Art of War II: Ternion

The wind blew all too easily in the night sky. Olympus, usually prone to succumbing to the party life, did not seem to sway from its unmoved slumber. Every God, Goddess, slept peacefully. The only ones awake at the time had been the Olympian Guards, standing at attention and awaiting the arrival of their expected assassin.

For them, the quietness was simply a warning. All they needed was a slight rustle or click, for them to spring to action. No such sound, however, assaulted their ears.

Then, suddenly, he arrived. They were unsure of his identity from the start. His black cloak flowed from the wind against it, and his mouth, the only part of him visible, remained stuck into a straight line, never wavering from its expression.

He turned upwards. Staring into the eyes of the Guard to the right, he finally broke his consistency, etching a smirk across his lips. He sensed the Guard's discomfort. Sweat beaded across the "m" on his mouth. His lips parted only slightly, in preparation for a question.

"Are you him?" he asked almost in disbelief. "I mean, you are either an assassin or a benign guest. Which is it?"

The man did not respond. He turned his head back to the other man, and placed each of his arms upon each of their left and right shoulders. His hood never left the top of his head, as his mysteriously visible jaw twisted into a chuckle.

"There is nothing to worry about, my friend," he said in a friendly tone. His hands lost their tense, and his touch became gentle. "I am not here for violence. Do you have the package?"

The Guard confirmed with his colleague, before handing off a small box to the man, for him to marvel. He grinned as he unclasped the ribbons, gently removing the top. In laid two identical ballpoint pens.

"Ah, yes," he mused. "Just what I was looking for. I will be seeing you men. Pray you've lived a good life."

The Guard off to the left stood puzzled. "Wait…lived?"

The man stopped in his departure. "I said that I was not here for violence. I, however, said nothing about that which is to come."

Before the Guard could question their guest, a lone arrow pierced him directly in his chest, killing him instantly. The second Guard held up his standard in combat stance, preparing to avenge his friend. The man simply chuckled and clicked the bottom of his newly acquired "pens," awaiting their transformation, into two identical celestial bronze swords. Swinging them around in his hands, attempting to find his grip, he held them out in an offensive stance rivaling the Guard.

The Guard lunged, but fell short on his footing and practically fell into the man as he crossed his blades, effectively blocking the Guard's standard. Pulling them away along a diagonal path, he disarmed the Guard with ease, holding one of his new blades against his throat.

"Please!" the Guard begged. "I have a wife and kids! I have lived an honest life, I will not tell a soul of your endeavors on Olympus! Please!"

The man thought for only a few seconds before sparing the Guard's life. His swords retracted and he placed one in each pocket.

"Lucky for you, my friend," he said with a barely visible frown, "I have only one exclusive rule. I will not kill an innocent person."

The Guard looked up with shocked eyes as the man immediately pulled him to his feet in a chokehold, cutting off circulation. The man's face showed no emotion; it was cold, and expressed seldom mercy. The Guard looked on with a hopeless look on his own, and the man grabbed a hold of his collarbone, squeezing.

"I cannot, however, have any witnesses," the man whispered, resting the Guard down onto the ground beside his friend. He removed his hood, finally, before turning to depart once again. The Guard began to loose consciousness, and caught a final gaze at his assailant's face. Only one thing stood out above the rest…

…a pair of sea-green eyes.


A/N: This is just a TEST-RUN. I do not know if this is something I would continue or not. It depends on how the you all, the readers, react to it. If the event takes place, in which I do not continue it, then I will at least make it a two-shot about what exactly happened, and what my ideas would have been.

Keep in mind that if this takes off, I will have to wrap up my other stories before I'm able to set and maintain a steady update rate.

Please feel free to Read and Review and share with me your thoughts.

Chris