Gates of Fire: Chapter 21 Summary & Analysis

When the Three Hundred reached Opountian Lokris, ten miles from Thermopylae, having been joined by various allied fighting units along the way, they find a deserted countryside. Most of the populace have taken refuge in the hills, and local chieftains have gone over to the Persians. It’s determined that the Lokrians and neighboring Phokians had reckoned the date wrong, thinking the Spartans weren’t coming. They encounter many other desperate refugees, many of whom weep with relief at the sight of the Spartans. The Spartans’ sense of urgency mounts, and they quicken their pace.

On the outskirts of Thermopylae, in the village of Alpenoi, the army discovers that residents have set up makeshift shops—a bakery, a tavern, and even a brothel. The Persians haven’t been seen yet. Leonidas sends out raiding parties to destroy or seize anything that the enemy could use. He also sends out reconnaissance units to map the area. In the meantime, a frightening prodigy occurs. A Theban soldier steps on a nest of venomous baby snakes and dies in agony. The seer, Megistias, interprets the prodigy: the man, whose name is Perses, symbolizes the Persians, who are soon to be brought low by the Spartans.

While various engineers wrangle over how best to construct a protective fortification, Leonidas simply begins hauling boulders into place himself. Soon the men are eagerly working alongside him, cheered by their king’s encouraging words. Later that night, an outlaw is brought in. Xeo knows him—a fellow named “Ball Player” who’d wandered the hills outside Astakos after their town was destroyed. He’s eager to profit from the war in any way he can, including scouting for pay. Leonidas sends him and Hound, a Spartan ranger, to climb Kallidromos, the 3,000-foot mountain that towers above Thermopylae. Soon the Phokian and Lokrian allies show up and join the camp.

A local merchant and sailor who’s hanging around the camp begins telling stories about the Persians he’s seen while briefly taken captive. He describes massive stores of weapons, supplies, and even sky-high mountains of paper for inventory. Soon Dienekes shows up and begins listening to the story. The merchant, warming to his story and his audience’s fear, describes Persian archery practice: “so numerous were the multitudes of bowmen that when they fired their volleys, the mass of arrows blocked out the sun!” To this, Dienekes responds with apparent boredom: “Good. Then we’ll have our battle in the shade.” Later that night, rangers return with news that the Persians are advancing.