I was in some dark space. Horrific screams of agony echoed from all sides, and before my eyes, the faces of my brothers flashed, begging me to save them. Everything felt like a nightmare, as though I stood on the edge of a cliff, trying not to fall, but they were pulling me down.
"Where were you when we were killed?"
"We burned alive."
"Why don't you want to help us?"
The countless voices made me suffer from pain and overwhelming fear. No! Everything around me was just a figment of imagination. My eyes shone with light, and the darkness receded. When I opened my eyes, I realized I was lying on a straw mat inside a tent. My head felt heavy, and I gave myself time to recover. As I sat up, I began to hear sounds of bustling activity: orders being shouted, footsteps, and the clatter of hammers. Stepping outside, I saw dozens of ships docked at the shore and Spartans disembarking from them.
"You've regained consciousness," I heard a familiar voice. It was Heron.
"How long was I out?" I asked, trying to gather my thoughts.
"Nearly an entire day has passed. We pulled you from the sea and brought you ashore. Then we moved to this location and began setting up camp. Since we hadn't returned or sent word, another scout ship was dispatched.
They spotted our wreckage. We signaled them, and after coming ashore and learning what had happened, they turned back to relay the information.
The fleet arrived not long ago, and it was decided we march tomorrow.
The battle on the first front had to end.. They have enough strength to seize the capital and fortify their position there.
Our task is to secure the surrounding lands make sure the people don't side with the enemy or flee to another polis."
"Has the Kraken returned?" I asked.
"No. But what happened when you jumped off the ship?" Heron replied.
"I fought the beast until I had no strength left. But in the end, I ran out of air and sank into the depths. Gathering all my strength, I shot upward," I answered.
"We saw… looks like you received some kind of gift?" Heron noted.
"It's a gift that every man has," I replied, remembering Heron's words.
"Indeed," said Heron, seemingly deciding not to probe further.
While we stood talking with Heron, I watched as the camp was being set up around us. But then, I saw a person approaching. At first, I didn't recognize him, but when he took off his helmet, everything became clear.
"Enomotarch Heron, Damocles," said Kratos. Now, he looked exactly the same as in the game, only without the red tattoos.
"Hmm? You two are from the same generation. It's surprising how you've turned out. In the toughest of times, the strongest warriors are born," Heron remarked, studying us carefully.
"We were rivals," I replied.
"Not quite. You only won once," Kratos said.
"Shall we fight again, test our strengths?" I asked.
"With pleasure," Kratos answered, standing opposite me, and our eyes practically bored into each other.
"Not now! We are at war," Heron intervened, "After we capture the city-state, you can fight all you want."
We nodded. There was really no time or place for such a thing now. Still, I wanted to know just how strong he had become. Of course, this would be nothing compared to the moment when he becomes the God of War, wielding the Blades of Chaos, but testing his strength wouldn't hurt. Plus, let's just say I still had a couple of debts from childhood.
"Damocles, you will take command of a squad. Together with Kratos' enomotia, you will head north, while I will take command on another front," Heron said.
"Understood."
We went our separate ways to take care of our business. I prepared my gear, took a new shield and sword, and the spear was retrieved along with me. What worried me was Diana's warning the gods had heard my name. Now, I understood what that meant. At first, I didn't pay it much attention because I didn't resemble the person from the prophecy who destroyed Olympus. But now, another thought occurred to me: if the gods were so afraid of their own destruction, they would be willing to eliminate any potential threat. When they couldn't kill me with the Kraken, the question remained: what would they do next?
They haven't attacked openly yet, but that doesn't mean they aren't preparing another plan. If they suffer another failure, their patience might run out. They could send Hercules or another demigod, armed with weapons. Perhaps even one of the gods will come for my life.
Even if Sparta is ordered to hand me over, I know they won't do it. We honor the gods of Olympus, but brotherhood is much stronger.
I couldn't deny the possibility that all of this could be a coincidence. The Kraken may have simply decided to attack us, just like other sea creatures. This version also has a good chance of being true.
The next day, as the sun barely rose, the army set out for the assault, leaving the camp behind to guard our ships. According to pre-war intelligence and the plan we had devised, the capital was to be struck first. After capturing it, there was only one city left that could start gathering troops to retake the capital. But for that, they would need to send many squads to the settlements to gather people. Their regular army should have already been broken by the Spartan forces.
Our squad consisted of thousands of warriors, and we split into eight groups that were to sweep all the routes and capture villages under Sparta's control. We were not to destroy or harm them if there was a chance for a peaceful takeover. Rebuilding all the settlements would take decades and vast resources. Normally, Spartan tactics involved attacking and capturing villages, killing anyone who took up arms, and then turning the remaining inhabitants into slaves to be taken to their territory. Many Greek city-states acted this way, if you think about it, and so did much of the rest of the world.
Kratos and I, along with our squad, were moving in the northern direction. Kratos was silent and gave clear orders without unnecessary words. This was the usual Spartan way. Only a few liked to tell stories or share anything else. Most conversations were purely business.
Soon, we approached one of the villages, and as soon as we were spotted, panic set in. People grabbed whatever weapons they could. Kratos was ready to give the order to attack, but I stopped him.
"Sparta needs all the villages; we can't kill them," I said.
"What do you suggest?" Kratos asked.
"I'll talk to them," I replied.
As I approached them, I saw fear in their eyes. They knew they couldn't defeat us. We were armed, and there were over a hundred of us. Their numbers were much fewer, and they didn't have the same kind of weapons.
"Surrender, there's no point in resisting. Your capital has fallen. Now Sparta owns this land, and not much will change for you. You'll stay in your village and live as you did before," I said.
"You're lying, you're Spartans, right? You want to take us in and keep us as cattle," the old man replied. The propaganda of the city-state also worked to keep the inhabitants from fleeing or moving, telling horrific stories about neighboring city-states. During wars, they were ready to sacrifice their lives rather than surrender.
"I have no reason to lie to you, old man. You see, we are far more in number. Why would I talk to you if we wanted to kill you?" I replied.
"He speaks the truth," muttered another man.
"To hell with all of this!" the old man shouted, then stepped out of the crowd and approached me. "I'll take you from this world if you lied."
"Hmm," I simply smirked, unafraid of his threats.
We peacefully took control of the settlement, leaving five Spartans behind to ensure the men didn't escape the village or join the enemy's army. Though I began to doubt whether there was any real resistance at all. One could not afford to lose vigilance based on assumptions.
Author's Note
We've made it, Spartans. We have retaken the high ground, but it's too early to relax, we will continue the assault.
Don't forget to throw stones to advance the work.
If you need a chat and want to write me or ask me a question directly, you can do it on patreon in chat or still also on webnovel.
Don't forget to criticize if you think something is wrong, I may not see it.
About when the story of God of War starts.
Kratos was around 35-40 years old. Now he's 21. First of all, I'm not going to describe all those years, there will soon be a gap of six years, followed by a few more years like that. I expect canon to start at chapter 60+.
Now a question for you, will these events speed up or are you still interested in the formation of Damocles and his confrontation with the gods?