The Crown of Slaughter: I

The moon was dim tonight, black clouds shifting to cover the brilliant luminescence given off by the sun's antithesis.

The forest floor was lost to darkness. Against the twilight night sky, black branches writhed like the tendrils of a monstrous, unseen beast, thickening in the distance to an impenetrable tangle as the bestial howls of nightmarish creatures sounded in the distance.

A snapped twig, a tumbled stone, the flight of a startled animal hidden in the brush…

Ominous storm clouds covered the sky, promising something terrible and fierce.

The bloodcurdling howls became louder; they were terribly close.

Hurried footfalls could be heard as a man and a woman sprinted through the forest; the woman cradled a little bundle of life in her arms as if it were already her pride and joy.

The man had a regal face, with hardened hazel eyes, as if he had seen and experienced far too much for any being to comprehend, with a sharp jawline with a Greek nose that led down to ruby lips. He had lean, broad shoulders, and held himself tall like a warrior, proud and defiant even as he ran from their pursuers through the trees.

The woman's almond shaped, blue eyes sparkled with the faux innocence of a young doe, contrasting deeply with the man's eyes. A button nose led into a perfect cupid's bow on her ruby red lips as her high cheekbones gave her an aristocratic look.

"Diomedes, they're getting closer!" she shouted over the bestial howls, her eyes widening in fear.

The man narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth in determination, "We will outrun them."

They kept moving forwards, never slowing down from a full sprint, but it was clear that their pursuers were gaining on them.

Through branches, the two zigzagged, the woman making sure to keep the little bundle of life safe as scratches and bruises could be seen on both the mortals.

For hours, they ran, yet the calls of the bestial came closer and closer, even encircling them at one point as if the beasts were taunting the two.

The man suddenly skidded to a stop, his feet kicking up the dust from the forest floor. The woman stopped right beside him in tandem, snapping her head to look at him.

The man's shoulders sagged in weariness as he turned to look at his wife.

"Alethea, you must go. I will hold him off."

"Diomedes…"

She looked at the man she loved, trying to memorize him, his features, as her husband looked like every bit the warrior-king he was.

"I will be fine," he stated forcefully, seemingly trying to not just convince his wife but also himself, "I've bested him once before, and I shall do so again."

The woman narrowed her eyes in slight anger, "You know he will be far more enraged this time and is seeking vengeance against you. Even with Lady Athena's aid, I am fearful you won't make it."

At this, the man's shoulders seemed to droop even more, "My love, I will be fine. You must protect our son. His life is more important than both of ours. I can sense he is destined to complete great deeds."

The couple embraced lovingly one last time, as the little bundle in the woman's arms began to cry and wail, sensing that it was the last time it would see its father.

Diomedes smiled lovingly at the baby, tapping him on his forehead as the baby immediately began to stop crying.

"Persetris… may the world know your name. May your accomplishments resonate throughout the ages, moreso than my own, moreso than the great Achilles and Heracles. May you grow to become a noble, honorable man. Father loves you."

Alethea turned and left rapidly with little Persetris in her arms, knowing there was no time to delay.

Diomedes watched her go with a heavy heart, the weight of reality settling in on his shoulders as he realized it would very likely be the last time he saw his wife and his son again.

He turned to face the ravenous beasts that dare attack his wife and his child.

His xiphos materialized out of thin air, its celestial bronze blade gleaming even in the tenebrosity of the forest, thirsting for blood. It had a simple leaf-shaped design, effective for both slashing and thrusting. Many deaths it had seen to by his hand, and it was eager for the taste of battle.

He smoothly sidestepped to avoid the gaping jaws of a wolf, grabbing it by the snout with a single hand and decapitating it with his xiphos.

Another snuck up behind him, trying to snap his head off with its massive jaws.

The Greek hero quickly dropped to the ground, letting the gray wolf sail over his head as he thrust upwards in one smooth motion, piercing through its flesh like butter.

It let out a loud howl of pain, and five more crept out of the brush, circling him and eyeing him warily after he had so easily dismantled their companions.

Diomedes grinned bloodthirstily; even the wolves flinched at this as Diomedes let his warrior side reign free for the first time in years.

As intimidating as they were, the canines stood no chance against the Trojan war hero, and they cowered beneath his prowess.

He leapt, dodged, ducked, and rolled without pause, constantly jerking away from the wolves' teeth and claws and killing each with one or two swift slashes.

He could sense a red, bloodthirsty aura around each of the wolves that radiated pure rage; there was no mistake that this was the work of the war god. He whirled around to jam his blade into the throat of another canine

"Enough."

A figure stepped towards Diomedes, its aura crushing and raging bloodthirst, yet the mortal stood strong against the onslaught.

He was a true brute of a man. A rugged, scarred face hid behind a scruffy, unkempt beard. In his ham-sized fist, a broadsword hummed with unbridled fury. In his fiery, rageful eyes, Diomedes could see the blood splatters across swords and spears, sounds of dying men permeating throughout his mindscape.

He already knew who it was.

"Ares."

It was a simple retort, but one that caused the god of war's eyes to blaze with fury and anger. To not address a god with their appropriate title was preposterous, something that no mortal dared to do. The gods would smite anyone who did so on the spot.

But Diomedes was no normal man, and he stood tall under the furious, crushing aura of the god of war.

"I will crush you, and your child, and perhaps take your pretty little thing of a wife for myself. In fact, my wolves are hunting your wife down right now."

Diomedes' blood ran cold for a second, before he steeled himself, knowing it was a bluff. He pointed his xiphos at the god, the golden blade shining even in the twilight, "I am Diomedes, the favored of the goddess Pallas Athena and the greatest of the Achaeans, second only to Achilles himself. I have fought you before, and no longer do I fear the pitiful, arrogant god of war. For may the king of Olympus, Promachos Perseus grant me strength to best my tribulations."

He'd taken a gamble, and it could either get him a blessing or get him killed. He could feel Promachos Perseus' eyes bearing down on him, judging his mortal soul for the choices he'd taken in life. Quietly he held his breath, as he noticed the world around him unmoving except for a snarling Ares.

It seemed that the King of Olympus finally made his decision, and a power that could only have come from Perseus himself seeped into his bones, pumping him full of energy and making him feel like he was twenty again.

Before he had more time to ponder, the war god unslung his broadsword.

Ares charged at Diomedes, swinging his massive broadsword down, yet the nimble man leapt to the side, the xiphos quickly reaching up to draw first blood.

The war god parried the strike with his forearm and thrusted with his massive sword towards Diomedes.

Diomedes rolled to the left and ducked behind a tree as the god of war cleaved the tree off with one strike. The war hero rolled again to the left, only to receive a boot to the chest. He stumbled backwards, jumping to the left to avoid the god's sword, and he reared his fist backwards to give the god of war himself a punch straight to the dome.

The god of war reared back in shock and pain, and he gingerly touched his temple to see ichor. A frightening blood red aura emanated from the god, and his eyes became a crimson red. He let out a roar, causing a massive shockwave, and the trees of the forest were decimated into stumps, logs falling everywhere.

The rage of Ares.

Diomedes widened his eyes.

Ares launched himself at the man, this time with a massive battle axe. The mortal ducked to the right, watching dumbfoundedly as the axe cleaved the ground in two.

The animalistic Ares pulled it from the ground and sent it flying in the mortal's direction, and Diomedes barely avoided having his head cut off.

The god closed the distance in less than a second, and an uppercut followed by a hook to his chest sent his sternum cracking.

The trojan hero stumbled backwards, and Ares summoned a shield to throw at Diomedes. Diomedes rolled under and sent a stab towards the god's gut, yet the tiny drip of ichor that came out seemed only to enrage the god further.

Ares roared furiously, backhanding Diomedes away as he felt four of his ribs crack under the stress. He landed on his back and rolled to the side as the god stabbed the ground where he'd just been.

He scrambled for the shield and turned around just in time to block Ares' punch. His own muscles strained and he could hear the god's knuckles crack under the duress, but if it seemed to pain Ares, he gave no indication of it.

A boot to the shield sent Diomedes flying again, and the mortal backpedaled to avoid the massive axe.

Ares moved quicker than ever, suddenly appearing in front of Diomedes as he swung his axe downwards.

The mortal was driven into the ground, and Diomedes gave up the shield, sliding in between the god's legs and trying to cut his tendons.

The god didn't even blink in pain. The mortal took a kick to the chest and landed painfully with his back against the stump of a tree.

He struggled to get up, but a boot planted itself on his chest, further cracking his sternum as Diomedes gave a hiss of pain.

A scream tore from his bloodied lips as the god applied even more pressure, caving his chest in.

"This…does put a smile on my face."

The sword came down on him as he closed his eyes.

The world faded to black.

AN: First of all, my main focus will still be on AOF (Ascension of the Fallen), my other story. This story serves as a prequel to AOF, feel free to check that story out on my profile!

The reason Ares doesn't completely decimate Diomedes in this fight is because Diomedes has bested him once before, as mentioned.

The story will be focused on a specific war that isn't too well documented; this war historically occurred around 400 BCE, but I've shifted the timeline backwards several hundred years.

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