The lands of Sparta. Home of the world's greatest warriors has even known, they were called Spartans. They would always come back with great victories from war led by their general known as the mighty Kratos. The king, Leonidas would always have a feast of mead and wine to celebrate Kratos's victories to bring the glory of Sparta in his brother's honor. But the one thing he would enjoy more than anything else in the world was to be with his wife Lysandra and young daughter Calliope. Dawn approached as Kratos had returned home from another campaign while dismounting off a white horse. The marked warrior was dressed in his dominus armor. A young girl with a green tunic dress and braided hair climbs into his father's awaiting arms of embrace.

"Daddy." Calliope says with happiness in her voice.

"I have missed you child." Kratos replied with a soft voice with compassion. His wife Lysandra approached them as Kratos stood up and kiss his wife.

"Lord Kratos. You have been long absent, another victory has been claimed?"

"Another victory for you and Calliope."

Lysandra smiles at her husband, seeing him return with glory from another campaign once again like always. The spartan woman had missed her husband dearly. All three of them were interrupted by a Spartan solider.

"My lord, we have made a discovery."

"Be quick with your words." Kratos replied back getting tired of the interruptions.

"We have found a young child located with in the shores of Sparta, we believe he is barbarian. Barley alive."

"Barbarian?" Kratos muttered to himself, "Bring him to me. I would see for myself."

"As you wish my Lord." The Spartan kneeled in respect as he walks away back to the city. Moments later, a few Spartan soliders approached the house of General Kratos. They were dragging a young boy who what looks to be at the age of twelve much older than Kratos's daughter, a four-year age diffrence. The Spartans dragged the boy by his arms while another Spartan was carrying the weapons the boy had with him was a bow and quiver filled with arrows. The boy's tunic had scratches, and blood showing that he was beaten by someone and his face had been slightly bloody and beaten, he also had a scar on his right eye that was just like Kratos'. Something else was not right with the boy as his entire body only shown from his face and hands were completely white.

"Release him." Kratos ordered his soliders as they let go of their grip making the boy fall forward to the ground. Kratos informed his followers to leave them. They do so without hesitation. Kratos kneels down to the boy who was on the ground trying to get back up, "Who are you Barbarian? And what are you doing here in Sparta?"

"I-I'm not a Barbarian. I lived in a different land far from here."

"You lie!"

"I'm telling the truth!" The child protested, looking up at the general still trying to get up but couldn't while not showing any signs of fear in his face but soon enough he started to cough out blood.

"Kratos." Lysandra approached her husband with Calliope by her side, "We should help him."

Kratos sighs, "Fine."

The boy continued to rise from the dirt, his arms were sore and so was his body. Calliope felt something inside of her telling her to help him. She did so anyway. Calliope walks to him as she kneels down next to the boy. The little spartan girl wraps her arm around his waist and places the palm of her other hand on his chest to give him support. Seeing how tall the boy was compared to her, he was about only an inch taller than her.

Calliope leads the boy to the family dinner table, she sets him of a random chair. The boy looks at the spartan girl and his surroundings and stares at the house in awe. He looks back at Calliope and smiles.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome... How did you arrive here in Sparta?" Calliope asks while she sits next to the boy. Lysandra and Kratos walk in to hear the boy's words.

"Sparta?"

"Home of the world's greatest warriors."

"I'm somewhat familiar with Sparta and it's people, all I remember is that I was fighting someone strong, his strength was far beyond mine, when I was near death I fell down a cliff, drowning in ocean water and perhaps I was drifted off into this land by the strong currents... The land were I reside from is called Scandinavia, and if I'm not mistaken when I was drowning, the currents were moving south when I fell into the water, which means that Scandinavia is north from here."

"I see. What is your name?"

"...My name is Loki, but I wanted to change it, so I picked the name Atreus."

"Atreus... Named after Atreus of Sparta?"

"Yes, I've heard stories about him and his victories. I was always fascinated with Sparta and the agoge training that I wanted to come here some day but this wasn't how I pictured my vacation." Atreus chuckles at his own words.

Calliope nodded in agreement, she was eager to hear more of Atreus's past. Another question came to her mind.

"Atreus, your family must be worried you. Do you think you're ever going to return back to your home?"

Atreus does not even answer her question whatsoever, he avoid to make eye contact with her. Atreus decided to get it over with and break the truth while staring at the floor.

"My mother Laufey, and my younger siblings were killed by two men. They killed them in cold blood, and they burned down my home. When I came back I fell to my knees beside the bodies of my loved ones and mourned."

Calliope looked at Atreus in shock with her mouth open as she covered it with her hand.

"I- I'm so sorry to hear that. And what of your father?" Calliope questions again as Atreus looked at her and sighs.

"All my life I've lived in a world full of pain and suffering. Mentally and physically. My father, Fárbauti was never a good man. He would hurt my mother, myself included. And the scars on my body were the proof of that." Atreus says in a cold voice almost coming into a whisper.

Atreus felt a tear escape his eye and felt it slide down his check as he swallowed the lump on his throat and his hands began to shake as the memories came rushing back, "When he would try to turn his attention on my two younger brothers: Helblindi and Býleistr and sister, Cassandra. I would stand in front of father to take the beating for them while my mother watched helplessly, she was too afraid to help out. But I couldn't even stand the torment anymore, he pushed me to the very edge as this rage coursed through my veins and I attacked my father and everything went black. I couldn't remember anything about what happened after that until I found my father's body outside of our home, his blood upon the dirt and snow on the ground dead. Not a single heartbeat. No trace of life within him. My mother, two brothers and sister were...well happy if I would say, about ending the suffering and horrors that he inflicted upon them. And in a way I was happy too. All four of us were free at last but... that was only a day before they were taken away from me."

Hearing that entire story sends chills down Lysandra and Calliope's spine, they felt remorse for Atreus and his family, having to hear about his pain and suffering was a thing not so easy to bear. The scar showing on his face resemble his torturers but rejoice was the thing that truly mattered in life after his father was sent to Helheim. Yet he was broken once again when the men that took his family away from him.

"Whatever happened to the men that took your family away?" Kratos asked Atreus and he began to make eye contact once again.

"I hunted them down like a predator searching for its prey, I took them out with everything that I had, once they layed dead at my feet and after I came back from my 'hunt' I created pyre's for my family. They were the reason that my heart beats within my chest, now there is no hope of them returning to my arms. And now I'm alone with nothing left in this world."

Calliope slowly places her hand on Atreus's, she slowly tightens her grip as Atreus does the same while he looks back at her.

"The only thing you should truly be happy for is that you avenged your family's death, Atreus. Fate has brought you here for a reason, your family wouldn't want to you filled with anguish, no, they would want to see you happy and moving forward."

Atreus couldn't help but smirk at her words.

"I would agree with you..." Atreus stops his sentence when he realizes that he didn't ask for her name. Calliope chuckles in realization as well.

"Calliope. My name is Calliope."

"Calliope... that's a beautiful name."

Calliope looks away for a moment to hide her own blush that formed on her cheeks. Feeling her cheeks with her hand felt a warm sensation. She looks back at him when her blush faded away.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome... You actually remind me of Cassandra. The many things I saw in her was that she was innocent, kind-hearted, and strong. I can see the same thing in your eyes Calliope."

Calliope began to blush again, she giggles and sees both of her parents chuckle at their daughter's embarrassment. Atreus continues to smirk at the moment, then he turn his attention on his messed up wounds. Atreus got up from the chair but only to be stopped by Lysandra gently grabbing his shoulder.

"We have to heal them or they will continue to bleed." Lysandra spoke to him with care just like his mother.

Atreus sighs calmly, "Okay..."

Atreus took off his tunic, his bear chest, back, arms, and stomach were revealed and all three of them saw the scars that almost surrounded his body. He was telling the truth about the scars but the wounds were more important. After a few minutes they began to use wet cloths to clean the wounds. They were also curious about Atreus's pale body see it not fade from his body after he was fed with water and mead they assume that it was blood loss.

"Boy, your skin? Why is it as pale as the moon?" Kratos asked Atreus. He stayed silent for a few seconds and answering back.

"When my family was burning on the pyre... their own ashes covered my entire body. It's a curse. At least that's what I believe and after months of surviving on my own, I tried to communicate with other people but they were afraid of me. Calling me a ghost, and after a few days the people living in Scandinavia starting calling me the Ghost of Scandinavia. I never wanted to be called that name ever again, that's the reason why I wanted to leave Scandinavia in the first place and now you now the rest."

"Do you know of the man that attacked you before you had your chance to leave your homeland? What name did he carry?"

"Actually I never knew who he was, I didn't know why he was after me in the first place. I believe that he must think that I'm dead when I was drowning at sea."

"As he should. And it should stay that way knowing he will not come after you again."

"Yeah, it should."

Atreus walks to Calliope's room, seeing how it was designed made Atreus look with awe. Calliope walks in seeing her friend in good spirits. Atreus looks out of her window standing in front of her bed with his arms folded and with a smirk as the moon light shines down on him.

"We should get some rest, Atreus."

"Yeah. We should."

Morning came forth. Atreus was wide awake standing outside, leaning his back against the wall next the doorway of Kratos's home with his tunic shirt on covering his scars. No one was up yet, Atreus didn't really mind the peace and quiet. A memory came from Atreus's head.

"Atreus, my son. I'm very sorry. I should've helped." Laufey cried out as she stared at her oldest son's body on the ground bloodied and beaten by his abusive father who left into the woods as she kneeled beside him. Atreus got up to sit on the snow not shedding a single tear all.

"It's ok mom, you don't have to be sorry about anything. I would never be angry with you. And I could never be angry at you guys." Atreus says with a smile to his younger siblings as they give him a hug but they were careful enough not to hurt him because of his wounds.

"We're sorry that this is happening to you because of us Atreus." Cassandra says as she looks down in sadness. Atreus places a the palm of his right hand on her cheek wiping her tear away with his thumb.

"No, the only thing that keeping me alive is that you're all still here with me, unharmed."

Once that was said, they headed inside the cabin. Cleaning Atreus's wounds. The memory ended. Atreus felt a tear escape his eye, but after it fell to the ground a smile appeared on his face. That was only one of the good memories that crossed through his mind, he truly missed and loved his family more than anything else in the world. But he knows that they are at peace and he must accept that.

A voice was heard next to him and it belonged to a women wearing a blue dress. The mother of Calliope and the wife of Kratos, Lysandra. Atreus was caught off guard by her voice, and slightly jumped in surprise. She laughed at Atreus who fell on his back hitting the ground then she helped him get back up.

"I did not expect to see you up this early, Atreus."

"It helps clear my mind. I used to do it many times after they were..." Atreus couldn't finish the rest of his sentence but Lysandra understood his words, she approached him and kneeled to his level to comfort the boy.

"I see your meaning Atreus. We are here for you, no one should have to be alone."

Atreus smiles at her.

"I never got the chance to learn your name as well."

"My name is Lysandra."

"Lysandra... A beautiful name but as beautiful as the angel standing in front of me."

Lysandra began to blush and giggle, "You flatter. Your mother must have taught you how to use such kind words to please a woman."

"She did. The truth is, it's that my family always look out for me as I looked out for them when my father would beat me to the ground. Believe me when he would do that I would just ignore the pain and not shed a tear. I couldn't remember the last I actually cried. Even when I found my family dead on the ground, all I felt was just anger. Sometimes anger can be used as a weapon in battle, even when used in the wrong moment could lead to dangerous results."

"I would agree with you."

"But this animal or beast that courses within me is very dangerous."

"How so?" Lysandra raised an eyebrow.

Atreus looks off in the direction of the horizon as the sun began to rise with his arms folded and began to tell the story of his power that was used to kill his opponents and to test his limits.

"I was on the edge of dying. the first act happened with my father. I was near death on the ground, my body began to grow weak and so was my soul." Atreus paused for a moment and then continued.

"I was on my knees. I bearly had enough strength in my body to look up at my father, and when I did he grabbed my mother's axe ready to make the final strike. Before the blade even made contact with my head, my right hand grabbed the sharp metal blade. My strength began to rise, still holding the blade of the axe with my hand. I slowly got up to my feet and hurled my father to a nearby tree. My vision rage to red as blood, my arms conjured fire but the flames didn't hurt me, then I started to growl like a fearsome animal. I charged at my father while I was on all fours with rage and attacked him. After it was over I see my father on the ground dying in front me, that was for all the things he did to my family." Atreus paused again, then he continues.

"Next was with the men that killed my family, I felt complete anger showering over me. The form that killed my father came back and I was hunting them down. There scent was hard to find because of the cold weather but with luck I found then in time. When they were near death by my hand, I stood to my feet and howled like a wolf and in seconds a pack of 5 wolves appeared behind me, the animals walked pass me and began to eat the men. Not a single trace of their existence was ever heard from again. I didn't even care to ask about their names."

"I understand now Atreus. Your quest for Vengeance is over and your free from the pain and suffering. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again." Lysandra approached Atreus from behind placing her hands on his shoulders. Atreus was quiet for a while after he told her his story, he was sure that the spartan woman was shocked for a moment to process everything but when she kindly places her hands on his shoulders for comfort, a smile formed on his face. He looks over his shoulder to see Lysandra as their own eyes meet.

"Thank you Lysandra."