Goddess-Touched Ch. 01

"Right." Aegeus looked at him, securing the sword on his own side before hefting up his shield.

"Just try not to di-"

But Aegeus was already jogging up the undercroft, and within seconds the light of the sun was blinding his eyes.

"Romans, let us welcome Marc Anthony, portrayed by your very own Aegeus of Corinth, and his legions!" The announcer cried, earning a scowl from Aegeus as the crowd roared in approval. Vaguely, he could remember that the man was called Galba.

"In the age of Octavian..." Galba began. "...of our first great emperor, there was a man who thought Rome was his! Beguiled by the serpentine tongue of Egypt's most sultry Queen, the breathtaking and cunning Cleopatra, the once loyal Marc Anthony believed that he could rule Rome better than the mighty son of Caesar!" The crowds hushed as the announcer spoke, his words broken only by the sound of gladiator's dressed as poor representations of legionnaires filtered into the arena. "Octavian took a great fleet to the mighty city of Alexandria, and there he cut off Anthony from his love, and surrounded the city with his legions, knowing that Anthony would fight foolishly to save his bride!"

"BEHOLD! CLEOPATRA!" Galbus raised a fat hand to the center of the stage. There, atop a half-pyramid, a woman emerged from a hidden door covered in golden jewelry, her skin a modest pale set against the colored gems that adorned her.

The crowd loved her, their roar even louder than before, but Aegeus only continued to frown. Without further wait, more gladiators filtered onto the field, the whole lot dressed in either blue or red legionary shields. The red shields were meant to be Octavian's troops, and the gladiator's with Octavian's colors were ushered to stand between Aegeus and the faux city of Alexandra. The others, those in blue, formed up beside him.

"Fuck, thank Jupiter's cock I'm on his side." One of the gladiator's sighed in relief just before another elbowed him in the ribs.

"Shut yer fuckin' shit hole." Another threatened, and for a few seconds Aegeus wondered if there was going to be a fight then and there.

Wonderful.

"Romans, let the games begin, and let us see if Anthony's love is powerful enough to defeat the legions of Rome!"

The first legionary collapsed into a heap as Aegeus' sword opened his gut, the second following suit as his swing fall woefully short of reaching its mark. Aegeus pushed through, his advanced covered by the stunned gladiator's rushing to his side.

The gladiator felt the hilt of the sword against his jaw before he saw it, and then the taste of dirt was on his lips. He blinked and felt his burn throb with new pain, but somehow his muscles still told him to move. He rolled over just in time for the sword that had struck him to strike uselessly against the dirt next to him. Aegeus hadn't even seen the man's face, but he sliced off his leg just below the knee all the same.

Back on his feet, he plucked one of the javelins from his back, eyes searching for anyone or anything in his way. Then, ice.

It was the exact opposite of lava that suddenly crawled through his veins, snaking like frozen mercury through his blood. A familiar set of fragile hands traced down his shoulders, her breath a cool breeze on the back of his neck as she kissed his collarbone.

"Be my champion." The goddess hummed in his ear, her lips teasing against his skin as he hands wandered into areas unknown. Aegeus' body tensed as she passed through him, a soft moan escaping her before she disappeared as quickly as she had came.

"AEGEUS!" A gladiator broke Aegeus from his reverie with a scream just before one of the other legionnaires charged down at him.