Chapter 14:
As Perseus entered the palace he was bombarded with the dull noises of the bustling system within, along with strong, rich fragrances of exquisite things from around Greece. As he walked through the halls, Perseus passed many groups of servants shuffling through the palace, taking care of all the little things, like putting more wax in the lantern and touching up any damage. He followed the same path as he had the previous day and soon found himself at the entrance to the throne room with two guards out front again.
It seemed that the guards were informed of his arrival this time as they made way for him, opening the doors upon his arrival. Stepping in he caught sight of King Aleus again as well as seeing the Queen, Anyte and Princess Ariadne up close for the first time. Not all too surprised at their appearance, having had them described to him by Callie beforehand. What did surprise him though was the kindness that seemed to shine from the two, a nature he hadn't met too many people to have possessed in his time in Tegea.
Along with those three was Prince Dorian, sneering towards Perseus as if he were the lowest of scum that had tainted his perfect image. Perseus simply glanced over the prince before returning his gaze to Aleus and giving a respectful nod as he had yesterday, the prince's reddening face and glare portraying his hatred and growing anger. Whilst some people may have feared this Perseus found it almost entertaining as the royal child acted like a toddler having a tantrum with a little more etiquette.
Addressing the king, Perseus spoke up, "Your highness, I have come for your verdict upon my proposal." He stated matter-of-factly.
Aleus stood from his throne which he was sitting on with his family surrounding him, "I have discussed your proposal and upon my daughters own decision, you have been chosen to protect her from any and all harm until you are relieved of your duty."
Perseus looked towards Ariadne and saw her nod, confirming her fathers words and such turned back to the king and responded, "It is an honour your highness, she shall see no harm under my protection, that I swear by the gods themselves."
The royal family were shocked by his statement as to swear an oath by the gods meant death if it weren't to be fulfilled, what they weren't aware of is that Perseus directed his oath towards two goddess, Demeter and Hestia, in order to not draw attention from other gods and neither would wish harm on their nephew and son respectively.
"You shall report to my daughters chambers to stand guard from sunrise every morning and shall leave every night once she has once again retired to her chambers. You are to follow all orders from her unless they contradict orders of my own and are to not take orders from any others, regardless of their status or position. Understood?" Perseus nodded in response.
"Good, my wife will show you around the palace to places that you will need to be aware of and answer any questions that you may have. You are to begin your duty tomorrow morning." Perseus nodded once again in understanding.
Aleus then departed through on of the doorways at the back of the room followed by Dorian, leaving Perseus with the queen and princess. Ariadne approached him, stepping down off the raised platforms on which the thrones stood, coming to a stop a respectful distance away.
"I have heard much about you from Callie. I am eternally grateful for you taking the responsibility of protecting me, if you require anything you need only ask." Ariadne spoke in her graceful and melodious voice.
Perseus bowed slightly whilst answering, "It is an honour Milady, I assure you, you shall be safe in my care." He decided to show more respect towards the princess due to her kindness, believing that she had earnt it rather than demanded it.
"Callie has told me of your prowess in battle and I have seen as much in the Pankration. I will see you tomorrow it seems, good day Perseus." Ariadne responded with a kind tone before leaving through the other doorway behind the thrones to the one that her father had used.
After she left the queen, Anyte, similarly approached Perseus. "As my daughter said, we are extremely grateful for your assistance. Now, if you'll follow me, I'll show you around the palace and you can ask me any questions you have." She spoke before walking around him and through the main entrance to the throne room, Perseus following in stride.
As they left the room the guards that had opened the door, resealed it and stood like statues in front once again. As they toured the grounds of the palace, Anyte showed Perseus all the intricacies and systems running throughout. Perseus was fascinated by the smooth flow of the palace with servants moving almost unnoticed, keeping fresh fruits from across the land in each of the important rooms, serving the whims of each of the guests and the family themselves and keeping everything clean and in check.
He also found the numerous scenes illustrated in sculptures, painting and mosaics around the palace intriguing as they spoke tales of gods and their children's heroic deeds as well as depicting the battles that have occurred across Greece. As they moved through the halls Perseus paid rapt attention to Anyte as she described the artwork as well as the different rooms and their functions.
Perseus also found it amazing how different gardens were included throughout the building, granting respite from the confinement of the palace itself and spreading nature and tranquillity through the building. The nature throughout the building made Perseus feel more at peace and allowed him to better connect with the flow of the wild, releasing his stress at the necessity for certain actions when in the presence of royalty as well as concealing his true nature.
As their tour came to an end they were in the middle of the largest and most elaborate garden within the centre of the palace grounds. Facing the queen Perseus spoke for the first time since they left the throne room, other than his affirmation of different things Anyte had told him about.
"Thank you for showing me all this, I must say, you have a wonderful home your highness. I apologise if I have kept you from more important things." Perseus bowed his head as he spoke, feeling somewhat awkward with how he practically towered over the queens 5'10" frame.
"There is nothing more important than the safety of my family, especially my beloved daughter, so you have nothing to apologise for Perseus. And please, you are doing my daughter a great duty, you may call me Anyte, at least when we aren't in public." Perseus smiled at the revealing of the queens kindness as he had previously observed. "If you have any questions, feel free to seek me out, I am most often found somewhere within this maze of a home" She said with a smile, "And just so you know, I have heard about you from what my daughter told me, Callie told her. She is a sweet girl and I'm glad she has a brother like you."
Perseus nodded, smiling at the praise with a slight blush on his cheeks, "I will see you later Mila-, sorry, Anyte, time seems to have flown by and I must return to my home for dinner, lest Cynthia scold me for my tardiness." Anyte giggled slightly, out of her refined character as the queen, obviously having heard of Cynthia from Ariadne and knowing how she reacted if her daughter was to turn up late to dinner.
"Good night young Perseus, until next time." Anyte said with a smile, and the two parted ways, Perseus being able to find his way out of the maze of a palace surprisingly fast for his first trip within its depth. After leaving he hung around for a while near the servants exit and was soon greeted by a smiling Callie with whom he shared the news of his new role, much to her joy, as they made their way home.
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The next day Perseus had made his way into the palace, going undisturbed past the palace guards who had obviously told of him and his role within the palace. He made his way to where he had been shown the Princess' chambers the last day by Anyte and dismissed the guards who had been stationed outside her door, and replaced them, standing stoically beside the entrance, not moving a single muscle.
The day began at a crawl as servants were seen scampering through the halls, preparing the palace for the new day. Perseus' attention never wavered from his task, keeping an eagles eye upon everything that moved. It wasn't until the sun had completely risen and the halls were beginning to be bathed in its light through the open windows, the shutters of which had been removed by the palace servants. As the day was starting to come to life, Perseus was properly approached for the first time, a small man in servants attire approached the room, a bowl of fruits in hand.
The man went to go through the door beside Perseus, into Ariadne's chamber but was abruptly stopped as a heavy hand landed upon his shoulder, gripping tightly enough that escape from the grasp would be impossible. "No one is to enter the princess' chambers uninvited." Perseus said in a deep voice that left nothing to debate.
"I-I was o-only delivering the f-fruits sir, as I do e-every morning." The nervous man stuttered out timidly.
"Then you won't mind giving them to me. I assume you want to remove yesterday's fruit as well." Perseus asked, a little more kindness in his tone.
"Y-yes sir." The man said bowing his head.
"Very well, hand me the fruit and wait out here." Perseus demanded, the servant doing as asked immediately.
Perseus then entered the large and spacious room, swapping the bowls of yesterday's and today's fruit on the table near the balcony and casting a cursory glance to the princess who was sprawled most ungraciously across her bed. Perseus then exited the room, handing off the half full bowl from the previous day and returned to his post, the young man scampering off down the hall with a mumbled, "Thank you."
It wasn't until half an hour later that Perseus, with his godly hearing far beyond that of mortals, could hear the princess getting up. Shortly after that he was greeted by Callie who gave him a quick hug and entered the room, assisting the princess in her business, preparing for the day.
The day went on with Perseus trailing the princess wherever she went, other than the lavatories of course, standing guard at the entrance of every room and confronting everyone whom seemed the slightest bit suspicious, so basically everyone. This obviously sparked anger in many egotistical high-class men who thought themselves better. They would try and assert their position, threatening the dire punishments that would lay wait for him should he touch them and get in their way. As opposed to the boastful men's expectation that Perseus would move aside begging for mercy, many entered the room belittled and having soiled their pants after Perseus had lifted them with ease with a single hand and coolly informed them that if they laid a hand on the princess he would rip their head off.
Sufficed to say, the princess hadn't been bothered almost at all by the usual stream of high-class men who would usually confront her either trying to garner her favour in order to convince her father of something, or to attempt to woo her and gain a greater status as her husband. This came to her as a great relief, although she did feel somewhat guilty that Callie's brother in all but blood, had to stand silently outside her door doing nothing other then frighten officials all day whilst she was lavished in the comforts of her position.
Finally, upon the arrival of dinner, she met with her father beforehand, requesting that Perseus may sit with them for the meal, after all he has volunteered, free of any compensation, to protect her. Her father had agreed as he almost always did when she asked for anything, given their dinners were often quiet affairs when they weren't hosting any people or feasts as they weren't at the moment.
And so, when the time came for dinner, Ariadne had requested Perseus into her chambers where she had been getting prepared for the meal, and her later trip to the temple to greet some of the people of Tegea and give her prayers to the gods as she always did.
"You called Milady." Perseus said with a small bow, the princess waving it off before answering.
"I have spoken to my father earlier and it has been decided that you shall join us for dinner each evening. A sign of our gratitude for your service."
"A kind gesture Milady, although I believe that may restrict my ability to protect should a situation arise." Perseus answered, having heard the conversation from outside the king's office due to his magnified senses.
"Nonsense, I have seen your speed and grace in combat, you could no doubt protect me at a moments notice." Ariadne responded in a similar polite tone that she always used, although it had a slight edge to it, indicating that she wasn't going to take no as an answer.
"I am not dressed for the occasion Milady and it would be an intrusion I do not wish to put upon you and your family." Perseus replied, hoping to avoid the most likely awkward situation, due to both his feud with Dorian and the fact that he knew little of the other occupants of the palace beyond what Callie had told him.
"Must I remind you that you are under my service and therefore my orders Perseus. You are to attend the meal in the clothes you are in, it is not a public affair and such presentation as clothes are not of great concern." Ariadne more forcefully stated.
Perseus bowed once again with a curt, "Yes Milady." Before returning to his post outside the door. Ariadne giving a sigh of relief that Perseus had surrendered to her demands, she didn't like asserting her position and definitely not to someone she wished to be friends with, but she was doing this as a gesture of goodwill and wanted to do this for him, not to him.
The dinner was a mostly uneventful affair, small quiet discussion was made regarding the activities of the day taken part by each of the family members. Surprisingly enough, it seemed as though Perseus himself wasn't the cause of such awkwardness and it was simply commonplace. He had also been asked a series of questions by both the princess and queen regarding his past and he had spun a story about being from a small rural town and growing up orphaned before his mother took him in.
Despite the lack of much chatter, the tension within the room was thick as the prince was almost constantly glaring at him and only turned away in frustration when he met his eyes and rather then flinch like many would, Perseus simply turned away.
After the meal, Perseus returned to his duty and went with Ariadne down to the temple where he stood close guard of her as she spoke to some of the people from the city, turning away a few drunkards that had crept past the temple guards out front. After she had finished her prayers to the gods in the royals private area within the temple, the two made their way back to the palace where Ariadne thanked him with a short hug before breaking away and glancing down the corridor to see if anyone saw, she then retired and Perseus stood guard for a few moments longer when he was then relieved by two other guards.
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Over a month had passed of Perseus' duty and it didn't seemed to become any less monotonous, although he and the Ariadne did develop a closer friendship and when she had some time to herself it was often spent together, talking or playing any of the games she had from across Greece. Callie also joined them on many such occasions and the three built a strong bond of friendship, even having made a risky escape from the palace down to the beaches by the lakes one afternoon without being spotted. Perseus only going along with it when Ariadne pled him too, describing the swamp of boredom that the palace was becoming.
Other than protecting the princess, Perseus had few other interactions about the palace. Of those he did interact with, it was primarily the queen who he had enjoyed being told stories of Greece that Anyte regaled him with. Otherwise he was often bothered by Dorian, the arrogant and frustrating prince, who on many occasions, almost daily, tried to assert power over Perseus, only to be brushed off, causing the insolent boy to run off to plan his next annoyance.
It was tonight that there was going to be a large feast in celebration of the Prince's birthday which had Perseus on edge. Not only for the inevitable harassment he would face at the Prince's hand, but for the safety of Ariadne, he had a feeling something was going to happen.
As the night begun, Perseus was found standing against the wall behind Ariadne, motionless and awaiting the slightest movement that could indicate an attack against his charge. He was already somewhat bothered by the many times he had already been harassed throughout the day by the prince, although upon Ariadne's request he refrained from putting him in his place for the day, despite the prince been an arrogant fool, the kind-hearted princess still cared for her brother and Perseus wouldn't stand in her way.
And so the night bore on as more and more people approached the elevated table at the head of the room that held the royal family overlooking the rows of tables running down the room with all the high-class citizens of Tegea who'd been invited, each person would come and give their gifts to the prince who'd accept them with a smug smile before rudely dismissing the people, much to his mother's obvious displeasure.
Unlike other occasions, Perseus had been lucky enough to only have three women approach him seeking his company for the night, two who'd been obviously drunk and the other who didn't seem so crude yet had noticed him after the princess had demanded he lower his hood as to not frighten the guests. Perseus had taken to mostly wearing his hood around the palace as he had found when he didn't, people would often approach him seeking less then decent things, at least most women had avoided the docks and the only people that had approached him had been a few men, although that had been awkward enough for Perseus who was definitely not gay.
As the night was quieting down and guests begun leaving the festivities, only a few of the more esteemed guests remained and they retired, along with the royal family, to one of the more private and comfortable rooms. There, Perseus stood to the side of the still large room, out of the way and observed the family as they engaged in their evening activities.
King Aleus sat with a few other men who laughed merrily with him as they told stories, and unlike so many at the feast, didn't use the situation to try and curry favour with the king. His wife, Anyte, sat with what Perseus assumed to be these men's wives, although didn't seem as entertained as she was forced to entertain the gossiping women.
Dorian sat with a few other young men around his age as they engaged in arm wrestles and boasted exaggeratedly of their 'honourable' achievements and victories in combat, most of which Perseus knew had never occurred. One of these men, obviously drunk had approached him after the prince had pointed towards Perseus whilst talking in hushed whispers. As the man got up in front of him, he demanded an arm wrestle against him, smiling boastfully, thinking he was undefeatable. Whilst the man had obvious muscles and had beaten the others, his muscles looked puny against Perseus and was obviously a lot weaker although with Perseus leaning against the wall draped in his cloak this was not so plain to see.
Upon the goading to go against him, Perseus stood up from his position leaning against the wall almost silently. Whilst before the man had only been slightly shorter then Perseus, standing about 6', when Perseus stood up he towered over the man who quickly backed away before speaking in a cold monotonous voice, "I'm here to protect the princess, not engage in your pissing contests so back away before I make a public embarrassment of you."
The man, despite being almost as arrogant as Dorian, was obviously not stupid enough to still believe he could beat Perseus and hurried back over to the others who al turned their attention away from him. Perseus could swear, along with the fear he smelt from his abilities as a wolf, he could smell the man urinate himself, and had to repress a chuckle as he leant back against the wall.
Ariadne, alike to the rest of her family was engaged with other guests, a group of girls around her age who were gossiping alike to the older women, although there was far more giggling and hushed whispering. Perseus simply stayed where he was, out of anyone's attention and kept watch over the surroundings and Ariadne as he always did, ensuring no one would harm her in any way.
Unfortunately, that was not the way things stayed as Ariadne laughed at something another of the girls said before frowning slightly then looking over to him and beckoning him over to them. Despite Perseus' wish to not be involved in whatever it was he was being roped into, he obeyed the princess' wish and went to join them.
Despite the young women huddled together all being very beautiful by any measure, wearing expensive dresses that highlighted their figures and presenting themselves immaculately for the occasion, Perseus had no desire to be with any of them, as despite the large amount of attention he had received he hadn't felt truly drawn to anyone he had met yet. As he joined them, he was told by the princess to sit next to her and did as asked, looking towards her inquisitively, expressing his confusion as to why he had been brought over.
The princess simply smiled in response and Perseus turned towards the others, wondering why he had been brought over. He received his response when he was bombarded with questions by the collection of young women who'd obviously already been told a bit about him by Ariadne. And so, the greater portion of the rest of the night was spent with Perseus being questioned by the group who were almost overly interested in everything he had to say whilst they, not so subtly, flirted with him. It was only until Ariadne saw his displeasure at the attention that she took pity on him and commanded he return to his place, watching over her, much to the displeasure of the others.
After another hour or so the guests began departing, Dorian exiting with the other, remarkably drunk, young men, gone to practice with the new sword he had been gifted by his father. As they finished departing the room was left with only the princess, her parents and Perseus. Whilst the princess and queen accepted and got along well with Perseus, king Aleus simply accepted his presence as a necessity and mostly disregarded him presence. Therefore, as the three engaged in a familial discussion, in a far more relaxed way then they had been previously as they entertained their guests, Perseus was left ignored, leaning against the wall and out of attention.
Perseus stood wait as attentive as ever, prepared to step in at the slightest moment if necessary. He then heard the distant sound of softened footsteps, usually he would pass this off as the servants trying to make their way around their duties unnoticed, but this was different. It sounded more like sneaking than anything and was coming from somewhere out the windowed side of the room. Focussing in on the sound, Perseus became more suspicious as he heard them stop and start shuffling around quietly.
Whilst this may be explained through many things, Perseus wasn't prepared to take his chances within his duty and moved over towards one of the windows to take a look at whatever was happening. As he moved across the room, the queen and princess spared him a glance before returning to their conversation. As Perseus got to the window, he lifted the wooden slats that had been placed across them previously in the evening by servants to keep out the biting chill that the night air had too it.
Peering out across the palace ground and further into the city all lit by flickering torch light, Perseus scanned the area for the source of the sound. Refocussing on the sound he located its origin to the roof of the palace that bordered onto the courtyard area, off to the right of his view. With his advanced sight he could make out the silhouette of a man-sized figure, shrouded in a black cloak. Further investigating, Perseus was shocked to find the longbow grasped in the mans hand with an arrow drawn back, pointed in his direction. Perseus rapidly deduced the scenario, realizing that this was the prince who had made the threats against his charge. He must have found the princess unattainable due to the strict guard she was put under and instead settled for the assassination of her instead.
In a situation such as this Perseus would usually be able to do a range of things to stop projectile from hitting its mark. Despite this, by the time he had noticed what was happening the arrow was already on its way over the rooves of the place and towards its target, set to meet its mark. Perseus made a judgement call and rather than reveal himself for his true nature to the witnesses present, he made a quick dash across the room, tackling the princess down so that she would be safe, taking care to make the collision as soft as possible. As Perseus tackled her out of the arrows path, Aleus and Anyte were frozen in shock, not understanding what he had done. These emotions soon changed to outrage as the king saw his daughter attacked, whilst the queen look at the situation in confusing not being so hasty to judge.
The king began to yell at Perseus in great anger as he moved to the side, still down on the ground, allowing the startled princess to timidly get to her feet, obviously in shock. The king's yelling quietened as he was lost in confusion seeing a splattering of what looked to be a sort of liquid gold across his daughters pale blue dress. All three royals had noticed the splattering of liquid and had looked at it in curiosity before turning their attention to Perseus who was slowly rising to his feet.
As he stood again, towering over the other three as per usual, he let out a pained groan as he wrenched the large siege arrow from his chest, splattering golden ichor onto the floor in front of him and adding to his already soaked clothing.
The room fell into silence as the three royals stared at the brutal wound adorning the man in front of them, or more specifically the seemingly golden blood flowing from the wound. Upon taking this in Ariadne was the first to connect the dots and inquire as to whether Perseus truly was a 'man' at all.
"A-are you a g-god?" Ariadne stuttered, both due to the immense shock she was still in as well as the growing fear and nerves at the fact that she may well be in the presence of a god. Both her parents quickly shot a glance towards her, frowning at the absurdity of such a question before turning back to Perseus and being further frozen by the fact that Ariadne's description may very well be the only explanation for the situation.
Perseus looked down at his wound and his hands, staring at the ichor that coated his hands and acknowledging the large pain that he had to shove aside seeing that he needed to deal with the situation at hand immediately. Looking back up at the trio he finally processed the questioned and answered after the uncomfortable silence that had permeated throughout the room.
"Y-yes. Yes, I am a god" Perseus started nervously but solidified his statement as he came to terms with the reality of his situation. "Who I really am is not of a concern right now though. The prince that I am here to protect you from is the one who did this, I must stop him now before he gets away." Perseus addressed the princess, answering her question before quickly making his way to the window before leaping out and racing across the rooftops to where he had identified the assassin.
Getting where he had been, Perseus saw the cloaked figure making his way to the edge of the rooftop where a rope hung down into an alleyway that ran alongside the palace. Perseus made his way in front of the man who seemed to be in little haste and was almost strutting away, probably believing he had completed his goal of killing Ariadne.
As Perseus stood in front of the man, he was still towering over him by about a head despite the mans above average height. The man had scrambled back, tripping over his own feet in his shock, and landed on the slanted surface of the roof, unable to catch himself as he went skidding down off the roof. Unfortunately for him, Perseus stopped his decent, stomping on his arm and the audible crunching of his crushed bones beneath the vicious step accompanying his abrupt halt as well as his poorly concealed scream.
Perseus promptly bent over and lifted the man up by his collar in one hand and brought him up until he was dangling off the ground in Perseus' grasp. Perseus then spoke in a cold tone, causing the quaking man to come to a stop and stare into his vibrant purple eye. "Who are you?"
"I-I am the S-son of Zeus. Unhand me you filthy mortal!" The man yelled gaining confidence after the proclamation of his heritage.
"I don't want to kill you but if I let you go you will come back to kill the princess and it is my role to do so as her protector." Perseus spoke honestly.
"Y-you don't h-have to sir, p-please." The man begged, obviously off put by Perseus' nonchalance at whether he could kill the demigod or not.
Perseus simply closed his eyes momentarily before drawing his bronze dagger from where it lay beneath his cloak and stabbing the man in his heart. With a silent prayer to his mother he wished for the man to make a smooth passage to the afterlife, as whilst he had killed him, he did not wish him to suffer too much. His mother sent back calming and supportive emotions, showing him that she heard, and she didn't disagree with his actions, even if she was a peaceful goddess.
Perseus then placed a hand on the chest of the man's corpse which lay on the ground and vaporised it with the slightest amount of godly energy as to not draw attention. He then proceeded to pick up the assassins bow and inspected the large siege weapon before similarly vaporising it.
Perseus then made his way silently and unnoticeably back to the room that still held the royal family who had silently moved and sat on the furniture together, contemplating what they had just seen. Despite the stories and their strong belief in the gods, even the royals never held hope that they would ever truly meet a god in real life, and so as Perseus smoothly jumped back through the window and closed the wooden slats on his way in, noticing that the ones in the centre of the wall had been left open and that was how the assassin got the shot through, he also fitted the slats for those windows that were on the wall beneath them.
As Perseus then turned to the others, he found all three of them kneeling on the ground before him on both knees with their heads and bodies lowered. "Please do not bow, I don't wish to demand such respect." Perseus spoke, resulting in the three scurrying to their feet and taking their seats back on the couch with a single chair opposing them, obviously for him to sit in.
Inspecting the three, Perseus found that all of them looked highly nervous, but after getting up, the princess looked calmer than the other two. "Well I believe I owe you an explanation. If you would allow me to explain my situation first and then ask questions later, we will be able to get through this fastest." The other three nodded, accepting what he had said.
"Well, firstly I must make it clear that nothing said may leave this room under any circumstances." Perseus said without room for argument, not that the three wanted to argue with a god, and Perseus knew that they wouldn't talk to others if he told them too, therefore not going as far as to get them to swear not to on the Styx.
"My story begun a while ago, on an island in the Aegean Sea where I was locked away by my birth father that hated me and wanted no one to know of me." Perseus said, voice full of venom when he spoke of Poseidon, causing the three to flinch slightly resulting in Perseus calming himself with a few deep breaths.
"I was only an infant when I was stolen form the arms of my mother and cast out there and it was because of both the scenario of my birth and my abnormal nature. I was born to a god who didn't wish his first child to be with my mother and as such wanted no one to know of me. Furthermore, I was born differently and opposed to usual godlings that grow up at a very fast rate, I grew up at half the rate of mortals, say now, I am a mortal age of 37 but am only a physical age of 18 and have still not ascended to full godhood and received my domains from the fates."
"I grew up trapped to the island, slaying the numerous beast my father sent to kill me whilst learning all I could about the world. It wasn't until I reached the age of 12 that the monsters stopped coming to the island and I began to spend almost all my time learning all I could about everything. Then everything changed once again when I reached the age of 14 when my now adoptive mother arrived on the island."
"I met the goddess Hestia on that Island when she detected my presence through the fire and we grew close, it was a while until she adopted me and became my second mother. Then as time wore on, we became very close until she had to leave in order to help me eventually escape the entrapments placed upon the island by my father. Years later I finally escaped the island and spent some time on Mount Olympus, staying with my mother before I ventured out into the world and found my way here after meeting Callie."
"Since then I have lived here and built somewhat of a life for myself although I believe that my time to leave has come, this was never going to last forever but I must say it was an honour to have been of your service Ariadne." Perseus spoke honestly.
"Thank you, Milord, your protection has saved my life and I am eternally indebted to you." Ariadne said bowing her head from her sitting position.
"There is no need for that, I consider you a friend as any other would. Maybe we will see one another one day in the future. Who knows what the fates have planned for us all?" Perseus said almost hopefully.
Ariadne pushed past her apprehension and as Perseus stood, she got up and brought him into a tight embrace. The two had never made such contact as it was seen as improper but given the new information that had arisen, many would see it as highly improper on Ariadne's behalf instead, but neither cared. As Perseus got over his shock, he returned the embrace just as tightly before whispering in her ear, "Until next time Milady." And the two pulled back with sorrowful smile adorning Ariadne's face, know she was not going to see who she considers a close friend for a long time if ever again.
"Thank you for your service to my family and if there should be anything you ever need, the city of Tegea is always at your service Milord." Aleus spoke reverently whilst bowing his head respectfully, just short of bowing after Perseus had told them not to.
Perseus simply nodded his head and gave the queen a tight embrace as well, the two having become closer during his stay in the palace, Anyte whispering a quiet goodbye into his chest as they held each other momentarily before breaking apart.
Perseus gave the group one last glace before leaving in an array of beautiful fire that swirled around him, purples and oranges of the most serene sunsets flickering in the flames and upon their dispersing the room was left occupied by three royals, frozen in shock and awe.
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Perseus meanwhile had flashed out to on top of the roof of his recent home where he sat, staring into the night sky and reflected upon his time in the city. He had made a family here, practically had a life here and whilst he always knew that it would come to an end, he wished it wasn't so soon. As he sat there in sorrowful reflection, he barely noticed the presence of someone next to him but as she brought him into a warm and comforting embrace he relaxed into the arms of his mother.
"I'm sorry dear, I know you liked your family here, but this is only the beginning of your journey. Remember, no matter what, I am always here for you and so is your aunt Demeter and your birth mother, even if she doesn't know your still alive." Hestia spoke soothingly.
Perseus nodded into the embrace and was comforted by his mother, already able to start to feel free from the ties to this city and ready for the continuation of his already hectic life, but he knew he must say his goodbyes before then.
"Thank you, mother, I needed that." Perseus said, his mother only giving him a light squeeze in response before he continued, "I need to say my last goodbyes, then I can continue on my way."
Hestia nodded, knowing that her son had to do this alone, "I know, I'm always here, whenever you need me, no matter what" She said, lifting his face so she could look straight into his eye." Perseus nodded before getting up and helping his mother do the same. The two embracing in one last hug before Hestia flashed out and Perseus leapt from the roof, landing in front of the apartments entrance.
Upon entering he found the other three occupants awaiting is return at the table, knowing that he was going to be home late due to the festivities at the palace. As he entered, he sat at the took off his cloak, noticing for the first time since the incident that the pain from his chest was gone and upon inspection, he found his clothes fixed and clean and smiled realising Hestia must have healed him during her visit.
After depositing his cloak, he joined the family at the table who looked towards him in curiosity as they saw his wearied expression. The next hour or so was spent with him going through a more in-depth explanation of who he was and his past than he had given the royal family
To say the three were shocked would be an understatement and it took some time to convince them that he was still the same Perseus and that he didn't want them kneeling or bowing toward him for any reason. After the explanation, Perseus spent some time, after the parents departed with surprisingly sorrowful goodbyes, comforting a crying Callie who was curled up against him, having realised that he was leaving and may never return.
It wasn't until late in the night that Perseus had calmed her down and she had accepted the fact that he was going despite her sorrow at losing her brother. She still insisted to stay by his side, and it was only once she fell asleep that Perseus carried her into her room and laid her down on the bed. After making sure she was tucked in and comfortable he returned to the table and drew out some parchment and a quill and ink and wrote a note for Callie, telling her that he would always be there for her is she called and how much he cared for her as his sister. He then laid the note on the table and placed a bag containing half the money he had, which after his time in the city without spending much was a fair amount, on top of it along with his silver hunting knife that was engraved with intricate images of the wild, similarly to its bronze counterpart. The note contained a message saying he left the money for the family and the knife for Callie so that she could protect herself and always remember him.
After finishing there and looking down at the note on the table that had a few stains across it from tears that he had been unable to hold back, he walked into Callie's room, seeing her sleeping peacefully and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, seeing her smile in her sleep as he did so, then leaving the room with a quiet, "goodbye."
After collecting his possessions and packing them away in his leather satchel bag, he put on his cloak and the bag over it and left after a final glance around the apartment, seeing the fire crackling with an unnatural level of peace and warmth and knowing his mother would keep watch over them for him.
Perseus then made his was over to his final goodbye, knocking on the door and being answered soon by a tired looking Jason who seemed to have just risen from a deep sleep with tousled clothing and hair that looked as if it had been nested in.
As he realised who was on his doorstep, Jason beckoned the large cloaked figure in through the door and brought him into the living area where they both took a seat at the smell table in front of the crackling hearth.
As they settled down, Perseus answered Jason's questioning gaze, explaining his life story, including the event of the evening for the third time that evening. Everything happened similarly to the last with Perseus convincing Jason that he was no different to who he was before and them making it through sorrowful goodbyes as they prepared for what could very possible be their last meeting.
Jason was particularly saddened by Perseus' inevitable departure as he knew how attached Antheia was to him, she practically constantly bugged him for when they would see 'Percy' next. Perseus handed Jason a note and a large pouch when they finished their discussion. Telling him the note was for Antheia when she got older and explained who he was and why he had to leave as well as a final goodbye. Jason had happily accepted the note for his daughter and placed it in his bag along with a few of his treasured memories of his daughter and late wife.
The pouch on the other hand, he inspected the contents of and immediately passed it back, not prepared to accept the absurd amount of money Perseus was giving him.
"I insist. Jason you are one of my very few friends and I am a god, I have very little use for the money anyway." Perseus answered the gesture, pushing the pouch back into his hands.
Despite this Jason was left undeterred, "I don't care, you have already done so much for the both of us" Jason said indicate Antheia's room which had the door closed when he said both of them, "You earnt it yourself and should keep it."
"Then take it on behalf of Antheia, something to go towards her having the best life possible, okay?" Perseus said knowing that at the mention of it being of benefit to his daughter, Jason couldn't refuse.
And right he was as Jason reluctantly accepted the money and placed it away, alongside the letter, most likely intending to give it to Antheia at the same time as a gift left by Perseus.
"This is goodbye then my friend. May I say a last goodbye to Antheia?" Perseus asked as he met Jason in a manly embrace.
"Of course, my friend. And if there is anything you need; you need only ask." Jason answered.
"The same goes for you and your daughter as I wrote in the note, pray to me and I will come to your aid." Perseus said before turning around and quietly entering Antheia's room. Jason being left slightly shocked as he was once again reminded of Perseus' true nature and how powerful he must be, not that he actually understood the true extent of Perseus' powers.
Perseus, upon entering Antheia's snug room that had a fluffy rug of thick fur covering most of the floor and a small bed in the corner with a candle lit on the bedside table next to her, sat down on the edge of the bed softly. He then reached up and carefully tucked some of her long blonde hair from off her face and behind her ear, waking her as he did so.
"Percy?" The little girl asked in drowsy confusion as she slowly opened her eyes.
"Hi little one, I wanted to come and see you, is that alright?" Perseus asked softly.
"Yes, yes, yes" The little girl said excitedly, forgetting her previous tiredness and giving Perseus the tightest hug, she could which was returned softly by Perseus. After a little while Perseus pushed her back slightly, keeping a hold of her shoulders at an arm's length before saying what had to be said.
"I'm going away now Antheia. Some things have happened, and I need to leave." Perseus spoke sombrely.
Antheia almost burst into tears when he said that and quickly embraced him again tightly, thinking if she held on that he wouldn't leave her. Perseus had a little more difficulty this time to get her off him again and was filled with despair as he looked down into her tear-filled eyes.
"I will see you again little one, I promise. It may be a little while, but I will, and I'll be there whenever you truly need me." Perseus spoke softly.
"Y-you better." Antheia said shakily before slipping from his grasp and embracing him again. This time the pair held onto each other for a while until Perseus believed she had drifted off to sleep.
At this Perseus laid her down gently and pulled the covers up and over her, making sure she would be warm and comfortable, placing a final kiss against her forehead he whispered softly, "Goodbye little one, until next time." Before standing up and leaving the room. As he left, he swore he heard her sleepily mumble "bye, bye Percy." And smiled as he re-joined Jason in the main room.
With a final goodbye, Perseus went on his way, out of the building, and began wandering through the dark streets of Tegea, wondering to himself what it was that would come next for him.
That's all folks, I just wanted to thank you all for reading my work so far and i hope you're all enjoying it.
I love to hear reviews so thanks to all of you who left some :)
As I haven't fully planned out the progression of the story I'd love to hear any ideas you have, big or small, important or not. So if you'd like to see an idea you had please share.
Anyway, Thanks for reading, again, and I'll see you next chap :)