Mountain of the Immortals

The wake-up call from our house helper the next morning was not entirely welcome. I wished I could have slept for a few more hours, but I knew our enemies would already be climbing up the mountain and soon reach our walls. Before any of that happened, I needed to address my people.

There was nothing more important in situations like this than knowing that you had support. I’d fought with mortals on many battlefields before and there were always two things that they needed. If they had one of these two things, their chances of winning were significantly increased.

The first thing was knowing that they were fighting for a bigger cause. That could only be represented by a champion—one that everyone respected enough that fighting and dying by their side would be a highlight in their short lives, a leader that would spearhead their attack instead of sending them off to do their bidding.

The second thing, of course, was believing that their gods were on their side. Every single human, elf, dwarf, or otherwise, would call upon their god in a time when their final hour was close at hand. A random sign from the weather, or a flying bird, or even a pattern in their horse's shit was enough to make them believe that their gods were watching. They shed all fear, knowing that they had the attention of a being infinitely more powerful than themselves. They would walk into the valley of death, fighting to win, without worrying about making it out alive. For they knew that if they died, their god would take them in by their side.

Very few of the battles I had witnessed or fought in had those few, extremely charismatic leaders that would ensure their troops had both of these things—leaders who were respected by their soldiers but also paragons of their gods, champions who would talk to their troops about how their fight was part of god's plan and that there would be nothing more honorable than dying on the field of battle. Nothing, that was, save for winning the battle and living to tell the tale. Those very few leaders knew exactly what their people wanted to hear and showered them with it just before the fight.

Our situation was even more unique than that, for the champions of these people were also their deities. Beings who were infinitely more powerful than them would step into battle to protect them and kill anyone who attacked them. And they would have the honor of fighting beside them.

If this wasn’t enough to light a raging fire of pride and resolve in them, nothing else would.

"Everyone ready?" I asked Aphrodite and Artemis, who were putting potions into their inventories.

"Ready," Aphrodite said, and Artemis nodded in agreement. "You got enough potions?"

"I do, but I don't have anything to worry about," I said, "because I’m not alone."

"Potions come first, because we have an almost endless supply of them," she said with a smile. "My MP might run out."

"Alright, let's go," I said, heading to the exit of our manor.

The night was at its darkest now, just before dawn, but I could see hundreds if not thousands of torches concentrated in the central square of our town. The people had already gathered there and were waiting for us. I could only hope that they had at least gotten some sleep themselves and hadn't spent the whole night there.

As I walked through the gathered crowds, I saw faces ranging from “just woke up and ready to rumble,” all the way through to “just woke up and wish I was dead,” from sober and in fighting condition, to piss-drunk and not even able to find their homes. It was obvious that the anticipation of this fight had taken a toll on our people.

It was one thing to defend your home and those you love when you were attacked suddenly, and quite another to know that the person who might end your life is only hours away. I couldn’t blame them. Having a few people who would miss the battle completely because they weren't strong enough to hold their alcohol was better than going into the field with them, having them misstep when the person next to them needed their help.

In a sense, this last night had been a weeding out tool to find out who was actually ready for something like this and who had better stay back, so as not to cause any further problems through their cowardice and inaction. However, I was still pleased to see that the closer I got to the center of the square, the better things looked.

Hardened, disciplined warriors bowed their heads or nodded with respect as we walked past them, until eventually we met up with Ares and Hephaestus who had arrived a bit earlier. I wasn’t sure if the two of them had talked to our people before we arrived but the electricity in the atmosphere was quite obvious. And I thrived on electricity.

I climbed a couple of marble steps that had been placed in the center of the square and looked around me, both waiting for the people to quiet down and also taking in their numbers and general feeling. They all looked alert. At least those in my immediate vicinity did.

"War is such a complicated thing," I said, and the final whispers among the people ceased. "There are wars fought by people whose intentions are good, which are instigated by individuals whose intents are malicious. There are wars that leave behind them nothing but pain for anyone involved, yet they are absolutely necessary for a better future. And there is everything in between these two extremes."

I could tell from the eyes of the people around me that my words were somewhat lost on them. This was not the time to lose them, but rather grapple them so hard that they would remember this time for the rest of their lives, as long or as short as they might be.

"I have fought in all of those wars," I continued. "I fought for what I thought was right and protected what was mine. I protected the people I cared about and risked my life for my followers."

That last comment seemed to finally resonate with them, as many of them nodded in approval.

"I fought besides gods and titans, heroes whose songs are still being sung and monsters who are used as examples to scare off misbehaving children. I have seen it all. That’s why I can say this with absolute certainty."

They were hooked. They were all looking up at me, curious to hear what I was so sure about after thousands of years in the Apocosmos.

"Never before have I been more proud to enter a battlefield than I am with all of you," I said, as loud and clear as I could. "For you are the bravest of the brave. The most loyal of all the millions of people I have laid eyes upon in my lifetime. It will be an honor to shed my blood with you."

I could almost physically feel the sudden rush of excitement that pulsed through the people gathered in the square. The yells and the cheers weren’t like anything one might expect from people who would throw themselves into battle soon after. These were the echoes of a celebration of life and pride.

"My father, Cronus, has been abusing his power and abusing the throne he's been sitting on for centuries," I continued. "He has become greedy, and his greed has made him evil. Evil enough to devour his own children. But not me. I escaped and promised that one day I would return and kill him. I will make good on my promise, starting with our glorious victory today."

At this point, each word was like another high in the volume of excitement around me. They were ready to give it all, but I wanted to give them something extra to fight for.

"Not only will we win against the strongest army that was ever gathered in the history of the Greek realms," I continued, "but once we're done with them and they're running back to their master with their tails between their legs like the cowardly dogs they are, we will sit on top of the Greek world. And I will make sure the head of the snake that is Cronus, terrorizer of worlds, is cut off. A new king of gods rises. Your god. And you will be the most revered citizens in the world."

I paused to catch my breath and looked at my fellow guildmates, who were nodding at me.

"Prepare for battle!" I shouted. "Enjoy this day, for this will be the pinnacle of your existence. The day that you fought alongside gods and protected your home, your country, and your loved ones. For Olympus!"

I raised my spear and shouted at the top of my lungs.

"For Olympus!"

Thousands of people responded to my call and started shouting in sync. So loud were their voices that we could barely hear the horns of the watchers on the walls, signifying that they’d sighted our enemies.

“To battle,” I ordered, and even as I climbed down the stairs, the chants continued.

The warriors all headed to their stations but the chant lived on for several minutes afterward. And even when it stopped, I could hear it coming to life again from different corners of the town or parts of the wall.

"For Olympus. For Olympus. For Olympus!"