Alien World

Drayvos turned his behemoth frame fully and stared down at Alex, who stood frozen with his camera still in hand.

"Tis ei su?" he asked, his eyes scanning the ruined stonework around them. "Pou eimi?"

Shaking his head, Alex barely understood him, recognizing the words as Ancient Greek—words he had only read but sounds that hadn't been spoken in centuries.

Losing his patience, the imposing man asked again, "Tis ei su? Pou eimi?"

"Uh um," Alex snapped his fingers, trying to remember his ancient Greek as best he could. "Emón ónoma Aléxander," he said, pointing to himself. "Ti ónomá soi estí?" he asked, gesturing towards the behemoth.

Standing more relaxed and surprised that someone who spoke the language of the gods, Drayvos replied, "Egṑ Drayvos eimi, yhiós Áreos, Theoú polémou!" with pride evident in his voice.

"Drayvos?" Alex confirmed, then muttered to himself in English, "Son of Ares, God of War… but there's no record of a…" He paused, opening files on his phone.

"Eínai tou Áreos ho naós?" Drayvos asked in shock, looking around at the ruins.

"Yes, this is the Temple of Ares," Alex muttered as he typed on his phone. "Naí," he replied in Greek.

"Sý ei ho hiereús kaì ho yperétis toú naou toú patrós mou?" Drayvos asked sternly and inquisitively, then surveyed the broken-down ruins around him. "Esý amathías akribôs éskhes en taîs yperesíais sou!" he rambled in ancient Greek, hands on his hips, unimpressed by the condition of his father's temple grounds.

Laughing to himself, Alex muttered, "Uh, I have NOT been slacking on my duties. The last attendants to this temple died 1100 years ago… This has been a historical ruin ever since."

"Verily, dost thou speak the tongue of the Saxons?!" Drayvos asked with a hint of surprise, suddenly speaking in 9th-century Old English. "I have studied every tongue of men ere I did arrive!" he exclaimed, then bowed like an English gentleman. "It is exceedingly pleasant to make thy acquaintance, Alexander."

"Nice to meet you too, Drayvos," Alex nodded in surprise. "I do speak English, but not the dialect you are using," he replied, shocked that he was hearing words and tones from over a millennium ago.

"By what dost thou mean, 'died 1100 years ago'?" Drayvos asked, tilting his head curiously as he stepped forward towards Alex.

"This is an ancient temple ruins," Alex explained, gesturing to the surroundings. "The original caretakers of these grounds died out 1100 years ago in the mid-800s. They have been historical ruins ever since."

Taken aback by the weight of the revelation, Drayvos muttered to himself, "1100 years…" Then, his gaze shifted to the sunlight just a few steps before him, his giant feet bound to the outside with only a few steps.

Raising his hand to block out the clear sky, he murmured, "Yellow sun. Blue skies above me," marveling as his eyes adjusted to the light. But his expression turned solemn as the metropolis of modern Athens came into focus in the distance, contrasting sharply with the temple grounds now lying in ruins around him.

"This cannot be…" Drayvos muttered to himself, his heart racing as he briskly navigated through the ancient ruins of the Agora. His eyes darted around, searching for a means of escape from the looming figure trailing him.

"Oh, shit…" Alex cursed under his breath as he chased after the colossal man, a living, breathing remnant of history.

Drayvos's breath caught in his throat as he glimpsed Alex hot on his heels. The world around him blurred as adrenaline surged through his veins. With a burst of speed fueled by his Demi-god heritage, Drayvos bolted forward, effortlessly clearing the debris of the Agora ruins in a matter of heartbeats.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me?" Alex gasped, watching Drayvos disappear into the distance. With determination etched across his features, Alex set off in pursuit, his athletic frame straining to keep pace with the supernatural speed of his quarry.

Draped in nothing but a Perizoma and leather sandals, Drayvos vaulted over the barriers guarding the entrance to the Agora, startling the throngs of tourists who scrambled to make way for the colossal figure hurtling through their midst. Emerging onto the bustling streets of modern Athens, he found himself immersed in a world beyond his wildest imagination.

Never had Drayvos fathomed the wonders that now surrounded him. Horseless carriages whizzed past at breakneck speeds, emitting unfamiliar sounds that assaulted his senses. Humans zoomed by on two-wheeled contraptions, their movements fluid and graceful against the backdrop of towering structures adorned with intricate stonework.

Meanwhile, Alex pushed himself to the limit, his muscles burning with exertion as he chased after Drayvos. "Drayvos! Wait up!" he called out desperately, his voice barely audible over the din of the city.

As the spectacle of the giant in a loincloth unfolded amidst the chaos of the Athenian streets, it didn't take long for concerned onlookers to alert the authorities. Before long, the blaring sirens of police vehicles filled the air, their flashing lights cutting through the bustling crowds as they closed in on the extraordinary scene.

"Oh shit!" Alex exclaimed to himself, spotting the police in hot pursuit.

Drayvos glanced back, seeing Alex sprinting towards him, arms flailing, while onlookers gawked in shock. Suddenly, the cacophony of loud carriages barreling down the streets heightened his sense of urgency. He realized he was standing alone in the midst of the bustling city, surrounded only by the rushing carriages on the blackened, stoneless roads.

With a swift decision, Drayvos looked up at the nearest building's rooftop. In a feat of superhuman agility, he leaped to the third-story tile rooftop.

"For fuck's sake!" Alex panted heavily, peering up at Drayvos, who seemed nonchalant, surveying the cityscape from his elevated vantage point.

From his perch, Drayvos beheld the sprawling city, a mosaic of buildings and unfamiliar technology, a stark departure from the data logs and compendiums he had meticulously studied during his time in Phrygia.

His reverie was shattered by the wailing sirens of police cars converging on the building below. Drayvos tilted his head curiously, observing the officers in black attire as they swarmed the area, shouting and gesturing.

As the rooftop entrance burst open, a visibly exhausted Alex emerged, gasping for breath. "Look, Drayvos!" he managed between pants.

Drayvos met his gaze briefly before leaping off the rooftop into the alley below.

"Are you kidding me?!" Alex shouted, exasperated, as he hurried back downstairs.

Drayvos landed with a thud in the alley, the pungent smells assaulting his nostrils as he pressed forward, weaving through the labyrinth of buildings.

The blaring police sirens resumed as they continued their relentless pursuit.

The back alley doorway burst open once more, and a weary Alex stumbled through. "Drayvos, stop!" he pleaded.

The behemoth turned, regarding the smaller figure with a mixture of curiosity and weariness.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Alex said, attempting to convey sincerity despite his exhaustion. "I only want to help."

Lowering his guard, Drayvos straightened and relaxed his stance. "Very well, Alexander. I will stop," he declared. With a resounding crack of stone, Drayvos transformed into a granite statue just as the police cars raced past the open alleyway.