Eager to prove himself worthy as his father's successor, he embarked on his life's goal, the conquest of the Persian Empire. Before he could begin that journey he had to take control of all of Greece and earn the respect of his army. He would continue to do so and prove himself worthy of the hype surrounding him. Macedonians were very religious and this was no different with Philip II and Alexander. Before any battle or conquest they went to the temple of Delphi to see if it was in their destiny to conquer any nation (Bowden 21-22). This would not be the last time Alexander would visit this temple as he would return to ask the gods if he was god, if he was invisible (Bowden 63-64). His first major battle takes place at the Granicus River in Persia. He makes a bold move by crossing the Granicus River and attacking the waiting Persian army. Alexendar shows great leadership and courage as he and his men defeat the Persian men to achieve their first major victory in Persia (Heckel 30). Darius, the king of the Persian Empire, initially believed that Alexander would not cause too much trouble, but as he soon realized, Alexander was very different from any other Greek he had ever met. Darius decides to try to put an end to Alexander and his men. Darius gathers his army