Son of Zeus Page 3
Alkides looked proudly at the hundreds of Theban Hoplites marching in a rank eight deep, the sun gleaming on their banded bronze armor. He wore similar armor, but carried a lance instead of a shield and sat astride a horse amongst thirty other mounted men, arranged in a diamond directly behind the infantry.
The plan that Kreon had hatched was a simple one. The horsemen would wait until the two lines of infantry had almost met and then ride around to fall upon the enemy's right flank. Herakles was to kill Erginos while the others were to occupy his bodyguard. Iphikles had the task of staying with his brother and protecting his back, while Kreon and Amphitryon were to make sure the small Minyan cavalry stayed clear of the battle.
The riders formed up in a diamond so that there would always be a leader, whichever way they were to turn. Kreon rode at one point of the diamond, and would lead them out past their own lines. Amphitryon was on the point to Kreon's right and would lead them clear of the Theban infantry. It was then up to Alkides, who rode at the opposite point to Kreon, to lead the mounted warriors to the flanks of the enemy line.
When he had judged that the time was right, Kreon gave the command and the diamond moved forward. Alkides maintained his place in the formation, but his attentions wavered. The sight of an armed and hostile enemy invading his homeland made his blood boil. By the time Amphitryon took the lead, Alkides could barely contain his fury.
When his time finally came, Alkides let out a mighty roar and spurred his horse into a gallop towards the invaders. He had never before seen Erginos, but it was obvious who he was. The son of Poseidon marched in the most vulnerable position in his army, unprotected by the shield of another. His bravery and the strength of his arm were legend amongst the fighting men of Orkhomenos, who were braver and more ferocious because of his presence.
At the sight of the man who had dishonored Thebes for so many years, Alkides lost all control. All sights and sounds faded into the background save for the pounding of the blood in his veins. He did not see the Minyan cavalry fall upon his companions, nor did he see Amphitryon turn the diamond to face the new threat, leaving only Alkides and Iphikles to charge the massed infantry on their own.
The Minyan hoplites near Erginos were his bodyguard and were the most fearsome warriors in the army. They jeered at the two screaming fools charging towards them, hurling insults about their state of mind. Two Minyans in the rear ranks turned their spears towards Alkides and Iphikles to stop the charge, while the others maintained their focus on the approaching Theban line.
At the last second, Alkides swerved his horse to the right to avoid the raised spears of the defenders. He absorbed the shock of his lance that skewered the man behind Erginos, but the spear shattered and left him with only a sliver in his hand. Beneath him, his mount screamed and fell with a Minyan spear caught in its throat.
Alkides threw himself to the right as the horse buckled beneath him and landed on his feet with sword already drawn. He charged into the Minyan infantry, oblivious to everything except the need to kill. In his wake, Iphikles parried the swords and spears of those who tried to attack the son of Zeus from behind.
Alkides's strength made even his broken spear a weapon, and his sword was an arcing agent of death. Four Minyans fell to his assault without knowing who had assailed them. Others saw his fury and balked. Only one stood before him unflinching and it was Erginos, King of the Minyans.
'Ah, you must be Alkides, the fool who started the war that will see Thebes burnt to the ground.'
Unlike many of his peers, Alkides was not one to use words in situations where actions could be far more eloquent. He snarled and launched himself at Erginos, who blocked the blow with his shield and twisted away.
'It is as I thought. You are a grunting barbarian without honor or grace.'
'Shut up and fight,' Alkides growled and again launched himself at Erginos, who parried the sword thrust and struck Alkides in the head with his shield, but the blow did not have the effect he was expecting. Instead of stumbling about in a stunned stupor as Erginos had anticipated, Alkides grabbed hold of the trailing edge of Erginos's shield with his left hand. The King of the Minyans was surprised at this tactic and tried to shake the man loose, but his grip was like iron. With a strength verging on the inhuman, Alkides forced Erginos's shield up and away from his body and then thrust his sword deep into the King's exposed chest.
Those Minyans who saw their great leader fall so easily lost the heart for the fight and broke from formation just as the two lines collided. The Thebans, aware that Alkides had unnerved the enemy roared in triumph and pressed the advantage.
His bloodlust far from sated, Alkides launched himself once again at the soldiers of Orkhomenos. He used his great strength to push through the shield wall and stab and hack at the bodies behind. It did not take long for the Thebans to push through the thinned ranks at the right of the Minyan line and turn to strike at the heart of the invading host. Demoralized and leaderless, the Minyans turned and fled.
The battle disintegrated into a bloody carnage as the men of Thebes set off in pursuit. Although he was amongst the pursuing host, Alkides remembered little of the chase. All that remained in his mind was the overpowering smell of blood and the screams of the injured and dying. He did not know how long he fought, or how far he had pursued the fleeing enemy, but when there was no one left to fight, the fury left him and he turned back towards Thebes. Of Amphitryon or Kreon there was no sign, but a lone figure some way away bore a resemblance to his brother, so he made his way towards him.
'A great victory, brother,' Alkides said, but Iphikles did not look up.
'He died in battle, as a warrior should.'
Alkides looked down at his brother's feet and saw the body of Amphitryon, the man who was his father in everything but name.
'Come, brother,' Alkides said. 'One last task remains for us today.' The two men carefully placed the bloodied and mutilated body onto a shield that Alkides liberated from the battlefield and, together, they carried him back to Thebes.
(vii)
Watching Alkmena prepare Amphityron's body for burial was one of the most difficult things Alkides had done in his young life. Together with his brother, they watched her as she worked to ensure their father's passage into the afterlife. It was obvious that she was proud of her husband, but her grief at losing him often overcame her as she toiled over his body, and she frequently broke down and wept.
It dawned on Alkides as he watched Alkmena toil through her pain and sorrow that this was why Zeus needed to disguise himself when he had come to her. Even the greatest of the Olympians would have been powerless in the face of the love that Alkmena had for her husband.
On the first day after Amphityron's death, the brothers watched Alkmena wash and anoint the body of their father. She cleaned his many wounds, and washed off the grime of the battlefield before laying a wreath on his chest and Charon's coin on his lips. On the second day, the people of Thebes came to pay their respects and Alkmena greeted them all and thanked them for their kind words. Before dawn on the third day, the two brothers carried the body to the grave, led by his grieving wife.
Amphityron's was not the only burial that day, being three days after a battle in which many men had died, but it was the most significant. Although not born of Thebes, Amphitryon had been loved and respected by all, especially the King. Over the years, he had become Kreon's most trusted advisor and friend, and Alkides could see the King felt the loss keenly.
Other women wailed and tore at their hair and clothes as they led their husbands to the grave, but not Alkmena. She only chanted softly as she walked, but the agony of her loss radiated off her like heat from a flame, and none who saw her doubted that she truly grieved her husband's deat
h.
'Your grief is plain for all to see, Alkmena,' King Kreon said as they walked from the grave, 'but is there no joy for you this day? Your husband fought bravely, as did your sons. They liberated Thebes from a crippling tribute and brought great honor to the city and themselves.'
'I am very proud of my husband, my King, but the pain of losing him overshadows all other emotions.'
'Then I have news that should lift your spirits and alleviate at least some of your anguish. I want to give my two daughters to your two sons as brides - my eldest daughter Megara for Alkides and Henoixi for Iphicles. What greater reward can I give to the family that has done so much for Thebes?'
Alkmena did not have the time to reply for the Gods chose that moment to descend from Olympus. Athena appeared on the path before Alkides, who had been walking ahead of everyone else, preferring to be alone with his thoughts on this somber day.
'Kreon speaks wisdom,' Athena said looking directly at Alkmena, who had prostrated herself before the Goddess. 'What better time to reward bravery than when the brave are mourning the loss of those who did not survive the battle? The dead will find their reward in the underworld, where those who are worthy reside forever at ease in Elysium, but the living must be