ATHENA

They say the Greek gods stand above us in Olympus looking down at us. They say the reason why the tides come is because of Posieden and the lightning that cracks the sky is Zues. Though none have determined if this is true or just some fairy tale brought up by some person who had hallucinations, it still remains a mystery. But I know the truth. How you may ask? The answer is that I was there to see her. I saw Athena.

Aristides stood on the battle field knowing that the last line of defense ended with them, the Athenians. The Persians far ahead, ran at them screaming war-cries into the air and all he did was smirk. He knew blood was fixing to be spilt but for a good purpose, the purpose to save Greece. In his right hand, the shield that was passed down from his father and his father before him, was gripped strong by the fingers of the young warrior. In his other, the sword forged by blackened steel that has pierced many enemies, was now wrapped in Aristides hand. On his head, the steel helmet made from his own hands sat there.

The steel shined in the wrecking sun as the thousands of Athenians stood waiting at Marathon for the arrival of the Persians. Aristides had no family back home in the capital of Greece, except for a country he fell in love with. So if he was to die today, it was for his country.

The Spartans had done their part, but it wasn’t enough. The thousands of Persians ready to bring destruction to Greece were now in front of them, ready to die by the hungry blade of Aristides sword. Closer and closer the Persians got and he was ready, ready to fight the enemy. He knew that their swords were hungry for him. The screams grew louder.

From the sky, balls of fire came rushing down on them but it didn’t scare any of the Athenians. Instead, it only made them welcome death even more. Aristides at the front of the army waited for the call, watching the blade of the commander’s sword as it was raised above his head. Then with a sudden swipe of his arm, the blade was brought down telling the rest of them to charge.

Aristides placed his shield out in front of him using it as a battering ram as he collided into a Persian knocking the air from them. When they landed on the ground, he drove his sword into the chest of the enemy, hearing them cry and quickly die. More came at him and he dodged the swipe of their blades and blocking some with his shield. He ran the blade against their Achilles and spats of blood shot out onto the ground. As they grabbed at the wound, he killed them.

The cry of another Persian echoed in his ears and he turned his head to see him charging with his sword above his head. As he drew closer, Aristides did a half a circle on his knees and ran the blade against the enemy’s abdomen and a spray of blood covered his face. The hate in his eyes grew as he continued to stab and cut at Persians running at him. Blood covered the front of his body and he could taste tiny bits of it as it went in his mouth. Adrenaline was pumping through him as he brought the tip of the sword down on an enemy that lied on the ground.

He continued his rampage killing Persians one by one. Then as he wanted for the longest time, five Persians surrounded him with their eyes fixed on him. One from his left charged at him but Aristides shoved his foot into the chest of the enemy and sent him flying back. Another from behind him rushed at him and he punched his shield at them in the face and heard the crack of their nose break. Three were left and they all charged at him waving their swords. Aristides dodged and blocked repeatedly trying to block all the attacks. A cut to his leg brought him to the ground but it didn’t stop him from killing them.

Aristides brutally ran his sword against two pairs of legs cutting them at in half at the calf. The two of them fell to the ground grabbing their stubs as their lower parts of the leg stood gushing blood. The other Persian was driving his sword continuously into Aristides' shield and Aristides kicked at the enemy’s knee. He quickly moved his shield and stabbed the tip of the sword in mid air into the Persian as they fell. The Persian fell lifeless beside him with the sword still stuck in their body.

Out from the corner of Aristides eye, he saw another Persian running at him. He tried to pull the sword out of the body of the carcass but it didn’t want to budge. He threw his shield at them but they ducked underneath it and continued running at him. Quickly they got closer to him and in mid stride a couple feet in front of Aristides, a bolt of lightning struck the ground followed by a loud crack thunder, and from out the bolt a woman stepped out holding blades of her own with golden armor, and hacked away at the Persian. More ran towards her and she quickly stabbed them as if she was lightning herself. Her brown hair waved in the air as she attacked and killed more of the Persians. One ran past Aristides heading towards the woman and he found a small hand knife tucked inside the belt of the dead Persian. He took it out and thrust it at the attacking man where it stabbed him in the back and the lady turned and ran her blades against his neck.

The woman nodded at him as she saw him lying on the ground and quickly went back to killing Persians. Aristides watched the woman continue as his eyes started closing and his sight was fading. Before his sight went black, a dome of light flashed disintegrating thousands of the Persians that lied in front of her.

Aristides woke up finding a group of his fellow brothers hovering over him. They pulled him to his feet where he leaped on one foot and saw the thousands of bodies that paved the ground. In the distance he saw the woman staring at him with a smile before vanishing into thin air.

Days after the Battle of Marathon, the men who were there to witness the gruesome battle said it was a miracle from the gods that they defeated the Persians. But Aristides knew that it wasn’t a miracle. It was her and he knew it. Though many years have gone by since the battle and that he became an old man, nobody knows the truth of what happened that day.

They say the Greek gods stand above us in Olympus looking down at us. They say the reason why the tides come is because of Posieden and the lightning that cracks the sky is Zues. Though none have determined if this is true or just some fairy tale brought up by some person who had hallucinations, it still remains a mystery. But I know the truth. How you may ask? The answer is that I was there to see her. I saw Athena.