One solid, hard knock echoed through the captivating chambers of the all-powerful Ares. His chambers were filled with custom weapons that could kill enemies in a mere second or draw out their death for agonizing hours and thousands of maps pinned to drawing boards. The chambers were huge; they almost seemed never-ending. Ares looked up from the tactical map he was studying. With a heavy and slightly irritated sigh, he let out a booming, "Enter!"

The Prophet jumped upon hearing Ares' command and took a breath that was meant to steady him, but it ended up doing just the opposite. The breath caught in his throat, and he let out a small mouse squeak. Pathetic, he thought to himself, this must stop or Ares' ego will become so big that his head will explode. The Prophet hesitantly entered. Ares noticed that the Prophet seemed to visibly shake when entering his chambers. The fear he imposed on others always filled him with a sense of pride, he was such a good warrior that his mere presence could bring the most powerful warrior of an army to his knees, with pitiful tears running down his petrified face.

The stone walls felt cold, but the Prophet supposed that this fit Ares personality perfectly. The Prophet had always hated Ares chambers, as he felt vulnerable and alone. It was dimly lit, as it always was and the Prophet took a moment for his eyes to adjust before fully entering the room, which spoke of death and destruction.

Still shaking, the Prophet spoke to Ares with a respectful but cold voice, showing no emotion and therefore no vulnerability. "Sir, I have an urgent prophecy that I was asked to share with you." The Prophet was proud of himself as his voice had not wavered at any point during his sentence.

"Of course you do, Prophet Kadik. What else would you be here for? Prophets tell prophecies, do they not? " Ares rudely snickered as he said this. If Kadik had not known Ares he might have thought what Ares had said was just a harmless joke, but Kadik knew better. Ares' joke was meant to get under Kadik's skin, but Kadik would not let that happen.

Kadik gave a small forced smile and said, "Indeed it is. My deepest apologies for my previous statement. It was unneeded and foolish of me to waste any moment of your precious time. How will I ever make it up to you?" Sarcasm dripped heavily from each word, enough for even a God to pick up on it.

Ares narrowed his eyes. How dare this Prophet talk like this to me, I could kill him right now with only a snap of my fingers, he thought, but, sadly, I can not, as Kadik is Apollo's favorite. "That is quite enough, Prophet Kadik. Give me the prophecy, now!" Ares had done well to control his voice until the last moment in the end when he had begun to get frustrated and put too much emphasis on the last word, causing an echo that bounced off the endless walls.

Prophet Kadik took a deep breath. He had not thought of how Ares would react to the prophecy, which told of a terrible fate for Ares. "The warrior of Olympus will be dethroned as the bravest by a man who has no need for war or destruction."

Ares was taken aback by the words that had just come out of Kadik's mouth. He stood frozen for a moment, then remembered that Kadik was still standing in the room, looking at Ares as if he was measuring his anger level. "Thank You."

Kadik released the breath he had been holding. That's it? Only a "thank you" in response to the bad news. Although Kadik thought Ares' reaction odd, he did not stick around to see Ares realize the full extent of the prophecy. Kadik walked swiftly to the massive wooden door, with rusted iron accents, and slipped out of the room silently.

Ares would usually be enraged if a person were to leave his presence without his permission, but he let his anger go, making room for a deeper, wilder anger that was boiling deep inside him, waiting for the perfect moment to spring out in the form of destruction. How is this possible? A warrior fights in destructive wars and warriors are the bravest of them all. How could someone who is not a warrior overthrow my title as the bravest? Ares walked, with as much calmness as he could muster, to his shelves, which were filled with all of Ares' maps, all marked with war tactics and defensive strategies. He pulled them all out and threw them around his chambers in a blind rage. For several minutes Ares screamed in rage and let the anger that had been steadily building out. He would find this "brave" man and end him, but he would have to do it discreetly or the other Gods of Olympus would become angered and cast him down. He began to think about how to accomplish this goal. A plan slowly started to form in his mind. First, he would find the man that threatens him, then he would go to war with the man's city.

~*~*~

The meadow was west of the village and filled with rolling hills. The hills that were closest to the village were filled with soft, deep green grass that gently caressed the feet of those who walked on it. Further out vibrant flowers of all different colors, orange, red, purple, and blue, seemed to sit gracefully atop the hills, only being disturbed by the soft breeze. Tellum liked to spread the blanket his mother had made him on the grassy hills closest to his village and sit for hours, taking in the beauty of the rolling hills, the flowers, and the powerful hawks that would fly over the hills, occasionally diving for food with unspoken control and experience. When Tellum had time, it pleased him very much to sit and watch the breeze brush through the grass and flowers and sometimes, he even liked to sit and watch the sunset, down over the hills with brilliant red and orange streaks coming through in the gaps in the grass and flowers.

Tellum woke with a long sigh, wanting to continue dreaming of his favorite place in the world, the meadow. If only I could stay on the hills forever, he thought longingly, but I must help the village. It's not that Tellum did not want to help the village, but he disliked his job. Every day just after sunrise, he had to walk, usually very slowly because he did not want to reach his destination, to the wood building near the center of the village. It was filled with children's toys, noisy but necessary, and even worse, the noisy, sticky children. Tellum was not a kid person. He did not understand how he got stuck with the job of watching the kids, but life is life. Although he would prefer somewhere more peaceful and quiet, like agriculture where he could look over at his meadow and the hills that accompanied it, he was not mad or aggravated because he understood that the job had to be done.

His house was on the opposite side of his meadow, towards the main entrance of the village, which meant he had to walk from the outskirts of the village to the middle. If a traveler were passing through, they would immediately notice that the middle of the village seemed to always be busy, even in the dead of night, people still walked around. As he lazily walked to work, he could see all the involved members of his village buzzing around like busy bees. Buzz, buzz, he thought fondly, loving the way everyone moved with purpose, yet they still paused to greet each other. Tellum smiled to himself. His smile dimmed slightly when he got to the village hall, where he would spend the next eight hours watching the village children, but Tellum soon smiled even brighter, realizing that after work, he could sit in his meadow. He took a deep breath and braced himself, then walked calmly into the building.

~*~*~

The only way to describe Tellum's day was chaotic, the opposite of how he liked life to be. Every time he began to get overwhelmed with the amount of gooey, sticky substances that the children were magically able to continuously able to produce, he took a deep breath and thought of his meadow. He lay in his meadow now, reflecting on his day and letting what little tension he had acquired during the day melt away. He looked up at the stars, captivated by them. The perfect silence was broken by ragged breath. Is someone hurt? He looked up concerned. His mother's long black hair that he had inherited flowed behind her as she sprinted towards him.

Finally reaching Tellum, his mother took one deep breath, then began to talk quickly. "Tellum there is a traveler her to see you. She says it is urgent, but she will not talk to anyone else."

Taking a moment to decipher and digest what his mother just said, he simply responded, "Take me to her."

Tellum's mother began to steadily jog towards the center of town, with Tellum right on her tail. They reached their destination, the village hall, in minutes. There was a crowd of fifteen people all dressed in their night clothes standing outside the front of the entrance of the building. His mother stopped walking at the door but motioned for Tellum to continue forward. He hesitantly slipped into the doorway. The main room was still filled with the toys of the children he had just babysat all day. On the wall to his right, the village leader lounged, with his arms crossed and eyes focused on his office door on the opposite wall, his gaze untrusting. The village leader said nothing but pointed to his office. Tellum looked at the office door and advanced, unsure about the way the village leader was acting. Opening the door, Tellum found a girl sitting at the deep brown desk that faced the door.

The girl looked up and smiled. She rose and said, "Finally. I thought I was going to have to wait all night for you."

Tellum became even more confused. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"No. I am here to help you. You and your village."

"Help us do what."

"You and your village are in danger. Prophet Kadik has delivered a prophecy to Ares that has angered him deeply."

Tellum furrowed his brows. "What did the prophecy say?"

Looking slightly irritated, the girl said, "That does not matter. It only matters that you are part of it, which has angered Ares. Ares is traveling on foot to come here. It will take him eight days. You need to prepare your people to fight against him. Do not try to hide from him, as he will find you and your village."

The girl started to rummage around a pack that was at her feet. She pulled out a large map. On it was a bright red line marking a clear path from a place that Tellum didn't recognize to his village.

"This is his path?" He asked. In reply, she nodded.

They both stood at the map, while the girl explained the tactical moves that Ares planned to make. Tuning her out, Tellum made a tactical plan of his own. He was going to leave in the morning to intercept Ares at the halfway point, a small mountainous area, and talk him down, explains that Tellum doesn't want a war.

The girl looked up at Tellum. "I must go. I have given you everything you need to at least stand a chance against Ares. Goodbye." Then she got up and began to fold the map. After it was back into a small square, she held it out to Tellum, who wordlessly took it.

Right as the girl was about to open the door, Tellum asked the question that had been burning a hole in him since the moment she had spoken. " How do you know all of this?"

Without turning around, with her hand still on the doorknob, she said, "I am a Korrigan. I can see the future."

With those final words, she confidently strode out of the office into the main room, past the village leader, out the front door, and exited the village. Tellum walked into the main room and went to the village leader. He told him of what the Korrigan had said to him and also explained his plan to intercept Ares. In the end, the village leader narrowed his eyes and looked off into the distance.

Moments later the village leader gave Tellum permission to go on this quest, telling him to leave in the morning. Tellum bid the village leader a good night and joined his mother outside. Together they walked home, Tellum with plans to leave at sunrise and his mother with thoughts of worry for her son.

~*~*~

At sunrise, instead of going to work at the village hall, Tellum packed his bag full of supplies that would be essential, including dried food, water, and the map that the Korrigan had given him. With his shoulders hunched with worry for his mother and his village, Tellum began to walk. It was a slow, agonizing walk. Every step left Tellum more and more nervous and nothing, not even the peaceful and serene scenes around him, could calm his nerves. Eventually, Tellum realized he was walking alone in silence, which he normally liked, but this silence was tense, as of the wilderness around him could sense his current state. He knew that he was not really alone, that his mother and his people at the village were with him in his every step. He knew in his heart that they were supporting him, but now that he had no one around him to send him a supportive glance, his confidence began to fade. Nevertheless, he continued to walk on the large, lonely dirt road, which was bordered by a thick, green forest.

Tellum continued walking down the dirt road. His feet began to hurt, but he refused to stop, as he knew his village and his mother were counting on him. As the sun set, he set up a small camp that consisted of a small fire, an old sleeping bag, and an owl sitting on a tree branch high above his head. It wasn't a very comfortable sleeping arrangement, but it was only for a couple of nights. As he lay in his sleeping bag, he felt peace and calmness begin to settle around him as he realized the night sky above him was the same as it always had been back home.

Three days into the four-day trek, Tellum began to feel as if the weight of the whole world was on his shoulders. All the stress of saving his village and trying to figure out how to talk Ares down was starting to take a toll on him until he couldn't take it anymore. His breaths began to come in short, quick bursts, which made his lungs burn. His head became light, and he felt as if he was dying. If anyone were around to watch, Tellum would have seemed deranged, with tears beginning to form in his brown eyes and his face becoming bright red from the lack of oxygen. He ran off the small dirt path he had been traveling on for the last couple of hours and into the lush woods that bordered the dirt path. He ran quickly, dodging tree trunks, bushes, and fallen tree limbs with little success because his vision was blurred as his tears had now begun to fall. In his haste to get away from all of his struggles and worries, Tellum, who had not been paying attention to anything that was surrounding him, fell and began to roll down a steep hill. As he rolled, he felt skin being scraped off and small cuts began to sting him. I will definitely have bruises, he thought with an unenthusiastic sigh. He tried to stop himself many times but each time as he had gained too much speed. Finally, he stopped rolling and he stood up assessing the damage that had been caused by his carelessness. With another sigh, he began to climb back up the massive hill he had just not-so-gracefully rolled down. He heard a crack and quickly looked up on full alert, not trusting the forest, which was foreign to him, or anyone in it. He carefully crept around a tree only to relax upon seeing a stunning sight. A deer, with large entrancing antlers, were grazing on the vegetation of the forest. Tellum sat and continued watching the deer, transfixed. Watching the deer gave Tellum a sense of peace, that he had previously become unfamiliar with, and he became to calm down and get a hold of himself. He made his way back to the path, more focused and even more determined than when he started. I will succeed!

~*~*~

At the end of the fourth day, Tellum reached the halfway point of Ares journey. The halfway point was on the side of a mountain, towards the bottom. This mountain had grass and small bushes but no trees, which would have been good if he ended up needing to run for cover in the trees., but there were boulders, so at least he had a shield if Ares tried to attack. He had beaten Ares to the halfway point, so he went off the path a little and hid behind a giant boulder. As Tellum waited, he continued to think of different ways to talk to Ares and different ways each conversation could happen. He soon heard the crunching of earth and looked out from behind the boulder. It was Ares. Tellum took the deepest breath he had ever taken in his life and took a bold step forward.

He walked back onto the mountain path and said in the calmest non-threatening voice he could, "Ares. I have come to speak with you."

Ares looked surprised at first, then a look of realization crossed over his face. Arranging his face into an unreadable mask, he said, "Tellum Jegery. You are just the person I was traveling to meet what a coincidence. Well, you and your village. I was planning on destroying it, you know?"

Tellum looked at Ares with no emotion on his face trying to mimic the mask. "Yes, I know all about your plans. I have come to talk with you, not fight. I am no threat to you, so I ask you this: Please leave me and my village alone. We have done nothing to deserve death."

Plunging the sword he had been holding into the earth, he snickered. Faking consideration, Ares replied harshly with, "Let me think… No. I have made up my mind, and I have already declared war, in which I will kill you. I will not stop until I kill you."

"We can come to another solution. Nobody has to die."

"Is that really what you think? How pathetic are you?"

"No. Not pathetic. I am just looking for another way. This slaughter of innocents can be avoided."

"It can not. It is inevitable and will happen. I have already declared war." Ares' mouth turned up in a sinister smirk.

At that moment, Tellum had a terrible realization. He knows I am against this violence, he thought, he will not stop, but if I die, he will have no one to torment. Tellum started to formulate a strategic plan in his head. After a moment of looking around, he saw the sword Ares had left lying about ten feet away on the mountainous floor. He knew what he had to do. The ultimate sacrifice had to be made.

Tellum defiantly took a step forward, scrunching his face in a way he hoped look menacing, he knew he failed, as he just did not have it in him. "I will not let you destroy my village, my family, or my meadow."

Ares having had enough shouted, "What is with the meadow? I have come across this 'meadow' that you speak of several times, it is not special. It's not even a meadow. Meadows do not have hills! They. Are. Flat."

Ares was on edge, trying with all of the power inside him not to explode and kill Tellum now, as he would get the chance to take Tellum out when the battle started. Thinking of the bloody war that was soon to commence left Ares distracted, which gave Tellum enough time to sprint towards the sword. With thoughts of his perfect meadow in his mind, he firmly grabbed the cold hilt of the jet black sword, sent thoughts of love to his mother, and drove the sword through his chest.

Ares lunged to stop him, but he was too late. Tellum had already plunged his precious weapon into his chest, right over his heart. "No!"

Blood started to soak Tellum's shirt. A dull red, much too dull for his personality, continued to steadily leak from his body. Ares was furious, as that was his kill. He ran to Tellum's body and pulled the sword roughly from his body only to be thrown back thirty feet by a strong gust of wind. A bright light sprang from the wound on Tellum's chest. Shielding his eyes, Ares looked at the brilliant, vibrant greens and blues, which were making a steady ascent into the night sky. After a minute of ascension, the bright multicolored light seemed to stop. Then the light began to spread out, reaching further than even Ares powerful eyes could see. Only moments after spreading, the lights appeared to animate, moving up and down in rhythmic motions. Even Ares, whose heart was nearly as cold as ice, had to admit that the sight was breathtaking.

How could this have happened, Ares thought, aggravated at himself, I had him, but now there is no point in battling with his village. He is dead. He will not be here to see the destruction. Ares let out a deep, dissatisfied sigh and got up from his position on the hard, bare earth. Dusting the brown dirt off of himself, he headed home, towards Olympus, unknowing of the fact that in Tellum's sacrifice, he had become the bravest.

~*~*~

Miles and miles away, in a small village with rolling hills filled with soft, green grass and vibrant, colorful flowers, a worried mother stood at the window of the village hall, desperately waiting for her son to return from a long, terrible journey. Slowly a magnificent light spread across the sky above the village, moving majestically and seeming familiar. A sense of peacefulness flowed through her as if her son had just entered the room. Choking back her tears, she called for the village leader. He ran into the room and sped towards the window, obviously looking for Tellum, who was supposed to return with the news of a savior.

"We are saved. The war has been called off. Those lights in the sky are the sign of hope we have been waiting for." The village leader turned to her.

Staring her straight in the eyes, he slowly came to the realization that Tellum, her only son, was not coming home. He extended his arms towards her and gently said, "He will be honored as the hero that he has become." With those words, Tellum's mother began to cry for what seemed like days, but she always found comfort in the fact that her son, in the form of the northern lights, was forever looking down on her, shining his beautiful, colorful soul, even long after she had died.