Zoë watched with disinterest from the rafters of the imperial palace. The boy that her lady had been so... intrigued by... Perseus. He seemed disgusted with himself after killing the emperor. She sighed as she saw the blade she had given Heracles all those years ago become tainted by mortal blood. She knew, from experience, magical weapons never got rid of that little bit of blood. If she ever saw this mortal again, she would be interested to see what color her old hairpin had become.
The Huntress stood up. This little 'guard-mission' no longer required her attention. Below her, her actions were mirrored by Perseus as he walked out of the Great Hall. Neither of them bore witness to a black glow enveloping Augustus' body as it disappeared.
Rome was still burning. Augustus' death didn't change that fact. But that was all the better for Perseus. His goal was to bring the Greek Empire back from its absolute defeat. Zoë was nowhere to be found, but Perseus considered the fact that he didn't currently have an arrow in his head good enough to forgo worrying.
All of the sudden, a presence from behind him caused him to turn. This was his first time meeting a goddess in real life, and the power gap between them was simply... overwhelming.
Perseus knelt down on one knee and bowed, "Lady Hestia."
"Rise, my hero," she spoke, waiting for Perseus to stand before she continued. "You have gotten your revenge on Augustus. Was it worth it?" Perseus bit back an instinctual response, knowing that death by hellfire wouldn't be good for his physique.
"Of course it was, it was everything I needed..." Even as he said them, Perseus realized that he was only trying to convince himself. Hestia rolled her eyes, her nine-year-old form shifting to a twenty-year-old one.
"We both know what you truly want. I am willing to help you restore Greece to glory, but on one condition..."
Perseus nodded seriously. "Whatever it is, I agree, my Lady," he told her readily. Hestia smiled warmly.
"Such compassion... I want you to help the gods and goddesses become better rulers. Immortals... resist change with fervor. We do not have that human aspect of mortality. In a way, I am jealous of you..." Perseus gaped. A goddess, jealous of him? "Oh, yes. Jealous indeed. Because, after all... death is what gives life its meaning."
"I will do my best and greater, my Lady," Perseus informed the goddess, who continued smiling.
"That is wonderful to hear. However..." The Goddess of the Hearth suddenly grew serious. "This journey will take a great deal of time. Hundreds, if not thousands of years. If you are to restore Greece, you will have to gain partial immortality. You will still be able to fall in battle, but will be immune to the passage of time. I have already crafted a plan, but it requires your approval..."
The former slave didn't hesitate for a moment. "Whatever it is, I agree. My duty to Greece is greater than anything that could happen to me, my Lady." Hestia shook her head, frowning slightly, her eyes showing slight amounts of pity, but proceeded to explain.
"So," she started, "immortality can only be granted by a majority vote from the Olympian council. That is, Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, myself, Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, and Hermes. I am one vote, I have lobbied Artemis for your second vote on the condition that she is assured that your heart is pure. A third vote will be from your father, whom is one of these gods. Zeus, Hera, and Athena will no doubt vote against you..." she trailed off, seeing the calculating look on the young hero's face.
"So that leaves us to convince Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo, Hephaestus, and Hermes to help me accomplish my goal?" He asked. Hestia nodded. "I don't suppose that you able to tell me which is my father?"
Hestia shook her head regretfully. "I am aware of your godly parent. However, I am forbidden by the Ancient Laws from informing you of your parenthood, just as the Ancient Laws forbid him from visiting you." The demigod grew slightly angry at this.
"So many of the tales depict gods and goddesses breaking these 'Ancient Laws', then! What is enforcing them?" He questioned angrily. Hestia smiled sorrowfully. All of the sudden, a large sound resounded as the front wall of the imperial palace collapsed on itself, the roof following quickly, both sending embers flying into the air, the fire finally taking its toll on the building. Perseus immediately thought about the two handmaidens that he had seen at Augustus' side. Hestia, reading his thoughts, smiled. He truly was a hero.
"For your first god, I have chosen Apollo, your home polis' sacred guardian. In the eastern part of the Roman Empire, he has birthed an especially powerful son. His son, however, grew up in a Jewish household, and does not believe in the Greek traditions. He has gone around healing people in the name of the Jewish people's God. Hades has grown particularly angry at him for saving the lives of evil people who deceived him. Apollo has requested that he be killed as a sacrifice to appease the God of the Underworld, in order to avoid a war." Perseus eyebrows furrowed.
"Apollo wishes for me to kill his son for saving the lives of others?" Hestia shook her head vehemently, surprising the demigod, causing him to stop his stride that he had never realized that he had started, which had led him outside the burning city.
"Apollo wishes for you to kill his son so that his progeny can escape being tortured for eternity by Hades, which is no doubt the path he will go down if he continues to save the lives of others." Perseus' eyes widened.
"So, he wishes for me to kill him to save him from an even worse fate?" Hestia nodded.
"Exactly. If he dies now, he will instead be given Elysium for his good deeds." Perseus nodded. He reminded himself to not judge others so hastily - he had nearly labelled Apollo as a terrible being who wanted his son dead for annoying him. Gods were more complex that he had thought, he realized.
"I will do it," Perseus beat his heart with his fist. "What is the son's name?" He asked, eager to know more about his mission.
"You will find him in the kingdom of Antioch, and trust me, you will know when you have found him. He has gained a rather large following. He is often called Jesus, the son of Christ."
Perseus found himself upon a hill in Jerusalem. Eight months earlier, if you would've told him that he would be watching, and be genuinely happy about a child of Apollo being nailed to a cross, he would've laughed. But after Lady Hestia had showed him the correct path that fateful day in Rome, he had done whatever it had taken in order to ensure the death of Jesus Christ.
The Roman soldiers gathered were not particularly excited about hanging the 'Son of Christ', either. But the Jewish leaders were gathering soon in Jerusalem - if the leader of the new Christianity was left alive, they would have a rather large rebellion on their hands from the Jewish population of Jerusalem. Perseus noted the other prisoner whom the crowd had voted to be let live rather than Jesus, making a mental note to kill him later - he truly deserved death.
Perseus stayed longer than the rest of the crowd, who quickly dispersed after the godchild had stopped moving. He watched as the blood stopped flowing from the wounds of the body as it ran out. Far above, the sun dimmed, then disappeared for a few minutes, the entire world cold and dark as Apollo mourned for his child. Perseus walked forward slowly, stopping in front of the body.
He pulled a gold drachma out of his bag, placing it in the mouth of the son of Apollo. "Safe passages," he murmured as the golden coin dissolved quickly as the Christchild moved on to the afterlife. The sun peaked out a slight bit, a golden ray illuminating the area around Perseus, including the now-dead body. In his head, Perseus heard the words, 'Thank you...' whispered by a masculine voice as he received Apollo's approval. Perseus smiled grimly. A victory - but at what cost?
Perseus stuck around for only a few days after Jesus' death. In the past two months, he had grown rather close to the carpenter - he was wise beyond his years, and gave plenty of good advice throughout their constant travels. Unfortunately, he was also unable to tell him of his relation to Apollo, an odd reminder of Hestia's inability to tell him of his own father. He kept feeling a pull in his gut, pulling to everything around him. He got the feeling that he was close to figuring it out, he just needed another push.
The light bent for a few days after the crucifixion, causing visions of Jesus all across Jerusalem, the Sun God's final memorial for his fallen child. Perseus himself took great honor in seeing the final vision fade into the sky in the view of plenty of onlookers. 'Rest now, Percy. You did well.' Came the voice of his Lady, Hestia. He smiled. He was off to a good start, now.
Chapter five - one month in, and still going strong! Please don't get mad at me for saying Jesus was a son of Apollo - in this universe, I actually think it fits incredibly well. Also, yeah, I tried to be as accurate as I could in this chapter. Jesus was indeed Roman. Scientists have theorized that there was a total solar eclipse on the day of Jesus' crucifixion, which is actually incredibly interesting.
Please leave a review (and not a flame, please)! This is not intended to disrespect anyone's beliefs, religion, or opinions. It's just me using an interesting part of history as my story.
Until next week,
- PJO Fan Power!
