IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a story in which the final scene from Strife of Rome does not happen. Samson Akira (The Mystic) does not, and will not appear in this story. My good buddy Traxamania has taken over the Samson and Samuel story arc and this will be sort of the other route. So basically just ignore the fact that Samson and Mori aren't here and lets end this with a bang because with Samuel Strife I expect no less than utter mayhem!

Strife Manor-Start of Trials of Apollo

BEEP BEEP BEEP

That fucking alarm...I swear if I was more conscious I would be throwing it out the window. I slammed my fist down on the snooze button as I cracked my eyes open and gazed at the slowly moving ceiling fan above me, I took a deep breath and smiled softly as I felt a weight against my chest. I looked down to find quite possibly the most beautiful sight I have ever witnessed.

Hylla Arellano...Queen of the Amazons, sister to Reyna, Slayer of Otrera, and more recently? My wife! My goddamn motherfucking wife! Looking at her, her hair is messy as hell, drooling on my bare chest, snoring softly as she had her arms wrapped around me I swear she has never looked more beautiful. I couldn't help but grin, I leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the head before untangling myself from her. I stood up and stretched my back then winced a little, looks like the back scratches haven't healed from last night.

Oh? Oh I'm sure you are wondering where I got these scratches? It was because I was having sex with my wife last night, oh is that too much information? I'm sorry let me explain this delicately: My wife, my bed, my house, my life, my fucking story, and for some reason I can't seem to recall when I asked for your opinion. Delicate enough for you?

Anyway I walked out of my room and started down the large hallway of my house. Every day I walked down these halls and every day I recalled my life before I knew I was a demigod. I looked into the home gym and just remembered the day I twisted my arm when I fell off my bike. I ran to my dad crying and he was running on the treadmill, he stopped what he was doing immediately and helped me. I looked into what was my childhood room, it was repainted now and pieces of my newest project were laying on the ground in a heap, I had a lot of work to do these next few months.

I made my way into the kitchen and started making breakfast for Hylla and I. I had just finished cooking the sausages when I heard a loud yawn behind me, I turned to see Hylla wearing her pajama pants and tank top and looking gorgeous as she scratched her head.

"Morning Sam." she said softly pecking my cheek, I smiled as I laid all the breakfast out on the table and kissed Hylla as she sat down.

"Eat up Hylla, you are eating for two now." I said as I poured myself some coffee. I took a long sip as Hylla nodded and placed a hand on her stomach.

RIGHT?! YOU CAUGHT THAT RIGHT?! Hylla is pregnant! Pregnant! I'm going to be a dad in about six months and I couldn't be happier. Wait is happier the right word...no wait its close to it though...hang on...oh right what I meant to say was.

SOMEONE FUCKING HELP ME I'M NOT READY TO BE A DAD!

Yeah that's better, sheer terror just wrapping around every nerve of my body. Look at me! I'm not father material! I'm barely brother material and I was never son material! How in the absolute flying fuck am I supposed to father a kid when I'm still learning the ropes of being a fucking adult!?

Hylla looked at me as she finished her breakfast, "You're frowning. Thinking about fatherhood again?" she asked and I nodded, I never lie to Hylla I made that a rule the day I married her. For a number of reasons, the first being she is the love of my life and I want to make sure I never hurt her. The second being she could literally beat the shit out of me no problem even if she just woke up. Damn! Have you ever met a hotter woman?!

At any rate I sat down next to her and she took my hand which was shaking furiously "Hylla? What if...what if our child resents me? What if they learn about what I did? You can't wash away that much blood...no one can." I said hanging my head. I was always at my most open and vulnerable when Hylla and I were alone, she was the only person that had seen me not only at my best but at my worst...my worst being me literally trying to eat her.

"You're not that person anymore Sam, you haven't been for a while. You went to those classes and got all your anger under control." she said smiling and I nodded. Okay so maybe I lied to my wife once, those anger classes didn't exactly help me because...I may have punched the instructor in his annoying fat mouth and thrown him out the window. He deserved it though he kept saying that my anger comes from my parents and yeah alright I accept that because my mother is Eris, Goddess of Strife and Discord but the second he brought up my dad...oh man did I beat the everloving shit out of that prick!

"Hey?" she said squeezing my hand "You're going to be a great dad. I know you will be, just like you are a great husband." she said kissing my knuckles. I smiled and chuckled a little before helping her clean up. After the dishes were washed Hylla came down the stairs wearing her Amazon gear and giving me a kiss goodbye. She worked all the time but since my house was in Boston where Amazon moved their headquarters it was almost like she just had a nine to five job and I was a stay at home husband.

Ahhhhh the joys of retirement, yep twenty two years old and I'm already retired, don't get the wrong idea though. It was a long and painful journey getting where I am now, if you don't believe just look at my face or anywhere on my body. Scars littered every inch of my body, my face had numerous small white scars but two specific ones stood out, I always look at them when I'm shaving. Three thin scars ran down through my left eye and ended at my chin, on my right eye a single scar ran from my nose down through my lip and ended at my chin. Moving on to my body right on my neck was a spider web like scar, a certain wine god had the pleasure of giving it to me after I killed his son. After that were two scars next to each other both written in ancient Greek, my oaths. Lastly a three foot long scar running down my entire torso courtesy of Sherman fucking Yang. I never got back at him for that I probably should.

I try to make it to camp as much as I can which is actually pretty often considering I literally have nothing else to do except be with my wife. The issue is sometimes my wife can be a little...what's the word? Irresistible? Yeah she's a firebrand and a sexy one at that which usually results in me getting ready to leave and then ends with her and I in bed within ten minutes. After that it's a number of angry Iris messages from my siblings about why I never showed up.

Anyway I walked outside with my coffee and headed over to grab the mail, I flipped through the letters:

"Bill, bill, bill, limited time offer fuck you! Bill, timeshare, scam, magazine, magazine, what the fuck Hylla you don't even read Cracked!" I mumbled to myself as I kept rifling and then I saw a letter that stopped me dead.

Samuel Strife, Son of Eris

I gulped hard before bringing the mail inside and dropping it on the table. I grabbed a switchblade from my pocket, yes I have a switchblade in my pocket, and cut open the envelope. Inside was a handwritten letter I read it over multiple times, man fuck Dyslexia, and every word was like a dagger in my heart.

Sam,

I'm writing this because the Gargareans are in dire need of your help. I know we agreed that we should leave you alone but I have a feeling this is a problem only you can truly solve. I have no right to ask this of you but I am asking as a friend will you help me? We fought multiple battles side by side and I watched it break you when you were king, I hate to put you through that again Sam but I am out of options and out of time as well. Will you help me Sam? If you will, meet me at Boston Harbor at noon on February ninth. If you do not I understand and will not bother you again nor plead my case. You have earned that much at the very least. I await your decision and accept whatever your answer is with grace.

DOXA

King Amos, The Revenant

Normally I probably would have laughed at seeing Amos use his title like that, it was my old title before I gave him the mantle of king. Reading the note I glanced at my left hand, you could see the discoloration of where my real flesh merged with the artificial hand. I lost it in the battle against Orion, my final and most devastating battle ever, that was when I realized I wasn't fit to be the king of the Gargareans, a group of warrior men as old as the Amazons. I sighed as I rubbed my forehead, the feeling of the cold metal of my left hand didn't help the sweat that poured off me.

I looked into the study, my black leather duster jacket was on a stand next to my desk, above my desk was my old weapon a bronze Winchester Repeater I called Discord. I still practiced shooting, always want to stay in peak performance of course but my rifle? I hadn't used it since the day I got married and honestly I never saw myself using it ever again.

I took a shaky breath, today was the ninth of February, it was currently nine in the morning...

I had three hours to make a perilous decision.

It was absolutely the dumbest decision I've ever made and that is actually saying something considering my track record. Riding in my jeep towards the harbor I contemplated turning around and fucking right off every time I came to a stop. Why am I doing this? Why am I letting myself get roped back into this shit right after I got out!? I'm in the clear! I'm free! I don't have to do anything except be with my family!

So why the literal fuck am I parking at the harbor and looking for Amos? Bitch you got me! I'd love the answer to that question.

I looked around for the familiar bright red hair of the king of the Gargareans but saw nothing, I looked at my watch it was ten minutes to twelve so I was early. I felt like I was being watched and instinctively reached for the Bowie knife strapped to my leg. I'm not getting snuck up on now! Not now and not ever! I started drawing my knife only for a voice to speak behind me.

"Well, now there is the Sam Strife I know and fear!" I couldn't help but smirk as I turned to find a young man about twenty, his fiery red hair in a flat top cut, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. On his back was a flowing blood red cape with jewels encrusted along the collar, the Cape of Leonidas, the symbol of the king of the Gargareans.

"Amos!" I said pulling my old friend into a hug, it was nice at first before I recalled what his letter pulled me away from. I started hugging tighter and tighter and Amos gave a wince and groaned, eventually I lifted him up and threw him into the nearest object I could find, which was a café that was closed for the day. He slammed into a wooden table and broke it, he rolled on the ground groaning before I planted my foot into his chest "You better start talking right now! I'm here so what is so important that you would be violating our terms!" I barked, my anger was more or less simply on impulse I wasn't angry with Amos at all just the situation.

Amos sighed before I helped him up "Something is happening Sam, something bad." he said and I swear I was about to deck him again. Of course something bad was happening why the fuck does he think I'm here?! He rubbed his shoulder which had been slammed into the table before continuing "The Gargareans are dying." he said softly.

I blinked in shock, that just simply wasn't possible, the Gargareans were a group super warrior men, as a matter of fact they are the male equivalent of the Amazons, and last I checked thousands of men were in the ranks and not only that but a very strong alliance was formed between them and the Hunters of Artemis as well as the Amazons themselves. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a diner, I couldn't think on an empty stomach anyway.

"You hungry?" I asked.

We both sat down and quickly placed our drinks, water for Amos and a beer for me. What I would really love is a single malt scotch but I highly doubt this diner had any, we placed our orders and I leaned back just staring at Amos. He hadn't said a word since we sat down and the silence, oh the fucking silence! I kicked Amos in the shin hard because even him yelping in pain beat the horrible skin crawling annoyance that was silence.

"You better explain what you mean man. I don't see how the Gargareans can be dying, it's the biggest faction out of all three." I said as the waitress handed us our drinks. I took a quick sip of my beer as Amos simply stirred his water, I was about to kick him again when he looked up at me.

"Someone has been killing our men, not just like our guys are dying in battle I mean legions of my men are being wiped out in a single fight! I've lost four of my generals to whoever these guys are! The other generals...they aren't going to do anything. Whoever assassinated my soldiers bought off the other generals not only for their silence but for their support." Amos explained.

I listened to every word and it made my heart clench, civil war within the Gargareans was not an option at this point, between me leading an uprising and the Giant War, if a civil war broke out the Gargareans would tear itself apart. Everything my family worked for! Everything that I left behind would be ashes. I wanted to say I didn't care, I wanted to tell Amos to fuck off and find someone else, but there was no one else. When you are king you don't exactly make friends, when I was king no one liked me they only feared me because of my temper and bloodlust.

Amos though, he was the one that recruited me, the one that looked after me even when I was losing my mind in the Gargarean arena pits, the one who spoke against me when he knew I was in the wrong. He was the only person that had the guts to actually help me and not take advantage of me.

I set me drink down and leaned forward "Say I do help you...what exactly do you expect me to do? Kill every single corrupt soldier? Honestly Amos I still don't know what you want from me." I said shaking my head in confusion. The waitress brought over our food but my appetite was already gone.

Amos sighed heavily "I was hoping that maybe...you could ask Hylla to look into the Gargarean financial records, I can give you the codes needed to access them. The reason is because I can't conduct an investigation on my own faction otherwise I would look paranoid and weak, the Generals are waiting for that exact thing to strike and usurp me for their benefactor."

I rubbed my temples "So you want me to ask my wife to investigate the Gargareans, then assuming we find something dirty you want me to go talk to these remaining generals and...what exactly?" I asked.

"Interrogate them and if necessary kill them. The time for negotiation ended when they betrayed the Gargareans." Amos said in such an authoritative tone I actually felt like I was talking to a king. I bit the inside of my cheek in frustration, I couldn't say no to this, that was the answer to why I had even shown up. Amos was my friend...and I refuse to let any of my friends come to harm.

Amos pulled out a small slip of paper and handed it to me "The access codes for Hylla. Sam I know this is a lot to ask but you know me. I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't life or death." he said and I nodded in agreement. I slipped the paper into my pocket as Amos stood up and dropped some cash on the table "Thank you Sam, you're a true friend." he said before he slammed his right arm against his chest "DOXA!" he said loudly.

I smirked before giving the same salute, and with that Amos walked out of the diner and vanished in the busy crowd. I sat there for god knows how long just going over my options but in the end I think you know what I chose to do. I walked out of the diner and pulled out my car keys, as I walked over to my jeep I felt that tingling feeling again as if I was being watched.

I turned around and saw nothing out of the ordinary but my nerves were on fire screaming that I was being watched by someone. I shrugged it off but kept my eyes wandering in case anyone wanted to try and sneak up on me. I climbed into my car and started the engine, as I turned onto the main road I slammed my head into the steering wheel before screaming in rage and annoyance.

I stopped when my throat felt raw and dry, the only thing that remained was the taste of that horrible beer.

Fuck I need something stronger!

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