Shades of black arrows rained from the sky, blotting out the light of the sun. The five-hundred Argonauts raised their shields in defense. The arrows slammed into the hard metal surfaces with loud clangs. The shields acted like umbrellas as arrows bounced off their faces. The arrow volleys continued as the Argonauts endured the rain storm of projectiles.
"COWARDS!" yelled Leonidas over the patter of the falling arrows.
A few Argonauts went down from stray arrows that were able to squeeze through the chinks in the phalanx but continued to hold. Eventually the whizzing of arrows and the twang of bow strings ceased. Everything went silent, the only thing that could be heard was the heavy breathing of Ms. O'Leary, and the grunts of war elephants.
Pallas turned to Hector and yawned, "I expect no prisoners. Destroy them."
Hector grinned and raised his spear into the air, "FOR GAEA!"
The Axis of Evil drew their weapons, let loose maniacally howls, and charged toward the huddled Argonauts.
"ARGONAUTS!" Achilles yelled.
The Argonauts broke their domed phalanx formation and hunched down onto one knee as they prepared for the collision of the incoming enemy.
Achilles stepped out of the phalanx and faced his Argonauts. "Fight to Death's Doors! Do not stop till you are dead or till those doors are closed. Fight hard and fight fast. If our enemies shall find victory today, at least make them pay for it with a heavy price! Let them know by the bodies you leave in your wake. Wreak havoc my brothers and sisters! It has been an honor serving with all of you!"
"THIS IS THE LAST STAND OF THE ARGONAUTS!" Leonidas roared. "FIGHT HARD FOR THIS DAY SHALL BE REMEMBERED FOR ALL TIME!"
"TO THE LAST SATYR!" Hercules bellowed.
"WE FIGHT!"
"TO THE LAST MORTAL!" Theseus chanted.
"WE FIGHT!"
"TO THE LAST DEMIGOD!" Odysseus shouted.
"WE FIGHT!"
"TO THE LAST ARGONAUT!" Achilles boomed.
"WE FIGHT! WE FIGHT!"
Tyler looked to the clouds and screamed as loud as he could, "KILL EM ALL!"
The enemy forces continued to approach kicking up dust as they charged. The combined force of ten-thousand Carthaginians, evil Spartans, Persian Immortals, and monsters swarmed the five-hundred Argonauts.
As the Argonauts studied their approaching enemies time seemed to slow down. They could make out the steam from the hot breath of the evil looking men that advanced on them. They were twenty feet away, then ten, then five, then there was an explosion of screaming, shouting, yelling, clanging, slashing, hacking, dust, blood, and curses as they slammed into the Argonauts' shield wall. They were met by shield bashes and spear thrust. The Axis of Evil pushed against the Argonaut shields trying to break through but they only found themselves pushed back. They surged on the Argonauts once more but again they found themselves pushed away. The phalanx broke and the Argonauts erupted from the opening. Ms. O'Leary leapt out and started to chomp away with her jaws, she was followed closely by Frank Zhang who was in tiger form, and then Hercules letting loose wild bellows as he swung his club. The Riders took to the sky and rained death. The rest of the Argonauts followed their lead as they hacked left and right with their xiphos and gladius. Monsters exploded and men fell. Monster dust and dark red mortal blood mixed together creating a putrid concoction of death. The Argonauts hacked away with all their fury and might fighting the hardest they had ever fought in their lives knowing this would be their last chance to do so.
The Argonauts fought like wild demons fresh from hell with their weapons becoming blurs in the air. One Argonaut would take on five enemies at a time and if they succumbed to defeat, it would only be after they took multiple wounds, and multiple enemies with them. Frank remembered a quote that he liked from The Art of War by Sun Tzu. It went along the lines of, "When no escape is available, when death is certain, the troops will fight to the bitter end," and that was the Argonauts' plan. They would fight to the last satyr, the last Amazon, the last mortal, the last demigod, to the last sword, spear, arrow, and to the last Argonaut they would fight.
The Carthaginians lead by Hannibal took on the majority of the Roman Argonauts. King Hippias and his evil Spartans took on the majority of the Greeks. The fighting was nothing but bloody. The war elephants stomped on Argonauts but were then brought down by volleys of spears and arrows.
Leonidas and his Spartans broke off from the main force and began to battle with the Persian Immortals. Although the Spartans were detached from the main Argonaut army, they were still a force to be reckoned with as they took on their old enemies. The Spartans put the name, Immortals, to the test as they killed them by the dozens and moved through their ranks. The Spartan's main target was King Xerxes. In the previous life they did not have the chance to exact revenge on the one who threatened their people with slavery and death, but it this one revenge was in their grasp. The Spartans pushed froward with their shields and spears breaking through Immortal wicker shields and deflecting their arrows. Spartans would fall here and there, but even then they continued to wade through the mass of the Persian nations that descended upon them. Spartans continued to fall but so did the enemy and in greater numbers. For every Spartan there was twenty-five Immortals. For one Spartan that died so did twenty-five Immortals.
They Spartans fought on till they reached King Xerxes who sat on his throne atop a war elephant. There may have been only a dozen Spartans left but they still had the spirit of a thousand. Leonidas's second in command dropped to one knee and Leonidas ran up his back like a ramp. Leonidas discarded his shield as he soared through the air with both hands gripping his spear. He moved in slow motion as he gained altitude. He passed over the Elephant and met eyes with the Persian King who wore a horror stricken face at the sight of the flying Spartan. Leonidas crashed into Xerxes and ripped him off his throne. They hit the ground hard with Leonidas on top. Leonidas raised his spear, let out a roar, and buried it deep into the man's chest. Leonidas looked deep into his eyes with fury as he watched the life fade from Xerxes. Several Immortals' spears imbedded themselves into Leonidas's back. He groaned in pain but somehow stood to his feet, grabbed the closest weapon he could, and began hacking away as he became overwhelmed by Persians.
"TO THE KING!" a Spartan yelled and the remainder of the Spartans rushed to their fearless leader's aid.
They fought with all their strength, each one taking hundreds of blows from the enemy, but returning the favor with a hundred deaths. They fought on till they were completely engulfed by a sea of Persians. They fought to their final breathe. The Spartans died doing what they were born to do, breed to do, raised to do, trained to do, and what they lived for. They died knowing vengeance was exacted and they died peacefully.
Percy and Annabeth stood hand in hand as they fought off hordes of monsters and mortals alike. They were trained in the art of killing monsters but mortals, never. It was a new concept to them and one they would've have detested against in different circumstances, but at that moment, survival was the only thing in their minds as they fought with all the strength they had left. Percy swung Annabeth like a whip who slashed away with her knife while Percy hacked with Riptide. They made fighting almost romantic as they cut through Carthaginians, Persians, evil Spartans, and monsters. The duo was joined by Piper and Jason who held the appearance of a King and Queen joining their subjects in one final battle. Soon after, Frank came bounding in as a lion with Hazel next to him riding Arion. From the sky came Leo, completely engulfed in flames, burning anything evil in sight. Reyna and Butch now leading the Riders on top of their Pegasi attacked from above. Thalia had her bow drawn as she shot arrows after arrow. Octavian even did his part as he whirled around with his gladius. A group of satyrs commanded by Grover and Hedge played their reed pipes frantically as they entangled their enemies in vines. Tyler was the last to show up as he twirled his trench knife savagely and danced through enemy ranks; slicing and dicing like a ravenous butcher with a sparkle of glee in his eyes.
The Valley of Death's Doors became a killing field as the Argonauts fought for their lives. Theseus pounded with his cudgel and stabbed with his sword. Perseus was a blur of silver and green with his sword and shield. Odysseus went into a pattern of firing arrows from his bow and then using it as a club to beat back enemies, and using his arrows as daggers to stab advisories. Hercules stomped, punched, and swung with his club while he grappled anything hostile in his reach. He picked up a Carthaginian and threw him into a group of Cyclops.
As Tyler fought he passed by Argonauts being overwhelmed by Persians, or hacked at by Carthaginians, or stomped by war elephants, or ripped apart by Hellhounds. Tyler did his best to save and protect as many as he could but even he was being stretched thin. He couldn't swing his knife as fast as he wanted to and every muscle in his body to ached.
The Giants, Leon, and Pallas stomped through Argonauts, swung their massive weapons, and breathed fire. Argonauts were sent flying into to space, burned to a crisp, or squished to death. They began to cower away while the two giants bellowed in fits of laughter. Hercules and Leo came to the rescue and did the best they could to aid their brothers and sisters. Hercules wrestled with Leon while Leo, as a fire bolt, flew around Pallas. The best they could manage was staying alive and diverting their attention away from the rest of the Argonauts. They would need a god to kill them and they were lacking in one of those.
Achilles was on his own, surrounded by a ring of enemies. He was god-like the way he stabbed with his spear and defended with his shield. He was the master of the hoplite, the Ancient Greek fighting style of spear and shield. The scenery around him faded and he was no longer fighting in the Atlas Mountains but he was in the Trojan War again. It was like he still held the curse of the River Styx. He was invincible as he spun and twirled. Mounds of corpses formed around him as aggressors fell. He was in a dream world. His mind shut down and his instincts took over. He was unstoppable.
Only when he heard a familiar voice that sent chills up his spine did he come back to reality.
"BACK OFF! HE'S MINE!" screamed Hector.
Every Carthaginian, Persian, Trojan, evil Spartan, and monster in the area backed away and formed a ring around Achilles. From within their ranks stepped forward the one and only Hector, Prince of Troy. He stood grinning menacingly with his spear and shield in hand. Without further warning he charged Achilles in a rain of spear thrust and shield bashes. Achilles instincts saved him and he retreated back to safety. Achilles continued to step back as Hector advanced. Achilles thrusted with his spear pushing Hector back, giving Achilles time to catch his breathe.
"Hector," Achilles panted, "you don't want to do this."
"Of course I do, especially after everything you've done!" Hector snarled back.
"What happened to you Hector? You used to be honorable man. I never thought it would be you who would aid Gaea. You are no better than a monster!"
Hector shrieked with laughter. "Achilles, speaking to me about honor, the ruthless warrior who completely disregards human life is giving me, a lecture in honorability? I laugh in his face! I asked, I pleaded, if I was slain you would return my body back to my family! Instead you killed me, tied me by my ankles, and dragged my carcass across the desert for twelve days, and you call me the monster, HA!"
"Hector I'm sorry," tried Achilles, "but I'm a changed man now. I apologize for the things I have done in the past but you must see your evil ways!"
"Well, you're about three-thousand years to late! NOW DIE!" Hector charged forward.
Achilles sighed, "So be it."
Achilles dodged the initial spear thrust and rolled under the shield bash. Achilles got to his feet and attacked Hector's unprotected back with a thrust of his own. Hector parried it with his spear and came back at Achilles who blocked with his shield. For a while the two traded blows and parries trying to break each other's guard. They were equally matched being the greatest warriors of their respective nations. Some say that Achilles only beat Hector in their first confrontation because Achilles had the curse of the River Styx to aid him but now he did not have it. Achilles hoped that Hector was not aware that information.
Hector remained on the offense while Achilles was mostly on defense. Hector circled him as he thrusted with his spear. Achilles parried a few more thrust until he found his opening. Hector stuck for his feet. Achilles jumped out of the way and then stomped down on the shaft of Hector's spear, breaking it in two. While Hector looked at his broken weapon, Achilles rammed him with his shield. Hector reeled backward and fell to the ground. Achilles rushed forward and brought his spear down on Hector. Hector rolled out of the way and kicked Achilles's spear out of his hand. Hector climbed to his feet and drew his sword. He swung it at Achilles who blocked it with his shield. Achilles drew his sword and fired back. The two took turns battering each other's shields with their swords sending vibrations up their arms.
The fight seemed pretty even till an arrow slammed into the heel of Achilles. Achilles feel to his knees and screamed in pain. Hector paused in his attack and began to laugh. Hector looked to where the arrow came from, it was from his brother, Paris. He gave Paris a salute and Paris nodded back while he continued to fire arrows into Argonaut ranks. Hector brought his attention back to Achilles.
"I may not be the one to kill you but at least I still get to enjoy watching you die."
Hector waited for his life long and beyond enemy's death but it did not come. Achilles gripped the arrow lodged in his heel, and with much agony pulled it out. He was not dead, in fact, he was very much alive.
"Hmm," Hector said disappointed, "you lost the curse, but alas it turns out I will be the one to end you." Hector raised his sword.
Achilles tried to stand but immediately a sharp pain shot up his leg and forced him back to the ground. In defeat he crumpled into the dirty. He raised his shield in defense while Hector rained blows with his sword. Achilles felt like his arm was going to detach from it's socket due to the constant banging on his shield. Achilles tried not to focus on the pain in his heel and arm but sill his shield arm faltering. Soon his protecting would be destroyed or Hector would simply move around him and slit his throat. Achilles heard a viscous crack as his shield arm broke. Achilles screamed in pain.
Hector laughed and prepared to deliver the killing stroke.
"STOP!" It was Piper coming to Achilles's rescue. "Drop it!" she said to Hector using charm speak.
Hector paused in his attack and chuckled. "Charm speak won't work on me, Dear. My brother's wife was Helen of Troy, one the greatest Charm Speakers of all time, and not even she could make me submit."
"Whatever," Piper said as she charged forward with Katropis.
Hector dropped his shield and sword, and caught Piper by the throat. He began to choke the life out of her. Piper swung with her knife but Hector released his grip on her neck and caught her knife arm instead. He twisted her wrist and a disgusting snap was heard. Piper screamed in agony as she sunk to her knees with the knife falling out of her grip. Piper screamed in agony. He then threw out his leg and landed a heavy kick into her chest. She flew several feet backwards and crashed into a group of monsters who pounced on her.
"PIPER!" Jason screamed from a distance and he flew to her aid.
Hector laughed and picked the eighteen inch long, Katropis, off the ground. He studied the blade admiringly. He diverted his attention back to Achilles. "This may only be a ceremonial knife but it will serve it's purpose in killing you. It's almost poetic isn't it, the greatest Greek Hero being killed by two sons and brothers of Troy." Hector smiled. "Prepare to die, again."
Achilles closed his eyes and anticipated the knife coming down on him. He waited for his death and then waited some more, but it never came. Instead he heard the sickening crunching noise and then a loud thump. Achilles opened his eyes to find a headless Hector kneeling in front of him with his head rolling on the ground. Standing behind him was Tyler Horace wielding a blood drenched WWII trench knife and Katropis in the other hand. He had used both knives to decapitate Hector.
The Child of Strife armed with a knife,
Will help save a life.
The expression on Hector's dismembered face was one with a shocked expression, the mouth forming a perfect, 'O.' The body slumped forward and fell next to the head.
Achilles looked stunned at the body, back to the head, and then up to his savior.
"Can you fight?" Tyler grunted.
"I'm afraid not," Achilles winced trying to stand. "Isn't it ironic?" he added.
"What is?"
"The son of the goddess who has caused me the most pain coming to my aid?" He snorted. "Prophecies, I hate them."
Then from out of nowhere came, "NO!"from a horrified Paris.
Paris fired several arrows at Tyler who deflected them with his two knives. Paris charged but Tyler dodged out of the way and stabbed with both knives. Paris screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Before Tyler could deliver the killing blow Paris crawled to safety behind enemy lines.
"Coward!" Tyler called after him.
"Impressive," Achilles complimented.
Tyler shrugged. "We're not out the woods yet," he said analyzing the thousands of monsters and evil men that approached them. In the distance was Hercules and Leo struggling to fight off Pallas and Leon. "I wish you could be on your feet about now. I could really use a fully functional Greek Hero at the moment."
"How about a couple hundred?" Percy Jackson said coming to his side and patting him on the shoulder.
"Maybe a few Romans as well?" Jason Grace suggested while flipping his sword into a javelin.
"How about all of the Argonauts?" Achilles added struggling to his feet, using his sword as a cane.
Tyler analyzed the people around him that came to his side; Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Annabeth Chase, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Piper McLean, Thalia Grace, Reyna, Clarisse, Grover, Theseus, Perseus, Odysseus, and many more familiar faces and many others missing. Tyler wished Julia was there with him.
Tyler nodded to Piper and tossed her, her knife.
The Argonauts had suffered many casualties and yet the battle still waged on. Pallas swatted Leo with her hand, Leo streaked the sky, and crash-landed next to his friends.
He stood to his feet slowly. "Ow!" he groaned.
Hercules rolled next to him after being punted by Leon. He stood to his feet and Achilles patted him on the back.
The monsters, Persians, Carthaginians, monsters, and the evil Spartans retreated, regrouped, and formed another ring around the Argonauts. They were surprised and annoyed that the Argonauts were still alive, but that would all change soon.
"YOU MAY HAVE SURVIVED THIS LONG ARGONAUTS, BUT NOW YOU WILL SURELY DIE!" Pallas roared.
"Is that a fact?" Percy asked.
The Argonauts should've been dead when they first arrived at the Atlas Mountains but still they had survived. They should have been dead in the ravine, they should have been dead on the plane, and they should have been dead then. The tone in Pallas's voice was sinister. The Argonauts were at the end of their rope. Only four-hundred or so remained and they were exhausted from fighting. Many of them couldn't even lift their weapons any had only taken out a couple thousand of their enemy and there was still at least another eight-thousand left. Many were broken, beaten, scarred, cut in multiple areas, and had broken bones. This was the end, the real end, the final end.
Pallas realized this and sneered in delight. "Pray to any god you wish, Argonauts, for they surely won't save you now!"
She raised her arm to signal her troops to charge again but from within the mountains came long, blasting, echoing moan, the sound of a horn; a conch shell to be exact. All fighting stopped immediately and eyes shot to the source of the conch shell. It came from the top of one of the hills that surrounded the valley. The blower of the horn was a man on a horse and a bow slung on his back. Neigh, for it was not a man, in actuality it was a centaur. Recognition struck the Argonauts faces.
"CHIRON!" Annabeth declaimed.
Pallas laughed. "This is what the gods send to aid their greatest heroes, a puny centaur." Leon joined her in her laughter.
Next to Chiron materialized a pale skinned and dark haired boy. He wore a black t-shirt with a skull imprint on it, and he wielded a dark-as-night stygian iron sword.
"NICO!" Hazel and Percy cried delighted.
Nico remained unmoving, a dark expression on his face, and he kept his eyes dead set on Pallas.
"Can he hear us?" Hazel asked confused by Nico's indifference to her.
"Sh," Annabeth told her. "Something's happening?" noticing all fighting in the valley had ceased to look up toward the loan Centaur and Son of Hades.
From next to Nico more figures joined him at his side. It didn't take a genius to recognize who they were. They were heroes from the old stories. There was Orion the Hunter, Aeneas, Atalanta the Swift, Romulus, and Remus. They were impressive in stature, yes, but they weren't the center of attention. The real eye catcher was a women who was beside them. She rode in a chariot pulled by two white mares. She was dressed in full gold and bronze armor, her blonde hair flowing within her helmet, she wielded a makhaira, and even from the distance she stood away from them, they could make out her intense grey eyes.
"Is that Athena?" one of the Argonauts asked.
"No..." breathed Tyler. He recognized that women. She wasn't even a women at all, but in fact she was a teenage girl. He had known her for many years. She looked different now, more mature, and older, but it was still the same person nonetheless.
"JULIA!" Tyler screamed, "JULIA!" He was waving his arms in the air caring not that he mostly likely looked ridiculous.
Even from the distance away she was Tyler could make out the warning glare she shot him. Tyler pressed his lips together obediently. Julia diverted her attention to Pallas.
"Pallas!" she called authoritatively.
"What is it demigod?" Pallas asked. "I'm in the middle of killing Argonauts here! Speak quickly."
"In the name of the Zeus, the King of the Gods, and the rest of High Council of the Olympians, you are here by ordered to surrender. If you don not comply you and your army will be destroyed!" Julia said demandingly. "This is your one warning!"
Pallas began to bellow in fits of laughter causing the Earth to shake. Her cronies joined in and the Atlas Mountains echoed with shrieks of guffawing. Only the Argonauts, the Heroes of Old, Nico, Chiron, and Julia, especially not Julia, were not amused.
"Don't say you weren't warned!" Julia shouted threateningly. "Prepared to be destroyed!"
"Oh really," Pallas said through pants, catching her breathe from laughing. "You and what army?"
Julia grinned. "How about this one...bitch!"
From next to Chiron Lupa appeared with her pack of wolves. They looked to the heavens and they let out long wolf howls while Chiron blasted on his conch shell. All along the perimeter of the valley materialized thousands and thousands of warriors. There was Spartans, Legionnaires, Medieval Knights, Viking Warriors, Samurais, Ninjas, Scottish Highlanders, Gladiators, Zulu warriors, Aztec Jaguars, Celtic Warriors, Ancient Chinese Warriors, Musketeers, and many other fighting forces from all over the world. It was an international army of ancient soldiers. Nico summoned undead soldiers from the Underworld and even the rest of the campers from Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter, who didn't become Argonauts, made an appearance. There were a few nymphs out there along with even more satyr/faun. There were hundreds of centaurs dressed in tie-dye shirts with joke weapons, Chiron's cousins most likely. Lupa was joined by dozens of animals from the animal kingdom like jaguars, tigers, lions, rhinos, elephants, cheetahs, and more. The most surprising appearance of all were the Hunters of Artemis lead by Phoebe. They decided to pull through in the end. Thalia smiled at this. Altogether, there was a force large enough to more than destroy Pallas' army. There was enough to obliterate them!
A smile cracked on Percy's face as he recognized a certain cyclops wielding a giant wooden club and a peanut butter covered out.
"TYSON!" Percy yelled out.
There he was, the great General of Poseidon's Cyclops Army, Tyson. He was accompanied by thousands of his Cyclops brethren each wearing golden armor, armed to the teeth with great swords, spears, and axes. They had come from the depths of the ocean to rescue the Argonauts.
"BROTHER!" Tyson echoed back. He almost charged but his brothers held him back.
The world rang as the animals roared and howled and the warrior pounded on their shields and chanted:
"ARGONAUTS! ARGONAUTS!"
"I-i-im-impossible!" Pallas stammered. She began to spin as she looked at the warriors that surrounded her.
"Who do we engage, My Lady," Leon asked panicked. "The Argonauts or this new threat?"
She gave no answer and merely stammered in awe.
"My Lady?"
Pallas took in a deep breathe and regained her composure. She was the bane of Athena after all. "Take them on!" she urged her troops.
"What about the Argonauts?" Leon asked.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER, FACE THEM, FACE EVERYONE, KILL THEM ALL! I DON'T CARE! JUST GET IT DONE!"
The monsters, Persians, Carthaginians, and the corrupt Spartans prepared for battle on all fronts. Panic was stricken on all their faces.
Julia raised her sword into the air and shouted, "TO THE ARGONAUTS AND DEATH'S DOORS!"
Her massive army replied with their own, "TO THE ARGONAUTS AND DEATH'S DOORS!"
They lurched froward and descended into the valley in an epic charge. The Argonauts could only stare dumbly at the turn of events.
"Chiron and Lupa pulled through," Annabeth breathed in wonderment.
"The others though," came Reyna, "the knights and the vikings and the samurai? Who are they?" she stuttered.
"It's the League!" Tyler answered almost excited.
"Who?" Achilles asked.
"You mean the people my dad was telling me about?" Leo tried.
"Yeah, I'll explain later," Tyler said quickly, "but right now we have a battle to win!"
Tyler raised his knife and screamed, "JULIA!"
Again it was Tyler who lead the charge into battle and the rest of the Argonauts following him.
Review please and if you haven't already hit that favorite button, you can do so bellow, and it's much appreciated. Constructive criticism is welcomed and questions and comments will be answered. If you add the story or review you also get a high-five. Note that I just gave you one for incentive.