Chapter 2: Achilles

The goddess lies against a tree's huge roots. Her eyes are closed and her wings lazily fall over some of the roots, creating scratches. She had thrown me off of the platform and had caught me before I got killed. She then carelessly pulled on me all the way down to some part of a forest. She's been ignoring me and refusing to answer any questions.

"Hey, are you awake?" I ask. I've been sitting under the sun. I've taken off most of my armor because of the heat. I walk towards the huge goddess. She sighs and turns slightly. One of her wings moves slightly, revealing some of her dark brown skin. I stare at her. Like all the other goddesses, she's quite beautiful. Her arced eyebrows make her seem quite angry all the time. She has thick lips and a face so sharply sculpted but drawing to the eye. She's built for combat with her lean body. Muscles slightly bulge from her smooth brown skin.

I notice that her nose isn't like Artemis'. Nor is her height or wings. The black markings on her arms seem to move. Without thinking, I step forward. The goddess's eyes snap open. She growls and stands. I notice that I was close to stepping on one of her wings. It must've alerted her. I stumble back in fear and nearly fall. She catches me easily.

"Do you want to die?" She yells. Noticing how she's holding me, she drops me. Where arm and hand had grabbed me around the waist now remains cold.

"What do you mean by die? What can your wings do anyway?" I grumble. The goddess glares at me, her grey eyes changing to a fiery orange.

"Those who touch my wings will be eaten by it. One small cut will be the end of you!" She folds her wings behind her back and sits. She tilts her head and stares at me for a minute. Her eyes slowly turn to a muted blue. Fire engulfs her. Once it vanishes, she's a bit taller than me. Her hair has been tied up, though the feather still hang loosely.

"Odysseus and many other heroes are making their way to battle. If you wish to stand a chance, I suggest you listen to me." I stare at her as she places around. She's way too unpredictable. I can't figure her out.

"I'm fine. As long as they don't figure me out, I'll be fine." The goddess glares at me.

"Is that so?" Without a warning, she kicks me in the stomach and knocks me on the ground with another kick to the back of the knees.

"Damn it, woman!" I wheeze. I've never seen movement so quick and quiet. The goddess stands over me, the sun blankets over her, creating a strong aura around her. I expect her to smack me. But instead, her hand reaches out towards me.

"If you expect to return to princess Breseis alive, then you must listen." Cut off guard, I stare. The goddess looks away. "Who leaves their wife due with child for war?"

"The only reason I bother anymore is to avenge Patroclus' death." The goddess shakes her head.

"What benefit do you gain if he is dead?" I slap her still outstretched hand away and stand.

"What do you know?" I snap. The goddess frowns.

"What does a human with a hidden weakness know?"

"Are you even on my side?"

"No." I step back. The goddess turns away.

"Then why do you bother helping me, Azora." Hearing me say her name for the first time, she turn and grabs me. She throws me against the tree. I feel a sharp pain against my head and slide down. Everything becomes black.

There's bursts of pain from my temples as odd sounds fill me ears. I groan and blindly move around. My hand touches something hard and cold. I grab it and drag it closer. I run my fingers around it and notice that it's a breastplate. I force my eyes open and blink the blurriness away.

Azora stands off to a side, hammering hard on some type of metal. Sparks fly everywhere with each spark. She lifts it up and examines it before hammering on it again while blow torching it. A few pieces of armor set at my feet already prepared for combat. I look at the pieces and study them closely. They're made of a metal so dark that it kind of looks like obsidian. Each one has a carving of some sort.

"You are awake." I look up. Azora hasn't stopped hammering. Much less, turned to look at me. "Try the armor on." As the goddess hammers away, I try on the armor. It's flexible and a lot easier to put on, which is questionable.

"Try this on." I haven't noticed Azora stop hammering. She approaches me and hands me a shield. I take the big shield and slide my arm through the leather supports. Surprised by the lightness, I swing it and thrust my fist out. Azora watches me quietly, never smiling or showing any type of emotion.

"I feel like I can move a lot faster in this. But, isn't it a bit too flexible?" Azora raises an eyebrow.

"This metal is pretty strong and hard to find. Of course, it might feel cheap and easy to break, though. I designed to to allow you to move better. When you receive blows from swords, arrows, or any weapon in particular, you will only feel the impact. The only person who can deliver a fatal blow is me."

"So, I have to keep you on my good side." I mutters. A smile tugs on the goddess's lips.

"Not necessarily." She Immediately becomes serious. "I do warn you, however, of the consequences of this armor. Do not rely on it too much. Like all armor, it has its weaknesses, too."

"Anything else I should know?" Azora shakes her head.

"Ha! The armor made by the all powerful goddess herself!" A voice yells. Azora frowns as I turn. Ares walks towards is with a huge grin on his face.

"Ares." Azora grumbles.

"When are you going to make me some of your armor?" He taunts.

"Not unless I become human." Ares laughs.

"We both know that you'd burn up if you create that armor as a human. You know, because of your ways, you might not even get joy out of a partner."

"Life is more than messing around with Aphrodite's tits, Ares. What good is a partner if they are married to another to begin with?" Azora growls. Ares stops smiling. The flames forming his eyes turn blue with anger. In a blink of an eye, he has Azora by the throat.

Without thinking, I step towards them, ready I fight the god of war. Azora raises her hand, signalling for me to stop. Ares tilts her head and runs his thumb against her neck. Suddenly, he's thrown with such force that I'm knocked down onto my back. Azora's eyes glow an even deeper fiery orange as she fights to control herself. Power courses around her as he waits for Ares to get up. She holds a sword at ready.

The two begin to fight. Each impact of their swords creates sparks. I notice how Azora moves compared to Ares. The two are strong and fast. But Azora's beating Ares. She punches him in the stomach. Without even waiting for him to react, she swings her leg, kicking him in the head and sending him flying. Azora pounces on top of the god and starts tearing his armor off like it's some type of fabric.

Ares punches her, forcing her off of him. She lands in front of me. She crouches slightly, making sure to keep me out of danger. I watch her wings spread and her size grow. I find myself trembling at the sight of an angry goddess. Ares pounces, slamming his sword down on Azora. Holding the blade and hilt, she blocks his blow.

"Ares!" Azora yells. She throws him off. He lands on his back. Within seconds, Azora's on top of him pounding him into the ground. Ares laughs and grabs Azora's hips. He thrusts up, forcing them to arm lock and form a bridge. The two giants immortals grind their teeth as they try to force each other to surrender.

"I can do this for centuries!" Ares laughs. Azora laughs and shoves him somehow. He loses his footing. She intertwined her fingers and slams her fists onto his stomach, causing him to vomit and lose consciousness.

Straightening, the goddess looks at me. She shakes her head and sits.

"He is going to be quite a handful when he awakens." She grumbles. I just stare. How did I witness two immortals fight and still live? Azora stands and grabs Ares' ankle and drags him to the foot of the tree where she had been resting. She stretches and walks towards me.

"We will get out of here before he awakens. Dealing with him is a lot more manageable then." And with that, we leave the knocked out God of War at the roots of a tree.