~Up North At The Spartan camp sight~
The spartans were just relaxing, getting enough sleep to prepare for another attack while King Leonidas walks to Dilios who had a injury on the left eye and y-n covers it with a cloth.
"Dilios, I trust that scratch hasn't made you useless." King Leonidas said
"Hardly, my lord. it's just an eye. The gods fit to grace me with a spear." Dilios says to his king
"My Captain?" King Leonidas says wondering if his Captain is doing well after that incident of what happened earlier.
"Curses the gods, and mourns alone." y-n says then they hear a horse and on that horse is Daxos, and looks badly injured and dismounted off the horse and walks up to Leonidas.
"Leonidas! We are undone. Undone, I tell you. Destroyed." Daxos says
"Daxos, calm yourself." Y-n says placing her arm across his chest and moves the man back a bit.
"Our hunchback traitor has lead Xerxes' Immortals to the hidden goat path behind us. The Phocians you posted there were scattered without a fight. This battle is over, Leonidas."
"This battle is over when I say it is over."
"By morning, the Immortals will surround you all and the Hot Gates will fall."
"SPARTANS, PREPARE FOR GLORY!" Leonidas says in a loud voice
"Glory? Have you gone mad? There is no glory to be had now. Only retreat or surrender. Or death"
"Well that's an easy choice for us, Arcadian. Spartans never retreat, Spartans never surrender. Go spread the word, let every Greek assemble know the truth of this, that each among them search his own soul. And while your at it, search your own." Kartos says to Daxos coming up from behind
"My men will leave me. Godspeed, Leonidas." Daxos says and with that he got back on his horse and left the Spartans.
"Children! Children. Gather round. No retreat, no surrender. That is Spartan law. And by Spartan law, we will stand and fight and die. A new age has begun, an age of freedom. And all will know that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it." King Leonidas says
(Spartan chanting)
AH-OOH
AH-OOH
AH-OOH
Then the Captain came walking to his king.
"My friend, I have lived my entire life without regret until now. It's not that my son gave up his life for his country. It's just that I never told him that I loved him the most, that he stood by me with honor. That he was all that was best in me." The captain says and Y-n knows the fear of lose her child.
She had dreamt that many times and the sence was always the same; Faye was running, trying t reach her parents or anyone that closet to her. Only to have Deimos take off with her baby and run her little body through with his sword. That was the reason she rarely slept anymore and she confided in Kratos about her nightmare. Needless to say The god of war told the worrying mother that Deimos would pay if he did that with facing (her) a mother's wrath.
"My heart is broken for your loss."
"Heart? I have filled my heart with hate."
"Good. Kratos, Y-n, let's take a walk."
"Yes, King Leonidas."
Morning came, then Leonidas Y-n and Kratos are having a discussion while the 300 Spartans are behind them.
"But, Leonidas, I am fit and ready for battle."
"That you are Kratos, one of the finest. But you have another talent unlike any other Spartan, you will deliver my final orders to the council with force and verve. Tell them our story, make every Greek know what happened here. You'll have a grand tale to tell. A tale of victory."
"Victory. Yes, my lord. Sire, any message for the Queen?" Y-n asked after Kratos left walking back with Dilios at his side.
King Leonidas takes off the necklace that Queen Gorgo gave him and puts it on Y-n's hand.
"None that need be spoken." He says, and the goddess understood.
With that Kratos Dilios and Y-n leave to go back to Sparta, hundreds of Daxos's army leaves. A handful stay. And only two looks back and they were the god of war and the goddess of protection. A black tear rolls down the s-c girl's face as she remembers her mother's fate and wishes that her family doesn't share such a fate.
"Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty. FOR TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!" King Leonidas shouts with glory knowing that this will be his last battle with the mighty 300.
~Meanwhile At Salamis~
Themistocles woke up with a few injuries, and was next to Atreus who actually woke him up. The boy sits down again as Themistocles watches the Aegean sea turn red with the blood of his soliders while less than a hundred soliders are healing up from last nights battle. Themistocles goes to Scyllias who lays on the ground woth three arrow wounds and slowly losing blood. How many men would have been saved if Themistocles had killed Xerxes ten years ago at Marathon.
"My friend, we faced the odds"
"Together. Listen to me Themistocles, you will have to fight - with twice as much strength in the morning."
"We fight shoulder to shoulder." Callisto says to his dying father
His father says with a smirk, "No my son, you will carry on for both of us."
Themistocles and Scyllias grip eachothers hands one last time until Scyllias whispers in Themistocles's ear 'Tell my son that he has earned the right to sit at the table of combat, please for me.'
Themistocles nods yes, and in seconds later Scyllias takes in his final breath, closes his eyes, and passed away.
"What did father say?" Callisto asks Themistocles while the Athenian general puts his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I will tell you in time boy, now go be with your father's spirit." with that said Themistocles walks away while Callisto quietly mourns his father.
"How many times do you think we will repeat such a tragedy, Themistocles?" Atreus says to Themistocles.
"As many times as we must, boy."
"We are turning young men into memories."
"Do you think I enjoy this, witnessing my friends final breath. Every widow that is made by my decision, every child that will grow without a father they are my choices. This is the burden of my command."
~At the north~
The Spartans lay dead at hands of the Persians who are walking to the path that leads to Athens.
"How easy it is to silence the strong and self-disciplined" - Xerxes says while he riding on a horse. "Let my army witness the great warriors of Sparta, King Leonidas and his brave 300 were the finest Greece has to offer. There will be no saviors to rise up and vanquish us, nothing will stop the march of my empire."
Ephialtes was walking or crawling to the god king Xerxes who was holding King Leonidas's sword and says "Your Majesty"
"You take this dead Kings sword to Athens, let them know that I'm coming next for them, let them know that Athens their prize jewel of a city will disappear from the histories." - Xerxes replies.
Back at Salamis, Daxos appeared who still rides on the same horse delivering the news from the Hot Gates.
"Themistocles! I bring word from Thermopylae, Leonidas was betrayed by a hunchback. The Spartans have been slaughtered, the hot gates have fallen."
"Such a sacrifice. Now Greece has her martyrs. Daxos, take that message from the hot gates to every city, every village and hear your words."
"But they are dead, all of them."
"Sparta's sacrifice will be what units us, now go!"
Daxos continues his journey and rides off to spread the word about what happened at the hot gates.
"Move all of our ships and men back to the safety of Salamis." Themistocles says to Aeskylos
"Calliope and I will take Daxos's message to Athens and we'll head back to Olympus to see if we can convince to gods to help us stop Xerxes." Atreus responds.
Calliope holds on to Atreus really tight, 2 sec later they are in Themistocles's temple and Ephialtes is already there still holding King Leonidas's sword while a few Athenian citizens are surrounding him.
"We were told that a hunchback was accountable for the fall of the Hot Gates. That he sold out he country, pulled the crimson from his back and replaced it with Persian gold. What is your name, traitor?" Y-n asks in fury, Atreus and Calliope walk to her seeing her face stained in black tears.
"Ephialtes of Trachis." Ephialtes replies while giving Atreus King Leonidas's sword. Atreus looks at it for a sec, Y-n takes the weapon from her love's hands and threatens him by putting the blade on his neck.
"I should wet this noble blade with your blood." She said as Atrues places a hand on hers making her lower the blade and her rise.
"You would be right to do so. There is little beauty about me, there is little beauty in what I have done." Ephialtes replies.
Atreus takes the sword off y-n's hands and responds, "Say what you must."
"I beg of you and all of Athens! The god-king will burn this city to the ground!"
Everyone mumbles, some are saying- "What does he mean Xerxes will burn Athens to the ground."
Calliope replies "Everyone! Leonidas' and Sparta's great sacrifice was no defeat. It was a beautiful victory. This simple act of valor will allow us to rally each of our city-states and unite Greece for one purpose against one enemy! And you Ephialtes, take this message to Xerxes that we will take whatever ships we have left and finish this in the Bay of Salamis."
"But there will be death and destruction." Ephialtes replies
Y-n says "Yes, there will be."
~At Sparta~
Calliope and Atreus, as y-n went to their daughter, are walking to Queen Gorgo to pay their respects as they watch the 300 Spartans even Leonidas burning on the pyre.
"Atreus, Calliope." Kratos says walking to the children.
"Father, we are here to speak to Queen Gorgo." Calliope says to her father.
"I'm warning you both choose your words carefully, you may not receive a warm welcome." Kratos says as he watches the two walk to Gorgo.
"We may offer our deepest sympathies, we cannot change for what has happened to Leonidas but his great sacrifice will not forgotten." Atreus says trying to comfort Gorgo.
"Do not lecture me on sacrifice and be quick with your words, god of speed and light." Gorgo says with a small threat.
"We request of you the entire Spartan navy." Atreus says but Gorgo refuses the offer.
"Have I not given enough for your dream of a united Greece? Shall I put swords in the hands of my son, our children, would that please you both? A king, husbands, fathers, brothers. Sparta will give no more." The Queen says in rage she had only her son left and no one wanted to face her temper.
Calliope puts king Leonidas's sword in front of Gorgo, giving it to her.
"This belongs with you, my Queen. We will go and finish this tomorrow once for all for Leonidas."
Calliope and Atreus leave Queen Gorgo to let her be while they go back to Olympus to see if the gods can help them but they said they cannot because only gods fight powerful enemies like the titans if they could ever escape the pits of Tartarus. Y-n came running to the throne in a fit of histaria yelling in fear and crying black tears.
"Faye's gone! I can't find her! I've looked ecerywhere... Where is my baby?" The h-c girl questions
"We will find her. I promise love." Atrues assures his mate as she buries her face into his shit.
~Athens At night time~
Xerxes's Persian empire is destroying Athena's great city, the Oracle's words stood as a warning. All of Greece will fall as Persian fire reduces Athens to cinder, for Athens is a pile of stone and wood and cloth and dust, and as dust will vanish into the wind. Only the Athenians themselves exist and the fate of the world hangs on their every syllable and only stout wooden ships can save them. Wooden ships and a tidal wave of heroes' blood.