The Children of Pylos

The Children of Pylos

From the moment they are born, Spartans face death. If they were deformed or weak, they would be cast off a cliff and left to die. As children they are raised in combat, learning that it's either kill or be killed, being taught to steal to survive; and if they were caught, they would learn never to be caught again.
Honor, blood and brotherhood - those were the sacred codes they lived their lives by, and it was by those codes they died.


}Prologue:


The air was cool and the night was quiet. The large moon glowed brightly upon the city of Sparta; and I stood staring at it, unable to sleep. News of a new enemy threatening our lands had the warriors quivering with anticipation. The so-called Godking had, rather theatrically, let our king, Leonidas, know his intentions in front of everyone. His foolish move had only succeeded in angering our king, and had cost him a messenger. But the senate and the Ephors would not support Leonidas' decision, although it would not deter him from his cause. When morning broke, he, along with three hundred men - his personal guard, would march towards the Hot Gates. Their purpose - to protect the free men and women of Sparta. I had found myself a member of this small army along with my two brothers and father. My father was the most trusted general of Leonidas, and as his sons we believed it was our responsibility to help him fight this war. At first he had protested as he believed we were too young to risk our lives, but after constant persuasion and stubborn stance, he had succumbed. Originally, he had only intended my eldest brother, Astinos to fight, but after Draxus and I had convinced him otherwise, he reluctantly obliged.
"Tell me, brother, what thoughts weigh so heavy on your mind that they keep you from well needed sleep?" Draxus, my second eldest brother, asked as he joined me on the balcony.
"My mind turns towards the Hot Gates and the death that awaits us there." I replied. Draxus chuckled,
"So serious for one so young." He commented and slapped my shoulder.
"I am but two years younger than you." I reminded him, turning my blue eyes towards him.
"Ah yes, and not nearly has handsome!" he jested before becoming serious, "Seddulus, you don't have to fight. Father will understand and-"
"No." I interrupted him, "My heart tells me I must fight and I do not fear death."
"Then why do your eyes betray your sadness?" he asked curiously. I smiled at the large moon hanging in the sky as if it was suspended by cotton as dark as my hair.
"The realization that I will never again see her eyes." I replied. Draxus sighed understanding whose eyes I was meaning. Deana was the girl I had loved since I was a boy. It was her deep green eyes I had seen my future in, and after that one moment I was completely captivated by her.
"Well I guess we can no longer call you a boy lover." Teased Astinos as he, too, joined us. I smirked,
"It's you we're not so sure on, brother." I replied. Astinos laughed and put me in a headlock.
"Is it because I am much better looking than you?" he asked still laughed.
"It's because you look like an Athenian." Draxus added, also laughing.


The following morning held none of the night's laughter or happy spirits. We stood in rows, awaiting our King. At length he arrived with my father in tow. His expression changed from appraising to concerned as his dark eyes fell on my brothers and I. He flashed a concerned look towards my father, incredulous that he would let us fight. Father squared his shoulders and raised his head, stern in his resolution.
"Is it your loyalty to me that allows you to cast three of your sons into battle, or your foolishness?" Leonidas asked softly. Father jutted out his chin as he spoke,
"Neither. It is their foolish loyalty and sharp tongues that twisted my mind into agreeing." A small grin tugged at Leonidas' lips as he shot us an approving yet concerned look and continued down the line.
"He doesn't believe a word Father says." Astinos commented quietly.
"We'll have to prove him wrong then, won't we?" I suggested with a smirk. I had graduated top of the class in my training and wasn't about to let some Persians take my country without a fight. With a signal from my father we began our long march towards the Hot Gates and the army awaiting us. We marched for days on end with very little rest. Every village we passed had been burnt and the villagers killed. It had made us all become very serious. We began to walk with purpose, every stride long and strong until we had reached our destination. There we encountered many enemies and slaughtered them all. We teased and tormented the Godking, Xerxes, until he unleashed his full army on us. Alas we all fell to blades, strange creatures, spears and arrows. I lay on my back, looking up at the burning sky and slowly dying, Draxus and the King himself lay either side of me.
"It was an honor..." Leonidas said as his weakly grasped my arm, "Fighting by your side." I found myself smiling at him,
"It is my honor to die by yours." I replied as the life left his eyes. I turned towards my brother, he also had a smile playing on his lips.
"I think we proved him wrong." He said coughing up blood. Together we laughed what we thought would be our last laugh. But we were wrong. Men began searching through the bodies of our fallen kinsmen looking for survivors. Eventually they found us, and after prying Leonidas' hand off my arm, dragged both Draxus and I back towards their tents.


When I awoke, I found myself on a soft bed. My wounds had been cleaned and I was no longer in any pain. Slowly I sat up and assessed my surroundings. The tent I was in was dark and no sunlight penetrated it. Candles were lit all around it, illuminating certain areas. Draxus lay unconscious on another bed across from my own. His wounds, like mine had been clean and tended to. For a fleeting second I thought we had been rescued by the cowardly Athenians who had abandoned us, but when a low, foreign voice spoke out of the darkness, I knew I was no longer in the care of my fellow Greeks.
"You are very lucky." He said and although he spoke my language, he was from somewhere else entirely.
"Who are you?" I demanded glaring into the shadows. He stepped forward so I could see him. This man looked not much older than Astinos and had eyes that were darker than night itself. His dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and he was strange clothes. His robe was dark red with gold lining and embroidery, and he was barefoot.
"My name is not important right now, but I am the man who has saved your lives." He said gesturing to me and my brother.
"We are enemies. Why save the lives of men who would kill your king?" I asked him. He chuckled,
"Xerxes is not my king. And you wouldn't be able to kill my king even if you tried. He is far more powerful than this delusional man." He replied simply as he sat down in a chair and began to sip out of a cup.
"If he is not your king, why do you follow him?" This man was beginning to anger me, I hated not getting a straight answer. Again the man chuckled,
"The ways of humans amuse me. They are always so willing to risk their lives for a cause, no matter how suicidal, but when faced with death they cower before it." He replied. I frowned at him and stood up defiantly.
"I am a Spartan warrior! I do not fear death, I embrace it as my brother!" I told him angrily. The strange man raised a dark eyebrow at my outburst, and then, to my surprise, he smiled,
"I knew it was wise to choose you." He said before standing and motioning for me to follow him, "Come." Reluctantly I followed him into a hidden part of the tent and marveled at the sights that beheld me when he lit a candle. The room was filled with strange oddities and trinkets but what held my attention was the large portrait leaning against the table. It was covered by a cloth. As I went to remove it, the strange man yelled,
"Don't! What is under there holds none of your concern." He cautioned before pushing the fabric back down.
"What is all this?" I asked changing the subject.
"My collection. Throughout the years I have traveled the world and collection strange and mysterious artifacts. I wish to add you and your brother to it, but on a different scale." He informed me. I frowned,
"Add us? Tell me who you are!" I demanded once more. The man sighed deeply,
"I had planned on telling you everything when your brother had awakened, but if you are so desperate for information, I have no choice." He said just as a young half naked girl burst into the room, crying something in a language I didn't understand. She was short and very pale, but beautiful. I was entranced by her, but an image on Deana's face turned my thoughts away. The man said something to the girl and she disappeared back through the curtains.
"It seems I will get my wish. Your brother is awake." He informed me as he strode back towards the other room where the girl had disappeared into just seconds ago. Draxus was sitting up in his bed looking around the room, much like I had done. He grinned widely when his eyes fell upon me,
"It seems the Gods favor us!" he exclaimed as I moved beside his bed and embraced him.
"But what have they condemned us to in return..." I whispered, signalling my distrust of this strange man. We both turned our gaze back towards the man who had saved our lives as he stepped into the light once more.
"Your younger brother has been inquiring about my identity, and now that you are awake, I shall give it. My name is Dorian." He said bowing deeply to us, "And I am immortal."
"Immortal? You mean like your Godking?" Draxus asked condescendingly. Dorian laughed,
"No. Unlike Xerxes I am immortal. Stab me through the heart if you wish, I will not die." He replied. I admit I was tempted to put his boast to the test, but I was more concerned as to why he had saved us.
"What do you want with my brother and I?" Draxus asked becoming the protective elder brother.
"He said he wanted to add us to his collection." I told him. Dorian smiled at us,
"In a manner of speaking. I wish to make you both immortal, as I am. You will never age, you will never grow tired and you can never be killed."
"You're a madman." Draxus told him as he stood up and began to usher me out of the tent.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, unless you really do want to die." Dorian cautioned.
"What do you mean?" Draxus asked just before we reached the entrance.
"Unfortunately when we found you, you were already so near to death. In order to save you, we had to take certain measures." He said. I had had enough of this lunatic. I strode towards him and clutched the collar of his robe,
"What the hell did you do to us?!" I demanded angrily. Dorian swatted my hand away as if it was a fly.
"Putting it plainly, we turned you into vampires." He said.
"Vampires?" Draxus asked as he stood beside me.
"Yes. Vampires. Creatures of the night who feed off the blood of humans. You will stay the way you are until you die, unless you allow me to make you immortal." He replied.
"You've turned us into demons?" Draxus asked incredulously. Dorian laughed again,
"If you wish to call yourself that. Personally I see it as the next step in human evolution. I am the finished, perfect product. You two are only half way there." He replied. When neither of us spoke, Dorian continued his insane speech.
"You two are formidable fighters, even against death. Now, with my gift, you will be unstoppable. To be honest, I was hoping to turn your king, Leonidas, instead. But when my slaves got to him, he was already beyond my aid..." His mouth continued to move as he paced about the room, but my ears no longer heard his voice. I was desperately trying to understand the situation I was in and what had happened to us. Vampires? What in Zeus' name was a vampire? Dorian had said that they were creatures of the night who fed off the blood of humans, so perhaps was the same thing as the giant wolves that haunted the mountains surrounding Sparta. Although I didn't feel any different, I could sense subtle changes in my body. Wounds that were not even a day old no longer hurt or bled, my flesh was cold and a hunger burned in my throat. What had I become?
"It seems the answer has already dawned on your brother." Dorian said seeming like he was answering my unspoken questions, but when I looked up, I realized he was talking to Draxus.
"Enough of this. Call for food and drink, I'm hungry." I informed him. Dorian grinned,
"You will find that food and drink now hold the same meaning. My stock is bountiful and I will gladly share with my new friends. But before we partake," Dorian said, "tell me your names."
"I am Draxus, second eldest of my father's sons. This is my younger brother, Seddulus." Draxus replied for both of us. Dorian shook his head,
"Those names will no longer be yours. For a new life, you need new names. From now on you will be known as Damian," he said to Draxus before looking at me, "And you Sebastian." Draxus - Damian and I exchanged a confused look, not really understanding our new foreign names just as a small group of Persian slaves were ushered into the tent.