Persepera

The 21st of Thargelion

The Year 4631 in the Era of Mortals

The king of Ephyra was a mountain of a man. He stood twice as tall as Arche and had arms big enough to tear trees out by the roots. An overlarge gray tunic, stained with sweat, covered the monarch, belted around the middle with a strip of rope. Arche was speechless. For a moment, he thought the hulking thing in front of him was a statue, then the massive man stretched and looked down at him.

“This is Enyalius?” the king rumbled in a booming bass. “I thought you’d be taller.”

“I didn’t know they made people in your size,” Arche said without thinking.

“I am Sisyphus, King of Ephyra.”

“Holy shit.”

Sisyphus raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Arche muttered. “That was rude. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Autolykos, have I fallen so low that my citizens feel comfortable breaking into my treasury and don’t even know their king?”

Autolykos bowed his head.

“The people know of your reputation, my king. They know your titles.”

“If it helps, I’m not one of your citizens.”

“It does not.” Sisyphus sighed. “But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Tell me of yourself, Enyalius. Who are you that seeks what is mine?”

Arche fought to bridle his tongue.

“I am a traveler and an emissary from the village of Myriatos, out in the Sylv.”

“An emissary, you say? I doubt it is standard for an emissary to steal as part of a diplomatic mission, unless I have truly been away from the world for so long that even the ancient customs of courtesy have been forgotten.”

Arche grimaced. “The fault is mine. I destroyed a priceless artifact in haste. To repay that debt, I was instructed to steal another under your possession. A price I agreed to. I meant no offense.”

“Did you find what you were after?”

“I did.”

“Show it to me.”

Arche hesitated, then produced the Golden Fleece. Sisyphus took it and held it up to the light. His expression was soft.

“Medea suffered greatly for this. She killed her brother to cover Jason’s escape with it. Her father never quite recovered from that. She and Jason married in secret and she bore his children, but when a greater match presented itself, he turned his back on her. In a rage, she slaughtered his children and fled. When she realized what she’d done, she cursed Jason, the Fleece, and herself. Unable to live with the pain of regret, she killed herself, some number of years later.”

“That’s…sad.”

“Tell me, Enyalius. Who was at fault?”

Arche frowned, mulling the odd question over.

“Jason betrayed her, but the children were blameless. Both she and Jason are at fault.”

Sisyphus accepted the answer without comment.

“Was this all you took?”

“Yes.”

“You were not tempted by the rest?”

“There was a shield that came in handy during the fight, but I left it behind.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t steal from you for the sake of stealing from you.” Arche bristled. “I came to take one thing, so I took one thing.”

“You took the blur hound.”

Arche met Sisyphus’s eye, even though he had to crane his neck to do so.

“And I would have taken Asterion, too, if I could. You shouldn’t have kept creatures as trophies.”

“Why?” The word was a challenge.

“Because slavery in any form is wrong. If you can’t agree with that, then we have nothing more to talk about.”

Sisyphus scratched his chin.

“If a man sets fire to a granary, should he be killed?”

Arche frowned. “No.”

“What if he, through negligence, steers his ship into rocky waters and sinks it?”

“Still no.”

“Such a man would be imprisoned, instead. Is that not also a form of slavery?”

“I am not going to argue the semantics of what is or isn’t slavery.”

Sisyphus grunted.

“The strong control the weak. This is the way of things. The powerful exert over the powerless. That won’t change.”

“Did you know Asterion was locked in your dungeon?”

“Yes. Nemein orchestrated it. Poseidon wished for his punishment to continue and so it did. I was in no position to argue and why would I have? Theseus’s bane terrorized many before his imprisonment.”

“It would have been kinder to kill him.”

“Kindness is not an attribute I am known for.”

Sisyphus’s great form trembled. His flesh rippled like water, billowing out from his center, and his face contorted in sudden pain.

“Autolykos,” he groaned. “The time.”

“Three minutes, your majesty.”

“What’s going on?” Arche said.

“My own enslavement,” Sisyphus growled, recovering from the sudden tremors. “I escaped Death twice, but I have yet to find a way to escape this. A worthy challenge – but I will see the best of it, yet.”

Arche frowned as the hulking man trembled again. Sisyphus turned away from him and placed his hands on the back wall. The king’s veins bulged and his muscles surged.

The entire wall moved.

Arche took a step forward, his mouth wide open as the room opened out and he saw that the back wall was just a small part of a truly massive boulder. It extended far beyond the narrow walls of the room, far beyond what seemed possible. The top of the boulder was more than forty feet tall, yet somehow Sisyphus rolled it uphill.

“How?” he croaked.

“It is his fate,” Autolykos said, leaning against the wall next to the door. “Nothing anyone has ever tried can free him from it. He is bound to his punishment until it is complete, so he shall never be free, yet he still truly believes he can beat it. Ironic, don’t you think? That he should be king, and yet a prisoner in his own house.”

Arche watched Sisyphus continue his laborious climb, the boulder threatening to crush him at every passing moment. Each step held enough weight to press a footprint into stone.

“Autolykos, what power do you have to bargain?”

“I take my bribes in wine.”

“I’m serious.”

“I’m always serious about wine.”

“I might be able to free your king. What is that worth?”

Autolykos shrugged.

“Oh, that? He’d probably give you his throne.”

“Would he settle for a couple magical relics, a blur hound, and a nonaggression pact with my village? Perhaps a treaty for open trade and support?”

“I imagine that would be amenable to him. I take it you want the Fleece.”

“That point is non-negotiable.”

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“What else?”

By his tone, Autolykos seemed more curious than reproachful.

“Well, there was that shield I mentioned. The Mirror Shield of Perseus. It’s not helping anyone down there.”

Autolykos barked a laugh.

“He had that old thing? Why am I not surprised. Sure, why not? What do you have planned?”

Arche glanced back at Sisyphus, who had already climbed an impressive distance.

“I’m working on it.”

Over the next thirty minutes, Arche and Autolykos watched as Sisyphus continued his laborious task. Then, the incline steepened and Sisyphus’s foot slipped. The massive boulder tottered back on him and, as he braced against it, he slid back down. The king cried out, full of pain and frustration. They reached the bottom of the hill and he was thrown lightly into the wall as the boulder came to rest.

The king wiped the sweat from his brow and caught his breath, trembling from effort.

“You have seen the price I have been forced to pay. What do you think of it?”

“I think I might be able to help you.”

Sisyphus looked down at him and frowned.

“Thousands have tried in your place. Not one idea worked. No mortal machination can move the boulder. Only me, bound by divine wrath. I alone possess the ability to solve this.”

“Then you have nothing to lose.”

“Except for what you would bargain from me. Let’s hear your demands, then.”

Autolykos stepped forward.

“Two priceless magical artifacts, one blur hound, a non-aggression pact with his village, and open negotiation for trade and support. I reckon they want their freedom as well.”

Arche cursed himself silently and tried to keep his face straight. How had he forgotten to ask for that? Sisyphus was quiet as he considered it.

“Is that all?”

“I would rather make an ally of you than an enemy. Ideally, we both prosper. I don’t want you to shed one set of chains for another.”

“This…village of yours. What did you say it was called?”

Before Arche could respond, a notification appeared.

Denizens of Tartarus, take heed!

A leyline node has been awakened and a new city has been designated.

Allies of Light and Fire, a new home awaits you:

Myriatos

In the Mycenaean Forest of Peloponnesus.

“That’s the one.” Arche smiled.

Sisyphus’s brow furrowed and he looked Arche over with a considering eye.

“You are not their leader?”

“Not at all. I’m not even the proper messenger to negotiate. That would be Tess, one of the women locked in your guest room. But I do have the authority to deal. Do we have one?”

Arche held out his hand, trying not to let his nervousness show on his face. Whatever Lyssa had done, it was like a brand-new target had been painted on their backs. He hoped she knew what she was doing. Sisyphus pondered the deal for a long moment, then he began to laugh. It boomed and rolled off the stone walls, bordering a little too close to mania for Arche’s comfort.

“I admire tenacity,” the king said at last. “And I admire wit. You must have had both to destroy the Shrine of Ares. For that feat alone, I would let you leave unharmed and unburdened by treasure. If you can do this thing, however; if you can truly free me from my punishment, your deeds will be recorded by the poets and historians. They will sing of you in songs and free your likeness from marble. All of my people will know of you and you will be rewarded far more than you have asked.”

Arche was too stunned for words as Sisyphus’s massive hand encompassed his own.

“That’s really not necessary,” he protested.

“Nonsense. Now, what is your plan?”

Arche cringed inwardly.

“I watched your climb. Do you always fail on that last step, where the ground gets steeper?”

Sisyphus nodded.

“It is the rise just before the top. Every failure makes it a little more difficult. Try as I might, I cannot get past that point.”

“Then I’ll climb with you and when we reach that point, I will help you overcome it.”

Sisyphus frowned.

“You will not be able to move the boulder. No one else can, just as no spell of enhancement can help me manipulate it.”

“Let that be my problem. Whenever you’re ready, let’s do this.”

Sisyphus’s limbs shuddered, the mounds of flesh rippling.

“Let’s waste no time.”

He turned and placed his hands against the boulder and pushed. Autolykos stepped in front of Arche and grabbed his manacles. With a dexterous move, the shackles fell away into the guard captain’s waiting hands. It was so quick and flawless that Arche almost didn’t catch that the piece of metal in Autolykos’s hands was not a key, but a lockpick. He looked for an answer in the captain’s eyes but Autolykos only winked and gestured his head toward Sisyphus, who was making substantial ground.

Arche clambered after the king, using the freshly made footprints in the stone as stairs. He reached Sisyphus a quarter of the way up the slope. Despite his burden, the king made considerable headway, no doubt spurred on by the thought of never having to push the boulder again. Arche stayed near the king as they approached the top. When they reached the change in incline, Sisyphus’s foot slipped again.

Arche stepped forward and activated Divine Body, bracing against the boulder. Weight like he had never felt pressed down on him. The insula had crushed him, broken him, but even that wall’s immense weight paled in comparison to the boulder. It was a world unto its own; more than simple stone, it was chain and whip and it hummed with magic, strange and familiar all at once. Sisyphus lost his footing entirely and fell.

Arche held the boulder alone.

He closed his eyes, letting Divine Body flow without impediment, empowering himself as much as possible. Mana surged through his muscles, repairing them as quickly as they tore. He couldn’t move, but he could hold the boulder in place. He gave it everything he had, knowing that if his concentration wavered for even a moment, it was over. As his Mana plummeted, his fear rose. It would be a violent and painful death, one he’d nearly experienced already.

Massive hands grabbed the boulder next to his and the pressure eased considerably. Sisyphus recovered from his misstep. Together, they brought the boulder up and over the lip and onto the crest of the hill. Arche deactivated Divine Body and nearly fell back down the slope, but a steadying hand from Sisyphus caught him.

“You did it.” The king’s voice was a hoarse whisper. “I don’t believe it.”

“Consider your sentence served,” Arche said between breaths. “The king is a slave no more.”

“Titles, land, gold.” Tears welled in Sisyphus’s eyes. “My crown. Whatever you desire, it is yours.”

Arche waved it away.

“I’ll take nothing from you other than what I have already asked for. Let this be the start of a close friendship between your home and mine.”

Sisyphus clapped his massive hands onto Arche’s shoulders, practically gripping his entire torso with the gesture.

“You don’t know what you’ve done for me. You will not regret this. You and yours will be celebrated guests. You may stay here in the palace if you wish. We will feast and make music. I will, at last, be able to see this beauteous city they tell me I rule. Thank you, Enyalius.”

Before Arche could respond, a shout from below drew his attention. Something winged burst through the doorway, barreled past Autolykos, and now flew up toward them. It was a woman, dressed in black, metal armor. Out of her back grew two massive wings, batlike in structure but covered in hawk feathers. Her eyes were black pools and her face was drawn into a snarl.

“Sisyphus!” she snarled. “What happened?”

“Nemein,” Sisyphus answered, his voice ringing with vindication. “You are no longer required. The labor is over.”

Arche took the moment to Examine the woman.

Nemein

Level: 89

Race: Erinys

Age: ?

Height: ?

Weight: ?

Profession: ?

Trade: ?

Traits: ?

Companions: ?

Adventuring Party: ?

Health: 4,030 / 4,030

100%

Stamina: 3,342 / 3,410

98%

Mana: 16,360 / 16,360

100%

Both Sisyphus and Autolykos had mentioned Nemein as the King’s Advisor, but the woman in front of him looked anything but helpful. Her eyes settled on him, full of murderous intent.

“You.”

“Crawl back to your master, Nemein,” Sisyphus commanded. “I will not ask you a third time.”

Nemein lifted a clawed finger and jutted it at Arche.

“You will pay for this, godling. I will not suffer this insult lightly.”

“You will not threaten a guest in my home!” Sisyphus roared.

Asterion’s final moments crept into Arche’s mind, his head upturned to the stars. Arche stared the erinys down with his own murderous intent.

“Lady, I just met you and you’re already on my shitlist. Pray to whatever god you slithered from that we don’t meet again. It’s only out of respect for Sisyphus that I don’t kill you where you are.”

He was bluffing, of course. Even with Divine Body, there was clearly a huge power imbalance between them and it wasn’t in his favor. Nemein hissed and looked as though she might attack, but the sight of Sisyphus balling his fists was apparently enough threat for her to reconsider. She made her exit, swooping down and bursting out the door. Autolykos had the forewarning to move out of the way this time.

“I apologize,” Sisyphus said. “That was unacceptable.”

“That was your advisor?” Arche asked, disbelief coloring his voice.

“Jailor would be more apt. Nemein is of the erinyes. She ensured my punishment continued and was supposed to circumvent attempts to help me, but she has no power to counteract divinity. That was divine magic you used, wasn’t it?”

There was no point lying, he’d already shown off the skill.

“Yes.”

“She called you a godling. Is that true?”

“Not entirely, as far as I’m aware. I’m still human. I do, however, possess a Divine Spark.”

Arche saw no reason to mention the second Divine Spark he had absorbed.

“A demigod, then. This is good. It’s been a long time since one was in Tartarus.”

The king took a large step down the hill, gesturing over his shoulder for Arche to follow.

“Come, we have much feasting to be had. Your companions shall be made free to go about their wishes. You are all welcome to stay.”

“We have more companions elsewhere. Some humans, a half-elf, and a satyr. Would they be welcome, as well?”

“A satyr? Hah!” Sisyphus’s massive form shook with laughter. “Invite them all. I have room enough to spare. Autolykos will ensure the guards give you no trouble.”

Utterly exhausted, Arche started after the king. It had been a whirlwind of a day but at least each step was bringing him closer and closer to sleep.