Disclaimer: I do not own 300. Sad eh?

It was the Captain's son that awoke me, it was still dark and the morning air was heavy with mist. "Rise and ready yourself to flee, we go into battle this day."

He turned to leave, but I reached out. "Your name Spartan?"

"Astinos." My hand felt warm as I held his cold arm, the warriors wore no shirts. "Son of Captain Artemis."

"Yes, I know." I smiled and let him go. "Tell me, how many men are you?"

"We are 300 Spartans and 700 Greeks."

Nodding, I bowed my head to him. "May the Gods give you strength Astinos, fight well."

The young man merely stared at me, a hint of red rushing into his cheeks, but I could not tell if the tint really was there. With a silent nod, he pulled back and joined his fellow warriors. I watched in envy as they readied themselves for battle. I should've been born a son, not a damn daughter. Turning my attention to my mother, I found her eyes still closed and chest rising slowly but steadily. She lay on her side, her body unable to cope with pressing the wound against the floor by laying on her back.

"Mother, we will survive this." I whispered as if it were a secret. "When you are stronger and awake, we will gallop to the safety of the capitol. There we can meet Grandfather and the council and tell them of what I have seen. Sparta shall fall unless the rest of Greek comes to these men's aid! We must get reinforcements!"

A drop of sweat slid down her nose, and I wiped it away with the cloth.

I wondered if nightmares haunted her at this moment, as they did for me last night. I dreamt of my father's death, witnessing it over and over, only to awaken for a few seconds once he looked at me before his body fell limp. I did not cry, if I were a true Spartan I would stop weeping. I was a Spartan woman, I did not weep and cry... I fought and knew that I would seek revenge.

King Leonidas had ordered me to remain hidden here, in the rocks while he and the men went to their doom. Even if they were Spartans, three hundred could not defeat the massive army that awaited down the coast. Why had the King brought so few?

Leonidas approached, his helmet already covering his head. "How does she fare now?"

"No longer has she a fever." I answered. "But she slumbers on, I expect by tonight she will ride a horse."

"Good." He began to turn but I cleared my throat.

"Why did you only bring 300 warriors? Where is Sparta's great army, the one my father worshiped and served?" I asked bluntly.

He glared, not at me, but into the distance. "The oracle has spoken and said that we do not go into war, instead pray to the Gods and wind."

Never had I held any sort of respect for the oracles and mutant priests, nor did my parents. Though it was Spartan law that the King abide the oracle's words. My eyes narrowed as well, "I am glad that the oracle's words did not stop you... Corrupted politicians no doubt. You must know that when I return to the capitol, I shall force them send reinforcements."

Captain Artemis stood besides our King. He raised an eyebrow at my words, "Force?"

"Yes, I will force them." I repeated confidently. "Sparta must not fall."

And the ground began to shake, small rubble and rocks falling down from the jagged rock cliffs. Some men held up their shields to prevent the rubble from hitting them, I covered my mother with my own shield... Father's shield.

"Earthquake!" said Captain Artemis.

But the King shook his head and smirked, "Battle formations Captain!"

I could hear the battle, sometimes a few spears flew into the Hot Gates from being misaimed. I kept the horses ready, my mother sat against the wall and at times managed to open her eyes.

The clang of metal, screams of agony, and systematic cheers of the Spartans echoed off the rock fortress walls. From the small angle in the Hot Gates, we were hidden from the view of the Persians, but just around the corner raged a battle. I felt like a coward, always jumping when a spear flew into the path.

My father did not teach me to retreat.

My father did not teach me to hide.

My father did not teach me to leave the fighting to others.

I was sick of sitting here and ready to run, I would help kill as many Persians as possible. If we Spartans were pushed back and broken, I would take my mother away from here as ordered. My hair already braided and out of the way, I picked up the spears and lifted my shield at the ready.

My mother's eyes were slightly open, but I could tell she was on the verge of falling asleep once more. "Mother, I will fight with the men. I will not let any harm come to you."

I hated to leave her side, but I wanted to break the Persians as they broke my family. Turning around the corner, I found myself running through a mass of dead bodies.

Slaughtered Persians.

The Spartans pressed forward, meeting the attackers a distance away from the Hot Gates. I had never laid my eyes on Persians, the ones who slew Father had masks and were far away in distance, and now I saw hundreds of them. Their skin was dark, most had even darker hair to compliment the tone, and wore strange clothing. Metal loops and jewelry hung from odd places in their ears and even face. Did their culture find piercing holes in your lips and cheeks attractive?

"SPARTANS!" The bellow of King Leonidas was easily heard. "SHIELDS!"

In unit, they crouched and protected themselves with their shields. Each man protected his neighbors, no amount of arrows could pass through such a defense formation. Looking past them, I saw the threat.

Half a dozen men on horseback charged towards the Spartan group, bows and arrows in their arms. Bending my knees and pulling my arm back, I took a deep breath as I aimed. The man in the middle was my first target, he held more armor than the others, and I assumed he was the leader. I shouted a war cry I heard my father use often, and threw.

The Persian archers aimed at the Spartans and fired, watching as their arrows flew through the air. That was the weakness in the bow, it took time to reload and fire an arrow, and in that time one was vulnerable. I knew how to use a bow, but preferred the sword. With the mass of bodies beneath my feet, it was easy to pick up more spears. They were abundant, and most stood straight up as their points laid buried within a body.

Quickly, as the archers witnessed as their leader flew off his horse dead, I threw another spear. It pierced in the chest of a second Persian, and I pulled out another spear. The Persians looked past the Spartans and caught sight of me. I heard them shouting in their native language, and I cursed in my own as they loaded arrows into their bows. Four more still rode on.

Two took too long to even place their arrows in the bows, and they fell with spears lodged in their necks.

An arrow shot towards me, and I raised my shield. I heard the thin wood pierce the metal, a second arrow whizzed off course to my right. They were vulnerable once more, and they knew it. Lowering my shield I threw a fifth spear, and grinned in satisfaction as it caught the Persian in the stomach. The sixth and last man managed to get his next arrow ready, and was aiming when the spear ended his life as it pierced his skull.

"Spartans! Rise!" I shouted and ran past them. The leader of Persian archers, the first to fall, gasped for breath as his body shook in pain. The blood leaked through his shirt and armor, reddening the dirt around him.

"Sparta..." He coughed and grinned madly. An insane man, even in the face of death. "...Will fall."

"Then, we shall see you in hell!" I slit his neck, and his body stopped moving, his chest went still.

Wiping the blood off my blade, I used the dead man's sleeve. As I turned around, I blinked in surprise.

"By the Gods..." Captain Artemis trailed off.

The men stared in shock and I tugged on my braid nervously. "Sorry my King, but I refuse to sit and hide behind rocks."

Leonidas was the first to react, he began to laugh. Taken aback by the lack of scolding or punishment from him, I shifted uncomfortably. "My king?"

"Lift your shield as high as you can." He said coolly.

Doing as he asked, I lifted it up until my arm was straight and could reach no higher. Then I understood what the King was doing, and I grinned. "I can protect my neighbors perfectly well sire, though I may lack in brute strength a bit..."

He raised a hand, motioning for silence. Snapping my lips shut, I waited for his decision. "You may fight with us but behind the front line. You will help care for the injured and bring them water. And most importantly, if I order you to flee for the capitol, you leave without protest."

"Of course my King." I sheathed my sword and glanced over my shoulder. "The next wave should be arriving soon. Where is your will sire?"

"Find a place in the last line of the formation." He directed.

I frowned at the placement, but knew that it was better than sitting and doing nothing. To fight was an honor, to fight wit the King and this best men was an honor that my father would have taken in a heartbeat. I may start in the back of formation, but as the battle raged on formation broke, and it was a kill or be killed situation. I'm sure I would be able to fight in the front at some point. Nodding, I started to walk to my place when I caught Astinos' eyes. Smiling at him, he gingerly smiled back.

Reaching the back line of formation, then men made room for me in the very center. "Thank you." I stepped in and cracked my knuckles.

"First kills eh?" a man whispered from my left.

I shook my head, "I've killed thieves who attempted to harm me in the night. I helped my father hunt as well, lots of target practice."

He chuckled and cracked his own knuckles, making me smile. He looked to the ground. "Cut your cape."

"Why?" I felt defensive about it, I would try not to tear my father's cape in battle.

"You will trip over it in battle, it is too long for a woman."

Thankfully, he did not say it in an insulting tone, and so I followed his advice. Reaching down, I ripped the material so that it no longer dragged on the ground, instead it barely grazed the surface. "Many thanks, that surely saved me from a nasty trip."

"And a nasty death."

"That too." I admitted in good nature when several of the surrounding men sniggered.

One of them was the guard from the pervious night. "Your name Spartan?"

"Stelios." He answered straightening out.

"You have my thanks Stelios, for not turning my mother and I away last night."

Stelios winked, I could see it even in the shadow of his helmet, "No need to thank me, you will though when I save your life. Stay close woman."

"My name is Alcina and remember it when it is I who saves you." I laughed when he frowned, many of the Spartans joining my laughter.

The dried blood was everywhere on me, I felt dirty. It felt like paint, but it was not. I had ended countless lives this day, I did not wish to know how many, for it pained me to see that the God-King of Persia sent these men to their doom. But war it was, either kill or be killed. King Leonidas met with the Persian King Xerxes. Captain Artemis feared that the Persian ruler would seek to kill our King, but Leonidas returned safe and unharmed.

It was upon his return that he gave the strangest orders, we were to build a great wall.

"Of what my King?" I asked, clearly not understanding.

Stelios grinned and kicked a body at his feet. "Of them."

"Ah." I felt sick just smelling and seeing their bodies, how could I touch them?

I assume my disgust showed on my face, for King Leonidas waved me off. "Watch over your mother. Tend to the wounded."

With these orders, I walked to the Hot Gates. Mother slept on, muttering incoherently to herself. Tend to the wounded said the King... But what wounded?! Not a single one of the Spartans had fallen yet, few received minor cuts and bruises. Nothing serious. The cloth I used to cool what was left of fever had dirtied, and I sighed. Picking it up, I cringed as the red blood from my fingers stained the cloth.

Returning to the beach, I looked for the nearest Spartan. Astinos and Stelios heaved a body together, sharing the weight. "Is there fresh water nearby or will we be drinking the sea?"

Stelios snorted, "Who drinks the sea? Besides, I just relieved myself not two minutes ago in that water."

Astinos grunted as they threw the body, and I looked away. Flies had already settled on the corpses and I remembered the possibility of disease. "Be sure to wash your arms and hands after touching... Them."

"Of course my lady." Said Stelios without much thought. "Astinos knows where the spring is."

"Stelios, tell my father where I am if he asks." Astinos was about to scratch his face but after I gave him a stern look, had he not heard what I said about washing, he lowered his arm. "Follow me."

We walked through the Hot Gates and emerged on the other side, "How far must is this spring?"

"Not far at all my lady."

"No titles, I am your fellow soldier, address me as you do the others."

"Then you are free to call me Astinos."

I grinned, "I already do."

"Oh, right." Astinos and I followed along the rocks for several minutes, I struggled to start conversation.

"So, your father tells me that you have brothers? How many?"

He smiled, as if bringing their faces up into his mind, "Two."

"And no sisters?"

"No, I think I'd go mad if I had another woman in the house! My mother is already enough."

Laughing at this, I noticed we walked up a small trail. The rocks came closer and closer, making the path more and more narrow. "And you are the eldest? Your father also mentioned that all the men have born sons to carry on their name if they should fall... Are you not too young to have-"

"I am not a married man." Astinos tone became grew cold. "If I am to fall, my father still has two sons left to carry our name. It matters not if I die."

My mirth disappeared. After a moment of thought, I cupped his chin. "Your father loves you, actually, you're his favorite."

He looked straight into my eyes, as if checking to see if I attempted to deceive him with my words. "You're lying."

"I'm not!" I rested my hand on his cheek. "When you are not looking he watches you... The pride in his eyes and face is unmistakable. You are his eldest. You are his bravest. You are his best. I know he acts indifferent, even a bit irritated, when you speak with him but he does it to hide his pride." Dropping my arm, I patted his shoulder sympathetically. "You will catch him watching you... And you will see what I speak of."

Allowing him to gather his thoughts, I brushed past him, following the path on my own. There was no way to get lost, the only way to go was straight. Not a minute later I finally walked into a clearing. The rock hills of the sea had almost formed a room in the middle of them, and in the middle was a rather large pool of water. The rock naturally dipped and formed a perfect hole for gathering rain water.

Dipping the cloth into the water, I washed it and heard Astinos walk in behind me. I quickly rubbed the blood off my hands and arms. Astinos didn't say anything, and so I left him alone. Crouching down besides me, he began to reach into the water when I shook my head. "You have touched corpses, you could poison the water with dist."

"Then how am I supposed to wash as you commanded?" His smile betrayed the serious tone he used.

"I'll pour the water on you arms, you scrub." I cupped the water and let it drop on his arms. The process was a bit slow, as my hands could not hold much water without it leaking through gaps between my fingers, but it worked. Soon his arms were clean and satisfied with my own, I cupped one last worth of water and splashed it on my face.