A/N: This is parts 2 and 3 compiled together, for those that are curious. And so begins the final battle!
"Hello, father. You look surprised to see me. Are you not happy that i have returned to you?" The voice was not Electyrons, but the voice of the war god that inhabited him, and used the statement to unnerve the great hero. Perseus stood firm and replied, "Ares, my son is not what you desire anymore. I'm here. Let him go free, he has done nothing. This fight is only between the two of us!" Ares/Electyron laughed cruelly, the harshness resounding in the cave. "ah, Perseus, but he is important. He told me of everything you taught him in combat, which in turn tells me what you have yourself learned. I know every move you will make. The blessing of Athena will not work here, nor will Zeus' watchful eye find you on his own doorstep." He charged at Perseus, blade drawn back in a crosswise arc, shield covering the torso entirely, forcing Perseus to avoid the godly strike. The blade came crashing down just as Perseus dived to the side, missing by not even an inch. The force it was swung with rattled the cavern. "Stand and fight, demigod! Or maybe you would prefer it if you were to live." He laughed again, and charged, the blade deflecting of the Mirror Shield. The blow knocked Perseus nearly to the back of the cave, and Ares, being mortally restrained, stumbled back. The shield that had saved him throughout his adventure turned to shards in his hands. Ares bellowed with triumphant laughter. "You are defeated! With no adequate shield, i will gut you like a fish easier than a knife slides through exposed flesh. Are you ready to die, weakling?" Ares charged him, and Perseus could at that moment only stand and wait. Just as Ares would have annihilated the heroic warrior, he dived to the right, causing Ares' sword to dig deep into the rock of Olympus. When he went to withdraw it, it snapped into countless pieces, as if suddenly made of glass. He looked down and saw there were indeed glass shards at his feet. "How is this possible? This sword was designed to be unbreakable!" Ares was howling with rage, not able to comprehend what had happened. "No matter. I'll just crush you to dust with my shield. You shall still die this day, pest!" He charged, bringing the edge of the shield toward him in a murderous arc. Perseus seized this moment to strike. He evaded the shield strike and delivered a pommel strike directly to the base of the neck, causing instant unconsciousness. Electyron slumped to the ground in a heap, but an essence floated out of him, which was Ares. He remembered a gift given to him long ago by an odd stranger apparently as goodwill: a jar said to be able to contain anything. He had chosen to carry this jar along in his travels, and now drew it out from his pack, which had somehow survived it all when he cast it off upon his arrival. He opened the jar, catching the essence in it. He had also in that pack trophies from the monsters he had slain: A hydra tooth, one of Orthrus' heads, and as for the Titan, he had the whistle he had used to summon all these creatures. He had chosen then to present this evidence to the gods of Olympus. He captured Ares in the jar, which rattled fiercely with his attempts to escape. Our worn, battle-weary but victorious hero carried his son over his shoulder and took Ares' chariot to the top of Mount Olympus, directly into their palace. The trip was short enough that his horses allowed Perseus to use them. When he arrived, a great hubbub started, and only Athena's allowing of him to remain there spared him of being turned to nothingness on the spot. He presented what he had to the Olympians, and Athena simply smiled knowingly as it went on. The greatest story ever told was then passed down from the Olympians to the mortal world through their Oracles, and Perseus was given a temporary status as an interim god while Ares served his punishment in Hades, under the watchful eyes of Zeus, of course. Perseus then spoke to Athena. "Why did you protect me on my journey, goddess?" She simply stated, "because watching Ares squirm is always so much fun."
END OF BOOK 1
Book 2 will be coming sometime in November, maybe a little earlier. Thanks for staying with me, and be sure to review your thoughts, and what hero's story i should tell next!