First Chapter of , all critiques welcome.

[Whitham90]

This is an idea that hit me while i was laying back on my bed the other day and i simply could not get it out of my head, so here is the first rough draft. The actual storyline isn't set in a historic timeline or period but is rather just set in the world of Greek mythology, all comments and feedback are welcome so knock it to peices or whatever... (just kidding about the peices bit)

An Oracles Advice

He that follows a pregnant goat and founds a city were she sleeps, he shall have the world. Gods shall bow and trees will flower all but godhood will be his. The price to pay great will be for only at the end of the journey can the goat be saved…
Ikensia, twenty second Oracle of Delphi

“Found a city state, she’s potty, mad, insane even; found a bleeding city indeed”, Aiolos muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes as the inhabitants did their up most best to avoid his gaze or his person in general.
The price of fame I guess, he thought sullenly as he looked over to his life long companion and slave Glaukus. It wasn’t that he was famous for been a brute, oh no that would be blissful compared to the truth; Aiolos Kleomenes was famous throughout Greece for having a father who insulted and offended every god on Mt Olympus. A trivial thing to be famous for compared to Achilles or Perseus, but still it had its benefits, people would often throw money at him to simply get him to turn around and walk away; all of them fearing what retribution the gods might punish him with and what they might get caught up in.
“If I might say so master, I think we should give it a try. After all we’ve tried every thing else, the money you donated to the priests didn’t seem to work, or the time you set out to try and retrieve the Golden Fleece as a gift of your obedience and servitude; you remember how that turned out. And then there was the time…” Glaukus trailed off, not really noticing Aiolos sink even further into depression and self pity.
Delphi truly was one of the worst cities in Greece, Aiolos thought miserably as he took in the surrounding neighbourhood. Clean washed white buildings and shops littered the cobbled streets, vendors hastily set up selling wares of all kinds along the roads and streets; forcing people to duck and weave between stalls in their bitter fight for freedom. And then their was the foreigners, Athenians, Thebans, Spartans, Persians, the odd Trojan and even Centaurs tousled and bustled in the small cramped spaces available for walking.
It wasn’t that Aiolos didn’t like foreigners he just liked them in modest amounts, namely not more than five in a room; any more and you were looking at a bloodbath, he thought wryly. After all the Athienans would debate and argue every point until you went blue in the face, the Spartans just liked violence and tried to attack anything in sight and the Thebans, they were the worst; they just remained impassive and neutral in anything and everything. Bloody Thebans, Aiolos swore silently, glaring as he passed an eager merchant babbling on about horse shoes or some such thing.
“…and then there was the time you offered to trade your sister in return for a pardon”, Glaukus finished, completely oblivious to the fact that Aiolos hadn’t listened to a single part of his monotone speech.
“Shut up dung brain”, Aiolos muttered walking towards a small inn aside the city gatehouse. Looking up at the sign he noticed the building unlike the others had a bit of grime to it. An ill fitting door was askew on its hinges and the broken and cracked window frames identified the place as somewhat of a non-sociable inn.
The Skimpy Purse, a fitting name considering, he mused as he entered what could only be described as a run-down tread of the mill dump. Noticing Glaukus jump slightly at glares he was receiving from some of the less ‘sophisticated’ patrons he frowned, just what I need, I’m just recovering from the last ‘present’ Apollo sent me and now the flea ball has managed to insult these buggers with his mere presence, brilliant.
“Glaukus I want you to listen, listen very carefully okay, now I’m going to get piss drunk over there…”, he said pointing to a stool at the far end of the bar “…and while I’m doing that, you stay here and take any beatings your given. Don’t come over to me no matter what, quite frankly I’ve had enough bad news to last me until the next millennium and your body odour is in fact less than appealing, should you be raped in any case and somehow die in the process this is goodbye”, Aiolos said shaking Glaukus’ hand and briskly walking towards the bar, leaving a puzzled Glaukus to un-puzzle what odour meant.

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Nearly three hours had passed since Aiolos had first sat down and slammed his first Drachma on the counter and received a curt nod from the barkeep who handed him a cup full of wine. It hadn’t been the best wine or the most potent, to say it was watered down would have offended watered down wine so in fact it was pretty much water with a bit of wine. Yet after a remarkable thirty two cups and six for the barkeep both were engaged in what could only be described as drunken conversation.
“…like I was saying, so now everywhere I go I either have gods cursing me and setting some new monster after me or I get kicked out of the city by paranoid citizens and shunned”, Aiolos finished with a very drunken slur. As all good barkeepers should the barkeep who for all intensive proposes was called Ikalos nodded, “Well did you sche the Oracle ere?”
Aiolos nodded dumbly, downing the last dregs of wine from his thirty third cup before replying in an incredulous tone, “Yep, you know what sche told me *hic*, she told me to build a city, build a city you believe that, a city.”
For a moment the barkeep stood silent nodding and shaking his head in a particularly funny manner before he shrugged his shoulders, “She say why?”
“Somfing bout a horse and tree, and then the goat at the end of a journey or somfat, not really sure cos Glaukus was whimpering wike a wittle baby”, he slurred, slowly changing his tone to that of an embarrassing parent talking baby talk to an adult.
“Glaukus, who’s Glaukus?”
“My slave, e’s Trojan I fink, is family’s been in my family’s debt since my great, great, great grandfather sneaked im out of Troy, e’s the last of is family as I almost am in mine”, Aiolos sniffled, suddenly missing his smelly, brainless and completely lacking in morals friend. Truth be told, Glaukus and Aiolos were more like friends than master and slave, especially since that Kraken almost ate them near Naxos. In all his time running from the gods only Glaukus had supported him in his many flawed, and brilliant plans to earn the gods forgiveness, even Aiolos’ sister Larissa had abandoned him after his attempt to slay a Gorgon resulted in his little finger turning to stone and been amputated to prevent the curse spreading. Yes as sad as it certainly sounded Aiolos had only one friend, a smelly, stupid and utterly loyal Trojan and that bothered him immensely. Glancing around him he took the barkeeps wine without hesitation and took a very large swig…

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Aiolos awoke feeling like a Sicilian pirate the day after shore leave, his head pounded, his eyes hurt and he wanted to die. Sitting up he slowly found himself falling back into the gutter as recollections of the previous evening came rolling back.
To our new partnership, to the city of Iolos and Ikalos Breweries; may they both prosper and flourish.
Oh god, he thought miserably as the distorted form of Glaukus popped his head over Aiolos eye line, “So you didn’t die after all fungus breath?”
Glaukus merrily shook his head and began humming. Great, I’m suffering from the worst hangover since Alexander died of alcohol poisoning and realized it was bad for his health and this git is humming and smiling like there’s no tomorrow, what god doesn’t hate me?
Unfortunately Aiolos’ day only got worse when he spotted Ikalos heaving a giant sack out of his tavern, a warm smile etched on his face, “Morning partner, how are we today?”
Aiolos simply stared longingly into the heavens, wishing more than anything to be smited right then and there to save him from the disaster that was sure to come. As usual however there was no smiting, no killing or angry gods descending on war chariots to kill him, nope they left him to suffer; most likely to be eaten by a Hydra or some other such plaything of Ares.
“Do you want the truth or a lie?”
For a moment Ikalos seemed fazed, almost pondering weather or not it was worth hearing the truth, however in the end curiosity won over common sense, “Truth”
“I have a terrible hangover, my eyes are sore; my backside feels like I’ve just had Helen of Sparta riding it; and to be honest the news that I have unwittingly entered a partnership with a skimpy tavern owner and the fact that I’m still supporting this useless pile of dung is doing little to improve my mood.”, Aiolos snapped indicating a dancing and singing Glaukus with a crude nod of the head as he finished the end of his summary.
“Oh”
“Oh?”
“Yes oh”
“Oh what?”
“Oh as in oh right”, Ikalos explained patiently like a grandfather explaining the rudimentary principles of sailing to an inpatient grandson.
Sighing in exasperation Aiolos pulled himself out of the gutter he’d found himself sleeping in and picked up a small rock off the road, it was smooth, flat and had a sharp point on one side. Perfect, Aiolos thought smugly as he took aim at an oblivious Glaukus who was in fact attempting to talk to a dead fish hanging from one of the stalls. Taking aim like his father had taught him he threw it, unfortunately like everything his father had taught him it went wrong.
“Who by Zeus’ fury did that?”
“It was him”, one of the peasants shouted pointing to a young lad playing behind Aiolos, who looked perpetually horrified at the accusation.
“Was not”
“Was too”
“Not”
“Was”
Bloody simpletons, not one brain between the lot of them, Aiolos thought triumphantly as Glaukus approached him his trademark lopsided grin still plastered to his face.
“What do you want fur ball?”
“Well master, it occurs to me that seen as how the Oracle didn’t exactly help us in our quest to try and find a way to clear your name in the god’s eyes I was wondering if we could go home.”
Aiolos’ eyes narrowed dangerously, “Glaukus let me remind you, my estate on that pretty little island off Crete went to the gates of Hades when Poseidon sunk the island with you and me on it, then we almost got eaten by a Kraken on our way to the mainland, and for the last six months after that we’ve been busy dodging Grelgi, Talos and Cerberus; all of which I might add are more than likely to head here if we don’t get a move on”
“Oh”
“Don’t you start with the oh business”, Aiolos snapped walking briskly towards a shocked Ikalos who looked mortified at the mention of Talos. Noticing the look on his face Aiolos smirked; now you know how I feel.
“D..d..diid you say T..t.ta.Talos?” Ikalos stuttered, shell shocked at what he’d suddenly in the middle of a drunken stupor agreed to; it was all very well swearing on your family honour to help found a city state in return for exclusive brewing privileges, but when it included dodging Talos it was just like signing your own death warrant.
“Yeah Talos, Cerberus, Grelgi, the Kraken allsorts, its quite exciting really…”, Glaukus whispered enthusiastically in his ear.
Aiolos, who at this point was already very agitated suddenly became extremely depressed, one because he had two of the unluckiest people in the world by his side and two, because a giant bronze statue was slowly but surely moving towards the city in the distance.
“Speaking of the devil”, Aiolos muttered sourly as Ikalos paled even further and Glaukus merrily waved and smiled.
“Is that Tal..ta..t.. him?”
“Yup”
“And he’s here to kill you?”
“Probably, and if not it’s still going to be very painful”
“Then why aren’t we running?”
“We, you still want to come with me after you’ve seen thousand feet tall over there”, Aiolos asked incredulously pointing at the distant form of a slumbering Talos.
“Well I don’t want to, but I swore an oath and if I break it I’m no better than your father”, Ikalos stated for a matter of fact, truth be told however Aiolos couldn’t see how any body could be worse than his dad right now; especially in the eyes of his own son.
“Master shouldn’t we be getting on?” Glaukus asked, shaking Aiolos from his thoughtful trance.
“Glaukus you pathetic waste of human flesh and bone, the correct terminology would be ‘shouldn’t we be moving on’ and to answer your question were would we go? That bleeding Oracle was about as useful as a wine taster tasting Ikalos’ wine, utterly pointless; no offence Ikalos”
“None taken”
As if on cue one of the guards on patrol just happened to look up, and upon doing so he noticed one giant bronze man slowly lumbering forwards, a giant sword in hand. Unfortunately, instead of using ones head and reporting to a superior officer like protocol would state, he instead choose to drop his spear, point at the bronze man and scream ‘Talos’. Of which to say the least: the response was panic, merchants dropped their wares, collected their money and began to flee. Women and children fled knocking stalls and agoras over in their haste, some screaming while others pleaded with the Apollo for aid.
Aiolos however was used to such a reception and instead walked back into the ‘Skimpy Purse’ and headed for the bar, he needed a drink, and judging by the size of Talos’ sword a big one...

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Three drinks later and a slight decrease in the encroaching hangover and Aiolos had managed to assemble a loose plan of what he was going to do. First he was going to scrounge the market for any goods or money left behind in the panic, then he was going to go to that blasted Oracle make her speak some sense and ditch Delphi before the bronze can showed up. However the underlying brilliance of his plan was the fact that Ikalos or Glaukus had nothing to do therefore they couldn’t possibly mess anything up, or so he thought.
“MASTER, MASTER, MASTER”
“What is it you revolting animal?”
“Talos, he’s nearly here you can see the patterns on his body and the welding marks and everything”, Glaukus gasped.
“The welding marks eh, that close, well its time to put my plan into action”
“What plan sir?”
For a moment Aiolos decided to think the situation through, from previous experience whenever Glaukus knew the plan he cocked it up and whenever he didn’t know the plan he improvised and still cocked it up.
Well I suppose we could always leave him here, he mused wryly before dismissing the thought, if I did Larissa would never let me live in peace.
“Go get Ikalos tell him to start scrounging the market for supplies you try to help too, just don’t wander off. I’ve got enough emotions as it is without adding guilt to the pile”
For all the speed Glaukus used to run down the stairs there was little been mustered to run back up Aiolos noted idly as he took a final swig from cup of wine in his hand. Today was going to be one of those days…