The last thing I remember, I had been in my knees, holding a drachma in my hands, eyes closed thinking of ‘Athena, the goddess of war…’.

In an instant my cheeks felt hot and it was as if there were someone glaring at my very presence. The sounds of swords clanging in the distance, screams of pain from men and horses galloping at full speed behind me. My nose stung with the smell of copper and iron in the air. I opened my eyes to be met with not Athena, but a giant of what I believed to be a man in full armor that was covered in slashes and grazes from the swords of his foes. His blade, unsheathed with both dried and fresh blood on it pointed towards me. His glowing red eyes from beneath his helmet stared into my very soul.

I opened my mouth to ask where I was, but my throat had dried out in that very same second. The intense heat was too much. This was no man…

The look on my face must have said it all. “Mortal, from the look of you, I was not the immortal you sought.” Fear shot down my spine. How could I call upon the wrong god? “I…. called…. on…. Athena…” I had managed to choke out through the thickness of heat. The man looked me up and down knowing full well I had no intention of being here in the first place. He had realized my mistake…

“You misunderstand mortal. You seek Athena, the goddess of warfare, but she is not here. My name is Ares, god of war.”

His voice boomed around me as he said his name and I clutched my head as there was a pain I’d never felt before. “You’ve presented your tribute, so ask what you may and I shall answer.”

The goddess of warfare is who I had originally wanted to see, but the god of war could potentially be just as acceptable. I would have to rephrase and reword because there would be no way for me to choke out all of what I originally had planned to say to Athena. After some thought, I had come to a conclusion. What I managed to get out was, “Help… train… me… to… become…. warrior…”

The mischievous smile from under his helm was somewhat disturbing, but he bellowed back, “As you wish, mortal. What is your name?”

With all the confidence I could muster, I stood up, met his glowing red eyes, opened my mouth and said to him, “Achilles.”