Atlas Of Megaras

Argus II

He caught my slash mid-air with his Scythe. Argus was fast. I slashed a cut right across his arm. Dark tar seeped from his wounds instead of blood. Argus roared in pain. But the skin immediately started healing. It knit back as fast as it had been slashed. The eyes intact.

It sent a shudder down my spine. I healed from my wounds faster than a mortal. This was the first time I had seen wounds heal so fast. Dodging the scythe, I stabbed his leg, puncturing two eyes. Tar seeped out. The wound healed, eyes back to normal.

Argus wasn't going to get killed so easily. His scythe whistled as it came down on me. Jumping it the side, it narrowly missed my arm. Shouldn't have drunk so much, footwork's all sloppy.

Stumbling backwards to avoid the crazy swings of his Scythe. I tried to remember how Argus got killed the first time. But my mind was blank. Wine made the details blurry. Something about Panpipes. Catching the scythe on my sword I parried and slashed at his abdomen. Even if I had panpipes I wouldn't know how to play them anyway.

I had only one tactic to survive – Divert attention, run, attack later. Picking up half a dozen of hand sized rocks, i started throwing them at him. Most of them found their marks. As Argus screamed in pain I picked up my sword and ran into the mist.

The mist was still hanging around making life miserable for me. Hera had left after all why couldn't she take the mist with her? Stumbling across rocks and fallen tree branches, my knees were badly scrapped and bleeding.

I stopped against a tree, resting my forehead against the soft moss-covered bark. That should be enough distance. Okay now how do I kill Argus. If only I could remember how he got killed the first time about. Now that would be helpful.

Catching my breath, I could hear water splashing over rocks. Water. I really needed water. Damm fog was making things even harder. How was I supposed to tell if someone or something was coming closer?

Crunching leaves. Something or someone was coming up on me. Steady. Steady. Closer, Closer. That's it. Whipping around I swung my sword.

"Woah." I stopped right in time. My blade rested against Prince Hero's neck, a hair's breath away. His hands held up to show he is not armed. A leather bag hung across his back.

"I guess you are really angry about the last time." He muttered, his Golden eyes wide in shock. Why hadn't he even tried to stop me. He hadn't tried to grab my sword arm or ducked. If I didn't have good reflexes due to years of training any other less drunk idiot would have decapitated him.

"Go away. I have a hundred-eyed monster to kill." Most sensible people would have turned that instant and ran for their lives. Not Prince Hero. He followed me as I went down the small slope towards the stream of water. I kept my sword to the side and dipped my hands in. It was fast flowing and icy cold.

"A hundred-eyed monster." He mused as I drank and drank. "Must be Argus." He smirked." You were the 2nd person who Lady Hera went after today."

I laid back on the bank. Looking up at the murky sky. The fog was fading away. Thank God.

"Who was the first?"

"Me. And unlike you I don't have any monsters after me."

"What a joy." I muttered, tossing a stone in the stream. Argus would be back soon. And I suspect it wasn't too far from daybreak. Picking up my sword, I strode past him.

"Don't you like need my help."

"No." I didn't need his help. God only knows what would I have to do to repay him.

"Don't you remember, how Argus got killed?" I stopped turning back to look at him. He walked up to me, his hands folded behind his back.

"Something about a cow and panpipes." That was all that I could remember. I won't drink wine ever again.