The prince of Amazon! Brother to Hippolyta, Penthesileia, and Antiope. Son of badass Mars, at your service.
(This is a rewritten version. More sophisticated, I hope.)
PLS PARTICIPATE IN THE POLL! POLL IS IN MY PROFILE PAGE.
PLEASE FAVORITE'N'FOLLOW!
HERE WE GO!
Chapter 1 Agnotos, Slayer of giant piggies
Once upon a time, when time was still young and humanity still frail, a vibrant spark of life was born.
Young yet brilliant, the untainted soul entered the web of the three fates. Into their midst it flew, like a dazzling star into the still turning threads of destiny.
The soul of a baby.
A baby, abandoned in the valley of all hideous and monstrous creatures.
A valley of the arcane, of hidden secrets, of forbidden knowledge, of grueling trials.
The baby had ink-black hair with an occasional slash of white mixed between, and reddish-gold eyes filled with life. His brown skin was the color of beautiful wood, his limbs were the epitome of a healthy new-born.
Golden grass rustled where he slept. The winds whistled his favorite lullaby. The silvery moon shone upon where he rolled in his peaceful sleep.
Sometimes the raging thunder rumbled, and sometimes the heavy rain struck. Sometimes the howling gales upturned the land, and sometimes the earth shook the trees.
However, never once did those wild weathers or those seemingly bizarre phenomenons scare him, or made him cry.
Spirits came to inspect in interest, peeking, and poking at the ball of energy. They cuddled him in their arms, cooing at his cute giggles, laughing when his adorable mouth opened wide in awe.
They called him Agnotos, 'the unknown'.
Agnotos, the small prince of the wilds. Agnotos, the one without a name.
Agnotos knew not when he was born, nor how he was kept alive.
What he did know, was that he was no normal human child. No, he was in fact, a demigod. A fiery soul, fated to grow into a mighty hero.
Unknown to him, Agnotos was born into the Amazon royalty, his mother being the proud queen of Amazons. Otrera, the creator and first Queen of the Amazons. Otrera, the honored daughter of Eurus (the east wind) and consort of Ares.
In other words, it meant he should've been killed upon birth, for that was the Amazoness Creed. No males were allowed to stay in the tribe, even if he were to be a prince.
At least, that was what the outsiders believed.
The truth, however, was a tad different.
Normal male babies were left in the wilderness to survive on their own-though almost every single one of them dies in the process.
The select few who survived were either taken into different families as an adopted child, or taken in by slave merchants.
The royalty undergoes the same trail, but with a privilege. The baby was allowed to keep an object granted by their parents, and in Agnotos's case, a present from his mother.
Agnotos's gift was the ancient medallion of Helios, the old titan of the raging sun. 'Where did she get such an overpowered relic?', one might ask. The answer is, she didn't.
Otrera, being the Queen of the Amazons, had four children with the war god Ares. And with each child, she received a heavenly gift from the war god to keep their children safe.
The first three were girls, so they each received a girdle (waist-belt), a necklace, and a tiara; the traditional outfit of an Amazon royalty.
The last child, however, was a boy. Agnotos, the prince of Amazon. It was an understatement to say that Ares was overjoyed. Agnotos was his first male demigod, after all.
So jubilant he was, he didn't even notice drawing upon the attention of Aphrodite. A troublesome goddess who would, later on, grow to love meddling with our young hero, but that's a story for another time.
Ares contemplated long and hard on what gift to bestow upon his son. He was still deep in thought when the incident happened.
An incident that would forever derive fate from its path.
It happened on pure coincidence, just when he was rummaging through the treasury of Olympus. A blazing spear of fiery light pierced through the heaps of treasures, and pointed in the direction of his newborn son.
He squinted his eyes as he picked up the still radiant object, widening them in awe when he realized what he held, and what the pillar of light indicated.
A beginning to a legend.
A revive of a myth.
A chosen successor of the titan's relic.
Thus, Ares sent his newborn son one of the greatest artifacts that gods had bestowed to man in Greek history.
The medallion that burns all darkness. The symbol of Helios.
"Son of mine.", he spoke in his gravelly voice.
"I shall offer thee the ultimate relic of protection."
With those exact words, he pushed the red-hot medallion into his son's flesh, tormenting the baby with extreme pain. Needless to say, Agnotos didn't like his gift.
Let it be known that Ares had very few demigod children in history, Agnotos being his very first boy.
Let it also be known that Ares was a dedicated and protective father, so doting that he even overstepped several boundaries by gifting a titan relic to a mortal.
That being said, with his new medallion engraved into his chest, Agnotos survived the harsh wilds.
'What do you mean by engraved? How did the relic merge with his mortal flesh?', an esteemed magus might ask.
Normally, divine artifacts could only be weld by powerful mortals such as demigods, but never could they be a part of them. However, the medallion was different.
Unique by all standards, the medallion had its own will. Unlike how the wielder chooses the weapon, the medallion chooses its owner.
At first glance, the medallion looks like a circular piece of gold with a giant ruby carved into the pattern of the sun, perched on top.
Yet, its true potential was to grant its owner the power of the sun by creating an inner world within the owner's psychological landscape.
By doing so, it redefines its owner's flesh into its very own astral plane, a boundary field similar to what modern mages call the 'reverse side of the world'. The reverse side of the world is a place where mysteries and miracles are as common as the air itself, pungent with the force of the unknown.
In the modern age where magic was dwindling, deities and phantasmal beasts sought fortitude in the reverse side, a side anchored beneath the frail matter of 'scientific reality'. Basically, it was a different reality.
The medallion acted somewhat like a dimensional loophole of sorts, for it created a reverse world within the matter of reality itself.
With this overpowered relic literally in his chest, he was left in the valley of trials; the most dangerous part of the enormous valley where Amazons left their male babies to the wild.
All sorts of phantasmal beasts roamed there, but with the medallion protecting him, no harm had befallen the young demigod.
Despite being a baby who had no access neither control over his relic, the beasts veered off, frightened by its very presence.
Ares even sent a silver wolf to act as his nanny by giving the newborn the milk he needed...Romulus vibes? Of course. There must be something with Ares, seeing how he tends to nourish his sons with wolf milk.
Anyways.
The child grew with nature itself.
Dryads used to give him nectar, fruits, and nuts, while the nymphs granted him freshwater and fish. They (unintentionally) taught him how to 'make friends'-which was actually the techniques needed to ensnare a woman's heart-, sing, and dance.
The fae who occasionally visited entertained him with old songs and dances, floating orbs of colorful prana and enticing butterflies. One of them, Vivian was her name, was generous enough to gift him the ability to walk upon water.
He was a child of the harsh wilds, a beloved prince of nature.
The toddler was fearless. One time, he even bit off the head of a snake while his guardian wolf was asleep. Hercules would have been proud.
Needless to say, the poor wolf was absolutely horrified when she found blood trailing from his mouth, while the body of the dead snake dangled lifelessly in his small hands.
There was also a time when the toddler somehow managed to worm himself into the den of a sabertooth lion; a fearsome phantasmal beast and cousin to the Nemean lion. He also somehow managed to befriend the small cub inside. He even had the balls to play with the cub while its mother watched.
One could only imagine the shock of his guardian when an amused sabertooth showed up on her doorstep, a slumbering Agnotos in its mouth.
Years flew by as the frail newborn matured into a young boy of ten.
A boy old enough to grip a bloody sword. The age of one who was ready for his very first challenge.
That was when Ares decided to give his son his first test, a trial of the divine.
He created a humungous boar the size of seven full-grown men, and disguised the monster as a pile of dirt. He then threw a newly forged spear in front of the pile.
The spear was a masterpiece, for it was three spears coiled and intertwined into one.
Each half-transparent spear shone individually in its full brilliance, one in the sapphire, the other in topaz, the last in ruby.
A spear, he bribed Hephaestus into making. A spear, worthy enough for a god.
This cost him quite a huge bit of favor, but he shall willingly ignore that for now.
The spear tore through the air with a ghostly howl and landed with an earth splitting boom. Huge plumes of dust filled the sky, scaring the tree dryads out of their wits.
"Do try not to disappoint me, my son.", he drawled with a cruel smile.
Ares may be a caring father, but he was also utterly ruthless when he wanted to be.
"Show your father what you are made of!"
POV Agnotos
I was spending my time with Ahri, my mother fox (she told me that she disliked being called a wolf) when the ground abruptly shook.
I was just about to assassinate a giant snake (which I failed because of the startling noise) and whipped my head towards the source of the commotion.
A cloud of smoky dust rose from the open plains in southwest, located not far from here.
"Come, let's go!", I coaxed Ahri as I hopped onto her back.
She took flight as my vision narrowed from the intense acceleration.
Ahri could warp through short distances which came into handy in a lot of situations. Spirit rush, she named it proudly.
We reappeared before an open plain which was once beautiful, now destroyed by an enormous crater.
There, right before my eyes, stood the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
Ahri made a choking noise in her throat as she too saw the magnificent spear, half-obscured in the haze.
I jumped from her back as I eagerly rushed towards the weapon, almost expecting it to disappear before my eyes. To my relief, it didn't.
Ahri suddenly appeared by my side, pushing me away with her nose.
"What-!"
I froze as the sickening crunch of breaking bones reached my ears.
A silver tusk, three times the size I am, had brutally punctured Ahri's belly.
Why? Who? How?
A dozen questions tumbled around in my mind as my breath hitched.
I've got to help Ahri or she'll die! I've got to-
A deafening roar blew my thoughts away. The source turned out to be even more intimidating than the roar itself.
A giant boar, more terrifying than any other beast I had ever seen before, rose from the earth.
Trails of dirt slid off its stygian hide as it shook its neck, tearing Ahri off its tusks and tossing her aside by doing so.
Normally, I would've retreated or fled. But now, I saw red.
I tried to calm myself down, but I was already moving.
If I went Ahri's direction, she might get caught in the crossfire. Worse, I even may have to fight while protecting her.
I did a quick assessment of my tools as I charged in the boar's direction, shouting insults that would make Ares proud. Several hunting knives, a string of rope, a bow, and a few arrows.
I threw my knife at its eye, just to make sure I caught its attention. It bounced harmlessly off its hide as it gave me an angry snort.
It lowered its head-a sign of charging. Good.
The massive brute exploded with a force that would've knocked out Zeus's balls, its silver tusks directed straight at me.
I rolled to the side, hooking my rope around one of its tusks as it ran past me. My heart was pounding in my ears as my hands shook.
With fear? Nah. With fury? Of course!
This fucking pig dared to hurt my Ahri! My mother! This giant pile of shit dared!
I grabbed a handful of arrows as I shot them into its drooling mouth, one after another.
"Eat this!", I shouted.
The boar squealed in anger as it charged at me once more.
This time, I jumped onto its snout and stabbed with the knives clutched in my hands, one into each nostril. Apparently, the boar didn't approve of my face surgery.
The boar flung its head around in frenzy, lurching my stomach from one side to another.
I felt my inside contents burst from my mouth as I vomited right into its eye. Yikes, what an eyesore...Serves him right.
The boar sure didn't like that. It reared its head and slammed it against the earth.
The repetitive impact was so strong, it created a colossal shockwave, and that was what I had been waiting for.
My body was launched straight into the air, and my hand grasped the rope I had hooked earlier. I tugged with all my strength.
A searing pain shot through my arm as tendons ripped and bones popped, but I clenched my teeth and endured.
I tugged with every ounce of my strength.
My teeth fractured under the pressure I bit. My eardrums split.
The boar roared as it finally charged towards the opposite direction I had been tugging at.
To where? The spear, of course!
The rope groaned in protest when I looped it around the spear as the boar ran past. Luckily, its charging force proved to be sufficient enough to dislodge the spear from the unnaturally hardened ground.
I caught the spear in my hands as my rope finally snapped. The rope was enchanted by several friendly dryads, but even that seemed to have reached its limit.
I sent a quick apology to the dryads, promising that I would avenge them.
Meanwhile, the boar must have sensed my lifesaver was gone because it made an abrupt turn.
I was flung again into the air due to its crazy momentum-this time, horizontally.
The boar's hatred fueled eyes met mine. No words were needed.
The boar made its one final charge.
The ground caved in as the shockwave split the earth as Poseidon split the sea.
I was still spinning through the air, with nowhere to run.
It neared me.
"You did not trap me-", I whispered.
"For it is I that trapped you."
The spear let forth a low howl as it whirred to life.
I knew not why I felt so certain, so powerful, but I knew what I must do.
A vortex of dazzling light appeared in my right hand as the spear promptly dissolved, creating three mainstreams of whirling colors.
Red, blue, and yellow.
Intertwining and convoluting, weaving into a splendid stream of starry white energy that banished all obstacles.
The spear of Mars, the crystallized concept of war, the combined power of humanity.
All came together at a single point aimed at the now frantic-looking beast.
A name formed in my mind as the spear spoke, urging me for its release.
I threw.
"Skysplit Photon Ray (The Gouging Spear of Mars)!"
The vortex of incredible power impaled the boar and gouged right through its impressive bulk like butter.
The spear of tremendous light flew on until it struck the looming mountain, far away on the horizon.
A blinding light filled the sky as the clouds vaporized from the intense heat.
The vortex moaned as it converged yet once more, concentrating beyond belief.
A colorless hole appeared.
A hole of the void.
Reality cracked and splintered as all hades broke loose.
The inferno accumulated within the mountain erupted in a shower of golden flames.
Streaks upon streaks of fire flew past the glowing horizon, soaring through the sky like shooting stars.
What willpower that kept me moving seeped out of my limbs.
I felt exhausted. So very exhausted.
A streak of light made of three colors flew towards me.
My spear?
No, a human? A god?
Either way, I was already on the brink of collapse.
"Ahri.", I whispered as a beautiful woman dressed in exotic white clothes caught me with the utmost care.
"Please. My mother. My fox.", I begged her.
She wore a tiara woven with the finest silk and a crown of three stars that adorned her forehead.
Crimson eyes stared into mine, filled with unfathomable emotion.
Somewhere high up, Mars sparkled in the darkening night sky.
The last thing I saw before the nothingness engulfed me was her crimson orbs, pulsing warmly in the dark.
"...Ah..."
The figure hovered in the dark with the young boy cradled in her arms.
She slowly stroked his cheek, as if afraid she might break him.
"O' son of Mars, Prince of the Amazon. I welcome thee.", she whispered.
"Daughter of Sefar, White Titan of Tassili n' Ajjer, mighty destroyer of civilizations. I see that my son had woken you up from your long slumber underneath that mountain."
A pillar of light descended from the stars and took a humanoid form.
The collective will of war known as Mars, or more commonly called as Ares, materialized beside her.
His eyes scrutinized the young woman before him as if to define some hidden secret.
"…Sefar? I'm afraid I don't understand, O' god of war."
Silence.
He stared at her.
She stared back.
Ares sighed, after sending her one final incredulous look.
"I've suspected you might have incorporated my sword as a viable data source, but never once did I truly believe that you would humanize yourself as such.", he muttered.
He shook his head again in disbelief.
"At least, not until I've seen with my very own eyes."
"…."
She remained silent; not knowing how to answer back.
Ares noticed her confused look, barely apparent in another's eyes.
"Nah, don't care about what I just said. Just…try not to destroy everything in sight, and keep an eye out for my boy, OK?"
"Understood.", the young woman said with a nod.
"Fox needs help.", she added.
Ares shot her an arrogant smirk.
"Look again."
Her eyes widened as she saw the scenery contort, revealing a clay fox where the injured Ahri was supposed to be.
Instead, Ahri was safe and sound, curled in a ball with her snout snuggled inside her fluffy tail.
She was asleep on the spot where they had first entered the arena Ares had set up for them.
"A boundary field.", she realized.
"Correct. It would be rather heartbreaking for my boy if I hadn't set anything up, eh?"
"You set up this trial to both test him and awaken me."
She stared accusingly at Ares.
Ares shrugged with a mischievous grin.
"I shall take my leave. Say hi to my boy!"
With those words, he was gone.
The girl stared unflinchingly at the blank space before her with a small, small frown.
If someone had looked closely, they would have sworn that she looked a little disappointed.
After a few minutes, she too disappeared, carrying a giant fox and a boy in her arms.
Somewhere far away, a certain hero raised his head.
"What's up, Hercules? Something caught your attention?"
"Nothing, Jason. Nothing."
Oh, the age difference between the MC and his sisters is quite large. About ten years or so.
That's why our good ol' muscle dude is already with the Argonaut. Oh, yes. He is still on his twelve labors. Though the travel of Jason is yet to start! (A small diversion from history)
REVIEW TO LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!
X-kalibuuuur, over and out!