Thanius stood atop the watchtower, and gazed south across the open sea. A full scan revealed that the horizon was still empty, much to his disappointment. He set his bow down, letting it rest against the rough stone fortification, and removed his leather cap. A gentle trade-wind blew through his medium-brown hair, relieving him greatly though the rest of his body was still underneath padded leather armor in the hot, Mediterranean sun. Footsteps approached from behind him. He turned to see Marius, the most recent recruit in the Agian guard approach from behind.

"I'm, uh, here to relieve your shift, sir," he stammered.

"Marius, why so nervous?" he laughed out loud. "You'd think the Titans had got loose again!"

"Sorry, sir…" Marius muttered.

Thanius firmly patted him on the back, then turned and headed down the tower stairs and across the wall. He looked below the wall, and into the city it protected. His view went directly down the main street, and he caught a glimpse of the market square. Vendors had stalls strewn everywhere, and were competing fiercely for business among the busy crowd of civilians meandering about. He went through another tower at a corner where the wall turned right at a slightly oblique angle, and then ended a few yards later where the stone base met the sea. He took the tower down, and hailed a boat to take him up the narrow channels and back to his house in the north islands.

Agia was not a normal Greek colony; it was a single city built across a cluster of 7 small islands. Founded 3 decades ago by the usurped prince of Mycenae, Periander Aratus, it had been around for the fall of Atlantis, and faced a direct threat from the newly returned Titan Prometheus ten years after that. Another decade had passed, and Agia had not only recovered from Prometheus's destruction, but prospered and grown well beyond what it was before. Thanius personally accounted this to the wise rule of Idas Aratus, who had inherited the crown from his father when he died in battle against the Prometheans.

Thanius pulled open the door to his two story house built against the narrow channels on the island of Domestus, the northwest-most isle in Agia. Though it wasn't a palace, it was definitely one of the nicer homes in the city. You got paid your part if you were in the army, particularly if you'd seen service like he had. He sat on a stool on the balcony, gazing in relaxed awe at the perfect colors made by the slowly setting sun. He went back into the house for a moment, and came out again with a glass jug. He pulled the cork out, and held the open end to his nose. The dry smell of the wine on its own was almost enough for him, but he went ahead and poured himself a cup. He took a big gulp of it and sat back down on the stool, breathing a relaxed sigh.

Just then, the sound of horns echoed throughout the city. They weren't warning horns like when Prometheus had been spotted climbing out of the sea, no, these were triumphant. The kind of horn you would hear announcing somebody important had returned. Thanius stood up fast from his stool, still in his military garb, and walked out into the street. He stalled a few steps out the door, tossing a thought around in his head. He shrugged, ran back inside, came out with the wine jug, and kept walking down the street.

The city on the central island looked just as he expected it to. One giant crowd of people stretched up the main street to the fortified palace at the center, and a single horse drawn chariot followed by row after row of battle-worn soldier marched up the center. Thanius stood on the balcony of a tavern, watching the procession. Idas stood in the chariot, accompanied by an armed guard on either side. Though he was smiling, Thanius knew the king better than that. He took a swig from his wine bottle and kept watching. The soldiers behind him looked particularly more rugged than in parades past, he could find very few without even minor damage to their armor or visible scabs on their flesh. The Trebians were an incredibly warlike people, and Thanius was glad that the king had any army left behind him at all. He kept drinking his wine, waiting calmly for the parade to end.

Night had finally fallen and the streets were exactly the opposite of what they'd been just a few hours before hand. Thanius had started playing a card game with some of his buddies from the guard to pass the time, but now he stood up and took to the empty street. He approached the great gates into the king's palace, but one of the guards in front stopped him.

"I'm sorry sir, nobody can speak with the king at this hour." He said sternly. The guard across from him called him out.

"Its alright, Abantes, Thanius is welcome at all hours. Orders from Aratus himself."

Thanius continued inside, where a few burning torches kept the main hall dimly lit. Thanius spotted the king sitting at the main table, accompanied by a few men in officer's uniforms. They appeared to be discussing something important.

"You never take a break, do you Idas?" He called out as he got closer. Idas looked up, at first annoyed but his expression soon turned to excitement.

"Thanius!" He laughed aloud, and the two exchanged a brotherly handshake. Idas then turned to the other men. "This is Thanius, one of the most respected members of our guard, and one of my most trusted allies and advisors." He turned to Thanius "Come, there is something I need to show you. Excuse me gentlemen." He turned and walked through an open doorway into the living areas of the castle, and Thanius picked up close behind him.

"So how was Egypt, Idas?" He asked. "Your boys didn't look quite as glamorous out there…"

"Its been a difficult campaign, the men you saw today were most of what's left. They've seen far too many friends die." Idas stopped and turned to face him. "Thanius, I don't even know if we've won or not. The Trebian dynasty has been toppled and replaced with more suitable rulers, and right now general Ptolomaeus from Sikyos is in charge of keeping Thebes itself under control. But still, my men and Ptolomaeus's men have given so much, and the Thebians just keep fighting. I lost four veterans in a skirmish the day before we left." He let out an exasperated sigh. "Fresh casualties nearly a week after the war was officially over. Their rulers are dead, but the men and creatures of the Thebian army were taught to resist until death, or face dishonor in the eyes of the gods. They're still fighting hard against Ptolomaeus right now."

"So what are you doing about it?" Thanius asked. "I didn't expect you to come home if there was still fighting to be had."

Idas rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "I truly don't know, Thanius. Those bastard generals in there want to go back within the week…"

"But…" Thanius interjected.

"But I just can't do it. I can't send those men back there, not right now… Especially with no clear end in sight." He turned and continued walking. "Anyways, I'd like to forget the war, at least for tonight."

Thanius followed him up the stairs into the grand bedroom. Idas removed a clay box from a tall shelf in the corner of the room. It appeared to be Egyptian, built with perfect dimensions and precisely carved with hieroglyphs. He set it on the ground, and opened it. A golden-blue light poured out as he removed the lid, making Thanius squint.

"Zeus… Is that what I think it is?"

Idas set the lid back on the container, sealing the light completely.

"Do you know?" he asked eagerly.

"It's… a staff of some sort, obviously blessed with a divine power." Thanius said slowly. Idas looked at him eagerly. "But I couldn't possibly know which deity it belongs to, or even what it does."

Idas set the clay box on the shelf with disappointment.

"Damn. Not you, not any of my wisest priests or most worldy generals…" He sighed. "And I know the answer is in Egypt."

"Where did you find something like that?" Thanius inquired. He had always heard stories of godly relics being discovered by adventurers and wandering armies. Sometimes they singlehandedly won battles, other times their improper use would cause chaos on all sides of the battlefield.

"I had deployed a scouting party to the hills north of Thebes, a week before we began the siege. They returned with news that they had found an ancient tomb of some sort built into a small cave. They were driven away by a small Trebian defensive force before they could enter, so I took a small portion of my army and ventured there personally. The defenders at the front were no match, though I foolishly let the survivors flee across the sandy hills." His face beamed with excitement . "When we entered, we found it wasn't a tomb at all, and instead it seemed like an ancient temple. At the center, illuminated by a small, circular hole in the roof, was a granite coffin, or it appeared as that until I laid eyes on the contents… Somehow when I removed the lid and saw the staff there, I knew it was important."

"So there was no explanation in the cavern as to what it is?" Thanius asked, intrigued.

"No, I'm sure there was. But before we could do archeology of any kind our forces were attacked from the outside by a stronger Trebian force. No doubt the guards I let get away had went straight for reinforcements." He sat down in a large, padded chair by a table in front of his bed. Thanis mimicked him, sitting in a chair across from him.

"We had to fight our way back out, and it wasn't pretty. I had the two priests I brought along put the staff in the clay container it's in now, though by the time we had left the cave I was carrying it."

"Well, priests are never too terribly good at fighting…" Thanius began. Idas cut in.

"Not in Egypt, brother. The Trebian priests of Set are vicious things, and a few of them pose as much of a threat to an army as a skilled hero such as you or myself. The most experienced ones can even do a decent share of hand to hand fighting." The look on Idas' face suggested there was a story to be told, though Thanius didn't feel like encouraging him.

"Well look, Idas, I hate to say it but it really sounds like you have unfinished business in Egypt." Thanius put his hand on his shoulder. "You're right though. Your army needs rest, and raw recruits to fill the gaps. Sleep on it, brother, I'm sure you'll find the right choice." He stood up. "I must beg my leave though, I'm on early duty tomorrow." Thanius turned to walk away, but Idas stopped him.

"Thanius, one more thing." The guardsman turned back around to face him. "The offer is still good if you want to re-enlist in active duty. I could always use an officer like you."

Thanius sighed. It wasn't a new question, Idas had been trying to get him back in the fighting army ever since he had left for an easier position as a guard a few months after the battle against Prometheus.

"I'm sorry Idas, but those days are behind me now." He started to say something else, but Idas cut him off.

"When you were in the army, we were a city fighting for survival. It seems like I spent more time fighting on the walls than anywhere else, and that was before Prometheus. I swore it was the end of this kingdom on that day. But we persevered, and from the rubble we built a magnificent city and gained control of all the surrounding countryside."

"So what's your point?" Thanius inquired calmly.

"Now, times are different. Agia is the one leading the attack, playing the conqueror. Pulling strings in the world to stack the deck our way. This is a beautiful city, with a bright future. Think of it Thanius, we could rival Athens! Or even count it as our own territory one day! We just need good soldiers leading the charge, Thanius. Good soldiers like you."

Thanius shook his head. "Goodnight, Idas." He said as he walked away.

"Just sleep on it, brother!" Idas called out to him.

Thanius got home fifteen minutes later, and immediately resumed his ritual on the balcony. He had finished off the previous jug, so he opened a fresh one from the cabinet. Idas' words echoed in his head as he rolled red wine around on his tongue. He went back in the house, and sat down on his bed. An atlas of the known world was spread out on the opposite wall, a gift from a wise man in Athens. He sipped his wine, and his eyes fell to Trehbes, on a large island a little north of the Egyptian mainland and just across the sea from Agia. He had never left Greece before, though he had been all throughout the many island colonies and villages of the peninsula he had never once set foot in a completely foreign land. He noticed that he was feeling restless, though he wasn't sure if he was excited or nervous.

"Yeah, I can take a trip to Egypt…" He took another swallow of wine, and gazed about his empty house. His eyes fell on a jeweled necklace on display above the hearth.

"Its not like I have anything else important going on…"