God of the Sun

With the beginning of a new day, the wings on Helios's back expand as he leaps off the highest point of Olympus. Unlike most of his immortal blood, he was enamored by the beauty of the mortal realm. He took a particular interest in the nature that inhabited it beyond the boundaries of civilization. As he flew over the crystal blue water of the sea, the force of his wings' movement would cause it to ripple. The god of the sun flew upward to catch a glimpse of the greenery beneath his armored feet. He then dove head first into an opening, encompassed by numerous leaves and branches. With one slow motion of his wings, Helios landed on his feet with a small tap. Upon glancing at his surroundings, he thought back to his previous experiences while exploring. "Every day... Every day, I see nothing but a flourishing environment beneath the clouds of Olympus. If only Zeus saw the good side of humanity, he too would know that there is more to this world that is worth protecting..." Helios thought to himself quietly as he noticed a kestrel, landing at a nest to tend to her young. To him, this made him remember humanity's efforts to rebuild what was lost during the fall of Ares.

During his reverie, he was interrupted as he listened to a cacophony of shouting coming from a distance. Quietly, he moved forward to inspect the situation. After making his efforts to remain undetected, he witnessed a group of three Satyrs drawing their knives towards a wandering merchant. The traveler seemed elderly, his back was hunched and he held a staff with bandaged hands to support himself. His face, however, was concealed by shadow as a tattered cloak obscured it. Regardless of the man's looks, Helios knew that these Satyrs were thieves. One of them cursed at the man. "Listen here, you old shrimp! You got ten seconds to give us that bag before I cut you a new one!" Helios knew that Zeus did not allow him or the other gods to aid humanity during such conflicts, yet he couldn't bear letting an elder get attacked by robbers. The old man, surprisingly, let out a charming laugh before speaking. "You Satyrs are just so endearing. It shames me that people around here associate you with lust and all sorts of sin." This seemed to enrage the leader as he started to close the distance with his knife. "That's because our dicks are larger than yours, gramps! NOW FORK IT OVER ALREADY!"

So to hide his identity, he removed his armor to reveal a humanoid form beneath it. He emerged from the overgrowth before shouting, "Is everything okay over here?" The merchant waved his hand and cracked a joke, making the crooks visibly upset. "Oh yes! I'm just teaching a thing or two for the kiddies right here!" The lead satyr snarled and used his knife to cut the strap of the merchant's satchel before threatening Helios. "You better stay silent, blondie, otherwise I'll cut you right down the middle and gut you like a fish." Helios shook his head before saying, "Listen, I strongly recommend that you return the bag to the elder before things get hectic." The leader laughed before raising his knife, aiming straight for the god's forehead.

Helios stood still, his arms at his sides without moving an inch. Feeling insulted by the silence, the thief threw his knife at the god right where he was aiming. However, he was shocked to find the knife, held between the palms Helios's hands. He then lowered it beneath his waist and placing himself into a ready stance. "Come on, boys!" the leader shouted, "Don't let this wiseass intimidate you!" The two cronies ran towards Helios, only for him to clash blades and kick one to the side, while he grabbed the wrist of the second one and threw him over his back. The leader, enraged, then made an attempt to ram Helios in the gut, only for him to be swept from underneath his hoofed feet. The god of the sun procured the merchant's satchel and pitched the knife near the Satyr's neck. "Leave the old man, that way I spare you and your friends the humiliation." The thieves got up as one of them spat their blood out. The gang leader snarled before running off, "This ain't the last you'll see of us, you little schmuck."

The Helios walked over to the merchant and returned his satchel, asking if he was alright. The elder laughed with a pointed grin before taking his satchel back, "Oh yes, young one! I appreciate you dearly for your help." Helios smiled as he continued to converse with his new acquaintance, "What exactly brings you out here? These woods can be quite dangerous." "Oh nothing," the elder replied, "I was just taking one of my findings to my library." The elder held his satchel close as he showed Helios a book. His eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the intricate work on the cover. "The Tome of Monsters..." The merchant widened his eyes as he placed the tome back into his satchel. "I assume you know this then?"

Helios looked at the merchant's shrouded face as he spoke. "That novel contains a forbidden index of the most dangerous beasts that plague our very land... I'm not sure why these Satyrs would try to steal it from you." The god wanted to take the book from the elder, yet he knew that he would risk himself being at the mercy of Zeus for helping a mortal being. Helios refocused his attention at the merchant, telling him to take care before walking off. "Farewell, my child!" shouted the merchant as he walked merrily to his domain.

While walking along the trail, Helios sought to take a moment to experience nature while his true identity remained unknown by passersby. He smiled as he continued to observe the kestrels, flying gracefully above his head. A deer trotted with her young across from a nearby river. The god of the sun was enthralled by his surroundings, believing that he found his quiet place while trying to seek refuge from his rules up on Olympus. He spent the morning and afternoon keeping tabs on the natural specimens that he witnessed. He then gazed over at the setting sun as the day was nearing its end. Unfortunately, his reverie was once again interrupted as he noticed the sounds of scraping. His eyes drifted towards a clearing in the path ahead. Within, he saw workers lugging massive blocks of marble while a foreman was barking orders at them. He walked into the clearing witnessing a series of buildings, their windows illuminated. Amongst them was a grand staircase that led to an unmistakable temple; The Parthenon.

It was no doubt that Helios walked into the boundaries of Athens while spiritually conversing with the surrounding environment. He gasped as the foreman yelled at him, "Hey, kid! Watch where you're walking, otherwise you'll get yourself hurt!" Normally, one would fear the idea of speaking out against one of Zeus's fellow gods, yet Helios did not bother to respond as he was in his mortal disguise. "S-Sorry," he said. "What exactly are you doing here?" The foreman raised a brow before speaking to what he saw as a naive kid. "You see, us citizens of Athens wish to rebuild our city after Sparta attacked it 11 years ago. We already repaired the sacred Parthenon to thank Athena for protecting what remained, now she watches over us as we try to make a recovery."

After hearing the foreman's explanation, Helios decided to make his way up the grand staircase and take a glance inside the most sacred building in Athens. He knew that mortals were not allowed to step into Athena's chambers, yet she could identify fellow immortals behind their disguises. Upon entering the vast temple, he looked at the towering columns that held up the massive pediment. The greatest feature of the Parthenon, however, was the statue of Athena. It was a wooden sculpture, which was encased in ivory and gold. Athena was an embodiment of war, much like Ares, except she was meant to represent the aspect of strategy and wisdom instead of brutality. Helios could only think about the trouble she went through when Sparta attacked, right before a voice called out from behind him.

"Helios, you know that mortals are not allowed to be inside of my temple." Athena let out a soft laugh as she looked down at her unexpected visitor, where he too laughed in response. "Oh come on now, people wouldn't be able to see it if I'm not doing my work outside." The goddess walked up and stood right next to Helios to observe the sights beneath the hilltop. She knew that he came to this sacred place for a reason, which led her to ask him the question. "Helios, you obviously came here for a reason. What's wrong?" He sighed before answering her question, keeping his eyes on the workers beneath. "Don't you think that mortals are oblivious to what they risk within their realm?" Athena, confused, ask what he meant by that.

Helios then said that he was mentioning how he witnessed the nature that existed outside of the city states across the Greek islands. He further explained how the satyrs threatened the merchant and what led Ares to turn against her with Sparta. Athena nodded as she listened to her visitor's testimony. "Helios... I don't blame you for your inquiry. The creations that we gods have done so much to fight for were something even Zeus himself wanted to protect. Little did he know that one of his own chose to risk it all for the sake of supremacy... Which is why I disagree with him when he says that we can't fight to protect humanity, there are individuals who have the same thoughts as you." After hearing this, Helios smiled while thanking Athena for her comment.

Just as nightfall came, Helios and Athena looked down the hill to witness commotion. Demons and undead soldiers have entered the grounds of the village, led by Polyphemus, the cyclops. "Attack them!" he shouted as he smashed buildings with his large mallet. "Let these creatures know what we came for!" Helios then turned towards the goddess of war, who nodded to grant him approval. At this moment, his wings expanded as he flew out of the temple to start his battle. He landed at the base of the stairs, pulling out an illuminated saber to cut through Athens's attackers. One of the zombies unleashed a blood-chilling scream as Helios bisected him, insides spewing out of the corpse. The others slowly started to lurch towards him as he noticed the armor they wore. It was that of the Spartans who attacked Olympus.

"I'm not done yet... Come on!" Helios opened his arms as one of the zombies raised their swords, only for them to be blocked and have their legs cut off from underneath them. The god of the sun ran forward, using his blade to decapitate a precession of these soldiers before something jumped through a nearby building. A large hole was left behind as a skeletal demon lumbered towards him, raising its massive claws to knock its opponent back. Helios raised his sword to block the attack before dismembering the demon's arm, then removing its head. He then ran towards the city's center to confront Polyphemus. During his run, he encountered two giants made entirely of stone. They resembled the soldiers of Sparta, armed with giant swords and shields, the only visible eyes being the green glow emanating from the open sections of their helmets.

One of the stone guardians raised their swords and slammed it onto the ground, Helios strafing to the side before being hit. He tried unleashing a beam from his sword by swinging it upward, only to be blocked by the shield. Unknowing of how to conquer the first giant, he leaped onto the shoulder of the second one. Before the guardian turned its head, the first one struck its torso in attempt to defeat Helios, only to miss as the target leapt upwards. The second giant unleashed a massive groan before it collapsed and crumbled upon hitting the ground. Helios then flew down to strike the giant in the head with his solar saber. The aura in the giant's helmet fading as it collapsed, much like its companion. Upon landing on the ground, Helios moved forward to face off against the cyclops.

"Polyphemus!" Helios shouted. The brute turned around to snarl at his opponent before speaking to him. "So, the god of the sun comes to rescue these insects! I thought your master has forbidden you from aiding humanity!" The young god made a slight chuckle before continuing to banter, "What can I say? I'm a maverick, I like to bend the rules. How are you here? I thought Poseidon banished you to the underworld after falling to Odysseus." The cyclops slammed his mallet forward onto the ground before shouting. "Punishment from my father was not enough to contain my rage! I was summoned from my confinement to aid in the return of Ares!"

Surprised, Helios began to inquire before he could take action. "What, Ares is returning!? But... Who was it that resurrected you for this purpose!?" Before Polyphemus could answer, two massive hands shot out from the darkness to hold Helios in place. The wrists were attached by shackles as the captive god struggled to free himself. His struggle was cut short as laughing could be heard in the surrounding radius. "Come now, young Helios. Since when was struggling able to free one from my shackles?" Upon hearing the voice, Helios looked up to see a familiar figure in front of Polyphemus. He was shocked to see Moros, the god who's presence served as a sign of fate and impending doom.

"You... You were the one plotting the return of a traitor!?" Helios was angered as Moros unleashed thunderous laughter from behind his faceplate. "Traitor!? Ares was justified in his conquest of this realm! Over history, Sparta and its allies have done little to quell the onslaught of war. His leadership could have ended this once and for all!" Helios shouted, "Liar! Ares ended thousands of countless lives upon attacking Athens! Thousands of them were not even soldiers!" Moros sent two more hands, smaller in size, from the ground to hold Helios by the mouth so that he could continue speaking. "Those were traitors who sought to speak against the words of our master! It was necessary for us to murder the wife of Sparta's traitor, along with her sympathizers..." This comment caused Helios's eyes to widen.

Moros, rather than ending his captive, moved his arm out to the sign to order the hands to release him. "I would love to end you here and now, my boy, but I have more relevant matters to attend to. Besides... I would love to see you try and stop us." Before Helios could get up to strike, Moros disappeared with Polyphemus in a cloud of dark mist. The god of the sun only watched as all that was left behind was a burning cityscape. He pitched the blade of his sword into the ground as his anger started to surface after witnessing more innocent lives being ended by Ares. Helios unleashed an anguished cry into the night as Ares's conquest began anew.