Page 3 of Axios

Now it’s time for me to make mine.

Even though it went against everything I believed in, I lashed out at Darius, hitting him right beneath his left eye. My knuckles cracked with the impact, and by how loud he cried out, I knew I’d hurt him badly.

He snapped his head back to glare at me, a mark already forming on his upper cheek, and he attacked. When he collided with me, we pushed against each other, punching anywhere and everywhere we could.

He jabbed me in my stomach, and I retaliated with a hit to his chest.

My face ached, and I tasted blood on my tongue, but I kept fighting. There was no other choice. Either I fought and won, or I lost. Defeated youths were treated harshly, and I did not wish that upon anyone. But between Darius and me… I chose myself.

I can do this. I will not surrender.

Darius then made a move I had not anticipated. Instead of lunging forward with his attacks like he’d been doing since the beginning of the fight, he rolled under my blow and shoved me from behind.

My footing faltered and I fell to the dirt. Before I could rise up, his arms immediately came around my neck and squeezed, cutting off my air.

I slapped at his forearm, fighting for a breath, and attempted to buck him off. He was much stronger than he had appeared earlier and didn’t budge, crushing me more into the ground. Wild with panic, I struggled against him to no avail.

His knee slammed into my back, and his arms pulled my head backward, putting me at an awkward angle where my limbs refused to function the way I needed them to.

My lungs burned as I continued to thrash around, but my energy was draining quickly. I stared ahead at the other boys and saw many of them smiling.

It was entertainment to them. My life meant nothing, for I was weak. Better to dispose of me now than to have me falter on the battlefield.

One face didn’t smile. The golden-haired boy. He had stepped forward a bit in the line and intensely watched me. His fists were clenched at his sides, and his stance suggested he was debating on whether to approach the fight.

Through my struggles, my arm swung wildly as I tried to hit Darius, but the few instances I did make contact, the hits weren’t powerful enough to do much damage. Then, my hand brushed across something lying in the dirt.

A rock. The same one a boy had thrown at me before the fight started.

Grabbing hold of it, I called forth all the energy I possessed and raised my arm to smash it into the side of Darius’ head. His hold on my neck loosened as he was knocked backward, and I choked out a raspy breath, filling my lungs with the air they’d been denied.

I couldn’t hesitate.Darius will regain his composure soon and attack again.

Although my body screamed with exertion, I flipped around and tackled Darius before he could stand. Blood dripped from the corner of his eye where I’d hit him, and his movements were sluggish as he struggled against me.

Knowing there wasn’t any time for indecision, I straddled his chest and squeezed my knees into his side to hold him down. I slammed my fist into his cheek before hitting him with my other.

Rage blinded me as I repeatedly struck him—anger at my life and what I was forced to become. Angry that something as horrendous as this was not only encouraged but expected. It wasn’t until he stopped struggling under me that I came back to myself and realized what I was doing.

My knuckles were smeared with blood—both my own and his.

Darius stared up at me with swollen, half-shut eyes. His chest slowly rose and fell as a raspy noise left him with each breath he took. I had busted open his lip and nose, and blood streamed from a wound by his ear.

“Finish him,” Gaius commanded from behind me.

No. I cannot.

I looked down at him. Fear clouded his face. He tried to move, but his arms went limp again, and he stilled. Giving up.

Gaius slapped the back of my head. “Show no mercy! He has accepted his defeat now finish him.”

Darius opened his mouth, but no words followed. He reminded me of a fish plucked from the stream. Desperate for life, but unable to flee to safety.

As I stared at him, I felt a tightening in my chest and a twisting in my gut. I knew what I had to do, and the thought alone was almost enough to make me ill.

Everyone watched me. It was not just a fight to see who lost, but also one to see if the victor had it in him to kill. Sparta was no place for the frail or those sensitive to death.

After grabbing the rock that I had dropped before tackling him, I raised my arm and aimed.