The Epic of Akilios

Akilios drew his short sword and started chopping through the fronds. The insects buzzed all around him, pestering him. “So this is why no one wanted to come with me,” he thought as the sun blazed down upon him through a gap in the trees.

He had been searching for a month for the Book of Athena. Supposedly, it was lost hundreds of years before when the temple had burned. The Book was rumored to have a charm in it to give the reader unimaginable wisdom. It was this wisdom that Akilios desired.

Akilios, with his long, dark hair and short beard, was not considered a smart man, but rather powerful. He was considered the best Myrmidon leader since Achilles, for the leader of the Myrmidons he was. The Myrmidons, however, had all but died out. That was why Akilios was alone on this journey. The other Myrmidons had decided it was best for him to go alone into the jungle “to preserve the Myrmidons,” as they had put it.

So here Akilios was, in the middle of the jungle, with insects still swarming down on him to feast on him, when he spotted what appeared to be the ruins of a temple. “Thank Zeus!” he cried, and he tore off into the entrance.

Inside the temple, it was as if the gloom of Hades himself had descended on the forsaken place. Akilios took one step and heard a swoosh! sound. He ducked just in time. A volley of arrows passed in the air right where he had just been.

He walked a bit further. For some reason, several times Akilios thought he heard hooves stepping on the cold stone, along with snorting, but looking around, he saw nothing.

Akilios got to the main room in the temple and stopped to rest. He heard the hooves again, but louder and quicker in pace. He looked up to see a red-eyed Minotaur swing its enormous two-edged axe in Akilios’s direction. The leader f the Myrmidons, fabled warrior, ducked and drew his sword. Swinging again, the bull-headed creature bellowed in rage. “If I get out of here alive, it will be a miracle,” Akilios thought, as he parried another blow from the Minotaur.

Then he spotted it! A leather-bound book was sitting on a table in the middle of the room. It had to be the Book of Athena. Upon spying the legendary Book, Akilios knew exactly what he had to do to defeat the Minotaur. He feinted to his right, and then quickly lunged to the left. The huge monster swung in the wrong direction, and Akilios stabbed his short sword straight into the heart of the Minotaur. It fell to the ground and gave one last moan. The battle was over.

The room was completely silent. Akilios went to the book, knelt down, and gave thanks to Athena. Suddenly, an image of a woman in godly armor appeared right in from of him. With awe, he realized, “Athena herself is right in front of me!” “Thank you, mighty Athena,” he said, still not believing his eyes, “for your wonderful Book that gave me the knowledge to defeat the Minotaur.”

Majestic Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, laughed and replied, “Do not thank me, Akilios, for this is not my Book. It was destroyed long ago. You had the wisdom you desired all along.”

Akilios could only stare in amazement, and then he smiled. With a smile still on his face, he walked out of the temple, back to his faithful Myrmidons.