Provocatrix

Chapter eight, the last battle.

Sunrise.
All Spartans are awake.
All injured are taken care of.
Breakfast is being made.
"Spartans!" Leonidas yells over the camp.
"Prepare your breakfast and eat hearty. For tonight, we dine in hell!!"
Everyone cheers. All of them know, that this is where they die.
Alkestis stands next to Leonidas.
"Oh and warriors! Do everything in your power to protect Sparta! We fight for glory! No retreat, no surrender!"
And with that, all of them start eating and preparing themselves.

~timeskip to two hours later.~

All Spartans are in front of the mountain passage. They are crouching down and have themselves surrounded by their shields. The spears are peeking out on all sides. Leonidas and Alkestis stand in front of them. Their helmets on, shield in hand, and spear ready. "Are you sure about this?" Leonidas whispers under his breath.
"Yeah, I'm sure I don't need to pee anymore." Alkestis jokes. A few behind her laugh and Leonidas nudges her in her side. "Come on, you know what I mean. You can still go away. I know Xerxes wants you. So flee while you can."
"Hey! Didn't you say 'no retreat'!? I'm doing this. He won't get me as long as you live anyway."
"Okay, here they come. Remember the plan." Alkestis nods and stares straight ahead.

A huge carriage with Xerxes on it comes into view. In front of him and behind him is a huge army of Persians. All of them slaves, of course. "Couldn't he wear more clothes? He's practically naked..." Alkestis whispers in disgust.
Xerxes had his arms in the air. The army stops about four meters from Leonidas and Alkestis.
"The god-king Xerxes has made you an offer. He is impressed by your fighting and your laws. He offers you, Leonidas, to be warlord of all Greece! Sparta? Keep it. You, can conquer as much as you want! The only thing Xerxes asks in return, is for you to kneel." Some kind of rich messenger says.
"If you drop your weapons and kneel to the god-king, your army, citizens, and sister, will be spared."
Leonidas looks intently at Xerxes. Xerxes has a big smirk on his face.

Leonidas drops his shield to the ground.
It surprises Xerxes, he didn't expect Leonidas to abondon his law this easy. This only makes his smirk grow bigger.
Leonidas then puts his helmet on the ground.
The tension is evident. Everybody is watching Leonidas' next move, for this is the future of all of them.
"Your spear, Leonidas!" The messenger yells. Leonidas is still holding it.
"Leonidas drop your spear and kneel!" The man yells again.

Leonidas drops his spear. He gets down on the ground and kneels.
"Now, Leonidas, some last words as the king of Sparta?" The messenger asks.
Leonidas looks up at Xerxes.
"STELIOS!" Is all he yells.
Then, from within the shields, Stelios jumps out.
He runs forward, and puts a foot on Leonidas' back. He then jumps and throws his spear into the messenger.

~meanwhile~

While all of this happened, Alkestis sneaked away. She followed the plan exactly.
She sneaked past the army, and entered Xerxes' carriage.
Inside, she saw a lot of women. If you can call them that. She was disgusted by how they acted.
'These are no women...' She thought.
She went past them quite easily and made her way to the front.
She had to kill about three guards. She was surprised Xerxes had so few guards. Was he that confident?
Alkestis got the feeling she was walking right into a trap. But she ignored it.
She couldn't go back, not now.

She and Leonidas had made a plan.
He would distract them, while she would go to Xerxes.
Leonidas would win her as much time as possible and then start the battle.
Meanwhile, she would have to get into the carriage and try to kill Xerxes.
Everyone knows gods don't bleed. So all she had to do was make him bleed, and show everybody the truth.

"What kind of you to join us." Alkestis heard a voice from behind.
"Ephialtes." She breathed out. She thought he was still outside.
"Why are you here? I thought you wanted to help my brother." She says, genuinely confused.
"I did, yes. But he declined me! The god-king offered me everything Leonidas didn't! He gave me power, wealth, women. He even gave me a uniform." "Oh Ephialtes. Leonidas really wanted you. He wanted you as an advisor. You know so much about this area. But you walked away."

"No! I wanted to fight! I wanted to help! But you didn't let me! You Spartans are cruel!" Ephialtes yells.
"But look what you're doing right now! You don't fight! You are helping the enemy!" Alkestis tries to reason.
"Nothing can change my mind. Leonidas should have surrendered." He whispers.

"Alkestis, my dear! Aren't you going to watch the show?" A deep voice from behind them says.
Alkestis turns around. "Xerxes." She says.
Alkestis walks up to him, and punches him in his face.
"That was for being an asshole." She then takes out her blade and slices it across his chest.
"And that was for killing Astinos!" She then proceeds to kill him, but he kicks her in her stomach.
"Maybe you should first watch the show." He says and takes her by her arm to the open part of the carriage.

They walk up a few steps and then enter the open part.
Alkestis looks around her, desperately searching for her friends. "You know, I did make you bleed..." Alkestis whispers to Xerxes, who looks at his chest in shock. "I-I am a god! I cannot bleed!!" She smirks and goes back to looking for her friends. She finds Artemis, a spear through his stomach, but he's still standing and fighting off immortals. "Come on Artemis!! Show them no mercy!!!" Alkestis yells out over all the battle sounds. He looks up and gives her a quick, last smile before he returns to fighting again. Soon after, he falls to the ground.

"Do you see this? You and your brother caused this, all of it! If he would have just surrendered, none of you would have died in this way." Xerxes says as he sees Alkestis' horrified look. "Now all of them will die before your eyes, and your fate will be more cruel." She looks up at him with rage in her eyes. "You can't decide my future!! Nobody can!" She yells and kicks him. He dubbles over and lets her go in the process.

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Leonidas looks up, he sees his sister and Xerxes. He smirks knowing Xerxes can bleed. But then he sees that Xerxes is holding Alkestis. He grows worried. 'What if she dies? It would be all my fault. I shouldn't have sent her.' He tries to fight his way to them, but there are too many Persians and immortals. He looks around him, almost all Spartans have fallen. They all knew this was their last battle, but it still hurts him seeing all his friends die. Leonidas slowly backs away, towards his friends. The remaining Spartans all stand in a circle, ready to face whatever is coming.