A/N: New work, folks! This story is being written by TripleHomicide of -TheImmortalWriters, and is our third series. The name of this series is "Perseus" and I shall be posting it on my AO3 and Fanfiction.net account too.
As usual, Rick Riordan owns the characters from PJO, not us. All rights for the plot and others go to Homer and Virgil. The historical scenes from this story are taken from The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Ancient Roman History, and other sources.
Thank you. We really hope you enjoy the story, and do leave a review, comment, vote or kudos behind.
Intro
He remembered very little of his past life.
He remembered the ship. He remembered his mother — her soothing words and kisses; her gentle touches as she sang him to sleep. That was all he thought about when he tried to reminisce about her. That was the last memory he had of his mother. He was conflicted. He questioned himself everyday.
Did he want to remember his background?
No.
He wanted to forget. He wanted to put his past behind him; to push the memories away. But they always came back. He was always tormented by the dreams of his mother's death.
Did he remember her name?
No.
No matter how hard he tried, he could never remember her name. No matter how many times he thought back, he could never bring back her image. He could never recollect how she looked like.
All he saw was a hazy figure, singing softly to him, and bathed in a slight golden glow.
Did he know his father?
No.
Did he want to know him?
No, and he never would. His pater had killed her. His father had caused the storm. And he hated him for that. He hated him so so much.
He had seen just four summers when it happened. [A/N: This means he was four years old. Also, pater means father]. He couldn't recollect where they had been headed. He just remembered the wooden vessel which had been carrying them, with its white sails and crew. The famous storyteller Atticus had been on the ship at the time, and the boy remembered laughing and listening to the stories he had to tell. The greek raconteur had left before the storm had happened and he had never seen or heard of him ever again.
They had been on the ship for three days and three nights. It was on the third day that it happened. His mater had been recounting the story of how she met his father to him. She had been telling him the tales and the stories of the great ruler and god of the sea — Poseidon.
Yes, that was his name. He still couldn't understand why his father had created a tempest so huge. But it had killed his mother. It had killed her.
The storm was unexpected. It came from nowhere. It was so sudden and so frightening and he remembered finding refuge in his mater's arms as the sky darkened. The winds began whipping at the sails and the yells from the crew and passengers intensified as the waters began tipping the ship.
He had buried his head into her arms, and she shielded him from the spray of water. The thunder had boomed and the lightning had struck. Lightning so powerful that it tore the mast of the ship into pieces.
It ripped the sails off the vessel and the ship began to sink.
He had jumped out of her bosom, and he had began to whimper and cry. His eyes had welled up with tears and he had heard her soothing voice once again. "It's going to be okay, Perseus. It's going to be fine. Your father is going to protect us."
He didn't. It wasn't okay. It wasn't fine. His father did not come to their aid.
He had wanted to ask how his father would protect them when his father was the one causing the storm. Poseidon was the ruler of the seas wasn't he? He was the storm-bringer. Only he would be able to make a tempest so huge. Instead, he had turned back to his mother and his tiny hands had found hers.
She had rubbed circles on the back of his hand slowly, and he remembered feeling at peace. They were still as statues. All movement and sounds faded from his ears. The world died around him.
It was just him and his mater.
The gigantic wave had risen from the waters. The ship had moved forward, unable to stop. All around him, the passengers were wailing. A lot of people had been thrown overboard. The wave would submerge the ones left. They would all die.
His mother had turned to him, tears leaking from her eyes. She had bent to his level, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so sorry, Perseus." Her voice was pained. "I love you so so much. Never forget that."
He had nodded numbly, unable to stop his own tears from falling. Even though his four year old mind couldn't comprehend what was happening, he had known that nothing would ever be the same anymore. And then the wave crashed into the ship.
His mother was torn away from him at the impact. The water took her away. His father's domain killed her.
He had tried to reach for her. He wept, struggling again the might of the seas to get to her. Finally, he had given up. He watched on, unmoving as the water surrounded him.
And then the darkness took over.
-Line Break-
His eyes had parted open and he leaped back in shock. He had blinked once, then twice and looked up slowly, taking in his surroundings.
He was on a sort of Island...he was on a beach.
Two figures had been peering curiously at him. It was these two who had made him what he was now. They were the ones who had given him a new home. He remembered squinting to see them properly. The man was bathed in gold, his golden hair and his golden eyes had made him difficult to look at. He was so bright.
The woman by his side had looked older, with blonde hair and bright silver eyes. His eyes had widened in shock and even before he popped the question he had known the answer to it.
"Where am I? Who are you?'
The man had smiled. His smile was warm. He had felt the hot aura emanating from him. The woman next to him had soft eyes. He felt the warmth seep through him.
"You are on Delos, my child," she answered. "And I am Leto. This is my son-"
"Apollo," he had finished for her, eyes wide with awe.
"Yes," The man's deep baritone voice made him want to cower in fear. But he hadn't done that. He had met those gold eyes with his own bright green ones and waited for the god to continue. He hadn't bowed, hadn't shown any reverence.
"What's your name?" The god questioned.
His lips had parted open and he had said it. "Perseus."
His eyes had welled up with tears at that. The memories flooded into his head. He had fallen onto his knees and had sobbed his eyes out as the two immortals watched on. His mother was dead. She was gone.
"What is wrong, child?" He felt the arms engulf him and buried his head into her shoulder. The titaness had run her hand through his hair soothingly. Almost like his mother did.
"She...s- she's dead," he had hiccuped.
At the time, He hadn't noticed Leto exchange a glance with her son. "Don't worry," The mother of Apollo had said, her voice soft. "You're in safe hands now, Perseus."
-X-
He had lived with the two immortal deities for a year. Perseus had told them his story. He had told them about his father and his mother. Even now, ten years later, He still couldn't understand why they had decided to let him stay; but all the same, he had been grateful.
Apollo became a father to him. He had filled that space in his heart. He had taken the position of the fatherly figure in his life. He still missed his mother but he wouldn't have taken back anything that happened. Leto became his new mother. She had taken care of him. Her warm aura and soft voice had made him feel like he was with his mater once again.
It was at the end of the year that she approached him. And told him it was time to leave.
"Perseus," Leto had said, her eyes downcast. "Apollo and I have discussed it and...you can't live with us anymore."
He had been shocked into silence. He didn't speak. He didn't utter a word.
"You deserve a real family. A place you can be yourself. A place where you can live with people who care about you."
He had simply nodded, and enquired softly. 'When am I leaving?'
"Tomorrow," Leto said sadly. "Apollo shall take you there."
He had nodded once again, engulfing her in a hug. "I'm going to miss you, Perseus."
'I'll miss you too," He had said, blinking back tears. In the single year he had spent on the island, he had grown closer to Apollo and Leto. Closer than he had ever been to anyone. He would always remember the Titaness of motherhood and what she and her son had done for him.
He would leave the island of Delos the next day. A new chapter of his life was beginning. His name would forever be in the history books.
He would go to the city of Troy.
And there, His story would begin.
A/N: I know, the way I wrote it was confusing. But it's supposed to be Perseus, reflecting over the events which led to him going to Troy. The rest of the chapters won't be written this way. They'll be in present format. This chappie pretty short, I know. But its just an intro to the story, so...*Shrug*. Do tell me what you think.
Thank you,
TripleHomicide.