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Eight years later
A green-eyed boy was sitting on a ledge of a cliff. If one were to see the sight it would've been of fear, unlike the boy who saw wonder. There was beauty in the world but over time humanity seemed to appreciate it less and less. Instead, they built factories, and created cars that produced so much gas that it would cover the blue sky; they hunted and killed - staining the very earth they walked on. Humanity destroyed houses, not those of their fellow men and women but those they deemed as inferior and animalistic.
Humans lost their lives and that is the way of life; they didn't actively seek and murder the life of their fellow kin but those of the creatures of the land, sky, and sea. Animals suffered from their hands, their habitats and homes lost as humanity took it for themselves to fulfill one of the seven sins, greed.
That was why Perseus saw all of this land before him beautiful. Like a rare majority of the earth; this land was untouched and untainted. Perseus would personally see it that way for if he were to catch a stain growing in his garden, his home, his land then they would parish and not even Hades could save them.
Death will come to the house of Greed.
Line Break
"Perseus! Stop hiding and come out right now," Erytheia yelled. "I'm being serious, Perseus, where are you?" she exasperatedly.
"But then it wouldn't be hide and seek anymore, would it big sis?" Perseus grinned cheekily. He laughed and ran to another tree, hunkering down low and out of sight. "Come on, find me, big sis!" Perseus snickered.
"Oh you little brat, stop messing around, you need to get to your lessons with Aegle."
"But it's soo boring," Perseus huffed.
"I am going to count to ten and if you're not here then you better hope I won't find you," Erythia warned.
"But that's exactly what I want!" Perseus chuckled.
His laughter ceased when Erytheia grew close. He stayed hidden under a bush and held in a giggle. Just eight and he was already proving to be trouble for his sisters - well, only for Erytheia. He found it fun which was why he did it but also because he was bored.
His days were the same as any other; Perseus would take lessons with Aegle for his reading and writing, Hesperia was in charge of his psychical training which mainly consisted of some light workouts due to him still being a child; Erytheia was essentially his babysitter who sent him to do chores, and there was Arethusa, his favorite sibling who introduced him to the world of painting and gardening.
Out of all his sisters, he preferred Arethusa above all. She was nice and funny, caring and at times stern - but equally clumsy to boot; and she always had time for him. But Perseus did understand the situations his three other sisters were in. Aegle was nice to him but she was a big bookworm, Hesperia was tough at times but she did show a bit of a soft side - though that latter was far more conspicuous. Then there was Erytheia, now Erytheia was scary. Perseus found her to be terrifying. In spite of that, he loved her all the same just like the rest of his family.
They did argue and get into disagreements more so than his other siblings and it may look like Erytheia and he just didn't have a strong connection. Yet, that didn't stop the sister-brother bond he felt towards her.
"Ugh! Shut up you cheeky bugger," Erytheia groaned. "Now get ready for my wrath, 'cause once I find you…" she left the threat hanging.
"Sure…I'd like to see you try Theia," Perseus drawled and rolled his eyes.
"Hmph," Erytheia huffed.
Perseus instantly shut up when he felt her presence near. She, like Hesperia, was oddly quiet when it came to finding him. With Aegle, he could hear her footsteps as if she were not trying to hide. Arethusa though, was very clumsy which was weird since she would be very careful and walk with a grace of a cat when tending her garden.
He heard a rustling to his left. "Are you…here?!" Erytheia yelled just moments later.
Perseus squeaked and ducked from where he was watching her stroll around the forest. Thinking fast he began to creep slowly towards Arethusa's garden where she would hopefully shield him from their sister's wrath.
His steps were soft and quiet, quiet like a mouse but that wasn't enough and he knew it. Luckily this was Erytheia and not Hesperia otherwise she would've bulldozed to his location like a predator chasing its prey. Still, Perseus couldn't take any chances so he slowed his steps until he was sure Erytheia wouldn't be able to hear him.
That was easier said than done and his legs began to ache. Perseus' face scrunched up when he stepped on a fallen stick. It wasn't loud but it made him wince and take in a deep breath so he could hear his inevitable downfall. A second went by, then a minute; he kept holding his breath until he couldn't any longer. He could feel his face redden from the lack of air and with a quick decision he released it all in one go. If that wasn't enough to screw him over then the lady fates were on his side that day.
"Perseus, this isn't funny no more. Come on out from where you are hiding and face your punishment-I mean face your responsibilities," Perseus heard Erytheia say. Her voice was faint and far, far enough for him to start creeping away again. "Perseus! Where the hell are you you little brat-" Erytheia yelled, but this time it was barely audible as he grinned when he heard it stop.
"Percy? What are you doing?"
Perseus looked up with a snap of his neck and sighed in relief. Arethusa stared back at him with her bright blue eyes and a small mischievous smile on her face.
"Don't tell me you're hiding again," Arethusa smirked. "You know this is the fifth time you've run away from Hesperia's lessons. Whatever will Erytheia do to keep you there?"
"Oh I don't know…strap me down?" Perseus gave her a toothy grin. "But come on sis, Hesperia keeps beating my ass and it's getting so boring. Not to mention painful…" he rubbed his backside with a huff and crossed his arms.
"Oh really now? I think you're just salty that you can't land a hit on her. What's this, your forty-fifth lost?" Arethusa laughed.
Perseus sighed, "It's my thirty-fifth loss and no I am not salty. I just…uh um, d-don't like-" he grumbled with each stutter. "Fine! I'm salty alright? But you can hardly blame me, Hesperia doesn't just beat my ass she also brags and insults me," Perseus scowled. His green eyes darkened slightly and his fist clenched. He hated it whenever Hesperia did that.
Arethusa kneeled and lifted his head by his chin. "Oh Percy, Hesperia is not insulting you. She's merely teasing, you know how she is," she smiled softly. "And don't worry about your losses, you're still eight, aren't you? You're still my baby brother," she cooed. "So don't be salty, instead, train and train hard so that you can 'trash her ass' like you so mentioned."
Perseus averted his gaze down onto mother earth and started thinking. Arethusa was right as always and he shouldn't be feeling down. He was acting like a baby and he hated hearing that from his sisters.
"I'm not a baby," he grumbled. "But alright, I'll listen to your advice big sis; but first, can you hide me?" Perseus gave her his 'innocent seal eyes' as Aegle called it.
"That never works on me and you know it but alright. Just please give Hesperia another chance, ok Percy?" Arethusa told him.
Perseus grabbed her hand as she led them away. "...Ok, I'll give her another chance," he agreed. "But, if she teases me way too much I expect you to come to my rescue," he countered with a glare.
"Deal, now come on, would you like to see my new flowers bloom?"
"Yes! I've been waiting for years now," Perseus groaned.
"Haha, it's only been a week," Arethusa remarked sarcastically.
"Yeah, a week that felt like years," Perseus grinned.
Arethusa laughed and pulled him towards where her - or rather their - garden was located. It wasn't much of a garden and more of a small forest where all types of plants grew. There were plants from the Amazon such as the Heliconia that grew roughly fifteen feet tall whose leaves were a rich red color. The shape of the leaves themselves was the definition of regal; strong and consistent, whereas most common plants would have inconsistent leaf shapes.
Not only that. Heliconia plants produced nectar that many insects and hummingbirds would find pleasing. Which was why he and his sister's garden was special. There were always different hummingbirds of all sizes and colors thriving amongst the plants.
Right now the plant that Arethusa mentioned was a new plant that was gifted to them by a passing wind spirit who had come from Australia. Its name was Waratah and was found in the southeastern parts of Australia where it attracted a heterogeneity of birds. One reason the plant was pleasing to the eye was due to its colors of choice. They would typically emerge red but at times would bloom to reveal themselves as white, yellow, or pink.
"Whoa, these plants are bloody beautiful sis," Perseus gasped. His eyes lit up at the bright petals of the Warath where he watched a pair of Flowerpeckers perched atop the white petals snuggling against each other.
"The plant or the Mistletoe Flowerpeckers?" Arethusa smirked.
"Both duh," Perseus scowled. "We need to plant more of these. Maybe we can even spread them around so that there'll be birds flying all over the place," he suggested.
"Hm, I don't see why not but we need to make sure the plants are compatible with each other," Arethusa mussed.
The two siblings got to work moving and replanting the exotic plant. They spent the majority of the morning through the afternoon tending the garden not one of them noticing how time flew. It was only when a cough interrupted the peace that they both looked towards the voice. There stood Erytheia with a blank face, something that was rarely seen on the brunette.
"H-hi, there sis," Perseus said meekly. "Want to help us plant some plants?" he smiled, albeit a bit forced as the fear threatened to overwhelm him.
Erytheia said nothing and only left without a glance. Perseus and Arethusa shared a frown; wondering if that was a bad thing or not. It was Perseus who shrugged. He would probably regret it but Erytheia wouldn't do anything that extreme with Arethusa right beside him. At least that's what he thought?..
Line Break
"The apple of discord, or in other words, the apple of Eris," Aegle supplied. "Eris the goddess of strife and?.."
"Discord," Perseus answered.
Aegle nodded praisingly. She was glad her brother stayed focused in their lessons; something that she enjoyed, especially when his eyes would light up at something interesting or new.
"Yes, Eris the goddess of strife and discord," Aegle repeated. "Her roman equivalent is Discordia. Their names are different but they still hold the same titles. They are both popular due to the apple of discord, as you can see was the influence behind her Roman name. Now, the apple of discord is Eris' prized possession, you could even call it her symbol of power like Hecate is with her torch."
"So the Olympians aren't the only ones with symbols of powers?" Perseus asked. He cocked his head to the side and bit on the end of his pencil. "Does that mean all the other gods have their own?"
"Correct, all gods out there from the Olympians to the minors have the power and right to hold and own their symbols of power. Can you give me another example? Remember, most of their symbols of power reflect their domains."
"Their domains…let's see," Perseus hummed. "Nemesis and her whip?" he asked unsurely.
Aegle took a moment to study him; an action that worried him if he was wrong.
She let loose a small smile and nodded. "Nemesis and her whip, yes indeed. But can you tell me why hers is a whip?"
Perseus got a thoughtful look on his face as he wracked his brain for the answer. Nemesis was the minor goddess of divine retribution and revenge. Retribution was punishment on an individual as an act of vengeance for a wrong or criminal act. A whip was a tool used to enact these punishments so it would only be right for her to wield one. But that also struck the question of why she didn't use a sword or a dagger since those could also be used to inflict pain onto someone.
"Well, Nemesis' domains are divine retribution and revenge. From what I understand, retribution is an act of vengeance against another person for a crime they committed," Perseus started. He looked toward his sister to see if she would stop him. She nodded her head instead and motioned for him to continue. "But it's also considered as a punishment and a tool used to punish others can be that of a whip; therefore, it would only make sense she has a whip as her symbol of power."
"Dare I say, that was a wonderful explanation little brother," Aegle smiled brightly, something rarely seen on her face. "But, let me ask you this; I know - knowing you - that you are wondering why her symbol of power is a whip in lieu of a sword or any other device or tool that can be wielded for the same purpose."
Aegle smiled knowingly. She was well aware of the question and would ponder the why.
"Well little brother?" she smirked.
Perseus frowned; what was special about a whip that a sword couldn't do? Historically, whips were far associated with punishments in contrast to any other-albeit torture devices, those were amongst, if not, the oldest form of torture; but, that was for 'torture' and not punishments.
He pondered some more on the question; thinking of all the many reasons why Nemesis chose that weapon as her primary choice.
"Punishments, well, when I think of punishments the first thing that comes to mind is directly harming someone…" Perseus said unsurely.
"Go on," Aegle egged.
"When one is being punished they would be captured, trapped, and imprisoned to make the punishment easier to perform."
"You're on the right rack Perseus, just think, you said that the person would be captured and imprisoned. Now think of all the different ways they could be punished while they are unable to leave, run, or even move."
Many visions came to mind; it was horrific and disturbing to see how many ways people were punished. "A punishment that a whip would be more ideal to use…" he voiced.
"...striking…ones back!" Perseus cried. "One of the oldest but commonly held punishments ever; due to the humiliation one will face and the pain that accompanies it."
Algae prompted him to continue. "That would be?.."
"Flogging! The person would be strapped to a pole or immobilized by all means while their captor or the person doing the punishment would repeatedly strike them with a leather whip," Perseus explained. He smiled and looked up at his sister who had a proud smile on her face.
"Nicely done."
"Wait, this explains her third domain, balance," Perseus started. He didn't notice Aegle's shocked expression. "Balance…when one is punished to an extreme; they are bordering on the edge of death. The goal is to punish the person and not kill them. Therefore, her whip is more ideal to use than that of a sword because of the lower risk of killing the person," Perseus smiled and looked up at his sister. "Her whip is a symbol of balance, if hit too much the person may die, but if hit too little they will live."
Aegle let out an uncharacteristic squeal of delight and hugged him. It was so random that the sudden action knocked all the air out of him.
"S-stop, I-I can't breath," Perseus rasped.
"Sorry!" Aegle winced and composed herself but the smile was still present on her face.
"Now that we've covered that; let's get back to Eris and her apple. First off, strife and discord are pretty much the same things. Although, the latter is a disagreement between two individuals whereas the former, is a disagreement on a conflict," Aegle explained. She wrote both definitions on the board prompting him to compare the two and make connections.
"But where does the apple come into play sister Aegle? How can an apple represent strife and discord?" Perseus asked with a perplexed frown.
"That's the most commonly asked question and for good reason," Aegle smirked. "Are you familiar with the Brothers Grimm?" she asked him.
"I'm not sure…" Perseus hummed. "Wait, are they writers?"
"Close, but they are actually storytellers, but I guess they're writers as well."
"You have to write to tell a story," Perseus pointed out with a shrug.
Aegle narrowed her eyes, feinting a scowl. "Not typically," she drawled. "But in this case you are right. Moving on, the Brothers Grimm wrote a collection of fairy tales; stories that are told amongst the mortals," Aegle explained. "One famous story of there's is Snow White."
"Oh! I know this story. Big sis Are read a book about it when she was tucking me in," Perseus blushed at the last part. "It's a really nice story!" he added with haste, trying to prevent his cheeks from reddening even further.
"Arethusa owns a copy?" Aegle asked in shock.
"She does, a passing wind spirit gave her the book," Perseus answered.
"I should check it out later," Aegle mused before getting right back to business. "Well then, can you try and find out how they connect?"
Perseus nodded uncertainly. "In Snow White, there was a witch who was…um, jealous! Of Snow White because of her beauty."
"How did this witch find out?" Aegle questioned.
"She had a magical mirror that spoke to her," he answered with ease. "It would activate whenever she spoke to it, but only when she said a certain phrase," Perseus glared at his sister who was about to interrupt again. She raised her hands in a placidly way. He continued to glare until he knew she wouldn't cut in.
"The phrase was 'magic mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?' only upon finishing the phrase would the mirror answer. Every time it would show her, but then one day the mirror revealed Snow White. It was because of this that Snow White fell into a deep slumber after the witch gave her an apple."
"Then what Perseus?" Aegle interjected.
He glared once more and continued in a coolly manner. "The reason why Eris uses an apple is because of the connection from the word 'fairest'."
"And why is that?" Aegle interposed, not even batting an eye at his behavior.
All Perseus could do was sigh and continue explaining. "One of the myths that involved Eris was when she wasn't invited to a wedding. It was said that Eris picked an apple right here in our garden where she threw it amongst the wedding guest. I don't know why but Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera all dove for the apple in an attempt to take it as their own," Perseus took a second to think. "I'm guessing it's because of the words inscribed into the apple, 'to the fairest' which tempted the three goddesses."
"And all in all…?"
"Eris uses an apple as her symbol of power because of its connection to the story of Snow White and how oddly similar both stories are. From Athena, Aphrodite and Hera all trying to be the fairest like how the witch found that her title was taken from her by Snow White. This also explains her domains: strife and discord of a disagreement between two individuals with the exception of the three goddesses," Perseus concluded with a small bow.
Aegle looked at him oddly before grinning from ear to ear. "That concludes our lesson for today little brother," she ruffled his hair. "I'm proud of you."
Line Break
Perseus laughed whole-heartedly. He was running from his sister who unlike last time was able to find him. He had only just hidden when he felt her presence appear behind him. Without even thinking he bolted into the woods where he hoped to lose her.
Due to his small frame, he was able to go deeper into the forest where she couldn't get him. That didn't mean Erytheia was going to quit because a glance over his shoulder showed him his sister's seething glare.
"Not today sis!" Perseus yelled gleefully. "You couldn't catch me last and you won't catch me now!"
"Just you wait you-ow!" Arethusa stopped and gave him an irate glare. "Come here you little brat! May Tartarus save your soul once I get you," she growled.
Perseus watched in horror as his sister picked up the pace; seemingly forgetting her size as she barreled through the forest, disregarding the swaying branches. He pushed himself even harder and tried to outrun her by going through a particularly thick gathering of trees. His victory was short-lived however when he felt a sudden coldness around him.
The air grew heavy, the sun's rays disappeared, and all sounds died out. It was like he had just gone through a portal into another world; a different dimension of some sort. But that wasn't the case. Everything looked and appeared to be the same as that in his world, well, if he was still in his world. But that was it. There were no signs of life other than him.
Perseus took a hesitant step forward into the clearing. It was then that he saw why the sun had disappeared. The wind spirits and his sister were always right when it came to the weather so seeing the sky covered in clouds was odd. It couldn't have also turned this cloudy in just a short amount of time; something was amiss and he knew he had to get out of there right now.
He was about to leave when a cold breeze stopped him in his steps. One small tingling sensation behind his neck was all that was needed for him to duck and roll out of the way.
Perseus felt a rock scrape his back sending a jolt of pain like a needle.
A screech garnered his attention and he saw it, a gruesome face covered by a shawl that had fallen to unveil the face underneath. Its face was covered with scratches made from what appeared to be knives and scars littered the untouched areas. Two pale red eyes bore into his purple ones. They conveyed a feeling of uncertainty like he was lost and clueless with no control of his feelings; or even himself. It was like he was merely a puppet, a zombie raised by a necromancer to do his bidding.
It screeched once more, its voice one of haunting before diving at him with its morningstar.
The barb sphere missed him once more but not without drawing blood. Perseus hissed in pain as he was forced to move away. He clutched his left arm where a line of blood was already seeping out the large gash. Perseus felt fear for the very first time as he stared down the ghostly figure. His blood turned cold when it took a step toward him and his mouth grew dry that it hurt to even swallow.
"G-get, a-a-away from me," Perseus managed to say.
His efforts were in vain as the figure continued to move forward, its hand rising above its head where it was prepared to strike. Perseus tripped and fell on his backside, unable to dodge due to the pain. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes as he inched away from the looming figure when it suddenly stopped.
He felt something thick and warm hit him before a loud paralyzing shriek filled the air; shocking him from his stupor. A blade stuck out of the nonhuman creature, or whatever it was, making it writhe and thrash in pain; its shriek never-ending. Perseus winced and raised his hands to cover his throbbing ears. His eyes were wide like saucers, watching as the being struggled before slumping forward dead onto the blood-splattered ground.
"Are you alright?" a gentle voice asked.
Perseus looked up dubiously at the voice and gasped. A pair of red ruby eyes stared deeply into his purple ones. They held a twinkle of mischief behind them, something he found only in his sister. Their brown hair was cut short on the sides and the top and was long enough to not be considered a buzz cut.
He watched as they frowned and noticed the scar that marred their face. It wasn't large but it was prominent and ran horizontally across their left cheek to the right.
All in all one could describe their look as that of a devilish rogue.
"Mind if I check that out?" the person asked him. Perseus couldn't do anything but gape at the person. He wasn't even aware when they took his arm and waved their hand over the wound; inciting a warm feeling to course through his body.
It was only after they had finished that he noticed the state they were in. There were pieces of leaves atop their head and dirt and mud-covered areas of their skin and clothes. Not only that, their leather armor was all scratched up and on its way to becoming a useless wreck.
"You need help," Perseus said bluntly, finally finding his voice. He went to stand up only to fall back down. "Huh?"
"You lost a lot of blood, you need to rest," they placated. "Are you here by yourself?" they asked him.
Perseus went to shake his head. It was at that exact moment that Erytheia came crashing through the bushes with a dagger.
"Get away from him!" she yelled. At a speed that he only saw from Hesperia, she dashed forward and stood in front of him with her teeth bared. "I don't know who the hell you are but you hurt my brother," she hissed, after getting a look at the scar and the fresh blood that coated his shirt.
"Sis, it's alright. They didn't hurt me, in fact, they healed my arm," Perseus explained. Erytheia looked at him suspiciously and nodded.
Erytheia turned her glare at the shocked individual. "Tell me who you are," she demanded icily.
They nodded and sheathed the sword they had drawn. "My name is Phobos."
Erytheia's face scrunched up just like him before realization hit both their faces.
"Phobos, as in the son of Ares?!" Erytheia gasped.
"The one and only," Phobos said with a smile.
But Perseus noticed one important fact; it didn't quite reach his eyes and his voice sounded that of someone who had just lost something very dear to them.
A.N Very first actual chapter everyone!
Hope you guys enjoyed it.
A.N 2 Next update will be chapter 2 of Apple of Discord