Costas Komborozos

Herakles Costas Komborozos

He imagined the silver visages dissolving in the light of an unbroken dawn. A splendid ethereal sight suddenly adorned the scene of bloodshed. The god of light appeared, swift and soundless. The Spartan king whispered a breath of longing under the sea of dispersing blades. Apollo moved silently through the dark mass of the Immortals, aiming his bright arrow at one Persian royal guard after another. The shining arrows penetrated the blackness. Leonidas felt the rippling roar of bloodied bodies, and he hardened his limbs against the large churning wave of shields and armors. His unspoken words remained unutterably whole for they traversed the blissful silence created by the unexpected divine presence. Apollo shot one arrow after another. But Leonidas knew that the time for glorious self-sacrifice had come. No one could delay the inevitable. The Spartan king shouted a battle cry that faded in the deafening clash of blades. Then he glimpsed a fiery rose twirling before a vast darkness. He nearly felt as though the ghostly limbs of fallen warriors were keeping him aloft as a sea of dead bodies began to consume his field of vision. The silver faces poured in, seemingly untrammeled as they advanced in deadly unison. Apollo was gone now. Leonidas felt the sacred springs flow beneath his feet. He felt the hot gates breathe all around him, reminding him that the death of instant defeat would precede his own death. He felt the mountain breathe fire, infusing his heart with the sublimely untouched radiance that has just departed from his vision. In that moment, he saw another warrior in his mind. He saw a man wearing a lion's head as he faced his greatest opponent. Herakles was scarred, but persisted in his effort to be victorious. Leonidas saw how Herakles suddenly looked at his abdomen and saw a fatal wound. Herakles collapsed. Leonidas saw these events as they unfolded intangibly within his mind, which somehow remained undimmed in the blood-filled chaos surrounding him. He saw Herakles fall to the ground and then looking at the hot springs nearby. Then Leonidas felt a blade piercing his bowels. His eyes widened. Leonidas fell to the ground. Shadows covered his presence. Leonidas saw Herakles breathing his last breath. He saw Herakles close his eyes. Then Leonidas felt his own last breath fleeing his body. The Spartan king closed his eyes.