"So how are you alive?" Xanthippus asked the Hoplite Dion who was sat around the camp fire beside Dom, Artemisia and Crassus. Sun Ce and Gan Ning were currently training with their own Marines, whilst Zhou Yu was looking through some of the hand drawn maps on the deck of the Bellona with Centurions Octavian, Septimius, Elon and Cato. There were some other masked Hoplite stood around Dom and the others, waiting for their moments to speak or unmask themselves temporarily.
"Only the gods know." Dion replied honestly with a light laugh as he looked at those around him, "I don't even remember the battle, but I know that I am here now. Back home and fighting to protect my family and friends."
"And after the battle?" Xanthippus asked him honestly, his eyes looking towards Dom who was sat down listening calmly.
"Then I return back to my new home with the rest of my unit and my new Lord." Dion explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "I have a new life now, with new goals I need to accomplish."
"What of your family? Your wife and your daughter?" Xanthippus asked him, the question open and not in an accusing tone. In Xanthippus's mind it was a miracle that Dion was here, let alone anything other than that.
"Hopefully now that I am here, they will come with me. Alexander has gone to get them for me." Dion stated, before looking towards Dom in worry, realising that he probably shouldn't have mentioned that. Any news of Dom's men heading to Athens could cause some risk of the rest of their plans unfolding.
"Alexander?" Xanthippus asked with a raised eyebrow, knowing a few with that name.
"Epilektoi Alexander." Dion replied when Dom nodded his head at him, referring to Alexander's military rank, something that mainly only the fully trained Hoplite had and not the citizen Hoplite like the majority of them.
"The Epilektoi Alexander with a Dory up his rear?" Xanthippus asked with eyes wide, joking about Alexander's way of sticking to the rules.
"He's not too bad anymore, but yes that Alexander." Dion laughed, as did a few of the other Hoplite around them.
"He died at Marathon, over ten years ago." Xanthippus exhaled in surprise, as a couple of the other Hoplite that were nearby removed their masks. He looked around, noticing a few faces that he recognised over the years, and others that he may have seen in passing. His eyes settled on a couple of them, before his mouth tried to put words together. Just as about to comment, his eyes settled on one Hoplite in particular. "Gregorios!"
Dom's bodyguard, who was now a Centurion, had joined the quest as a normal Hoplite just so he could feel the Aegean air on his skin again. Beside him stood Trojan, who was also recently promoted to a Centurion rank. Due to the large number of Warriors that were part of the crew, both were happy to lead in a different way. Dom turned to look at Gregorios, who had a huge grin on his face.
"You are looking old Xanthippus." Gregorios commented, to the laughter of some of those that had joined from the earlier part of the second Persian Invasion of Greece. The majority were from more recent times, but none could disagree that Xanthippus had aged.
"Pfft." Xanthippus replied, trying to hold in a grin, before shaking his head again. "It may have been over ten years since I last saw you, but you have caused many laughs since you left."
"I didn't just leave, I heard I was a hero." Gregorios replied, puffing his chest forwards as Artemisia burst out laughing at the sight. Many of the others around the camp also laughed, whilst Xanthippus shook his head in disbelief.
"It's good news for you that your cousin Philon has travelled to Plataea and not here!" Xanthippus laughed with another shake of his head. "His sickness when on the sea may have rescued you."
"Why, I would have thought Philon would have been happy to see me again?" Gregorios replied in surprise, whilst Trojan beside him put his arm on his shoulder and laughed. Gregorios turned to him, "What are you laughing at?"
"Something I forgot about, but Xanthippus has just reminded me." Trojan laughed loudly, whilst a couple of those that new him looked on in waiting.
"Let's just say Philon's son looks very much like his cousin Gregorios." Xanthippus laughed, "He missed Marathon because he was doing some trade for the family in the north, he returns and not only has his cousin died, but his wife is heavily pregnant!"
Gregorios's face paled at the comment, whilst now even Dom began laughing loudly at him. With Gregorios not even denying his escapades before the battle that had ultimately ended his time in Athens. He turned to Trojan, and then the laughing faces on some of this other Hoplite friends that had joined them on this quest and were with them at Delos.
"Tyche got pregnant?" Gregorios asked as he suddenly sat down, with Trojan beside him fanning him with his hands to keep the heat off him, the others laughing at the sight.
"Twins, one of each. The boy looks almost identical to you, much to Philon's disgrace." Xanthippus explained, his tone more levelled. "He's done a good job bringing them both up, even with the doubt of their blood. I think if you had returned from Marathon it would have been a different conclusion though."
"I need to head to Athens!" Gregorios declared suddenly, looking towards Dom with some form of hope in his eyes.
"It's too late to move now, hopefully Alexander finds out the situation for himself." Artemisia replied in Dom's place, before pausing a second before continuing. "Gregorios, they already have a father, it would be selfish for you to disrupt that life."
Whilst Gregorios went in to his own world of thought, Xanthippus continued looking at the faces, even mentioning some of the names as he recognised them. Some he had fought alongside, and a couple he was sure he had seen fall at certain battles.
"How many Athenians are in your home Admiral Lazarus?" Xanthippus asked suddenly, his mind trying to think through things. Every revelation since meeting the young Admiral had been a surprise after a surprise.
"We have over nine hundred Hoplite, made up mainly of Athenian's, with some Spartans and Thebians. The Thebians aren't allies of Persia and are men who are loyal to my and my home, as are the Spartans." Dom explained patiently, before continuing. "There are many Warriors of different backgrounds with us, all of them are the best of their type. Well most of them are, some are like Gregorios."
"He is a pain, but he's a good warrior." Xanthippus agreed whilst the Hoplite around them laughed, even Gregorios did after his earlier life changing news. "I am surprised Spartans would join another force, they are fiercely loyal to their own."
"Life has a way of changing your priorities." Another Hoplite, Haemon replied to Xanthippus, "The Spartans were challenging at first, but they have become our brothers."
"I couldn't imagine calling a Spartan a brother." Xanthippus laughed in response, shaking his head at all of the new information. "Is this the majority of your fleet then?"
"No, my fleet at home is a large number of Trireme, that grows by the week." Dom replied, as Artemisia sat forwards in her chair.
"Admiral Lazarus actually is the Lord of a small Kingdom, there are multiple growing cities the size of Athens. Everyone is well fed and has work and opportunity, our Military is strong, much stronger than what we have brought, as is our Navy. I wouldn't be surprised if our army could defeat the Persians or even the Athenian's on their own" Artemisia explained to him, whilst Crassus dismissed the gathered Hoplite to continue preparing themselves for the battle ahead. "Our Navy doesn't Rival that of Athens or Sparta and it's allies yet in size, but it will by the end of the year. The difference though is the quality of the Warriors that are onboard them. One of our Trireme is worth at least two of our enemies, if not more."
"Is that why you have switched sides?" Xanthippus asked her openly, expecting an honest answer.
"My situation changed and a new home appeared for me." She replied honestly, "I am hoping to reunite with my son soon, as long as he brings my fleet north to Samos to help us battle. However, I have made new connections and found a new purpose."
"I am happy for you, mainly because I am fighting with you and not against you." Xanthippus replied, before turning back to Dom. "I would love to visit your home after we defeat the Persians and we have solved our own issues at home. It would be nice to reunite with some old friends and find out just how they are with you and not dead on the battlefield."
"Honestly, if it isn't the work of the Gods, then I don't know what it is." Artemisia stated as she looked to Crassus beside her with genuine warmth.
"Xanthippus, your love for your home is admirable, especially after they have banished you on multiple occasions. I am not trying to recruit you, but a man of your talent is needed. So if you decide you want a change before this battle is over, you and your family are welcome to join us." Dom stated, before continuing, "I don't mean this in a way of betrayal to your home, they need to be defended first, I mean more for an opportunity for your and your families future."
"I appreciate the offer." Xanthippus smiled in response, his words polite but the meaning behind was clear, he didn't intend to leave Athens. However, there was some doubt in his words, as well as confusion. Everything he had seen today had pushed his mind in to a strange place that he didn't quite understand. After exchanging some more pleasantries, Xanthippus stood and explained he had his own preparations to do. He bid them farewell and departed, however one of the four guards that came with him, a younger man, turned and looked at Dom with clear interest in his eyes.
...
Ling Tong headed north west on the back of his claimed horse, he was wearing his own armour again and looked high in the sky at the sun that was beginning it's descent. Beside him was Myron the Hoplite, who was directing them towards the location of Plataea. He was followed by around one hundred men on horseback, his Balearic Slingers and Wu Dang Archers included. These were his own men, or the healthiest of those that had been freed. They all wore their own armour, or what they could salvage from the slain Persians. The rest of the Freed Hoplite had been left behind, with plans to head to Plataea on foot to join up with them later.
Four of his own Hoplite and a small group of those that had been freed and had decided they owed a blood debt to Ling Tong, had departed earlier with Megabyzus, Masistius and their other captives. They were making their way back to their ship that had been hidden, ready to wait for the return at the battles end. Megabyzus had been tied up, and even though he had sworn loyalty to Ling Tong, he hadn't complained. Instead he had understood the risk of him being free and betraying them, so agreed to be tied up with his angry cousin who still wasn't sure what was happening.
Masistius had been frustrated at first, angry at being defeated and captured, he had shared his worries to Megabyzus that they may be executed. However Megabyzus had promised him that they had made a deal and they had a much better future ahead of them. If they returned to Persia defeated, then they may end up executed regardless, at least this way they had a future.
Ling Tong's plan was to get to Plataea before nightfall and hopefully meet up with Andrew if his mission was successful, before then continuing with their original plan. Someone had gone ahead with Masistius armour to meet with Alpheus, Maron and Deineces. Ling Tong just hoped that everything started to get back to plan.