NOVEL WEB Peace in a Life of War!
*Vol.1: Tales of a God.
Chapter 61 – Peace in a Life of War!
Hey there, here's the chapter of the week!
Thanks for waiting!
Enjoy it, peasants!
Without further ado, here's the chapter!
- Location: Future Turkey / City State of Troy.
Pov. Third person.
Troy.
A city founded by merchants who found a point where goods from the Aegean Sea passed into the Black Sea, or from Asia Minor to the heart of Greece.
Due to its strategic location, the city of Troy grew quickly, becoming one of the richest cities in such a short time...
This, of course, drew the eyes of envy and fear from most rulers of the other city-states.
But some rulers... They had a look of greed.
One of these rulers was Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, son of Plistene, and therefore a descendant of Tantalus.
Agamemnon was already known as a great conqueror throughout Greece, securing his rightful place on the throne of Mycenae after the troubled times of his grandfather Atreus.
King Agamemnon saw in Troy the opportunity to control all maritime trade in the entire Aegean Sea if he subjugated the city and, consequently, would be known as the most powerful king in all of Greece.
And that's how 11 Greek city-states, all under Agamemnon's rule, with each averaging 10 thousand soldiers, set out for Troy as soon as some trigger happened for Agamemnon to use as an excuse.
The fuse ended up coming from one of the sons of Priam, King of Troy, who did something that would condemn them all...
The Trojan prince was called Paris, and he ended up lusting after another man's wife and enchanted her with the favor of the goddess Aphrodite...
The problem was that the 'other man' was the king of Sparta himself named Menelaus...
Agamemnon's brother.
In everyone's eyes, Agamemnon went to defend his brother's honor... But in Agamemnon's mind, he thanked the gods for the perfect moment.
In fact, Agamemnon never liked his brother's wife, who was called Helena. The king of Mycenae was like the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, and he believed that such a beautiful woman would only bring trouble...
It was for this reason that Agamemnon was not at all pleased when Helen chose Menelaus as her husband in a selection.
But, for the king of Mycenae, Helen would end up being very useful in his excuse to conquer Troy.
In addition to taking an army of more than 100 thousand men, Agamemnon made a point of bringing to war the best that Greece had to offer so that the conquest of Troy would not take so long, as the Hittite people could consider an invasion of Achaean territory.
The problem was that Agamemnon didn't count on the Trojan persistence and resistance that the city was offering...
But even so, some Achaeans did not come to Troy just for some wild plan to get rich and powerful.
However...
Some Achaeans came to Troy for one simple reason...
Glory.
But... After years of war and long winters...
Even glory no longer has any important meaning in a soldier's life.
This could be shown right now on the battlefield, in front of the walls of Troy.
Achilles, champion of the Achaeans, was looking at the body of another man he had just killed.
The man was called Memnon, a demigod, and king of Ethiopia, which was allied with Troy.
Memnon had successfully killed Antilochus, son of Nestor and friend of Achilles, moments before, which sent Achilles back to the battlefield seeking revenge in a bloody rage.
But after getting revenge, Achilles didn't feel satisfaction or anything like that...
He felt hollow.
"Again, all the same... I came here for glory because everything men want I want more, but... What’s it costing me?" Achilles asked as he looked at Memnon's body.
The young champion of the Achaeans came to Troy with an army of Myrmidons and a close friend, who could be considered a brother, named Patroclus.
But over the years of the war that seemed to never end, young Achilles began to see that he was losing much more than gaining the glory he so desperately wanted...
Achilles lost Patroclus, someone he saw as a brother and close comrade, due to having also been taught by Phoenix, son of Amintor, king of the city of Dolopes and friend of Peleus.
Achilles lost Penthesilea, an Amazon queen that he ended up falling in love with, but unfortunately, she was allied with Troy and ended up being killed by his own hands.
Achilles recently lost Antilochus, another close friend and son of Nestor, who was a close friend of Peleus, father of Achilles, and king of Phthia.
Achilles lost Hippodamia, daughter of Briseus and a slave he had fallen in love with and who was now inside the walls of Troy with no sign of returning to his arms.
While Achilles reflected on his motives for continuing to fight for one man's ambitions...
He completely ignored that he was surrounded by Trojan soldiers who dared not move a single muscle after witnessing the death of a formidable warrior that was Memnon.
The putrid stench that the Trojan soldiers exhaled was perceptible...
The stench of fear.
Fear of daring to take the first step and 'try to kill' the greatest warrior of the Achaeans, who had slain the best that the city of Troy and allies had to offer...
Trojans began to think that there was no chance of victory against the invading nation just because of the man in front of them.
“Die Achaean!” shouted the only brave Trojan.
The Trojan was called Paeonius, and he masterfully ended up throwing two spears at the same time toward Achilles, who was still lost in conflicting thoughts.
One of the spears was deflected by Achilles unconsciously as the demigod's body moved by itself when it sensed danger.
The second spear was also deflected but ended up drawing a small trickle of blood from the Achaean hero's face.
Everything seemed to freeze as the Trojans present held their breath as Achilles slowly looked in Paeonius' direction.
The gash on Achilles' face began to close quickly.
The young Achaean hero just watched the look of fear on the Trojan soldiers as he sighed in dismay.
"... I suppose that's what I was born for after all, just as you warned me, mother... A life of war" said Achilles, with a melancholy tone.
The young Achaean soon swung the spear in his hands quickly and assumed a fighting stance.
"You can come... But at the end of the day I hope you have the necessary amount of drachmas for the boatman, because I won't give you mine!" said Achilles, roaring at the Trojan soldiers.
The demigod, son of Thetis, stood still until the Trojan soldiers charged toward him while shouting in fury. Until the end of the day, Achilles remained fighting and killing, no longer caring if he was outnumbered or if it was night...
Only one day had passed, and the next morning, Achilles was again at the center of the battlefield.
But something was different...
Achilles was alone very close to the wall, within reach of the Trojan archers.
As if he wanted to be hit...
*thumb*
And hit he was, by an arrow made of gold and poisoned at the point.
As Achilles felt a pain he had never felt before, he looked toward the one who released the arrow.
The Achaean hero saw on the wall the brother of Prince Hector and who had caused all the war by lust for a woman.
Paris.
Beside Paris were hundreds of archers, all aiming for Achilles, ready to unleash all their arrows on a single man.
But what had most caught Achilles' attention was a being who was beside Paris, supporting the Trojan prince's bow, as if guiding the trajectory.
It was then that Achilles understood that he had technically been killed directly by Apollo himself, who was against the Achaeans for having killed one of his sons and made the priests of the temples slaves.
Achilles, however, did not remain shaken... Although he could feel it in his bones that something had changed...
He knew he would find the ferryman later this day.
"... At least, I will find peace the only way I know how... I only wish to see your face one last time... Hippodamia" said Achilles, whispering the name of the young woman who had won the Achaean's heart.
The Trojan archers, motivated by their prince's leadership and success in hitting Achilles, soon prepared to release the arrows.
But, to the surprise of all Achaeans and even Trojans... Achilles dropped his spear and stretched out his arms inviting the shower of arrows to strike him.
The archers, angered or motivated by Achilles' actions, assuming the demigod had given up fighting, released hundreds of arrows.
Achilles, however, gave one last smile, and he used one foot to toss the spear back into one hand and deftly swung it swiftly, blocking all the arrows from the Trojan archers.
The ground of the battlefield was soon filled with several arrows, with Achilles in the center as he rotated the spear slower after blocking the arrows and stabbing it into the ground.
“It doesn't matter who you are, where you came from, or your class! I will not fall by the hands of mortals! Know that from this day, I will forever be known as undefeated, may the dead meet the fools who thought they could kill me! Thank the gods tonight, because only for their favor my spear will taste your blood no more..." Achilles said.
The hero then felt his remaining strength drain away as he tried to remain on his feet.
It was then that Apollo soon drew another poisoned golden arrow and placed it on the bow of Paris, who had been startled by the Achaean hero's declaration, but then just as he was about to release the arrow...
Lightning fell from the cloudless sky and struck Achilles' body as he was about to fall, creating a cloud of dust that covered him from prying eyes.
Only supernatural beings noticed the figure of a man in the lightning.
When the cloud of dust settled, Achilles' body was gone.
Most mortals did not understand, but with the help of the supernatural beings present, they believed that Achilles had finally died, which caused the Achaeans to soon retreat to the camp, which left Troy with the victory of the day, being celebrated by most of the city's inhabitants in the evening of the same day.
But that celebration will soon be replaced by despair just a few years later...
The next thing Achilles saw it wasn't a river with a single boatman...
It was a giant with red hair.
"... What?" said Achilles, confused.
The giant just gave an amused smile.
The being in front of Achilles was none other than Thor, who had rescued the hero Achaeus in the final seconds of the battlefield.
“Well, I suppose you have a lot of questions, but first, first things first. I just gave you enough energy to have your choice to just die or live for something else, if you want to live I'll give you another chance, but it's up to you to choose your purpose" Thor said.
Achilles just kept looking at Thor's face, and when he was going to say he wanted to die, he stopped...
“… Will it be up to me to choose my purpose?” Achilles asked in disbelief.
Freedom of choice.
Something Achilles never had.
He was born for war, at least all those Achilles knew made the same claim, for the reason that Achilles was born and put to the test of life and death in the seconds he was born.
When Thetis plunged her son into the River Styx when he was a mere baby, the river tested Achilles' fighting spirit and gave him the ability to heal and immortality...
Except for the heel.
Thetis did this to protect Achilles, but it didn't go as planned, as Peleus soon found Achilles and began training the young demigod as soon as he realized Achilles' talent in the art of combat.
Achilles, being young, ended up assuming that he was doing something good that would make any parent proud.
But Thetis still tried to protect Achilles from the horrors of war, and as a last attempt, he sent Achilles to the court of King Lycomendes of Eskirus.
Unfortunately, Odysseus, who was in charge of finding Achilles, proposed a test at the court of a Lycomendes king, in which Achilles was hiding at the time.
When Odysseus placed various jewelry, dresses, and other objects on a table, Licomendes' daughters soon approached him out of interest. But when the city bells, which indicated an invasion, resounded through the courtyard of Licomendes' palace, the daughters soon ran for cover...
All the daughters of Licomendes did this...
Except for 'a daughter'.
It was Achilles, in disguise.
Odysseus noticed for one simple reason.
When the bells signaling an invasion rang, only a single person took a sword that was on the table of exotic objects that were being investigated by the curious daughters of Licomendes and did not take shelter or seek help.
A born warrior.
That's what Odysseus said when he introduced himself to Achilles.
A born killer.
That's what Agamemnon said when he met Achilles.
The greatest warrior ever born.
That's what all the Achaeans said when they witnessed Achilles' exploits during the Trojan War.
The greatest monster ever born.
That's what all Trojans shouted when they fought or witnessed Achilles' art of combat.
A life of war.
No choice was made by Achilles himself, but by those who commented on the demigod's innate talent for killing from a young age.
And now, in front of Achilles, he could choose for the first time...
“Well, I don't really like to call someone to fight for me without first offering a choice, I'm not that cruel... Although Igris was an exception, because it was due to his life story that I couldn't leave it just like that,” said Thor, whispering the last part to himself.
Achilles just stood there, staring blankly at Thor... Until he smiles.
"...I'll accept it, but I'll change my mind if I don't like the kind of king you show me, so... Show it to me what kind of king are you," Achilles said.
Achilles' decision got a reaction from Thor...
A frown.
"King? No, I don't want such responsibility… again,” said Thor, mumbling the last part.
Achilles was confused by the statement.
"So what do you want from me besides my spear?" asked Achilles.
Thor then smiled at the question.
“I want you to live, simple as that… I don't ask you to obey me, I don't ask you to owe your life to me. I only ask that you live the way you wish, but that you ensure the freedom and security of a people who were once my people,” said Thor.
Achilles stood there, processing Thor's words.
For the young demigod, when a 'king' orders something, it must be obeyed by subordinates.
If a king commands, you must kill or die for his name.
In war, it's the young dying and the old talking.
In war, history remembers kings, not soldiers who died for it.
That's what Achilles believed, so much so that for that reason he wanted his name to be remembered by everyone and to break this rule.
The first soldier who would be remembered more than kings.
Before and during the war, Achilles only regarded Odysseus as a good king, but not yet 'his king'.
But here was another who cared about the people.
Now the question was...
Could he be the king Achilles was looking for?
"... Very well, king... My spear is yours, but I want you to show me your world, your vision," said Achilles.
Thor had no idea that Achilles would closely observe his actions, and witness a change of heart about the meaning of the word 'king' when given this second chance at life.
But still, Thor accepted Achilles' answer.
"Very well then, Achaean... Here, take this," said Thor, who soon withdrew a pill from the storage collar.
The pill had a predominant color like bright amethyst, but it still had other colors like yellow and blue, although to a lesser extent. This soldier's pill was special, after all, it was made from the Sumerian immortality plant, which Thor had collected centuries ago.
Achilles took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.
At that moment the young demigod felt his body burning as if he were being set on fire from within.
Thor remained impassive, but he wore an interesting look.
“Oh? I suppose there are side effects considering the partial immortality given to you by the River Styx… But that will resolve itself quickly in time,” said Thor.
The thunder god soon created a rune in the air, which caused Achilles to black out so he could endure the pain caused by the changes that the soldier's pill provided.
With Achilles knocked to the ground, Thor soon turned to an area of the cave.
"So...you came to stop me?" asked Thor.
A figure soon approached from the shadows and in the light revealed itself as Zeus, who wore a slight frown.
“...He shouldn't be alive, in order to maintain the balance of power. Can you imagine if he decided to fight for conquest and not for glory? Greece would fall into a civil war with all the city-states against King Peleus of Phthia for the danger Achilles would pose, with only his father supporting him,” Zeus said.
Thor, however, didn't respond right away and soon walked toward the King of Olympus.
“In that case, I have no doubt that after a few years it would be Achilles unifying Greece under a single government. Come in handy, Achilles if he faced your prized son Alcides, he'd mop the floor with the brat brute,” said Thor.
Zeus didn't like the statement.
“It's not Alcides, it's Herakles! Besides, my son would never lose to Achilles! My son sacked the city of Troy before, something that Achilles did not succeed in, so my son is indeed the best!” said Zeus, crossing his arms.
Thor soon scoffed.
“I must remind you that Hera didn't like the new name you gave to Alcides in an attempt to woo her. Also, your son might have managed to sack Troy, but Achilles could also do the same thing if the gods didn't interfere over and over again in the war, your brute son had absolutely no combat technique, only relying on the superior strength that was bestowed on him by your blood,” said Thor.
Zeus remained silent, as he could not think of an answer, but a short time later he soon assumed a serious countenance.
“…Where do you intend to take him?” asked Zeus, looking down at Achilles' knocked-out body on the ground.
Thor was silent for some time, considering his next words until he responded with a smile.
“To a place that perhaps gives him a purpose that he, and only he, can choose without being swayed by the opinions of others,” said Thor.
Zeus remained silent as he shifted his gaze from Achilles to Thor.
"... Thetis is your friend and is one of my most esteemed subordinates... Take care of her son, but I ask that you let her visit Achilles whenever she wants," said Zeus.
Thor was surprised by Zeus' acceptance, after all, Thor did not expect the King of Olympus to accept his answer so simply. Although there was a request from Zeus, it was a request that Thor could accept...
"As you said yourself, Thetis is a friend of mine... Therefore, she is free to visit her son in Midgard, you have my word," said Thor, nodding to Zeus.
Zeus soon nodded in response and disappeared in a flash of light caused by lightning.
It was then that Thor looked at Achilles' body.
"...I suppose it's time for you to see your new home," said Thor.
And so, the Norse god created a teleportation circle, which transported both he and Achilles towards the new Aeolite city, where he would introduce the people to a new champion who would protect the city along with Karna.
- Location: Southern Greece / Peloponnese Peninsula / Arcadia surroundings.
A long time ago, after Zeus' victory over Typhon and the disappearance or death of the Aeolite people of Crete; the king of Olympus, Zeus, heard about a cruel king in the region of Arcadia at the same time that the city of Athens, named after a city in Attica in honor of the victory of the goddess Athena over Poseidon, was being ruled by the first king, called Cecrops.
The king founded and lived in the city of Licosura, and ruled Arcadia with an iron fist, being cruel like his children, and violating one of the most important laws of the ancient world...
The law of hospitality.
This same king was still a religious fanatic for Zeus, and performed human sacrifices frequently, which further damaged his image.
When Zeus heard of the rumors, he disguised himself as a pilgrim and asked for hospitality in the palace of the city of Licosura, and on the same night, the king prepared to sacrifice him, as he had done with other pilgrims and slaves in the name of religiosity.
But, due to signs and the fear of some subjects, the king wanted to make sure that the pilgrim was not a divine being...
The king and 49 of his sons ended up killing the youngest son, named Nictimo, and served his meat mixed with animal meat at the banquet table and invited Zeus, who was disguised as a pilgrim, to taste the meat.
When Zeus discovered the barbarity, he soon retaliated.
Zeus turned the king's entire bloodline into Direwolfs and destroyed the palace, resurrecting Nictimus with the help of Hades so that the people would have a better government.
However, the 50 Direwolves soon began to terrorize the Peloponnese region.
Zeus then asked Poseidon for a controlled deluge, which would wash the entire Peloponnese of the evils of the Direwolf horde.
In addition to much of the population, all Direwolves died in the flood...
All... Except for one.
The surviving Direwolf was bigger, stronger, and older… It was Licosura's cruel king himself, who had embraced the shadows for refuge, losing any sign of human thought in the process and choosing exile.
Staying as far away from human eyes as possible.
Until one night, centuries later, the surviving Direwolf didn't expect to be hunted...
By two angels.
“Are you sure you're here? Lady Sariel” asked a male angel with five pairs of wings, long black hair, and light brown eyes.
"...Yes, Kokabiel, this was the last place that humans had a brief glimpse, so it must be close... We will finish here and return to our Father once we complete the mission" said another angel, this one was a female but had an extra pair of wings more than the angel who accompanied her, wearing silver armor and having striking facial features like long blond hair and amber eyes.
As the female angel had a total of twelve wings, meaning that she was of a higher rank than the so-called Kokabiel...
She was one of the twelve Seraphim.
At that moment, the mission they were given seemed to be simple...
Finding and capturing the last Direwolf resulted from a curse imposed by the leader of the Achaean deities.
It was then that Sariel noticed the mood of young Kokabiel...
"... Something wrong? There seems to be something that ails you,” Sariel said, her face showing a little concern.
Kokabiel quickly denied it.
“No my lady! I don't want to doubt Father, but... I don't understand why our Father is collecting so many beings cursed by the other gods, we already captured that golden lion and now we are after a dog that hides in the shadows" said Kokabiel, with an afflicted face.
For Kokabiel, he didn't understand the reason behind the god's orders, and in the back of his mind... A seed of doubt was planted.
It was this doubt Sariel felt about her brother, and that made her ask Kokabiel about his mood.
“...I know the orders may seem to be confusing, even I don't know why, but we must have faith in our Father... Maybe it's for the best... Our Father always has a bigger plan, and we're just cleaning up the mess of the other irresponsible gods more discreetly,” Sariel said firmly.
However, Sariel's firm tone didn't do much to assuage the doubts in young Kokabiel.
Sariel was about to speak again until something caught her eye.
A black direwolf with red eyes came out of the shadows and started growling at the two angels.
"...We'll talk later, let's finish up here," Sariel said, creating a spear of light.
Kokabiel followed the command, creating a sword of light and assuming a fighting stance.
The wolf soon jumped towards the two angels, who soon reacted and swung their weapons to fight the creature.
The battle didn't last long...
And long the direwolf was trapped in a kind of net made of light and being carried by the two angels.
That was the end of the once-first king, Licosura religious fanatic, and last living supernatural Direwolf...
Lycaon.
- Location: Ahvenanmaa Islands / Aeolite City.
Weeks passed, and at this moment Thor was guiding Achilles through the city, always being greeted by the inhabitants of the constantly growing city.
"So what do you think? It’s a good place to live, right?” asked Thor, with a smile, looking out over the city.
Achilles had been impressed, as none of the Greek city-states had such mastery over-engineering as well as the number of people...
200 thousand people.
10 thousand soldiers trained and armed with an armor design he had never seen before, to maintain order in the city.
And the magic...
Magic was part of the everyday life of the Aeolites.
“Was this your kingdom?” asked Achilles.
Thor only smiled briefly.
“For a few decades. I started to care about them at some point that even I didn't notice... I don't want to see them disappear because of some petty interference from the others” said Thor.
Achilles glanced at Thor to see the look of happiness on the Norse god of thunder's face... and could only smile in response.
"... To answer your earlier question... Yes, it's a good place to live" Achilles said, looking briefly at some groups of children playing in the streets carelessly.
But then Achilles, watching the children, began to think about what he had left behind...
"... Neoptolemus... I hope you're taking care of your mother," Achilles said, whispering with a melancholy tone.
Something that was noticed by Thor, who just kept silent and listened to the melancholy tone of the hero Achaeus.
“...Do you regret your decision?” asked Thor.
Achilles thought for just a moment before answering.
"...Not exactly... I would be ashamed to look at Deidamia's face again, so I think she and our son will be fine without me," Achilles said.
Then Thor asked a question that left Achilles silent.
“... But what about Hippodamia?” asked Thor.
Achilles was silent until he sighed in dismay.
“I had several lovers, and one of those lovers gave me my son, Neoptolemus, but Hippodamia... She gave me nights of peace in the middle of a war. With her, everything else didn't matter; I had even forgotten the reason for going to Troy when I was with her... But she will have a better life without me,” said Achilles.
For the Achaean hero, he knew that the life of a Greek slave, due to being on the losing side of a war, would not be good for Hippodamia...
From a priestess, who was once a widow, to a slave...
Achilles didn't want Hippodamia's life to change drastically, so he chose the best option when Priam showed up at his tent looking for Hector's dead body.
Let Hippodamia go.
The Achaean hero had conquered Hippodamia by the spear...
Achilles killed her husband and her three brothers when he led the Greeks to conquer the city of Lyrnesso, but ended up falling in love with her.
Initially, their relationship was troubled by the simple fact that Achilles was the one who tore the peaceful life out of Hippodamia by war... But the more days passed, the more the hero of Achaeus fell in love with the beautiful Hippodamia.
Achilles now knew the harm he had done to Hippodamia, and one night he had decided to let her go with Priam, thinking that she might be safe within the walls of Troy.
The Achaean hero was bitter, but he thought it was the right decision.
Achilles then felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at the owner of said hand...
Thor had a small smile.
"… Then find something else or someone else worth living and fighting for..." said Thor, gesturing to the Aeolite people.
Those simple words made Achilles look again at the Aeolites and realized that some people, women, and children, were waving to him and Thor.
"... I might do that," said Achilles, now with a smile on his face.
Well, that's all folks!
Hope you enjoyed it and see you next week, peasants!