Gifts of the Greeks Read online

  Ares noticed.

  "Lose your consciousness and lose your head!" But the priest felt a burst of power surge through his mind, keeping him awake and restoring some degree of clarity to his senses.

  "You are to take this visitor. Unharmed. He is injured. Heal him. He may understand our language but if not, teach him. Treat him well. No devotees of any other god shall see you bring him to this temple. If anybody does see you, kill them."

  "What shall we do with him, Lord Ares?"

  "When he is well enough, I will come back. He will be my Champion."

  "By your will, O mighty Lord Ares!"

  "Now go! And do not fail me!"

  The priest hastily scampered out of the room. As the doors closed, the deity could hear him shouting for the guards. A shadowy figure materialized beside the statute.

  "A Champion, Ares?"

  "What else could I use him for? It's you who needed him, not me."

  "True enough. Let's see how the dice rolls in this game."

  CHAPTER LORE:

  Parode – Greek. The entry chant in ancient Greek dramas. Also referred to as the entrance ode.

  Archierus - Greek. Meaning "high priest".

  Strophe – Greek. A stanza in ancient Greek dramas, usually tragedies, wherein the chorus moves in one direction, usually the altar.

  PARABASIS

  Eisagogi

  Hellas. A land of myth and magic. Of temperamental and contentious deities.

  Early migrants from the classical period of Greece found a land of their own. Hot and dry in summer yet comfortable due to the sea and the winds blowing from the cold wastes of the north. In winter, the frigid weather was influenced by the tempering sea breezes. The land itself was reminiscent of their homeland. A coastal area, a lowland marked by plains and rolling hills, and the ever-present mountains. With this realization, these pioneers felt blessed and nurtured by their gods.

  To the north, through the Barren Wastes, was Skaney, the Nordic homeland. Though war between them marked the history of the two regions, relations have been buoyed by trade and the long cordial relations between the involved pantheons. But with the occupation of the land came old alliances, rivalries, hatreds, and as with human societies, ancient grievances. A divided realm of convoluted loyalties and relationships.

  While the Greeks followed a common pantheon, worldly concerns charted a familiar path. Blood, politics, and war marked their relationships with each other. Many small city-states dotted Hellas, with a few larger ones exercising dominance over their tribal kin. By the time of the Great Migration, the people of Hellas were loosely divided among four major groups: the Aeolians, the Ionians, the Dorians, and the Achaeans. Other peoples of Greek origin, but not akin to the four, formed minor city-states of their own. Conveniently allying themselves with one or more of the primary tribes when circumstances need them to do so. The exception being the Pelasgoi, an ancient mountainous people, though most Greeks deny their Hellenic ancestry.

  Among these tribes, the Dorians proved to be the most warlike. Claiming descent from Dorus, one of the four sons of the mythological Greek patriarch Hellen, they called their territory Kretes, after their ancient homeland, with the city-state of Dori as its capital. Through time, as with words and meanings, it became Kriti. Yet still a region renowned for its martial prowess.

  ANTISTROPHE

  The Temple of Ares.

  Dori.

  Present Day.

  The Temple of Ares in Dori stood on a lonely hill, surrounded by a grove. Located some distance from the city walls, it found its purpose during periods of war and internecine conflict. Its floor was red marble, while columns of the Doric style held up its roof. It was bare of decorations except for a massive statue of the deity, naked with only a helm and a spear. In front of it was a block of black marble which served as a votive podium for the god. It was customarily tended to by three warrior-priests, but at this particular time of this specific day, each found himself compelled to leave the temple and attend to other business in the city.

  Suddenly, the afternoon peace of the sanctuary was disturbed by a glimmering ball of light which appeared before the marble effigy of the Greek god of war and battle. The sphere expanded, grew brighter, and as suddenly as it appeared, dissolved into nothingness. It left behind five figures, three unconscious men lying on the floor while the two standing looked upon them.

  “Enualios.”

  A woman’s voice resounded throughout the temple. One of the two standing figures, armed and armored in red, looked around. Two shimmering shapes appeared to the side of the statue, slowly forming into the forms of an old man, clad in a dark blue robe with red trim, and a woman wearing ekdromos armor, sword on her hip, and a spear in her right hand.

  “Sister! What are you doing here?” cried out the armored figure.

  “Half-sister. Ares Enualios. And my question, in turn, would be, what have you done?”

  “Why? Erithizo told me these mortals insulted him! Him! A demigod!”

  “And you listened to that fool.”

  Erithizo was slowly edging away, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

  “Stay. Young fool of a demigod,” ordered the woman.

  “So what? We didn’t kill them in Skaney!” said Ares.

  “Now you admit to being in Skaney. You attacked them and brought them here.”

  “Why not? I didn’t break any rules in doing so!”

  “Erithizo was ordered not to involve himself further. And you, Enualios, went to Skaney and abducted a visitor. This is Odin, by the way, in case your thick head still refuses to work.”

  “We are in Hellas! Not Skaney! Norse gods have no power here!”

  “Erithizo. Stay.” The young demigod was still trying to find his way to hide at the back of a column. At the command of the woman, the youth found himself unable to move.

  “Enualios. You know that the abduction of a visitor from another pantheon’s territory is forbidden. And to make things worse, your addled mind fell under the wiles of an imprudent and stupid youth. I know what happened between Erithizo and the visitor. I was there. Blameless, the son of Eris is not. But your involvement has now created a crisis where there was none.”

  “I am a god! The god of war! I do what I please!”

  “No, you can’t. My lord Odin, what is your pleasure in this matter?”

  “Athena, my dear, I leave it to your judgment,” answered the old man.

  “You can’t judge me! I am Ares!” shouted the war god.

  “I can and I will. In this matter, I carry the judgment of Zeus, our father.”

  Ares was at a loss on how to answer. His wide eyes and open mouth declared his surprise at Athena’s declaration.

  “Hear my judgment, Ares Enualios and Erethizo, son of Eris.

  Athena turned to the fearful youth.

  "Son of Eris. For disobeying the dictates of the gods, you are now banished to the house of your mother for three years, there to remain a mortal for the same period, and not leave until your sentence is done.”

  “No! Not that!” cried Erithizo as he disappeared in a flash of light.

  “Ares Enualios. You have violated one of the oldest covenants entered into between the pantheons. You have dishonored yourself by attacking the mortal hero responsible for Ymir’s defeat. You have outdone yourself by being fooled by Erithizo. And in doing so, you have meddled in matters beyond your ken.”

  “What? This mortal? A hero? And you choose you to take his side? Instead of your brother’s?”

  “Half-brother. You have your uses, Ares Enualios. This is not one of those times. Hear the sentence of Zeus, our father, as rendered through me. You are at this moment prohibited from leaving Hellas for three years. You are forbidden from taking any divine action against the mortal and his companions. And by way of recompense, you will give the mortal your divine ring.”

  “My ring? It will take Hephaestus a year to make a new one for me!”

  “Your problem,
not ours. The sentence having been declared, now let it be done.”

  “That mortal shall pay for this! Mark my words, Athena! He shall pay!”

  Ares disappeared. And in his place, a ring lay on the marble floor.

  Athena looked at Odin.

  “My lord, your thoughts?”

  “Oh, I am not worried about our young mage there, despite the threats of Ares. With that ring, he can handle Ares just fine. And he does have a remarkable sense of timing and initiative. What concerns me is what will he be at the end of his journey?”

  “Wouldn’t it be better to deal with him right now?”

  “No. I have thought about it at first. But I didn’t choose that path. In hindsight, it was the right decision. You saw the creature in the Gap. No god can control or defeat it. We don’t know if it resides in our mage or if, by being alive, holds it in check. In this matter, a single mistake will destroy us all.”

  “The unknown always pose the worst problems.”

  “I worry that knowledge about him may spread to the other pantheons and the hidden ones. If that happens...”

  “Then we best make sure it doesn’t happen.”

  Athena stepped forward and then looked back at Odin.

  “To think this would happen now.”

  “I know,” replied the old man. “But we all know small random portals still exist. We haven’t been able to close all of them.”

  “The constant movement of the worlds is the problem, even as the openings in the veil between the worlds remain in place. Despite all of us working to close these gates, the changes in planetary position throughout the millennia make the task even more difficult.”

  “At least we don’t have to worry about the bigger gates anymore. Though finding these tiny portals is like looking for a particular thread in a mountain of yarn. Our constructs only find them after they have been used.”

  The goddess didn’t reply and instead looked at the prone figures.

  “What do you think should we do with him now?” she asked.

  “He is already here in Hellas. Far it is for me to interfere with your pantheon’s territory and affairs. But Dori is not the best place for our guest right now. Nor bringing him back to Skaney. The web of fate is being written, and I hesitate to interfere more than I have done so far. Though the temptation is always there,” commented Odin.

  “We do have to try to steer him to a path in our favor.”

  “True. But I will leave them in your capable hands. As I said, this is Hellas, anyway.”

  “There is a city not so far away. Dedicated to me. I have not visited it in a while. This time appears to be good as any. I will move them there, away from the worshipers of Ares. The god of battle does need my attention.”

  “Don’t forget the ring. He needs it. That I foresee.”

  CHAPTER LORE:

  Parabasis – Greek. A stage in ancient Greek comedies. Usually after the Prologos and the Agon (contest). It means “coming forward” and is a stage where the chorus leader addresses the audience.

  Eisagogi - Greek. Meaning "introduction," or "insertion."

  Pelasgoi - Ancient Greek. Anglicized as Pelasgians. A term used to refer to people deemed to be the ancestors or forerunners of the Greeks. However, some classical writers oppose this view, deeming the Pelasgoi as a separate and barbaric people. Some believe that the Etruscans and the Sea Peoples of antiquity, among others, are Pelasgoi.

  Ekdromos - Greek. Ancient Greek light hoplite. Plural Ekdromoi.

  Antistrophe – Greek. A stanza in ancient Greek dramas, usually tragedies, where the chorus moves in a direction opposite the one they took during the strophe.

  Ares Enualios - Ancient Greek. One of the names of Ares, the Greek God of War. The term "Enualios", also spelled as "Enyalius", means "the warlike".

  Erithizo - Fictional. A son of Eris, the Greek goddess of discord. A friend and sister of Ares.

  Skaney - Old Norse. A term used to refer to a region encompassing parts of Scandinavia. In the story, it is the name of the region in Adar where the Norse and related peoples settled.

  Chapter I

  Akrotiri

  Tyler woke up. He founded himself seated with his back to a large rock. Cold and hard, it worsened the muscle pains which were starting to make themselves felt. He could see his unconscious companions sprawled on the ground in front of him. The land felt and looked different. The air was warmer, for one. A nip of coldness was in the wind but nothing like the sharp bite of Skaney's autumn weather.

  He stood up, his muscles smarting from the sudden movement. He could feel a small lump on the side of his head. It gave him some discomfort but nothing like the headaches he felt back in the Gap of Telemark.

  Walking over to Jorund, he gave the huskarl a swift kick in the legs. He was wary of the warrior's reaction considering the situation right before they lost consciousness. The huskarl immediately stood up, axe at the ready, feet in a battle stance.

  “Wake the princess up, Jorund.”

  Tyler looked at his companions, they all seemed to be in one piece, and all their gear appeared intact. He even had his staff beside him when he woke up. A slight weighty feeling on his hand drew his attention to a new addition. A plain narrow gold band was now beside Odin’s ring, trapping the latter on his finger. He tried removing it, but the ring refused to budge. Looking closer, he saw that a tiny sword emblem was engraved on it.

  He looked around. They were in a thick olive grove, surrounded by trees. But he could see an opening in the forest surrounding them. He walked towards it.

  “Hal?”

  “Yes, Elder.”

  “Where are we?”

  “Not in Skaney. A high possibility exists that we are in Hellas.”

  “Isn’t that obvious? What happened back with Ares and pretty boy? You didn't log out when I got tagged?”

  “I apologize, Elder. But my database holds insufficient information about countries outside Skaney. About logging out, I have not received any instruction to that effect, so I remained an observer. However, Ares was able to break three shield barriers. One from your staff, another from your spell, and the third being barrier I created. I deemed it best not to retaliate against your attacker due to the circumstances.”

  “Good. Your fireball would have pissed him off by tickling him. So, what happened with muscle boy?”

  “You all materialized in his temple. A place called Dori, according to my records. An ancient city. Ares is recorded to have a temple there. The territory was referred to as Kriti and is part of Hellas. That is if the designation hasn’t changed.”

  “And?”

  “When the five of you appeared there, two figures appeared. Athena and Odin, I daresay.”

  Tyler waited for Hal to continue. After a few seconds of silence, he realized prompting was needed.

  That’s what I get for having the basic version. Several levels higher than Deep Blue but still a basic version.

  “Hal, would it hurt you to give me a complete version when I ask for information?”

  “Of course not, Elder. But you have to ask me the proper question to get the right answer. I cannot determine what you want.”

  “What happened when Odin and Athena arrived?”

  “Erithizo was punished by banishment to his mother’s realm for three years as a mortal. Ares was penalized by not being able to leave Hellas for three years, not to take divine action against you and your companions, and by way of payment, forced to give you his divine ring. Both were declared to be in violation of a pantheon-wide rule on abducting visitors.”

  Great. Another ring. I feel like the Lord of Mordor. Collecting rings as I go. I wonder who gets to watch me this time.

  “Any idea what it does?”

  “No, Elder. No capability yet to scan. It is definitely a divine artifact. Made by Hephaestus. I heard Ares complaining about the time needed to make another. As to its abilities, divinely crafted artifacts each have their peculiar characteristics. No idea
as to that thing’s abilities.”

  Great. No idea at all.

  He had reached the end of the olive grove. In front of him was a landscape of rolling low hills topped by oak and cypress trees. A dirt road meandered in and among the mounds. On the heights themselves, cultivated and orderly lines of olive trees could be seen.

  Shortly, his two companions appeared beside him. The dirt road was pitted with ruts from wagon wheels. But aside from the cultivated groves and the road, no other sign of human habitation could be seen.

  “Now, gentlemen, do we go left or do we go right?” Tyler asked.

  “Let me check out the road, Sire,” said Habrok. The ranger moved towards the road.

  However, before reaching the road, a small wagon drawn by two donkeys hooved into view. The three waited for it to come nearer.

  “Ho! Travelers! You look lost!” said the driver, a ruddy-faced man of about forty years with unruly and curly hair. His face was of an impish mien and looked ready to break out into a laugh at any moment. His companion was an older man, with a bald pate, surrounded by an angry forest of gray. They both had very ruddy complexions.

  Tyler was surprised that he could understand the driver. His eyes were involuntarily drawn to the ring of Ares.

  “Our caravan dropped us off. The master thought it better to go in a different direction for more coin,” lied Tyler. My God! The longer I stay in this world, the easier it becomes for me to lie. Hope this doesn’t become a habit.

  “What is this world coming to? Contracts not honored! Caravans going somewhere else!” slurred the driver, "Down with horses!"

  “WELL, DIO, THEY COULD COME WITH US UNTIL AKROTIRI!” shouted his older companion, who took a swig out of a jug. Tyler noticed that some flasks were already strategically placed between them. Some were on a wooden board in front of the two, fashioned with appropriate wine jug holders. A few have been emptied and were lying around.