My Men and I got back on course swifty.
Setting our course back home.
After our fatal encounter with the sirens all of us were silent.
A soft spray of water splashed across my face, everything was peaceful, yet too peaceful. After a good hour of sailing a fog started rolling in. Hiding our view of water, and covering ourselves from each other.
'Men stay where you are!'
Murmurs slowly arose across the rows of oarsmen.
Suddenly drums began to sound, 'Pit Pat Pat, Pit Pat Pat, Pit Pat Pat,' growing louder with each passing minute.
While the fog grew thicker and the drums louder our ship sharply turned left.
"Impossible, I am the only one near the wheel,' I thought 'The ship turned itself,'.
Yells and splashes were heard as some of our unlucky friends fell overboard.
The ship sped up, while the fog started to clear. Then it finally cleared the ship was stopped in front of an island.
The island looked deserted with a beach that slowly became a jungle like forest. The island its and gave off an eerie feeling. Like something was out there waiting.
Even though I felt that something was off with the island , couldn't control my urge to explore it. 'Men, off the ship let us explore this mysterious island.'
'But Captain…,' one started.
'No buts, lets march,' I said leading my men deeper into the forest.
Slowly we traveled until we could no longer see where we began.
There was a rustle in a bush nearby. I held my hand up motioning my men to stop.
The Sound grew louder and louder until a tall, dark man came out.
Immediately. I pulled my long sword from its scabbard and aimed for his neck.
'I mean not harm to you or your men,' the man spoke.
'Who are you?,' pushing the tip of my sword deeper into his neck causing some blood to flow. The blood glinted gold before it turned red.
"Me, I am no one of importance,' he said, 'but if you are going to insist I tell you my name the call me Athanasius,' he finished, as if knowing what i was going to say next.
I put my sword back into my scabbard and took a closer look of the man as he stood up, and dusted the dirt off his was very tall at least six feet nine, with long black hair that cover his forehead and left eye, only showing his right blue eye like the afternoon sky. He was wear golden armor over a red toga with a pair of bladed gauntlets and long golden gladiator sandals. He also had a double sided scythe strapped to his back, black as night and looked so thin it could snap in two with one touch.
'Would you and your crew like to follow me to my home for some victuals,' Athanasius asked. One of my men came up to me and started whispering in my ear, 'Captain, Lets us follow this man to his home, we all are tired and we also do not know the way back to the ship.' I nodded my head towards him and accepted Athanasius proposal.
My men cheered and started following Athanasius rather rowdy. While I silently followed behind them finding the person we just meet suspicious. He lead us to a big castle on top of a hill. The castle was surrounded by a deep moat filled with electric eels. The moat crackled with energy like flashes of light. The bridge came down as soon as Athanasius reached it.
He lead us deeper into the castle, finally reaching the dining hall where everyone of my men were given a seat at the table and were assured the food would be enough to suffice us all. He sat down and the head of the table, while I was sitting left of him.
"It been so long since I had visitors on this island," Athanasius said turning towards me.
"Well, we didn't expect to stubble across this island at all,'
'Nonsense, those who arrive on this island are destined to stay here for-,' his sentence was cut short as the food arrived carried by beautiful women whose faces turned into skeletons for a split second until they turn back.
'This place, their something wrong, it is not normal,' I thought.
I turned toward one of my men sitting besides me, 'We have to leave, this place, the island we are on there is something wrong with it,'.
'Nonsense Captain, This place is a paradise are you sure you want us leave,' he whispered back. I looked around and saw my men enjoying themselve. I decided to also enjoy myself tonight and leave early next morning.
Next to me Athanasius stood up and spoke, 'Tonight you dine like Kings, tomorrow you dine with a god,' A roar rose through my men. While I thought about what the end of his speech meant.
After diner Athanasius showed us to our chamber for the the night. I had gotten my own room while my men shared it with two others. I tried to fall asleep but after hours of trying I gave up and left my room. I walked around the castle trying to find my way to the kitchen. I was about to turn a corner when I heard people talking. Hiding behind the wall I started listening.
"Lord Athanasius, they didn't accept it.'
'Damn the Fates, Why can't they allow me to take them,' Athanasius growled angrily.
'What are we going to do about them now,'
'No, forget what the Fates said, they will be mine forever,' Athanasius said.
'But Master, If they die the Fates, they will surely extend your punishment longer than it already is,' the servant nervously said.
'So be it, the Fates can do whatever they want to me, but Ody-someone is here,' Athanasius stopped mid sentence. I started to slowly turn around so I could run, but before I could get away Athanasius was suddenly in front of me.
"Well well well, What do we have here a Captain so far away from his crew," he teased. I stayed silent unsure of how I should react. He walked closer to me until he was right in front of my face. 'It is sad that you couldn't die with the rest of you crew,' he whispered in my ear.
'Who are you really?' I took a step back and reached for his hair pushing it away from his face showing his left eye that was red the color of freshly spilt blood and a third eye on his forehead with a skeleton shaped pupil with a gold iris. He chuckled loudly, 'I am Athanasius god of Monsters, Torture and Violence, welder of the Dead Eye,'.
'But, I never knew there was a god of monsters,' I said the first thing on my mind.
He snorted, 'You are just like the past heros who stumbled onto this island, no one I have come across to knows my story other than my servants,'.
'I wish to know your story,' I demand loudly.
'Such disrespect talking to a god like that, but you are the first person to actually to want know my story, very well I tell you,'.
'About a century ago I was a young god, wanted by a lot of other women, but only one goddess caught my eye alas she became off limits. Her name was Artemis we weren't in love and our relationship was one sided. While I knew everything about her she did not even know my name. I wanted to confess my love to her, but before I could she swore her oath of staying a virgin forever. I was angry at myself and at her because of a few men also after her hand in marriage she wanted to stay a virgin forever. I went to Zeus to formal ask for her hand in marriage. He accepted, but before I could marry her I had to spend three weeks with the female group of hunter she had created. Those first two weeks were the best I ever had spending time with Artemis, but I had not realized that her lieutenant had fallen in love with me ignoring her oath and one night she forced herself onto me. I pushed her off of me and killed her using the Dead Eye in the most painful way,' he painfully gasped took a breath and continued on with his story.
'Her screams awoken Artemis and when she arrived she saw me standing above the dead hunter. I tried to tell her the truth of what had happened, but she would not listen,' his voice went soft as he said that.
'She called Zeus told him that I killed one of her hunters and he decided to banish me to this island. Over the years I have stayed here I have realized love is cruel and only bad things come out of it. I became resentful toward the gods. But one day after around half a century on this island the fates came and gave me my domains naming the Dead Eye as one of the most powerful weapon even greater than Zeus's lightning bolt, Kronos scythe, Poseidon's trident, and Hades' helm. It has the power to kill immortals very befitting for my name meaning,'
'Immortal Death,' I thought, finally understanding.
'One day I will use this eye bring down Olympus and no one can stop me not even the Fates. I lured you into this island hoping to get you and your crew into my monster army, but the Fates do not wish for you to die just yet. But forget what the Fates want, you and your crew will be mine,' he finished his story cackling like a hyena.
While he was distracted by insane glee, I quickly ran away ignoring the roar of anger coming from Athanasius. I ran back to the hall were my men were sleeping and screamed as loud as a banshee waking them all up. 'We have to leave now before he gets us all,' I said. Most quickly woke up and started helping the other who were still half asleep wake up. They quickly followed me as I tried to figure the way out the castle.
I ran down stairs, through doors and finally found the kitchen. I decide to barricade me and my men in here for a while until I could think of a plan to get us out of this situation. In the kitchen sat full prepared food near a giant furnace big as a fully grown male, it also gave of the comforting feeling you would get from some one like your mother. I remember what Athanasius said about the Fates not wanting him to take me and my men. An quickly took a giant turkey and pushed it into the furnace.
'Oh great Fates, please save us Athanasius the god of Monsters has taken me and my crew as hostages and wishes to turn us into a part of his army of monsters,' the flames became larger as I continued my prayer to the Fates as if symbolizing their anger. Suddenly we were outside the castle right in front of the moat along with Athanasius across from us looking confused. Three old ladies were in the middle of us scowls across their faces.
Athanasius face turn pale for a second before he finally spoke, 'Lady Fates what do I own this visit to,' They instantly turned to him.
'Odysseus and his crew are not meant to be apart of your army,' the first one rasped.
'Lady Fates, I was only trying to get them back to their ship,' Athanasius lied.
'Silence, we know what you were doing and because of your disobedience towards us you are never leaving this island again,' the second one calmly spoke.
'No please, I can not stay on this island forever I have plans I want to carry out,' Athanasius pleaded.
'You plans to destroy Olympus was not going to happen and never will happen,' the third fate said.
'No you can do this to me, I have the power to kill immortals in fact I will kill all of you now. The Fates should not be ruling my life, not allowing me to embrace my true power,' Athanasius shouted brushing his hair out of the way glaring at the Fates. He kept on glaring while the Fates just stood there.
'My Dead Eye why is it not working,' Athanasius stuttered.
'You Dead Eye is not working because you can not kill the Fates,' the first one spoke up. Athanasius red eye gleamed angry as he turned toward us.
"If my Eye can not hurt you, I'll hurt them,' He started glaring at my crew. Soon few of my men fell to the ground screaming.
Athanasius still was not pleased, 'Why did it only work on some of them,'
'Those who died were fated to die by the Dead Eye the rest will live for now,' the second fate said.
"Do not think of using your left eye to force them into killing each other it will not work,' the third fate said. Athanasius growled and pulled the double sided scythe into his hands and rushed towards the Fates.
"I do not care if I can not kill you with the Dead Eye, I will kill you all manually,' He insanely laughed swing his scythe around killing anyone who got in his way. Some of my men cried out as they were sliced to death. The Fates we just standing there allowing my men to be killed.
'Athanasius!,' I shouted his name gaining his attention.
'You! This is all your fault if you had just accepted my offer in the beginning none of this would have happened,' He growled rushing toward me swing his scythe. I quickly dodged his swing and moved backwards towards the moat. In his blind rage he was not thinking and followed after me heavily breathing closer to the maot. I tripped and almost fell into the moat and when I turn around Athanasius was above me with his scythe.
'Finally, I can kill you,' he brought his scythe backwards about to kill me. When I moved my foot in front of his path covering myself as he fell into the moat. I got up after hearing his screams of pain as quickly ignored the fates gathered my men and ran toward the woods and quickly finding our ship. Athanasius screams were heard while my men were loading onto the ship then they finally stopped.
He suddenly was on the beach in front of the ship that finally was sail away.
"Come back!' he shouted he tried to walk closer but a barrier pushed him back. He held his hands on the barrier and started punching it.
'No! Do not leave me here take me with you. I swear I will not try to kill you. Just take me with you!," he screamed still banging on the barrier while me and my men sailed away from the cursed island.