A/N: This is an idea that has been circling around my head for a while. I'd like to take the time to point out that I will be manipulating many of the various stories from ancient Greece to fit in with this timeline. It won't be ridiculously changed but it will be a little.
Second: If anyone is curious about the different provinces towns and states I have mentioned in the story, look up a 'Map of Homeric Greece' In this story Corinth is owned by itself and a few of the surrounding towns belong to it.
"War with Korinthos is inevitable. We cannot sit idly while all of Greece turns against us. Now is the time for action." Anatolios yelled out, an air of serious around him, fist raised up in the air.
"You forget yourself, Anatolios. If we are to take up arms against Korinthos, the fragile peace we have with the Boiotian's will be severed, the Thebans will take up arms against us as well. Attica will be surrounded!" Photios returned.
The nobles and important persons of Athens had been at it for hours. Half were war mongering, wanting to further solidify our position and annex surrounding territories. The other half had been trying to continue the short peace Athenai had known. However, we had no way to appease Korinthos the great city-state, and as such war was almost inevitable.
"We have allies to the north. Thessaly is loyal and they would surely aide us if the time were to arise. Do not forget the Makedonians either, Menestheus is on good terms with King Peleus, and they would surely help." Anatolios countered pointing up towards our king who had yet to say much at all during this meeting.
I had joined the City Guard close to a year ago. Andros, the Captain for the Evzones, the sort of bodyguard for important persons of Athenai had singled me out after a few months, and I had been placed as a guard for a man named Photios.
Photios was an aide to the king and commander in his army, as were the other men stood around the room, and they would help advise the king on political and military actions. They also stood for the people, giving word to the king on matters of state to improve the well-being for the people of Attica and Athens. During my few months guarding the man he had kept me close at all times, even sometimes confiding in me. We had grown close as friends, him being a sort of older brother figure, even though I was guarding him.
I took a moment to study my charge. He had blond hair and a clean-shaven face, different to most Greeks. His skin was not tanned like the rest of the Greeks I had met in my life, it was unusually paler. His eyes, again different to most Greek citizens, were a sky-blue colour, bright and full of light. His nose was long and he seemed to squint a lot. Even at my age of 18 I was at least 6 inches taller than him. He was built more like an archer or slinger than a soldier.
Photios was a close friend to a man named Galenos, who had been my mentor since my mother had passed, he had taken care of me, taught me to fight with sword and spear as well as with my mind. When Galenos died I had no choice but to find my own way, with me ending up here.
Our King, Menestheus, a tall man with deep brown hair and a scraggily beard had succeeded to the throne after King Aegeus suddenly and tragically died after hearing about the death of his son Theseus. With no other heir's a political struggle started eventually ending with Menestheus on the throne.
King Aegeus was loved by the people, though in comparison a rather weak leader, he never believed in warring the other states, and had no standing army, only a garrison of soldiers in each town and city. Menestheus however in the few years he had been ruling now had built up a large army, causing the political turmoil with Korinthos we were now struggling with.
"And what of Korinthos's allies? Argos is one of their closest trade partners and will surely back them. The new king of the Achaeans, Atreus, I believe, is said to be a viscous ruler, already taking control of Elis and the surrounding territories. And are you forgetting the Lakedaimonian's, their love for war will not allow them to sit out. We may have the largest army but we cannot win especially if the Spartans join this war. Please my King, listen to reason. We cannot beat the Lakedaimon's on the field." Photios finished turning to Menestheus with pleading eyes.
"It is said the Spartan's training surpasses that of any other Greek. Is this true?" Menestheus questioned finally speaking up. He leaned forward on his throne eying the two men bickering before him.
"It's lies. Spartan propaganda to make their enemies fear them. Their training is the same as every other soldier." Anatolios said, quickly jumping in before any other man could get a word in. Seriously, what was this guy's problem?
"Have you ever been to Lakedaimonia, Anatolios?" Menestheus asked innocently, a small smile on his face.
"I'm afraid not, my King." Anatolios replied through gritted teeth.
"Interesting…" Menestheus replied.
"What about you Photios?" Photios only responded by shaking his head.
"Any of you?" Menestheus asked looking to the few other men in the room. He was only met with the sound of silence. A frown began to grow on the king's face. He then turned towards me, or more specifically the man to my right.
"Andros, captain of my guard, surely you must have?"
"I'm afraid I haven't my Lord." Andros replied clearly and seriously.
"And what of any of your men?" The king asked, irritation beginning to itch at his voice, at nobody being able to answer his question.
Andros stepped forward and did a quick scan of the guards standing around the room before his eyes finally landed on me a few feet away. He jerked his head to the side asking me to step forward.
"Perseus, one of our newer members was mentored by a man from Sparta." Andros said giving me a wince at putting me in the spotlight. I looked over at Photios, whose eyes had widened a considerable amount. I gulped before stepping infront of the king and bowing.
"Remove your helmet." The king called out. I slid my bronze helmet off my head and placed it under my shield arm, pressing up against my side. The bristles from the plume of hair were tickling my armpit.
"My mentor was a man named Galenos. He had been through their training." I said my eyes flicking over to the two Royal Guards stood on either side of the Kings throne.
"And tell me Perseus. Is it true, do they subjugate their children to the Agoge? Are they the fearsome warriors, blessed of Ares, that we've heard so much about?" Menestheus asked with a raised eyebrow.
I looked around at the other men in the room, all eyes were trained on me.
"From what Galenos taught me, yes." Everyone let out a disheartening sigh "The children are bred for war from birth. Each male Citizen of Lakedaimonia is taken from their families and trained until around my age. Every citizen is part of the army. Unlike every other state, Spartans leave the farming, pottery work, selling, construction and so on to their second-class citizens, the Helots." I explained, never taking my eyes off of the king.
"And tell me, Perseus. Do you think they could stand against the might of Athenai?" Menestheus asked honestly. His hands were gripping the edges of his throne, knuckles turning white.
"Depending on what happens, possibly. In a war of attrition, them against us on the field, they would win." At this Menestheus brought his hand up to his beard and began scratching it, his eyes clouded and deep in thought.
"However, my lord, Galenos also taught me that the Lakedaimonian's though excellent in combat surely lack tactics, something we may use to our advantage, if Athena be willing." The king nodded his head gesturing for me to continuing. Everyone in the room was now listening intently.
"Whilst the Spartan infantry is better trained, better equipped and wear much heavier armour. They believe skirmishing combat is beneath them. Their slingers, javelin men and archers are all Helots, essentially slaves. They aren't trained, are poorly equipped and are sure to break and run if they even come close to an actual trained soldier without back up from the Spartan infantry. The same can also be said to their Hippeis, Calvary; Almost non-existent." I explained earning a few nods from around the room.
"What are you saying my boy?" The king questioned, wanting me to make it abundantly clear.
"The Spartans field the strongest infantry in all of Greece. But that is all, they lack variety in their army structure." I saw a few of the commanders and guards around the room start to smile at this. As if hope had somehow been restored to our hopeless situation.
"Thank you, Perseus." Menestheus said with a nod. I quickly walked to my post at the side of the room.
"See my king, even the boy thinks we have a chance at winning in the field. Now is the time!" Anatolios yelled out earning a few cheers around the room.
"But even then, my king." Photios said stepping up next to him.
"With Korinthos, Argos and Thebes at their side, their army will be larger than ours and have the diversity to beat us." Photios finished earning a few groans.
"We can either march out and fight them in the field, or sit and wait for them to attack us. A decision must be made." Diodoros, another spokesman, called out.
King Menestheus opened his mouth to give a response before I stepped forward, an idea springing to my mind.
"Wait my king, I have an idea." I called out
I was then grabbed by the straps of my armour and roughly yanked back by Andros
"PERSEUS! So help me-" he started before being silenced by the king.
"That's enough Andros. Let him speak." Andros eyed me before pushing me back in to the middle of the room. I cleared my throat not wanting to mess up. A few of the guards had their eyebrows raised at the fact that a simple guard was willing to speak out in the court. I was surprised myself, but I was always rash and acted on impulse.
"You all speak as if it is so black and white, sit and wait or march out and meet in the field. Why not cut out the middle man? Send word up to Thessaly and Makedonia to prepare their forces and march south. When we get a confirmation, we march west and take Korinth. Our army is more than capable of quickly taking the city. The Isthmus is the most defendable area in the Peloponnese. The Spartans will not be able to push past and reach Attica, our navy is strong enough to defend the entire Archipelagos. We have defeated one of our enemies and solidified ourselves into an even stronger position." I explained. The plan was relatively simple; Divide and conquer. If we split them apart their army strength will be minimalised as they won't be able to combine.
"And what of the Boiotian's? You would have us leave Athens open to attack." Anatolios questioned stepping a little closer to me.
"Where do you think our allies would be? Thessaly and Makedon will attack and take Thebes, leaving all of our enemies in one place, and guarded buy one of the most defendable cities in Greece, Korinth. We will have dominance of the land and sea, the largest army, Korinth's forges and mines. As a reward for their loyal service we can give Thebes and their territories to both Makedon and Thessaly. Everyone's happy. I would like to see the mighty Lakedaimonian army challenge us without two of their strongest allies, and with our allies able to combine with us. They will have no choice but to sue for peace, or face destruction." I finished completely out of breath. The speed at which these ideas were coming to my mind making me speak faster and faster wanting to get it all out at once.
The entire room was silent, the only sound being the small crackle of fire from the braziers. I held my breath in fear that my plan was to be rejected. I had never even been on a battlefield or commanded any forces, I was using only Galenos's teachings to devise this plan.
"The boy is touched by Athena herself." Anatolios whispered out. The room erupted into cheers and agreements, the guards banging their spears against their shields whilst the rest of the men began clapping.
I let out an internal laugh, if they actually knew who my father was they would scold themselves for disrespecting their lady patron so. The son of her rival among the Olympians, blessed by her. That was insanity.
King Menestheus finally raised his hand asking for silence around the room, to which he quickly received.
"Perseus, never in all of my years would have I expected a young lad like yourself, no more than a guard to be able to come up with a solution for a debate of this calibre. From now on you are to attend all of these meetings with your master." He said nodding towards Photios.
Menestheus then turned back to the rest of the men in the room spreading his arms extravagantly.
"Are we all in agreement then? Athena has blessed us with wisdom to win, shall we accept on this bold strategy? All of the men in the room started nodding. Even Photios, who wanted nothing more than peace was agreeing although somewhat sombrely. I felt bad, like I was betraying my charge, I would have to speak to him once the meeting was finished.
"Very well, begin arming your force and preparing for a campaign." Menestheus said before turning to Andros.
"I'd like to speak with you once this meeting is concluded, you as well Photios." He said turning to look at my charge. Photios bowed his head, his face unusually calm, though I could see the fear behind his eyes.
-o0o-
"Perseus." Photios greeted me with a handshake as he left the throne room. I walked beside him, using my spear as a walking stick as we descended out of the palace and into the city.
"I'm sorry Photios. I know you want nothing but peace, it's just…" I started trailing off with no good excuse for betraying my master.
"Perseus, I'm not mad at you. Your plan is a good one, better than any of us could come up with." He explained. He stopped and turned to look at me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a sad smile.
"Galenos would be proud of the man you have grown into, I see much of him in you. However, he taught you all that he knew so that when the time arises, you may find a solution other than war." Photios finished, looking at me a few seconds longer.
I dipped my head down towards the floor ashamed of my actions. Photios was right. I was disrespecting my old mentor and father like figure by waging war. Photios released my shoulder and turned, peering off into the streets of the city.
"Do not feel too bad. Hopefully we can put an end to this senseless violence before this war spins out of control. If it goes according to plan, not many will perish in the sacking of the cities. Menestheus is a bold man, however. I worry for the future of Athenai." Photios said before starting off down the steps again.
We walked back to the large house Photios owned in almost silence. More of his household guard were waiting at the large front doors. They pushed them open and allowed us to enter.
"Go get some sleep Perseus. You're going to need it." Photios said ominously, as if predicting the future. He turned and walked up the large staircase towards his own bedroom.
I gave out a sigh as I watched him go, before walking to my own room.
-o0o-
3 Months Later
Today was one of the greatest in Athenai's history. Word from Thessaly and Makedonia had come, they had started marching south towards Thebes.
Our Army had since rallied, it consisted of: About 12,000 Hoplites, 3000 of which were handpicked for each of the commanding officer's bodyguard on the field, they were more heavily armoured, carried better weapons and were more skilled than the rest of the army.
There were close to 5000 skirmishers. Which mainly consisted of Toxotai, who were armed with large bows and then the closer ranged Javelin men, who could also hold their own quite well in melee combat.
Finally, our saving grace were our Hippeis. Some of the most elite horsemen from across Attica. Around 1600 in total, heavily armoured, carrying large spears. This shock cavalry could utterly decimate any unit if they were commanded correctly.
The army had begun to move west towards Korinthos in broken pieces. Each commander had taken a large chunk of the army and was responsible for making it to the Isthmus and near the city within the next two days.
Photios had been given command of 1250 Hoplites, with another 320 being part of his personal guard. 150 Hippeis and just over 500 archers. We were one of the first groups to leave the city and had been marching for half of the day.
Athens had since receded into the distance and we were now marching through open country. Helios was high above in the sky guiding our army towards Korinth.
The army was marching in a column, Photios and his guard at the front, followed by half of the Hoplites. After them the skirmishers were all in the middle of the column. The rest of the Hoplites followed and finally the Horses at the very back.
I was sat on a pure black stallion at the front of the column next to Photios. The sun was sweltering above us and I was covered with sweat. I was thankful I didn't have to carry much, only my arms and armour. All the tents and supplies were being carried by the Doulos. The slaves and servants of Athenai. They followed at the rear of the army, behind the horsemen, and served as nothing other than mules for our supplies.
I looked over to my charge and friend. He was sat on a white horse, a little taller than my own. He had no helmet, his blonde hair shaggy. His brow was furrowed as he stared at the clear blue sky ahead.
"Perseus." He called out not turning to look at me.
"Yes?" I responded curiously. He then turned atop his horse to look at me.
"We should reach the edge of Korinth by this time tomorrow. I want you to stay close by, we're in enemy territory now." He said giving me a pointed look. I was known for wandering off or getting distracted easily.
The day dragged on from that point. We took a few stops for rest and to water the horses, but other than that our journey was very boring.
We were now marching down a road, large rocky cliffs to the right of the army, whilst a dense forested area sat to our left.
We stopped by a small creek to refresh ourselves before continuing on. Whilst the men were all resting I noticed a large, brown, grey eyed owl sat on a low branch of a tree. It was staring right at me.
If I was a regular mortal I would have thought nothing of it, however, I am not, and knew this was a sign. As quietly as possible, I slipped away from Photios and the rest of his guard. As I stepped into the treeline, the owl took off, flying low through the trees and disappearing from sight.
I walked in that general direction for a while. I was unsure for how long, but by my guess, around 20 minutes. Eventually I came to a small grove, with lush grass and beautiful flowers. Everything in the area seemed to have a glow to it. The little grove seemed so out of place in the woodland.
The owl I had been chasing was sat on a branch staring at the top of my head. The hairs on the back of my neck bristled upwards, and I quickly realised it wasn't staring at me, it was staring at whatever was behind me. In a flash I had turned towards whatever was behind my hand already round the hilt of my sword.
A tall woman stood before me. She wore elegant flowing grey robes under a bronze muscle cuirass. Atop her head was a bronze Korinthian helmet adorned with a golden plume. She had black hair that flowed down and across one shoulder.
In her right hand was a spear the likes of which I had never seen before. The shaft was made of wood like any traditional spear, the tip however was large than normal, and the centre had been hollowed out. It was made of some sort of strange silvery metal. The whole thing was covered with gold etchings.
Finally, in her left hand was a shield, the shield was made of bronze, like her armour, however in the centre of shield was the likeness of the Gorgon, Medusa.
In an instant I was on my knees, and it wasn't by choice. The shield was emitting an aura that was forcing me down. I strained under the pressure, my body growing closer and closer to the ground. Bile began to rise up in my throat, and my vision started to blur.
Suddenly the weight was lifted and my vision cleared. I dared not raise my head however, in the presence of an Olympian, especially my father's rival.
"Interesting…" A stern yet melodic voice sounded above me. My lower lip was trembling in fear.
"Prepare yourself Perseus." The voice sounded again
"I will be watching."
The waves of power that were washing over me suddenly disappeared. The glow that was shining around the small grove had gone, along with the flowers and much of the grass. My audience with the Goddess of Wisdom was over.
I turned to my right just in time to be sick. I began retching for a few moments longer, in an effort to empty my stomach.
I slowly crawled my way over to a small pond and threw water over my face, relishing in the feeling. I slowly stood and began making my way back towards the column.
Around half-way back I noticed something was wrong. It smelt funny. I stopped walking, and stood completely still. The sounds of screaming and metal clashing could just be heard in the distance, coming from the direction of the column.
I took off, sprinting downhill back towards the column. As I ran I noticed a few men running back up the hill, away from where the column was supposed to be. The worst part was that they weren't part of our army.
The soldiers running away completely ignored me, many of them were injured and were limping with help from their comrades.
As I approached the edge of where the column was supposed to be, the sounds of battle stopped. The smell of blood and death was overwhelming my nose as even more bile rose into my throat. I emerged from the trees onto a field of bodies.
The good news was that most of the dead were of the attacking army. The bad news, we had also taken many losses. I spied Photios and some of his guards frantically searching through bodies.
I held my breath and crossed over the bodies to my master. He heard me approaching and turned towards me, his eyes were wide and moving at a frantic rate.
"Perseus! By the gods, you're alive!" he yelled out before uncharacteristically pulling me into a hug.
"When I didn't see you on the field, I had assumed the worst. What happened to you?" he asked as more men gathered around.
I sucked in a nervous breath, looking at the men around me.
"Never mind, it can wait until later, we need to get the wounded and the rest of the men out of here." Photios said, changing the subject. He must have realised what I had to say was probably not for everyone to hear.
"Gather up our dead." Photios ordered out.
With that we dispersed through the piles of bodies. Many of the men started building a large pyre to place the fallen on, whilst the rest of the men picked through the bodies, dragging our own men over.
The ground was stained red with blood. Entrails were strewn here and there. Nobody was expecting an attack by the Korinthians, the battle must have been ferocious and bloody.
It was early evening by the time we had burned our bodies and set off again. We set up camp for rest that night, though none of the men could sleep. Most were too amped up from the battle to sleep.
The next morning, we set off again. We were close to Korinth, only a few hours of marching away. We were much slower due to some of the men being injured, however we were still making good time.
"So, what happened Perseus?" Photios said from atop his horse. We were a few strides ahead of the army, and just out of earshot.
"There was a sign from Olympus." I answered honestly. I had told Photios about my heritage, and at first, he hadn't believed me, understandably. However, after making some water fly up and splash into his face, he believed me.
"Do the Gods not approve of our venture?" Photios asked worriedly. I could see he was fearing for the lives of his men. I looked away from Photios and into the distance. I was afraid of another ambush, and even though the army hadn't taken too many losses, morale was much lower, everyone was on edge.
"I don't believe so. I think it was more directed towards me." I returned hoping to ease his nerves. At that I thought I could see him tense up even further. Eventually though Photios relaxed.
As we rounded the next hill a large army was marching in the same direction as us. At first, I was afraid it was another attack. However, I was relieved to see the owl banners and blue cloaks.
Menestheus's army was just ahead of us. When he had split the army into chunks he had taken the largest chunk for himself. It looked like his army was still fresh and hadn't come under attack like we had.
Soon enough we had linked up with Menestheus's forces and were closing in on the city of Korinth.
A/N: Greetings, I know, starting another story, y'all probably hate me by now. As I said when I last updated, I'm travelling, so it will take me a bit longer to update. Currently in BC, Canada Snowboarding. I'll try to get more updates out for all my stories.
Send your reviews, and tell me which story you want me to focus on most and what you think of this story.
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