Ch. 4
Perseus finally got a good look at her. She looked around sixteen years old. She had long silky black hair and dark eyes. Her face had an almost regal look to it. He couldn't deny she was beautiful.
"I promise I won't touch you but I need you to talk to me. What is your name?" Perseus asked softly.
The girl bit her lip nervously before looking up into his eyes, "M…My name Zoë."
Perseus nodded, "My name is Perseus and that fine gentleman who helped me grab you is my brother Achilles."
Zoë's eyes widened, "You're the sons of Thetis?"
Perseus looked at her a little shocked and slightly suspicious, "Yes… How did you know that? Are you a demigod? No mortals know our mother is goddess."
Zoë paled at his words and he could almost see her cursing herself in her head. She looked back up at him nervously making him narrow his eyes slightly. When he saw the fear in her eyes, he relaxed a bit.
"Calm down Zoë. As long as you are not here to try and harm my brother or me then I swear on the River Styx I will not hurt you." He said trying to ease her nerves.
Thunder rumbled overhead as some of the tension left the young woman's body but she still seemed nervous.
"Before you say anything else I have to ask, what in the name of the gods were you thinking coming this close to this camp? If my brother and I hadn't been sparing at the time, you would be in Agamemnon's tent having things done to you I would rather not think about." He asked seriously.
Zoë looked down nervously. Perseus saw a couple tears falling from her eyes again before he carefully put a hand on her shoulder only for her to flinch.
He sighed, "Please, just tell me your story. I promise I will not judge you but I need to know if I'm going to deal with the wrath of that worthless king soon."
Zoë was silent for a moment until she seemed to gather her courage and wiped away her tears, looking up into Perseus' eyes.
"I… I was banished from my home. I've been travelling for weeks but I do not know where to go." She said quietly.
Perseus raised an eyebrow, "From where exactly? And how did you get here? To Troy?"
Zoë looked up at him nervously again, "I hid below decks on one of the ships hoping it would take me to a city. It wasn't until I was on board that I realized it was a war ship. I snuck out last night and wandered around but I got lost until those men grabbed me." She explained as fresh tears welled up in her eyes.
Perseus felt a pang of guilt at treating her harshly when they first started talking. He could also tell she was still holding something back.
"What else? What aren't you telling me?" He asked gently.
Zoë's face lost its color as she looked up at him scared. Perseus just looked at her expectantly.
"M…My father…." She said trailing off until she clenched her hand tightly, "My father is Atlas... the Titan." She said so quietly he barely heard it.
Perseus' eyes widened a bit as Zoë flinched expecting him to try to kill her. She was shocked when he started laughing loudly. She looked at him like he had grown a second head until he finally calmed himself down and looked at her incredulously.
"That's what you were nervous about? You think I care who your father is?" He asked.
Zoë looked utterly confused. She opened her mouth but no words came out.
Perseus chuckled again, "Relax Zoë, I couldn't care less who or what your father is."
"But you're a demigod. Shouldn't you hate the Titans?"
Perseus laughed again, "Not nearly as much as I hate the Olympians so you have nothing to fear from me."
Zoë looked confused but was interrupted when the tent flap opened as Achilles stepped in, "You better get out here bro. Agamemnon is making his way here and he looks pissed."
Perseus grinned, "Good, let him come. I'll be out in a second."
Achilles smirked and nodded before leaving Perseus alone with Zoë again.
Perseus looked to see her trying to stop her hands from shaking. He went with instinct and grabbed them with his own causing her to tense before she relaxed a bit.
"You have nothing to fear Zoë. No person in this army is foolish enough to challenge both my brother and I. You are under my protection now. That means you are under the protection of all the Myrmidons and without us, Troy will never fall. Agamemnon will never lay a finger on you, I swear it on the Styx." He said seriously as thunder rumbled overhead.
Zoë looked up at Perseus in shock, "Why are you protecting me?"
Perseus smiled, "At first it was because I don't like Agamemnon but now it because I like you. You've been through enough recently and it's time for you to catch a break."
Zoë's eyes widened but before she could reply, Perseus picked up his shield and slung it over his back and walked out of the tent.
The minute he stepped outside, he saw Agamemnon standing in front of his brother with a furious expression on his face.
Perseus smirked, "What can I do for you, Lord Agamemnon?"
Agamemnon glared at the young prince but Perseus just looked at him with amusement.
"Give me back my prize or you shall feel wrath like none you have faced." The king snarled.
Perseus cocked his head the side feigning deep thought. He stayed like that for over a full minute making the king's anger increase by each passing second. When Agamemnon looked ready to explode, he shook his head.
"I must respectfully decline your request my lord." He said trying to cover the amusement he was getting from this.
Agamemnon's scowled angrily before he gestured for a few of his warriors to go into the tent. Before they could come within five steps Patroclus and Eudoros crossed their spears in the path the warriors tried to follow.
"If you want her then you will have to go through me. After that you will have to get through my brother and every single one of our men." Perseus announced loudly as he looked around for any one daring to try to get past him. "I shall make you a deal mighty King Agamemnon, pick anyone you want. Pick five if you want. If they can get past me, then she will be yours. Just know that I would die before I let you lay one finger on her. She is mine and she will remain mine."
Agamemnon narrowed his eyes, "Pylas. Come retrieve my prize." He yelled.
A burly man with electric blue eyes stepped forward but he looked like this was the last thing he wanted to do.
"My lord, the brothers are unable to be killed. How am I supposed to defeat him?" Pylas asked nervously.
Agamemnon let out a growl of anger, "That is but a myth, most likely created by the Myrmidons themselves to put fear into any who try to challenge them. I order you to retrieve my prize at once!"
Pylas looked at Perseus warily before pulling out a spear and shield.
Perseus raised an eyebrow, "This would not be wise of you. Once you attack, I will not let you survive the fight."
Pylas' eyes narrowed at Perseus' confidence and charged, his spear crackling with electricity.
"A son of Zeus," Perseus hissed as he spun to avoid the spear.
Pylas' eyes widened, he didn't think anyone would notice. Then realization hit him. Perseus was a demigod as well. Not just any demigod either; the most skilled demigod in existence along with his brother Achilles.
Perseus dodged another jab from his spear before he sprung into action. His moves were a blur to the mortals watching as Pylas used every bit of skill he had to stay alive. When Perseus overextended on a stab, he thought he had him.
The son of Zeus charged up his spear and drove it into Perseus' chest.
To his horror and the shock of everyone watching, the spear snapped as it connected with his chest.
Without hesitation Perseus swung his shield hard and slammed the edge into Pylas' throat, crushing his windpipe as he collapsed to the ground, trying and failing to breathe as the life slowly left his body.
"Perhaps you would have better luck if you sent more than one at a time." Perseus said as his eyes moved from the now dead son of Zeus to Agamemnon.
The king of Mycenae looked at the son of Thetis with wide eyes. He looked at the men accompanying him; none had any interest in challenging the Myrmidon prince.
"This isn't over Perseus. You will pay dearly for daring to cross me." Agamemnon growled.
Perseus nodded, "I look forward to it my lord. I do hope you have a better challenge than that in mind for next time."
Agamemnon was seething as he spun around, "We march on Troy tomorrow. Prepare yourselves for war!" He bellowed before disappearing into the camp.
Achilles chuckled at his brother as he clapped him on the back, "A good showing brother. I think he may have soiled himself when that spear snapped against your chest. She is safe now."
Perseus smirked, "I do hope he tries again. That was a nice warm up."
Achilles rolled his eyes and watched his brother disappear into his tent again.
The minute he stepped inside Perseus was met with a pair of volcanic rock black eyes looking at him in shock.
"You just killed one of your own people to protect me?" She asked looking at him in disbelief.
Perseus shrugged, "Not by choice. I told them I would not let them have you, they chose to try anyway."
Zoë looked at him nervously, "I belong to you now?"
Perseus rolled his eyes, "Of course not but I must make it look like that in front of the rest of soldiers. My mother would never forgive me for treating a woman like that but most would take it as a sign of weakness and I have no interest in dealing with challenges from soldiers who want to make a name for themselves."
"S…So I'm free to leave?"
Perseus nodded and pointed to the entrance of the tent, "You may leave whenever you want. I would not recommend it but you are your own person and can do as you please."
Zoë looked at the tent flap for minute before looking back at Perseus.
"Um… I don't have anywhere to go." She said shyly.
Perseus rolled his eyes, "I know that." He said before becoming more serious, "I will get you out of here as soon as I find somewhere for you to go that is safe and will accept you no matter what."
"Why though? Why go through so much trouble?"
Perseus shrugged, "I don't know, I guess my mother just raised me right. I can't leave a woman helpless if there is something I can do about it."
A very small smile appeared on her face for the first time since Perseus laid eyes on her. He couldn't help but think it made her a lot more beautiful.
"First, I need to know your story, how is it that you came to be banished, and from where?"
Zoë frowned and bit her lip nervously again. She looked up at Perseus to find him looking at her patiently. It was clear he wasn't going to judge her. She sighed and began to retell the story from the beginning; starting with how she was one of the Hesperides to her meeting Heracles, how she fell for him and helped him retrieve a golden apple by giving him Anaklusmos until he abandoned her there, leaving her to be banished by her family and stripped of her immortality. When she finished, a couple tears fell from her eyes that she tried to wipe away before he could see them.
Perseus was silent for a moment making Zoë grow a little nervous.
"If it's any consolation, I just killed another son of Zeus."
Zoë looked at him incredulously until a laugh escaped her lips making him smile. She soon smiled as well, feeling relieved she had finally found someone to help her after being banished, even if he only did it out of pity.
Perseus seemed to read her thoughts, "I do not pity you. I simply see someone who put their trust in someone who did not deserve and suffered dearly for it."
Zoë's smile grew a bit, "Thank you." She said quietly.
Perseus nodded, "You're going to have to bear with me for a few days. We march on Troy tomorrow and while I have an idea of how to help you but I must speak to my mother first."
Zoë raised an eyebrow but Perseus just shook his head, "I must speak to my mother before I let you know my idea. She will let me know if my idea could work. When I know more, I will tell you, I promise."
Zoë nodded before she became worried, "What will happen if you fall in battle?"
Perseus chuckled, "The chances of that are quite slim but I will inform my brother of what to do if it does happen."
"How can you be so sure of your safety?"
In response he pulled out a dagger and pressed it into his arm, continuing to increase the pressure until the blade snapped in half. Zoë's eyes widened in shock making Perseus smirk.
"Like I said, highly unlikely I will die in battle tomorrow."
"H…How?" She asked in shock.
Perseus shook his head, "I like you and all but the only people that know that are my mother and brother. That information stays between us."
Zoë nodded in understanding before she took a good look at Perseus. He looked nothing like his brother. His hair was black as night like hers and unlike his brother's pale green eyes his were a vibrant sea green. His body was muscular but not like Heracles; his was lean and in her opinion, far more attractive. She forced herself to look away. The last time she let herself look at a man like that it led her to being banished.
"What about you? You and Achilles are brothers but who is older?" She asked trying to keep herself from staring at him.
Perseus tensed a bit. He opened his mouth to reply but paused. He looked a little closer at her and thought about how she told him everything he asked her to. He had never done it before but he took a breath and looked at her seriously.
"I was adopted by Thetis. When I was a child, Ares killed my mother on orders from Zeus to kill me. My mother fled to the sea in hopes her lover would protect us. He did not. My mother protected me from the war god and took me in where she raised me as her own. We don't know which of us is older." He replied in a cold tone that wasn't directed at her.
Zoë gasped, "You're a son of Poseidon?"
Perseus tensed, "I have no father. I am a son of Thetis. I need to promise to never repeat what I told you."
Zoë nodded quickly, "I won't, I swear."
He nodded his thanks.
"Why did you tell me that?" She asked.
Perseus shrugged, "You told me the story of your life, it is only fair that I tell you the truth about mine. You're the first person I've ever told that to."
Zoë looked surprised but nodded quickly, feeling happy that she was not lied to by another man.
Perseus sighed, "Get some sleep. I will inform you when I leave in the morning."
Zoë nodded, unable to deny how tired she was.
"Where can I sleep?"
Perseus pointed to the bed making Zoë looked nervous again.
"Relax Zoë, I will bring in another bed later. I promised I would never touch you, you have nothing to fear from me."
Zoë nodded looking relieved as she watched him make his way out of the tent.
"Perseus," she called before he could leave.
He looked back at her.
"Thank you… For everything." She said gratefully.
Perseus gave her a small smile and walked out of the tent.
Zoë climbed into Perseus' bed and was soon drifting off to sleep with a certain son of Thetis on her mind no matter how hard she tried to push him out.
Line Break
Zoë jolted awake when she felt someone sit down on the end of the bed. Weeks of sleeping anywhere she could had forced her to get in the habit of sleeping with one eye open. She couldn't describe how good it felt to sleep in a bed again. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched a bit when they landed on Perseus who had stood up.
He was dressed in light Greek style armor. He had a spear and shield strapped to his back, a sword sheathed at his waist and a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He had a helm on his head with green plume with some kind of design that represented his homeland. He would have looked downright terrifying if you were looking at him as an enemy on the battlefield.
In his hand was a plate of food that he was holding out for her. The plate was stuffed full of food making her raise an eyebrow in question.
Perseus chuckled, "I figured if you've been hiding out on a ship, your food choices were limited to whatever you had brought with you."
Zoë nodded a little embarrassed but took the plate gratefully. She was about to start eating when he touched her arm gently. She looked at him confused until she saw water float out of a cup and to his hand where it traveled up her arm and to her face where it healed the bruises and scrapes before the water evaporated.
Before she could thank him, he grabbed her hand and turned it over so her palm was facing him. He placed a dagger in it making her look at him confused.
"I have two of my men sitting outside the tent for however long I am in battle. They will not let anyone inside but just in case."
Perseus turned to walk out of the tent when two slender arms wrapped around his waist from behind stopping him in his tracks. He slowly turned around as Zoë let go of his waist with healthy tint of red on her cheeks.
"I… I'm sorry." She said quietly, stepping back thinking she had angered him.
Perseus let out a small chuckle, "Relax Zoë… I don't take offense to a beautiful woman hugging me, even if it is just to express her gratitude. I will be back tonight and we can talk, I promise."
Zoë nodded, her cheeks still tinted pink as Perseus walked outside to join his brother and his brethren as they got ready for the coming battle.
Line Break
Perseus and Achilles stood in front of their soldiers, all buzzing with excited energy for the coming battle. An army of Trojans had met their march with an impressive force of their own. Archers lined the walls of Troy, all ready to release volleys of arrows into the invading army.
When only a couple hundred yards separated the two armies, an envoy of Trojans made their way to the middle ground, led by the Trojan Prince Hector. Achilles and Perseus joined the other leaders of the Greek army to meet the envoy in the middle of what would become the battlefield.
Hector looked over at the two brothers warily before turning to address the group as a whole.
"Leave Troy now and this conflict can be resolved in a more civil manor."
"Give me my wife and your pretty boy brother and that may be agreeable." Menelaus barked back at him.
Hector shook his head, "Those matters can be discussed in a peaceful manner."
Menelaus growled before Sarpedon stepped forward, "Your army with never breach the walls of Troy. No army has ever been able to get through these walls."
Perseus smirked a bit, "That is because it has yet to be tried by the Myrmidons."
Achilles chuckled while the Trojans glared at the brothers for their confidence.
"Come, they rebuke our offer. We prepare for battle." Hector ordered as the Trojan envoy returned to their army.
Perseus and the rest of the Greeks returned to their soldiers and they prepared for the first battle in the war for Troy.