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It was here, I knew, in the wonderous city of Athens, that the greatest political decisions of the age were to be made. The Megarans thought themselves wise. Pah. Athena herself granted us the wisdom of the Gods, and the ability to use it. Sparta thought herself strong. Perhaps, but Athenian soldiers had many times over proved their worth, and despite having lost his bid to be patron of our city, Poseidon had often granted us supreme power over the seas. Athens had the ability to shape the world to her own purposes. And we would weild that power for the betterment of all- whether they wished it or not.

The diplomat from Argos had arrived with their terrible proposition but a week past. And although we had refused it so strongly, I saw the profit to be made in such a move. And now a new messenger had come, with far more generous terms. I smiled inwardly. They were putty in our hands.

I, Aristoxenus, was a junior member on the council, and had only recently become a strategos. But all that said, I could still see the decision already made in each council member's eyes. A decision that could only work in our favour. The council went into hushed decision over the matter as a pretence, but in truth everyone in the hall on that fateful day could see that they had silently agreed on their decision long before.

Finally, Tamaeros, eldest of the council, adressed the messenger from Argos. "We have come to a decision. Tell your master, we accept these gifts that you offer us. However, we do not see that an avoidable war with a city as great as Megara should be started needlessly. Tell your master that in the event of your invasion of Megara, we shall speak to their king. We shall demand a monthly tribute from them, and one quarter of this shall go to the city of Argos. Should they refuse these terms, we too shall declare war upon them. So speaks the Athenian council".

"As you wish" came the reply. It was done. The King of Argos could not refuse this- war with Megara was inevitable for him, and without our financial or military support it was a battle he could easily lose. And so we awaited the reply, and the Megaran powers felt their support crumble from underneath them.


Megara -1
Athens +1

Athens 9
Argos 7
Sparta 8
Corinth 9
Megara 7

It became obvious very quickly, I discovered, exactly why joint actions between City States were so rare. Already I and my men- a full sixth of Athens' standing army, along with a few militias and mercenaries- had been in Corinth for a week, aiding with the local garrisons, and whiling away time as events unfurled around us. And still Nicodemus, my allied commander, without whom I could not make any move with the Corinthian troops, had put off any meeting between the two of us. For the third time in five days, I was told that he was busy thinking over our position and that he would not have time to speak with me until some later date. I seethed. We needed to act!

It had not, against all of our expectations, been Argos who had made the first step, he first act of war. Sparta, proud and headstrong Sparta, had instead taken the initiative, and the messenger who had reached me but a day past had told me that Argos had been placed under siege by a Spartan army. Furthermore, intelligence reports told us that the second Spartan army sent to Megara had moved out overnight, and not in the direction of Athens. This could only mean one thing. Corinth was under threat. And still, Nicodemus had turned me away, whether a pretence fabricated to flaunt his influence over me in this situation or out of a true misguided sense of priorities here, I did not know. All I knew was that there was an army of Spartans approaching the City, and to allow them to besiege us rather than meeting them in the field would be a great folly indeed.

Of all Greeks, the Spartans are the most heartless, cruel wretches whose only goal in life is to slay as many good Greeks upon the end of their Doru as possible. They are the opposite of we Athenians: rash where we are wise, barbaric where we are civillised, warmongering where we are calm. And I am sure that they realise this, deep down- for ever Athens has been the true greatest city of Greece. And ever their jealousy leads them to doing all they can to destroy all of those around them.

As I strode back to my quarters, still fuming, I noted the great beauty of this richer section of the city. Brilliant white marble shone out covering every house and living quarters. To my left as I traversed a bustling square, a majestic temple rose up against the sky. Every surface on it was polished to perfection, a glimmering jewel amply projecting the beauty of the gods. Onyx blocks supported intricately-decorated marble pillars, beautiful constructions covered in carvings of our legendary sires- here, Herekles fought the Hydra, proudly standing out against the innumerable serpentine heads. There, the minotaur gasped its last as Theseus ran it through. Above this, the gold-plated roof reflected in all its glory the brightness of the morning Sun as it rose for another day. I sighed and shook my head. Such wonders could not be allowed to fall to Spartan hands.

I had eaten, washed and sat in thought for two and a half hours before the runner arrived. A sharp knock came on the door. I looked up as my slave opened it to the man, sweating, clutching in his hand a roll of parchment.

"Lord Aristoxenus of Athens?" he enquired, between ragged gasps for breath.

"That is me." I rose to greet the man, as I beckoned for the servants to bring him water. "What do you have that requires my attention?"

"I bring a letter addressed to you from your hometown. It brings urgent news about recent developments. That is all I know."

"Thankyou," I replied, taking the letter, "I am grateful of your service. Take these coins and have a drink before you leave".

I turned to the letter. It bore the seal of Artemios' house. I unfolded the parchment, still damp from the sweat of the runner's palm. On it, in Artemios' instantly recognisable script, was written;

'My good friend Aristoxenus,

Greetings from myself and the Council. I have been instructed to inform you of the latest developments from our city. Doubtless, you already know of the Spartan army that landed near Megara, and of its subsequent movement toward Corinth. The Council wish you all the guidance of Athena as you deal with this threat.

I am writing to assure you that the Council is not remaining inactive whilst you prepare to fight such a great threat. It was my suggestion that, now that the Spartans have committed themselves so fully, it would be a good time to thrust a knife into their back- diplomatically speaking, that is. I put it to the council that we should send an envoy to the Megarans, offering mutual friendship and diplomatic pressure upon Argos and Corinth not to attack them, should they allow our troops free access overland from Athens to Corinth, and should they not fight alongside Sparta. Obviously, these terms alone would not convince them to turn against the Spartans. And so we are also offering them a large financial incentive, should they accept our terms. The majority of the Council agreed with my move. I noted Tamaerus voted against. The old man has been acting very strangely ever since the beginning of this affair. But I passed my suggestion, and the messenger should have reached Mesana as I write this. I am sure, even if they do not accept, we shall sow enough doubt in their hearts as to render them impotent until you have dealt with the immediate threat.

How is it in Corinth? Are the views any fairer than those we can see from the walls of Athens?

If you do not reply, I shall assume you have been slain and your corpse is feeding the carrion birds, in which case I can only hope you do not give them stomach ache.

May the wisdom of Athena and the power of Zeus go with you,

Artemios'

I grinned. This was good news. Hopefully the financial incentive would be enough- even Spartans could be destroyed if attacked from both East and West at once.


Athens +1
Sparta -1

Athens 9
Argos 7
Corinth 9
Sparta 7
Megara 8