A/N: 2 things. One: I know I said this chapter would have the trojan war etc. I lied. I finally fleshed out the timeline and structure of the story arc, so yeah. Two: About Flamey, I found that I was forcing myself to include Flamey, and I realized it would be easier to just not have Flamey. I originally wanted Flamey as a means of transportation, but Perseus is a god :/ Notice Flamey at the beginning, and then a distinct lack of Flamey.
Perseus was excited. Scratch that. He was ecstatic. He was almost bouncing with energy. He was absolutely ready.
Today was the day Perseus would explore the world, or in his case, a city. And this time, it was all by his lonesome. He had gone on short, guided visits with his mother Hestia, and occasionally even with Hades. But those visits had been largely limiting.
Perseus was now a young god, or a young primordial. Of course, he was immortal, and after a couple decades after reaching 18, he had almost completely grown into his powers. He now took the form of a 20 year old. He was a tall young man, with beautiful dark black hair that was effortlessly windswept. He quite literally had the body of a Greek god, lean and muscled, with perfect proportions that would make even Adonis jealous. He had a perfectly tan complexion, and a handsome face that seemed to become more and more perfect the longer one stared at it. His eyes were a deep pool of swirling colours, which sparkled with powerful passion.
On his shoulder was his trusty companion, Flamey. The phoenix had grown to a massive size, easily able to carry someone on its back during flight. Fortunately, the phoenix was not constantly in that size though, and usually preferred to remain the size of a falcon, which was a lot more convenient.
Perseus was standing with his mother in their palace. She was fussing over his appearance, while he was busy acting disgruntled, but he secretly was enjoying the attention.
"Mom, you know I can take care of myself right? I'm already 19 years old," he whined.
"Yes Perseus, and I'm many millennia old." she deadpanned back to him, as she straightened his chiton.
Perseus let out a breath as Hestia continued to fuss. He had waited years for this moment, a few more seconds of patience wouldn't hurt… too much. As Hestia began to start combing his hair, Perseus impatiently wiggled out of Hestia's grip.
"MOM, seriously, I'm fine." he told her, trying to exude his readiness.
"Fine fine Perseus, but remember," Hestia said, suddenly looking seriously at Perseus, "the outside world may not be everything you think it is."
Perseus looked at his mom strangely.
"I'm sure that I will love it mom." Perseus stated confidently.
Hestia sighed, looking at her son. In truth, she had not wanted him to go out at all, much less by himself. But Hades had convinced her that it was something that Perseus had to do.
"Well," Hestia said putting on a brave smile, "I'm sure you will."
BREAK
Perseus fell into a shadow, before reappearing in the shadow of a tree, somewhere in the large forest outside the city. He took a large breath of air, relishing in the freshness, and the scents of the wilderness. Flamey cawed in accordance with him, flapping its wings in the fresh air. For the first time, he felt truly free, and he couldn't wait to get into the city.
First things first, of course. He had to subtly change his appearance. He was, unfortunately, far too attractive for mortals, and it would not do if everyone was busy drooling behind him during his visit. Using the subtleties of mist, courtesy of Hades' teachings, he changed his face's appearance. Instead of complete and utter perfection, he toned it down to being simply good-looking. He didn't bother to change his body, as it was mostly covered by his cloak, and neither did he bother changing his hair. He quite liked it. His eyes though, were far too revealing, and mortals would surely question his identity if they saw his eyes. He toned down the colourful swirls of colour to dimmer brown, bordering on gold. The sparkle, however, never left his eyes.
Flamey, on his shoulder, was also altered. The phoenix's appearance also changed until all that remained was a small white dove. The bird chirped a couple times, and shook its feathers.
WIth his trusty bird, Perseus made his way onto the main road, and began his walk towards the city gates.
Suddenly, a group of men jumped out of the woods. They quickly surrounded him, drawing short swords and daggers. There were about half a dozen men, and the largest one, presumably the leader, stepped forward.
"Kid," he growled, "give us all of your money and we won't kill you, deal?"
Perseus looked at them incredulously. Could they not have asked politely? He quickly thought about it, he had infinite money after all, for he was a god, and so he didn't mind helping these men.
"Alright, how much do you want?" he responded, smiling at them. He took a moment to study the men. Their clothes were shredded and torn, many of them had unkempt beards. And, although they held weapons, their postures gave away their lack of fighting skill. He decided that this would be his first good deed. Oh, how proud mother would be of me!
The bandits were quite understandably confused. Who was this kid, obviously decently wealthy based on his clothes, good-looking, and speaking to them as if he had all the money in the world.
"Shut up kid. I don't like you mocking us, so hand us the money. Or we'll have to take it by force," the leader spat out, gripping his sword a little tighter.
"What do you mean? I was simply asking how much money your group needed." Perseus stated, not quite understanding.
The bandits looked at each other. They were feeling insulted, mocked, and mainly confused. So, they did the most logical thing that they could think of: they attacked the unknown man.
Perseus easily dodged their sloppy attacks, effortlessly ducking and weaving his way past their predictable attacks. He had been trained by Hades himself, and this was but child's play. He felt reluctant to even bring out his sword. Why would they attack me? I just want to help them, and they respond by attacking me?
Perseus lost himself in his thoughts, and a lucky swing of a sword managed to nick Perseus on the cheek, drawing a drop of golden ichor. Perseus growled, his eyes momentarily flashing blood red. Seriously, what is their problem?
Before anyone could even register what had happened, Perseus, in a show of inhuman speed, was in front of the leader, a pitch black sword in his hand, its point resting at the leader's throat. A thin line of blood was already trickling down his neck.
The man looked up into Perseus' cold eyes and flinched at the hardness in his eyes, so unlike the warmth they had held only a moment ago. Perseus' hard gaze looked down coldly at the man,
"Run, get out of my sight you ungrateful filth," Perseus growled. "You disgrace yourselves, attacking me when all I wanted was to help."
He flicked the sword, painting a faint red line across the man's neck.
"Pray you never see me again, or I will not be so merciful" Perseus finished coldly.
Each man, wide-eyed with fear, froze, for just a second, before taking off like banshees into the forest.
Perseus took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Flamey rubbed his head affectionately on Perseus' shoulder, silently lending Perseus warmth. Perseus sighed. He never enjoyed resorting to violence. He spun his sword, dematerializing it into a simple black ring on his finger. The sword was a gift from Hades, forged of Stygian steel. It had a leaf shaped blade, made of solid black, with a basic black grip. It was a simple weapon, beautiful yet deadly. Perseus never understood the need to flaunt one's weapons with intricate carvings and designs. He never enjoyed using weapons unless necessary, and the simple design fit him perfectly.
He shook his head as he continued on towards the city gates. What was the problem with those men? Did they not want my money? He scrunched his eyebrows. Certainly not everyone would be like them. I'm sure the people in the city must be much better and more respectful than those fools, Perseus reasoned, before brightening slightly.
He had reached the city. The city he was visiting was in fact a small kingdom. It had been a major trading city, before it accumulated enough wealth to become a dependent kingdom. He looked towards the large bronze gates, sturdy and strong. Two guards in simple armor, wielding spears, were standing stoically on either side of the gates.
"State your business," the guards said to Perseus.
"I have simply come to visit and explore the city," Perseus replied, shaking the pouch of drachmas in his pocket.
The guards nodded, before opening the gates. Perseus walked in.
Wow. It was the first word that came to Perseus' mind as looked around. His nose was immediately assaulted by many scents. He saw vendors, scattered about everywhere in the town square, selling savory foods, scented oils, many colourful clothes, and many monroe miscellaneous goods. He saw families bustling around, adults engaged in conversations, children laughing and running around, and even stray dogs, running around, lounging in the sun, or eating scraps of food.
Flamey cawed happily on his shoulder, excited to be among so many people, causing a few people to look at him weirdly. Perseus however, did not care. He was excited to be in the city.
The first thing Perseus did was to rush over towards a food vendor, selling some sort of baked goods whose heavenly smell wafted across the square.
"I'll have 10 of those please," Perseus requested.
The vendor looked at the excited young man doubtfully, not sure whether he was crazy or just plain stupid.
Perseus took out his pouch of drachmas however, and the vendor's doubts quickly dissipated. He happily exchanged the 10 pastries for the drachmas.
"Thank you very much," Perseus said gratefully towards the vendor, who was too busy counting the drachmas to bother.
Perseus continued on his way, happily munching on his pastries as he looked in wonder at the bustle and rustle of the city. He made sure to nod politely and smile at every single person he passed by, most people ignored him, although he did draw a few blushes from some females.
As Perseus passed by a particularly dark alley, he heard a terrified scream, one that sounded distinctly feminine. Quickly, he rushed into the alley, only to notice a young girl, no older than 7, surrounded by a group of men. The girl had blond hair, although it was more of a dirty blond, due to its, well, dirtiness. She had large grey eyes, a child of Athena he quickly realized. Scanning the area, he took notice of the situation. The girl was covered in small cuts and bruises, and was cowering with her back against the wall. Luckily, she was still modest. There were four men, all grinning lecherously as they looked down at the terrified girl. Their perverted intent was quite obvious as one began to unbuckle his belt.
Perseus growled, absolutely disgusted at what was happening. He made no mistake, these men were pigs, and he would not hesitate to put them down. Perseus growled once more. Was this what the outside world was like? Why did the gods allow this to happen? Where were the gods that the people worshipped? Why the fuck wasn't Athena here to protect her daughter?
"And why, may I ask, do you dirty pigs feel the need to procreate with this young girl?" Perseus snarled.
The men turned, surprised at the sudden intruder, before narrowing their eyes.
"What the fuck does procreate mean? Fuck you. We just wanna use her for pleasure," one of the men said, glancing at the girl lecherously.
"Yeah, mind your own business kid. If you want a turn, you can wait patiently until we're done with her. Though I doubt the little slut will be as tight though," another man added, drawing lecherous chuckles from the other men.
At this, Perseus' blood began to boil. He couldn't believe these vile creatures, assuming that he would want a turn. It was a blatant disrespect to his nature and his dignity. His eyes flashed a blood red, before he pulled out his black sword. In a flash, he dashed to the first man, easily cutting his head off, before stabbing the next man directly into his stomach. He made sure to twist the sword before pulling it out, a dark smile of satisfaction on his face as he watched the man fall to the ground, clutching his stomach as he bled to death. The other two men backed up fearfully at the unnatural show of power. Perseus once again dashed in with inhuman speed, his sword a blur as he slashed and cut the third man. The man quickly crumpled, succumbing to his numerous injuries, his soul descending to the Underworld.
The final man, still with his belt halfway undone, had picked up a broken bottle from the ground. His small beady eyes held fear, but there remained a small glint of evil as he sneered.
"The fuck do you think you are kid," he snarled, waving the bottle.
Perseus didn't reply as he walked forwards toward the man with a silent fury burning in his eyes. The man panicked, and swung the bottle at Perseus. Perseus didn't dodge, instead grabbing the man's wrist and swiftly breaking it in one motion. Before the pain could even register, Perseus had punched the man hard, breaking his nose on impact. The man stumbled backwards, trying to hold his nose and cradle his broken wrist at the same time.
The man tried to sneer, but Perseus was already upon him, intent on releasing his anger. Fist after fist were hammered into the man. Skin was torn, bones were broken, and blood was flowing freely. The man was a mangled heap as the slaughter of blows continued to rain down. Finally, Perseus stopped. He was breathing heavily, although not due to fatigue. The man was a bloody mess, but he looked up to Perseus, a grimace on his face as he attempted to sneer.
"Who…, who the fuck are you?" he choked out, blood spilling out of his mouth.
Perseus crouched down, staring straight into the harsh eyes of the bloody man.
"My name is Perseus," Perseus replied.
The dying man looked up at Perseus in hatred.
"Perseus," he repeated, tasting the name on his blood-soaked lips. He drew one last raspy breath, before spitting at Perseus. The pathetic mix of blood and saliva arced, before it hit Perseus in the face. Perseus recoiled from the man, wiping away the spit, as the body finally slumped, the harsh light in the body's eyes leaving behind only emptiness.
As Perseus' anger faded away, the sudden backlash of his actions flooded his mind. He staggered backwards before slumping against a wall. He had just killed 4 men, brutally, and the scariest part was that for a moment, he had enjoyed it. His head suddenly felt dizzy, and he suddenly turned to the side, retching onto the ground (A/N Yes gods can vomit, they would vomit ambrosia or something). His vomit mixed together with the pools of blood, painting a disgusting mess onto the ground.
A quiet whimper drew Perseus out of his musings. Oh shit! He quickly turned to the small girl, who was looking at him with wide eyes, clutching her stomach as she eyed the gory mess.
"Hi?" Perseus asked, before mentally slapping himself in the forehead. Great job Perseus, saying hi after brutally murdering four adults in front of a girl who doesn't even know you.
The girl continued to stare at Perseus with wide eyes.
"So, uh, I guess I heard your scream and I came to save you?" he stated lamely. "Uh, well my name is Perseus, but you probably already heard it just before that guy died," he said, staring at the bloody corpse awkwardly. Dang, wrong thing to say. "So uh, I guess I can heal you," he said, staring at her cuts and bruises. He made his way over to the girl, but she quickly whimpered and tried to move away.
He stopped moving. "I'm just trying to help you," he said. He called on his powers of the hearth to send a soothing aura towards the girl, who visibly relaxed. Slowly, he once again made his way towards the girl, who made no move to escape, although she held doubt in her eyes. He reached out with his palms toward the girl's forehead, and his hands glowed a warm orange. The cuts and bruises on the girl faded, and she let out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, the girl hugged Perseus tightly, surprising Perseus.
"Thank you for saving me Percy," she said. Perseus didn't bother correcting his name.
"Come, we should leave," Perseus said, gently prying the girl off of him. He waved his hand, and in a flash, the corpses in the alley turned to ash, which then blew away as a gust of wind entered the alley. The blood and vomit also disappeared, and Perseus and the girl's clothes were clean, leaving behind no traces of the incident.
Perseus picked up the girl and placed her on his shoulders as walked out the alley, the girl giggling.
"So what's your name?" Perseus asked the girl perched on his shoulders.
"My name is Chloe," she replied.
"Well Chloe, it is nice to meet you mademoiselle," he said, causing the little girl to laugh.
As Perseus walked away with Chloe on his shoulders, he never noticed a guard, who had witnessed the whole ordeal in the alley, walk away swiftly.
BREAK
"So Chloe, where are your parents?" Perseus asked.
"Well, I don't really care where my stepmom is," she replied with a huff.
"Why not?" Perseus asked curiously.
Chloe huffed again, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "She spends all day sleeping with other men, and she left me alone with my father," she spat out, emphasizing the word father.
Perseus decided not to ask, yet.
"Would you still take me to your stepmother? You still need to go back to your family." Perseus said.
"Fine." Chloe said.
She began to steer Perseus through the streets. As they walked through the city, Perseus took notice of the drop in building quality, as well as the increase in shady figures. Finally, they stopped in front of a large area. There were tents scattered everywhere, and based on the many sounds of pleasure emanating from inside the tents, Perseus knew what type of place it was. He almost threw up, the thought of sex, simply for the pleasure and the money was completely against Perseus' morals. He believe that sex should only be between people who loved and trusted each other.
He shuddered as they continued to walk, weaving among the tents. Many women wearing skimpy clothes stared at him sultrily, licking their lips and beckoning him over to their tents. He simply ignored them, focusing instead on the sole purpose of finding Chloe's stepmom. Finally, they reached a tent where loud slapping sounds and moans of pleasure could be heard from within.
Perseus grunted in disgust, before setting Chloe down into the ground gently.
"Stay out here for a sec, ok Chloe? I'll tell you when to come in." Perseus said.
He walked into the tent. It was quite simple on the inside: a mirror, some mats, and clothes strewn around. There was a simple mattress in the middle of the tent, which was currently in use. A woman and a man were joined at the hips, too deep in pleasure to notice Perseus. He looked at them, disgust etched on his face, before impatiently clearing his throat. Startled, the man and the woman looked up at the glowering man.
"Who the fuck are you?" the man spat. "I paid good money to enjoy this," he said, gesturing at the naked woman, "so stop interrupting me and wait your goddamn turn."
Perseus snarled. "I wouldn't even be here if I had a choice, but I have come here for other matters." he said, casting a disdainful look at the woman.
"I don't give a fuck," the man spat, as he once again started to move his hips.
Perseus growled, flashing his sword out black sword out.
The man paled quickly at the sight of the sword, before grabbing his clothes and running out the tent.
"Put on some clothes," he growled at the woman.
She stood up, and began to walk sultrily over to him, ignoring his command.
"Hey baby," she purred, tracing a finger down his chest, "for a hot man like you, I'd be willing to do it for free."
Perseus quickly shoved her away, turning away in disgust.
"Get dressed, so that you can at least be moderate in front of your daughter," he said.
He heard the woman mutter angrily, before clothes began to rustle, in which he hoped she was putting her clothes on.
"I'm modest now," she said, now wearing a small chiton.
Perseus turned around, before calling out: "Chloe, you can come in now."
Chloe walked in slowly, a small frown marring her face when she spotted her stepmom.
Her stepmom scowled when saw the girl, her sultry personality quickly disappearing. She raised an eyebrow.
"Why did you bring the little brat here? She questioned. "If she got in trouble, just send her to the guards, I don't have anything to do with her," she said.
Chloe stared at her mother angrily, but Perseus could see the hurt in her eyes. Even if she did not like her stepmother, she was still a child, and it was difficult when her very own stepmother disregarded her.
He himself was also struggling to understand how one's mother, albeit step, could not love or even respect their own child.
"Look," Perseus said, struggling to stay calm, "I just came by just to drop her off. You are her mother, and you should take care of her."
"I don't care about her, the only reason I even have half a mind to not throw out on the streets is because of my relationship with her father." she responded curtly.
Perseus growled once more, feeling his anger rise at the woman in front of him. Before he could vent his anger, he felt a small hand tug his arm. He looked down to see Chloe, staring at him with her big grey eyes.
She shook her head. "Please don't hurt her Percy."
Perseus froze, his mind conflicted. Finally, he sighed, relenting.
"Only for you Chloe," he said, ruffling the girl's hair. She smiled back at him.
He turned to her stepmother. "If you won't take her, then I'll take her to her father," he said. "If you could kindly tell us where he is, we'll be on our way."
She scoffed. "That drunkard's probably passed out in a bar."
He noticed Chloe looked down sadly as she said that.
"Well, thanks I guess," he said. He took Chloe's hand and they exited the tent.
BREAK
Perseus and Chloe walked around the city, or at least one of them was walking. The other was piggyback riding. They were looking around the city for bars where Chloe's father could be in.
Perseus had noted that Chloe had been significantly more subdued after the encounter with her stepmother. Perseus had an inkling that it had something to do with her father, something that he had neglected to ask her about.
"So Chloe," he began, "I know you might be feeling a bit down, and talking with someone might help. I'm not forcing you to talk with anyone, but I just want to let you know that you can talk to me."
Chloe looked at him for a moment, her large grey eyes searching his, before she seemed to have come to a decision.
"People tell me that my dad used to be intelligent, funny, handsome and charming," she said quietly, so much so that even with his enhanced godly hearing he had trouble hearing her. "They said that he was one of the best scholars, but was also humble and kind."
She paused for a moment.
"By the time I was born, he was already drinking heavily. Apparently, he had been terribly heartbroken by my real mother, and he became a shell of his former self." She hugged his head a little tighter. "He was always angry at me, because he said I always reminded him of her," she said, tears now forming in her eyes. Perseus reached up and patter her comfortingly as salty tears dropped onto his head. Athena, Perseus thought, growling quietly.
"For what it's worth," Perseus said quietly, "I think that you are who you are, Chloe, and you shouldn't let others define you."
They continued walking in silence, as Chloe cried her tears away. Eventually, they found themselves in front of a small, shabby-looking bar.
"We're here Chloe," Perseus said gently. Chloe's tears had already been reduced to a few occasional sniffs, something that Persues hoped meant that she had healed, at least a little.
Perseus pushed open the doors, and they walked into the bar.
The first thing that hit Percy was the smell. It stunk, to put it simply. There was a musty smell, no doubt from mold, and a sort of musky smell that seemed to be a mix of alcohol, piss, and some other unidentifiable smell. He scrunched his nose, trying to block off the smell.
He looked around the small area, noticing a few scraggly men that were too drunk to even notice them. Finally, his eyes landed on a man in the corner of the bar. He was busy drinking a bottle of wine, and when he finally put the bottle back on the table, Perseus could see his face clearly. The man's once blue eyes were bloodshot, his nose crooked as if broken multiple times. His face was gaunt and haggard, yet, he had sharp cheekbones and a proud chin, suggesting that he was once a handsome man. He had messy stubble lining his jaw, and a mop of brownish-grey hair, a faded remnant of once blonde hair.
He looked to Chloe for confirmation, and she nodded her head meekly, a glint of fear in her large eyes as she looked at her father.
He walked up to the man, careful not to seem too threatening. The man looked up at him, his eyes flicking to Chloe sitting on his shoulders.
"Hi, you must be Chloe's father right?" he asked, nodding politely.
The man paused for a moment, obviously drunk. Then suddenly, he stood up. "That brat! Hah! Stupid good-for-nothing reminder!" he cried, swaying on his feet. He raised his hand, and Chloe flinched. Perseus realized that the man had hit Chloe, and he felt the anger that he had been holding in start to boil once more.
"Why did you bring her to me? Leave her on the streets!" he cried.
"Did you know that she was almost raped?" Perseus said quietly, gritting his teeth.
"Hah! The little slut deserves it! She deserves it for everything she did to me!" the man said, growing angrier. Suddenly, he smashed his bottle onto the table, and a piece of glass flew off, cutting Chloe on the cheek. She cried out at the pain, and Perseus snapped. In a flash, he had the man pinned against the wall, his hand wrapped tightly around his throat. The man trashed and struggled, but it was useless against the enraged god.
"Please…" the man choked. But Perseus paid no attention.
"You," he growled, "You dare hurt your very own daughter? A girl who was born into this world having done nothing wrong!? Your very own blood!?". Perseus let this foreign feeling, the burning hatred in him spread.
"You," he whispered, his eyes full of malice, "don't deserve to live."
He crushed the man's neck.
It was swift and brutal, the man's life had left already by the time Perseus released the body. Perseus, anger ebbing, dimly began to notice an ugly sound. It rang, echoing off the molded walls of the bar. Finally, his head cleared, and the sound made itself known in full force. A girl was crying, sobbing, screaming. He turned, and saw Chloe, on her knees, crying.
He reached his hand out tentatively. "Chloe…"
Her head snapped towards him, her large grey eyes wide with fear at the sight of him. He stumbled backwards, feeling as though a knife was being stabbed through his heart. At that moment, something inside of Perseus died. He had killed her father, and now she hated him. He stumbled away from the crying girl, his very own tears threatening to spill. No, he would still help her, even if she hated him.
He closed his eyes, praying to his mother, Hestia.
Hello? Perseus? He heard her say in his head.
Hi mom. There is a little girl here, and she has not one to take care of her. He winced. I was hoping that you could find somewhere for her.
Perseus, is there anything that you are hiding from me?
Perseus winced again. I… I tell you later.
Hestia seemed to understand. Fine. I will take her to the Hunters of Artemis.
Them? Perseus scoffed. The man-hating idiots?
Yes them, and watch your language young man. They might hate males, but they will treat her like family.
Fine. Perseus sighed. Thanks mom.
He turned back to Chloe, only to see her knelt down by her father's body, still crying. He looked at her sadly, not sure what to say, if there was anything to say at all.
A flash of orange flames signified the arrival of Hestia, who knelt by the crying girl. Slowly, she picked up the girl, comforting her. Hestia gave Perseus a hard look that said, We'll talk later. She and the crying girl left in a flash of flames.
Perseus walked over to the dead body of Chloe's father, and knelt down, staring at the body. Rage bubbled once again as he looked at the man who had abused Chloe, but the anger soon turned to pity. He pitied this man, who was once successful, and who had turned alcoholic after a goddess had left him. At that moment, he hated the gods, who thought they were better than mere mortals, and who cared only for their own pleasure and not for the families they left behind.
He waved his hand, and the man's body was cleaned and wrapped in a simple white shroud. Then, with a snap of his fingers, the shroud burned up in flames, the bitter ash dispersing like a dying breath.
Perseus stood up shakily, his eyes closed as if everything would be a dream when he opened them. As he opened his eyes, unbeknownst to himself, the sparkle of warmth that once lit his eyes was gone. Alas, he still found himself standing in the ever-stinky bar, a smell he would hope to forget for years to come.
Slowly, he walked his way to the door of the bar, wondering if he would simply end his day in the city. He certainly was not in the mood. He pushed open the doors, and found himself face to face with 50 spears.
BREAK
The city's guards had come. After the one guard had witnessed Perseus kill 4 men in cold blood, he immediately ran off to tell the queen of the obvious threat that this man posed. They had told him to trail the man and bring him to them, preferably alive.
They had followed him all the way to the bar, and after the commotion inside, they decided to capture him.
"Halt!" a man said. Perseus assumed he must be of a higher rank, due to the better quality of his armor. Perseus stopped for a moment, looking at the fifty or so soldiers, all with their spears pointed at him.
"We are under orders from the queen herself to bring you to trial for the killing of four men!" the man continued. "Come with us peacefully, or else we will have to use force."
Those men were pigs, he thought, but he refrained from saying it out loud. He did wonder why the king wasn't mentioned, but he didn't think much of it. Perseus looked around at the guards, and he really did not want to fight nor kill any of them. He supposed it would be interesting to meet the royalty anyways, and plus he could always flash out if he wanted to. Deep in his heart, the main reason that Perseus allowed himself to be taken was that he did feel guilty for killing those men, even if they deserved it.
He nodded to the guards, and held up his hands.
"I'll come with you peacefully," he said. "For now," he added, too quiet for anyone to hear.
Two guards came up to Perseus and bound his hands with cuffs. They proceeded to shove Perseus forward as they escorted him through the city. He certainly felt important, walking through the city with almost 50 guards around him. All the people in the streets turned to the group, watching and whispering, no doubt wondering why this 19 year old was surrounded by 50 guards.
Perseus took the time to marvel at the city. The closer they got to the palace, the grander the buildings became. Finally, they reached the palace. Perseus looked up at the massive white building, far larger than any building in the city. The group stopped for a moment outside the gates, before the gates opened and they walked in. The massive marble pillars loomed even larger the closer they got. They walked up to the palace's grand doors flanked by two guards wearing royal armor. After a few exchanged words with the leading soldier, the doors swung open, and they walked into the magnificent palace.
Perseus stared at the interior of the palace in wonder. Although it was not quite as large as Hestia's palace, it was still impressive for a mortal-built palace. They walked towards the throne room. There were two large thrones, one of which was currently occupied.
The room was long, and there were royal guards lining the sides of the room, as well as a few standing near the thrones. Many of the guards around Perseus began to leave, leaving behind only the higher ranking one and four others who walked closely around Perseus. As they neared the thrones, Perseus was finally able to see the figure on the throne clearly. A beautiful woman sat atop the throne, her blue eyes gazing intently at him, so much so that he felt just a smidge uncomfortable.
The queen was a beautiful woman. She had full plump lips, high cheekbones, alluring blue eyes, and luscious waves of blonde hair. Her body, Perseus admitted, was just as exquisite, her white dress outlining her slim curves in all the right places.
The guards finally stopped in front of the queen, all dropping to a knee and bowing. Perseus, though, remained standing, his brown eyes locked onto the blue ones of the queen. He noticed a cold, calculating, and almost predatory look in her eyes as she stared at him. Their stare down was finally interrupted by the guard who had risen from his knee.
"Your highness, we have brought this man to you. He is accused of killing four men in cold blood." the guard said.
The queen looked at the man for a second, before she waved her hand.
"Leave, I will handle him," she said.
The guard bowed, and gestured to the other guards to leave. The queen once again waved her hand in the air nonchalantly,
"But milady, we are not to leave you," a royal guard protested.
She turned her intense gaze to the royal guard. "Leave," she harshly commanded, "that is an order."
The royal guard paled, and then bowed stiffly. He gestured to all the other royal guards in the room, and they all left the room.
The only people remaining were Perseus and the queen. Once again the queen turned her intense gaze to Perseus, trailing his body top to bottom in a way that made Perseus uncomfortable. She licked her lips, a predatory grin spreading on her face.
"What is your name, warrior?"
Perseus paused, he wasn't sure what her intentions were, but he decided to play along.
"My name is Perseus. And I am not a warrior, I only killed the men because they had malicious intentions."
The queen stood slowly, her body swaying.
"Malicious intents, pure intents, they are all the same to me." she said, slowly moving closer to Perseus. "All I care about is how you killed them, easily," she continued, hips sashaying.
"You must be… a powerful man." she purred. They were now uncomfortably close. Perseus could feel the heat rising.
"Big, strong, powerful," she purred, their faces almost touching, her hot breath tickling his cheek.
She slowly traced her lips lightly along his jaw, ending at his ear, before pulling away.
"How would you like," she said, her cool breath contrasting with the increasing heat, "to help me." She had moved behind Perseus, and he felt her press her lithe body against his back, her slim arms wrapping around his chest. They were both panting. Sweat dripped down Perseus' forehead.
"I could use someone powerful like you, to help overthrow the king…" she said, tracing her hands across his muscled chest, and around his abs. "And I would... greatly reward you.." she said, once again moving in front of Perseus, her curved body pressing grinding tightly against his hard muscled body. She moved her lips slowly, until they were tantalizingly close to his lips, close enough that he could almost taste her lips.
Perseus shook his head, trying to clear the lust, before lightly pushing the queen off of himself.
"Wait, so you want me to kill the king? Isn't he your husband?"
The queen looked mildly annoyed at the sudden lack of contact with Perseus, before she scowled.
"The king? I don't care about him! I hold no love for him. He married me for my looks, and I married him for the power. If I have to kill my own husband for power, then so be it," she snarled.
She seemed to have realized her loss of composure, and she quickly replaced it with a sultry look. She once again walked back towards Perseus, slowly pressing her body against his. "All you need to do is help me. After he is dead, you can be my right hand. And I'm sure that there will be many other benefits.." She rubbed her soft body against his chest, looking up at him with an innocent wide-eyed expression in her blue eyes.
Perseus growled. He could feel his anger towards this vain power hungry woman, but more prominently was the lust he felt. He couldn't ignore how good it felt to have her body pressed against his, and how stimulated he felt.
With a snap, Perseus broke his cuffs with his godly strength. He grabbed the queen's arms and pinned her into a wall aggressively. The queen looked up at him, and for the first time a hint of fear shone in her eyes as she looked into his smoldering pink eyes. Pink? She thought before she felt him lean his heavy body into her soft body, his muscles crushing her tightly against the wall. She couldn't stop the moan that escaped her lips, and the undeniable pleasure that was rolling in waves throughout her body.
"You whore," he growled quitely, sending shivers up her spine. "So willing to seduce a man for power. Perhaps, I should just take you like the whore you are," he whispered, his powerful legs spreading hers slightly as she whimpered quietly in fear, and pleasure. Every inch of her body that was being pressed by him felt like it was on fire, so powerful that it was burning deep into her core.
Suddenly, the doors burst open and a voice cried out: "STOP! Unhand her at once or die!"
Perseus turned, dropping the queen's limp body to the ground, her mind unable to process the waves of pleasure that still flowed through her. He noticed a middle-aged man with a crown on his head with his sword drawn, and a group of royal guards behind him.
"How dare you attempt to rape the queen! For that you will die!" the king cried.
"How dare YOU interrupt me!" Perseus roared back. "Your whore of a queen is a manipulative bitch and she deserved it!"
The king's face turned red with fury, and he charged Perseus with his sword. Perseus roared. A single, unearthly roar erupted from his being that seemed to shake the very earth itself. His mist disguise slowly blew away, and his once pink eyes furiously changed into a deep blood crimson. He snarled at the king, who was now frozen after seeing Perseus' true form.
Perseus leapt at the king with the grace of a rhino, not even bothering to draw his sword. The king panicked and swung his sword, to which Perseus simply batted it away with his bare hand, uncaring of the gash it left. He swung a wild punch at the king, which connected with a thud against his head. Perseus was already on the king. He was punching, clawing, kicking, biting, his usual fighting grace gone and only pure animalistic rage remaining. Blood was splattered everywhere as Perseus stood up, throwing the king's dead body away. He turned towards the royal guards, all who were frozen in shock.
Perseus felt the warm blood splattered on his body. It dripped and flowed down his face and his hands, and he reveled in the feeling.
He laughed. He was drunk on bloodlust.
The guards looked on at the bloody man who had just ripped their king apart approaching them, a maniacal grin on his face. He was beautiful, and the blood dripping from him seemed only to accentuate the bloody beauty, like an angel of blood who had descended from the deepest reaches of heaven (or hell?).
Perseus laughed again when he saw the guards, frozen in place and unable to tear their eyes off of him. The next moments were a blur. Perseus danced among the blood, swinging and clawing, laughing as the blood rained down upon him. He felt rejuvenated, invigorated as he bathed in the liquid of life, relishing in its metallic scent, tasting the life flowing away. His eyes glowed red as he unleashed his fury. He was in a paradise of blood.
Soon, Perseus ran out of opponents. All that remained of them were body parts, scattered among the blood. The entire throne room was painted red. Perseus stood in the middle of it all, his chest rising and falling, his blood red eyes glowing, until they slowly dimmed back to the normal swirl of colours. His bloodlust faded as well. And Perseus could only stare numbly at the carnage that he had released. Melting into the shadows, Perseus disappeared.
BREAK
He reappeared in a forest. Birds chirped, animals chittered, and sunlight filtered through the trees. Perseus could care less.
THUNK
He punched the nearest tree, the bark crunching and giving way to his fist. The tree broke clean off and was sent crashing through the forest.
How could the world be such a cruel place?
He let loose a blast of flames, instantly burning a large swath of the forest to ashes.
Chloe huddled in a corner, men grinning lecherously.
He slammed his body into a tree, his shoulder breaking the tree.
Prostitutes.
He rammed his head straight through a tree, ignorant of the sharp wood cutting his head.
A glass shard striking Chloe in the cheek.
He unleashed another blast of fire, charring everything in a straight line.
The fear in her eyes as she looked at him.
He punched a rock that crumbled to dust.
The stupid lust-filled power-hungry queen. How could I have given in so easily?
He kicked a tree, his leg bruising and the tree crashing to the ground.
The blood.
He stopped, remembering the bloodlust he was in. It was, in a way, pure ecstasy. He screamed in frustration, releasing a massive ring of fire that spread away from him. Everything in its way was immediately burned, leaving behind only piles of ash and blackened earth.
Perseus stumbled slightly, his body covered in many bruises and cuts, flecked with ichor. Finally he collapsed, utterly mentally and physically drained. At that moment, he hated the world. He hated everything about it, and how easy it was to become corrupted.
Slowly, with his turbulent thoughts swirling in his mind, his eyes began to close and darkness overcame his mind. In the middle of blackened ashes, he slowly drifted away to the realm of unconsciousness, leaving behind thousands of angry dryads.
A/N: Character dev. I guess. Developing his character and his views on the world. Onwards we go.
