"How much drachma will this cost?"

"2500." The blacksmith ordered. The general had a blank look on his face.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm the only blacksmith in the area, my price is high." The general sighed and gave the smith a pouch. He took it, and gave the general thirteen chest plates and twenty dories. The general loaded up the horses he took with him, and went on his way to the nearest village outside of Argos to deliver them to people who need protection.

On his way, he ran into thieves.

"What you got there, general?" One asked. The general was silent.

"Hey, when Adrian speaks to you, you answer him!" another threatened.

"Back off, if you don't wish to die." The general said, with a serious tone.

"Ooh, scary!" Adrian laughed. He motioned to his crew of six. Each of them drew their swords and got into an attack formation. The air was still. The grass, motionless. The trees barely bobbed their leaves. The old dirt road, not a grain misplaced. The sun, gleaming. The general hopped off his horse, and clenched the spear on his back.

"I said, back off," He stared them dead in the eyes, "Last warning." They tried to get a look at his eyes through his war helmet. All they saw was shadow, darker than the robe of Hades. The wind soon picked up, and the general's red cape began flowing vigorously. His helmet crest began to sway. The grass and trees rustled violently. The general looked at the men before him. He didn't see brave men, he saw cowards who were foolish enough to face him. Their legs trembled, and sweat rolled down their faces and arms, loosening their grip on their swords. All eight men were still. The general, Adrian, and his six lackies. The first of the six men ran at the general, screaming, trying to get an early hit. The general swiftly dodged the oncoming attack. He brought his spear down, and used it to do a sweep attack, pinning the man to the ground. The end of the spear was pressed tightly in his chest, with the blade facing up. The general pressed harder onto the pinned man's sternum.

"Just... do... it!" The man pleaded. The general looked Adrian in the eyes,

"If you care for his life, you will all drop your weapons. If not, do nothing." Adrian was silent. His men looked at him in shock. "Very well." he lifted his spear and let the man get up. "Run before I change my mind." Before the man reached his allies, the general threw the man's own sword at him. Piercing his chest. He dropped to the floor with a loud thud.

"I have more men to spare!" Adrian declared. His men looked at him, dropped their swords and walked to the general with their hands behind their backs. He sat them down next to his seven horses, and tied their hands. Adrian was in too much shock, he didn't stop his men, or the general. When the general was finished, he turned to Adrian.

"Adrian! If you don't back down, I'll shove my spear so far down your  fucking throat, you'll be shitting iron at the gates of Hades!" Adrian clenched his sword tighter.

"You're a dead man!" Adrian, leaned forward, and ran at the general. The general stood still, silently. Adrian noticed, and continued running. The general had planted himself like an olive tree in the road. Adrian suddenly became hesitant. Soon, his sword met with the general's armor. The wind had calmed once again. Everyone was silent. The general was motionless. Adrian's crew thought he was killed. Adrian looked at the general's eyes, and was terrified. The sword began cracking, eventually shattering. Adrian backed off. The general raised his spear, spun it above his head, and chanted,

"Great Zeus, grant me power to deal with this fiend!" A great storm then formed above them. The clouds, swallowing of the light of the sun. thunder and lightning crashed through the air. Eventually, lightning struck his spear. A bright light flashed through the area, nearly blinding everyone. When the light cleared, all that stood was the general with his spear glowing a bright blue, crackling with lightning. Adrian began to run away, but the general was a step ahead of him. He aimed his spear high, and threw it. Moments later, it struck Adrain in the back. He screamed in agony, before falling to the ground. The spear then suddenly returned to the general's hand, and the storm cleared.

    The air was still once again. Adrian's men asked,

"Who are you?" The general replied,

"I am General Parthsyus of Crete. Lightning Summoner. Herald to the great Zeus."

"How did the sword shatter?"
"I do not know. But it may have something to do with the material my armor was made out of."

"What was it made out of then?" one asked.

"It's rumored that my armor was made out of Celestial Bronze. The metal of the gods." The men looked at eachother.

"Why is a Crete general in Argos?"

"I was sent here to fulfil the needs of the people. There's a power vacuum, and I'm here to make sure the right people are in charge." He looked at the men who were eyeing the armor and ories and his many horses. "I've also been tasked with providing these supplies to a nearby village." Parthsyus looked at the men further and he noticed they looked starved. Their tunics were old and full of holes. "I have an idea for you men. If you stay at the village and act as their guards and train future generations of warriors for them, I will make sure you have plenty of food and much better clothes." the men cheered, and Parthsyus untied their hands. He then led them to the nearby village.

    The people cheered that they finally have protection, and people to train them. The village chief personally thanked Parthsyus.

"I can't thank you enough." the old chief said.

"I'll be in Argos for a long time, so just send a messenger to me and I'll help in any way I can." The children ran around the village wielding old wooden training swords and shields. Their sandals left imprints in the loose dirt. The women were crouched by a river cleaning robes, rugs, and pots. Parthsyus noticed some men were needing olive wood to make bows. So he lended them all the olive wood he had in good faith. Before the sun was down, the people were worshipping Parthsyus as if he was a god. Throughout the rest of the village's history, Parthsyus was worshipped as their savior.

"Sir," a child said to Parthsyus, "How did you get so much stuff?" Parthsyus got down on his knee and talked to the child, eye-to-eye.

"I bought them for your village. From the best blacksmith in the area."

"Psycho the Smith in Argos?"

"I never got his name but I assume you're correct."

"He's not the best, my father is!"

"If your father is better, where is he?" The child was silent for a bit. His legs began to tremble and his throat tightened.

"He left the village a while ago with some hunters to find food."

"Did they return?"

"Not my father." Parthsyus didn't know what to say.

"I too have lost people who were important to me. Many, many people. You must never forget him, and pass down his story. As long as you remember him, he's not truly dead." The child smiled and ran off to go play with the other children.

    After three days of helping the village people with what they needed, Parthsyus left for Argos to begin his real mission. Fix the power vacuum and create a new government with no corruption. He said goodbye to the village people, left them all but one of his horses, and left for Argos. Even when he had left he wondered, should he leave them with Adrian's men? He trusted the men, they seemed sensible to him.

"I'll make sure to check on them in a couple years." he said to himself. After hours of traveling he reached the city of Argos, and made his way to the king, Pheidon. He soon found his way to the city center where the Heraion Argive was built. A sanctuary for Hera, Queen of the Olympians. Parthsyus was told by one of Pheidon's advisories when he first went to his castle, that he could find him there. He traveled to the sanctuary, and found a man praying.

"Hello?" Parthsyus asked the man.

"Oh!" the man shouted, "You startled me. What do you want?"

"I'm looking for Pheidon, king of Argos." The man eyed Parthsyus and his shiny armor.

"Nice armor you got there, even the gods would be impressed with its craftsmanship."

"I won't ask again, where is Pheidon?" The man sighed,

"You've found him. You need to be more patient." said Pheidon. "If you seek answers, you must learn to be patient." Parthsyus looked around the temple. He saw a large statue of Hera, with gold tributes lining the walls and base of the statue. Tall pillars held up the building, like Atlas holding up the sky. "Like the great Hera. You think she wanted to be in the belly of Cronus?"

"No."
"She, and her siblings, had to wait for years before being set free." Parthsyus' eyes were glued to the beautiful artwork, decorating the temple walls. Pheidon glanced at Parthsyus' spear.

"Are you a mercenary?" Parthsyus snapped out of his trance, and answered him.

"I'm General Parthsyus of Crete. Lightning Summoner, and Herald to the great Zeus." Pheidon didn't look impressed.

"And why are you here, great Lightning Summoner?"

"I was tasked to fix the power vacuum here in Argos. Ever since your father died, no one has been taking you as their king, or so I've been told." Pheidon thought for a moment and responded,

"Yes, most of that is true. But, the people do want me as their king." Pheidon walked over to a bench right outside the temple. "Sit." Parthsyus walked to him and sat on the bench made of stone. "A cult has taken over the palace. They have done a good job letting outsiders know I'm unwanted, when that's not the case." He continued, "I believe they are doing this as means to take over the Greek world. One kingdom at a time."  Parthsyus was baffled.

"A cult? What do they want with taking over the Greek world?"

"That is something you must find out. For I have been banished from my castle." Parthsyus stood up.

"I'll do my best to end their rein, and return you to power." When Parthsyus looked back at Pheidon, he was gone. In his place was a feather, with wax on the bottom. He put it in his helmet crest for good luck, and made his way to the castle.

    Before he reached the castle, the news of his arrival spread throughout it from one of Pheidon's adversaries. When the cult got word of it, they sent two of their best fighters, Achilias and Odys, to guard the gates. The only information they got was that he was a powerful misthios. When Parthsyus arrived, the guards didn't let him through.

"Get out of here misthios!" Achilias yelled.

"We don't need your kind here!" Odys reinforced. Realizing he'll have to fight them, Parthsyus reached for his spear. Soon, a large thunderstorm formed overhead. The two men at the gate looked in Parthsyus' eyes, and froze. Parthsyus aimed his spear, and threw it. The bright blue headed spear landed in between Achilias and Odys.
"Whoever can lift my spear when I return will be spared." Parthsyus ordered. He easily walked past them, struggling to remove the spear from the ground. Parthsyus walked through the gates and into the main courtyard.  The cultist leaders noticed, and sent their whole army down to kill him. When the army reached Parthsyus, he didn't stop walking. He continued on through the short, bright green grass and large olive trees. His helmet casted a shadow over his eyes, darker than anything the small army has ever seen. Lightning flashed through the air with deafening thunder. A bolt then struck the Achilias and Odys at the gate, allowing the spear to return to Parthsyus. He continued forward at the army, instilling fear in their hearts. He looked them in the eyes, freezing them in place. He proceeded to walk past them, and entered the castle. The storm cleared, and the spear lost it's beautiful blue glow.  Parthsyus made his way to the throne room, shoving aside anyone in his way.

    On the throne, sat a cultist leader. He wore white robes and a mask in the style of Cerberus. He was having a pleasant conversation with his disciples when the door leading to the throne room began to rumble. He quickly dispatched some men to hold the door in place, but they were no match for Parthsyus. He busted down the door, killings the guards.

"Holy Hera!" The cultist yelled. "What do you want?" Before Parthsyus spoke, the cultist said, "Well, it doesn't matter. You're not removing us from power."
"How did you know?" Parthsyus asked.

"I spoke to an oracle a few days ago, and she told me everything." The cultist stood up. "If you kill me now, a bounty higher than any before will be placed on your head." Parthsyus squinted. He was filling up with rage. "She also told me you have a bit of a history with mercenaries." The cultist continued to anger Parthsyus. "And if I'm correct, your father was-"
"Shut up, now!" Parthsyus shouted. The cultist smiled. His task was complete.

"Now, any and all confrontations can be avoided if you do something for me. If you do these things, then you may have a chance at killing me." Parthsyus hated the idea, but anything was better to him than facing mercenaries.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Since you are a Herald of Zeus, these labors should be easy. First, you must slay a beast."
"A beast?"
"A terrible monster has been scaring my men from entering a sacred cave, on the island known as the Isle of Ash." A maiden dressed in similar garbs, walked to Parthsyus and gave him a map that would lead to the Isle of Ash.

"Why do I need this?"

"It's the only map with the Isle of Ash located." Parthsyus growled and walked away. The cultist then yelled, "Beware, Poseidon is ruthless!" Parthsyus shut the large door he entered through, and left the castle.

    Outside the gates he noticed it was night. That's odd. He thought. It was noon when I entered. He looked around, no one was out. They were all in their homes. He walked a bit further towards an olive tree. He sat down next to it and shut his eyes.

"Hey!" He heard. "Hey!" Parthsyus was crouched under a tree stump. "Parthsyus! Come to me!" He stood up and ran to the man calling his name. He ran through a rose field, thorns scratching his legs. "Come my child!" Parthsyus ran as fast as he could, but when he reached the man, he was barely alive.

"Pater!" Parthsyus cried, as he knelt down beside his dying father.

"My child... you will... avenge... us!" The young Parthsyus held his dead father in his arms. Tears ran down his face.

"Aww, look at the little child!" a strange man in armor taunted. "Miss your pater?" Young Parthsyus stood up, his eyes red and sore.

"You'll pay!" he screamed through his tears. Parthsyus grabbed his father's spear, and hurled it at the man. He just laughed. The spear barely left the ground before falling. He picked it up, and threw it again. The man laughed even harder. Then, Parthsyus got an idea. He grabbed the spear, and charged. The man was too focused on Parthsyus' failure, he didn't notice him charging at full speed. Before he could react, Parthsyus jabbed the spear, deep into the man's chest. Parthsyus removed the spear from the corpse, and fell to his knees. He screamed in agony, and passed out.

    He jolted awake. He was still under the olive tree outside the castle. The light from the sun blinded him. He stood up, and looked at the map he was given. He examined the oceans and found the Isle of Ash. He rolled up the map, and started off to the nearest port to find a willing captain and crew. On his way to Port Hera, many people glared at him. He believed they knew what he had done. When he reached the port, everyone left their posts, except one. A man making final adjustments to his ship.

"Charie." Parthsyus greeted. The man turned to look at Parthsyus and greeted him back.

"Charie. What do you want?"

"I'm looking for a willing captain and crew to sail me to an island." Parthsyus replied. 

"What island?" Parthsyus grabbed the map and handed it to the man. He scanned it thoroughly. "I see." said the man. "You want to go to the Isle of Ash yes?"

"Yes, I do." The man looked at Parthsyus. Examined his worth and skill.

"It's a dangerous place you know. It'll cost you a lot." Parthsyus reached for a small pouch that hung from his belt.

"This should be enough." He tossed the pouch to the man, and he opened it.

"Fine. We sail at dawn tomorrow." said the man, reluctantly. He returned to his work, and Parthsyus left the port. He needed to do work since he spent the last of his drachma on that sailor.

Parthsyus traveled through a nearby city, attempting to find work when he heard a scream. Parthsyus ran to find out what happened. He reached the frightened woman and asked,

"What happened? Are you alright?" He helped her off the ground.

"Yes, yes I'm fine but, bandits stole my children!"

"Where did you last see them?"

"Running East. There might be a camp there."

"I'll track them down, and I'll return with your children." Parthsyus then ran East, at the speed of Hermes. He ran through crowds of people, accidentally knocking them over in the process. He ran through bushes and trees until he noticed smoke in the distance. He soon reached the bandit camp situated in between two cliffs. Perched on a ledge, he looked closely and saw two children, tied to a tree. He saw dozens of bandits, scattered throughout. I'll have to sneak in and  save the children. I'll kill the bandits if I need to. He thought. He jumped from the ledge into nearby bushes. He slowly made his way to the camp, being ever so quiet. He reached the first of many bandits, and quietly slit his throat. He lowered the body into a creek, and continued.

"Go check on Aris!" one ordered. Parthsyus saw three men walking towards where he had just killed the guard. He quickly climbed a tree, and waited. When the opportunity showed itself, he jumped from the tree, and killed all three men with one swing of his spear. In turn, the men shouted, alerting the whole camp.

"Damn." Parthsyus said, under his breath. He ran around the perimeter of the camp, and crouched behind a tent, with five shadows.

"Wherever this intruder is, we need to kill him!" barked a man. "Dismissed." The five shadows became  four, then two, the one. Parthsyus knew this was his chance.he slowly made his way into the tent, and snapped the presumed leader's neck. He placed the body underneath a table in the tent, and ran to the children. He shushed them, and cut the rope keeping them to the tree.

"Follow me." Parthsyus whispered. He then led the children out of the camp, ignoring the angry men behind them. They soon reached the city, and the children's mother.

"Thank you! Thank you!" the women cried. "Please, take this as thanks, it's the least I can do." She handed him a pouch filled to the brim with drachma. Though he wanted it, he rejected it.

"No, you keep it. Saving the life of two children is something one shouldn't be paid to do." He said goodbye to the reunited family, and continued his search for work.

He now had no problem finding work. The news of Parthsyus saving two children spread like wildfire. Everyone was willing to let him help. He did everything from fishing, to hunting, to cooking. By the end of the day, he had amassed double then what he had paid the sailor. Now, he hoped the sailor's crew wouldn't kill him. Everytime he has sailed with people other than his own, they try to kill him. When night fell, the people of the city happily slept, and for once, Parthsyus felt at peace. He picked a spot underneath a tree outside of the city, and slept. Dawn struck, and Parthsyus was woken by the sounds of birds chirping. He got up, and walked to the port where the sailor and his men were preparing to set sail.

"Look who finally showed up! Mister savior of the city." the sailor said.

"I never got your name." Parthsyus asked.

"Aeschylus. I'm the captain of this beauty, the Aphros." he said, gleefully. He lowered a plank for Parthsyus to walk aboard. Once he was on, the crew made final adjustments, and set their course to the Isle of Ash. "Where is this Isle of Ash?" Parthsyus looked confused.

"Didn't you read the map?"

"Yes. But I can never remember how to get to places. Still don't know how I'm a captain of a ship." Parthsyus took out the map and charted the quickest path.

"First, we sail to Paros. There we'll rest, and sail east to Naxos."

"Very well. To Paros!" he shouted. "Let us pray to Poseidon we have a smooth journey!" Parthsyus went below deck to his designated quarters, and made himself comfortable. Let's hope this cultist doesn't go back on his word. Parthsyus thought. Below the deck of the ship was crusty, and old. As if it hasn't been taken care of in years. It smelled of a rotting corpse and booze. The air was thick and humid. In the rooms next to his, drunken men party and sing shanties to their heart's content. Water was seeping through tiny cracks within the boards, but nowhere near enough to sink the old ship. Parthsyus tried to rest, but the swaying and bobbing of the ship forced him to stay awake, late into the night.