Achilles: Reborn

Chapter 1

Two Armies stood on the opposite sides of a cliff.

Both were craving for each other's blood, their eyes filled with hate. The heart of each man pounded against his chest, but their stony faces concealed their true feelings. They all knew that some of them would not be ever seeing the faces of their beloved families again. Their thoughts were as one: You did this to me, so I will strike back. I fear you, so I must fight. They stood in silence, staring at each other, before returning to their caves, readying themselves for the long war that was about to come. The General of the Myrmidons sighed. The Spartans had been good allies. They had assisted each other to win many wars and triumph over their enemies, until.... 

Closing his eyes involuntarily, he sank into his memories.

He was sprinting across the Spartan bridge, frantically searching for the assassin that they were sent to capture. The Spartans had told him that that assassin had killed their most important woman, and he knew exactly who that woman was. I can't fail, he thought. That would mean a war, and the General had been trying everything to avoid a war before they were ready. Suddenly he spotted a man in the shadows, dashing towards him, and the General unsheathed his sword, lunging at the figure. But it was too quick for him, dodging his every attack. He knew he was hopelessly outmatched, and opened his mouth for backup. But before he could, a cold hand thrust through the air and clamped around his mouth. The General closed his eyes and waited for the blow to come. It never did. Only then did he realize that the hand was gone from his mouth. Looking up, he saw that the figure was moving across the bridge.

"Come on!" he hissed. "Before it's too late and they find us!"

The General was taken aback. "What?"

The man threw of his hood and the General gasped. Impossible.

That man, was Achilles, superhuman warrior, leader of the Myrmidons. 

Achilles lowered his glowing visor over his blazing eyes, raised his gleaming sword, grabbed his spear, and mounted his horse. His sword shone above all else, sparkling in the sun menacingly, flashing a warning to all who opposed him. The sacred war horn exploded around the cold battlefield, resounded in the sacred cave, filled with darkness, ringing in his ears and filling his heart with vigor, courage, and fear.

"May Ares and his mighty children bless us in battle with a victory."

With a grim and battle-hardened face, he placed his offerings-  Poisonous Serpent and the Gladiolus- in the Shrines of the Gods before turning. I cannot lose. Or all I have done that night would have been in vain. And the Greatest Warrior of All Time roared and charged.

The sight that enveloped him the moment he left the cave astounded him.  Layers of gleaming slate cascaded down towards the swaying forest below, and the air was filled with the screeching of the Eagle, soaring majestically through the clear blue air. It's piercing golden eyes stared into Achilles' for a brief moment and then it turned away and disappeared into the horizon. Healthy undergrowth opened up to the rising sun, stretching in winding paths throughout the mountain. In the cracks of once barren rocks, hundreds of daffodils pushed themselves into the glorious sunlight. He wished he could stay here forever. 

Then the earth below him exploded and he fell hundreds of feet towards the ground.. He stabbed his sword into the ground,  breaking his fall momentarily, and pulled it out, leaping towards the advancing Spartan Soldiers. The war had started.