His Return

18. Set It Off

Hestia frowned slightly at Perseus, but the almost unnoticeable upturn of her lips that no other person be able to observe, exposed to him her true emotions.

In all honesty, she understood that she should have never approached this man while his back was turned to her. She should have greeted him from an angle where his vision would be set onto her. She had set herself up for failure without even thinking of the repercussions.
This man was a survivor of the pit, after all. And although she had never been, she knew that in Tartarus, while skill played an important role, your life almost solely depended on your reflexes, and your ability to think quickly in cramped amount of time.
She considered herself lucky for escaping unscathed, but she was almost certain that nothing about his hesitation resided around luck.

From what she had noticed during the past few weeks, Perseus, while ruthless and fierce, was also a careful fighter. She was yet to figure out why his movements were always as calculated as they were, but it seemed as if he simply had no room for mistakes, and everything he did, must be done to perfection.

But then suddenly, there was something wrong.

His bright smile that had been directed towards her, became deathly serious.

The demigods around the area, who had been shocked to see his surprisingly pleasant smile, began to step away as his expression turned immensely focused and brooding.

Because now, at this very moment, Perseus had just realized something.

An attack was upon them.

He was sure of it.

««•••»»

Three years in complete solitude was enough time for Perseus to both learn and understand each and every characteristic of an impending attack.

Becoming a General and leading his army to victory in the battle for control over the pit, only added to his already profound attributes.

Whether or not it was clear to the average person, the signs had never lead him wrong when it came to this topic. The slightest changes in an environment's atmosphere would always bring his defenses to full attention.

Like the way the pattern of airflow would somehow change, as if the wind would become thinner in order to capacitate the sizable number of breathing individuals.

Or the manner in which his trained ears would pick up the sound of large masses of beings trailing into his direction from an impossibly far distance away.

All of these minor observations and pieces of information piled onto each other, the stack becoming larger with the time that passed.

Eventually, these things became an important factor in the survival of Perseus in his prison. They became his methods of self preservation.

The things that a mere mortal would think nothing of, would prove to be the savior of his bountied life.

«••»

Perseus turned his body, focusing his red eyes onto the Pine tree that once belonged to Thalia. He noticed the large dragon, Pelus, stood at guard, rising to his full height, as the Golden Fleece appeared to shake on its strong branch.