Lazula's Dawn Combat

• Nicole Sosnowski, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2022

“Rule Number One: Never Trust Anything Your Opponent Says!” Ares yelled, tapping his sister, Lazula, on the arm with his sword. Lazula froze. She normally wore her brown hair up in a ponytail so it wouldn’t get in her face while she and her brother Ares, the god of war, were sword fighting every Thursday dawn on Mount Olympus. She and Ares weren’t wearing any armour: hitting their opponent with your weapon meant injury, but they were immortal.
Really wanna learn self defense now? In the twenty-first century? A voice inside Lazula’s head asked.
“But you can trust me, as I’m your teacher.” Ares continued.
“But should I be trusting what you say now?” Lazula asked, hitting her sword against Ares’.
“I don’t know, should you?” Ares challenged. “Hera managed to steal Aphrodite’s belt yesterday.”
“What?!” Lazula exclaimed.
“What did I just say?!” Ares cried, hitting Lazula on the arm again. He sighed. “This is gonna take a while.”
“I’m a quick learner.” Lazula reminded him.
“Which reminds me: Rule Number Two!” Ares shouted again. “Always Expect to Get Hurt! After all, Spartans always believed that it was an honour to die in battle. Rule Number Three: Always Have a Shield on You!” Ares held up his shield to defend himself against Lazula’s sword. The impact made a singing noise. “You know what Spartan mothers used to say to their soldier sons!”
Lazula said nothing, but hit Ares hard on the shoulder with her sword.
Ares groaned and rubbed his shoulder. “Okay, I’ll say it now. You're a quick learner. And while I’m at it, Rule Number Four: Never fight when you’re angry. I would not recommend it, unless you want to fail miserably.”
Lazula smiled.
Ares took off his helmet and smirked. “Are you ready for some fun now?” he asked mischievously. He threw it over the rocky descent of Mount Olympus.
“When we were little.” Lazula grinned. “Let’s see if I can beat you today!” She descended the side of the mountain, holding on the rocky wall on the way.
“Oh, it’s on!” she heard Ares yell as he followed her.
The helmet hit many rocks and rolled on the mountainside like a tumbleweed. That made the race between Lazula and Ares more fun when they reached the bottom.
Lazula's hands were brushing the helmet, but Ares knocked it away, and it kept flying in the air. Lazula jumped, and her shape shrunk and changed colour; so she now looked like a Ring-Tailed Hawk. She managed to catch the helmet in her sharp talons. She cawed in triumph, flew back to the side of the mountain, and dropped the helmet back to Ares.
“You have a worthy opponent, Ares.” she smirked, after she had changed back. “Same time next week?”
Ares nodded. “Over the past ten thousand years I’ve known you, you’ve changed. I’m proud of you, sis.”
Lazula smiled. “See you next Thursday, then.”
She turned into a blue dragon, her favourite shapeshifter form, and flew south towards Athens, where she and her housemates Apollo, Artemis, and Athena, lived deep in the Tatoi Forests.