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"Deimos! We need to get out of here. There are too many of them, we must get back and get help!" Phobos shouted over the clash of blades.

"Shut up! If you can still speak then you can swing your sword," Deimos hissed. His red eyes glowed under the torches of the cave, his shadow moving just as fast as him.

"Damnit!" Phobos hissed.

He dodged a spear and brought his sword up before smashing it straight into the middle. With his free hand, he grabbed the kobold from the throat and threw him back. Another tried to attack him while he was distracted but he quickly ducked and thrust his blade straight through its jaw. A gurgle came from the beast before it slumped dead.

With each swing of his blade, he carved through the endless horde of the foul beast. Limb after limb, body after body; there was no stop to it all.

Slightly out of breath Phobos wiped the blood from his cheek and looked over at his brother. Deimos was long gone; his inner domain taking over him as he hacked and slashed at anything that came at him.

Phobos frowned and shook his head. All he could do was wish the kobolds stopped endlessly throwing their lives away.

"Come on then, come at me," Phobos snarled.

They watched him cautiously with their glowing yellow eyes before their canine instincts kicked in.

He quickly side-stepped to the right and threw a kick at his first victim. The kobold yelped in shock as it was launched away onto his comrade who was coming in to assist him. With his bloodied blade he swung to the left and severed the head of an unsuspecting beast. Its head was torn clean off, clean enough that it took the body a second to register what had just happened before the blood gushed out in waves.

Phobos didn't waste a second before he was on the move yet again. His eyes watched the feral beast, waiting for them to move against him. It wasn't until the last second that he saw a white blur out of the corner of his eye.

He turned only to get knocked off his feet, his blade skidding across the cavern. Something grazed his back as he felt the weight of the kobold on top of him. It stared down at him, its mouth open with its sharp canine teeth threatening to maul him to death. He grunted under the weight of the beast; trying to push it off him with all his might.

His efforts were stopped when it moved to bite him. Like a python, he grabbed the beast's neck and squeezed. He couldn't wrap his hands around the meaty neck but that didn't matter; instead, he used his thumbs to dig into its adam's apple.

It was a battle of endurance and perseverance as they both tried to desperately kill each other.

"Argh!" Phobos screamed before his thumbs tore into the skin. The beast stopped snarling, the glow of its eye dimming before it fell dead.

He shoved the body off and without any hesitation, hurled a knife at the closet kobold. His aim was true as the knife hit dead center on the hound's head. The power behind the throw was so hard that it tore through the skull, embedding itself into the wall.

"We need to leave now!" Phobos urged once more after pulling a spear out from one of the many corpses.

Deimos chose to ignore him, not even bothering to glance his way.

"Deimos! We need to-shit!"

Phobos rolled to the side and grabbed his fallen sword. With a quick thrust, his spear pierced the black-coated kobold through the chest. Another swing found his blade lodging itself deep into the side of a snarling beast. He dodged once more and parried an overhead swing. The metal kissed each other, sparking small flames to irrupt before he bashed his shoulder into the beast's stomach.

The beast stumbled a few times before he threw the spear at its leg. A sickening crack followed by a howl of pain spurred him to dash forward and behead the beast. He didn't get a moment's rest before he was again forced to parry.

The kobold was a lot bigger than the rest. Instead of leather armor, it wore a combination of leather and steel. Phobos ducked from a fast swing to his right only to be forced to leap back from an incoming murder stroke. The pommel found no target but the air where it managed to create a gust of air.

Phobos shook his head at the fact that a kobold knew the strange old sword technique from the medieval ages. If his life wasn't on the line he would've even praised the beast; sadly, that wasn't the case.

He quickly got up and flipped over the body of a dead kobold while grabbing the ax in its limp hand.

Without even a moment of rest, Phobos was forced to deflect another hard swing to his right from the gigantic broadsword. A cascade of sparks followed after. Phobos danced to the right, swinging the battle-ax with deadly accuracy at the exposed leg of the kobold. It was then that Phobos was reminded why kobolds were considered much deadlier than the wolves of Lycaons pack.

His swing missed entirely, cutting nothing but the air. It was then that he felt the kobold kick him in the sternum, knocking all air out of him and in turn throwing him against a jagged piece of rock. Phobos cried from where it embedded itself into his leg; the blood already dripping down in streams.

With his last dagger, he hurled the blade at the beast with no specific target. His aim was true, the blade sticking itself into the beast's right forearm. It was undeterred and simply grabbed the hilt and threw it to the side.

"Shit," Phobos grunted.

It was taunting him, knowing that he wasn't able to leave anytime soon; and if he did he wouldn't have gone far at all. But Phobos was a son of Ares and he wasn't going to die to a hound. With unimaginable pain, he pried his leg off and slowly got up.

He swore he saw a respectful nod come from the beast but it was gone in an instant as it charged at him. Phobos stood his ground and evened his breathing before raising his sword above his head and plunging it deep into the earth. The kobold didn't stop, seeing that nothing had happened. But it was at that moment when the slightest amount of hesitation flashed between its eye that the earth underneath it cracked and opened.

The kobold howled in shock as its body was swallowed whole. Phobos fell to his knee coughing out blood. His head was throbbing in pain and his vision was dimming. He could hear the distant cries of his brother who he knew was better off. Pushing himself off the ground he stumbled forward. Vividly seeing a kobold running at him he swung wildly hoping for his blade to hit. He knew that it found its target as he heard the unmistakable sound of the beast's body dropping to the floor.

Bodies fell left and right but no matter what there was always another. He could no longer walk without hearing or feeling the soaking floor; filled with bile, sweat, tears, and blood. Vividly he could see Deimos hacking, stabbing, and dancing his way through the swarms of enemies; seemingly not tired at all.

A howl stopped him in his step. Phobos side-stepped the incoming punch and threw his own at the exposed ribcage. The punch caused the kobold to stagger back. Using this opening Phobos charged in with a well-timed turning kick to the beast's side. A crack followed by a howl of pain then there was silence.

Phobos wiped the blood from his cheek and staggered on. His sword hand hang limply to his side but was still ready for anything that came his way.

"Come at me! Come here you fucking dogs!" Deimos screamed. His twin swords were like tiny whirlwinds, cutting up enemies left and right with zero resistance.

Unlike him Deimos was dripping in blood; his red eyes glowing in the dark like a feline cat. His mouth was formed into a permanent snarl as he hacked limbs, sliced skin, and pierce through the tough skin of the kobolds.

The scene could only be described by one word and that was madness.

"That's it Perseus. Watch your footing, don't just watch your enemy's blade; watch his form, his movement; every tiny detail counts. Fighting is like a game of chess. You study, adapt, and strike when the opportunity opens."

The two brothers were in the small fighting pit just a few ways away from the tree where Ladon guarded the golden apples of Hera. Phobos was in charge of teaching his little squire footwork today, something that the 10-year-old boy found very interesting.

"Good, just like that. Make sure to be firm but light on your foot. Being too rigid and tensed will result in your enemy knocking you over as if you were nothing but a feather." Phobos explained. He walked around him, gauging the strength of his limbs. "Relax your shoulders. If your arm is tense your ability to control your weapon will be deeply impeded."

Perseus' face scrunched. "I think I get what you're trying to say but I'm still not a hundred percent sure," he mumbled quietly.

Phobos chuckled. "No need to be scared, lil bro. Here, think of it this way. Your sword is an extension of your arm. You know how easily you can control your arms aye?"

Perseus nodded.

"Then just use that feeling when holding your sword. You want to swing left? Just remember that feeling but without a sword in your hand. It's simple yeah? All you need to do is swing left," Phobos demonstrated with a swing of his own.

Perseus saw how steady the blade was in his hand. It didn't even appear to be a separate object; in all honesty, it looked like Phobos was merely swinging his arm left.

"I think I get what you mean," he nodded. Perseus stood legs apart and took a deep breath. He made sure to hold the hilt of the sword tightly in his hand but not too tight; just enough for his wrist to be able to move and have the same mobility as the rest of his body.

With a deep breath, he swung the sword across the dummy. The blade, unlike before, tore through the hay stick man, cutting its head clean off. A dull thud broke the silence. Perseus stared, stunned, at what he had just accomplished.

"Did I…do that?" Perseus asked in disbelief.

Phobos whistled and looked at him appraisingly. "You damn well did, little brother," he ruffled his hair affectionately with a proud smile.

"I-I did it! Holy Tartarus I cut off the dummies head!" Perseus cheered.

Phobos laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately.

It had been a year - going on to two - since he was found by his new little brother and Erytheia. A time that he spent getting to know his new family and trying to hide his inner demons. Phobos smiled internally. Percy was a fun kid to be around; he was mischievous and cheeky but he was also serious when the situation said so. Sometimes Phobos found it unnerving how just a second he would be acting his age then the next he would be as mature as any adult out there.

Despite that, he still saw the cheeky little bugger as a little brother. To him, Deimos was his older brother so he never got the chance to watch out for another sibling, but with Percy around, he could finally witness and feel how an older brother should be.

"If you can do it once why not do it again?" he nudged him. Percy narrowed his eyes and readied his stance. Phobos watched with critical focus. He observed his legs, arms, and the soft rising of his body as he calmed his breathing.

"That's it, now remember that feeling; take a deep breath, steady yourself and then strike. Don't be scared and trust the blade, it is a part of you as much as you are a part of it."

Percy did exactly as he said and with a horizontal swing, he cut the dummy in half.

"Hell yeah! Did you see that big bro?! I did it again!" Percy whooped.

Phobos watched fondly. Days like these were great and teaching Percy was one of the greatest moments in his day and life. He was immortal and unlike everyone else, he found it as much as a curse as it was a blessing; don't take it wrong, Phobos was glad to be with his father and brother but they were really the only ones who he could rely on as a friend. There were mortals he'd befriended throughout the years but they always left him once their hourglass fell empty.

It pained him to watch them move on without him. To see them move onto another path with him barely standing on his. It was why he kept his distance from the mortals. He couldn't risk getting close to someone else only for them to disappear. What hurts the most were his true friends. The ones he had met and who had stuck with him through the wars that his father oversaw. He fought in them without Lord Zeus knowing, it was a crime and would occur in severe punishment but Phobos limited himself to the strength of a demigod.

He understood the need for a war unlike the more naive gods and mortals. But you could never truly control who dies; so as he watched his friends, those who live and those who died and he broke every single time.

But everything changed when he met Percy who he saw as his little brother in all but blood. He was someone to protect and someone to care for. Percy wasn't immortal but he isn't exactly mortal either. Phobos should've stopped himself from getting too close, knowing that one day Percy will perish...but that didn't stop him from holding onto that small grain of hope.

He still remembered that day. When he saw the scared little boy that day he knew that something had changed.

Now after a year here he was watching his little brother grow. He was happy but he knew that there will be a day that he too will-no, he didn't want to think about it. What he should do was train him, train him and prepare him so that he could live his life and not become a mere shell like him.

Line Break

Erytheia was pissed. She finished all her chores for the day but her last chore which was to feed Ladon ended up being a failure. The damn dragon was out of its mind. She tried to feed him but all the heads were being too picky. They didn't want to try nor come near her whenever she attempted to feed the big baby. After an hour of falling on her backside, getting spat on, and roared at she finally had enough.

She was already frustrated by then but whoa and behold Hesperia had to come around. Erytheia watched in annoyance as Ladon instantly went back to normal. She watched him draw close and open all of its mouths as it happily enjoyed the juicy meat.

Erytheia groaned at the memory, internally swearing to punish the dragon later. It was then that she remembered she had another little dragon to meet. With a huff, Erytheia turned to the east peak of the mountain where the designated training pit was at. A mad grin filled her face. She recalled Hesperia telling her that Phobos would be training Perseus today which meant she could hopefully beat the muscle head's ass.

With a dark chuckle, she followed the sounds of swords clashing and the familiar yell of her brother.

As she suspected Perseus was indeed yelling but not out of pain as he usually did with Hesperia, but with excitement and joy. She stumbled briefly at her brother's wide smile, not even hiding her own as she watched him dance around Phobos. Contrary to popular belief; she and Perseus did have a somewhat healthier relationship. Yes, they would fight more often but it just made them closer in an odd way.

Only when she was about a few feet away did Phobos notice her. He flashed her the infamous grin that he had first shown her on their first ever official spar; making her scowl. There was just something about that grin. Ignoring the annoying god she instead chose to address the little celebration.

Erytheia arched her eyebrow. "Why the cheering?"

Perseus stopped dancing mid-air like a deer caught in a headlight. He chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, sis, I just…wiped that dummies ass!" he finished after a break. Perseus smiled proudly, even going as far as to puff his chest forward.

Erytheia was about to make a snappy comment but stopped. "That's great to hear, but what about this doofus over here," she jabbed her thumb at Phobos, "he accomplish anything cool?"

Perseus looked at the two nervously before grinning. "Nothing is as cool as when he beats your ass!"

Erytheia looked murderous. She glared at the snickering Phobos who raised his hands in a placating manner.

"Hey, don't look at me, I didn't tell him to say that," he guffawed.

"...Grab a sword and get ready oh mighty son of the war god," Erytheia growled. She picked up a single-bladed sword from one of the racks and gave it a few experimental swings. It wasn't quite right but it was good enough.

Phobos on the other hand simply grabbed a blade of his own without giving it a single thought. He gave her that infuriating grin again before nodding. Erytheia returned the gesture and the two began to circle each other.

She moved first, dashing forward and thrusting the sword straight at the minor god. His eyebrows shot up at her speed but parried a second after, returning his own but faster and more accurate. Erytheia barely dodged the thrust before she swiveled left and crouched to sweep his feet from under him. Just like before he anticipated the move and merely lifted his leg before bringing his sword down.

Knowing she couldn't block nor parry she chose to roll away. Phobos raised an eyebrow and stalked towards her with his sword spinning lazily in his hand; something that provoked her to simply charge in. But she didn't and her choice was correct as she slashed at his midsection before stopping at the last moment and kicking him straight in the sternum.

Phobos let out an 'oof' and fell to the floor clutching his chest.

"Hmph, I guess the great Phobos can't take a kick even with all his muscles," Erytheia smirked. All she got in return was an amused smile that instantly got her on guard.

"Are you sure about that?" Phobos said cockily, making her take a step back and raise her sword in front of her.

Like a cheetah, he was upon her in a blink of an eye. Their blades struck against each other endlessly as they traded blow after blow. She would move to feint only to be met with one and so forth. It was like a mirror, but everything she did was done better. A small mock parry got her. She stumbled forward and just barely blocked a punch courtesy of Phobos.

Erytheia returned her own and even managed to hit him straight to the ribs. It didn't seem to faze him as Phobos turned towards her and grabbed her wrist. He pulled her close to him, her back against his chest as his blade rested at her neck.

"You surrender Princess?" he whispered.

"In your dreams, argh!" Erytheia growled before throwing her head back making Phobos release her from his hold.

He staggered back and wiped the blood that graced his nose. Erytheia cheered slightly but was forced to stop when Phobos threw a heavy swing to her left. The impact made a large clang sound loud enough to be heard from a few feet away; causing her to flinch. But that didn't contend with the power behind the swing. It threw her off balance and the only thing that kept her up was a pillar that ran around the edge of the pit.

Instead of retreating, she threw her own, which was parried away with ease. But Erytheia counted on this; she knew no matter how powerful she was she wouldn't be able to achieve what Phobos did so instead she applied just enough power for Phobos to think she was going to put everything behind her swing.

This caused her to smirk as she disappeared from his view. Phobos stiffened and with the speed that matched her own, he blocked the thrust directed to his back. Erytheia leaped back and kicked a handful of sand at him. The action was met with the most common reaction where the person brought their arm up to shield their eyes; something that Erytheia counted on.

She jumped forward and kicked him in the stomach before ducking low and sweeping his feet. Phobos stumbled back before falling on his backside where she proceeded to jump at him and aim the tip of her blade millimeters away from his neck.

"Checkmate," Erytheia said with a labored breath. She smirked at Phobos' pained groans and mentally cheered at her victory. "Did you see that lil bro? I guess he didn't do anything cool today," she said smugly.

Perseus didn't say anything except fiddle with his hands which confused her. Before she could ask him she felt the weight underneath her disappear. Next thing she knew she was laying on the sand with a grinning Phobos atop her

"Sorry Princess, but it looks like you're that one that's in checkmate," Phobos chuckled before getting off.

Erytheia frowned and made an obscene gesture behind his back. "One day Phobos, one day," she yelled after him. He waved goodbye without a glance back pissing her off even more; but when Perseus followed she almost lost it completely.

"You will rue the day I get you, you muscle head!" she growled. With a huff, she grabbed her real weapon - the kamayari - and began to go through her exercises. "I will show you," she said through gritted teeth. Her day was bad enough but this just made it worst.

"Get out of here brother, go and don't look back! You need to leave and seek help."

"Wait-"

"Shut up! Listen to me Phobos, remember, do not stray too close to Olympus; it is not safe no more. She will be watching," Deimos said as he kick another kobold away.

"Now go Phobos, get as far away as you can."

"But where will I go?!" Phobos hissed. He too was locked in combat with a snarling beastmen.

"Damnit-to the west. I do not know where, father was vague. Now go!" Deimos all but ordered.

He felt helpless. Here he was, the second-born son of Ares and he couldn't do anything but run.

"I-I can't Deimos! I can't just leave you and father. I'll fight! I can fight her with you!" Phobos cried. The broadsword in his hand felt heavy; he was scared like always and he cursed himself for it. Why did he have to be such a coward?! Why couldn't he fight like his brother, his father? How could he call himself a son of the war god if he couldn't do something so simple?

"Don't be stupid! You can't beat her Phobos, you can't," Deimos seethed. "You need to do what you do best and run."

Phobos felt sick. His brother's words struck true. He was a coward, he was weak, and he was everything opposite of his brother. Phobos swallowed roughly and turned to hide the look of shame and anguish that had ridden on his face.

"I'll fix this Deimos. I will get help and free you both," he said simply before taking off. He didn't spare a glance; nor did he hold in the small tear as he heard the sound of heavy footsteps and the battle cry of his brother as he did what he was known for, causing terror and panic in his enemies.

Line Break

Arethusa woke with a gasp.

"No! No no no! This can't be happening, why now? Why does it have to be him?!" she cried in fear. Not getting an answer she hurriedly grabbed her robe and ran out of her room. She had one destination - the highest peak of their mountain.

Arethusa fell to her knees, her eyes reddening from the tears that had already begun to spill. "Please great Chaos, please let this be false please don't do this," she prayed. "He is only a boy; you cannot throw this onto him. Pick me instead, just pick me damnit!"

Arethusa yelled at the thundering skies. She wept, and wept; her tears forever falling as her heart fell into pieces. Her hands began pounding on the dirt; her fist clenching so hard, hard enough to draw blood. Not even the pain stopped her as she screamed until her throat burned like the fires of Tartarus.

"Damn you! Damn you and your daughters! Y-you c-can't do this, you-" Arethusa stopped and looked up at the sky; hoping that just maybe, maybe the creator was watching. But before she could continue her pleas her vision dropped.

Just like that everything stopped. The clouds stopped thundering, the winds began to reside and everything turned back to as it was just minutes ago.

"Perseus…"

A.N Hope you guys liked the chapter. Any questions just dm me.

Next update will be...IHH!