3 Chapter 3: The Jar
Third Person POV:
In a spacious cave far away from the currently panic stricken and overturned Mount Olympus, are the two giant brothers, Otus and Ephialtes.
After Ephialtes subdued the Little Prince, Otus suggested they retreat and use the boy as a bargaining tool, bringing up the fact they both are guaranteed to get what they want with just using him in negotiations.
Not needing to hear more as he was already thinking with his second head, Ephialtes quickly tied up the Little Prince and began walking out of the garden from where they came.
As it was nearing night, the brothers decided to rest, using a cave they found on the way as shelter.
"Brother, are you sure he'll survive in this jar? Remember what happened to the boy we did this to back in Thessaly?" Otus asked his brother sitting in front of the fire they made, his voice full of concern.
"Thessaly? Ahh brother, I checked this time. There are no snakes in the jar. And plus, why would I want to hurt the very thing that will get me the woman I dream of AND make her perform her best? If I ended up severely injuring or even killing the boy it would be like fucking a dead fish. Nobody wants to fuck a dead fish brother. I want her to see him in perfect health so she can satisfy me to her utmost." Ephialtes replied to his brother with his trademark twisted smile on his face.
"If it's as you say brother, I will put my trust in you. That boy is important for both our goals. He cannot die." Otus said turning to lay down. "Now get some sleep, we leave when Hemera rises."
"Yes brother." Ephialtes said, following his brother and laying down.
———————————————————————————
Ares POV:
These fuckers! A JAR?! I knew I recognized their names. These guys are the giants that captured the original, much older Ares, and put him in a jar for thirteen months. THIRTEEN MONTHS! And only at the end of said thirteen months did his half sister Artemis break him out.
Artemis isn't even born yet! How the fuck am I supposed to get out now?! Wait…
Can't I just climb out? No it can't be that easy… Can it?
Testing my theory, I positioned myself in the jar so my feet are planted at the base and my hands above my head.
"One, two, hunghh.." I felt like I needed to exert all my strength when lifting the lid. I thought that since giants are in possession of this jar it has to be heavy.
*CRASH*
Or not. The jar lid flew off easier then I thought and cracked into multiple pieces. I popped out of the jar, my head and upper chest being the only things visible, and looked around.
"They didn't wake up." I muttered gratefully. The two giants were snoring heavily with their backs turned toward me guarding the cave entrance. Breathing deeply to slow my rapidly beating heart, I put my hands on the mouth of the jar and in one motion jumped out.
As I landed on the cave floor, quiet enough to not wake the sleeping giants, the jar I previously occupied began to rock. Turning my head I watched the jar sway side to side and back and forth for what seemed like forever. Everything was going in slow motion as I watched the jar rock for the last time before hitting the cave floor breaking loudly.
*CRASH*
Unfortunately for me, this time, the breaking of clay was heard by a sleeping giant who began to stir. Otus was the one to wake, sitting upright mumbling some curses at Ephialtes while scratching his head.
Blue eyes met gray, neither of us saying a word. Moving fast and first, trying to take advantage of the still half asleep Otus, I picked up a broken clay shard from the cave floor and swung attempting to blind the sitting giant. Moving his head out of the way with minimal effort, Otus grabbed my overextended arm and threw me into the side of the cave, cracking the wall, pieces of rock falling exposing the outside.
"Uggh!" Coughing golden ichor, I shakily stand back up and strain my neck to look at Otus who's... smiling? Turning my head to check if the other giant was awake, I notice that Ephialtes was surprisingly still asleep with a goofy smile on his face. Turning back to Otus he spoke, "Its been sometime since someone was as stupid or as brave you to attack my brother or I." Otus said with an amused smile that led to a hearty chuckle. "If you were anyone else you would've been dead before we left Olympus. It's really only my brother who needs you alive and in good condition to fuck your mother. I on the other hand have no real use for you other than being a bargaining tool for Olympus to crumble. So, since its you and now that you've woken me up from my slumber, if you want to play Little Prince, lets play. Ill deal with Ephialtes later." Otus said, appearing directly in front of me, grabbing me and throwing me out of the cave onto a grassy patch of land. Deja Vu?
Rolling on the ground I finally stop, striking a boulder and injuring my back in the process. Quickly getting up and forgetting the pain I dodge an incoming punch that was aimed at my face. As I dodged a flurry of punches coming from the giant Otus I noticed a jagged piece of rock that broke off from the boulder I struck. Moving under a wide swing, I quickly ran to the jagged rock and turned it on Otus. "HAHAHA!! I knew the Little Prince wasn't so weak! Yes, show me more!" Otus laughed, lunging at me with more intensity.
This dance lasted for what felt like hours before we separated for a bit of reprieve. I could feel my right eye is swollen shut and even though I can't feel my right arm I can tell from its positioning it's broken. Otus' body is sporting small cuts all over thanks to my trusty jagged rock and the sword and martial training I finally remembered.
Breathing heavily I could hear my heart beating faster and faster and with each beat I could feel a strange yet warm energy burning from deep in my stomach. My face that was once contorted in pain and anguish now looks of relief and has a wide smile that splits it from ear to ear. Slowly I begin to walk to the now wide eyed Otus followed by run, my smile never waning. Mid stride I flipped the jagged rock holding it horizontally like a dagger while subconsciously mimicking a gladiator from a movie I saw in my past life. Moving side to side, now within feet of my foe, I screamed and with all my might jumped towards Otus' head raking my jagged rock knife across his eyes.
"AGGHH!!" Landing on my feet and rolling forward I look back at Otus whose hands are covering his eyes with orange almost golden blood falling like a waterfall from in between his fingers . "ILL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!!" Otus screamed flailing his arms wildly causing the ground to shake and the animals that were around to quickly scurry off.
Not wasting anymore time I quickly begin to run in any direction. I don't know where I'm going and it doesn't matter. I just know right now I need to get away from here.
"YOU WONT BE ABLE TO RUN FOREVER LITTLE PRINCE!! AN EYE FOR AN EYE!" The now awake Ephialtes screamed. By now I was far enough from the cave and my two captors to stop running and thoroughly asses my injuries.
My right arm is broken in multiple places giving it a bumpy, disfigured look. I cant see out of my right eye and my left is shortly about to follow suit. I'm pretty sure my nose is broken but since I cant feel my face to actually tell, I don't know. Other than that the rest of my body is fine, well, besides small cuts and bruises riddled all over.
Finding a small grassy area surrounded my dense shrubbery I decided to use that as my resting place for now. I'm too tired to find an actual shelter and even if I thought I could move on, my body wouldn't allow it. "Lady Nyx, please watch over me." I said staring at the night sky weakly. "Mother, Chloris, I'm sorry... Ill be home soon." And with that I closed my eyes unaware of the eyes that opened in the night sky looking softly at me.
