Marching out for war

Greece, Athens..

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The city of Athens, in all its glory was one of the advanced cities in all of Greek. Being advanced in architecture, literature, trading and other aspects, it stood at the top of the food chain.

However currently, the Athenian soldiers were strapped in armor, holding unto swords, bows and arrows, and spears, ready for battle, against their enemies, the Spartans and their vassal states.

The upcoming battle between these two major powers wasn't just physical. Within the realm of the Gods, Athena, the primogeniture of Athens and Ares, the Warlord of Sparta had already clashed multiple times.

Within the royal palace of Athens, king Cleomenes, a wise philosopher and a soldier, stood on his balcony staring at the glorious empire. He was dressed in golden armor with a blue cape, with a long sword strapped to his waist and helmet in hand.

Behind him, stood multiple middle aged and old men dressed in long robes with long beards, holding unto scrolls.

A proud expression could be seen on their faces, as they watched the figure of their brave king ready for war.

King Cleomenes stared down at the neatly arranged assembly of soldiers, as a proud smile formed over his face.

"My liege. Messengers from Sparta have brought us a message from Kratos and King Creon of Thebes." Suddenly, a soldier dressed in brown leather armor with a long red cape walked in a hurry to the king and whispered to him.

"I see. Lead the way Leonidas. Let's see what those barbarians have for us." The king smiled confidently and walked into the palace, as the soldier followed along with the stoic looking philosophers.

Soon they entered a grand palace filled with statues and engravings, the wet dreams of modern day archaeologists, as King Cleomenes took a seat on a bronze throne.

Behind him, the stoic philosophers stood with their long scrolls along with the soldier.

Two able bodied men stood in sackcloth, a small satisfied smile adorning their faces, as they looked up to the upper echelon of the Athenians.

"Speak now mongrels! What message do you have for our liege!" The soldier commanded, looking down on the two men.

"Greetings O wise king. Our great General Kratos, has sent us here with an important message to deliver."

The first man said with a ridiculing smile, as the other continued.

"In two days, Athens will fall. The rage of Sparta will consume this city like a raging inferno, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake." The other man said, however the king remained stoic. He was neither panicked nor anxious.

Standing behind the throne, the philosophers nodded in appreciation seeing the calm and stoic expression on the face of their king.

"Leonidas." King Cleomenes, called out with a smile. "Yes my liege." The soldier bowed and stepped forward.

"I want to send Sparta a gift." He said. "And what would that be my liege." The soldier asked politely. "Both of their skeletons, and add a note to Kratos. Athens is ready." King Cleomenes spoke, as the soldier clapped his hand. Immediately, multiple soldiers into the palace and grabbed the two messengers away.

"Well done, my liege." One philosopher spoke, as the others nodded from behind. "Prepare the acropolis Phebos. We must seek the Goddess' guidance in this war." King Cleomenes spoke, as the Philosopher who spoke nodded and walked away with the others....

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Thebes...

The barbaric warriors of Sparta; huge able bodied men were dressed up in brown leather armor, sharpening their blades, ready for battle. Kratos, the infamous general of Sparta was calmly seated on a small stool dressed in metal armor which exposed his torso, but covered his arms and lower body.

Beside him, a pair of exotic dual blades, with a chain linked to them calmly lay, as he watched his men with a stoic expression.

Meanwhile, King Creon was fully dressed in a bronze leathered armor with a long spear in his hand, sitting a small chair, behind a table, reviewing several scrolls along with his generals.

Meanwhile, Astylos stood a few meters away from his grandfather, with his little sister Lena in his arms as he pinched her cheeks and played with her as they laughed together.

He was dressed in an armor similar to Kratos' however, he wore only bronze metal braces on his arms.

Just as they were playing, a commotion began to ensue outside their tent, as King Creon and his generals rushed out with their swords drawn.

"Stay here Lena. Don't come out." Astylos sat her on a chair and commanded while a troubled look appeared on her face. He then picked up a his hammer, placed it on his shoulder and walked out confidently.

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Upon reaching, he saw the Spartans and the soldiers of Thebes standing around Kratos who held a small scroll in his hand. On the floor beneath them were two mummified skeletons. Kratos opened the scroll calmly and read silently before he cramped it and left it on the floor.

"Spartans!!!" Immediately he roared out, as every attention was drawn to him. "Our enemy has redeclared war!! Prepare your hearts! Prepare your souls! Tomorrow we fight for glory!! We fight for our future!!! Tomorrow! All of them shall fall by the might of our blades!!!" Kratos roared out, as every single soldier, felt a rush of adrenaline and bloodthirsty running through their veins.

"Spartans!!!! " He roared out one last time, and immediately, the Spartan soldiers began to roar in unison. "Aooo!! Aooo!" Like a bunch of bloodthirsty barbarians, their cries resonated throughout all of Thebes. King Creon couldn't help but admire Kratos as he too felt the rush of adrenaline.

Being away from the battlefield for far too long, such a feeling reminded him of the old days, bringing back a rush of memories and a bloodlust hidden deep within his heart.

Astylos had a smile on his face, as the grip on his hammer tightened. He was like an active volcano ready to erupt at any moment. His battle force within his body was bubbling like molten lava, ready to bring chaos on his enemies.

Raising his head up to the sky, he saw something no one else didn't. The bloodlust of each soldier seemed to coalesce in to the gigantic figure of a large nine winged dragon which roared, sending waves of energy throughout all of Greece.

Immediately all the soldiers picked up their weapons and assembled themselves.

"Brother!" Lena rushed out and hugged Astylos in fear, as Megara along with Astylos' brothers came out, along with the women and children of Thebes.

They were there to relay their blessings and hope to their men, and to see them off.

Astylos hugged Lena and walked to Megara who smiled and embraced both of them, before taking Lena in her arms.

"Be careful my son. And may the Gods protect you." She closed her eyes and kissed him on the forehead, before whispering to him. "Don't worry mother. No man can withstand one swing of mighty hammer." He chuckled and smiled, before nodding to his two brothers, who despite how they treated him in the past, he still loved them.

And surprisingly, they nodded back, although subtly, which forced a smile unto his face, as he joined his grandfather and Kratos, before marching out of Thebes.

A/N: Sorry for the late update. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to shower the ff with more powerstones please.