The Spartan of Olympus

1

A woman ran through the forest. Her chest was heaving, and her breaths were ragged. She felt like her lungs would explode and her chest would split open if she kept sprinting. Her legs burned as if they were lit on fire. Her calves screamed for rest, but the woman wouldn't allow it. She continued to stumble through the forest, tripping over tree roots and shoving her way past low branches. She was so close. The woman was almost safe. Almost.

The woman came to the edge of the forest, finding the beach she had been so desperately looking for. She gasped for air and her knees buckled. She collapsed face-first onto the beach, accidently dropping a small bundle that she carried in her arms.

The woman was completely depleted of energy, and she knew she didn't have much time left. She could hear the yells of her pursuers getting progressively more audible. The woman weakly scooped the bundle into one of her arms, as she frantically dragged her entire body forward with one hand, nearing the ocean. The voices were so near that she could hear the words distinctly, which only inspired her to move quicker.

"Find that demigod! I don't care if you have to burn down the forest to find that sea spawn! Find him!" A gruff voice shouted.

The woman reached the ocean. "Poseidon," she whispered, "Save our boy."

With that, she placed the baby so the incoming waves could touch him. Crunching leaves and snapping twigs alerted her from behind. She rolled over on her back to see three men. The one in front held a massive broadsword, and was wearing full, Greek-style armor. He was abnormally tall, and his eyes seemed to burn with a raging fire, and radiated power. His mouth quirked into a sadistic smile as if he had been waiting a long time to do this. The woman knew this man was divine. She knew her life would end soon, but she need to save her son.

"Poseidon, please," The woman prayed quietly, "Help our Perseus."

The two men behind the taller one had spears and shields, dressed in armor that covered their entire bodies. Their helms were the regular Greek-style as well, and shielded their faces from view.

The woman stood protectively in between Perseus and the three men, who were approaching slowly, prolonging the woman's time with the living. She put a determined scowl on her face stood defensively.

The tall man laughed and the fire in his eye sockets seemed to grow larger. "You've got guts, mortal, I'll give you that. I see why Poseidon picked you."

The woman attempted to look brave, but she was utterly terrified. "W-Why do want to kill us?"

The tall man sighed deeply, and it sounded sincere. "I'm sorry. I really am. But I follow orders. Lord Zeus ordered me to find and eliminate the boy because of a prophecy that has been spoken by Apollo's oracle. The boy will have the power to topple the gods. Zeus won't allow the boy to live. I'm sorry."

The man stepped forward and before the woman could react, the broadsword was driven through her chest. She felt unimaginable pain, and then the cold release of death. She felt her soul draining from her body as her blood splattered the sandy beach. She collapsed on the ground, exhaling her last breath in the over-world.

The tall man stepped over the woman's lifeless body, sending a silent prayer to Hades. Truthfully, the man felt awful about murdering the two. Sure, he may have been the war god, but he promoted war, not murder. In war, armies clashed and honor was a highly valued attribute in both armies. But what Ares was doing wasn't honorable, in any sense of the word, and he knew it. And he despised it. Every molecule of his being fought against his orders. But he couldn't disobey a direct from the king of the gods. He would be punished severely, possibly kicked off the Olympian Council. Nearly every god voted for the boy's death. The only ones who voted him to live were himself, Hermes, Demeter, Poseidon, and Apollo. Ares couldn't disobey the orders, because not only would he be disobeying Zeus, he would be disobeying seven of the other Olympians. It would be an act of treason. It had to be done. But Ares didn't have to like it. Killing an eleven-month old, defenseless baby? It wasn't righteous. It was cruel.