A War to Remember
Chapter 2
My name is Seth Hayes; I am sixteen years old and this is my story.
For years now, long before I was born, the gods were feuding. Constantly battling each other, the prospect of ruling shrouded their vision. To secure their victory, the gods had to create army after army of us. Demi-gods.
We were trained to wield weapons from a young age. We also had separate powers based upon our godly father or mother. Some could manipulate fire whereas others were able to create a mighty battle cry, striking fear into the hearts of those around us.
At the grand age of sixteen, we were submitted into 'The Trials'. An enduring test to see whether we adolescents had it within us to overcome whatever they threw at us. We were separated into separate Brotherships and were scored on each test meaning that the Brothership that was in last place were unable to achieve their medallions stating the passing of the test. It was shameful coming last place however they would have one last chance to prove their worthiness, this was more difficult than the test itself and if a team came last it was rare they would be able to succeed. This was the way of Camp Poseidon and was accepted throughout the camp.
I enter reality to see Jack, my best friend, impatiently clicking his fingers in front of my face.
"Did you hear a word I was just saying?" he asked me, annoyed. I gave him an apologetic smile in return causing him to dramatically sigh. "I said that 'The Trials' are just other a week away and we are completely unprepared for them!" It was unlikely that Jack and I were to be in the same Brothership as we were both the sons of Zeus. Usually, they liked splitting us up depending upon our parents however sometimes the odds worked in our favour. If you thought it out strategically, there was a small chance Jack and I could be put together and that was what we both hopelessly clung to.
"What do you want us to do?" I asked. "We aren't meant to be prepared for them, which is the point." But it was obvious that some of the more popular boys among the camp had begun training already, giving them an unfair advantage before we had even began. No one dared challenge them, in fear of being confronted mainly by Brayden.
Brayden was the tallest, well-built most arrogant boy they both knew. He was son of the Seigneur, the richest man in the Camp and, therefore, the most powerful. He was our ruler and, in all honesty, he has been doing a good job of it. His son was a completely different matter. Brayden seemed to enjoy picking on the weaker people, using his position of authority to get whatever he wanted. His little group of lackeys were happy to follow him around like lost puppies, obeying his every whim. The village knew he would inevitably compete in the 'Battle of M'aakar'. To serve by his father would be a brilliant achievement for him but everyone knew things would only get worse. He was power hungry and incapable of thinking outside his own ego.
It was most boys' dream to win 'The battle of M'aakar', a competition every year in which men from all over the country participate in battle. The victor becomes the Seigneur's chief, the leader of armies and the second most important man in the Camp. It was rare that unlikely that anyone ever lasted more than a few years though as, in the final round; they had to battle the previous victor. This proved to be an annual event in which all the country watched, betting, cheering and jeering as the two men hacked and slashed at each other till one gave in and, most of the time that never happened. You either went in there to win or didn't come out at all.
Jack nodded slightly as he acknowledged my words however the fear was clear on his face. He wasn't the one who should be worried…Jack had the potential to do very well in The Trials. He was quite tall, well-built and could swing an axe with uncanny precision however I was the one who should be worried. I thought myself as pretty average at everything. Athletics. Battling. Magic. I never shone in any particular thing and that was a quality nobody would really like. I was the one who stood at the back, forgotten.
The fire got fuelled between Brayden and I since last year.. He was gathered around his usual lackeys speaking about the God's stating the big three were 'Zeus, Hera and Poseidon'. He was telling the story and I just happened to be walking past stating: "Actually the Big Three were Zeus, Poseidon and Hades." causing the surrounding circle to laugh and remark with "Yeah, Brayden," and "Everyone knows that!" however I highly doubted actually had any idea. Brayden flushed as red as a tomato and glared at me with cold precision, already planning the torment. I gulped and moved onwards. From that day on Brayden made it his personal goal to make my life a living hell.
Slowly walking along the cobbled, grey stones, I looked towards the sky thinking vaguely about my Father. Only once had he visited me.
The sun was blazing down on the camp, making most lay indoors all day however I went down to the beach, relaxing with my feet in the calm oceans. The salt was heavy in the air and I breathed in a large gulp, smiling at the pleasurable feeling it gave me to have my lungs filled with cold air. Large birds squawked around the scene, looking for any nearby crabs or squids amongst the sands to prey on. Gently, I rippled my hands in a circular motion in the water, staring at my reflection. My most prominent features were my eyes. I was always complimented on them due to their unusual brightness. They were the lightest of blues and my eyelashes were abnormally long, like a girl's. My complexion was quiet tanned, just as many Zeus children were and my blonde hair was flipped in a sideward fashion today. Some considered me handsome but there were many betters out there.
Just as the ripples of the water disappeared I glanced up to the sky at the far away clouds, idly floating through the sky, slow and steady. I looked down in the water once more to see another reflection alongside mine. With a yelp, I leaped up and jumped back to see a large, tall man laughing wildly. His eyes had crinkles along the sides and his beard was long and white. His muscles were prominent and stood out as he wore a simple cream tunic with sandals.
I frowned. This stranger had just startled me and now was still chuckling every so often and, when he saw my expression, he erupted into another fit of giggles. A few seconds later, he wiped his eyes and I sighed. "And you are?" I demanded, crossing my arms.
"Oh, I thought you'd recognise your Father, Seth." He replied, smirking as my eyes went as wide as dinner plates. This man…this man was the almighty, famous Zeus? He looked like a grandfather, never mind a father. I bit my lip in concentration as the information processed in my mind. "Do you visit all your children like this?" I asked him, a note of doubt in my tone.
"Not all the time. I keep an eye on all of you, constantly, but only a select few are actually visited by me like this," He replied, putting heavy emphasis on the word few. "Those are the ones who I know have the potential to do well." He continued. "The ones who will contribute largely to this war. You, Seth, are one of those people and that is why I am visiting you today." He told me, much to my surprise. Me? Contribute to the war? I was barely able to correctly wield a sword and shield, never mind have a large effect on anything really…
As I mused on this, he looked at me, awaiting a reaction before continuing. "The Trials are a matter of weeks away and you are going to win. Your Brothership will come out the victors and therefore you will be sent on the first quest. I have to make sure you do this. Brayden will be your most formidable competitor and there will come a time when you clash. He is hasty and quick to jump to conclusions however you are headstrong and witty. He will inevitably challenge you to a duel and you must be prepared to win him." He told me and, without warning, I was the one who started laughing.
"Me? Beat Brayden in a duel?" I replied ludicrously. Zeus, my father, tilted his head slightly to the left as he studied me. I stood tall, calmly returning his gaze. I lowered my eyes first.
"You're strong, Seth. You just don't know it yet…" he told me, confidence in his voice. "I must leave you Seth, Olympus needs my attendance. Just start training now, get yourself a large sack of flour, hang it up and work on your technique. Left jab twice and right hook once. Do that until I next visit you and I will assess you the next time I visit." He promised me. I chewed on my bottom lip however nodded once. I would be hailed a hero if I beat Brayden in a duel. In all honesty, more people disliked him than the opposite however few people dare voice their opinion. Popularity was everything in society nowadays and, I could only pity for the future generation of teenagers if this was what it was like already. I set my jaw and nodded more confidently this time before turning and setting off back to the camp.
True to my word, that very evening I bought a cheap sack of flour and, with a hook, I slung it up in the outside cellar. Wrapping a few lines of linen around my knuckles, I looked at the sack and saw Brayden's smirking face. With a snarl, I sunk my left fist into the sack, once, twice and brought my right fist winging round in a hook. I flexed my fingers, frowning at the pain that was already starting to show.
For a further hour, I tortured my knuckles as time after time they beat across the solid replacement for a punch bag and, by the time I was catering out of the shed my knuckles felt ready to split. I nursed them on the way home, rubbing at the bones and muscles in the hope to restore some of the feeling however it was to no success.
Once I reached my ancient house, my arms were as heavy as lead and I immediately plopped down on to my bed, my eyes shut before I hit the mattress.