I stood there, among the tall rock cliffs of Thermophylae as I thought about what is at stake. The vents around us were steaming like a snake before it bites someone. A soft “ssssssss”. The sun was setting. The vents were growing louder by the minute and the disgusting smell they produced was intensifying, smelling like dead bodies and rotten eggs. It was as if Hades was there with us. Patiently waiting for us to die and let our souls enter the underworld. Our leader, King Leonidas, tells us to get some rest. “If we are to fight valiantly, we must rest first.” Thoughts swirl through my head such as “what will my family do with me gone” or “how will our city cope with us gone” and it's hard for me to fall asleep.

We wake up, preparing for battle. We practice our battle techniques. Sweat is dripping from my forehead as we practice all the moves we have been taught since childhood to adulthood. After all the preparation we prepare to fight to the death. We line up in phalanx formation and wait for an hour as I think my final thoughts. I hear a loud rumbling. It was as if Poseidon was tired of standing still and wanted to startle us. Then in the distance we see it, the Persian army, marching towards us. 

Our leader, King Leonidas yells “for Sparta!!!” The first few waves come, then we see their sheer numbers. They fight like barbarians, savage and dishonorable. We manage to hold our ground and start fighting. The first waves fall easily, but as they keep coming we start to be pushed back. We kill many but they keep coming and we start to tire from the constant fighting. Our soldiers begin to fall back. “Noooo,” I yell as Leonidas falls in battle. He is deeply wounded but tells us to keep fighting. Our numbers start to fall in great numbers. Our weapons start to break, so we fight with our fists. I am fighting 5 soldiers and when I suddenly feel a spear through my back. As I breathe my last breaths, painfully and slowly in agony, I die with honor and with the feeling that I, my other fellow soldiers, and our great King Leonidas have saved Greece.