More years passed by and Perseus grew from a boy into a man; a handsome young man with a good heart. Indeed Dictys and Marmara had raised him well after the tragic death of his dear mother, only Dictys had grown to love him as his own son too much for Perseus still did not know his true identity. Dictys had chosen to keep it from him, for he believed he was protecting him from becoming one of them, but he was also not yet prepared to let him leave home. Although, he did respect Perseus' ambition to he would fulfil his mother's last wish. A normal day for them was occurring; the foster father and son out on their boat with the mother and the young daughter that had been born years before. Helios shone in the clear sky; Poseidon was keeping the sea calm and Dictys ordered the family to make way for a catch they had made. But once the net was out of the water, nothing but disappointment and anger were the feelings he felt.
"Another day; nothing!" he shouted in his frustration, "Caught on the reef! To whom do we direct our gratitude for this glorious bounty?"
"Dictys, please," Marmara said.
"Ah, Poseidon? Zeus? Who do I thank Marmara?"
"Thank the men that provoke them," she replied.
"They crush my island, they put a plague on yours; they take from us what they want! We're their slaves!"
"The gods gave us life; for that, we should be thankful."
Marmara did not share the same views on the gods as her husband did; she clearly respected them more than he did and her answer to what he had just said provoked him into speaking his mind at that moment.
"I'm tired of being thankful for scraps!" he said with no fear, "I'm a fisherman; Perseus is a Prince who was raised as a fisherman, they've even taken that away from us; what we are! Still they want us to love theme anyway. One day, somebody's going to have to make a stand; one day, somebody's going to have to say enough."
Perseus listened to his foster father's words; words of wisdom they were and he wondered if maybe one day, he could be the one to make a stand and say enough. But if so, how would he ever be able to make such a stand?
The day eventually turned into night as Helios left the skies and made way for Selene, but Selene was not to seen that night. The clear skies filled with dark clouds so Selene and the stars were not visible; a storm had arrived and on the boat, Perseus could not sleep as the thunder kept him awake. He looked up at the storm of thunder and lightning as his thoughts raced through his mind like a warrior on his horse and chariot. Dictys' words echoed to him; how could Perseus make a stand? He may have been a Prince, but he was raised as a humble fisherman and what good could that possibly have to him? As the storm rumbled through the skies, Perseus felt his chest sting but he did not know why; was it a sign? If so, what was it saying? Whatever the answer was, he was not to be alone for long; Dictys had joined him and the storm made him begin to reminiscent the day that changed the lives of him and his wife.
"Just like the day you and your mother came to us," he said, "the storm brought you right to me. I know you have questions son; I wish I had the answers."
Perseus did not know that Dictys was lying; he did have the answers to Perseus' many unanswered questions, but he was refusing to tell him. But hearing what Dictys said, Perseus realised that maybe he did not want to have those questions answered yet.
"I have everything I need; right here, but one day I will have to find a way to make things the way mother wished for them to be," he said.
Dictys knew he was right, but was happy knowing that Perseus was happy where he was. He showed his gratitude in a fatherly way before returning to his sleeping wife and daughter.
"Goodnight son," he said.
Perseus watched as Dictys lay next to Marmara and their daughter and kissed his wife goodnight, before settling down to sleep. Perseus smiled as he looked upon them, but the unanswered questions suddenly bothered him again.
By the time the night was gone and Eos brought the next day with her, the storm had passed; Helios was high in the sky again and Dictys' boat had sailed to a place of a great colossus that did amaze him despite his inability to understand the gods.
"The reed; fetch the reed!" Marmara ordered her daughter with excitement.
"The statue of Zeus; magnificent," Dictys called out.
Magnificent indeed was the colossal statue of the King of gods on the cliff above the sea; it was to be respected and worshipped, but respected and worshipped was not how it was being treated there and then. Dictys recognised it immediately.
"Something isn't right;" he said. "The soldiers, what are they doing?"
At the feet of the statue was a group of soldiers and their actions would carry severe consequences; they were chiselling at the feet, hard enough that they broke through the rock and the magnificent statue fell from its rightful place into the waters of the sea below. The part of the sea that it hit was only metres away from the boat, but the family of four were lucky or at least for that moment. The soldiers cheered their victory while Perseus and his family looked on in horror at the terrible offence that had been committed.
"In the name of the King and Queen!" a soldier called out.
"Who are they?" Perseus asked.
"Soldiers from Argos," Dictys answered.
"Argos?" Perseus repeated horrified.
Argos was his mother's kingdom and the kingdom she had wished for him to rule one day; how could its soldiers commit such an offence against of the gods in their king and queen's name?
"What have they done?" Marmara gasped.
"They have declared war," said Dictys, "War against the gods."
Indeed war was what they had declared and they would receive their punishment at that moment; Helios was suddenly gone from the skies and the dark storm clouds from the previous night returned. It was a sign; the gods were angry and were seeking vengeance on those who had offended them. Something was in the water; Perseus could see there was something, but he could not see what it was. It moved towards the boat and then stopped for a few moments; was anything going to emerge? Yes it was. Five flying, black beasts suddenly emerged from the waters; their squealing cries could be heard through their sharp teeth. They were harpies and they were there for one purpose; to take out the recent enemies of the gods. They flew down to the group of soldier, each soldier massacred one after the other; it was their punishment for their terrible deed. Perseus could sense it was not safe to be there any longer.
"Let's turn the boat around!"
"No!" Dictys said, "Do nothing!"
But was this a wise choice? Each of the soldiers met his doom, but it was not over yet; the harpies joined together as one and one they became as they spun around faster and faster, until they could not be seen and black smoke was all that was visible. But green embers could be seen as the smoke suddenly turned grey and then, the spinning stopped and the smoke parted two ways to reveal a goddess; it was Hera. Wearing her grey dress, having her long black hair and her green eyes, she was pleased with the killings she had just made, but then she heard a scream from a child; the daughter on the boat. As she turned, she looked and she saw Perseus. Recognising him immediately, it was time, she thought, to eliminate him. Giving out a wicked cackle, she flew up into the sky through the clouds; maybe she was not coming back. But suddenly, the sea became mad, thunder and lightning took over the skies; the storm was returning.
"Quickly," Dictys suddenly said, "Let's turn the boat around!"
Perseus and Dictys tried to protect themselves and their family, but it was no use; lightning struck the boat and fire rose. Before anything could be done, a tidal wave emerged from the waters and engulfed the boat and the family. Once the boat was nowhere to be seen, the storm began to calm; was this Hera's doing? The family were not to know; the family that was now to die. Dictys, Marmara and their daughter were trapped in the boat and there was no escape; the boat sank to the bottom of the sea where the family would meet their demise. But what of Perseus? He was not trapped, but he was drowning. Unconscious, he was falling through the waters to join his family; it seemed there was no hope. But then, a hand grabbed him and then another; a pair of arms were wrapped around him, two hands were holding him and he was pulled to the surface. He was laid on nearby land and he was not awake, but he was alive; his rescuer wanted him to be and that was why she saved him. She knelt down beside him and placed her hand on his heart; it was her, the mysterious woman who had watched him and his mother go to Dictys all those years ago and yet, she had not aged. But she wouldn't age; aging was not part of how she lived for she too was a goddess.
"You will live Perseus; you must live," she said to him; she knew he could hear her, "You are the only hope to men and gods alike, for you can change everything that is happening. The people you came to call your family, they are no more and I am filled with compassion for you. But you must understand Perseus, there is nothing here for you now; it is time for your destiny to change. Your mother's last wish was that you would restore her homeland and your birthplace, which is why you must be taken there, but I will not be here with you when you awaken. Your destiny now lies in the Kingdom of Argos."
These words were spoken and were not to be taken back. A goddess of clear wisdom, she stood up on her feet and turned into a mist of gold; she flew through the sky that was now beginning to clear. Perseus was now alone, but not for long.
