A/N: This is not The Tales of version of Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods or Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes, but rather The Tales of version of a book I got of Greek and Roman Mythology I got in Rome Italy. The settings will be after 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Blood of Olympus' so please read that before getting in this story. Think of this story as something to pass by until The Trials of Apollo books.


Ajax

No, this isn't going to be a short chapter, and there's no brief mention on either person. Both Ajax have quite a reputation. Not as big as Achilles or Aeneas, but still more than enough to mention.

I'm going to start with the first Ajax—the namesake of the two.

This Ajax was the son of Telamon and nephew of Peleus—thus Achilles' cousin. He commanded the left wing of the Achaean camp at Troy. He was second most powerful hero in the army, only bested by, you probably guess right, Achilles.

He was considered strong, large, handsome, calm, and self-controlled. He was heavily armed with a remarkable shield, made of seven layers of oxhides, the eighth and outermost coating being a sheet of bronze. He was also taciturn, benevolent, and god-fearing, but he lacked the sensitivity, love of music, and kindness of Achilles. He was considered the first and foremost a man of war.

Ajax's story starts before the Trojan war, when Heracles came to invite Telamon to take part in his expedition against Troy. He found Telamon in the middle of a banquet. Heracles stretched his lion-skin beneath him and begged Zeus to grant Telamon a son as brave as himself and as strong as the lion whose skin he pointed. Zeus granted his prayer.

In another myth Ajax was already been born at the time of Heracles' visit, and the hero wrapped him in his lion-skin, asking Zeus to make him invulnerable. The child grew up to be so, except for those parts which on the body Heracles supported the quiver armpit, hip and shoulder.

When Ajax left for Troy, his father advised him to fight first of all with the spear, but also with the help of the gods. Ajax replied that 'the coward as well could be victorious with the helped of the gods'. Then he seemed to remove the picture of Athena from his shield, thereby triggering her wrath.

Not very wise of him. Especially compare to his cousin Achilles, or to Heracles.

Ajax played an important part in the preliminary expeditions. He was appointed to command a fleet together with Achilles and Phoenix. He replaced Agamemnon as commander-in-chief when the latter as removed from position for having killed the sacred doe of Artemis. After the landing in Mysia Ajax killed Teuthranius, the brother of Telephus.

During the first nine years of the fighting before Troy, Ajax attacked the town of the Phrygian king, Teleutas. He also laid waste the Thracian Chersonese of which Polymestor was king. Polymestor surrendered Polydorus, one of his father-in-law Priam's children, of whom he had custody.

Ajax was also chosen by lot to fight Hector in single combat. He struck him to the ground with a stone, but the heralds then intervened to stop the fight. During the Achaean defeats he tried again to stop Hector but wounded and had to leave the field.

When Hector launched his attack on the ships Ajax was at the heart of the Achaean defense. He wounded Hector once more with a stone but the latter forced him to defend himself on his own ship. When Hector broke his spear on him he acknowledged the will of the gods and took flight.

Ajax returned to the battle after Patroclus' death. Hector was about to attack him and would have done so had not Zeus, in deference to the fate which ordained that Hector should fall under Achilles blows, enveloped them both in a cloud.

After the death of his cousin Achilles, during the final stages of the war, Ajax welcomed Achilles' son Neoptolemus, treating him as his own son and fighting alongside him. He also fought beside the archer Philoctetes, just as he fought beside the archer Teucer.

Once the city was captured, he demanded that Helen should be put to death, but Odysseus secured her return to Menelaus. Then Ajax demanded the Palladium as his share of the spoils, but Odysseus, under pressure of Menelaus and Agamemnon, prevented him taking it. Ajax threatened to take vengeance but the Atrides surrounded themselves with guards and on the following morning Ajax was found stabbed with his own sword.

Might be for the best, because Ajax might of even go after Aeneas and the trojan refugees if not stopped and we might of not have the Roman Empire if he somehow succeeded.

Another accounts of his death was that Ajax was refused the arms of Achilles. These arms had been destined by Thetis for whoever had inspired the most fear in Trojans. The Trojan prisoners were questioned and they named Odysseus who received the arms. During the night Ajax went mad, slaughtered the Greek flocks and killed himself the state of distraction into which he had fallen.

Ajax as not cremated but placed in a coffin and buried. The Athenians offered divine honors every year at Salamis.

Which was better than what the second Ajax done after fighting beside his namesake.

When name a kid after a famous hero, hoping they live up even a little bit to their name sake, can be rough. I should know. My mom named me after Perseus in hopes I have a happy ending he had, and I'm literally fighting for my life practically every day in hopes to get that happy ending. Hopefully that will come true when Annabeth and I start New Rome University, but until then I have to keep on fighting.

I don't know what expectation was set on Ajax of Locri son of Oileus but he was simply nicknamed Lesser Ajax just to distinguished him from his namesake.

But whereas the latter was heavily armed, the son of Oileus as armed with a breastplate of linen and a bow. Like his namesake Ajax, he was known from his part in great battles as well as the drawing of who would fight Hector to the death, fought in the battles around the ships, and around the body of Patroclus, and competed in the funerary games given in honor of Patroclus.

But that's where the comparison ends.

Where his namesake Ajax was considered man of war, this Ajax was known for the man of bad character. He was arrogant, cruel to his enemies, quarrelsome, and impious. He committed sacrilege against Athena when, during the capture of Troy, Cassandra had sought refuge near Athena's altar and statues. The Achaeans wanted to stone him for this act of impiety, but Ajax in his turn sought safety near the altar of Athena and so escaped death. But I guess Athena didn't want to tarnish her altar with his blood, because on the return journey, Athena sent a storm which wrecked a large number of Achaean ships, including the one in which Ajax was traveling.

Nevertheless he was saved by Poseidon. And how Ajax showed thanks to my dad? He boasted that he had survived the goddess's wrath, whereupon Athena insisted he should be destroyed. Normally my dad and Annabeth's mom don't agree on anything except on certain occasions, and unfortunately for Ajax, this was one of those occasions. Poseidon took his trident and broke the rock which Ajax had taken refuge and drown him. Other stories say Athena herself destroyed him with a thunderbolt. Since Poseidon didn't save him this time, I guess my dad thought it was for the best this time around.

Just to show, don't show your gratefulness to a god/goddess that saved you by boasting your survival to the other god/goddess that tried to kill you.

But Ajax's punishment didn't stop with his death. The sacrilege he committed continued to oppress his countrymen, the Locris and there was a series of bad harvest. The oracle replied that these calamities were a sign of divine wrath (uh-duh), and that Athena would be appeased only if Locrians sent two girls to Troy each year for a thousand years, to expiate the rape of Cassandra.

This was done. But someone must have not told the surviving Trojans because they killed the first paired and scattered their ashes on the sea. Their successors were pursued by the populace, armed with sticks and seeking to put them to death. If they escaped they repaired barefooted to the shrine of Athena and there they stayed, unmarried, to very advance age. Thus expiated the sacrilege against Cassandra long after Ajax's death.

Well that's it of Ajax. Good riddance on the second guy. First guy, I just got to say I think he let his pride get the best of him.

Next is a founder of a group that held a ceremony in honor of Hera's and Zeus' wedding. Oh boy.