The trip across the Mediterranean had been arduous. Aeneas had aimed to travel south and make for Egypt, but days of tempestuous storms and terrible visibility had left them – of all places – west of Greece. They’d continued on westward, rounding the great peninsula that all but bisected the Mediterranean, and briefly stopping in the strange land of the Carthagenians, before finally bringing their ship to its final rest on the western shore of the aforementioned peninsula.
Sunday, May 26, 2019
4.48: Epilogue II: Born To Be Kings
1180 BCE - Western Coast of Italy.
The trip across the Mediterranean had been arduous. Aeneas had aimed to travel south and make for Egypt, but days of tempestuous storms and terrible visibility had left them – of all places – west of Greece. They’d continued on westward, rounding the great peninsula that all but bisected the Mediterranean, and briefly stopping in the strange land of the Carthagenians, before finally bringing their ship to its final rest on the western shore of the aforementioned peninsula.
The trip across the Mediterranean had been arduous. Aeneas had aimed to travel south and make for Egypt, but days of tempestuous storms and terrible visibility had left them – of all places – west of Greece. They’d continued on westward, rounding the great peninsula that all but bisected the Mediterranean, and briefly stopping in the strange land of the Carthagenians, before finally bringing their ship to its final rest on the western shore of the aforementioned peninsula.
4.47: Epilogue I: You Know What Flows There Like Wine
1182 BCE - The King's Palace in Mycenae.
Agamemnon set his travel bags down in the hallway. It had been an unreasonably long voyage back from Troy. A storm had scattered the Greek fleet, and thanks to the 10 years lying on dry sand and baking in the sun, many of the ships had proven unable to handle the strain of tempestuous waters. It seemed as if Poseidon had had the last laugh.
Agamemnon set his travel bags down in the hallway. It had been an unreasonably long voyage back from Troy. A storm had scattered the Greek fleet, and thanks to the 10 years lying on dry sand and baking in the sun, many of the ships had proven unable to handle the strain of tempestuous waters. It seemed as if Poseidon had had the last laugh.
4.46: Forget How To Hate
1183 BCE - Western Shore of Troa.
Odysseus watched as Aeneas’s ship disappeared to their south. He’d given them some of Athena’s maps, and had taught them how to plot a course, but he asked them not to tell him their heading. He wanted Astyanax to grow up without any fear of Greek daggers stalking him in the night. Wherever they went, Odysseus knew they’d be fine. Between Aeneas and Briseis, they had more than enough strength, wit, and resolve to handle whatever the seas threw at them.
Odysseus watched as Aeneas’s ship disappeared to their south. He’d given them some of Athena’s maps, and had taught them how to plot a course, but he asked them not to tell him their heading. He wanted Astyanax to grow up without any fear of Greek daggers stalking him in the night. Wherever they went, Odysseus knew they’d be fine. Between Aeneas and Briseis, they had more than enough strength, wit, and resolve to handle whatever the seas threw at them.
4.45: Everything I Do
1183 BCE - Troy's Southern Gate.
Adresteia and Athena’s battle carried them down the adjoining street, Odysseus chasing after them. Helen, wounded several times over, joined Menelaus at the gate as Agamemnon returned with dozens of men.
Adresteia and Athena’s battle carried them down the adjoining street, Odysseus chasing after them. Helen, wounded several times over, joined Menelaus at the gate as Agamemnon returned with dozens of men.
4.44: The Best of Us Can Find Happiness In Misery
1183 BCE - Troy's Southern Gate.
Agamemnon pushed Kassandra into the arms of two of his soldiers and lunged at Odysseus with his spear. Athena threw her spear at Adresteia, and then charged at her shield first. Diomedes, Ajax, and Teucer charged at Aeneas, and Greek soldiers poured down the street, trying to reach the wailing infant.
4.43: Taking A Stand To Escape What’s Inside Me
1183 BCE - Troy's Southern Gate.
Odysseus waited anxiously with Andromache in a shadowy alley next to the southern gate. He was relieved to see Aeneas – fully clad in Achilles’s golden armor - running down the street toward them with a small pack of refugees from the palace. Andromache waved him over, so he’d know Odysseus wasn’t hostile.
Odysseus waited anxiously with Andromache in a shadowy alley next to the southern gate. He was relieved to see Aeneas – fully clad in Achilles’s golden armor - running down the street toward them with a small pack of refugees from the palace. Andromache waved him over, so he’d know Odysseus wasn’t hostile.
4.42: Are We Having Fun Yet?
1183 BCE - Temple of Athena in Troy.
Kassandra had foreseen multiple terrible fates for everyone in her family. In several futures, Astyanax was thrown from the walls, murdered by Odysseus or one of the other Greeks. In one, a Greek man would use him as a club to beat Kassandra’s father to death. His mother, and Kassandra’s mother, ended up as slaves in most scenarios. Paris sometimes lived to fight another day, but not for long. Aeneas was a survivor, though, and so Aeneas was who Kassandra searched for now. Her only hope of surviving as a free woman was with him.
4.41: Walk All Over You
1183 BCE - Paris's Home in Troy.
By the time they reached Paris’s room, the alarm had sounded – the Achaeans had managed to silence all but one of the bells, which left many of the Trojans wondering if it was a prank, but then the sun rose above the walls and cast its light down on the beach. The Greek fleet had sheltered behind Tenedos in the darkness, and returned once the horse had been carried into the city. It had disgorged what was left of the Achaean army, and they were now marching up to the red gates of Troy – which were standing wide open thanks to Teucer and Ajax the Lesser. While the city turned into a boiling cauldron of chaos and fear, five of the war’s main actor’s squared off, Aphrodite and Paris against Nemesis and Menelaus, with Helen forced to the sideline.
By the time they reached Paris’s room, the alarm had sounded – the Achaeans had managed to silence all but one of the bells, which left many of the Trojans wondering if it was a prank, but then the sun rose above the walls and cast its light down on the beach. The Greek fleet had sheltered behind Tenedos in the darkness, and returned once the horse had been carried into the city. It had disgorged what was left of the Achaean army, and they were now marching up to the red gates of Troy – which were standing wide open thanks to Teucer and Ajax the Lesser. While the city turned into a boiling cauldron of chaos and fear, five of the war’s main actor’s squared off, Aphrodite and Paris against Nemesis and Menelaus, with Helen forced to the sideline.
Saturday, May 25, 2019
4.40: Your Weary Widow
1183 BCE - Hector and Andromache's Home in Troy.
Odysseus followed the instructions Neo had given him, and found Hector's quarters within the royal palace. By the time he reached the door, the alarm was sounding. The city would raise arms, but Agamemnon’s troops would likely be through the gates already. Odysseus didn’t knock – he just smashed through the door shoulder first shouting for Andromache.
Odysseus followed the instructions Neo had given him, and found Hector's quarters within the royal palace. By the time he reached the door, the alarm was sounding. The city would raise arms, but Agamemnon’s troops would likely be through the gates already. Odysseus didn’t knock – he just smashed through the door shoulder first shouting for Andromache.
4.39: Right Between The Eyes
1183 BCE - Troy's Central Agora.
Odysseus had eight men with him quietly sitting in the horse’s body; Menelaus, Diomedes, Acamas, Anticlas, Machaon, Sthenelus, Thersander, and Thoas. Keeping watch from the small space in the horse’s head was the boy, Neoptolemus. Neo was a slave at Dardanus when Diomedes liberated it, and being of Greek descent himself, had sworn himself to Diomedes’s service. He was a young man, at best, but he was brave and formidable – Diomedes had even taken to calling him the bastard son of Achilles. Most importantly, he had a cool head, a sharp mind, and had been inside the city before.
Odysseus had eight men with him quietly sitting in the horse’s body; Menelaus, Diomedes, Acamas, Anticlas, Machaon, Sthenelus, Thersander, and Thoas. Keeping watch from the small space in the horse’s head was the boy, Neoptolemus. Neo was a slave at Dardanus when Diomedes liberated it, and being of Greek descent himself, had sworn himself to Diomedes’s service. He was a young man, at best, but he was brave and formidable – Diomedes had even taken to calling him the bastard son of Achilles. Most importantly, he had a cool head, a sharp mind, and had been inside the city before.
4.38: I Feel Fine
1183 BCE - Troy, Western Gate.
Priam stood upon the wall above the gate with Hecuba – the same place from which they’d watched their first son die. Now they were watching Greek ships sail off into the sunset, and Paris and Aeneas were riding back from the beach.
Priam stood upon the wall above the gate with Hecuba – the same place from which they’d watched their first son die. Now they were watching Greek ships sail off into the sunset, and Paris and Aeneas were riding back from the beach.
4.37: It'd Be Safest If You Ran
1183 BCE - Desecrated Temple of Apollo, Mt. Ida.
While Adresteia flew into Troy in her owl form, Athena finished picking the shrapnel from her legs, willed them to heal, and then travelled to the building that had once been Apollo’s temple on the slopes of Mt. Ida, overlooking Troy itself. Built outside the walls of Troy, surrounded by only a small village to protect the accumulated offerings of Apollo’s worshippers, it had been the logical sacrifice to bring Apollo into the war on the Trojans’ side.
While Adresteia flew into Troy in her owl form, Athena finished picking the shrapnel from her legs, willed them to heal, and then travelled to the building that had once been Apollo’s temple on the slopes of Mt. Ida, overlooking Troy itself. Built outside the walls of Troy, surrounded by only a small village to protect the accumulated offerings of Apollo’s worshippers, it had been the logical sacrifice to bring Apollo into the war on the Trojans’ side.
4.36: I Tried To Sell My Soul Last Night
1183 BCE - Troa.
Athena stepped out of her portal onto the hilltop that overlooked the flood plains before Troy. She transformed into her human likeness, collapsed into the grass, and created a simple knife to begin prying the bits of shrapnel from her legs. The iron had thoroughly burned the surrounding flesh, preventing it from healing, so Athena not only pulled the bits of metal out, she scraped away the blackened meat inside the wounds so that they could heal properly. The task was made all the more difficult by the fact that the iron continued to burn any part of her it touched, including her fingertips.
Athena stepped out of her portal onto the hilltop that overlooked the flood plains before Troy. She transformed into her human likeness, collapsed into the grass, and created a simple knife to begin prying the bits of shrapnel from her legs. The iron had thoroughly burned the surrounding flesh, preventing it from healing, so Athena not only pulled the bits of metal out, she scraped away the blackened meat inside the wounds so that they could heal properly. The task was made all the more difficult by the fact that the iron continued to burn any part of her it touched, including her fingertips.
4.35: If You Don’t Love Me Now
1183 BCE - Hephaestus's citadel, Mt. Mosycholos, Lemnos.
Athena tossed the armored man off of her. It rolled to its feet and stood up. A red light shown from its eyes and swept across her.
“What are you doing?”
4.34: I’ll Be The Watcher Of The Eternal Flame
1183 BCE - Constellar Palace, Mt. Olympus.
Hephaestus began to peel away from the Constellar Palace in his horseless sky chariot, but glanced back to see Hestia standing at the edge of platform gamma, looking down off the precipice. Hephaestus had been willing to leave his aunt behind, putting himself and his wife first, but seeing her there now, alone and not knowing of the treachery that had transpired at the meeting she’d left, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He turned the chariot around and dove towards the platform.
Hephaestus began to peel away from the Constellar Palace in his horseless sky chariot, but glanced back to see Hestia standing at the edge of platform gamma, looking down off the precipice. Hephaestus had been willing to leave his aunt behind, putting himself and his wife first, but seeing her there now, alone and not knowing of the treachery that had transpired at the meeting she’d left, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He turned the chariot around and dove towards the platform.
4.33: It Doesn't Even Matter How Hard You Try
1183 BCE - Constellar Palace, Mt. Olympus.
Recognition came too slowly for Zeus. He exhaled, and the ancient spirit that gave him much of his power flew out of his lungs and into the box. The box itself flickered in his hands – the glamour Athena and Hephaestus had created failed, and Zeus saw that he was, in fact, holding Pandora’s Box, complete with Fortune’s Key slotted firmly into the round lock.
Recognition came too slowly for Zeus. He exhaled, and the ancient spirit that gave him much of his power flew out of his lungs and into the box. The box itself flickered in his hands – the glamour Athena and Hephaestus had created failed, and Zeus saw that he was, in fact, holding Pandora’s Box, complete with Fortune’s Key slotted firmly into the round lock.
Friday, May 24, 2019
4.32: Strike Down The One That Leads Me
1183 BCE - Constellar Palace, Mt. Olympus.
Poseidon agreed to come to the Constellar palace, but he refused to stand before Hera’s throne, as they were currently enemies, so the gods and goddesses gathered on platform Alpha, overlooking Attica. Trellises covered with blooming vines had been placed around the platform to cut the mountain wind and beautify the area. Hestia reached out with her hand and summoned a large, round table for the gods to sit at as Hermes appeared with libations. It was the final touch in the preparations she’d made for the summit.
Poseidon agreed to come to the Constellar palace, but he refused to stand before Hera’s throne, as they were currently enemies, so the gods and goddesses gathered on platform Alpha, overlooking Attica. Trellises covered with blooming vines had been placed around the platform to cut the mountain wind and beautify the area. Hestia reached out with her hand and summoned a large, round table for the gods to sit at as Hermes appeared with libations. It was the final touch in the preparations she’d made for the summit.
4.31: No Colors Anymore
1183 BCE - Troy.
Just as the Greeks had been laying Patroclus to rest, the Trojans had been outside their walls celebrating Hector’s life and sacrifice, enjoying the breeze and the first of what they assumed would be many food shipments. Their men were at ease, relatively speaking, and wholly unprepared for Achilles – a man who was known for pathologically keeping his word – to apparently break their truce, rushing out of the dark on his chariot and driving straight into their feast.
Women screamed and grabbed their children. Many failed to escape his path of destruction, and were caught beneath hooves and wheels. Priam cried for Achilles to stop, trying to reason with him, but Achilles ignored him, his rage beyond reason. The Trojan soldiers tried to stand up to him, eventually killing one of his horses. His chariot overran the dead horse and flipped end over end, crashing into one of Troy’s walls, but Achilles, back in his seemingly impervious armor, burst from the wreckage and summoned his broken spear. He began hacking at men and women alike madly, crushing Trojan children with his shield. Voices in his head screamed at him.
Ten points for the soldiers! the oldest voice, Kasios’s voice cried.
You’re butchering innocent people! cried the voices of Typhon and Ares.
Achilles, this is wrong! pleaded the voice of Patroclus.
And then Achilles came upon a familiar woman, clutching her son.
Andromache! Scamandrius! Achilles heard Hector’s voice, and his muscles suddenly became rigid, as if they had all tensed at once, freezing him in place. Andromache shielded her child, expecting this to finally be the end, but a sharp whistle came from behind Achilles, and a sudden sharp pain penetrated the back of his right leg, where the armor plates met at his ankle. The force holding him released him, and he staggered to face his enemy, his foot growing numb.
Paris stood, bow drawn, with Aphrodite at his side.
“I told you,” Aphrodite said, “My ex-husband could never get the ankles right.”
“Will your poison kill him?” Paris asked.
“If you shoot him enough times, of course,” Aphrodite said as she strolled over to the wreckage of Achilles's chariot and began rummaging about for something, “Now, do what you do best and show this troglodyte the future of warfare is not swords and spears.”
Achilles threw his spear at Paris, but Paris dodged and fired again. Achilles raised his shield, expecting the shot to come at his head, but instead Paris aimed wide and shot Achilles open hand in the unarmored palm. Achilles pulled out the arrow, and tried to recall the spear, but he couldn’t snap his fingers. He felt the poison leech up his arm towards his chest. He tried to stun Paris with his shield, but Paris looked past it – as with the spear, he’d seen the trick before, and had spent hours thinking about what Hector could have done differently.
Achilles tried to rush him, shield raised, but the poison in his leg had reached his thigh – his foot dragged in the dirt. Paris strafed around him, firing again and again. Most of the arrows pinged off the metal plates, but a few stuck in the softer parts that connected them, their steel tips scratching Achilles's skin and spreading Aphrodite’s poison. At last, Paris got directly behind Achilles and fired a shot into his other ankle, sending the mortal god to his knees. Achilles collapsed forward onto his shield, and then rolled onto his back.
"You... you kill me?" Achilles cried in disbelief.
Paris shot him one final time through the throat and walked away. No pithy last words, no looting, no desecration or honors. He turned and walked back through the gates of Troy. Aphrodite snatched the golden cube from the remains of Achilles’s chariot, and followed her champion.
Achilles watched them walk away, sputtering and coughing as the poison reached his heart. He heard the red doors of Troy slam shut, and the locks fall into place. He turned his head as much as he could trying to see… anything worth seeing before he died. He looked at the gates, and their vibrant color seemed to drain away as the Trojan fires dimmed. He looked to the west, hoping to see a beautiful sunset, but then he remembered it was night, and he’d already seen his last sunset at Patroclus’s funeral. The moment was still sharp in his mind’s eye, and tears rolled down his cheeks as he gasped for breath. He reached up with what little strength he had left and deactivated the armor. It clanked and clattered away from his body as Briseis walked up to him awkwardly, her imminent motherhood undeniable behind the fine summer clothes she’d worn to Patroclus’s funeral.
Achilles coughed as he struggled to breathe, “My heart… it's black,” he said deliriously.
“No Achilles, no it’s not,” Briseis knelt down beside him and took his bloody hand, “but it’s done now, Achilles. It’s time to go see Patroclus.”
“He won’t be there,” Achilles said, “No one will.”
“Of course they will,” Briseis said, tears welling in her eyes, “A new day always comes, even if you don’t believe it will. Your end in this world is the beginning of your adventures in the next. And you will be a wiser man in the next world. You will love Patroclus with all of your heart, and nothing else will sway you from that. No war, no king, and no woman.”
“Thank you,” Achilles barely managed to get out as his voice trailed into a gurgle. Briseis put her hand on Achilles’s chest and felt his heart slow to a stop. She leaned over and gently kissed his lips, “You weren’t the men I wanted you to be when we met,” she whispered, “but thank you, both of you, for trying to be.”
The legacy of Kasios, though now weighed down with the memories of Typhon, Ares, Patroclus, Hector, and Achilles, gently wound its way through Briseis’s lungs into her blood stream.
Briseis had a strange feeling for a moment, but it passed quickly. She couldn’t carry Achilles body back to the Greek camp. Soon she would be strong enough, thanks to the power coursing through her veins, but today she was still a mortal. A notion compelled her, though – she shouldn’t leave the weapons of the gods lying in the dirt before the gates of Troy. She picked up the silver ball that contained Achilles’s last suit of armor and tucked it into her traveling bag. Then she picked up his shield, and slung it across her back. Finally, she pulled the ring from his mangled hand and placed it upon her own. She snapped her fingers and brought the spear to her hand without ever sparing a thought as to how she knew to do so.
“Goodbye, Achilles,” she said, “And gods’ speed to you.”
Briseis turned and disappeared into the darkness. She couldn’t save her home – it had long since become someone else’s – and she couldn’t save Troy. With the truce broken, and no more food coming in, it was surely doomed. But there would be chaos towards the end, and amidst the chaos, there would be survivors. There were always survivors – men and women like her who endured when others succumbed to despair or rage. When the time came, those survivors would need a means of escape, and right now, she was the only one who could give them that.
Just as the Greeks had been laying Patroclus to rest, the Trojans had been outside their walls celebrating Hector’s life and sacrifice, enjoying the breeze and the first of what they assumed would be many food shipments. Their men were at ease, relatively speaking, and wholly unprepared for Achilles – a man who was known for pathologically keeping his word – to apparently break their truce, rushing out of the dark on his chariot and driving straight into their feast.
Women screamed and grabbed their children. Many failed to escape his path of destruction, and were caught beneath hooves and wheels. Priam cried for Achilles to stop, trying to reason with him, but Achilles ignored him, his rage beyond reason. The Trojan soldiers tried to stand up to him, eventually killing one of his horses. His chariot overran the dead horse and flipped end over end, crashing into one of Troy’s walls, but Achilles, back in his seemingly impervious armor, burst from the wreckage and summoned his broken spear. He began hacking at men and women alike madly, crushing Trojan children with his shield. Voices in his head screamed at him.
Ten points for the soldiers! the oldest voice, Kasios’s voice cried.
You’re butchering innocent people! cried the voices of Typhon and Ares.
Achilles, this is wrong! pleaded the voice of Patroclus.
And then Achilles came upon a familiar woman, clutching her son.
Andromache! Scamandrius! Achilles heard Hector’s voice, and his muscles suddenly became rigid, as if they had all tensed at once, freezing him in place. Andromache shielded her child, expecting this to finally be the end, but a sharp whistle came from behind Achilles, and a sudden sharp pain penetrated the back of his right leg, where the armor plates met at his ankle. The force holding him released him, and he staggered to face his enemy, his foot growing numb.
Paris stood, bow drawn, with Aphrodite at his side.
“I told you,” Aphrodite said, “My ex-husband could never get the ankles right.”
“Will your poison kill him?” Paris asked.
“If you shoot him enough times, of course,” Aphrodite said as she strolled over to the wreckage of Achilles's chariot and began rummaging about for something, “Now, do what you do best and show this troglodyte the future of warfare is not swords and spears.”
Achilles threw his spear at Paris, but Paris dodged and fired again. Achilles raised his shield, expecting the shot to come at his head, but instead Paris aimed wide and shot Achilles open hand in the unarmored palm. Achilles pulled out the arrow, and tried to recall the spear, but he couldn’t snap his fingers. He felt the poison leech up his arm towards his chest. He tried to stun Paris with his shield, but Paris looked past it – as with the spear, he’d seen the trick before, and had spent hours thinking about what Hector could have done differently.
Achilles tried to rush him, shield raised, but the poison in his leg had reached his thigh – his foot dragged in the dirt. Paris strafed around him, firing again and again. Most of the arrows pinged off the metal plates, but a few stuck in the softer parts that connected them, their steel tips scratching Achilles's skin and spreading Aphrodite’s poison. At last, Paris got directly behind Achilles and fired a shot into his other ankle, sending the mortal god to his knees. Achilles collapsed forward onto his shield, and then rolled onto his back.
"You... you kill me?" Achilles cried in disbelief.
Paris shot him one final time through the throat and walked away. No pithy last words, no looting, no desecration or honors. He turned and walked back through the gates of Troy. Aphrodite snatched the golden cube from the remains of Achilles’s chariot, and followed her champion.
Achilles watched them walk away, sputtering and coughing as the poison reached his heart. He heard the red doors of Troy slam shut, and the locks fall into place. He turned his head as much as he could trying to see… anything worth seeing before he died. He looked at the gates, and their vibrant color seemed to drain away as the Trojan fires dimmed. He looked to the west, hoping to see a beautiful sunset, but then he remembered it was night, and he’d already seen his last sunset at Patroclus’s funeral. The moment was still sharp in his mind’s eye, and tears rolled down his cheeks as he gasped for breath. He reached up with what little strength he had left and deactivated the armor. It clanked and clattered away from his body as Briseis walked up to him awkwardly, her imminent motherhood undeniable behind the fine summer clothes she’d worn to Patroclus’s funeral.
Achilles coughed as he struggled to breathe, “My heart… it's black,” he said deliriously.
“No Achilles, no it’s not,” Briseis knelt down beside him and took his bloody hand, “but it’s done now, Achilles. It’s time to go see Patroclus.”
“He won’t be there,” Achilles said, “No one will.”
“Of course they will,” Briseis said, tears welling in her eyes, “A new day always comes, even if you don’t believe it will. Your end in this world is the beginning of your adventures in the next. And you will be a wiser man in the next world. You will love Patroclus with all of your heart, and nothing else will sway you from that. No war, no king, and no woman.”
“Thank you,” Achilles barely managed to get out as his voice trailed into a gurgle. Briseis put her hand on Achilles’s chest and felt his heart slow to a stop. She leaned over and gently kissed his lips, “You weren’t the men I wanted you to be when we met,” she whispered, “but thank you, both of you, for trying to be.”
The legacy of Kasios, though now weighed down with the memories of Typhon, Ares, Patroclus, Hector, and Achilles, gently wound its way through Briseis’s lungs into her blood stream.
Briseis had a strange feeling for a moment, but it passed quickly. She couldn’t carry Achilles body back to the Greek camp. Soon she would be strong enough, thanks to the power coursing through her veins, but today she was still a mortal. A notion compelled her, though – she shouldn’t leave the weapons of the gods lying in the dirt before the gates of Troy. She picked up the silver ball that contained Achilles’s last suit of armor and tucked it into her traveling bag. Then she picked up his shield, and slung it across her back. Finally, she pulled the ring from his mangled hand and placed it upon her own. She snapped her fingers and brought the spear to her hand without ever sparing a thought as to how she knew to do so.
“Goodbye, Achilles,” she said, “And gods’ speed to you.”
Briseis turned and disappeared into the darkness. She couldn’t save her home – it had long since become someone else’s – and she couldn’t save Troy. With the truce broken, and no more food coming in, it was surely doomed. But there would be chaos towards the end, and amidst the chaos, there would be survivors. There were always survivors – men and women like her who endured when others succumbed to despair or rage. When the time came, those survivors would need a means of escape, and right now, she was the only one who could give them that.
4.30: The Ragged They Kill
1183 BCE - Dry Sea Bed, Western Coast of Troa.
The pyre was built out on the sea floor, near where Patroclus's remains would be buried. Achilles seemed certain that his own end was near, so he requisitioned an urn large enough to fit both of their skeletons. Perhaps to cope with his grief, Achilles became obsessed with overdoing all of the funerary practices.
The pyre was built out on the sea floor, near where Patroclus's remains would be buried. Achilles seemed certain that his own end was near, so he requisitioned an urn large enough to fit both of their skeletons. Perhaps to cope with his grief, Achilles became obsessed with overdoing all of the funerary practices.
4.29: When Are You Comin’ Home, Son?
1183 BCE - Achaean Base Camp.
Briseis had finished the preparations for Patroclus’s burial by the time Achilles returned. Like the other Greek soldiers, Patroclus would be burned, and then his bones would be carefully preserved in an urn to be interred deep beneath the seabed. When the waters returned to Troa’s shore, the men's remains would be six feet below thirty feet of water, beyond the reach of any vandals. Patroclus’s body was wrapped in the finest cloth, and anointed with perfumes and crushed flowers. Briseis remembered Patroclus’s favorite blooms on Troa’s shores, and was sure to include them.
Briseis had finished the preparations for Patroclus’s burial by the time Achilles returned. Like the other Greek soldiers, Patroclus would be burned, and then his bones would be carefully preserved in an urn to be interred deep beneath the seabed. When the waters returned to Troa’s shore, the men's remains would be six feet below thirty feet of water, beyond the reach of any vandals. Patroclus’s body was wrapped in the finest cloth, and anointed with perfumes and crushed flowers. Briseis remembered Patroclus’s favorite blooms on Troa’s shores, and was sure to include them.
4.28: No More Destination, No More Pain
1183 BCE - Troy.
Hector joined Priam, Kassandra, Paris, and Aeneas on the wall directly over the western gate. Andromache had convinced Hector to stay put, but now Achilles was trying to force his hand. What remained of the Achaean army stood out on the field before them. They’d used pieces of their ships to create large jacks, and placed them before the eastern, northern, and southern gates in the middle of the night, locking them shut, and allowing them to bring all of their men to one place – right before the western gate.
Hector joined Priam, Kassandra, Paris, and Aeneas on the wall directly over the western gate. Andromache had convinced Hector to stay put, but now Achilles was trying to force his hand. What remained of the Achaean army stood out on the field before them. They’d used pieces of their ships to create large jacks, and placed them before the eastern, northern, and southern gates in the middle of the night, locking them shut, and allowing them to bring all of their men to one place – right before the western gate.
4.27: Son of Circumstance He Couldn’t Quite Control
1183 BCE - Troy.
Hector stood at the window, holding his son. After many years of trying, Andromache had finally given them a child barely a year ago, a boy they’d named Scamandrius. Scamandrius had never left the walls of Troy. Never seen the countryside or the sea. Food had been rationed since before the boy was born, leaving Andromache unable to produce enough milk to satisfy the child. He’d been hungry from the first day of his life, and had never known what it was to not be hungry.
Hector stood at the window, holding his son. After many years of trying, Andromache had finally given them a child barely a year ago, a boy they’d named Scamandrius. Scamandrius had never left the walls of Troy. Never seen the countryside or the sea. Food had been rationed since before the boy was born, leaving Andromache unable to produce enough milk to satisfy the child. He’d been hungry from the first day of his life, and had never known what it was to not be hungry.
4.26: The Lies I Weave Are Oh So Intricate
1183 BCE - Hephaestus's citadel, Mt. Mosycholos, Lemnos.
Athena stepped out of her portal onto the platform before one of the great doors to Hephaestus’s domain. Apollo was already waiting for her there.
“Anyone home?” Athena asked.
“I haven’t knocked,” Apollo said, “I thought I should wait for you.”
Athena stepped out of her portal onto the platform before one of the great doors to Hephaestus’s domain. Apollo was already waiting for her there.
“Anyone home?” Athena asked.
“I haven’t knocked,” Apollo said, “I thought I should wait for you.”
4.25: Never Gonna Hold The Hand Of Another Guy
1183 BCE - Achaean Base Camp.
Briseis stepped into Achilles’s tent, and found him weeping in his mother’s arms. It was strangely incongruous to see the powerful, mortal god emotionally devastated and seeking comfort in the arms of a much smaller woman. Achilles stopped crying when he saw Briseis.
Briseis stepped into Achilles’s tent, and found him weeping in his mother’s arms. It was strangely incongruous to see the powerful, mortal god emotionally devastated and seeking comfort in the arms of a much smaller woman. Achilles stopped crying when he saw Briseis.
4.24: If He Moves Will He Fall?
1183 BCE - Achaean Base Camp, East Coast of Troan Penninsula.
Patroclus left Agamemnon's tent and ran back to Achilles’ tent. He could see smoke off near the beach, and he met Odysseus coming back from the battle. He was limping and pale.
“Odysseus? What’s wrong?”
Patroclus left Agamemnon's tent and ran back to Achilles’ tent. He could see smoke off near the beach, and he met Odysseus coming back from the battle. He was limping and pale.
“Odysseus? What’s wrong?”
4.23. No Chance For Us
1183 BCE - Achaean Base Camp, east shore of Troan Penninsula.
That night, Athena traveled to Odysseus and appeared to him in the privacy of his tent to discuss matters.
“What the hell?” Odysseus said, “I haven’t heard a word from you for three years!”
That night, Athena traveled to Odysseus and appeared to him in the privacy of his tent to discuss matters.
“What the hell?” Odysseus said, “I haven’t heard a word from you for three years!”
4.22: Remember Me For Centuries
1183 BCE - Troa.
Patroclus had been close enough to the fight to see Ares’ defense of Aphrodite, and hear his pleas for mercy. Diomedes was, until today, among Ares most ardent worshipers. He lived and breathed war, and not only the strategic aspect of it. He’d loved fighting and killing because he was good at it. But despite Diomedes’s devotion, Ares had been willing to turn against him the moment his lover called for help.
Patroclus had been close enough to the fight to see Ares’ defense of Aphrodite, and hear his pleas for mercy. Diomedes was, until today, among Ares most ardent worshipers. He lived and breathed war, and not only the strategic aspect of it. He’d loved fighting and killing because he was good at it. But despite Diomedes’s devotion, Ares had been willing to turn against him the moment his lover called for help.
4.21: What Is It Good For?
1183 BCE - Troa.
Over the years the Greeks suffered substantial losses, while their ships remained trapped in the dried up sea bed, preventing them from summoning reinforcements or sending aging men home to rest. The Trojans, however, fared little better.
Over the years the Greeks suffered substantial losses, while their ships remained trapped in the dried up sea bed, preventing them from summoning reinforcements or sending aging men home to rest. The Trojans, however, fared little better.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
4.20: Say A Prayer But Let The Good Times Roll
1189 BCE - Troa.
Thanks to Briseis’s sacrifice, the Greeks were able to accommodate Nemesis and Apollo’s demands, and freed all of the captives from the temple’s desecration, ending Apollo’s plague. Counter to expectations, the Trojans refused the freed men and women entrance into the beleagured city; Astynome and the others simply wandered east and disappeared. When Kassandra learned details of what had transpired, she pleaded with her father to attack. With Achilles out of the battle, and the Greeks still weak from a year of plague, now was the time to strike! Hector supported her, but as before, Priam refused to listen, as if bewitched by some curse of self-destructive sexism.
The Greeks recovered their strength, and began preparing for an indefinite siege. They carried up a number of their galleys and dismantled them – their army had dwindled, after all, so they would not need all of the ships to return. They used the pieces of the ships to construct palisade walls around their base camp, outlined with trenches and sharpened stakes. Ajax the Greater, a savant in defensive strategy, made optimal use of the landscape to design an efficient defense. Moving forward, the Greeks would not have to expend nearly so many men on defending their stranded ships. They would be able to assault Dardanus again, and this time they would do so using heavy weapons of Odysseus’s design.
Their second battle in Dardania was long and exceptionally bloody. The Trojans fought hard to hold it as Troy’s lifeline to the sea, and with Achilles out of action, demigod Aeneas proved more than a match for the Achaean champions – especially with Apollo and Artemis at his back. Beginning to lose their second wind, the Greeks mobilized more of their army and sent it North to join the force assaulting Dardanus. Kassandra beseeched Hector once again – the Greeks depended upon their spoils of war, and most of these were stored at their basecamp on the shore. If Hector assaulted the Achaean camp while their troops were locked in battle at Dardanus, they could carry off much of their enemy’s supplies and burn the rest. The Greeks would have no choice but to abandon their attack and plea to Poseidon for safe passage home. This time, Hector persuaded Priam to give him leave to attack, but Kassandra gave him one last instruction – to not burn any of the Greek ships. Allow their enemies to escape, rather than force them into further confrontation.
Thanks to Ajax and Menelaus, the Achaeans held fast against the Trojan’s furious attack; it was into the midst of this melee that the mighty war god, Ares, finally appeared on the battlefield. Being the aggressors, the Greeks had expected to have his aid from the very beginning, but Zeus had kept Ares busy with other missions for Mt. Olympus, sending him far to the East and to the North to aid allies in other lands. When at last Ares had answered the call to arms, however, he'd found that it was the Greeks who were now on the back foot, the Trojans attacking furiously.
A supernatural engine of destruction, Ares was more than a match for any man on either side except (possibly) Achilles, and Achilles wasn’t fighting. His decision to support one side or the other would potentially decide the outcome of the war, and that wasn't something he took lightly. Ares looked around at the butchered men as he strode across the battlefield – their comrades and enemies had stopped fighting out of deference to their war god, but they hadn’t stopped looting the bodies of the fallen. Everyone knew Ares as the source of violent hate in men’s hearts, but that was not the case. Ares was a warrior, yes, and he fought for other warriors, but the hate and greed men brought into battle was their own.
When Ares was very young, there had been a callous, aggressive voice in his mind that constantly pressed him to attack, to kill and to murder. It treated violence as a game, kept score of defeated opponents, and pushed Ares to excel in the art of death. For a time, he indulged the voice - it praised him for every victory, and every victory seemed to come easier than the last. Ares embraced the violence because, like most rational beings, he found satisfaction in doing things he was good at. After a century or so, however, even that began to wear thin. He was the undisputed master of violence; combat victories came easily for him, too easily, and the praise from the inner voice became hollow. As the decades had rolled past, Ares had ultimately come to place far more value on difficult victories than easy ones. That had pressed him to contemplate what it meant to be the god of war, and to think beyond the end of his spear.
Aphrodite appeared from the Trojan side of the lines and beseeched her lover, “Beloved Ares, have the Trojans not shown their tenacity and worth today? Fight for Troy, and end this war in the name of the true love between Paris and Helen.”
Hera then appeared from the Greek side, casting aside a rather clever disguise as an ox in the Greek camp, and similarly entreated her son, “My boy, my best son, my favorite son, the Greeks have held the Trojans back, despite being spread thin by their valiant attack on the city to the north, and despite the vile treachery of your older brother. Side with Greece, and defend the sanctity of Menelaus and Helen’s marriage.”
“Vile treachery nothing!” Aphrodite said, “Apollo’s curse was well deserved. The Greeks violated his temple. Murdered innocent women and unarmed men.”
Ares looked back and forth between them. Allowing Hera's Greeks and Aphrodite's Trojans to slaughter each other would be easy. Personally participating in the violence on either side would certainly expedite the war's conclusion, but again, that would be easy. The only real challenge would be bringing the war to close efficiently. No one imagined the god of war would want to minimize bloodshed, but at the end of the day, Ares wanted to go home to his sons knowing that he had attempted what was difficult in lieu of accomplishing what was easy.
“If it is justice you seek, you look to the wrong god," Ares answered, "You both make your case fairly, and I cannot easily choose between my mother and my lover, so I will leave it to the mortals to make their case.”
Agamemnon and Hector approached the war god from their respective sides, “A duel!” Hector proposed, “Let us decide Ares’s favor with a duel between Menelaus and Paris!”
Ares turned to Agamemnon and asked if the Achaeans would accept the offer.
At this point, Agamemnon would have been happy to see the war continue indefinitely - after all, what did he have that was worth going home to? But most of the Achaeans would rage against him if he passed over an opportunity to end the war, and if he offended Ares, he could be reduced to a bloody smear before any other god could intervene. So, he did the only thing he could do and consented.
"Agreed," Agamemnon said, "Menelaus will duel Paris, if Ares will agree to fight for the victor's cause."
Then Odysseus had to jump in with his two cents, “Whoever’s side the god of battle chooses is almost certain to win the war,” the Ithacan king pushed his way past Agamemnon, “So why complicate matters? Let Menelaus and Paris fight, and the victor will accept the opposing army’s surrender.” Agamemnon looked back and scowled at him, but Odysseus pretended to ignore the man's aggravation.
“What would the terms of surrender be?” Ares asked.
Odysseus didn't give Agamemnon a chance to answer, “If Paris dies, then Helen is to be returned to our camp. We will leave, and take the spoils we’ve already claimed as recompense for the war. Troy will provide the offering to Poseidon that our ships may leave these shores.”
That was a generous offer. Hector nodded, “And if Paris wins, your army will surrender its spoils to Poseidon, and leave without further violence.”
Though irritated that Odysseus and Hector had simply shut him out of the negotiation, Agamemnon agreed to the terms, and the two men turned to fetch their champions. Menelaus was already right behind his brother, ready to fight. Paris objected to the arrangement, but Hector talked sense into him.
“Menelaus isn’t a demigod,” Hector said, “And you’re not a child anymore. You are not so far apart from each other in skill as you think. You stand a good chance of defeating him.”
“A good chance, but not a better than even chance,” Paris said.
“No…” Hector admitted, “But the peace terms the Greeks are offering, even in the event of our surrender, are good. If we turn them down, maybe we win the war, maybe we don’t – best case scenario, though, hundreds of these men standing around you right now will die. Accept the duel, though, fight Menelaus bravely, and no matter which of you prevails, hundreds, perhaps thousands will be spared."
“So you’re asking me to sacrifice myself for men whose names I don’t even remember.”
“No, I’m asking you to risk yourself for men whose names I do remember. I can’t force you to fight him little brother, but…”
“No… you’re right. You’re right. It’s the least I can do as a prince of Troy.”
“Okay, remember, Menelaus is great with that shield, so you probably won’t hit him with your bow. I know you love that weapon, and I know Aphrodite gave you those fancy arrowheads, but I don’t want to see you standing there like an idiot shooting when he runs right up on you. Be ready to drop it and go hand-to-hand.”
“Got it,” Paris borrowed a bronze helmet and a round shield from one of their men. He donned the helmet and swung the shield over his back, adjusting it so that he could still reach the arrows in the quiver hanging at his hip. He stepped into the clearing, bow in hand.
Menelaus shook his hand. Part of him thought it was foolish for an archer to go close quarters with a man in armor, but he knew Paris was second only to Teucer when it came to the bow. If Menelaus got careless, he could get dead.
“What are the rules?” Paris asked, looking to Ares who stood on the sidelines like a referee.
“Rules?” Ares said, “You’ve got me confused with someone else. There are no rules in this fight. Strength of arms, strength of mind, and strength of heart will decide this contest.”
Aphrodite started cheering for Paris, and the Trojans joined in. They hadn’t been terribly fond of the young man, but now that he was putting himself out in front of danger to save them, they were starting to change their minds.
Hera likewise riled the Achaeans. Many of the Greek soldiers blamed Menelaus for the war, so they were no fonder of him than the Trojans had been of Paris, but they would rather see Paris butchered in the dirt than their countryman.
Menelaus walked out with two spears - one ordinary spartan spear, and one capped with the very spearhead that Paris had given him years ago. Menelaus had been saving that weapon for a moment like this, an opportunity to return the 'gift'. Menelaus stuck the special spear in the ground, so that he could heft the ordinary weapon over his shoulder, “You seem to have forgotten your spear, Paris!” Menelaus shouted, “You can have my extra!”
Menelaus threw the missile at Paris. It was a good toss for the distance – it was impressive Menelaus could throw that far, but the distance was also great enough that Paris, more agile on his feet with his shield on his back, was able to dodge the thrown weapon.
“Minnie!” Paris shouted back, “Your shaft missed its mark! I suppose that explains all those bruises I found on Helen’s back-side the first night I fucked her!”
Menelaus growled and pulled out his second spear, "You recognize this spearhead Paris? This is the one you gave me. Your spear. I saved it just for you." Instead of raising the weapon over his shoulder he held it out low and charged shield first.
Paris fired one quick shot straight at the center of Menelaus’s shield to test it. The steel-headed arrow punched through the shield and sliced Menelaus’s arm. It slowed Menelaus for a moment, but that lightly maiming the arm behind the shield was the most Paris could hope for. The archer switched to his ordinary arrows and fired as quickly as he could at Menelaus’s feet. It was difficult, aiming at moving legs beneath an advancing shield, but one of the bronze heads sliced Menelaus’s right calf, throwing him off balance as he closed on Paris. Paris dropped and slid, presenting his back to the oncoming spear. The head struck the shield on Paris’s back at an angle and skipped off, some of the gold peeling off the spear head to reveal the iron core.
Paris rolled past Menelaus and continued firing, focusing more on speed than aim at close range. The heavy red cloak on Menelaus’s back functioned like a second layer of armor and a flapping distraction – most of Paris’s shots missed, and those few that didn’t inflicted no more than flesh wounds. If he’d poisoned his arrows, the fight would be over already. Wisdom for another time, if he survived.
Menelaus spun around, releasing his spear and then catching it at the very end of its haft to give himself a surprisingly long reach. Paris jumped back to avoid the golden head of the spear, but the swing caught his bow and tore it from his hands. Fortunately for Paris, gripping the spear by its butt relied on the iron spearhead's momentum to keep it raised – as soon as that momentum was spent, Menelaus lost his grip on it, and it clattered to the ground. The drew their swords and ran at each other.
Menelaus used his shield as offensively as his sword, while Paris kept his on his back. He’d seen Menelaus on the battlefield – the man was capable of some impressive footwork, and Paris wanted to protect himself in case Menelaus got behind him. With one hand free, he drew one of his steel-tipped arrows and brandished it like a knife, head down. Their swords clashed and Paris dodged about trying to find an opening. Menelaus struck downward with the edge of his shield, hoping to crush Paris’s feet. Paris hopped back, drove the arrow he was holding into the top of Menelaus’s shield, and used it like a crank to twist Menelaus’s shield back.
Menelaus struggled to keep his arm up, but took the opening to lung forward, swinging from the side, and striking Paris across the back. The heavy end of the kopis cracked Paris’s helmet and cut into the shield on his back. Paris rolled away in a panic, bleeding from a cut that traveled from his scalp down to his shoulder. Menelaus lunged again and Paris ducked, but the heavy blade caught the high crown of the helmet and twisted it, briefly blinding its wearer Menelaus smashed his shield into him hard enough to toss him through the air, eliciting raucous cheers from the Greeks.
Paris ripped the helmet off and threw it at Menelaus, but the Spartan knocked the improvised weapon aside with his shield. Paris pulled his own, smaller shield off his back just in time to intercept another strike from Menelaus. The kopis cut into the opposite edge of the shield from where it had hit before, and stuck. Paris lunged with his sword, but Menelaus blocked the strike deftly, and kicked the center of Paris’s shield as hard as he could. His sword pulled free, and Paris’s shield came apart into two pieces that clattered to the ground. The Trojans groaned in despair for their champion.
Paris scampered backwards, holding his sword up, shaking.
Menelaus smiled wearily. He’d half expected the Trojan boy to run. Instead, he was prepared to sacrifice himself so that Troy could have an honorable defeat. Menelaus hated the man, but with Paris’s shield and helmet broken, this was simply murder. Menelaus tossed his own shield aside and pulled off his helmet. Both sides of the battleline gasped in shock. Ares applauded.
“What are you doing?” Paris said between heavy breaths.
“When this is over, and the watchers on the walls of Troy tell Helen what happened, I want them to tell her it was a good fight on both our parts.” Menelaus waved Paris toward him with his sword, and Paris obliged, running forward. Their blades clashed repeatedly. Paris was faster, more graceful than Menelaus, but Menelaus was stronger and better skilled. The Spartan wrapped his cloak around his free arm and used it like a light shield. When Paris found he wasn’t strong enough to slice clear through the wrapped fabric with his bronze sword, he thrust with it. That proved a mistake.
The blade punched through the heavy fabric, narrowly missing Menelaus’s ribs, but then became tangled. Menelaus forced the blade to the ground, and stomped on it, snapping the bronze blade where it connected with the tang in the hilt, and leaving Paris with nothing more than the grip in his hand. He tried to attack Menelaus with the weighted pommel, but Menelaus simply punched him, knocking him away. Paris realized he was in reach of Menelaus's dropped spear; he scrambled for it, snatched it up, and charged with it. Menelaus casually dodged the charge and sliced Paris across the back of the legs, dropping him to his knees.
Athena appeared next to Hera, and watched as Menelaus circled about and prepared to execute Paris. She was surprised how hesitant the man seemed to be, but humans could get oddly squeamish about killing once their enemy was defenseless.
“It looks as if we are about to win,” Athena commented.
“Well, we can’t have that," Hera said, "My son has only just arrived on the battlefield. If the war ends now, our plan will go up in smoke.”
Athena nodded towards an archer on the far side of the field, one of Paris’s men, “That man, Pandarus, he’s thinking about saving his idol. Perhaps between the two of us, we can give him a nudge?”
“Hm, very clever,” Hera smiled. They focused on Pandarus’s mind, slipping in the imagery of him being hailed as a great hero by the other Trojans for saving Paris and killing Menelaus. Pandarus raised his bow and fired at Menelaus. His comrades tried to stop him, but only succeeded in throwing off his aim. The bronze-headed arrow struck Menelaus’s belt buckle, punched through two layers of leather and a heavy layer of cloth, but only barely sank into the flesh above Menelaus’s groin. It was painful though, and alarming. As blood poured down Menelaus’s leg he didn’t know how bad the injury was. By the time he collected himself, Paris was gone, spirited back to Helen by Aphrodite, to have his wounds bound.
“The Trojans cheated!” Hera shouted to her son, “What more proof do you need of their unworthiness? Their men disrespect the circle of fair battle, and Paris flees from the field like a frightened child!”
“No!” Hector shouted, “Let us discipline our man for violating the rules, but-”
Ares held up a hand to shush Hector, “I like you Hector, I always have, but my mother’s right. It’s done and I must honor my word. I side with the Achaeans now.” Ares raised a hand and a sand-clock appeared out of thin air, “Out of respect for you, Hector, I give you and your men twenty minutes to retire from the field. Agamemnon can tend to his brother, and you can tend to yours.”
Hector’s troops no longer had the advantage of momentum, and when Ares inevitably joined the fight, Hector knew they’d have no chance at all. The Trojans withdrew to the safety of their city.
Thanks to Briseis’s sacrifice, the Greeks were able to accommodate Nemesis and Apollo’s demands, and freed all of the captives from the temple’s desecration, ending Apollo’s plague. Counter to expectations, the Trojans refused the freed men and women entrance into the beleagured city; Astynome and the others simply wandered east and disappeared. When Kassandra learned details of what had transpired, she pleaded with her father to attack. With Achilles out of the battle, and the Greeks still weak from a year of plague, now was the time to strike! Hector supported her, but as before, Priam refused to listen, as if bewitched by some curse of self-destructive sexism.
The Greeks recovered their strength, and began preparing for an indefinite siege. They carried up a number of their galleys and dismantled them – their army had dwindled, after all, so they would not need all of the ships to return. They used the pieces of the ships to construct palisade walls around their base camp, outlined with trenches and sharpened stakes. Ajax the Greater, a savant in defensive strategy, made optimal use of the landscape to design an efficient defense. Moving forward, the Greeks would not have to expend nearly so many men on defending their stranded ships. They would be able to assault Dardanus again, and this time they would do so using heavy weapons of Odysseus’s design.
Their second battle in Dardania was long and exceptionally bloody. The Trojans fought hard to hold it as Troy’s lifeline to the sea, and with Achilles out of action, demigod Aeneas proved more than a match for the Achaean champions – especially with Apollo and Artemis at his back. Beginning to lose their second wind, the Greeks mobilized more of their army and sent it North to join the force assaulting Dardanus. Kassandra beseeched Hector once again – the Greeks depended upon their spoils of war, and most of these were stored at their basecamp on the shore. If Hector assaulted the Achaean camp while their troops were locked in battle at Dardanus, they could carry off much of their enemy’s supplies and burn the rest. The Greeks would have no choice but to abandon their attack and plea to Poseidon for safe passage home. This time, Hector persuaded Priam to give him leave to attack, but Kassandra gave him one last instruction – to not burn any of the Greek ships. Allow their enemies to escape, rather than force them into further confrontation.
Thanks to Ajax and Menelaus, the Achaeans held fast against the Trojan’s furious attack; it was into the midst of this melee that the mighty war god, Ares, finally appeared on the battlefield. Being the aggressors, the Greeks had expected to have his aid from the very beginning, but Zeus had kept Ares busy with other missions for Mt. Olympus, sending him far to the East and to the North to aid allies in other lands. When at last Ares had answered the call to arms, however, he'd found that it was the Greeks who were now on the back foot, the Trojans attacking furiously.
A supernatural engine of destruction, Ares was more than a match for any man on either side except (possibly) Achilles, and Achilles wasn’t fighting. His decision to support one side or the other would potentially decide the outcome of the war, and that wasn't something he took lightly. Ares looked around at the butchered men as he strode across the battlefield – their comrades and enemies had stopped fighting out of deference to their war god, but they hadn’t stopped looting the bodies of the fallen. Everyone knew Ares as the source of violent hate in men’s hearts, but that was not the case. Ares was a warrior, yes, and he fought for other warriors, but the hate and greed men brought into battle was their own.
When Ares was very young, there had been a callous, aggressive voice in his mind that constantly pressed him to attack, to kill and to murder. It treated violence as a game, kept score of defeated opponents, and pushed Ares to excel in the art of death. For a time, he indulged the voice - it praised him for every victory, and every victory seemed to come easier than the last. Ares embraced the violence because, like most rational beings, he found satisfaction in doing things he was good at. After a century or so, however, even that began to wear thin. He was the undisputed master of violence; combat victories came easily for him, too easily, and the praise from the inner voice became hollow. As the decades had rolled past, Ares had ultimately come to place far more value on difficult victories than easy ones. That had pressed him to contemplate what it meant to be the god of war, and to think beyond the end of his spear.
Aphrodite appeared from the Trojan side of the lines and beseeched her lover, “Beloved Ares, have the Trojans not shown their tenacity and worth today? Fight for Troy, and end this war in the name of the true love between Paris and Helen.”
Hera then appeared from the Greek side, casting aside a rather clever disguise as an ox in the Greek camp, and similarly entreated her son, “My boy, my best son, my favorite son, the Greeks have held the Trojans back, despite being spread thin by their valiant attack on the city to the north, and despite the vile treachery of your older brother. Side with Greece, and defend the sanctity of Menelaus and Helen’s marriage.”
“Vile treachery nothing!” Aphrodite said, “Apollo’s curse was well deserved. The Greeks violated his temple. Murdered innocent women and unarmed men.”
Ares looked back and forth between them. Allowing Hera's Greeks and Aphrodite's Trojans to slaughter each other would be easy. Personally participating in the violence on either side would certainly expedite the war's conclusion, but again, that would be easy. The only real challenge would be bringing the war to close efficiently. No one imagined the god of war would want to minimize bloodshed, but at the end of the day, Ares wanted to go home to his sons knowing that he had attempted what was difficult in lieu of accomplishing what was easy.
“If it is justice you seek, you look to the wrong god," Ares answered, "You both make your case fairly, and I cannot easily choose between my mother and my lover, so I will leave it to the mortals to make their case.”
Agamemnon and Hector approached the war god from their respective sides, “A duel!” Hector proposed, “Let us decide Ares’s favor with a duel between Menelaus and Paris!”
Ares turned to Agamemnon and asked if the Achaeans would accept the offer.
At this point, Agamemnon would have been happy to see the war continue indefinitely - after all, what did he have that was worth going home to? But most of the Achaeans would rage against him if he passed over an opportunity to end the war, and if he offended Ares, he could be reduced to a bloody smear before any other god could intervene. So, he did the only thing he could do and consented.
"Agreed," Agamemnon said, "Menelaus will duel Paris, if Ares will agree to fight for the victor's cause."
Then Odysseus had to jump in with his two cents, “Whoever’s side the god of battle chooses is almost certain to win the war,” the Ithacan king pushed his way past Agamemnon, “So why complicate matters? Let Menelaus and Paris fight, and the victor will accept the opposing army’s surrender.” Agamemnon looked back and scowled at him, but Odysseus pretended to ignore the man's aggravation.
“What would the terms of surrender be?” Ares asked.
Odysseus didn't give Agamemnon a chance to answer, “If Paris dies, then Helen is to be returned to our camp. We will leave, and take the spoils we’ve already claimed as recompense for the war. Troy will provide the offering to Poseidon that our ships may leave these shores.”
That was a generous offer. Hector nodded, “And if Paris wins, your army will surrender its spoils to Poseidon, and leave without further violence.”
Though irritated that Odysseus and Hector had simply shut him out of the negotiation, Agamemnon agreed to the terms, and the two men turned to fetch their champions. Menelaus was already right behind his brother, ready to fight. Paris objected to the arrangement, but Hector talked sense into him.
“Menelaus isn’t a demigod,” Hector said, “And you’re not a child anymore. You are not so far apart from each other in skill as you think. You stand a good chance of defeating him.”
“A good chance, but not a better than even chance,” Paris said.
“No…” Hector admitted, “But the peace terms the Greeks are offering, even in the event of our surrender, are good. If we turn them down, maybe we win the war, maybe we don’t – best case scenario, though, hundreds of these men standing around you right now will die. Accept the duel, though, fight Menelaus bravely, and no matter which of you prevails, hundreds, perhaps thousands will be spared."
“So you’re asking me to sacrifice myself for men whose names I don’t even remember.”
“No, I’m asking you to risk yourself for men whose names I do remember. I can’t force you to fight him little brother, but…”
“No… you’re right. You’re right. It’s the least I can do as a prince of Troy.”
“Okay, remember, Menelaus is great with that shield, so you probably won’t hit him with your bow. I know you love that weapon, and I know Aphrodite gave you those fancy arrowheads, but I don’t want to see you standing there like an idiot shooting when he runs right up on you. Be ready to drop it and go hand-to-hand.”
“Got it,” Paris borrowed a bronze helmet and a round shield from one of their men. He donned the helmet and swung the shield over his back, adjusting it so that he could still reach the arrows in the quiver hanging at his hip. He stepped into the clearing, bow in hand.
Menelaus shook his hand. Part of him thought it was foolish for an archer to go close quarters with a man in armor, but he knew Paris was second only to Teucer when it came to the bow. If Menelaus got careless, he could get dead.
“What are the rules?” Paris asked, looking to Ares who stood on the sidelines like a referee.
“Rules?” Ares said, “You’ve got me confused with someone else. There are no rules in this fight. Strength of arms, strength of mind, and strength of heart will decide this contest.”
Aphrodite started cheering for Paris, and the Trojans joined in. They hadn’t been terribly fond of the young man, but now that he was putting himself out in front of danger to save them, they were starting to change their minds.
Hera likewise riled the Achaeans. Many of the Greek soldiers blamed Menelaus for the war, so they were no fonder of him than the Trojans had been of Paris, but they would rather see Paris butchered in the dirt than their countryman.
Menelaus walked out with two spears - one ordinary spartan spear, and one capped with the very spearhead that Paris had given him years ago. Menelaus had been saving that weapon for a moment like this, an opportunity to return the 'gift'. Menelaus stuck the special spear in the ground, so that he could heft the ordinary weapon over his shoulder, “You seem to have forgotten your spear, Paris!” Menelaus shouted, “You can have my extra!”
Menelaus threw the missile at Paris. It was a good toss for the distance – it was impressive Menelaus could throw that far, but the distance was also great enough that Paris, more agile on his feet with his shield on his back, was able to dodge the thrown weapon.
“Minnie!” Paris shouted back, “Your shaft missed its mark! I suppose that explains all those bruises I found on Helen’s back-side the first night I fucked her!”
Menelaus growled and pulled out his second spear, "You recognize this spearhead Paris? This is the one you gave me. Your spear. I saved it just for you." Instead of raising the weapon over his shoulder he held it out low and charged shield first.
Paris fired one quick shot straight at the center of Menelaus’s shield to test it. The steel-headed arrow punched through the shield and sliced Menelaus’s arm. It slowed Menelaus for a moment, but that lightly maiming the arm behind the shield was the most Paris could hope for. The archer switched to his ordinary arrows and fired as quickly as he could at Menelaus’s feet. It was difficult, aiming at moving legs beneath an advancing shield, but one of the bronze heads sliced Menelaus’s right calf, throwing him off balance as he closed on Paris. Paris dropped and slid, presenting his back to the oncoming spear. The head struck the shield on Paris’s back at an angle and skipped off, some of the gold peeling off the spear head to reveal the iron core.
Paris rolled past Menelaus and continued firing, focusing more on speed than aim at close range. The heavy red cloak on Menelaus’s back functioned like a second layer of armor and a flapping distraction – most of Paris’s shots missed, and those few that didn’t inflicted no more than flesh wounds. If he’d poisoned his arrows, the fight would be over already. Wisdom for another time, if he survived.
Menelaus spun around, releasing his spear and then catching it at the very end of its haft to give himself a surprisingly long reach. Paris jumped back to avoid the golden head of the spear, but the swing caught his bow and tore it from his hands. Fortunately for Paris, gripping the spear by its butt relied on the iron spearhead's momentum to keep it raised – as soon as that momentum was spent, Menelaus lost his grip on it, and it clattered to the ground. The drew their swords and ran at each other.
Menelaus used his shield as offensively as his sword, while Paris kept his on his back. He’d seen Menelaus on the battlefield – the man was capable of some impressive footwork, and Paris wanted to protect himself in case Menelaus got behind him. With one hand free, he drew one of his steel-tipped arrows and brandished it like a knife, head down. Their swords clashed and Paris dodged about trying to find an opening. Menelaus struck downward with the edge of his shield, hoping to crush Paris’s feet. Paris hopped back, drove the arrow he was holding into the top of Menelaus’s shield, and used it like a crank to twist Menelaus’s shield back.
Menelaus struggled to keep his arm up, but took the opening to lung forward, swinging from the side, and striking Paris across the back. The heavy end of the kopis cracked Paris’s helmet and cut into the shield on his back. Paris rolled away in a panic, bleeding from a cut that traveled from his scalp down to his shoulder. Menelaus lunged again and Paris ducked, but the heavy blade caught the high crown of the helmet and twisted it, briefly blinding its wearer Menelaus smashed his shield into him hard enough to toss him through the air, eliciting raucous cheers from the Greeks.
Paris ripped the helmet off and threw it at Menelaus, but the Spartan knocked the improvised weapon aside with his shield. Paris pulled his own, smaller shield off his back just in time to intercept another strike from Menelaus. The kopis cut into the opposite edge of the shield from where it had hit before, and stuck. Paris lunged with his sword, but Menelaus blocked the strike deftly, and kicked the center of Paris’s shield as hard as he could. His sword pulled free, and Paris’s shield came apart into two pieces that clattered to the ground. The Trojans groaned in despair for their champion.
Paris scampered backwards, holding his sword up, shaking.
Menelaus smiled wearily. He’d half expected the Trojan boy to run. Instead, he was prepared to sacrifice himself so that Troy could have an honorable defeat. Menelaus hated the man, but with Paris’s shield and helmet broken, this was simply murder. Menelaus tossed his own shield aside and pulled off his helmet. Both sides of the battleline gasped in shock. Ares applauded.
“What are you doing?” Paris said between heavy breaths.
“When this is over, and the watchers on the walls of Troy tell Helen what happened, I want them to tell her it was a good fight on both our parts.” Menelaus waved Paris toward him with his sword, and Paris obliged, running forward. Their blades clashed repeatedly. Paris was faster, more graceful than Menelaus, but Menelaus was stronger and better skilled. The Spartan wrapped his cloak around his free arm and used it like a light shield. When Paris found he wasn’t strong enough to slice clear through the wrapped fabric with his bronze sword, he thrust with it. That proved a mistake.
The blade punched through the heavy fabric, narrowly missing Menelaus’s ribs, but then became tangled. Menelaus forced the blade to the ground, and stomped on it, snapping the bronze blade where it connected with the tang in the hilt, and leaving Paris with nothing more than the grip in his hand. He tried to attack Menelaus with the weighted pommel, but Menelaus simply punched him, knocking him away. Paris realized he was in reach of Menelaus's dropped spear; he scrambled for it, snatched it up, and charged with it. Menelaus casually dodged the charge and sliced Paris across the back of the legs, dropping him to his knees.
Athena appeared next to Hera, and watched as Menelaus circled about and prepared to execute Paris. She was surprised how hesitant the man seemed to be, but humans could get oddly squeamish about killing once their enemy was defenseless.
“It looks as if we are about to win,” Athena commented.
“Well, we can’t have that," Hera said, "My son has only just arrived on the battlefield. If the war ends now, our plan will go up in smoke.”
Athena nodded towards an archer on the far side of the field, one of Paris’s men, “That man, Pandarus, he’s thinking about saving his idol. Perhaps between the two of us, we can give him a nudge?”
“Hm, very clever,” Hera smiled. They focused on Pandarus’s mind, slipping in the imagery of him being hailed as a great hero by the other Trojans for saving Paris and killing Menelaus. Pandarus raised his bow and fired at Menelaus. His comrades tried to stop him, but only succeeded in throwing off his aim. The bronze-headed arrow struck Menelaus’s belt buckle, punched through two layers of leather and a heavy layer of cloth, but only barely sank into the flesh above Menelaus’s groin. It was painful though, and alarming. As blood poured down Menelaus’s leg he didn’t know how bad the injury was. By the time he collected himself, Paris was gone, spirited back to Helen by Aphrodite, to have his wounds bound.
“The Trojans cheated!” Hera shouted to her son, “What more proof do you need of their unworthiness? Their men disrespect the circle of fair battle, and Paris flees from the field like a frightened child!”
“No!” Hector shouted, “Let us discipline our man for violating the rules, but-”
Ares held up a hand to shush Hector, “I like you Hector, I always have, but my mother’s right. It’s done and I must honor my word. I side with the Achaeans now.” Ares raised a hand and a sand-clock appeared out of thin air, “Out of respect for you, Hector, I give you and your men twenty minutes to retire from the field. Agamemnon can tend to his brother, and you can tend to yours.”
Hector’s troops no longer had the advantage of momentum, and when Ares inevitably joined the fight, Hector knew they’d have no chance at all. The Trojans withdrew to the safety of their city.
4.19: Terrors Don’t Prey On Innocent Victims
1191 BCE - Achaean Base Camp, Western Troa.
As the plague ravaged the Greek forces, Troy breathed a little easier. Thanks to the plague, Aeneas was able to defeat the Achaeans at Dardanus, and secure the Dardanelles for Troy, re-establishing Troy’s trade routes to their northeastern allies and opening the way for reinforcements. To Priam, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Apollo’s torturous, burning sunlight drove the Greeks into the sea. Kassandra tried to convince her brothers that they should march down to the beach at high noon and burn the Greek’s cover, forcing them out into the light of day. Hector was nearly persuaded, but Priam overruled it – the Greeks’ defeat seemed inevitable, there was no sense in jeopardizing Trojan lives to take down a mortally wounded, cornered animal.
As the plague ravaged the Greek forces, Troy breathed a little easier. Thanks to the plague, Aeneas was able to defeat the Achaeans at Dardanus, and secure the Dardanelles for Troy, re-establishing Troy’s trade routes to their northeastern allies and opening the way for reinforcements. To Priam, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Apollo’s torturous, burning sunlight drove the Greeks into the sea. Kassandra tried to convince her brothers that they should march down to the beach at high noon and burn the Greek’s cover, forcing them out into the light of day. Hector was nearly persuaded, but Priam overruled it – the Greeks’ defeat seemed inevitable, there was no sense in jeopardizing Trojan lives to take down a mortally wounded, cornered animal.
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
4.18: Take My Tears And That’s Not Nearly All
1191 BCE - Troy.
For the sake of appearances, and because her back injury was starting to wear on her again, Adresteia allowed Apollo – in the guise of a handsome young Trojan man – to carry Helen to the west gate of Troy. To his credit, Paris was indeed outside the walls searching for the woman with a handful of men. The guards lit a lamp above the gate behind a chunk of green glass to signal to Paris that Helen had already been returned, and Apollo carried Helen up to her quarters in the Trojan palace. The night-time curfew had ended as dawn neared, so a large guard force escorted them through the unfriendly streets.
For the sake of appearances, and because her back injury was starting to wear on her again, Adresteia allowed Apollo – in the guise of a handsome young Trojan man – to carry Helen to the west gate of Troy. To his credit, Paris was indeed outside the walls searching for the woman with a handful of men. The guards lit a lamp above the gate behind a chunk of green glass to signal to Paris that Helen had already been returned, and Apollo carried Helen up to her quarters in the Trojan palace. The night-time curfew had ended as dawn neared, so a large guard force escorted them through the unfriendly streets.
4.17: I Wanna Walk But I Run Back To You
1191 BCE - Outside the South Wall of Troy.
“What are you?” Helen asked as the sun set behind Adresteia, “And why do you look like me?”
“I'm a friend,” Adresteia said.
“What are you?” Helen asked as the sun set behind Adresteia, “And why do you look like me?”
“I'm a friend,” Adresteia said.
4.16: An Ounce Of Pain
1191 BCE - Troy
With no specific directives from Athena, Adresteia decided to separate from the Greek army and do things the way she had for decades - independently. It was easy to slip into Troy as a bird. Eagles and owls did draw some attention and apprehension from the superstitious denizens, but no one in the streets was willing to take off running across roof tops to keep an eye on a suspicious owl.
With no specific directives from Athena, Adresteia decided to separate from the Greek army and do things the way she had for decades - independently. It was easy to slip into Troy as a bird. Eagles and owls did draw some attention and apprehension from the superstitious denizens, but no one in the streets was willing to take off running across roof tops to keep an eye on a suspicious owl.
4.15: Dress Me Up And Watch Me Die
1192 BCE - Agamemnon's Tent.
Apollo took Chryses and his daughter back to his temple. Thanks to Agamemnon’s madness, no wealth was promised, nor healing services offered. Odysseus raged over the humiliating display, but Patroclus expressed the opinion that they were all lucky to have escaped the situation alive. Bloody-faced Agamemnon returned to his own temporary camp to find a familiar figure waiting in his tent. A very portly but entirely human-looking man lounged on an out of place couch, dining on sweets.
“Lord Dionysus?” Agamemnon asked, “What brings you here?”
Apollo took Chryses and his daughter back to his temple. Thanks to Agamemnon’s madness, no wealth was promised, nor healing services offered. Odysseus raged over the humiliating display, but Patroclus expressed the opinion that they were all lucky to have escaped the situation alive. Bloody-faced Agamemnon returned to his own temporary camp to find a familiar figure waiting in his tent. A very portly but entirely human-looking man lounged on an out of place couch, dining on sweets.
“Lord Dionysus?” Agamemnon asked, “What brings you here?”
4.14: Don’t You Know That You’re Toxic?
1192 BCE - Greek Occupied Pedasus.
Achilles’s altar to Apollo was well built, but once the fire was going, he decided there was a personal touch missing. He retrieved an arrowhead he’d carried with him for years. It was forged by Hephaestus according to Apollo’s design, made of a rare alloy Apollo had called ‘steel’. Years ago, Artemis had, in a quarrel with Apollo, shot her brother in the back with his own arrow. Menelaus and Paris had pulled it out and cast it aside, but Achilles had searched for and retrieved it later. Steel, and the iron it was made from, were among the few things that could hurt Apollo as easily as they could harm a human, and that was true for Achilles as well. He used the tip of the arrow to draw some of his own god blood, and flicked it onto the fire, triggering a blue fwoosh!
Achilles’s altar to Apollo was well built, but once the fire was going, he decided there was a personal touch missing. He retrieved an arrowhead he’d carried with him for years. It was forged by Hephaestus according to Apollo’s design, made of a rare alloy Apollo had called ‘steel’. Years ago, Artemis had, in a quarrel with Apollo, shot her brother in the back with his own arrow. Menelaus and Paris had pulled it out and cast it aside, but Achilles had searched for and retrieved it later. Steel, and the iron it was made from, were among the few things that could hurt Apollo as easily as they could harm a human, and that was true for Achilles as well. He used the tip of the arrow to draw some of his own god blood, and flicked it onto the fire, triggering a blue fwoosh!
4.13: Heart Breaker, Dream Maker, Love Taker
1192 BCE - Greek Occupied Pedasus.
Agamemnon answered Achilles's summons to Pedasus. He didn’t like being ‘summoned’ but it wasn’t unreasonable for Achilles to remain in the small port city rather than return to the Achaean base camp. Even without ships it had value, and now they had two. Two merchant ships was a far cry from the several hundred galleys they'd arrived in, but it was more than they’d had two days ago.
Agamemnon answered Achilles's summons to Pedasus. He didn’t like being ‘summoned’ but it wasn’t unreasonable for Achilles to remain in the small port city rather than return to the Achaean base camp. Even without ships it had value, and now they had two. Two merchant ships was a far cry from the several hundred galleys they'd arrived in, but it was more than they’d had two days ago.
Monday, May 20, 2019
4.12: A Missing Person Nobody Missed At All
1192 BCE - Festival of Artemis, at Adramytium
Aphrodite had very little time to do what she intended before Achilles arrived, but she did manage it. Aeneas was long gone, and her captivation spell cast, waiting the right moment to be activated. Aphrodite decided to see how things transpired, and assumed the form of an eagle to perch upon one of the ships’ masts.
Aphrodite had very little time to do what she intended before Achilles arrived, but she did manage it. Aeneas was long gone, and her captivation spell cast, waiting the right moment to be activated. Aphrodite decided to see how things transpired, and assumed the form of an eagle to perch upon one of the ships’ masts.
4.11: What A Shame You Came Here With Someone
1192 BCE - Festival of Artemis, at Adramytium
Aeneas rubbed the bridge of his nose. Mynes was the bane of his existence. King Euenus sent his son to handle all of Lyrnessus’s dealings with Troy, and Priam sent Aeneas – not Hector, Paris, or any of his other 48 actual sons – to deal with Lyrnessus. ‘Uncle Priam’ claimed that because Aeneas had grown up on a plantation on the slopes of Mt. Ida, he was better equipped to deal with Troy’s southern allies. Both Aeneas and Mynes knew that sending a cousin's son to negotiate instead of one's own son was a political statement – Troy needed Lyrnessus less than Lyrnessus needed Troy.
Aeneas rubbed the bridge of his nose. Mynes was the bane of his existence. King Euenus sent his son to handle all of Lyrnessus’s dealings with Troy, and Priam sent Aeneas – not Hector, Paris, or any of his other 48 actual sons – to deal with Lyrnessus. ‘Uncle Priam’ claimed that because Aeneas had grown up on a plantation on the slopes of Mt. Ida, he was better equipped to deal with Troy’s southern allies. Both Aeneas and Mynes knew that sending a cousin's son to negotiate instead of one's own son was a political statement – Troy needed Lyrnessus less than Lyrnessus needed Troy.
4.10: Fight Until We See The Sunlight
1192 BCE - Coastline south of Mt. Ida
The Greeks would soon be starving. Poseidon had not only cut off their trade routes when he beached their ships, he’d made fishing an impossibility. Once their rations were spent, they’d be depending on spoils of war to survive, and without their ships to raid up and down the coast, there weren’t many targets within reach. They hit Tenedos first – the poor island was close enough to Troy’s eastern shore that when Poseidon withdrew the sea, it went from being a small city on an island to being a small city on a hill. Once the sun baked the exposed sea floor long enough that troops could walk on it, the Greeks had marched on Tenedos and sacked it thoroughly, taking everything not firmly secured to the earth – including the people.
The Greeks would soon be starving. Poseidon had not only cut off their trade routes when he beached their ships, he’d made fishing an impossibility. Once their rations were spent, they’d be depending on spoils of war to survive, and without their ships to raid up and down the coast, there weren’t many targets within reach. They hit Tenedos first – the poor island was close enough to Troy’s eastern shore that when Poseidon withdrew the sea, it went from being a small city on an island to being a small city on a hill. Once the sun baked the exposed sea floor long enough that troops could walk on it, the Greeks had marched on Tenedos and sacked it thoroughly, taking everything not firmly secured to the earth – including the people.
4.09: Your Mind Is Not Your Own
1193 BCE - Outside the walls of Troy
The delegates left the main road into Troy and walked towards the beach where the majority of their fleet was moored. Agamemnon had promised Odysseus that he would do everything possible to find a peaceful resolution, but it had become clear in the throne room that, with Iphigenia’s death, war had become a foregone conclusion in Agamemnon’s mind. Artemis’s insane demands had driven Agamemnon from hawkish diplomacy to belligerent suicidality, fanning the flames of Athena’s war. The whole thing felt too convenient.
The delegates left the main road into Troy and walked towards the beach where the majority of their fleet was moored. Agamemnon had promised Odysseus that he would do everything possible to find a peaceful resolution, but it had become clear in the throne room that, with Iphigenia’s death, war had become a foregone conclusion in Agamemnon’s mind. Artemis’s insane demands had driven Agamemnon from hawkish diplomacy to belligerent suicidality, fanning the flames of Athena’s war. The whole thing felt too convenient.
4.08: Started Something That You Just Couldn’t Stop
1193 BCE - Troy
The Greeks had demanded that Helen be present for the negotiation. She’d been reluctant to go – the shame she felt every day since abandoning her family would be greatly magnified if she had to look her husband in the eye. The best she could do was to keep her gaze low, fixed to the floor, to avoid his probing looks. She could tell he had a hundred questions, but she had few answers, and left it to Paris’s father, King Priam, to negotiate on her behalf.
The Greeks had demanded that Helen be present for the negotiation. She’d been reluctant to go – the shame she felt every day since abandoning her family would be greatly magnified if she had to look her husband in the eye. The best she could do was to keep her gaze low, fixed to the floor, to avoid his probing looks. She could tell he had a hundred questions, but she had few answers, and left it to Paris’s father, King Priam, to negotiate on her behalf.
4.07: What Made You Say That?
1193 BCE - Aegean Sea, many leagues from home
Odysseus perched up on the mast of their ship as it cruised across the waves. The men had become hale and hearty soon after Iphigenia’s sacrifice, and Odysseus hoped with all his heart that her descendants would remember and appreciate her bravery and selflessness. Adresteia fluttered up to the mast and transformed into her human form to sit next to him, using her powers to hide them from the sailors below. Odysseus flipped his coin to her, “For your thoughts?”
Odysseus perched up on the mast of their ship as it cruised across the waves. The men had become hale and hearty soon after Iphigenia’s sacrifice, and Odysseus hoped with all his heart that her descendants would remember and appreciate her bravery and selflessness. Adresteia fluttered up to the mast and transformed into her human form to sit next to him, using her powers to hide them from the sailors below. Odysseus flipped his coin to her, “For your thoughts?”
4.06: Who Am I To Disagree?
1193 BCE - Aulis, Boetian port and Achaean Expeditionary Force rally point
Odysseus and Calchas studied the ailing man, careful not to breathe his air. His ordinarily olive skin was dark as strong wine, and the whites of his eyes were blood red. According to his camp mates, he’d begun feeling ill about four days prior. Since then, he’d endured fever, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea – almost the entire checklist of disease symptoms. About a day ago, he’d seemed to finally recover from the fever, but soon thereafter the discoloration began, accompanied by blood leaking from every orifice. Since then, he’d become so weak that he was unresponsive, and flies had begun to congregate, eager to lay their eggs in his pus-leaking lesions.
Odysseus and Calchas studied the ailing man, careful not to breathe his air. His ordinarily olive skin was dark as strong wine, and the whites of his eyes were blood red. According to his camp mates, he’d begun feeling ill about four days prior. Since then, he’d endured fever, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea – almost the entire checklist of disease symptoms. About a day ago, he’d seemed to finally recover from the fever, but soon thereafter the discoloration began, accompanied by blood leaking from every orifice. Since then, he’d become so weak that he was unresponsive, and flies had begun to congregate, eager to lay their eggs in his pus-leaking lesions.
4.05: The War Machine Springs To Life
1193 BCE - Aulis, Boetian port and Achaean Expeditionary Force rally point
With all of Greece’s most elite warriors mustered or inbound, Athena convened her Achaeans to discuss her favorite topic – strategy. Agamemnon, Menelaus, Odysseus, Ajax, Teucer, Diomedes, Achilles, and Patroclus were all in attendance, as were Nestor and Chalcas.
With all of Greece’s most elite warriors mustered or inbound, Athena convened her Achaeans to discuss her favorite topic – strategy. Agamemnon, Menelaus, Odysseus, Ajax, Teucer, Diomedes, Achilles, and Patroclus were all in attendance, as were Nestor and Chalcas.
4.04: What You’re Doin’ Tomorrow’s Going To Come Your Way
1194 BCE - Skyros
Odysseus walked into King Lycomedes’ court with Adresteia perched on his shoulder in owl form. Rumor had it Skyros was the last place anyone had seen Achilles.
“Odysseus!” Lycomedes shouted, “Welcome! No one told me you would be coming to Skyros!”
Odysseus walked into King Lycomedes’ court with Adresteia perched on his shoulder in owl form. Rumor had it Skyros was the last place anyone had seen Achilles.
“Odysseus!” Lycomedes shouted, “Welcome! No one told me you would be coming to Skyros!”
4.03: Kiss Me And Smile For Me
1194 BCE - Ithaca
Adresteia played with her goddaughter while her hosts prepared dinner. The king and of Ithaca chopped fruit and vegetables while his queen prepared a stew. They had slaves, of course – no family in ancient Greece could prosper without them – but Penelope had always treated that aspect of Achaean society as a necessary evil. After Odysseus became Ithaca’s king, they had talked about what he might do with his power, but in the end, pragmatism had overshadowed idealism.
Adresteia played with her goddaughter while her hosts prepared dinner. The king and of Ithaca chopped fruit and vegetables while his queen prepared a stew. They had slaves, of course – no family in ancient Greece could prosper without them – but Penelope had always treated that aspect of Achaean society as a necessary evil. After Odysseus became Ithaca’s king, they had talked about what he might do with his power, but in the end, pragmatism had overshadowed idealism.
4.02: The Innocent Can Never Last
1194 BCE - Ithaca
Penelope glared at the man on her door step, “I told you, Agamemnon, he’s not fit to fight.”
“Balder dash!” Agamemnon stomped his foot, “What’s happened to him? Did Odysseus finally think too hard and sprain something in his brain?”
Penelope glared at the man on her door step, “I told you, Agamemnon, he’s not fit to fight.”
“Balder dash!” Agamemnon stomped his foot, “What’s happened to him? Did Odysseus finally think too hard and sprain something in his brain?”
4.01: Shot Through The Heart
1195 BCE, Laconia
It had been nearly ten years since Paris made the fateful decision to award the Apple of Discord to Aphrodite, and now he would finally be paid his due. Aphrodite had, contrary to what she’d let him believe at the time, had some limitations on how quickly she would make good on her offer, though Paris didn’t know why - he imagined that Aphrodite's power as a goddess was limitless, the hearts of mortals subject to her whims.
It had been nearly ten years since Paris made the fateful decision to award the Apple of Discord to Aphrodite, and now he would finally be paid his due. Aphrodite had, contrary to what she’d let him believe at the time, had some limitations on how quickly she would make good on her offer, though Paris didn’t know why - he imagined that Aphrodite's power as a goddess was limitless, the hearts of mortals subject to her whims.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
3.37: The Judgment of Paris
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 0
Odysseus and Adresteia had made their departure none too soon; Zeus and Hera had finally made their appearance, and Athena didn’t want her agents to directly cross paths with them – not yet. Zeus and Hera had taken over Peleus and Thetis’s throne room. Hephaestus had made them special thrones for the occasion, towering, intimidating things. The smaller, more humble seats of Aeolian power had been pushed to one side, Thetis within arms-reach of Zeus and her husband nearly seated next to the wall. It was a petty display of power, which Athena looked upon with nothing but contempt.
Time Remaining: 0
Odysseus and Adresteia had made their departure none too soon; Zeus and Hera had finally made their appearance, and Athena didn’t want her agents to directly cross paths with them – not yet. Zeus and Hera had taken over Peleus and Thetis’s throne room. Hephaestus had made them special thrones for the occasion, towering, intimidating things. The smaller, more humble seats of Aeolian power had been pushed to one side, Thetis within arms-reach of Zeus and her husband nearly seated next to the wall. It was a petty display of power, which Athena looked upon with nothing but contempt.
3.36: The Celebration of Life
Location: City of Ephyra, Epirus
Time Remaining: 18 Hours
Penelope found the three companions a modest tavern with a beautiful roof garden, where they enjoyed a nice meal. Odysseus dipped a piece of flatbread in olive oil and sprinkled some salt on it, “I’ll come out and ask the obvious question,” Odysseus said, “What was that place?”
Time Remaining: 18 Hours
Penelope found the three companions a modest tavern with a beautiful roof garden, where they enjoyed a nice meal. Odysseus dipped a piece of flatbread in olive oil and sprinkled some salt on it, “I’ll come out and ask the obvious question,” Odysseus said, “What was that place?”
3.35: The Duplicity of Athena
Location: City of Ephyra, Epirus
Time Remaining: 20 Hours
Out of respect for their friendship with Adresteia, the rulers of the underworld had been more than willing to forgive and forget the trespassing, tampering, and property destruction. Hades and Persephone had invited the others to dine with them, but (just as Persephone expected) everyone declined. Before they left, though, Penelope did express her genuine gratitude and suggest that the King and Queen of the Underworld visit them in Ithaca someday.
Time Remaining: 20 Hours
Out of respect for their friendship with Adresteia, the rulers of the underworld had been more than willing to forgive and forget the trespassing, tampering, and property destruction. Hades and Persephone had invited the others to dine with them, but (just as Persephone expected) everyone declined. Before they left, though, Penelope did express her genuine gratitude and suggest that the King and Queen of the Underworld visit them in Ithaca someday.
3.34: The Mercy of Hades
Location: Tartarus, High Security Chamber
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 16 Hours
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 16 Hours
Odysseus screamed, startled by the massive angry face filling his vision. Heracles threw himself backward, crushing Adresteia against one of the sarcophagi, but Odysseus popped the seal on his own and forced it open violently, clipping Heracles's jaw with the rising door. The move stunned the demigod long enough for Odysseus to scramble out of his sarcophagus and regroup with Penelope, who'd slipped out of her own. Heracles recovered quickly though and resumed his brawl with Adresteia. Both were looking tired, but in the tight confines of the chamber, Adresteia was at a distinct disadvantage.
3.33: The Liberation of Prometheus
Location: Tartarus, High Security Chamber, Server Theta Twelve
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 17 Hours
Penelope was just as confused by the transition to the dreamscape as Odysseus had been, but had no time to adjust to the hellish environment or the giant blue version of Adresteia with the magic sword squaring off with her husband.
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 17 Hours
Penelope was just as confused by the transition to the dreamscape as Odysseus had been, but had no time to adjust to the hellish environment or the giant blue version of Adresteia with the magic sword squaring off with her husband.
3.32: The Wrath of Night
Location: Tartarus, High Security Chamber, Server Theta Twelve
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 17 Hours
Odysseus rolled away as a powerful black beak struck the ground, flinging rocks and dirt. The beak snapped at him again and again, but Odysseus protected himself with the glowing blue shield as he scrambled across the rocks, trying to get back on his feet. Fool, Odysseus thought to himself, one shot with that weapon and you wasted it on a rock. Odysseus didn't think it was likely he'd find more projectiles for the weapon, or figure out how to loud one into it before the bird killed him, so he threw it at the bird's head. The heavy device struck the bird across the bridge of its beak, stopping its advance. He thought at first he'd stunned it with the blow, but then realized the bird was just standing there looking at him like he was an idiot.
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 17 Hours
Odysseus rolled away as a powerful black beak struck the ground, flinging rocks and dirt. The beak snapped at him again and again, but Odysseus protected himself with the glowing blue shield as he scrambled across the rocks, trying to get back on his feet. Fool, Odysseus thought to himself, one shot with that weapon and you wasted it on a rock. Odysseus didn't think it was likely he'd find more projectiles for the weapon, or figure out how to loud one into it before the bird killed him, so he threw it at the bird's head. The heavy device struck the bird across the bridge of its beak, stopping its advance. He thought at first he'd stunned it with the blow, but then realized the bird was just standing there looking at him like he was an idiot.
3.31: The Betrayal of Heracles
Location: Tartarus, High Security Chamber
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 17 Hours
Penelope hovered over Odysseus's sarcophagus, watching his eyes dart back and forth under their lids. How long should this take? How long was too long?
Heracles was wondering the same thing, "I don't understand - what did he mean, 'go in after him'?"
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 17 Hours
Penelope hovered over Odysseus's sarcophagus, watching his eyes dart back and forth under their lids. How long should this take? How long was too long?
Heracles was wondering the same thing, "I don't understand - what did he mean, 'go in after him'?"
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
3.30: The Weapons of the Game
Location: Tartarus, High Security Chamber, Server Theta Twelve
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 18 Hours
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 18 Hours
Odysseus had experienced many strange and nearly incomprehensible things in the past year, but what he saw now was still exceptional in terms of weirdness. The instant Penelope activated the sarcophagus the world went black. Odysseus could no longer feel the bed beneath him - in fact, he could no longer feel anything, not even any sense of up or down. Within a heartbeat, ephemeral white lines appeared around him, tracing away and back to create shapes, like a tapestry being woven impossibly quickly. He regained his sense of direction when the lines filled in around his feet, establishing a clear 'floor', before creating little frames that formed the shapes of rocks and grass. As he watched, the shapes filled in with color, the patterns at first looking like broken mosaics, but then coming together to form recognizable textures.
3.29: The Depths of Tartarus
Location: Tartarus
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 23 hours
Hades’s Kingdom was not remotely what Penelope expected. The large door led to a gently sloping road made of a – as far as she could see – seamless black stone lined with red-orange light on either side. That road descended into a vast, round cavern, with five other roads visible in the distance, all traveling to the center of the cave like spokes on a wheel. Much of the cavern was flooded, rippling water pooled in the wedges between the roads. As nearly incomprehensible as the scale of the place was, more remarkable was the ceiling - six inverted rivers flowed from the edges of the round ceiling to the center, matching the roads beneath.
Time Remaining: 1 Day, 23 hours
Hades’s Kingdom was not remotely what Penelope expected. The large door led to a gently sloping road made of a – as far as she could see – seamless black stone lined with red-orange light on either side. That road descended into a vast, round cavern, with five other roads visible in the distance, all traveling to the center of the cave like spokes on a wheel. Much of the cavern was flooded, rippling water pooled in the wedges between the roads. As nearly incomprehensible as the scale of the place was, more remarkable was the ceiling - six inverted rivers flowed from the edges of the round ceiling to the center, matching the roads beneath.
3.28: The Grudge of Cerberus
Location: Banks of the River Acheron
Time Remaining: 2 Days
Zeus had many sons - Apollo and Hermes had been infants during the Titanomachy, the result of flings with the titans Leto and Maia, respectively, before Zeus betrayed and imprisoned their families. Ares and Hephaestus had been the fruit of Zeus's marriage to his sister, Hera, after the Titanomachy. After them, Zeus had begun siring children by mortals, often dipping multiple times into the same gene pool. Heracles' mother, Alcmene, had been one of Zeus's countless great grandchildren. Alcmene's demigod grandfather, Perseus, had certainly done Zeus proud, and her father Electryon had even born some of Zeus's more remarkable traits, but Alcmene herself had been unremarkably mortal. Despite that, when Zeus decided to revisit Perseus's bloodline one night, the result had been the powerful demigod Heracles.
Time Remaining: 2 Days
Zeus had many sons - Apollo and Hermes had been infants during the Titanomachy, the result of flings with the titans Leto and Maia, respectively, before Zeus betrayed and imprisoned their families. Ares and Hephaestus had been the fruit of Zeus's marriage to his sister, Hera, after the Titanomachy. After them, Zeus had begun siring children by mortals, often dipping multiple times into the same gene pool. Heracles' mother, Alcmene, had been one of Zeus's countless great grandchildren. Alcmene's demigod grandfather, Perseus, had certainly done Zeus proud, and her father Electryon had even born some of Zeus's more remarkable traits, but Alcmene herself had been unremarkably mortal. Despite that, when Zeus decided to revisit Perseus's bloodline one night, the result had been the powerful demigod Heracles.
3.27: The Devotion of Penelope
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 8 Days
Odysseus and Penelope were debating the ten best ways to consummate their marriage when Adresteia appeared at their door. Penelope questioned whether the timing was a coincidence, which plainly confused Adresteia. Odysseus started to go along with the teasing, but realized Adresteia’s demeanor was one of business.
Time Remaining: 8 Days
Odysseus and Penelope were debating the ten best ways to consummate their marriage when Adresteia appeared at their door. Penelope questioned whether the timing was a coincidence, which plainly confused Adresteia. Odysseus started to go along with the teasing, but realized Adresteia’s demeanor was one of business.
3.26: The Goddess of Wisdom
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 9 Days
Adresteia perched on the roof of Peleus and Thetis's palace, looking at the sun rising over the sea to its east. She sat on the roof in human form - she could certainly have seen further in one of her raptor forms, but the colors of the sunrise were richer when viewed through human eyes and the ocean breeze was more exciting on bare, human skin. Adresteia still avoided spending too much time in her god-form simply to avoid drawing the wrong attention, but she was becoming increasingly comfortable in and appreciative of her human form.
Time Remaining: 9 Days
Adresteia perched on the roof of Peleus and Thetis's palace, looking at the sun rising over the sea to its east. She sat on the roof in human form - she could certainly have seen further in one of her raptor forms, but the colors of the sunrise were richer when viewed through human eyes and the ocean breeze was more exciting on bare, human skin. Adresteia still avoided spending too much time in her god-form simply to avoid drawing the wrong attention, but she was becoming increasingly comfortable in and appreciative of her human form.
Friday, April 12, 2019
3.25: The Conspiracy of Agamemnon
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 15 Days
Odysseus had been keeping score, and the final result of the contest placed him in a tie with Menelaus and – surprisingly – Paris. Apparently, Agamemnon had been keeping score as well, because the night before the winner was to be announced, he approached Odysseus with concern.
Time Remaining: 15 Days
Odysseus had been keeping score, and the final result of the contest placed him in a tie with Menelaus and – surprisingly – Paris. Apparently, Agamemnon had been keeping score as well, because the night before the winner was to be announced, he approached Odysseus with concern.
3.24: The Hunt of Artemis (Part IV)
Location: Forest North of Larissa
Time Remaining: 23 Days
While Odysseus and his friends had been dealing with Artemis’s handiwork, it had fallen to Adresteia to deal with the goddess herself. They squared off for a moment before Artemis broke her stance, “This fight is senseless – there will be plenty of other prey in the forest tonight.” She turned and ran into woods.
Time Remaining: 23 Days
While Odysseus and his friends had been dealing with Artemis’s handiwork, it had fallen to Adresteia to deal with the goddess herself. They squared off for a moment before Artemis broke her stance, “This fight is senseless – there will be plenty of other prey in the forest tonight.” She turned and ran into woods.
3.23: The Hunt of Artemis (Part III)
Location: Forest North of Larissa
Time Remaining: 23 Days
Odysseus and Achilles ran toward the next camp. Unlike Achilles and many of his fellow princes, Odysseus’s blood was only 1/8th Olympian, but, fortunately, that 1/8th came from Hermes. Odysseus was sure that without that slight edge, he’d be lagging far behind Achilles. Unfortunately, Hector, Paris, and Menelaus, were all five or six generations removed from their divine heritage. Odysseus looked back and could see Hector and Paris struggling to keep up, and Menelaus, of all things, trying to drag Apollo to safety.
Time Remaining: 23 Days
Odysseus and Achilles ran toward the next camp. Unlike Achilles and many of his fellow princes, Odysseus’s blood was only 1/8th Olympian, but, fortunately, that 1/8th came from Hermes. Odysseus was sure that without that slight edge, he’d be lagging far behind Achilles. Unfortunately, Hector, Paris, and Menelaus, were all five or six generations removed from their divine heritage. Odysseus looked back and could see Hector and Paris struggling to keep up, and Menelaus, of all things, trying to drag Apollo to safety.
3.22: The Hunt of Artemis (Part II)
Location: Forest North of Larissa
Time Remaining: 23 Days
After many hours of hiking they reached the lake. Fortunately, the fish hadn’t fled their approach the way the rest of the wildlife seemed to have. Achilles took Menelaus’s spear, jumped in the lake, and came back with enough for their little group. Menelaus set about lighting the campfire Odysseus built, but Apollo stopped him, “I’ve got this.”
Time Remaining: 23 Days
After many hours of hiking they reached the lake. Fortunately, the fish hadn’t fled their approach the way the rest of the wildlife seemed to have. Achilles took Menelaus’s spear, jumped in the lake, and came back with enough for their little group. Menelaus set about lighting the campfire Odysseus built, but Apollo stopped him, “I’ve got this.”
Thursday, April 11, 2019
3.21: The Hunt of Artemis (Part I)
Location: Forest North of Larissa
Time Remaining: 23 Days
The time for Aphrodite’s final challenge had arrived. The intention had been to add up all of the suitors’ scores at the end of the five challenges to determine the final winner, and the man who would be Princess Helen’s husband (and potentially King of Sparta), but going into the final challenge – a hunt organized by the goddess, Artemis – there were only a handful of real contenders. Most of the men had stayed in the game only because it was expected of them, or because they were having fun. Ironically, few of the real contenders were serious about winning.
Time Remaining: 23 Days
The time for Aphrodite’s final challenge had arrived. The intention had been to add up all of the suitors’ scores at the end of the five challenges to determine the final winner, and the man who would be Princess Helen’s husband (and potentially King of Sparta), but going into the final challenge – a hunt organized by the goddess, Artemis – there were only a handful of real contenders. Most of the men had stayed in the game only because it was expected of them, or because they were having fun. Ironically, few of the real contenders were serious about winning.
3.20: The Arena of Ares
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 1 month, 8 days
The fourth challenge was combat. Ares tried to recuse himself again, but Aphrodite brought to bear the full force of her pouty charms. Reluctantly, Ares agreed, but only on one condition – all of the contestants would fight him, together, and they would be armed, whilst he would fight barehanded. The last man to tap out would win the combat challenge.
Time Remaining: 1 month, 8 days
The fourth challenge was combat. Ares tried to recuse himself again, but Aphrodite brought to bear the full force of her pouty charms. Reluctantly, Ares agreed, but only on one condition – all of the contestants would fight him, together, and they would be armed, whilst he would fight barehanded. The last man to tap out would win the combat challenge.
3.19: The Challenge of Dionysus
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 1 Month, 12 Days
The next contests were the test of reasoning and ‘aesthetic sensibility’. The first of these was a puzzle designed by Athena and crafted by Hephaestus. It was a colorful cube made of six pyramids, each constructed from 18 numbered triangular tiles that came apart and spun around. The goal of the puzzle was to rearrange the pieces so that each side of each pyramid had only one color of tile, with the numbers adding up to the same value on each side. Each contestant was given one of these contraptions, and one night to solve it.
Time Remaining: 1 Month, 12 Days
The next contests were the test of reasoning and ‘aesthetic sensibility’. The first of these was a puzzle designed by Athena and crafted by Hephaestus. It was a colorful cube made of six pyramids, each constructed from 18 numbered triangular tiles that came apart and spun around. The goal of the puzzle was to rearrange the pieces so that each side of each pyramid had only one color of tile, with the numbers adding up to the same value on each side. Each contestant was given one of these contraptions, and one night to solve it.
3.18: The Aim of Apollo
Location: Archery Range, Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 1 Month, 22 Days
Archery, being easily scored and therefore the least subjective of the pursuits was the first challenge undertaken by the suitors, both those competing enthusiastically, and those conscripted into the contest. Apollo went first, looked down range at the target, and asked the servants to move it further down range. At 300 yards he seemed satisfied, and he took a moment to observe the wind’s stirring of his golden locks and the curvature of the earth between himself and the target. He raised his bow and fired one, two, three times in quick succession.
Time Remaining: 1 Month, 22 Days
Archery, being easily scored and therefore the least subjective of the pursuits was the first challenge undertaken by the suitors, both those competing enthusiastically, and those conscripted into the contest. Apollo went first, looked down range at the target, and asked the servants to move it further down range. At 300 yards he seemed satisfied, and he took a moment to observe the wind’s stirring of his golden locks and the curvature of the earth between himself and the target. He raised his bow and fired one, two, three times in quick succession.
3.17: The Games of Aphrodite
Location: City of Larissa, Odysseus’s Lodging
Time Remaining: 1 Month, 26 Days
The ensuing debate had itself lasted, literally, days. The question that was ultimately put forth was simply, “What qualities are most essential to a good husband?” Helen had said that she should like to hear the suitors’ answers to the question, as it seemed likely to be very informative, but Aphrodite had dominated the ongoing conversation, primarily giving the other deities the floor. Answers were widely varied.
Time Remaining: 1 Month, 26 Days
The ensuing debate had itself lasted, literally, days. The question that was ultimately put forth was simply, “What qualities are most essential to a good husband?” Helen had said that she should like to hear the suitors’ answers to the question, as it seemed likely to be very informative, but Aphrodite had dominated the ongoing conversation, primarily giving the other deities the floor. Answers were widely varied.
3.16: The Plight of Helen
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 2 Months
Helen was nearly inclined to go back to her room. She understood her father leveraging her marriage as a way to choose a good king for Sparta, and she reckoned that being a good king and a good husband should go hand-in-hand, so it should work out well for her. Except, so far most of her suitors were appealing to her father’s avarice, trying to impress him with gifts and dowries. As a result, she felt decidedly like a cow being sold at an especially expensive auction. In the mass of men packed around her, she could only discern two that were sincere – her long time best friend Menelaus, who was practically penniless – and a fourteen year old Trojan boy, who was making implausible but novel promises like personally bringing her breakfast in bed every day.
Time Remaining: 2 Months
Helen was nearly inclined to go back to her room. She understood her father leveraging her marriage as a way to choose a good king for Sparta, and she reckoned that being a good king and a good husband should go hand-in-hand, so it should work out well for her. Except, so far most of her suitors were appealing to her father’s avarice, trying to impress him with gifts and dowries. As a result, she felt decidedly like a cow being sold at an especially expensive auction. In the mass of men packed around her, she could only discern two that were sincere – her long time best friend Menelaus, who was practically penniless – and a fourteen year old Trojan boy, who was making implausible but novel promises like personally bringing her breakfast in bed every day.
3.15: The Politics of Sparta
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 2 Months
With the altercation between Paris and Teucer over, everyone went back to enjoying their relaxing day in the sun. Achilles popped up out of the pool – apparently he’d been at the bottom of it for close to a half hour – and started telling Paris about the armor Odysseus had gotten him. Being the closest to each other in age, the two boys were becoming vacation buddies for life.
Time Remaining: 2 Months
With the altercation between Paris and Teucer over, everyone went back to enjoying their relaxing day in the sun. Achilles popped up out of the pool – apparently he’d been at the bottom of it for close to a half hour – and started telling Paris about the armor Odysseus had gotten him. Being the closest to each other in age, the two boys were becoming vacation buddies for life.
3.14: The Bath of Teucer
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 2 Months
Odysseus and Penelope were enjoying a nice breakfast on one of the palace’s verandas when the table shook with the clang of metal being set down, hard. Odysseus looked first at the source of the noise – the severed head of his mechanical enemy – and his eyes went wide when he turned them to the enormous man who’d brought it to their table. Between his darkened, hairless skin, and the elaborate mechanical brace on his right leg, he was unmistakable.
Time Remaining: 2 Months
Odysseus and Penelope were enjoying a nice breakfast on one of the palace’s verandas when the table shook with the clang of metal being set down, hard. Odysseus looked first at the source of the noise – the severed head of his mechanical enemy – and his eyes went wide when he turned them to the enormous man who’d brought it to their table. Between his darkened, hairless skin, and the elaborate mechanical brace on his right leg, he was unmistakable.
3.13: The Welcome of Larissa
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 2 Months
When Odysseus arrived in Larissa, the celebration was already under way. Zeus and many of his kin were fashionably late, but Dionysus, Apollo, and Hermes were already in attendance, drawing large crowds of people to hear them speak or play music. Odysseus went straight to Peleus’s palace, with Alecto baring their tribute, and Acrysius their trophy.
Time Remaining: 2 Months
When Odysseus arrived in Larissa, the celebration was already under way. Zeus and many of his kin were fashionably late, but Dionysus, Apollo, and Hermes were already in attendance, drawing large crowds of people to hear them speak or play music. Odysseus went straight to Peleus’s palace, with Alecto baring their tribute, and Acrysius their trophy.
3.12: The Love of Adresteia
Location: Ithaca, Odysseus's Bedroom
Time Remaining: 7 Months, 29 Days
Morning came too soon. They’d enjoyed their time together for as long as possible – mortal men had only so many rounds in them – and then curled up together. At first Adresteia had rolled over and pulled Odysseus’s arms around her, but she’d barely drifted off when a nightmare nearly caused an anxiety attack. Odysseus – tired and sleepy – had been confused, but hadn’t argued when she asked him to switch positions.
Time Remaining: 7 Months, 29 Days
Morning came too soon. They’d enjoyed their time together for as long as possible – mortal men had only so many rounds in them – and then curled up together. At first Adresteia had rolled over and pulled Odysseus’s arms around her, but she’d barely drifted off when a nightmare nearly caused an anxiety attack. Odysseus – tired and sleepy – had been confused, but hadn’t argued when she asked him to switch positions.
3.11: The Trust of Adresteia
[This chapter includes explicit descriptions of sexual activity between consenting adults.]
Location: Ithaca, Temple of Athena
Time Remaining: 8 Months
Athena disappeared in the darkness, but Adresteia remained, shifting into her bare human form but maintaining the enveloping darkness around them.
“Did you know?” Odysseus asked.
Location: Ithaca, Temple of Athena
Time Remaining: 8 Months
Athena disappeared in the darkness, but Adresteia remained, shifting into her bare human form but maintaining the enveloping darkness around them.
“Did you know?” Odysseus asked.
3.10: The Machinations of Athena
Location: Ithaca
Time Remaining: 8 Months
Odysseus returned to the Temple of Athena with the largest of the second rate apples he could scrounge. It was a paltry offering compared to what he’d been asked to retrieve, but he thought it better than appearing empty-handed after months at sea. In truth, he was angry – they might have escaped Thálassas if the ship hadn’t betrayed them. Except for commending the lost men to the deep, the rest of their voyage had been uneventful. If not for the bitter taste of defeat and loss, it might even have been pleasant.
Time Remaining: 8 Months
Odysseus returned to the Temple of Athena with the largest of the second rate apples he could scrounge. It was a paltry offering compared to what he’d been asked to retrieve, but he thought it better than appearing empty-handed after months at sea. In truth, he was angry – they might have escaped Thálassas if the ship hadn’t betrayed them. Except for commending the lost men to the deep, the rest of their voyage had been uneventful. If not for the bitter taste of defeat and loss, it might even have been pleasant.
3.09: The Desires of Adresteia
Location: Eastern Mediterranean, Nearing the Peloponnese
Time Remaining: 8 Months, 18 days
Odysseus looked up at the stars. They were the best part of sailing. During a new moon, like this, with nothing but water on every horizon, it seemed as if you could see every detail, every point of light pricked in the tapestry of the heavens. The only obstruction to Odysseus’s view was the billowing sail of the Aegis of Wisdom. He thought about it for a while, and eventually decided there was no good reason to let the sail get in his way. Odysseus went down to the main deck, did one last check with the men running the rigging, and then clambered up the lines on the mast. Odysseus did not exactly have the agility of a cat, but being a lifelong sailor, he had less trouble scaling the rigging than he'd had ascending the tree in Africa.
Time Remaining: 8 Months, 18 days
Odysseus looked up at the stars. They were the best part of sailing. During a new moon, like this, with nothing but water on every horizon, it seemed as if you could see every detail, every point of light pricked in the tapestry of the heavens. The only obstruction to Odysseus’s view was the billowing sail of the Aegis of Wisdom. He thought about it for a while, and eventually decided there was no good reason to let the sail get in his way. Odysseus went down to the main deck, did one last check with the men running the rigging, and then clambered up the lines on the mast. Odysseus did not exactly have the agility of a cat, but being a lifelong sailor, he had less trouble scaling the rigging than he'd had ascending the tree in Africa.
3.08: The Duel of Thalassas
Location: The Southwestern Mediterranean Sea
Time Remaining: 9 Months, 1 Day
Odysseus moved fast enough to catch up to his men two days from the ship. They were disappointed to see him return alone, but didn’t press the somber man for information about what had happened. He simply warned them not to follow any voices into the wilderness, even if they heard their name called.
Time Remaining: 9 Months, 1 Day
Odysseus moved fast enough to catch up to his men two days from the ship. They were disappointed to see him return alone, but didn’t press the somber man for information about what had happened. He simply warned them not to follow any voices into the wilderness, even if they heard their name called.
3.07: The Trap of the Kishi
Location: Northwest Africa Coast
Time Remaining: 9 Months, 21 Days
Adresteia resumed her eagle form to follow the adventurers. Shadowing from above, she was first to see that the way-point camp they’d left behind was abandoned. Odysseus and his men were perplexed – the gear and supplies had been left behind, even some of the men’s clothing – but there was no sign of violence. Odysseus debated for a time, what to do. He had his prize, and the Aegis would be waiting for them in a few days. Hypothetically, it would wait another two weeks before returning to Greece without them, but Odysseus wasn’t sure he could count on that – if nothing else, he wasn’t sure if Acrysius could count to fourteen. Returning to the ship would be the easy and safe course of action.
Time Remaining: 9 Months, 21 Days
Adresteia resumed her eagle form to follow the adventurers. Shadowing from above, she was first to see that the way-point camp they’d left behind was abandoned. Odysseus and his men were perplexed – the gear and supplies had been left behind, even some of the men’s clothing – but there was no sign of violence. Odysseus debated for a time, what to do. He had his prize, and the Aegis would be waiting for them in a few days. Hypothetically, it would wait another two weeks before returning to Greece without them, but Odysseus wasn’t sure he could count on that – if nothing else, he wasn’t sure if Acrysius could count to fourteen. Returning to the ship would be the easy and safe course of action.
3.06: The Lament of Ladon
Location: The Garden of the Hesperides, Western Africa
Time Remaining: 9 Months, 25 Days
The monastery wasn’t the only thing in the garden that had been allowed to fall into disrepair. Many beautiful exotic plants still flourished in the area, but all maintenance had been long since abandoned, and many of the flower beds were all but erased by overgrowth and weeds. The topiaries had grown into ordinary trees, and the statues had been covered over in heavy vines. He led the men into the monastery and, indeed, found a few skeletons – one of which appeared to have simply been crushed by a single blow from a massive object. The monastery was largely stripped of valuables – a display that Odysseus imagined once held some of the famous golden apples was bare of all save dust.
Time Remaining: 9 Months, 25 Days
The monastery wasn’t the only thing in the garden that had been allowed to fall into disrepair. Many beautiful exotic plants still flourished in the area, but all maintenance had been long since abandoned, and many of the flower beds were all but erased by overgrowth and weeds. The topiaries had grown into ordinary trees, and the statues had been covered over in heavy vines. He led the men into the monastery and, indeed, found a few skeletons – one of which appeared to have simply been crushed by a single blow from a massive object. The monastery was largely stripped of valuables – a display that Odysseus imagined once held some of the famous golden apples was bare of all save dust.
3.05: The Footsteps of Herakles
Location: The Pillars of Herakles, Western Mediterranean Sea
Time Remaining: 10 Months, 3 Days
The Aegis of Wisdom continued her voyage west with the men in good spirits. After the run in with the automaton, no one wanted to return for more loot than Odysseus had taken, but everyone was excited that they’d encountered an adversary straight out of mythology and had left with a trophy of its defeat. Many of Jason’s exploits had been taken to be tall tales, but now the men chattered excitedly about what might be real and what might not.
Time Remaining: 10 Months, 3 Days
The Aegis of Wisdom continued her voyage west with the men in good spirits. After the run in with the automaton, no one wanted to return for more loot than Odysseus had taken, but everyone was excited that they’d encountered an adversary straight out of mythology and had left with a trophy of its defeat. Many of Jason’s exploits had been taken to be tall tales, but now the men chattered excitedly about what might be real and what might not.
3.04: The First Voyage of the Aegis (Part III)
Location: Several Floors above Hephaestus's Modest Workshop
Time Remaining: 10 Months, 24 Days
Adresteia decided to indulge Odysseus. Tampering with the gods' belongings was always risky, but the reverence she once had for them had dropped to nearly nil, while her tactical appreciation for weaponry remained stronger than ever.
Adresteia decided to indulge Odysseus. Tampering with the gods' belongings was always risky, but the reverence she once had for them had dropped to nearly nil, while her tactical appreciation for weaponry remained stronger than ever.
3.03: The First Voyage of the Aegis (Part II)
Location: The Mediterranean Sea
Time Remaining: 10 Months, Twenty Four Days
The men went ashore in two shifts – Odysseus had heard cautionary tales about pirates and mutinies, and had decided that – if he wasn’t on board the ship – there needed to be enough men to defend the ship, but not enough to sail away with it. The galley had a shallow enough draft that they were able to moor within swimming distance, so most of the sailors simply jumped overboard into the clear blue sea. Odysseus loaded their rowboat with some hunting supplies and empty casks for fruit and drinking water, and took it to shore.
Time Remaining: 10 Months, Twenty Four Days
The men went ashore in two shifts – Odysseus had heard cautionary tales about pirates and mutinies, and had decided that – if he wasn’t on board the ship – there needed to be enough men to defend the ship, but not enough to sail away with it. The galley had a shallow enough draft that they were able to moor within swimming distance, so most of the sailors simply jumped overboard into the clear blue sea. Odysseus loaded their rowboat with some hunting supplies and empty casks for fruit and drinking water, and took it to shore.
3.02: The First Voyage of the Aegis (Part I)
Location: The Mediterranean Sea
Time Remaining:
Convincing his father to let him take six dozen men to sea had been easier than Odysseus anticipated. The young man had bemoaned the hopelessness of marrying Penelope, and had carefully baited his father into reassuring him that, “There’s more to the world than one woman.” From there it had been relatively easy to convince his father that he needed to get away from Aegean waters for a while. He’d argued it would not only take his mind off of Penelope, it’d test his skill as a sailor and a leader, and when he returned he’d be in the right frame of mind to fulfill his duties as future king of Ithaca.
Time Remaining:
Convincing his father to let him take six dozen men to sea had been easier than Odysseus anticipated. The young man had bemoaned the hopelessness of marrying Penelope, and had carefully baited his father into reassuring him that, “There’s more to the world than one woman.” From there it had been relatively easy to convince his father that he needed to get away from Aegean waters for a while. He’d argued it would not only take his mind off of Penelope, it’d test his skill as a sailor and a leader, and when he returned he’d be in the right frame of mind to fulfill his duties as future king of Ithaca.
Monday, March 18, 2019
3.01: The Prayer of Odysseus
Location: Temple of Athena, Ithaca
Time Remaining: 11 Months 7 Days
Three weeks after Hermes flew into Aeolia and announced his master’s plan, his own grandson, Odysseus, came to Athena's temple in Ithaca. He stood uncomfortably before the massive statue at its center. It wasn’t the largest effigy of Athena ever created, not by a long shot. Ithaca was a small island in the Ionian sea, northwest of Kefalonia. It was prosperous, but that prosperity was largely manifest in its fishing. Fishing was good business – even when the crops of the larger nations withered with drought, there were always fish to be had. It had even become the basis for Ithaca’s (unofficial) national motto. Still, while the people ate better than most achaens, they didn’t have the means or know-how to construct the great structures the other Greek cities took so much pride in.
Time Remaining: 11 Months 7 Days
Three weeks after Hermes flew into Aeolia and announced his master’s plan, his own grandson, Odysseus, came to Athena's temple in Ithaca. He stood uncomfortably before the massive statue at its center. It wasn’t the largest effigy of Athena ever created, not by a long shot. Ithaca was a small island in the Ionian sea, northwest of Kefalonia. It was prosperous, but that prosperity was largely manifest in its fishing. Fishing was good business – even when the crops of the larger nations withered with drought, there were always fish to be had. It had even become the basis for Ithaca’s (unofficial) national motto. Still, while the people ate better than most achaens, they didn’t have the means or know-how to construct the great structures the other Greek cities took so much pride in.
3.00: The Invitation of Peleus
Location: Larissa, Aeolia
Time Remaining: 1 Year
Just south of Mt. Olympus, the nation of Aeolia prospered. Its food was abundant, and sitting on the doorstep of the gods ensured they were well attended to. In Pthiotis, the southernmost province of Aeolia, the city of Larissa sat at the base of a peninsula, between the Pagasaean Gulf and the Malian Gulf. The Pagasaean Gulf harbored fishermen and merchants, and the much rougher Malian Gulf was home to the reclusive but benevolent people commonly known as the Nereids. For a time, the Aeolians and the Nereids had lived on the edge of war, the Nereids feeling that the Pagasaean fisherman were taking more than their fair share. The tension between them came to an end when the Nereid princess, Thetis, fell in love with the Aeolian prince and naval hero, Peleus.
Time Remaining: 1 Year
Just south of Mt. Olympus, the nation of Aeolia prospered. Its food was abundant, and sitting on the doorstep of the gods ensured they were well attended to. In Pthiotis, the southernmost province of Aeolia, the city of Larissa sat at the base of a peninsula, between the Pagasaean Gulf and the Malian Gulf. The Pagasaean Gulf harbored fishermen and merchants, and the much rougher Malian Gulf was home to the reclusive but benevolent people commonly known as the Nereids. For a time, the Aeolians and the Nereids had lived on the edge of war, the Nereids feeling that the Pagasaean fisherman were taking more than their fair share. The tension between them came to an end when the Nereid princess, Thetis, fell in love with the Aeolian prince and naval hero, Peleus.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
1.26: Prometheus's Damnation
Prometheus used his powers to dial back the catastrophic geothermal activity under the plateau - it was too late to save the entirety of the intricate cave system, but he prevented the Lasithi Plateau from becoming the Lasithi Caldera.
Prometheus used his powers to slide through the rocks as he debated whether to declare the battle a victory or a defeat. Kronos was dead, but Zeus had betrayed him the second the deed had been done. It seemed now that the seemingly endless cycle of war had turned once again, and he would be at war with Zeus now instead of Kronos. Fortunately, Zeus seemed more reasonable than Kronos - negotiation might still be a viable recourse - and even if it wasn't, Zeus's storm powers would be much less of a threat to Prometheus's human army than Kronos's withering necrotic powers, and an army is one thing Prometheus had that Zeus didn't.
Or at least, that was what he thought.
Prometheus used his powers to slide through the rocks as he debated whether to declare the battle a victory or a defeat. Kronos was dead, but Zeus had betrayed him the second the deed had been done. It seemed now that the seemingly endless cycle of war had turned once again, and he would be at war with Zeus now instead of Kronos. Fortunately, Zeus seemed more reasonable than Kronos - negotiation might still be a viable recourse - and even if it wasn't, Zeus's storm powers would be much less of a threat to Prometheus's human army than Kronos's withering necrotic powers, and an army is one thing Prometheus had that Zeus didn't.
Or at least, that was what he thought.
1.25: Olympus Rising
Pandora reluctantly led Zeus through the maze of tunnels beneath Knossos - she kept trying to think of a way to wriggle out of her current situation, but the man was warier than any she'd dealt with before. He kept his hands tight on the coin and the box, threatening to use them on her at the slightest hint of treachery. She'd offered to teleport him directly to where he wanted to go, but he'd correctly surmised her intention to leave him some place inhospitable, and so they'd had to walk to Knossos so that they could use the access tunnel every other titan used to get to Tartarus.
1.24: Titans' End
Pandora hadn't tried to portal very far - she'd mostly gone straight up, hoping to get clear of the cavern by teleporting to the mountainside above. Unfortunately, Zeus had tackled her half way through the portal, preventing her from opening another portal quickly, and sending them both tumbling down the bucking mountain side.
They clattered down through a field of white stones - no, not stones, bones - the entire mountainside was covered with dusty human skeletons. Pandora cried for help as she saw some of Prometheus and Kronos's surviving titans fleeing the quaking mountainside. Only two among them stood their ground as steam vents opened up and lava burned its way out of the mountain.
They clattered down through a field of white stones - no, not stones, bones - the entire mountainside was covered with dusty human skeletons. Pandora cried for help as she saw some of Prometheus and Kronos's surviving titans fleeing the quaking mountainside. Only two among them stood their ground as steam vents opened up and lava burned its way out of the mountain.
1.23: It's a Trap
Zeus, in his guise as Jupiter, led his father to the waterfall below the Lasithi Plateau. "This is where I came out," he claimed, "I'm certain Prometheus knows the box is missing by now, but no one saw me disappear into this passage from the stronghold above. You should still have the advantage of surprise."
1.22: Best Laid Plans of Gods
"He did WHAT?!" Morgania shouted. The veins in Macaria's neck showed through as her pale skin flushed green with anger. Pandora had never seen Morgania so volatile when Hekate was her host; the forced partnership with Macaria must be taking a toll.
1.21: Time Flies
Kronos flitted over the valley, his broad, leathery wings flapping with the sound of sails in a sporadic wind. He could no longer soar as he once had on his feathered, eagle-like wings, but it was a minor trade-off next to the raw power he now wielded. He swooped down on the small soldiers fighting below him, and many scattered in fear of his approach. Those that didn’t flee, he seized up in his claws, ripped apart, and tossed back to the ground as heavy, wet bombs that further panicked their surviving allies.
1.20: Deals
Prometheus stood to greet the man as he strode in. Zeus was big, the same size Typhon now was, with a broad frame and powerful muscles that he displayed with a loose tunic. His red hair was long, held back with a ponytail, and his thick beard matched its color. Except for his exceptional size and fitness, though, he actually looked completely human - unusual for a titan.
1.19: Secrets
Amalthea told her story hesitantly - Pandora had come to her and persuaded her that it was time to reveal the palace's secrets, but Amalthea had spent so long keeping them, it was difficult.
"Decades ago, Kronos - at that time prince of Knossos and ruler of this stronghold - decided that he needed to dispose of his legitimate children. Not permanently, mind you, but until he could ascend to the throne. He was sincerely afraid his mother and father would simply pass the throne off to one of their grandchildren, and pass over him entirely."
"Decades ago, Kronos - at that time prince of Knossos and ruler of this stronghold - decided that he needed to dispose of his legitimate children. Not permanently, mind you, but until he could ascend to the throne. He was sincerely afraid his mother and father would simply pass the throne off to one of their grandchildren, and pass over him entirely."
1.18: Plans
Prometheus wasn't sure how long they had. Kronos might decide that the disarray among both forces would ultimately balance in his favor, and that it would be better to make an awkward, clumsy attack against Prometheus now, than to wait until he had a solid grip on his remaining forces. Alternatively, he might decide there were too many unknowns - too many variables - to make that decision, and decide to move cautiously. Nyx seemed badly injured by Echidna, and as his best military commander besides Prometheus, that would make it even harder for him to regroup and attack. Whatever the case might be, they themselves needed to regroup, and they couldn't do that without taking a few moments to rest, and the best place to do that was the Lasithi Stronghold.
Prometheus was now standing at one of the stronghold's high windows, overlooking the scorched valley below. Saplings were starting to emerge from the black soil, but nothing substantial enough to be visible from such a distance.
"I don't hear anything," Echidna said, "You said we were supposed to hear a voice, right? Inside our head? The only voice I hear in there is mine."
"Typhon?" Prometheus asked, "Is it the same for you?"
"Yes sir," Typhon nodded, "I feel the same I always have, I think. I mean, I feel stronger, faster, tougher... but I'm not hearing voices."
"Kronos doesn't stand a chance now," Echidna said, "We're death-proof, like you sir."
"Death proof?"
"Yeah, the only thing that can hurt a titan is iron or steel, right? And we're all immune to that stuff. Deathproof."
"There're still a lot of things that can kill most titans," Prometheus said, "With enough force, even non-ferric substances can do damage - though admittedly, that sort of force generally only comes from a titan... But titans still need to eat and breath, of course, and enough cold or heat can kill most of us..."
Typhon held his hand over a candle on the table, "I'm immune to that!"
"I'm not talking about simply burning - some titans will burn like kindling, sure, but the rest can pass out and die from heat without their skin blistering. Same for cold - we don't get frostbite, but we can die of hypothermia."
"So, don't push my luck then," Typhon said.
"Exactly. And as far as your iron-immunity," Prometheus conjured an iron-nail and tossed it to Typhon. The man caught it, inspected it for a while, and then noticed his fingers itching.
"Feel anything?" Echidna asked.
"Yeah... I think I'm getting a rash or... ugh," he dropped the nail on the table.
"When we started our march here iron didn't affect you at all," Prometheus said, "Now it triggers, at the very least, an allergic reaction. I imagine the more like us you become, the more vulnerable you will be."
"So that's it, then," Echidna said, "It's reasonable to assume we're going to become titans..."
"That would make sense," Prometheus said, "The Legacy A.I. would need to adapt your physiology before it could bond with it. With training, you might be able to create objects or change shape as we do, maybe even hear other's thoughts."
"Wait, what?" Typhon asked, "That's a thing you can do?"
"If we concentrate, and if the other person isn't shutting us out," Prometheus said, "We can communicate with each other silently, when the situation calls for it, but it's fairly easy for a Titan to close themselves off - it's just like refusing to talk to someone."
"Have you been reading our thoughts all along?" Echidna asked, "Or does it require we know to answer you...?"
"If someone doesn't know I'm doing it, it's fairly easy for me to slip into a human's thoughts and prompt him or her to think about certain things, then listen to the unguarded answer - I mean, I can't stick beliefs in someone's head, but I can prime him to think about something. Three notes of a song will get him started thinking about the whole song - the smell of baking bread will remind him he's hungry, that sort of thing."
"That still feels... invasive," Typhon said.
"Humans and titans alike communicate through body language, right? We use facial expressions and posture to tell how someone's feeling or whether they're lying. If you exercise those skills to read the feelings of a blind person, who cannot do the same in return, would it be invasive?"
"No I suppose not," Typhon said, "But it still feels that way."
"Well, I obviously can't tell you what you should or shouldn't feel," Prometheus said, "but if it makes you feel at all better, it's saved both of your lives multiple times. Knowing what you're thinking in the heat of a battle is pretty helpful."
"Fair enough," Typhon nodded.
"Though, more on the privacy invasion thing, since we're talking about it anyway... you two really ought to stop tip-toeing about the romance thing and act on it."
"What?!" Echidna exclaimed.
"I wouldn't say anything, except I've heard both of you thinking about it, we could all die tomorrow, and I just lost the woman who might have actually been my soul mate, so seeing the two of you afraid to express your feelings because you - incorrectly - imagine they won't be reciprocated, I just... I can't even do it anymore. Sorry."
Typhon and Echidna stared at each other in shock. They'd been close for years, but it had always been platonic... hadn't it? But then Echidna's mind jumped back to the more pressing point.
"Wait, what do you mean 'we could all die tomorrow'?" she asked.
"Right, business first, relationship issues later," Prometheus sighed and pulled up a chair next to the map table, "I've been thinking about Kronos's new powers, what they did to your weapons and your bodies. With two unpracticed hits he nearly killed both of you when you were mortal."
"Yeah, but it doesn't work on us now," Typhon said.
"True, but we're standing at the front of several thousand men and women upon whom his powers will work just fine, and he'll get stronger the more people he subjugates with them. I was worried he'd use the lives of Crete's human populace as leverage to force my surrender, and he now has the power to do that in a spectacularly sadistic fashion."
"Aging one or two people at a time..." Echidna said, "He could have killed people with his bare hands just as quickly..."
"But he'd only had his powers for a matter of seconds when he did that to you. He will certainly grow stronger with time."
"How strong?" Typhon asked.
"I don't know for certain," Prometheus said, "But imagine that thunderstorm he used to raze this valley, but with it raining down those black lightning bolts instead of the good old-fashioned stuff."
"He could wipe out an army," Echidna said.
"Or a city," Prometheus nodded, "Or if he feels like being a bit less direct, he could just wipe out thousands of acres of farm land and plunge us all into famine. The fear my people used to dominate your people for thousands of years, Kronos will now have that a hundredfold. People will throw themselves on swords to spare his wrath being visited on their homes."
"Well, how are we supposed to fight that?" Typhon asked.
"I don't think we can fight a war against it," Prometheus said, "If Kronos attains that sort of power, our armies will be wiped out quickly, with nothing to show for their sacrifice. At best, they'll desert to join his side. From this point forward, we need to assume that any engagement on the battlefield will be a total defeat for us."
"So, no more armies fighting armies," Echidna said, "now we have to make it personal."
"I think that's the only way to preserve Crete," Prometheus said, "We should retain a few of our best soldiers, but we should be honest with everyone about what is at stake. Anyone who thinks they have anything that can't afford to lose - including their lives - should go home, tend to their crops, rebuild their houses, and keep their heads down."
"Go back to slavery," Typhon said grimly.
"For now, yes," Prometheus said, "But Echidna's right. We don't need to surrender, we just need to de-escalate this conflict so that Kronos won't be inclined to wipe out the people we're trying to liberate. We need a way to change this from a war into a face-to-face barroom brawl between us and the Kronies."
The clip-clopping of hooves on the stone floor announced the arrival of the fortress's steward, Amalthea.
"If you want to get up close and personal with Kronos, I might have a place for you to start..." Amalthea said.
Prometheus was now standing at one of the stronghold's high windows, overlooking the scorched valley below. Saplings were starting to emerge from the black soil, but nothing substantial enough to be visible from such a distance.
"I don't hear anything," Echidna said, "You said we were supposed to hear a voice, right? Inside our head? The only voice I hear in there is mine."
"Typhon?" Prometheus asked, "Is it the same for you?"
"Yes sir," Typhon nodded, "I feel the same I always have, I think. I mean, I feel stronger, faster, tougher... but I'm not hearing voices."
"Kronos doesn't stand a chance now," Echidna said, "We're death-proof, like you sir."
"Death proof?"
"Yeah, the only thing that can hurt a titan is iron or steel, right? And we're all immune to that stuff. Deathproof."
"There're still a lot of things that can kill most titans," Prometheus said, "With enough force, even non-ferric substances can do damage - though admittedly, that sort of force generally only comes from a titan... But titans still need to eat and breath, of course, and enough cold or heat can kill most of us..."
Typhon held his hand over a candle on the table, "I'm immune to that!"
"I'm not talking about simply burning - some titans will burn like kindling, sure, but the rest can pass out and die from heat without their skin blistering. Same for cold - we don't get frostbite, but we can die of hypothermia."
"So, don't push my luck then," Typhon said.
"Exactly. And as far as your iron-immunity," Prometheus conjured an iron-nail and tossed it to Typhon. The man caught it, inspected it for a while, and then noticed his fingers itching.
"Feel anything?" Echidna asked.
"Yeah... I think I'm getting a rash or... ugh," he dropped the nail on the table.
"When we started our march here iron didn't affect you at all," Prometheus said, "Now it triggers, at the very least, an allergic reaction. I imagine the more like us you become, the more vulnerable you will be."
"So that's it, then," Echidna said, "It's reasonable to assume we're going to become titans..."
"That would make sense," Prometheus said, "The Legacy A.I. would need to adapt your physiology before it could bond with it. With training, you might be able to create objects or change shape as we do, maybe even hear other's thoughts."
"Wait, what?" Typhon asked, "That's a thing you can do?"
"If we concentrate, and if the other person isn't shutting us out," Prometheus said, "We can communicate with each other silently, when the situation calls for it, but it's fairly easy for a Titan to close themselves off - it's just like refusing to talk to someone."
"Have you been reading our thoughts all along?" Echidna asked, "Or does it require we know to answer you...?"
"If someone doesn't know I'm doing it, it's fairly easy for me to slip into a human's thoughts and prompt him or her to think about certain things, then listen to the unguarded answer - I mean, I can't stick beliefs in someone's head, but I can prime him to think about something. Three notes of a song will get him started thinking about the whole song - the smell of baking bread will remind him he's hungry, that sort of thing."
"That still feels... invasive," Typhon said.
"Humans and titans alike communicate through body language, right? We use facial expressions and posture to tell how someone's feeling or whether they're lying. If you exercise those skills to read the feelings of a blind person, who cannot do the same in return, would it be invasive?"
"No I suppose not," Typhon said, "But it still feels that way."
"Well, I obviously can't tell you what you should or shouldn't feel," Prometheus said, "but if it makes you feel at all better, it's saved both of your lives multiple times. Knowing what you're thinking in the heat of a battle is pretty helpful."
"Fair enough," Typhon nodded.
"Though, more on the privacy invasion thing, since we're talking about it anyway... you two really ought to stop tip-toeing about the romance thing and act on it."
"What?!" Echidna exclaimed.
"I wouldn't say anything, except I've heard both of you thinking about it, we could all die tomorrow, and I just lost the woman who might have actually been my soul mate, so seeing the two of you afraid to express your feelings because you - incorrectly - imagine they won't be reciprocated, I just... I can't even do it anymore. Sorry."
Typhon and Echidna stared at each other in shock. They'd been close for years, but it had always been platonic... hadn't it? But then Echidna's mind jumped back to the more pressing point.
"Wait, what do you mean 'we could all die tomorrow'?" she asked.
"Right, business first, relationship issues later," Prometheus sighed and pulled up a chair next to the map table, "I've been thinking about Kronos's new powers, what they did to your weapons and your bodies. With two unpracticed hits he nearly killed both of you when you were mortal."
"Yeah, but it doesn't work on us now," Typhon said.
"True, but we're standing at the front of several thousand men and women upon whom his powers will work just fine, and he'll get stronger the more people he subjugates with them. I was worried he'd use the lives of Crete's human populace as leverage to force my surrender, and he now has the power to do that in a spectacularly sadistic fashion."
"Aging one or two people at a time..." Echidna said, "He could have killed people with his bare hands just as quickly..."
"But he'd only had his powers for a matter of seconds when he did that to you. He will certainly grow stronger with time."
"How strong?" Typhon asked.
"I don't know for certain," Prometheus said, "But imagine that thunderstorm he used to raze this valley, but with it raining down those black lightning bolts instead of the good old-fashioned stuff."
"He could wipe out an army," Echidna said.
"Or a city," Prometheus nodded, "Or if he feels like being a bit less direct, he could just wipe out thousands of acres of farm land and plunge us all into famine. The fear my people used to dominate your people for thousands of years, Kronos will now have that a hundredfold. People will throw themselves on swords to spare his wrath being visited on their homes."
"Well, how are we supposed to fight that?" Typhon asked.
"I don't think we can fight a war against it," Prometheus said, "If Kronos attains that sort of power, our armies will be wiped out quickly, with nothing to show for their sacrifice. At best, they'll desert to join his side. From this point forward, we need to assume that any engagement on the battlefield will be a total defeat for us."
"So, no more armies fighting armies," Echidna said, "now we have to make it personal."
"I think that's the only way to preserve Crete," Prometheus said, "We should retain a few of our best soldiers, but we should be honest with everyone about what is at stake. Anyone who thinks they have anything that can't afford to lose - including their lives - should go home, tend to their crops, rebuild their houses, and keep their heads down."
"Go back to slavery," Typhon said grimly.
"For now, yes," Prometheus said, "But Echidna's right. We don't need to surrender, we just need to de-escalate this conflict so that Kronos won't be inclined to wipe out the people we're trying to liberate. We need a way to change this from a war into a face-to-face barroom brawl between us and the Kronies."
The clip-clopping of hooves on the stone floor announced the arrival of the fortress's steward, Amalthea.
"If you want to get up close and personal with Kronos, I might have a place for you to start..." Amalthea said.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
1.17: Changing Faces
The urgent chirping from the earring Hekate had given Pandora was her cue to leave. Pandora was a Titan - strong and resilient as any average member of their race - but she couldn't fight her way out of a camp full of trained soldiers with steel weapons. Fortunately, she was also one of the few free Legacy Bearers left in the northern Mediterranean.
Monday, March 11, 2019
1:16: Scions of War
Typhon and Echidna got to their feet, looking young and healthy again, though their armor was still rusted and rotted from Kronos's magic. Kronos reached out with both hands and unleashed more of his black lightning on the two humans. Their armor disintegrated, leaving them both stark naked on the battlefield, but they didn't age or wither. To the contrary, they seemed to get somewhat larger and... more powerful looking.
"Why don't you die?!" Kronos shouted, striking again.
1.15: Crossroads
Prometheus stayed at his knees, simply breathing exhaustedly, trying to get his mind clear. Kronos flapped down to one side of him, prepared to congratulate him on his victory, but Hekate reappeared to his other side.
“You’re a fool to come here witch,” Kronos said, “You’re trapped on all sides, just like your pets.”
“If you knew what an orbital transport relay was, you’d think that was hilarious,” Hekate said as she nonchalantly clicked one of her bracelets.
“You’re a fool to come here witch,” Kronos said, “You’re trapped on all sides, just like your pets.”
“If you knew what an orbital transport relay was, you’d think that was hilarious,” Hekate said as she nonchalantly clicked one of her bracelets.
1.14: Titan Fall
The next morning, Prometheus stood on top of a hill to the northwest of Knossos with Macaria, watching the port city, Heraklion, to his northeast. He couldn’t see Tiamat closing on the city, but he could see Oceanos’s iron-prowed war galleys chasing her. The troops around him began shouting, and he turned his gaze southward – Kasios was rounding the walls of Knossos, trudging along in some sort of gigantic mechanized suit he’d created from his memory of their home world. Human troops pursued him with slings and spears, but they plinked off his alien armor – good, Kasios needed to think they weren’t a threat.
1.13: Pandora's Box
Prometheus, understanding that the war was also a battle for the hearts and minds of the humans that fed their powers, did everything he could to manage their images. He inundated the people – Titans and humans alike – with propaganda. He composed poetic ballads praising Kronos, spreading tales of heroism and valor, and angelic statues celebrating Kronos’s death-from-above aerial campaign. His renditions depicted Kasios and Tiamat as demonic monsters, driven by a lust for carnage. Following their intimate encounter after the battle of Selakano Valley, though, Prometheus played soft with Hekate's image. He'd already had doubts about Kronos's leadership when Hekate came to him, and when she left, he was beginning to think about alternative paths ahead. Just in case Prometheus ultimately decided she was right, he some breathing room to make decisions - if he convinced all of his followers that Hekate was the ultimate evil, his options would be far more limited.
1.12: Star-Crossed
Prometheus came back to his senses in his chambers, Amalthea and Kronos at his side.
"There you are!" Kronos said gleefully, "I almost joined you in the dirt you know, that took an incredible toll on me. Father might have been able to do that sort of thing easily, but without a Legacy A.I. to do the math on the dynamic charges in the clouds, it's a lot of work."
"Did we get Kasios?" Prometheus asked.
"There you are!" Kronos said gleefully, "I almost joined you in the dirt you know, that took an incredible toll on me. Father might have been able to do that sort of thing easily, but without a Legacy A.I. to do the math on the dynamic charges in the clouds, it's a lot of work."
"Did we get Kasios?" Prometheus asked.
1.11: The Battle of Selakano Valley (Part III)
Prometheus could see Kasios retreating through the smoldering fires on the far slope - Typhon and Echidna had defended the forts well, but now Kasios's ire would surely turn this way. The man depended on his troops' reverence and the deaths of his enemies to fuel his powers; suffering a lop-sided and embarrassing defeat would weaken him severely. Unfortunately, the routed battalions were far from destroyed, and Kasios still had two fresh battalions waiting in the forest below, which were now marching straight towards the mountaintop stronghold.
1.10: The Battle of Selakano Valley (Part II)
Kasios twitched his fingers and created another roll of dijoa weed. He put the roll in his mouth, touched it to one of the hot muzzles of his rotary plasma cannon to light it, and took a long slow drag off of it. The best part of the borderline immortality of being an Alpha was the ability to indulge in all the best vices consequence free.
Saturday, March 9, 2019
1.09: The Battle of Selakano Valley (Part I)
Prometheus's war of attrition proceeded with the same pace that most such wars do - that being a very slow one. With little infrastructure prepared for the task, it took years for Prometheus to smith enough steel weapons just to arm his personal guard, a process that was greatly slowed by Hekate's guerilla tactics. At some point, Hekate clearly figured out what Prometheus was planning, because she began to make a point of targeting ships heavy with iron, and destroying caravans traveling to Knossos from Crete's various mines.
Friday, March 8, 2019
1.08: Strategic Concessions
The entire region around Knossos became a warzone, host to a conflict unlike any the world would see for thousands of years. With the help of Tiamat and Kasios, Hekate was able to win the awe, fear, and love of a large portion of the human population. The humans who’d become disenchanted with Oranos’s rule and moreso with Kronos’s rule saw her as their great liberator. Kasios and Tiamat thrived on the carnage they created, but it was Hekate – as their master – who received the mortals’ worship, a large and dedicated cult forming under her.
1.07: First Blood in Tartarus
Prometheus sat up too quickly, his mind wobbling from the disorientation of leaving the simulation. It took him a while to comprehend what Thanatos was saying – Hekate was in the underworld, she’d released Kasios and Tiamat, and Macaria was alone in the prison block with them. Prometheus nearly collapsed when he set his feet on the ground – his whole body felt numb – but he followed Thanatos out of the facility, across the cavern floor, to the nearest loading ramp of the scuttled Tartarus. An army of skeletal automatons created by Prometheus and Macaria’s predecessors stood ready to charge into the ship and fight.
1.06: An Irredeemable Truth
The giant serpent coiled around Kasios and transformed into a tall beautiful woman with iridescent blue skin. “Is this pause in our hostilities an invitation, beloved?” she asked suggestively. Kasios gave her a vexed look and pointed out Prometheus standing in front of them.
Tiamat studied the younger Titan for a moment before turning her attention back to Kasios, “That doesn’t clarify the situation for me, dear.”
Tiamat studied the younger Titan for a moment before turning her attention back to Kasios, “That doesn’t clarify the situation for me, dear.”
1.05: Hell is War
Prometheus looked up and around, the sky was filled with the distinctive constellations visible from Earth, but as he watched, the stars began to rearrange themselves. When at last they settle into their new patterns, the sun began to rise again behind him, and as the faint light spread towards him, Prometheus realized his little wooden boat had been replaced by a vessel made of aluminum and a material he knew the denizens of this world would one day call ‘plastic’. The sail was gone, but a turbine at the back of the little boat sucked water in and jetted it out back like a squid or an octopus fleeing a predator.
1.04: Journey Into the Underworld
The aftermath of the betrayal had proven too chaotic to stop Hekate – with time they would find a way to outwit her petrifying contraption, but that day she and Pandora walked out of the city unopposed. Oranos was humiliated to say the least, and promptly ceded his throne to Kronos, who’d dispatched all the resources at his disposal to search for the two rogue Titans. No one could guess what Hekate and Pandora intended to do with the stolen Legacies – if they’d wanted to exploit the newfound weakness of the other Titans to take power, most believed that the time to do it would have been the night of the ceremony, when nearly every Titan on Knossos was in attendance.
1.03: The Sacrifice
It took fully two months to design and construct the vessel. Ultimately, it was not housing the Legacies that was problematic – when drawn from the body, a Legacy was no more than gray silicate dust that seemed to stir slightly on its own. The problem was that – contrary to Oranos’s assumption – a Legacy would only allow itself to be relinquished if its current host was dead or if it had a new host lined up. Gaia dragged what scraps of information she could out of Coatlinuku about how the Legacies worked, and combined with Hekate’s sharp knowledge of their past and Pandora’s knowledge of quantum engineering, they ultimately found a way to compel the Legacies to disengage themselves from living hosts without migrating to new hosts.
1.02: The Sky-Father's Court
King Oranos, bearer of the Legacy of
Malanginui, listened quietly to the arguments bouncing back and forth around
the room in the Titans’ ancestral language. The debate would have been
difficult for mortals to follow – just as humans complemented their spoken word
with facial expressions and body language, Titan’s used their shape-shifting
abilities and telepathy to add context, connotation, and emphasis to their
words.
1.01: Harbinger of Fire
Prometheus’s fiery red hair whipped about in the wind as his two-wheeled conveyance roared down the dirt road from Malia toward to Knossos. It was a beautiful day for a ride – bright sun, blue skies filled with puffy white clouds, propelled by a breeze that flowed across the Mediterranean island. To Prometheus's right the cliffs overlooked the Sea of Crete - its peaceful waves caressed the sandy beaches at the foot of the cliffs, and summoned flocks of chattering shorebirds. To Prometheus's left, crops of green and gold extended to the horizon. There were just over two lunar cycles left before the next winter solstice, which meant the grapes were already picked, and the olives would be harvested soon. In the mean time, the human helots toiled in the fields to plant wheat and barley.
1.00: The Beginning
Many thousands of years ago, the night
sky glowed red over southeastern Europe. A great body descended from the
heavens, wreathed in burning storm clouds. People watched its arrival from
miles away. Some were immediately gripped with terror, others were stricken by a
sense of awe or wonder. Many even made pilgrimages to the place where they
thought the mysterious object came to rest. No man or woman found more than a
massive scar in the Earth, channeling a river where once there had been none. The
people waited for the end to come, but it didn’t. They waited for their gods to
come, but they didn’t. With no written words to record the event, the strange
occurrence had been nearly forgotten when the Primordial Titans emerged from
the underworld.
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