Hey! Welcome to my fic for the BNHA Big Bang. This is dedicated to my beta, EmberStork, who has helped me with Cost of Freedom and Gosling and reigned me in when my characterizations were going off path. A while back, EmberStork requested a TodoMomo story set in ancient Greece, so here I am to deliver. I hope you all enjoy the ride.
A long note section before starting:
First: This is an AU, so characters will act differently to fit in with the time period and setting this is cast. I'm especially pointing this out because there will be mention of war, violence and slavery. And before you get upset that Shouto and the rest of the BNHA cast overlook the moral wrongness of slavery and killing, just remember that the whole Greek economy ran on war and slavery. The only reason Sparta was such a powerhouse was because slaves did all the manual work. With that said, I will try to keep the BNHA characters as in character as possible.
Second: A little history lesson, and sorry to those of you who love history, this is going to be really condensed and simplified.
So the Trojan war was a fabled war between the Greeks and Trojans (Troy was probably in modern day Turkey above Istanbul). It started when the Greek gods were having a party but didn't invite Hades, the god of the underworld. He was pissed so threw a golden apple into the party goers and said it was for the fairest woman. Of course, the Greek goddesses couldn't share any title so Athena, the goddess of wisdom, Hera, the goddess of the family, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love, all started fighting over the golden apple. They then turned to Zeus, the head of the gods, and asked him to choose. Only problem was that Zeus was a wuss and didn't want to get involved so had a human, Paris, choose which goddess was the most beautiful.
Paris ended up choosing Aphrodite and, to reward him, she made the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, fall in love with him. Only problem was that Helen was already married and so when she eloped with Paris her husband got super angry and gathered up all the Greeks to go fight against the Trojans. And since the gods couldn't sit back and watch, they all got involved too. Apollo, the sun god and patron god of Troy, Ares and Aphrodite all supported the Trojans while all the other gods supported the Greeks. The war lasted ten years and ended when the Greeks tricked the Trojans into thinking they had left but were really hiding inside a wooden horse.
Commission by: Honawaka - go to my tumblr or twitter (TeaPlease1717) to see the piece I had commissioned for this story!
A couple of shout outs. Thank you to all my betas: C's Melody and FlourChildWrites, could not have done this without you both. Seriously, thank you for pushing and encouraging me throughout this! And thank you Evieeburn125 for the fantastic art that will be included later in the piece!
For chapter 1 also thank you Estelle for giving this another set of eyes.
Disclaimer: The BNHA cast is not mine.
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Chapter 1: We Can (Not) Be Saved
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The world was ending.
That's how the Trojans probably felt, at least, as chilling screams echoed throughout the city.
Shouto stood on top of Troy's inner wall, watching as blistering, blue flames licked through the stone streets in the distance, setting houses ablaze and trapping those inside. He could already smell the burning bodies in the night air as a warm gust swirled through the carnage carrying the ashes of war.
It fell around him like black snow — dirty, suffocating. Everywhere.
Shouto opened his hand and caught a piece.
A cold hollowness reverberated through his chest. It was like an eagle's talons: digging into his flesh, puncturing holes in his skin, but instead of blood, his soul was seeping out. He pushed the sensation to the back of his mind.
He needed to sleep. Perhaps when the war was over, he'd finally be able to rest properly.
Shouto clenched his fist shut, smearing the ash in his palm. He turned away from the view, flicking the blood from the tip of his sword, Endeavor, as he stepped over severed limbs and mangled corpses and climbed back down the stone steps to the battle below.
It was like being whisked into a different dimension.
The air vibrated as swords clashed, and the smell of smoldering fire was replaced with the thick stench of blood.
Troy had nothing left but old men and children. And they fought desperately.
An old Trojan warrior spotted him as he stepped down onto the street. Underneath his helmet, the man's beard was speckled gray and lines had begun to carve into the sides of his eyes. The Trojan raised his weapon and launched himself at him.
Shouto's fingers twitched and he tightened them around the red hilt of Endeavor. The strong live, the weak die. He was strong, so he would live, Shouto reminded himself.
He blocked the man's strike.
Metal rung as steel collided. The man lost his balance.
Shouto didn't.
He stepped forward, his sword sliding through armor and flesh. He twisted and pulled the blade out. The man dropped to the ground with a scream, holding his stomach as his entrails poured out.
Shouto stepped over him.
Two more men charged forward.
Shouto didn't think as his right side unleashed his ice magic.
There was a pained shriek as cold spikes jutted up from the ground, impaling the first attacker.
Shouto pivoted and dodged the second man's blow. Spinning, he slammed the base of his sword into the man's skull. A loud crack echoed, and the warrior crumpled to the ground.
Shouto paused. He took a slow, deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He could feel the blood from the dead wet his feet between his sandals.
He looked down at the man he had just killed.
Three golden bangles glistened around his upper arm. Shouto hesitated before bending down and pulling them off.
Rocking back onto his feet, he pushed his red cloak aside to slide the bracelets up his own arm. And turned to watch his fellow Spartans push the remaining Trojans back. Their bronze shields overlapped to create an impenetrable wall as Prince Midoriya had once taught them to do.
He could see the whites of the Trojans' eyes. Their pupils were dilated in fear. They didn't stand a chance and they knew it. They were just stalling the inevitable.
A flicker of white in the black sky danced in his periphery and Shouto looked up.
Hovering above the masses, Kaminari Denki – the Erotes of Lust – paused to watch the fight. His figure shimmered slightly, indicating he was invisible to most mortals.
Shouto's eyes narrowed. He could make out Kaminari's yellow gaze sweeping over the street. The God's normally relaxed face was tense. He was looking for someone.
Shouto's lips thinned as he watched Kaminari turn from the fighting.
'Aphrodite,' Shouto thought.
The gods were interfering again. One of Aphrodite's favorite warriors was in trouble, and she had sent Kaminari to whisk him away to safety.
Anger pulsed under his skin. Shouto rolled his jaw.
Let the gods play their games.
It was over now, not even they could change that.
Screams snapped Shouto's attention away from the God of Lust's retreating figure and back to the fighting.
A Trojan had broken through the Spartan's defense.
A small-framed boy with wide glassy eyes had slid under the soldiers' shields. His body was too skinny, denoting the harsh conditions the war had inflicted on the civilians. Even if he did survive the night, the boy's sunken eyes were evidence that he wouldn't live for much longer. He had gone too long without enough food.
A coldness bled through Shouto's veins. 'The strong live,' he reminded himself.
He stepped forward.
The boy snarled and lunged at him.
He parried the boy's strike, sliding his sword effortlessly across the Trojan's throat in a quick, horizontal motion. A red line appeared, and the boy's head rolled off from his shoulders. Blood spurted into Shouto's face.
He staggered back.
"Todoroki!" someone yelled.
He stumbled and leaned his arm against the wall of a side alley, spitting. The blood had gotten into his eyes and stung like a dull bee's sting. He cracked an eye open and watched through blurry vision as Sero Hanata rushed up beside him.
"Todoroki, you okay?" Sero asked. He reached out and took Shouto's sword from his fingers.
Shouto took a moment and wiped the blood from his face with the back of his arm. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, spitting into the dirt.
Sero grimaced and nodded in understanding. He was about Shouto's own age. Tall and lean, with straight, chin-length black hair. He was a good soldier and dependable, although rather plain-looking.
"Sorry about letting that one through," Sero said. He paused for a moment and then lowered his voice. "You can go rest if you want. We're almost done. I know you haven't been sleeping much lately." He flashed Shouto a small smile that showed too much teeth.
Shouto didn't smile back. He was tired, and his mouth tasted of salt and copper. He spat again, to get rid of the taste, but it didn't disappear. Sighing, he pushed off from the stone wall, instinctively reaching back for Endeavor. The sword was an unbreakable blade that was magicked to never dull or rust. It was the only gift he allowed himself to keep from his father. "No. I can still fight."
Sero opened his mouth to say more, but desperate cries coming from the adjacent street made both men look up.
Women and children raced down the opposite street towards the inner city and the Trojans' last line of defense. On their heels were a group of Theban soldiers, their white armor splotched with blood as they grabbed the escaping civilians and killed any that resisted.
Sero tsked under his breath. "No discipline at all. They act like wild animals now that we've won." He sighed and turned back to Shouto. He clasped his shoulder. "Nothing we can do about it," he said, his voice soft, almost apologetic. "They lost. The best they can hope for is to be sold into slavery. It's the fate of the weak."
Shouto didn't respond as he watched one soldier break off from the group, dragging a woman by her long hair down the stone alleyway.
She screamed in anger, kicking out to gain leverage and pull out of his grasp, but the ground was covered with too much blood for her feet to find purchase.
The soldier pulled her past a fallen warrior and further into the alley.
Shouto's eyes narrowed at the same time the woman's hands skimmed over the silver handle of a knife lying next to one of the corpses. She picked it up.
The soldier hadn't noticed.
She swung the blade up, cutting through her long hair.
The warrior stumbled as the weight he had been pulling went slack. His eyes widened, and he hesitated, clearly confused.
The woman didn't wait for him to regain his bearings. She swung the knife around and buried it into his unprotected thigh.
The soldier screamed.
She jerked back, scrambling away, but she wasn't fast enough. The soldier swung his shield around and slammed the metal into her head. Her body hit against the alley wall, and she crumpled to the ground.
The man howled and lunged for her.
"Leave her."
The soldier paused. Blood ran down his leg in rivulets. The hard lines of his face tightened as he put pressure on the wounded limb. His eyes flashed dangerously. "Fuck you! The bitch stabbed me!" he swore, turning to look at the two Spartans.
Shouto stepped forward, sheathing his sword. "It's war. And it's your own fault for not paying attention."
The man's gaze burned. "What the fuck! Just because you're a Spartan, doesn't mean you can-" His eyes widened as Shouto bent down next to the woman, and the moon shone overhead to illuminate his red and white hair. The man took a stumbling step back. "You're –You're Shouto Todoroki. The God of War's son." His voice had become low. Reverent.
Shouto didn't respond. He reached out to the woman. Blood matted her now shoulder-length brown hair. He placed a hand in front of her mouth, checking to see if she was breathing. Light puffs of air warmed his palm. He exhaled silently and gathered her in his arms. Slinging her over his shoulder, he stood back up.
"You better get going," Sero said, flashing the soldier his strange smile as he took a step forward. "Unless you want to test your luck against me. I may be no Shouto Todoroki, but I'm pretty confident in my abilities." He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
The man didn't answer and stared wide-eyed at the demigod.
Shouto turned and walked past them dismissively.
"Wait! Todoroki!"
He didn't pause as hasty footsteps sounded behind him, catching up. "Where are you taking her? To Prince Bakugou?"
Shouto hummed in acknowledgment, adjusting the woman on his shoulder as he followed the alleyways back towards the city's outer walls.
"He's not going to be happy that you're bringing him another one."
"He's never happy unless he's fighting."
Sero chuckled. "You mean unless he's beating up Prince Midoriya?"
Shouto snorted but didn't respond. It was no secret that the two princes didn't get along. It was partly why Midoriya had stayed behind during the war while Bakugou led the Spartan army to the northern nation. He had asked Shouto to stay behind with him, but he had ignored the Prince's request.
"You know?" Sero said, leaning in closer. "She's quite pretty actually. Too bad she went and cut her hair off."
Shouto shifted the woman on his shoulder as he maneuvered around the increasing number of soldiers. If he hadn't checked that she was breathing earlier, he would have thought she was dead. "It was to get away. He had her hair wrapped around his fist. If she had stabbed him first, there was no guarantee that he would've loosened his hold on her. It was her best option for escaping."
"Oh! That's pretty smart," Sero said, seeming genuinely surprised.
Shouto silently agreed. It was rare to find a woman with a fighter's spirit and the courage to act on it outside of Sparta. Other city-states didn't encourage those traits. Maybe they had been away from home for too long.
"You don't have to give her to Bakugou. You could keep her as a hetaera, I mean. I don't know why you haven't taken any hetaeras or helots for yourself anyways."
"I don't want any slaves."
"But when we get back to Sparta we'll be old enough to receive our own land," Sero said, making the sign for money. "And I'm sure Prince Midoriya and Prince Bakugou will reward you too; it's not every war we get a demigod to help us fight."
"It's not like we won because of me."
"That's true, but you still were undefeated, and if it wasn't for Apollo and your father, Ares, protecting the city, your ice could have easily brought down the wall."
Shouto scowled and threw Sero a dark look at the mention of his father.
Sero cringed and raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry, sorry. I know you don't like talking about him. But it's the truth. You were just as powerful and scary as Achilles on the battlefield. Especially that time when you burned all those soldiers with that blue fire."
Shouto tensed, his throat tightened at the memory. He could still taste the blood and soot in his mouth and he pushed the memory away.
"Why do you keep bringing them to him anyway?" Sero continued. "You'd get good money if you sold them."
Shouto's eyes narrowed, and he waited several moments before responding. "He's the only one who won't let them be hurt or raped," he said finally, his voice low.
Sero blinked, and stared at him, then he made a small noise in the back of his throat and dropped his gaze. "Oh, I see." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Who would have guessed that the famed Shouto Todoroki would have a soft spot for women and children?" he asked under his breath.
Shouto rolled his jaw. Familiar anger rushed through him, and he welcomed it. "It's not like they asked for this war any more than we did. The gods just play with us mortals like we're pawns."
His voice grew thinner with every word until he was hissing through his teeth. "This all could have been avoided if not for their selfishness. If Zeus hadn't made the Trojan prince choose which goddess was the most beautiful, Aphrodite would never have made Helen fall in love and elope with him. And this war wouldn't have happened. We wouldn't have been here for ten years if not for them."
"I suppose that's true, but you shouldn't disrespect the gods so much," Sero said. He quickly glanced around as if he were afraid they were going to be struck down by one of Zeus' lightning bolts.
Shouto didn't answer.
The smell of burning flesh was growing stronger the closer they got to the outer walls. The abrasive scent stung his eyes and nose. Shouto's fingers twitched, and he gripped the woman over his shoulder tighter as they passed a pyre of burning corpses.
They came to the city's main square. The buildings here, once immaculate and opulent, had all been broken into and looted. The street was littered with shattered vases and anything not worth stealing. The broken shards crunched under Shouto's feet as he navigated his way forward and through the throngs of soldiers.
In the center of the square sat the Trojan horse, now empty but still standing proudly as a symbol of victory. Exuberant soldiers from every region crowded around the wooden behemoth, erecting tents and packing carts full of slaves and anything else valuable to take back to their city-states.
As he walked through the tents and men, Shouto could see the green capes of Athens, the white tunics of Thebes and the blue cloaks of Mycenae. There were other colors from smaller city-states that Shouto didn't recognize.
On the far side of the square, a group of red-cloaked Spartans were busy loading carts with valuables.
"Oi, Todoroki!" A man with spiky red hair jogged up to them and stopped to salute. Eijiro Kirishima was one of Sparta's top defenders and known as Prince Bakugou's right hand.
"Kirishima," Shouto said in greeting.
"Thought you were at the front?" Kirishima said, pausing to cock his head and look closer at the woman he was carrying. "You looking for Prince Bakugou again?" he asked, glancing at Shouto.
Shouto nodded.
Kirishima smiled, filed pointy teeth sticking out of his mouth. "He's over there," he said, pointing over his shoulder. "But be careful, he's been in a bad mood since earlier. He didn't find anyone worth fighting. He was hoping to bring down some great warrior, but all we've found in this section of the city were women and children." He sighed dramatically.
It was as Kirishima had said - Shouto found Katsuki Bakugou sitting in the back of an empty wagon watching the Spartan soldiers pile the other carts full of treasure. His red eyes narrowed on Shouto as he approached. "Fuck, half and half! Are you going to bring me every woman and small child in this city?"
Shouto laid the woman down next to him. She whimpered slightly and then fell quiet.
Bakugou huffed. "I don't need any more slaves," he threw the woman a quick glance before looking back across the street at his men loading the wagons. "You take her."
"I have no use for slaves."
Bakugou swiveled around to glare at Shouto. "Fuck you! And you think I need another one! It's difficult enough to find enough food for all my men." Bakugou growled low, in the back of his throat. "Besides, what the fuck did you do to round face's hair? She looks like a boy now."
"She cut it off herself. A Theban soldier had captured her, and she cut it to get away."
Bakugou's eyes widened slightly and he looked back down at the woman. Something indecipherable flickered behind his red eyes. He flipped a coin between his fingers before returning his gaze to Shouto. "Tsk. Fine. Leave her here, but this is the fucking last one," he said, his eyes narrowing.
"Fine."
"Now get out of here. Your fucking face is pissing me off. You look like one of the dead."
"You're always pissed off," Shouto retorted, turning on his heels.
Shouto walked back alone towards the inner city walls, taking a different route to avoid the slave wagons and burning corpses. A soft light was beginning to appear in the east, signaling daybreak.
Shouto rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes. A headache was building in his temples.
Gods, he was tired.
If only he could rest. Really rest. Without worrying about the war and the nightmares.
Shouto ran a hand through his hair. At least it would all be over soon. That he knew for sure.
Then he was going to feast, take a bath and sleep for days. And maybe not in that order.
Pounding footsteps drew Shouto's attention to a group of twenty or so Athenians rushing down the street. Their eyes were bright with excitement.
Shouto's gaze narrowed as he watched them rush by. They were headed towards the city's main temple. He hesitated before curiosity overcame him. He followed after them at a slower pace.
There was shouting in the distance that increased in volume as he got closer. He rounded a corner and came to a halt.
A large limestone temple was on fire. Even as it burned, the structure was impressive. Its large white pillars stood as tall as eight grown men standing on top of one another's shoulders. At the top pediment, gods and heroes had been sculpted into great scenes of battle.
Shouto watched as bright red flames danced off of the roof, and a thick cloud of smoke lifted into the air and breathed out of the temple doors.
The Athenians that he had been following gathered around the front of the burning building. They were eager, like wolves on the trail of a hurt animal.
Shouto stepped on top of a fallen stone statue to see over their bronze helmets.
His eyes widened, and he inhaled sharply.
A Trojan priestess was standing in front of Apollo's temple wielding a spear. Her purple chiton was ripped up to her thighs and soaked with blood; long black hair lay plastered to her face with sweat and soot.
Nevertheless, she was stunning. With full lips and cat-shaped eyes, she had an earthy, natural beauty. If he didn't know better, he'd call her Helen or Cassandra, but both women had already been captured.
Shouto shifted to watch her strike at an Athenian, and he couldn't help but admire her skill. She fought better than most men, handling her spear with grace and speed. He hadn't heard of any women fighters in the Trojan army but, then again, he didn't pay attention to the soldiers' talk.
One of the warriors circling her lunged, and she sidestepped, swinging her spear down to split the man's heel. He went down with a sharp cry.
She pivoted and blocked another warrior's blow. Her breathing was labored; she was getting tired. The soldiers' attacks were increasing in frequency, and the circle around her tightened. She wouldn't last much longer.
A warrior lunged at her blind spot.
Shouto's heartbeat quickened. He wouldn't be fast enough to save her, and she hadn't seen the soldier attack.
Black shadows shot out from the temple's doorway behind her and blocked the soldier's strike. Dissipating into smoky vapors as they parried the blade.
Shouto's eyes widened. He stared in horror. Laying on the ground behind the priestess was a creature with the body of a man but head of a raven. He hadn't noticed the beast earlier as its body was the same black color as the smoke leaking out of the temple.
The priestess spun around and slashed at the soldier's stomach. He sidestepped and danced back to the safety of the crowd.
Shouto exhaled a slow breath and tried to right his thoughts. It was one thing for him to step in and save the priestess but an entirely different matter now that the creature was involved. It was no wonder the soldiers had been excited. Killing a monster akin to the minotaur would gain them fame and glory back home. They would think of the priestess as just part of their prize.
A white, hot pain slammed into Shouto's chest. He jerked and stumbled forward, catching himself before falling.
His lungs burned. It felt as if he had been punched in between the ribs by one of his father's fists.
Shouto's gaze darted down.
A gold-tipped arrow was protruding from the center of his chest. It had sliced perfectly through him without bending his armor.
Shouto's eyes widened. He had fought hundreds of battles over the last ten years and had never once been hurt.
He brought a shaking hand up to touch the arrow tip, but before his fingers could skim the head, the arrow began to glow and then dissolved into brightly colored lights. It was as if the arrow had become a swarm of multicolored fireflies that floated up towards the morning sky and disappeared.
Shouto stared. His breath felt like lead in his throat. He was shaking and simultaneously felt hot and cold as he looked at his chest and touched the area the arrow had protruded from. He brought his hand up to inspect his fingers, but his skin was dry.
It had been a god's arrow. One of Aphrodite's Erotes.
Shouto looked up sharply, expecting to find Kaminari floating in the sky. Instead, his gaze landed on the priestess, still fighting off the Athenian soldiers and the world stopped.
Shouto could hear his own heartbeat thumping in his ears. He could barely breathe. It was like he was drowning in a sea of tar. And he stared in cold fury as the warriors moved in on the priestess.
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Hope you liked this first chapter! I'll be updating every Sunday.
More Notes:
1. Erotes - Aphrodite supposedly had multiple servants called Erotes, each representing a different form of love. In later stories these were combined and became her son, Eros. For this story, however, I'm keeping them separate.
2. Hetaeras - mistresses
3. Helots - slaves
4. Cassandra of Troy - one of Apollo's priestesses. She was considered a beauty and even Apollo fell for her, but when she refused the God's advancements he cursed her to foresee the future but have no one believe her.