The Expedition to Mount Athos - (4)

Orion, son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, was locked in a fierce struggle with Orthrus, a monstrous two-headed dog.

"If things continue like this, we will win. The other heroes are being helped by Apollo's sacred raven in their fight against Chrysaor, and if I can just kill Orthrus..."

Orthrus, a child of Typhon, was the most formidable opponent Orion had ever faced. The two dog heads constantly snapped at him, while the snake-headed tail struck at any openings in his defense. And its hide—thicker than any beast Orion had hunted before—was nearly impenetrable.

Grrr! Krrring!

"Phew... you're starting to weaken, aren't you, beast?"

Even so, Orion, a demigod and giant hunter, was not someone who would lose easily. Although his body was covered in bites and his limbs ached from the force of Orthrus’s strikes, he was still in better shape than Orthrus, who had been crippled by one of Orion's arrows piercing its leg.

Panting heavily, Orion looked down at the defeated child of Typhon, who was lying on the ground with its tongue lolling out. Its once glossy fur was now tattered and torn, thanks to Orion’s relentless blows with his club. Soon, the son of the sea god would deliver the final blow and claim a great victory.

If only he hadn’t been entangled with Apollo’s sister, Artemis.

As Orion, exhausted and stumbling, moved closer to deliver the killing blow to Orthrus, Apollo's sacred raven suddenly swooped down toward him. The raven, which had been flying in a straight line, suddenly flapped its wings and shot upwards near Orion. Chrysaor’s golden sword, which had been following the raven closely, was unable to change its course in time and hurtled toward Orion.

"What the—?"

Thwack!

Orion, gasping for breath, turned his head too late. The sharp golden sword pierced his side, and as the cold metal entered his body, he knew his fate was sealed.

"No! Orion!" "Damn it... focus on the monsters in front of you!" "We’ll get to him soon... damn it!"

As the son of the sea god, Orion might have survived with proper medical treatment, but this was a battlefield. There was no time for anyone to tend to a wounded hero when a deadly battle raged all around them.

Realizing this, Orion summoned all his remaining strength and glared at Orthrus. He was finished. There was no hope of survival. So, if he was to die...

"You will accompany me across the Acheron River... that much, at least."

With his last ounce of strength, Orion lifted his club, even as the wound in his side tore open further, sending a wave of agony through him. But he did not falter, and his final blow struck Orthrus squarely on the head.

Wham! Crunch!

And so, the child of Typhon, who had devoured countless humans, met its end.
But the hero who had accomplished this great feat staggered, dropping to one knee.

Caaw! Caaw!

Apollo’s raven screeched in the sky as the dying hero’s ears filled with its cry.

Everything around him seemed to slow down. Was this what they called seeing your life flash before your eyes?

The black raven was Apollo’s sacred animal, obedient only to the god of the sun. Orion had believed the raven would help the expedition by distracting Chrysaor’s sword... yet it had flown right in front of him, knowing the golden sword would follow and impale him.

But he had never given Apollo any reason to hold a grudge... why would the god act this way?

As Orion pondered this, the image of a certain goddess came to mind. Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, with whom he had grown close, sharing a love for hunting. And her brother was Apollo.

Ah. Ha. Ha ha... I suppose getting involved with the gods never ends well.

Realizing this, Orion let out a bitter laugh. Was it the wound in his side, or the emptiness inside him that made him feel so cold?
He didn’t even feel a desire to survive anymore.

"I... don’t know. Maybe... I'll think about it in the underworld..."

Even as a massive scorpion monster approached him from behind, raising its stinger to strike, Orion remained still, accepting his death.

Up in the clouds, in the halls of Olympus, the beautiful moon goddess glared at her brother as though she wanted to kill him.

But Apollo merely shrugged nonchalantly.

"You had your sacred raven kill Orion, didn’t you?" "Sister, you don’t understand. A battlefield is a place where a single moment of carelessness can mean death." "Why did you kill the mortal I cared about?!" "Why would I kill him? What would I gain from it?"

Artemis glared at her brother even more fiercely.
The raven had changed direction just as it reached Orion, leading the golden sword straight into him. There had to have been some influence from Apollo.

But she could not confront him directly. She had no concrete proof that Apollo had orchestrated Orion’s death, and it wasn’t clear why her brother would even want him dead.
She wanted to demand that Apollo swear on the River Styx that he had no part in it, but forcing a fellow god to swear such an oath was a grave insult. Not even Zeus, their father, would demand that from them.

"Are you really getting this worked up over the death of a single mortal? And even if I had killed him, what of it?" "Orion was—" "Don’t tell me you care more for that mortal than you do for your own brother?"

Artemis bit her lip so hard it began to bleed. He was right. What was she doing, chastising a fellow god over the death of a mere mortal? Apollo was not only one of the Twelve Olympians but also far stronger and more versatile than she was.

"Ugh! I’m leaving!" "Artemis."

Just as Artemis was about to storm off, Apollo grabbed her. His eyes, which had been indifferent, suddenly turned cold.

"Do not give your heart too easily to mortals." "...!" "You are a goddess sworn to chastity. If you become too attached to a mortal, you will only bring yourself heartache."

Back on the battlefield of the Mount Athos expedition, where heroes and monsters fought viciously, both Orthrus and Orion had perished. And with their deaths, the tide of battle shifted once more.

The heroes from Thebes, who had been trained in both the living and the dead, used their expertise to slowly drive back the remaining monsters. This put even more pressure on Chrysaor, the monster controlling the deadly golden sword.

Ssshhh—

For the first time, a hero managed to land a significant blow, slicing through the tough scales of the giant serpent. It wasn’t just a scratch—this was a real, deep wound.

Blood spurted from the gash, and Chrysaor howled in fury and agony.

Hiiissss!

"We did it! Focus your attacks there!" “Damn it, Orion...” "While the raven keeps the sword distracted, let’s finish him off!"

Though Chrysaor had slain many heroes, just as many monsters had fallen to the heroes’ weapons. The battlefield was littered with blood and bodies, including that of Orthrus, the child of Typhon.

But even Chrysaor, powerful as he was, could not hold off forever. From the distance came the blaring of horns and the overwhelming scent of metal.

Bwoooo—

“Pant... pant... reinforcements from the Kingdom of Macedonia are here!” “The army is here! Hold out a little longer! No, let’s finish these monsters off once and for all!” "Glory to the gods! Let’s honor Orion’s death with a mountain of monster corpses!"

Spears, shields, and swords in hand, the soldiers of Macedonia approached in massive numbers, an entire army coming to their aid. The exhausted heroes cheered as the remaining monsters growled in defiance.

Realizing the battle was lost, Chrysaor summoned the last of his strength and thrashed wildly, sending the heroes flying back. But his goal was not to continue the fight—it was to escape.

Ssshhh—

“Wait... he’s fleeing!” "He’s heading for the fissure... but we can’t chase him!" “Damn it, we’ll have to let him go. We can’t follow him underground.”

Despite its massive size, Chrysaor moved with surprising agility as it dove into the earth, disappearing with its golden sword like a defeated soldier fleeing the battlefield.

The Macedonian army arrived just in time, sweeping over the exhausted monsters. The creatures that remained were no match for the combined might of the army and the remaining heroes.

Roar! Screeeech!

Thanks to Apollo’s intervention and the bravery of the Theban heroes, the monsters were defeated. But the expedition had paid a heavy price. Many heroes, including Orion, had perished, and others were left grievously wounded or crippled.

Yet with Orthrus dead, Chrysaor fleeing, and the remaining monsters eradicated, the expedition could still be considered a partial success.