Hello all, long time no see! I've re-uploaded this chapter because I reread the original and really did not like it. Anyway, on with the story!
Disclaimer: All rights to PJO and HoO go to Rick Riordan.
A Battle Long Forgotten
12th Century B.C.: Trojan War Era
"Such imbeciles tread upon this earth, ungrateful fools," a hooded figure murmured as he watched the war waging below him. A barely audible sigh escaped his lips; glowing, blood red eyes flashed beneath his hood; the world shuddered with such a condescending declaration and such an ominous exhalation.
"You pray to me now, sycophants. How you spite me so. Where have those cruel curses departed? It was just a few years past that my name was but a blemish in your miserable lives. I am no god of victory, and I refuse to grant what I am not at liberty to give." Perseus stood from his isolated place perched on the Trojan wall, scanning the war-torn landscape as endless armored droves clashing outside the great city. Men turned their biting steel upon other men, bloodlust clouding their eyes, minds, and hearts. No doubt it was the doing of Ares, long since known as the destroyer of men.
The cries of battle rang on as Perseus was calmly strolled along the towering walls of Priam's grand city when child's soft whimper far below captured his attention. Perseus sprung down with the delicacy and stealth of a sprite, an overwhelming urge to protect seizing his mind, overpowering even the constant assault of hatred's power within his core. He slowly edged along the alley to scout the source of the child's distress, murderous intent foremost in his mind. The sound of a gruff voice around the corner forced Perseus to a halt.
"Quiet, wench! Make another noise, and you'll regret ever coming into this world!" There was a smack and a muffled groan. The man scoffed and continued, "Weak! But that face o' yers will fetch a decent price, I reckon."
Perseus' fists clenched as he caught on to the situation. The wave of protection crested and crashed, washing the god of destruction up in a burst of fury. All the hatred from the earth's last millennium slowly slipped from Perseus' commanding grip, building up in the form of a vengeful god's rage, and Perseus did nothing to reign it back in.
Perseus' dark emotions swirled almost tangibly through the air as he drew the hand-and-a-half sword draped across his back, advancing menacingly on the scene. He snarled as a cowardly whimper tore from the man, whom Perseus identified as a flea-bitten Trojan Army mutt. Said "dog" arrogantly recovered and stupidly approached the furious god. He then started shouting something to Perseus, the reek of alcohol mingling with the energy-infused air. The soldier finally gave up the show of intimidation and drew his own sword, wobbling precariously in a drunken haze.
Perseus finally lifted his gaze to drill into the soldier's skull, eyes attaining a new, violent shade of crimson that pierced the darkness of the night. The soldier faltered at the sight.
"Step away from the girl, you cur!" Perseus spat, staring down at the sad excuse of a man with a wolf-like glare.
"W-What's it to ya? I ain't gotta listen to yer empty threats!"
"Empty, hmm?" Perseus almost purred, voice dripping with false calm, "Whatever you say, but you will not be leaving here alive."
"Who're ya to say that?"
"I? I am Perseus, the god of hatred and your destruction." Perseus drew down the hood of his cloak, fully revealing his fierce, aristocratic features, the last sight for the disgraced warrior who slowly sank to the ground.
Within moments, the Trojan soldier was unconscious, and Perseus did nothing to reign in his rage. Prepared to deal the final blow, Perseus suddenly felt a soft tug on the hem of his cloak. The god turned to face whatever had halted his onslaught and was horrified to see the little girl whom he just saved. She was crying and begging for him to stop, teary eyes peering bravely into his own glowing orbs.
Perseus froze. He had not a clue what to do in the situation. The realization that he had mentally scarred a child dimly dawned upon his brain, but his mind at that point was far too preoccupied. The rage and hatred still raged continuously through his veins and were screaming for total release. "Turn around and go home," he growled, glaring darkly at the soldier and flashing out, finally releasing all control he had on his powers as soon as he reappeared in the midst of the Trojan troops.
After the encounter in the alley, Perseus' opinion had turned against Priam's men. If a soldier was able to sell someone from his own city, these were a people not to be helped. The false impressions and pent up anger developing after centuries of hatred and prejudice from all of mankind finally overflowed, blinding Perseus to reason and driving him to extremes.
As Perseus reappeared in the battlefield, he let out a feral howl as an explosion of red energy diffused outward. However, the armies were untouched as a shimmering shield materialized around him and absorbed the destructive power. The mortal armies quickly gained their bearings and charged, aiming now for the rogue god. Before Perseus could refocus, the Trojans had surrounded him. However, he remained unfazed as a sick grin firmly plastered onto his face, hatred continuing to influence his mind.
Drawing his hand-and-a-half sword and loosening the sheath, Perseus lowered himself into a battle stance, crouched and ready to pounce. As the Trojans charged, centuries of combat training finally kicked in. Honed battle skills, natural fighting instincts, and the power of hatred had combined and were now ready to consume the Trojans in a brilliant shower of flames. A storm had broken, and there was nothing that the Trojans could have done to stop it.
Sensing their impending dooms, the Trojans fell back rapidly and were close to retreating back to their city's fortified walls, yet something held them back. Something inspired them to stand their ground against the demented god. It may have been Hope or Fate, or it was the result of sheer human stupidity. Whatever the case, the soldiers held out just long enough.
The god of destruction slashed wildly, only to immediately raise both sword and sheath to defend against two simultaneous blows. The attacks were inhuman in their force and speed, and Perseus was forced to dig his heels into the ground to withstand the blow.
"What gods are foolish enough to stand in my way?" he growled under his breath, panting slightly as he attempted to gain an upper hand. Perseus grunted as he disengaged his weapons and jumped back, just barely outside the range of attack for both gods. As the eldest god's fogged brain attempted to analyze the situation, one of the opposing gods entered his line of sight.
It was a goddess; Perseus' demented brain told him that much. Before he could gather his bearings any further, the goddess was closing in again with the speed and grace of a deer. In two bounds, she was directly before him, directly within striking distance.
Clang!
The collision of metal on metal echoed jarringly across the hushed battlefield. The dust cleared to reveal the two deities' weapons locked in an intricate arrangement. A feint to the side from the goddess' hunting knife had failed, having been blocked by the opposing god's sword sheath. A direct strike to the neck had been intercepted by the sword blade itself.
Perseus gritted his teeth in frustration as he found himself unable to disengage. Any movement would leave him vulnerable to attack. The only consolation was that the same could be said for the unnamed goddess.
"Stop this madness, Perseus," The goddess' commanding voice demanded. It was familiar, that much was certain for Perseus, yet he could not remember the owner in his confused state.
His only response was to release a deranged snarl and attempt to press back the flashing silver hunting knives. "So be it," the goddess muttered to herself.
Suddenly, a scuffling of feet behind him alerted Perseus to another enemy presence. Left with no choice, Perseus kicked one of the hunting knives away, momentarily freeing his sheath to intercept a sword strike aimed at his back.
There was a stinging pain in his leg a second later, and Perseus clenched his jaw as he felt the ichor flow freely out of the wound. However, he would not go down so easily. In one fluid motion, Perseus caught the newcomer's blade with his own, taking control easily. With the other god's sword locked firmly, Perseus yanked his sword backward, sneering at the muffled thump of the other god's weapon as it literally bit the dust.
A split second later, Perseus' blade was positioned millimeters away from his disarmed opponent's throat. "Freeze! Move and he dies!" the god of destruction glared condescendingly at the defeated god and the goddess. The fighting around them ceased as the Trojans and Greeks watched one of the Olympian gods be forced to his knees so easily by a hated minor god.
"Let Apollo go!" the goddess before him demanded, shooting Perseus death glares, but not moving an inch.
"Or you'll do what, goddess?" Perseus mocked, "Face the truth. These filthy Trojans will be obliterated today, and there is nothing you can do about it."
"What happened to your neutrality in this war?"
"Neutrality? That disappeared the moment one of those curs tried to sell a girl from their own city!" Perseus snarled and lunged at the gathering crowd of Trojans as his anger was reawakened, completely ignoring the other two deities. The power of hatred rose up for an encore, this time stronger than ever before.
The air around Perseus was shimmering with an oppressive force; everything once again was tinged red as the last burst of out-of-control powers diffused outward rapidly. The god of destruction lashed out at the Trojans, striking ferociously at the first row of soldiers. Artemis quickly snapped her fingers, and the shimmering shield from earlier solidified around him once more, protecting the Trojan soldiers from any harm. Noticing that his attacks didn't land, Perseus turned to charge forward recklessly, but something flashed right in front of his charge.
The figure focused in Perseus' eyes; it was the goddess again, auburn hair shining in the moonlight, silver eyes glinting with determination.
"S-Silver…" the rational part of Perseus' brain sparked back to life. Memories of ages past flashed through his mind. In the fully grown goddess' place, there stood her 12-year-old self after Perseus had saved her from falling out of that tree. The fear reflected in those unique silver eyes was something Perseus wished to never see again. Artemis then morphed into her 18-year-old form: the first time she met him. The guarded curiosity in those same eyes intrigued Perseus on sight, and he had no greater wish than to break down that barrier of weariness. That scene then faded away to be replaced with the pleading brown eyes of the girl he had saved earlier. Her begging for him to stop resounded through his skull, and the protective instinct flared inside of him.
At that moment, something inside Perseus clicked securely back in place, and recognition made its way to his eyes as they widened considerably. But control came slightly too late for this particular god. He was unable to stop his momentum in time, but the ability to redirect the blade still functioned partially. Instead of spearing Artemis straight through the chest, he managed to point the blade outward, barreling past Artemis a moment later.
But a sharp inhalation from said goddess turned Perseus' attention to her, and he stared in horror as she clutched her arm, futilely applying pressure to the bleeding wound.
The battlefield was hushed; not a soul dared to move. A goddess had just tried protecting the Trojans at the risk of endangering her life. An act such as that had been yet unheard of until that point. The Trojan troops were humbled; even the Greeks could find no more reason to fight that day.
Distantly, Perseus heard Hector and Menelaus call for their men to retreat. The sound of footsteps and the clanking of armor slowly faded away. Thus the massive battle ended without so much as a lost life. But the god of destruction only had eyes for the moon goddess currently dripping ichor onto the ground.
He took a step forward, hoping to do something to heal the wound, but a shout from behind stopped him in his tracks.
"Get away from her!" Apollo gripped his sword tightly in his hand, glaring at Perseus as he marched toward the two. "I will heal her myself!"
Perseus stared guiltily down at his feet as he stepped back, "Of course, god of medicine. I may not grant that which I am not in possession of, which includes the ability to help others."
Apollo snarled as he passed, "You sure as Hades are incapable of doing good. Move an inch, and you will taste my true power."
Perseus steadily gazed into Apollo's equally unwavering glare before releasing a defeated sigh, averting his gaze to the ground once more, "I cannot explain my actions today. There are no words to describe the horrors I inflicted on the Trojans and you two as well. However, just know that I did not intend for this to occur, especially to the two beings who are the closest things to friends I have on this earth."
There was a pause as Apollo worked on cleaning his twin's wound. Then, "You speak the truth," Perseus let out the breath he had not known he was holding, "but you have done nothing to gain our trust."
"As to be expected, but please accept my sincerest apologies on this matter."
Apollo humphed and conjured a chunk of ambrosia, which Artemis ate silently, apparently lost in thought. The three returned to silence as they watched the wound seal itself.
"Until next time, Lord Perseus," Apollo nodded curtly and prepared to flash away.
Perseus frowned and quickly called out right as Apollo disappeared in a burst of light, "Farewell, Apollo. And enough with the 'Lord.' I call you Apollo, so you call me Perseus."
There was a pause after Apollo's departure where Artemis scrutinized Perseus before saying, "You are a strange man, Perseus. Humble, kind (albeit a bit of a nuisance), loyal, dedicated; those are not qualities many males possess."
"Th-Thank you?" Perseus answered, slightly perplexed.
"Oh, it was not an insult or a complement, simply an observation gathered from the time I have spent with you."
"I see. Well, it was a pleasure speaking with you again. Your insight was much appreciated, Milady." Perseus bowed lavishly, "Again, I apologize for the injury I inflicted upon you."
"You were not in control; no apology needed. And what you told my brother about calling you 'Lord' goes for me as well," the moon goddess chided.
"Of course, Milady," Perseus added with a cheeky grin, watching satisfactorily as the goddess rolled her eyes.
"A nuisance, for sure," Artemis muttered to herself, then she crossed her arms and peered straight into the god of destruction's pure, sea blue eyes and said softly, "Your powers are within and a part of yourself. You need not live in constant fear of them: to live like that would be such a waste of an eternity. Accept them, but control them. If you do so, I can guarantee today's events will never be repeated. Zeus shall be calling for your blood once he hears of your actions today. Prepare yourself for a meeting with the council."
Artemis flashed him a quick smile before disappearing in a shower of silver, leaving Perseus slack-jawed, staring on in wonder.
The god of hatred questioned pensively, "How can a goddess so much younger than I possess so much wisdom and insight?" He disappeared in a flash of red light, just as the first rays of sunlight bathed the blood-soaked battlefield with the hope of a new day.
Olympus was in a frenzy when Perseus arrived in the throne room. The Olympians who were not recovering from their fierce battle just hours before were arguing heatedly amongst themselves. As Perseus appeared just as Zeus teleported in with a flash of lightning and clap of thunder, a hush descended upon the occupants as they waited for the reaction of their king. The King of the Gods' electric blue eyes crackled with loathing as he gazed at Perseus. Then, in a highly abrupt and uncharacteristic jump to the core of the matter, he boomed, "Perseus, for your actions against the Olympians and the attempt on the lives of men, I hereby sentence you to eternity in Tartarus."
Perseus, who had until this point, remained respectfully silent, yet alert, opened his mouth to protest the unjust punishment. However, as he looked up, he was met by the crackling end of Zeus' master bolt. Perseus' eyes widened, just as the King of the Gods unleashed his devastating attack in an explosion that shook the very foundations of Olympus.