles, the Athenian general, Pericles, Epaminondas, even Xerxes and Darius, the Persian kings. All of them fell into the well-orchestrated trap of my brother¡­ They fell into the embrace of Hades.¡± ¡°But why Hades? Why not you or Zeus?¡± ¡°Because when someone gains so much power that nothing mortal scares him¡­ Only the fear of death remains. No man is immortal. That much they know. But once they start to fixate on this idea, Hades starts to plant ideas. And these people, wishing eternal life here on earth, or even a beautiful ending in Elysium and not in the flames of Tartarus, they start accepting his words. And not long after, they become his puppets¡±. ¡°So, it is about your monopoly of piety¡±. ¡°It is about the fate of the world! Ahh, don''t you see? And now Alexander has gained too much power...¡± Achilles raised his eyebrows in surprise upon hearing the main point of interest escape his father¡¯s lips. ¡°You want me to stop Alexander? Are you crazy? Last time we heard from him, he was preparing for a campaign in India¡­¡± He stood frozen for a second. Realization hit him. In his mind, everything that his father told him up until this point made sense. ¡°He wants to unleash the armies of Hades on this Earth!¡± his eyes rolled as he said that. Poseidon nodded, confirming his son¡¯s conclusion. ¡°Let alone he already has one out of three weapons¡­¡± "What? How did you miss that?" "His piety is undoubtful¡­ He sacrifices to the gods before every battle he gives. We¡¯ve been played by his cunningness ¡­ we thought he was loyal to the gods, but this was all a well-played act in order to not create any suspicions¡­ The Olympians¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°Son! I need your help!¡± Achilles was troubled seeing the God of the Ocean, his own father, afraid. The situation was more dire than he thought. ¡°Which weapon does he have possession of?¡± Achilles asked. ¡°He owns the Shield of Achilles. When he arrived at Troy, he visited the Museum there, to commemorate the legendary war of Ilion. There, in an exhibition, he saw Achilles¡¯ Shield. Of course it was a replica. What we did not know was that he forced the priesthood there to give him the original. We thought nothing of it, as the next thing he did was to dedicate this Shield to the glory of ¡°Almighty Zeus¡±, as Alexander himself cried towards the heavens. We¡¯ve been played, son. And our enemy this time is more capable than anyone we ever faced¡±. ¡°So I need to find the Bow in Siwa before he does, and the Sword which is somewhere here in Delphi right?¡± Poseidon drew the dagger from Achilles¡¯ belt. ¡°You always carry it with you¡±. Achilles took his dagger to his hands. All this time, he was a keeper of a divine weapon, without him knowing it. ¡°It was a token,¡± Poseidon commented. ¡°From whom?¡± Achilles asked. The god did not answer. But his face showed regret. Regret and great pain. Then he turned and looked him in the eye. ¡°Find Alexander my boy, find him and rob him of the power that could ruin us all!¡± ¡°But why? Since we already have one of the divine weapons, he would never be able to open the Gates!¡± ¡°I wish it worked that way¡­ You see the Gates of Hades are enormous, the divine weapons open parts of that Gate, even with two of the divine weapons, one can open the majority of those Gates unleashing a terrible outcome¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. If I fail I will end up giving him access to one more divine weapon¡­¡± ¡°Only a divine weapon can battle another divine weapon, considering the user knows how to wield it. And Alexander proved worthy to wield the Shield¡­ Thus, becoming unbeatable in battle!¡± Achilles started walking nervously. ¡°Oh okay, so you come here with the sole purpose of recruiting me to your campaign, with zero chances of success¡±. Poseidon didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Do you realize that you are dicks sometimes? I am your son! And you send me to my most probable death!¡± ¡°What do you want me to do about it?¡± Poseidon replied with weariness. ¡°To stop treating me as an errand boy would be a good start. I haven¡¯t see you in two years and on our first encounter after so much time, you give me a suicide mission?¡± ¡°I give you this mission because I KNOW you can prove worthy of wielding the Dagger! You are the only one able to go up against Alexander and the Shield! Hell, I believe you can even battle Hades if you truly used your full potential¡±. Poseidon wore his hood once again and a strange glow started surrounding him. ¡°You will speak to no one else about what you heard except your team. After all, you are going to need help¡­ This mission is sacred, secret and decided! I, Poseidon Ruler of the Seas, bound you Achilles, son of Poseidon, a demigod in nature, to fulfill it¡±. Achilles sighed heavily and irritated. By the laws of Delphi, when a god presents himself or herself in one of the Argives, either Warrior, Ranger or even Priest, the Argive is bound to this mission, and according to its description, he must not reveal any details to anyone, not even to the High Priest, head of the brotherhood. Anyone who decided to disobey the Gods¡­ Well, there were Fates even worse than death. And then Poseidon disappeared, and Achilles remained alone on the shore. ¡°Damn these gods¡­¡± he said with his teeth gritted, with a flame of anger building inside him. But he knew his father was right. No matter how much he hated the Gods, the world order, if disrupted, could bring massive and extensive destruction to humanity. And he just could not let that happen, nor could he since he was bound to the fate of this mission¡­ Chapter 8: Decisions Chapter 8 DECISIONS
¡°That being said¡­Who is with me?¡± asked Achilles, after telling his team about the secret mission his father, the god Poseidon, gave him. Nobody moved. Dienekes raised his hand. ¡°So, if I get that right¡± said the Spartan, with a sarcastic look on his face. ¡°Your dear old father wants us to risk our necks, so the Gods will continue to live in this nice villa, up on the mountain of Olympus¡±. He paused and looked around. ¡°You can see why we don¡¯t share your enthusiasm. It¡¯s a suicide mission¡± he added in a more serious tone. ¡°And after all, a mission with no reward¡­ You can see the lack of appeal, right?¡± ¡°Hey, show some respect! You are talking about the Gods!¡± shouted Nikolaos, standing up from his seat. ¡°And excuse me, but since when did the Argives become a Brotherhood of mercenaries, fighting for gold, fame and glory?¡± Dienekes just shrugged. He did not wish to fight on this matter. Achilles took this silence between the debaters and stepped in. ¡°With due all respect, Nikolaos, I don''t give a damn about what my father thinks or about what he wants. And Dienekes, don¡¯t smile so wide, I don¡¯t support your position either. The situation goes above Gods and Titans and rulers of this world in general. It''s not just another ruling matter. It''s about the fate of how this particular status quo is keeping the world order. The Olympian reign is the one that allows us to exist and prosper¡­ in a way at least. Whether we like it or not, they are the ones keeping the mortal world in control¡­ So you can see that allowing Hades to unleash the hordes of the Underworld over the mortal realm would prove catastrophic for us!¡± explained Achilles. ¡°I share the sentiments of giving the Gods the middle finger, but I do not wish to drag innocents down the pit, because of my idleness. As for Alexander, the most powerful man this earth has ever seen, apparently is driven by revenge, not only against our Brotherhood - after all it was us¡­ well me, who assassinated his father - but wants to see Olympus fall. And Hades, feeding this sentiment of his, is manipulating him in that regard. I do not like it, but the world balance is at stake,¡± he concluded. ¡°Still¡± said Dienekes, continuing to argue. ¡°I don''t see the reason to save it. If you read some of the texts in the Library, you will see that many worlds and civilizations are destroyed throughout time. What¡¯s different with our world? We are just a piece of sand in the grand Cosmos. Maybe it¡¯s our time now. No one among you shed a tear when the Gods ended the Era of the Beasts. We called these beings monsters and now we think we are special, requiring special treatment. Why should we be viewed differently from the previous inhabitants of this world?¡± Everyone was left speechless looking at him. Shocked not only by the fact his words had no emotion whatsoever, but mostly because Dienekes used the words library, books and knowledge. Things no one expected to relate with the Spartan veteran¡­ Let alone the well structured argument he made about the nature of existence. ¡°What?¡± said Dienekes. ¡°Just because I am a master swordsman, that doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t have time for philosophy and science¡±. ¡°It was my fault for lending you this scroll from this new philosopher,¡± Nikolaus whispered through his teeth. Dienekes gave no attention to the priest¡¯s comment and turned again to Achilles. ¡°So, tell me again, why should we try to save this ¡®unique¡¯ world that is doomed to die at some point in the fabric of time?¡± ¡°Because we are the idiots who live in it,¡± said Thalestres. ¡°Just because you read something doesn¡¯t mean you understand it!¡± But Dieneks was not going to give up. ¡°Still, the Titans and their offspring died at the end!¡± ¡°After fighting to the death, in order to prevent such a catastrophe of their kind!¡± Thalestres was now shouting at him. ¡°Ever heard of the Titanomachy? Gods!... Sometimes, I truly think that the only thing you know how to use is this shiny sword of yours¡±. ¡°Give the call and I will show you what else I can use...¡± said Dienekes laughing, causing his brother and Nikolaos to follow in laughter. Nephele widened her eyes and kept looking between Thelestres, Dienekes and Achilles, fearing an explosive reaction from the side of Poseidon¡¯s son. Achilles, with the corner of his eye, saw Nepehele watching him. The last thing he wanted to do was to disappoint her. So, with a wave of his hand made them stop. ¡°How about we stop talking about bullshit?¡± he said in a calm voice, but the curse word at the end of his sentence, proved his inner anger. ¡°Sorry, Achilles, she started it,¡± replied Dienekes. ¡°And I am sorry if my experience taught me something different. The thing that life taught me is, that no matter who rules, or who wants to rule, mind your own business, adapt, and survive¡±. ¡°I''m with my brother on this,¡± said Aristides, breaking his silence, which he kept up until this moment. ¡°Tell me genius, how are you going to survive if there is no world to survive in?¡± asked Anthea. ¡°These Spartans, for real!¡± she laughed ironically. Aristides pulled his knife. A true Spartan, even exiled by his homeland, knew to respect his country. Of course, he was not going to use that against a sister-in-arms. It was more like a symbolic move to make his point. Everybody in the company knew that. Everyone except Nephele, whose face was even more terrified than before. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Say that again and see the results¡­¡± he growled. ¡°Enough!¡± shouted Achilles and a small tremble of the earth followed his words. Everyone sat down in silence. Nikolaus turned to young Nephele and smiled. ¡°Welcome to the family kiddo. We may be dysfunctional, but at least we put up a good show¡±. Achilles¡¯ eyes met Nephele¡¯s who was pulled to herself, not showing shyness, but yet not confident enough to say or reveal her thoughts and opinions. She was still a new member and did not wish to disagree with anyone¡­ ¡°Nephele, I want to hear your thoughts,¡± Achilles said gently with a calm voice. He sounded almost like an older brother who looks over his dear little sister. This bond that he felt. It was unique. He wanted to make her feel comfortable. The more comfortable she was, the better for her training and acceptance into the Brotherhood. She had to feel Delphi as her home. She needed that, after the destruction of her old one. And also Achilles needed that. To have someone like him¡­ Someone to open to and be his absolute self. Nephele gulped and remained silent. She still was not confident enough¡­ She gave a quick glimpse towards Achilles. The son of the sea smiled at her and gave her a reassuring nod. Seeing how he looked at her, filled her with confidence. She raised her head and cleared her throat. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I believe! I am an Argive, member of Achilles¡¯s squad! We were given a mission from one of the higher Olympians. This is an order we must execute! I am with you, Achilles, to the end! You were chosen to lead this group and I choose to trust you. As everyone among you should do!¡± she proudly pumped her chest with her fist, saluting her team leader. Achilles¡¯ heart grew warm. He couldn¡¯t be more proud and touched by Nephele¡¯s words. Actually, he was honored to be recognised by someone of his own kind. All these past few weeks, he was the one who overlooked her training with the rest, while giving her some private lessons, trying to teach her how to control her god given powers. Seeing her development and progress gave him purpose and a new kind of happiness and bliss. ¡°Listen. All of you. Do not think that I do not know what I am asking here?¡± said Achilles. ¡°It is not an easy task¡±. ¡°Well, it is a one-way ticket to Hades,¡± interrupted Dienekes, murmuring to himself. Aristides laughed silently, while Nikolaus approved of the joke. ¡°Let me finish, please!¡± Achilles shouted again. This whole conversation started to tire him. ¡°I know that we are not sent against a king or an emperor, like Phillip or Darius. We are sent against a man driven by a God, who gives to him all the power of the Underworld in his hands. But it is our duty. We vowed to protect. We knew about the risks when we joined the Brotherhood. This time would eventually come¡±. ¡°I agree with what Nephele said before¡­¡± Thalestres spoke up. ¡°Like it or not we were given a mission¡­¡± ¡°You said that we are going against a god,¡± said Dienekes, who completely ignored Thalestres sayings, focusing on Achilles. ¡°You may be a demi-god, Achilles. But the rest of us... Just look at us! We are just ordinary people. Maybe some of you are gifted with blessings and other stuff, but still. How are we supposed to win the armies of the Undead, or the Telchines, or any of the hideous creatures of the Underworld, that Hades hides in his realm? How are we supposed to beat that?¡± ¡°Together, as a team. A group of heroes, like the others before us,¡± said Nikolaos. ¡°We are going to lose¡­,¡± the Spartan soldier sighed. ¡°At least we will fall together, too. But I wouldn¡¯t be so pessimistic,¡± Achilles replied. ¡°Listen, if my father thought that we could not pull this off, then he would not come here¡±. Silence spread among the team. Nobody moved. Then Dienekes stood up. He sighed and crossed his arms to his chest. ¡°Well, I have nothing else to do so... Someone has to take care of your godly ass out there¡±. ¡°I will come, too¡± said Nikolaos and stood. Every member of the team followed. All stood... Except for Anthea. ¡°Well? Will you come?¡± said Dienekes. ¡°How could I not?¡± said Anthea, with her eyes pinned on Achilles. ¡°This team needs some brains after all¡±. Achilles exchanged a look with Thalestres, who seemed annoyed, but didn¡¯t say anything. He then turned to the rest of his squad. ¡°I am happy to have you guys. Now go and get ready. But be careful, no one must notice our moves¡±. ¡°Why?¡± Nephele wondered. ¡°This is not like any of the missions we had taken before since you joined¡­ A ¡®Secret¡¯ Mission is given only directly by an Olympian God! The law says that not even the higher ups nor the High Priest must know of it,¡± Nikolaos explained to her. ¡°And understanding the urgency of this one¡­ Well, it is a matter of life and death¡±. ¡°We are required to move with utmost secrecy,¡± Aristedes added Achilles met Nephele¡¯s eyes and with a look he promised her that everything would be alright. Then he turned to Nikolaus, with a strict face and manner. ¡°You will tell nobody, not even the elders. Understood?¡± The young priest nodded. ¡°What will you do?¡± asked Nikolaus. Achilles waited for a moment before answering him. ¡°I am going to the Pythia¡± he said, and his face darkened. ¡°To Pythia?!¡± Nikolaos was shocked and furious at the same time. ¡°That is forbidden!¡± ¡°It must be done!¡± Achilles replied to him. His tone showed that he did not wish to talk about it. His decision was final. Achilles the weight of his decisions and turned around to get away from everyone. Nephele stood up, with the intention to follow him, but Aristedes placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. ¡°Let him be, young one,¡± he said. ¡°He needs to be alone¡±. Nikolaus¡¯ gaze was fixed on the figure of his friend, who was disappearing under the darkness of the night. ¡°He must gather his thoughts. After all, no one went to the Pythia and returned without grave consequences¡±. The rest of the team remained for a while seated around the fire. After a while they went to their tents, to do their inventory with all the necessary items they would need. And they needed to prepare well. It was impossible to know when they would be back. Chapter 9: The Temple Chapter 9 THE TEMPLE
Never before Achilles did something, without the High Priest or the Council of the Elders knowing about it. But now it was a necessity. Whether he liked it or not, it was a request from an Olympian. And this demand signified a higher purpose than all the laws of the Brotherhood. At least that was what Nikolaus said¡­ and what Achilles chose to believe in. His conscience was not one hundred percent on board. Something inside him was telling him that this kind of secrecy would lead to unwanted results. But right now none of these thoughts mattered. They had decided to take action and help Olympus. Achilles, alongside Anthea, moved silently under the moonlight. It was a weird and unexpected choice but the Ranger insisted. Thalestres did not object. After all, when Anthea was on a mission, nothing could make her lose focus. The two companions were quick. Their steps soft, they quietly passed the guards. Delphi had a curfew during night time. If a civilian was caught walking around the Temple premises, he could be banished. If a member was caught, then they would face at least a month in isolation. So, for their own good, but for the mission too, they should be silent and evasive, like the soft breeze of a summer night. Achilles was the one that moved forward, towards the court, to open the door. Anthea was standing on guard duty, having occupied a rooftop. The young demigod pushed the heavy door and stepped inside. Nobody was there, except for two priests, who were guarding the place. ¡°Damn,¡± Achilles thought, while many thoughts were racing through his head. The truth is that nobody had seen Pythia face to face, except for the Macedonian kings, Philip and Alexander. Though their visit at the Temple was not one to remember fondly, as Achilles recalled one fellow priest said. Phillip had arrived unnoticed, dressed as a commoner and when the priesthood discovered him waiting in the line of commoners, it was already too late. Phillip aggressively, under the threat of violence, entered the Vault of the Pythia. When he exited, he had only one omen: ¡°The Bull has been crowned, now it¡¯s the time to sacrifice him¡±. Many thought that this was about the sigil of King Darius, from the House of Achaemenids. Their symbol was a bull. But as Phillip had thought for himself, the Bull was him and the sacrifice would be himself. Sure enough, a few months later, he was assassinated by the same people who predicted his future. ¡°We fulfilled the prophecy that we gave,¡± Dienekes had commented after the killing of King Phillip. ¡°That¡¯s messed up, even for our standards¡±. Alexander on the other hand, had forced himself into the Temple and asked repeatedly for the Pythia to give him an omen. Seeing the aggressiveness of the young king, the Pythia exclaimed: ¡°By the Gods boy, you will be unstoppable!¡± Alexander stood there for a second. ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me,¡± he said and left the Temple. Achilles had heard many stories about the Oracle of Delphi. He had heard that her body was dead for many years, but Apollo cursed her with immortality. Although she remained her own person, her body on the other hand, would continue to decay. A gruesome fate, from an egotistical god, Achilles thought. All that because this woman chose to reject the God of Music and Light. He sighed. His mind was made up and his steps steady. Even if she was the most horrific creature he had to witness, a servant to a vengeful god that made her this way, he was willing to do this. As he entered the main hall, he spotted the two priests and pulled his hood over his head. He had no intention to harm them, but still he was not going to let them identify him. Silently, he sneaked up to his first target. He was holding a cloth in his hand, with some kind of narcotic substance on it. With great agility, he approached him from the back and with one hand covered the priest¡¯s eyes and with the other, covered his nose with the cloth. Seconds later, the first priest was lying unconscious on the floor. ¡°Good¡­,¡± said Achilles to himself. ¡°One more to go¡±. Before he even finished his sentence, a fireball hit him on his back, sending him crashing on the nearest column. The second priest had found him. He recovered quickly from the hit. He stood and drew two swords, his divine dagger and a spartan xiphos. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Please, do not make me do this,¡± he said to the priest, changing his voice, so he would not be compromised. Instead of an answer, the priest started throwing fire at him. Because of his agility and skill, Achilles was able to dodge the attacks. ¡°I had enough!¡± shouted the priest and he summoned firebolts. Achilles was stunned and some of the bolts hit him, with the result of his clothes catching fire. He immediately stood up. In some distance, there was a small pool with water, for the pilgrims'' purification ceremonies. He summoned it and used it to quench the fire from his clothes. ¡°Impossible¡­,¡± said the priest looking at Achilles. With terror, Achilles realized that his hood had dropped. ¡°Why son? Why turn against those who raised you?¡± the priest asked, with his voice almost cracking. ¡°Look, I can explain...¡± he started, but an arrow was shot, right to the priests¡¯ neck. The priest fell, in a pool of his own blood and urine. ¡°What the hell...?¡± he shouted and looked at the position of the archer. Anthea was on the entry of the Temple, with her bow in hand. ¡°WHY?¡± he shouted at her. ¡°He recognized you! He would jeopardize the whole mission! Why is just a thank you so hard to say?¡± she said back to him. ¡°He was a priest, for the Gods! Are you crazy?¡± he started shouting at her. ¡°Shut up and be quiet! They will hear us,¡± she said, lowering her voice. ¡°Listen, I will deal with the body, and you just go to your Pythia. Alright?¡±. Achilles just nodded and looked at the old man, lying dead at his feet. ¡°So be it,¡± he said with a cold tone. Then he kneeled beside the priest and closed his surprised eyes. ¡°I am sorry,¡± he whispered and offered a small prayer to Hermes, to take this soul to the afterlife. He got up and looked at Anthea with a stern look. ¡°Do something like that again and you will pay for it¡±. But Anthea wouldn¡¯t care less. ¡°Just go,¡± she said. Achilles, in a fit of rage, grabbed her and pushed her against the wall. ¡°I don¡¯t know what problems you have with me but figure them out. Or I will give you to the Council, to put you in trial. And then I will make sure to see you burn,¡± Achilles growled. Anthea was taken aback by the outburst but found her composure almost immediately. ¡°I am saving your life here. I always do,¡± she said, pushing him away. ¡°You know you cannot do all of this without me¡±. Achilles straightened his cloak and turned his back. After a few steps, he stopped. ¡°Can I trust you?¡± he asked. ¡°Or our past will always get between our professional lives?¡± Anthea didn¡¯t respond. She just picked up the body and went to the doors of the Temple. ¡°Just fuck off, Achilles¡±. And she left the Temple, hiding in the blackness of the night. Achilles shook his head in disappointment, letting out a big sigh. But he had a mission to complete, so he put all his secondary thoughts aside. He walked on and he approached the Veil that divided the Main Hall from the Sacred Chamber, from where the high priest recited the prophecies to the pilgrims of the Temple. There, in the middle of the floor, was a steel door trap that led to some kind of basement. Achilles opened it and immediately was drawn back by the foul stench. ¡°Damn the gods¡­ They owe me big time,¡± he said and went down to the dungeon. In its depths, imprisoned, was Pythia. Chapter 10: Pythia Chapter 10 PYTHIA
Smokes were rising from the cracks of the floor. As Achilles was going deeper and deeper into Pythia''s dungeon, the scarier it became for him. He saw shadows on the walls and voices, probably from spirits or from dead people. It was true that he had witnessed a lot of things in his life. But nothing came close to this¡­ The whole experience, with every step that he took forward, the more his heart raced. On the other hand, he would become one of the very few people who saw Pythia, the servant of Apollo herself. Oh, Nikolaus, would be so jealous of him! After a long walk down to the mazes and turnarounds, he finally arrived at a sizable chamber. In front of him it was a huge, metal door. He tried to force it open. But by the time he touched the door, it opened by itself, with a loud sound. He was taken aback. He tried to look into the chamber, but he could not see anything but smoke. Something was burning. ¡°Incense,¡± he said to himself as he smelled through the air. ¡°From the Temple!¡±. He started walking in. As he walked slowly, he stepped on something soft. With terror he realized that it was a snake. With quick reflexes, he used his knife to decapitate the poisonous animal before it could make an attack on him. He took a good look around. There were snakes hissing all over the place. ¡°Gods, it is like the Underworld...¡± he thought to himself. ¡°This is not a place for the living nor the dead¡± a loud voice of a woman said to him. Achilles tried to locate the source of the voice, but he couldn''t, because her voice echoed from every direction. ¡°This place is a place fit for the Gods. Only they can enter¡± the voice was heard again, this time from his left. He turned to his left, drawing his sword. ¡°Who are you?¡± he shouted. Someone, or something, attacked him with great speed and forced him to the ground. ¡°The real question is...¡± the voice said again. ¡°Who are you?¡± Then someone jumped on him. He could not see if it was a human that attacked him but from the shadows, he could tell it was a humane, at least, figure. The only thing he managed to see was the big, fearsome claws, just inches from his eyes. Achilles tried to fight back, but this little creature on top of him had extreme strength, as it seemed. He was pinned to the ground. He sensed a claw on his torso, ripping his cloth and his skin beneath. Blood poured from the wound. The figure, with its slimy hand, took some of the blood and tasted it. ¡°Achilles, son of Poseidon...¡± the voice said again. ¡°Forgive my insolence¡±. The pressure on Achilles'' back was relieved as this little creature jumped in front of him. The figure let him free. Achilles stood, realising the creature possessed no threat, he decided to sheathe his sword. ¡°I am here for the Pythia,¡± he said. ¡°Are you now?¡± the voice asked, with a mix of playfulness and sarcasm. Then the figure in front of him clapped its fingers. Fire came out of torches all over the room. In his surprise, Achilles found himself encountered with a little girl. She didn''t have ordinary hands, but claws, her body was covered in dirt and blood, and she had no eyeballs. ¡°Well, that was unexpected,¡± he said to her. ¡°Do not be a fool of yourself, son of Poseidon. I am Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi!¡± Achilles looked at her, dumbfounded. ¡°Do not let this form of me fool you. In reality, I am a thousand years old. I have been here since the time my master Apollo put me in this place!¡± She came close to him again. ¡°Give me your hand¡±. Without any question, Achilles extended it to her. She pulled out a dagger and cut his flesh. ¡°Is this really necessary?¡± Achilles asked, ¡°You tasted my blood a moment ago¡­¡± Pythia looked at him, raising an eyebrow, ¡°That was only to intimidate and wound you, young demigod. Tasting your blood allows me also to identify you. Which I did. But the blood from the palm of your hands has different uses as the Fates allow me to see both your past, present and future. Now sit still!¡± The poured blood of Achilles was collected in a small cup. Achilles only made a painful grimace. ¡°Hmmm... You are tough¡±, said Pythia. ¡°If I had a drachma for every time I heard this, I would be the richest man alive in Greece¡± he said smiling to himself, full of pride. Pythia did not answer that, but he was sure that she made a small smile at the tip of her lips. She then took the cup, and went up some stairs, leading to the altar, in front of a throne. Pythia sat on the throne. She cut herself on the wrist and put the blood into the same cup. Achilles was about to stop her. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Do not be afraid, son of Poseidon. I cannot die. No matter how hard I do harm to this body, I cannot be set free. That is my curse¡±. For a split second, Achilles saw something like grief taking shape on her face. But Pythia immediately stopped it. She mixed the blood of her and Achilles¡¯ together; she poured some magical powder and started saying some psalms. As she was saying those words, the ground started shaking and more smoke started coming up from the cracks on the ground. The snakes came closer to the throne of Pythia and wrapped themselves around Pythia''s hands, feet, and neck. She grabbed a snake instantaneously, she put its fangs against the cup, pressing its head to lead some of the snake''s poison into it¡­ After that, she threw the snake away. Then she took three sips from the cup with the mixed blood and the rest of it, with a rapid move, she spilled it on the altar. By doing that, light came out of her eyes and with a deep voice, not like the one he heard before. ¡°When death is encountered, with death must be fought. But when the wars are over, then this blessing becomes a curse¡±. Then the earthquake stopped. The smoke dispersed and the snakes, slowly, came down from her and disappeared. The Pythia stopped radiating light out of her eyes and went back to her natural form. ¡°You poor thing¡­¡± Pythia whispered, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Apollo gave me a glimpse of what the Fates have in store for us. Your mission is vital for the Argives¡­ and the whole Greece!¡± Achilles was about to ask about the riddle. But Pythia stopped him with a move of her hand. ¡°I cannot say anything more to you, son of Poseidon. My master forbids me to explain the riddles I give to those who visit me, for even we Oracles cannot fully fathom their meanings¡­ I will speak no more on this matter. You must go now¡±. Achilles looked disappointed. But respected Pythia¡¯s commands. He turned to leave the chamber. ¡°Wait!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°The slayer of Python, the Great Apollo, grants you only one thing¡±. ¡°And what is that?¡± Achilles asked, curious. Pythia smiled. Her rotten teeth appeared on that disgusting face. ¡°Since you broke the sacred law, barging in the temple with force, normally you are forbidden to get another prophecy ever in your life. But Apollo sees what others cannot¡­ So hear my words!¡± Pythias eyes turned green again and an echoing voice began to come out of her mouth ¡°When chaos is nigh, follow the nymph, under the veil of night¡± Achilles looked at the Pythia with question in his eyes. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± he said. She put a finger on her lips, showing the young demigod that no more words would be spoken. ¡°Go now, son of Poseidon. Go and save us all from the games of the Fates¡±. * He exited the chamber of Pythia; questions and theories were rapidly gathering his thoughts. Every prophecy¡­ Every damn prophecy has to do with death, chaos and with high stakes¡­ He released a sigh. When does this end, is our world truly so flawed¡­ Why do the Gods not intervene when they see what is going on, especially when they already can see the future¡­ Apollo is the master of the Oracle, allows them to grant the prophecies, but does offer a clarification or any explanation in order to evade the worst¡­ A strange light interrupted his inner thoughts, he looked around and saw a statue glowing with bright light like the sun. He approached it and a gentle young man''s voice echoed from it. ¡°Young cousin! I see you witness the skills of my subordinate.¡± ¡°Apollo¡­¡± ¡°In the flesh! Or rather in stone! Ha ha ha!¡± Apollo''s voice had a playful and melodic tune in it. ¡°Why are you here?...¡± ¡°Ohhh, why so grumpy cousin? Enlighten your life man!¡± ¡°I am not in the mood for any more riddles, you gave me enough already¡­¡± He was about to leave, but for a moment a blazing heat was felt down his spine. Apollo may be kind, handsome and just, but he is also wrathful and punishing if he is not treated with respect. Achilles understood that and turned again to the statue. ¡°My Cousin¡­ I know you do not actually like us, the Olympians, but being respectful is a common courtesy don¡¯t you think?¡± Achilles remained silent ¡°Ahhh, no worries; I forgive you. But it is ironic don¡¯t you think? You do not like us, the Gods -maybe because of my uncle Poseidon- but still you live and work under the Brotherhood of the Argives who do our bidding. It¡¯s kinda funny if you think about it ahahaha!¡± Apollo wanted to light up the mood. ¡°Why are you here?...¡± ¡°You are no fun! Anyways¡­ I have to punish you, you know¡± ¡°What do you mean¡± ¡°You broke into my sacred temple, your comrade assassinated one of my priests, while you barged in the Oracle demanding a prophecy for your mission¡­¡± ¡°It was the only way! An order from my father, Poseidon!¡± ¡°I know, I know, I cannot get in the way of my Uncle''s demands, so my punishment will be lighter. Since you were banned from getting another prophecy again, I allowed Pythia to offer you a second one, for the future to come. But since I like you, I will offer you a way to redeem yourself!¡± ¡°I do not really care¡­¡± ¡°Trust me cousin! You do not want to get on my bad side¡­¡± An ominous feeling was wrapped around Achilles head, like the heat of the sun was piercing him, for just a quick second he thought that his head was going to explode. It was just a moment, but enough to get the memo from The God of the Sun and Light. ¡°Right, as I was saying; in order to regain my trust, support and favour I want you to make a stop at Thebes. For some reason my insights from the Temple there are blocked¡­ I want you to solve that.¡± ¡°Thebes¡­ As I remember correctly¡­ You had abandoned the priests of Delphi, when Alexander sieged the city!¡± ¡°I did not abandon them! I had foreseen that outcome that is why I sent, via the Argives, you! in order to save them, which you did; and ever since you are on my good side. Help the Oracle of Thebes once again and you shall reclaim your right to enter Pythia again!¡± With that the glowing yellow lights inside the statue¡¯s eyes faded away, signaling that the Olympian God was not present any more. Achilles released a tiresome sigh. ¡°These gods and their missions¡­¡± Chapter 11: Prophecy Chapter 11 PROPHECY
Achilles sneaked out of the Temple, unnoticed and immediately ran for the hills, becoming one with the darkness of night. After a short run, he arrived and found Anthea waiting for him, at a location that they agreed on, during planning the infiltration. He looked at her, with anger in his eyes. He hadn¡¯t forgotten her vile act from before. ¡°What about the body?¡± he asked. Anthea seemed annoyed by the tone of his voice. ¡°I told you; it was a necessity¡­ You never appreciate me or what I do for-¡± ¡°What¡­ about¡­ the body Anthea?¡± Achilles asked again, interrupting her, with his voice louder. She stopped and looked at the ground, frustrated. He knew about his anger. If Achilles was sounding like that, probably she shouldn¡¯t provoke him. ¡°He is buried¡­ About ten stadiums from here. They will never find him¡±. Achilles nodded. ¡°The Gods will punish us¡­,¡± he grunted. ¡°Apollo already made his threats to me¡­¡±. He kicked a small stone. ¡°I hate it when these pricks get in the way! And I hate harming the innocents! And yet you disregard everything I stand for in every turn!¡± Anthea was just standing, with her gaze fixed on the ground. She had nothing to reply with. When Achilles was done ranting, he turned his back at her, breathing heavily from anger and rage consuming his soul. They stayed quiet for a moment. At last, she came close to him and touched him on his shoulder. Achilles turned, still angry, expecting her to defend herself, but instead he saw her remorseful, with eyes full of regret. ¡°Look, I am sorry, but you said this mission is very important. What if he was going to talk? What if the whole mission was jeopardized by this one man? The sacrifice of one man, for the sake of the world. I don¡¯t like what I did, believe me¡±. She looked into his dark blue eyes. ¡°I am going to do anything to help you save the world. ¡°Are you really going to use the greater good theory?¡± he asked her, still irritated, shoving her hand away. ¡°And why not?¡± she asked back, getting furious from his action. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what we do? We take the lives of men and women, so for this world to keep going on under the guidance of the Gods! It is exactly the same!¡± She tried to calm herself. ¡°Look, I am sorry. I just think that we must do everything we can for this mission. It¡¯s vital, to prevent the mortal realm from becoming an extension of the Underworld!¡±. ¡°Only if we succeed in our mission,¡± he noted, seemingly more calm than before. She realized that the tension between them was slowly disappearing. She sighed and took his hands into her own. ¡°We will. Together¡±. Their eyes met. Out of the blue, Anthea took the initiative and leaned in to kiss him, but he pushed her back softly. ¡°No¡­¡± he said. For some reason he wasn¡¯t surprised this happened, but he was trying to be more gentle to her¡­ Anthea, embarrassed and hurt, let go of Achilles¡¯ hands and she put on her ¡°cold¡± face again. Achilles sighed, expecting this behavior. ¡°You know it is not right-,¡± Achilles started explaining, but Anthea interrupted him. ¡°You know what? Just let it be. I do not care anymore. Just go to the others. I told them to get ready. We must leave as soon as possible¡±. Again, the face of Achilles darkened. He evaded her questioning look. ¡°Not yet¡­¡± he said, with his voice almost breaking. ¡°Where are they?¡± [¡­] They soon arrived at the camp, where the others waited. The rest of the team stood immediately, when they saw him with his darkened face. They yet did not know what had happened in the temple, or what the Pythia said to him. They just felt something was not right. Achilles stood in the middle. The rest approached him. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Nothing happened¡­¡± he insisted on their continuous questions. He did not wish to worry his squad members, his friends more than he already had. He explained to them only what was needed and of course the prophecy Pythia gave him. ¡°When death is encountered, with death must be fought. But when the wars are over, then this blessing becomes a curse¡±. ¡°Figures¡­¡± Dienekes commented ¡°What do you make of it, Nikolaus?¡± Aristedes wondered ¡°Absolutely nothing¡­ Like all Pythia¡¯s prophecies¡­¡± the young priest answered. ¡°Death is a given, since we are aiming to prevent the god of the dead from unleashing the underworld¡­ But what could mean ¡®with death must be fought¡¯¡­ No one can die and come back again. And even if someone did die and somehow get resurrected, he would not be in a state to fight Hades. Nothing changes in our human nature¡±. ¡°Like the old saying goes, fighting fire with fire¡­ Maybe we have to find someone an ally from the underground?¡± Thalestres pitched in. ¡°No, I seriously doubt that¡­ It could refer to many things, like Alexander¡­¡± Nikolaus'' face grew pale. ¡°What?¡± Nephele wondered, as she saw in Nikolaus¡¯ eyes that he had figured something out. ¡°What if¡­ this prophecy is about Alexander¡­¡± ¡°Explain for the rest of us Nikolaus!¡± Achilles commanded ¡°Our mission is to stop Alexander from opening the Gates of Hades and unleashing the Underworld on our world¡­ The prophecies are never clear and always hide some twists¡­ What if this prophecy refers to Alexander. Think about it. Alexander saw his father murdered. ¡®When death is encountered¡¯. After figuring out it was the will of the gods, he then sided with Hades, the god of the dead, the very one who wishes to see Olympus fall, to satisfy his hunger for revenge. So ¡®with death must be fought¡¯,¡± he said, somewhat satisfied with his interpretation. ¡°And the last part refers that if he wins, ¡®when the wars are over, this blessing becomes a curse¡¯. Underworld being unleashed into the mortal world, he will bring immense destruction and Alexander will get betrayed by Hades, which is only natural, due to his nature!¡± ¡°You mean that this prophecy predicts the future where Alexander wins, but how does this help us?¡± Nephele wondered ¡°Don¡¯t you see? The enemy is not Alexander¡­ It¡¯s Hades! Alexander is only getting manipulated, we have to make him realize that!¡± ¡°This prophecy does not help us at all¡­¡± Anthea said with a foul mood. ¡°Prophecies rarely do give any insight whatsoever,¡± the Spartan brothers agreed with the Ranger. [...] While everyone was discussing from where to start and what path they should take to finally begin with their mission, Nephele was deep in thought, not taking any participation in the conversation with the rest of them. Achilles, who always spares an eye to watch over her, saw that and approached her in silence and sat on a log beside her. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± he asked. ¡°Weird, to be honest¡­¡± she replied, with her cheeks turning red. ¡°I don¡¯t want to appear indecisive and confused in front of the rest. All of you share experiences that help you solve all these riddles, while me¡­ Well, I am just me¡­¡± ¡°Hey relax!¡± he comforted her. ¡°It''s only natural, do not give it much thought. And as you can see none of these blockheads managed to solve anything yet¡±. She smiled and cheered up a little. ¡°This prophecy¡­ Something tells me that we are far from what it could truly mean¡­¡± ¡°Like Nikolaus said, prophecies rarely are helpful¡­,¡± Achilles said. ¡°Then why did you go to the Temple to see Pythia, while it is forbidden!¡± Achilles seemed to be uncomfortable. ¡°I will tell you a secret¡­ But it must stay between us!¡± Nephele¡¯ s eyes glittered with wonder and excitement at the same time while hearing that. With a hand sign she promised Achilles that she would stay silent. He smiled seeing her playfulness. Only she could bring this side out of him, to truly care and not try to hide it. He loved her like a sibling he never had. So he told her something he never said to anyone, ever. ¡°When it was decided that I could become an Argive, Apollo himself appeared to me¡­ No one knows about this¡­ Apollo, who is also the God of Prophecies, told me that when the day comes where I receive a secret-sacred mission, then I have to get into the Temple and receive a Prophecy, directly from Pythia. Only then, he told me, I would be able to get closer to my¡­ to know about my mother¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Achilles gulped, as he was getting somewhat emotional from the conversation. ¡°I never knew her¡­ Funny as it may sound¡­ I am some sort of demi-god who only got to know his godly parent, while my human mother threw me away¡­ I never got the chance to even meet her¡­¡± ¡°Well, that is funny, usually it goes the other way around,¡± Nephele commented, sympathising with the sorrow inside Achilles¡¯ soul. ¡°I learned about my father only some months ago, right before I joined the brotherhood¡­ So this is for you more than just a secret mission?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted, his gaze sad and his eyes almost tearful. Achilles did not expect it, but Nephele jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly¡­ He was caught completely off guard. The rest of the company, stopped with their conversations and debates, and stared directly at those two. Achilles tapped gently the top of Nephele¡¯s head. ¡°Thank you, little one,¡± he whispered, holding back his tears. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± The rest of them continued to stare as they still hugged each other. ¡°Thalestres, it seems you have a competitor,¡± Dienekes tried to tease her¡­ while Thalestres almost took the bait. Right before getting on a jealous rant against the young Nephele, Nikolaus stepped in, understanding that Thalestres was - once again - misunderstanding the whole situation. ¡°Everybody, please calm down! Thalestres, you have nothing to fear! He sees her as his little sister. Achilles told me that once, when we were hunting. And I think she sees him as an elder brother as well. Their relationship is so touching and only platonic. Only with her I see Achilles¡­ vulnerable!¡± Thalestres seemed to relax and finally just chuckled, as his face turned from stone cold to her natural feminine one. ¡°Achilles? Vulnerable? Come one man are we even talking about the same person here,¡± Aristedes commented ¡°Trust me¡­ I have known Achilles long enough, and I¡¯ve never seen him like this¡±.