Weeks have gone by. Everything was fine, nevertheless but Kratos had been going on a rampage yet again. No one was safe, many armies fell before Kratos and the Spartans who followed him on his unending path of conquest all in the name of his master, Ares. Kratos brought in Spartan soldiers to a village, ready to take action when the full moon reveals from the clouds.
"They built this temple to offer prayers to Athena. This entire village stands as an affront to lord Ares. BURN THIS VILLAGE, BURN IT TO THE GROUND." Kratos shouts as he began to take over the village. Temple after temple, the Spartans were slaughtering the people like animals. Kratos's army was ruthless, feared through out the world of their brutality. All that mattered was conquest in the name of their leader, Kratos who had become near invincible. He had stumbled upon a temple more different from the rest of the others. He felt something telling him to never cross its threshold, never step inside. A village Oracle steps in front of Kratos blocking his path.
"Beware Kratos, the dangers in the temple are greater than you know."
Kratos just simply ignores the words of the Oracle, he grab her shoulder and moves her aside as he kicks the door down with his blades of choas in hand. People who reside in the temple began to scream in panic and fear. Kratos began to kill them one by one, as a an orange aura was seen on the chained blades. He slaughters his next victim as two more were seen a few inches away from the Spartan general. A mist inside the temple was blocking Kratos's vision unable to see in front of him but he didn't care as he was consumed with only rage and bloodlust. He killed the two people with a slash and as the bodies laid before him, his knees hit the ground after he realized who he had killed. The images of his final victims were nonetheless than his wife, Lysandra and child, Calliope. He picks up his wife's dead body and looked in sorrow.
"My wife, my child. How? They were left in Sparta?"
A blazing fire appeared before the marked warrior amd the source of the element was showing Ares. He began to have words with Kratos.
"You are becoming all I'd hoped you'd be Kratos. Now with your wife and child dead, nothing will hold you back, you'll become even stronger along with Atreus. You will become death itself."
And as the flames consumed the temple, Kratos realized that his true enemies was the god who once saved his life and was now the same god who had taken everything from him. Kratos was on his kneels and clutching his fists in anger.
He yelled, "ARES!!!"
The Oracle approached Kratos.
"From this night forward, the mark of your terrible deed will be visible to all. The ashes of your wife and child will remain to your skin. Never to be removed."
And with that curse, all would know him for the beast he had become. His skin white with the ash of his dead family. The Ghost of Sparta had been born.
"It would seem that the boy had been right. He knew that something terrible would happen this very night. And this must be the very moment." The Oracle said to the Ghost of Sparta.
Kratos looked at the Oracle with confusion clouding his mind, "What are you talking about?"
The Oracle gestures her wooden cane to left side of the temple, Kratos was looking in the direction of where the Oracle was pointing and what came out of the shadows was Atreus with Lysandra and Calliope behind him. They were alive?
"How? I - You are dead, I saw you both die. Ares brought you here." Kratos says.
"Atreus created fake illusions of us. We were told to come here but now I believe that this was Ares's plan to get Calliope, Atreus, and myself to come here and see it that you kill us. We all heard his voice." Lysandra said to her husband as she and Calliope walk to him.
"He told me that with you dead it would make me stronger and that I would continue to serve him but now that you are alive I will no longer continue to serve Ares." Kratos said.
"So now what? What will Ares do now you will not become his slave anymore?" Atreus questions Kratos.
"I do not know, but for now let us go home."
Upon Mount Olympus, Ares had seen the whole scene from his circular reflection pool. Seeing how Kratos's wife and child was still alive means that he had been tricked by a mere child. And that angered him know that his plan to make Kratos a great warrior had failed. He walks out of his own chambers and arrives at an unknown location somewhere around Greece. Three women appeared before him. They were the fury sisters.
"Find Kratos and the boy. Bring them to me alive and kill that whore wife of Kratos and his bastard child." Ares ordered the furies.
"As you wish Lord Ares." Alecto bowed as they began to take off in another direction to hunt down their victims.
Kratos had found a place to stay for the night in Kirra to let Calliope, Lysandra, and Atreus get some rest. In the morning Kratos had woken up before his family and had been experiencing illusions of his old home in Sparta yet he believed it was not real. Calliope, Atreus, and Lysandra had joined him at the kitchen table and began to question why they were back home and he figured that they were experiencing the same thing. He tried to grab Lysandra's necklace from the table, he couldn't grab it as it just disappeared from sight. A shadow male figure with yellow spots appeared at the fire place.
"Your mind is troubled." The shade said as Kratos grabbed his blades and swung at the shade but he disappeared in an instant while the blade nearly hit Atreus when he dodged the blade in time.
"Watch the friendly fire!" Atreus yells at Kratos.
The shade appeared in front of him again, "Your skills are without equal but I can help you."
"Do you have business with me?" Kratos asked the shadow man with his blades of choas in hand.
"I do but this is not the manner to discuss it."
Atreus moved next to Kratos's side with his blades of Valhalla in hand as he sees an all too familiar figure stand next to the shade while walking to the front door. It was Atreus's mother, Laufey.
"Mom?"
The three Spartans began to look at him. Atreus walks forward but stops himself midway as he shook his head fighting the illusion, soon enough the shade handed Atreus an item that was known to him, it was his little sister's blue necklace that was similar Lysandra's. The illusion of his mother, and Kratos's home fades while the environment of the roon looked deserted and empty that caught everyone's attention.
"Have the visions ceased?" The shade questions the boy.
"Yes, and we see only you." Atreus replies back.
"Good, you will all need this skill for the path ahead."
"And what path is that?" Kratos asked the oath keeper.
"The path of freedom, Kratos."
"Freedom?"
"Yes, freedom from tbe furies who relentlessly hunt you all down in the name of Ares. Mostly freedom from your bond to the God of war himself."
"Break an oath with a god?" Kratos slightly chuckled, "Of all the minds in question, mine is not the one to worry?"
They all here a mysterious sound coming from all directions.
"The furies are near, they cannot know that I speak with you. I will draw them away. The truth waits for you in Delphi. Seek the Oracle." With that Orkos teleports away.
With that the four began to make way. They continue to move out pf the village of Kirra, a black barrier blocked their path from all sides. A Juggernaut appeared off the ground. The beast roared in anger ready to fight them. Atreus quickly casted an illusion for Lysandra and Calliope, giving them battle armor and weapons. Lysandra held a shield and spear while Calliope had two duel wield swords, they didn't want this, they only wanted to live a normal life in Sparta but they have not choice now. They now know they need to fight for survival.
"Don't worry, think of this like practice with the beasts from my homeland. They're just like the Ogres amd trolls." Atreus assured Calliope and Lysandra.
Atreus charged the Juggernaut, he slid onto his side in between its legs. Atreus used his blades of Valhalla to climb on its back, he began to ride the beast.
Wolves with red eyes crawled out of the ground and turned there attention on Kratos and his family, Atreus struck the beast by the neck making it attack the wolves before they attacked, after a few more strike to the neck the Juggernaut fell to the ground dead.
After that the black barrier now disappears and they continue to move forward.
The trip to Delphi had taken a few hours but they arrived safely in one piece and once they entered the doors in the main entrance of the Oracle's temple.
They see two statues holding an hour glass in front of a circular platform which is an elevator the center of the chamber, all the while a group of servants are working on a incomplete staute of the left side of the huge room. An old 8 foot tall figure using a weapon as a cane came up from the elevator as the statues lifted the hour glass.
"The statues were supposed to have completed by now." Castor says
"Forgive us master. The rest of us have worked day and night, it is a difficult task to keep up. They need food and rest." The servants replies back.
"You were not asked to speak!" Castor yelled out and brutally stabbed the slave in the face as the rest of the blade was shown in the back of his head. The slave falls to the ground dead.
"Finish the statues, or you'll join with your friend here in the afterlife." Castor ordered the rest of the servants. Soon enough Castor went back to sitting on his golden throne guarding the elevator. Kratos, Lysandra, Calliope, and Atreus step off the circular elevator that he used awhile ago.
"your offerings if you wish to seek the Oracle. And we shall decided if they are worthy or not."
"We don't really have anything to offer, our only concern is to meet Aletheia." Atreus says to Castor.
"You presume audience with the Oracle and yet you bring no offerings? Bold, stupid but also bold. Although you must have good reason to seek counsel with the Oracle carrying such a mark."
"My family only wish to see the Oracle and that is what we intend to do." Kratos said without care in his voice to Castor. The family move pass Castor's throne as they proceed to walk, and it would be a long one.
"I would've like to hear your story warrior's. It's a shame you fail to see reason. Remove them." Castor says as he snaps his fingers commanding two servants to get ready to fight them with golden spears in hand but only receive a frightening glare by the Ghost of Sparta which my the two servants run away like the cowards they are.
Castor sighs, "We have to find a better slave trader."
Atreus began to sense an evil presence coming from Castor, he decided to quickly take action. Castor removed his cloak that revealed his brother Pullox who was literally attached to the lover right side of his stomach. He began to use the amulet of Uroborus to make him young again but he was quickly stabbed in the back of the head killing Castor and then kills Pollux. Now looking at Castor and Pollux's dead bodies, he now grabs the amulet around Castor's neck and yanked it off. He sensed a powerful source coming from the weapon as he placed it away for safe keeping. It could from provide use. Atreus wipes the blood off his blades while he noticed his family staring at him like he was crazy.
"Was that really necessary, Atreus?" Calliope asked her older adopted brother.
Atreus snickered, "It was. I sensed an evil presence from both of them. Couldn't let them power up. They were open, so I decided to take the opportunity. I defended you.
Kratos glared at the boy, his action was somewhat wise. His family's protection was the only thing that mattered most in this world, Atreus thought the same as he only wanted to protect Calliope and Lysandra since he couldn't protect his first family.
"Well done, boy." Kratos says as he continues to walk the path leading to the Oracle. Atreus couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you, father."
The group continues to walk, Lysandra and Kratos walked together while Atreus and Calliope followed from behind.
"You two seem to be getting along quite well." Lysandra held her husband by his strong bicep with her delicate hands. Kratos had a smirk on his face.
"It is only a fresh start, Lysandra. The boy had been with us for some time and I have reason to believe that he will help us be free from Ares. And he will pay for his actions."
The walk had taken some time until they finally see the Oracle's throne, the only thing off about her was that her eyes were completely missing. The family approached the Oracle's throne.
"You wish to know the truth?" The Oracle asked Kratos.
The marked warrior replied, "Yes."
The Oracle takes Kratos's hand and sees the vision of Ares's oath that he completed from killing the fake illusions of Lysandra and Calliope. After it was over, Atreus looked down at the floor only to see his family's dead bodies which made him take a step back in shock.
"The Furies cloud your minds because you run from your oath to Ares. They will stop at nothing should you resist."
"So the shade speaks the truth."
"The intentions of Orkos are pure."
"Orkos? But he is a fury." Kratos said to the Oracle.
"And will play his part in time."
Atreus looked at the Oracle, "So how can we stop the furies when we all see illusions?"
"Across the sea, the Lantern of Delos holds the Eyes of Truth. Find the Eyes and they will show you the path to freedom." The Oracle spoke out.
They followed the Oracle's advice as they head for the docks located deep within the temple, they step onto the ship that was about to set sail in a little bit as they see Orkos in shadow form. Atreus throws his blade at Orkos only to see him teleport away before it made contact, Atreus retrieved the blade to his hand.
"Only a coward hides alone in the dark Orkos." Atreus says loud enough for the crew member to hear him along with his second family.
Orkos appeared behind the boy, "You know I'm one of the furies that forged Kratos's bond. You would've killed me before I could even speak."
Kratos stood beside Atreus with Lysandra and Calliope behind him, "Then tell me what has brought you to this betrayal of your own kind?"
"It was because of you Kratos. The God of War has been plotting for years. I was brought forth by the joining of Ares and the Fury queen Alecto. In rage and insanity, Ares sought to create the perfect warrior, but I was a disappointment to him. It was my mother's who spared me and gave me the task of keeping the oaths. Although the burden was great, I was determined to be of use to those who said they loved me. But it was you, Kratos. It was your bond that finally made me question the actions of my family. I sought to talk with Aletheia and she showed me the plot of Ares to overthrow Zeus. But he needed the perfect warrior and that was you. He molded you to take down the walls of Olympus. And to make sure he was loyal only to you, Ares and my mother's devised 3 blood tasks: spill the blood of enemies, innocent people...the blood of your own-"
Kratos interrupted, "The family that I slaughtered was a fake, an illusion created by Atreus. It should not have completed the bond?"
Atreus says, "Some of my illusions can come into reality, how do you think you got your pale white skin when the old Oracle placed their ashes on you. The blood oath must have been complete even if Lysandra and Calliope are still here.
"Atreus is correct. The bond had been complete but Ares will not stop until you return to him."
"Ares will have to find another to do his bidding. I will never return to him again. And we will still complete this task without the aid of a fury." Kratos said with a bit of anger in his voice as Orkos sighed and teleported away. The ship sets sail to Delos.
The ship had been sailing for quite some time, and it would take about a week to reach Delos. Half a day passed while the crew had been keeping an eye on everything to make sure nothing goes as for Atreus who was vomiting off the side of the ship. He was nothing having a good time at all. Calliope was by his side, patting him on the back for comfort. After Atreus stops he sat down on the wooden floor.
"Here." Calliope gets a cup of water for Atreus, "Drink this."
Atreus holds the cup and drank the liquid, "Thank you."
Calliope chuckled, "Motion sickness?"
"Yeah." Atreus nodded, "My first time on a ship actually."
"The same goes for me."
"Really?"
"Yes. My father had told me a few stories about him and his group shipping out to sea."
"What story did you like the most?"
"The one where Father and his crew's supplies were getting low, barely any food or fresh water left. The crew would quench their thrist by drinking sea water. They swore the sirens, evil creatures singing to them from nearby islands, were in the fact their wives and daughters calling them home. They endangered the crew, steering them toward the reefs."
"How did Kratos fix the situation?"
"Oh that was not a hard task, he threw them overboard." Calliope laughs.
Atreus chuckles, "Well it's a good thing I didn't drink any seawater."