Elysium Battles

2 weeks later

[Elysium-Underworld, October 9th 2003]

"Come on Menelaus!" I yelled at the top of my lungs in the bar.

Looking as Menelaus a previous king of Sparta and George Washington arm wrestled while drinking glasses of beer with their other hands. Redhead against redhead two famous leaders duking it out in the most manly way possible.

Slowly Menelaus started beating Washington little by little the first president's fist drew nearer to the table but he never stopped chugging beer.

"Yeah!"

"No!"

Shouts rang out as Washington's fist touched the table.

"You won fair and square Menelaus." Washington said standing up unsteadily probably because of all the alcohol in his system.

"Hahaha, this battle was exciting, but now cough up the drachmas I want to visit Helen as soon as possible, I am already past my bedtime."

Everyone started exchanging drachmas in accordance to the bets, I had bet on Menelaus obviously and made a small profit of six golden drachmas.

"Ozzy what are you doing here?"

A voice reached my ears as I left the bar with Menelaus making my way back to Hector's home, my temporary abode in the Underworld. Turning around I saw my host and my challenger, Hector.

"Uhmm, Diomedes invited me. He's my favorite hero I couldn't exactly refuse him."

"Come on, since you are already awake we should spar one more time after all it's already 6 a.m." Hector said as he walked past me, and grabbed my collar dragging me to the sparring arenas.

"No please I've just pulled an all nighter and have been sparring against you two weeks." I wailed trying (but not really) to get out of his grip.

The past two weeks hadn't been really eventful it was basically doing the same thing over and over, meeting Hugh in the morning talking a bit. Then going to the sparring arenas where Hector and I dueled before a growing crowd each time, thought most of them were still just copies of my dad.

I had been able to beat Hector at the spear and the bow in the first two days, but when we changed to swords even with my experience in the Misery Trials the tamer of horses kept on beating me each time, honestly my dad had already explained with what different weapons I had to beat Hector in a duel.

The weapons I had to outclass him in were as follows, polearms, archery, blades or swords, short swords or knives, and finally cavalry with polearms or swords.

Basically more than beating him with weapons I had to defeat him in a specific fighting style, so when it came to sword fights while Hector chose the normal greek sword I went for a sword similar to a khopesh since the hook of the weapon intrigued me and it was a good way to manipulate the direction of your opponents blade.

Grabbing the blade from the racks I saw Hector do the same and as we took positions once more, copies of my father appearing instantly encouraging me on, something both Hector and I had gotten used too.

"Ready when you are Ozzy." Hector called out.

'I ain't ready I already told you I wanted to sleep you may be dead but I still need my sleep.' I thought but my body nodded in reply as I couldn't exactly yell that.

Hector dashed at me with more grace than he ever had with the spear or bow, performing an upward diagonal slash, I met his strike head on capturing his sword with my hook, spinning my sword to the side trying to disarm him.

Hector moved in the direction of my spin so as to keep the sword clutches in his grip, before escaping my hook, allowing the momentum from my own move to carry him, and slashing horizontally at my neck.

I ducked just in time, feeling the whoosh of Hector's blade slice through the air above me. My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline surging as I countered with a quick jab towards his ribs. Hector blocked with a swift downward parry, his eyes sharp and focused.

"You're getting better," he remarked, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Thanks, I guess, still sleepy though," I muttered, already planning my next move. I needed to outthink him, not just outfight him. Hector was relentless, his strikes precise and powerful. I had to use my height something that would normally be detrimental in a fight and the unique shape of the khopesh to my advantage.

Hector pressed his advantage, launching a flurry of strikes that forced me to backpedal. I parried each blow, the force of his attacks resonating through my arms. Despite my fatigue, I knew I had to keep my focus sharp. One mistake could be the end of our match.

As Hector aimed a thrust at my midsection, I sidestepped, using the curve of my khopesh to hook his blade and pull it downward. Hector, quick to adapt, used the momentum to swing around and aim a low slash at my legs. I leapt back, narrowly avoiding the blade.

"You're too predictable honestly can't believe how good you are with a spear compared to swords," Hector taunted, his confidence unwavering.

Ignoring his words, I circled him, looking for an opening. His stance was solid, but there was a slight gap in his defense whenever he switched from attack to defense. I needed to exploit that.

Performing an overhead strike, I watched as Hector raised his sword to block. I simply smiled at that, stopping mid slash I performed an axe kick hitting him at his side, I could feel his rib cage bend slightly as my leg made contact.

Hector stumbled slightly so without giving him a chance to recuperate, I hooked his front ankle throwing him to the ground, before twisting my sword and stabbing downwards at his head.

Yet as mys words was mere inches away from his face, I felt a sting in my torso, looking down I hadn't noticed that he had changed the position of his sword thrusting it at me, nicking my chest.

"You did good in this one, but it looks like you are still too sleepy."

"God dammit." Was the only thing I could say in reply.

[3 months later]

Almost four months had passed since I my seventh labor started, I had been making good progress when it came to beating Hector, I had realized a few weeks in I could ask other people in Elysium to teach me how to use a specific weapon.

This led to me improving quickly in weapons I had never used before, in fact I had grown fond of using dual jitte knives. The jitte knives were a long knife with a secondary tip attached to the handle this allowed me to block the weapon I was facing with my first knife and then using the second knife to capture the blade in between the two tips and breaking off the weapon.

My mastery over this weapon was shown when it took me less than three days to beat Hector in our knife/short swords spars. Still now I was facing Hector in the thing he was best at the thing that made his nickname Tamer of Horses, fighting in horses or pegasi in this case.

[Greek Myth Fact: Today's fact will be about another part of the Underworld the river of oblivion or forgetfulness, Lethe.

Lethe is the river of oblivion or forgetfulness. Upon entering the Underworld, the dead would have to drink the waters of Lethe to forget their earthly existence. Lethe is also the name of the goddess of forgetfulness who was the daughter of Eris. She watches over the River Lethe.

Lethe was first mentioned as a river of the underworld in Plato's "Republic." The word lethe is used in Greek when the forgetfulness of former kindnesses results in a quarrel. Some tomb inscriptions dated to 400 B.C.E. say the dead could keep their memories by avoiding drinking from the Lethe and drinking instead from the stream flowing from the lake of Mnemosyne (the goddess of memory).

Reported as a real-life body of water in modern-day Spain, Lethe was also the mythological River of Forgetfulness. Lucan quotes the ghost of Julia in his Pharsalia: "Me not the oblivious banks of Lethe's stream/Have made forgetful," as Horace quips that certain vintages make one more forgetful and "Lethe's true draught is Massic wine."]

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