Hey everyone,
I'd like to announce that although some myths contradict with others, I may need to change the order in which historical myths took place to be able to fit the characters I want into the story.
Although the setting is ancient Greece, I will make the characters talk in English and informally, as if they were regular boys/men or girls/women in the modern world. It makes writing this a little bit easier, and the characters more relaxed than if they talked formally all the time.
Just a note about copying and pasting author's notes...in the past, I have had readers who did not read the author's notes until later chapters. I just want to keep reminding. If you have already seen the author's notes, you can just skip them and go straight to reading the story. Thank you.
With best regards,
SharkAttack719
Chapter 18
The Exile of a King
Percy hugged the Boreads as they disembarked from the Argo.
"We're going to miss to you, Percy," Zetes said, that oh-so-sad farewell feeling pitting in his stomach. "It was fun to hang around someone your age. Except for that time when you got bitter."
Percy sadly smiled back. "It was a long adventure, far too long than supposedly expected, but I'm kind of glad it did take this long. We could've talked more, though. It was my ego, don't worry about it. So, where are you two off to now?"
They grinned. Calaïs said, "We are going back to father to serve him until we die."
"Or we could get immortality and serve our father for the rest of eternity," Zetes added.
Happy for them, Percy said, "That sounds like a great idea. Immortal sons of Boreas."
"Oh, Percy!" Zetes suddenly burst, his eyes gleaming with hope. "I heard you were going to travel the world to find where your ancestors come from, so maybe you could come up north some time to find us and we can reconcile. You know, just hang around and talk about all the good things that happened during this quest. Does that sound good?"
"I'd love to come," said Percy, "but it really depends on where my quest leads me. If I find out my ancestry before I die, I promise you that I will come and visit."
"That's great," Zetes smiled. "Farewell, Perseus. We will see you in the future." And he and his brother began walking away.
"Same for you, great Boreads!" Percy called back, a feeling of dismay mixed with blithe. The great sadness in seeing friends of his (even if he only talked to them in his spare time) had bloated in his gut, but he was happy that they were finally free from the constraints of the Argo, to go where they truly wanted: back home to Boreas.
Castor and Polydeuces were the next to leave the ship. They had a much different farewell than the Boreads.
"Percy!" they cried and hugged him. "Great time on the Argo, huh?" laughed Castor. "Almost three years on a quest that should have been a couple of months. Isn't that crazy?"
He smiled at his positive attitude. "Yeah, crazy. Even though Chiron did warn me it was going to be a hectic trip, I didn't think it would be this long and this hard. Remember when we nearly starved. But at least I gained some knowledge while being on this quest. Hunting, water-power stuff, and you know."
"You're really powerful now," Polydeuces complimented. "I bet if you had a fight between yourself and Heracles, you could just mess with him by controlling water. Now that I would pay to see."
"Don't like your half-brother?" Percy asked, an eyebrow raised.
He stared at him with an are-you-kidding-me look. "No," he said sarcastically. "He's the best half-brother I could ever have, stealing credit from others. Look what he did to Zoë. That was just cruel. If I ever see him again..." He left the threat hanging.
"So, where are you going now?" Percy asked.
They both pointed at the palace of Iolcus. "We're going to help Jason," Castor said. "He deserves his throne back and I think it would help Jason's favor if Pelias saw that Jason actually has people to fight for him."
"After that, we will be going back to our mother," Polydeuces said. He had a careful smile on his face. "We received news back on the island of Anaphe that our mother is pregnant. She may be giving birth sometime soon, though, we wonder if the children are going to come from eggs like we did."
Percy gave them a bewildered look. "You were born from eggs?"
They snickered at the expression on his face. "Yes, we didn't tell you, I don't think," Castor smiled. "However, we were born from an egg because Zeus slept with our mother in the form of a swan the same night as my father did. Only my brother got the godly blood. I got the mortal blood. I think we told you that part before."
"Yes, yes you did."
"Either way, we'll see you soon, Percy," Polydeuces said.
"See you soon," Percy said waving at the Dioscuri as they walked away.
Percy sighed. He didn't talk much with the Dioscuri either, but they were kind people and he loved the way that Polydeuces beat up that horrible king from the Euxine coast. That was definitely one of the better moments he had felt during the entire quest.
"RAWR!" a loud beast growled from behind him.
Percy jumped and pulled out Anaklusmos. Behind him was a wolf with silvery fur, glaring at him with dark brown eyes. Percy scowled and put Anaklusmos away. The wolf gave him a wolfish grin before changing shape until he was a human again, this time with no wolfish features at all. Periclymenus was laughing so hard, he could may as well have peed in his pants.
"You—you should have ... seen ... your face," he gasped in between breaths. "Hilarious."
"For you maybe." Percy crossed his arms and glared at the older man. "Do you really have to scare me like that? I've seen enough dangers."
"Keep your guard up, Perce," he said, still trying to recover from his laughter. "You can't afford many mistakes where you're going. It's going to be a dangerous adventure to get to Olympus. Still, you should have seen your face. It was pure gold."
"Yeah, laugh all you want because now you're finally free to go wherever you want in Greece without having to follow the path of the Argo," Percy said, still miffed at the lame prank that Periclymenus just played on him.
"I know," he said, looking wistfully into the sky. "I'm going back to Pylos to see if I can raise my own family there. Now that this wild adventure is over, I'm hoping to settle down nicely. This has been enough of an adventure for me to endure. I'm not a hero like Perseus or Heracles or Jason."
Percy kind of felt bad for saying what he really thought, but it was the truth. "Yeah, you're not a hero. At least you got the awesome power of shape shifting. That may come in handy in the future."
"I bet it will be," Periclymenus sighed. "Thanks for the advice. Farewell, my friend. This will probably be the last time I see you."
"Same here," Percy said. They hugged, and Periclymenus trudged off away from the palace of Iolcus to the main transport road. It was sad that Percy would never see him again, but it wasn't like they were going to be best buddies for life. Men had their own paths, and only when they interconnected would they stay together. Percy longed to continue the adventure of the Argonauts, just to stay with the group of friends that he'd made over the past three years. He knew that was impossible.
Percy contemplated on setting out for the palace ahead of time to scout and see what kind of guards Pelias had, as years had passed and things surely had to have changed since the last time they saw the city. From the outside, Iolcus still looked the same way as it did when they left.
There were two sets of feet that landed on the ground behind him. Two sets of footsteps began approaching him, one on his left and one on his right. They were light footsteps, gentle in stepping on the ground.
"It looks like a nice city that Jason will be inheriting," a lighter voice said to his right. "Iolcus will look much better when Jason becomes king, or if Aeson is restored to power. Don't you think, Percy?"
"I agree with Atalanta," said the lower voice to his left. "This city could look much better if it didn't have a stupid king who is power-hungry. I bet you anything that Pelias will try to kill Jason once he sights him."
"It is nice, though I will miss hanging around with the friends I have made along this journey," he replied. "You guys let me in from the very beginning. It has been a rough journey, but I think because we all felt like one unified family, we got through all of the hardships, don't you think? I've told the others this."
"It's not like we'll be gone forever," Theseus said. "When I arrive back in Athens, I will write to you. That is, after I learn how to write. I can read, though. You can still write to me, just direct it to whoever the king of Athens is. It should be a man named Aegeus."
Percy looked sadly upon Iolcus as Helios and his sun chariot rose in the sky. "I'll just miss seeing you guys in person. Everyone has to go their separate ways in the end, I guess. That's the way of life it seems."
"Not really, but good enough," Theseus shrugged. "Not everyone can be a genius like I am."
"Stop boasting," Atalanta chastised. "For all you know, everyone around you could just be a lot dumber than you are."
"So, you're calling yourself dumb?"
"No, I didn't say that!"
"But you said everyone around me is probably a lot dumber than I am!"
"I said we could be."
"So, you're implying that I'm smarter and am a genius?"
Atalanta punched his shoulder in frustration. "Ugh, you are so annoying. Why do you have to always twist my words and use them against me? What did I ever do to you?"
"Nothing. It's just fun. Ever since I took that necklace of yours—"
"Oh, that necklace theft was the worst one," Atalanta snapped. "I swear, if you hadn't given that back to me, Meleager would have killed me when I got back."
"See, I'm truly nice on the inside, otherwise I wouldn't have given you your necklace back," he said grinning. "Every man has an inner and outer self. Whether they are the same or not is dependent on the man."
Atalanta turned to Percy and said quietly. "At least when I leave to Calydon, I won't have to deal with this annoying jackass anymore. It will be nice and peaceful, just me and the woods."
"And Meleager," added Theseus. "And maybe nice cushiony grass with a pile of clothing set off to the side—"
She growled and punched his face. He clutched it in pain, but didn't cry out. He was laughing too hard. Percy snickered a little, Atalanta's red face very amusing to watch indeed. Percy would miss Theseus' upbeat humor a little, though during the voyage he adopted sort of this adult-like responsible figure. He heard this kind of Theseus a little, the kind of Theseus that had been apparent before the Argonauts back with Chiron.
"I'll miss that," Percy admitted. "But I'm glad you will finally become what you truly are, a king of Athens. And if we do go by social classes, I am your humble servant, a peasant in your lands."
"You'll never be just a peasant to me," he said shaking his head while clutching his bloody nose. "To me, you will always be that little boy who turned into a very powerful demigod and is my equal. Whether your ancestors were royal or not, you will always be treated as a free man in Athens, nothing more, nothing less."
"I wouldn't expect any more, Prince Theseus," Percy said bowing.
"No need to bow."
"Like you said, I am a free man, or as of right now free boy, and I will do as I please." Percy gave him a cheeky grin.
Theseus shook his head knowing something like that was bound to happen. "Twisting the words of others is something you're good at, huh Percy?"
"I learn from the best," he said winking.
Theseus flushed as Atalanta gave him a pointed glare. After another punch to the shoulder, Atalanta turned to Percy and beamed. "I still remember that little ten-year-old that you were back years ago. You've changed so much since then. You're so much more powerful and more mature. I can't believe that I will hardly get the chance to see you again."
"More mature?" Theseus asked disbelievingly.
"Compared to before," she added rolling her eyes. "And he's grown on me. He's like a little brother or something of that sort."
"I'll miss you too, Atalanta," Percy said.
She hugged him tightly before letting Theseus have his turn. As Percy and Theseus man-hugged it out, the latter whispered, "Take care of Zoë. You better not let anything happen to her like with the way Heracles treated her. That is just cruel, raping her and then leaving her."
Percy felt hot anger rising in his chest. "Oh, if I ever see him again... I wish there was a way to show that event to Polydeuces after it happens. He said he would pay me to see that happen. Zoë will receive justice for what happened to her."
"You're going to add that to your list of things to do?" asked Theseus.
"Yup."
"That's great."
"I'm sorry to barge into this manly conversation about getting revenge," Atalanta interrupted, "but Percy, you have to remember that sometimes getting the revenge yourself isn't worth it. He's not worth your time. Hold back and let others tear him down. It will eventually come, his arrogance, cockiness and ego will lead to his downfall. To think we used to be friends with him." She shook her head in disgust.
"We were never friends, just acquaintances," Percy said stonily, denying all evidence that they used to, in fact, be somewhat of his friend.
"Right." Atalanta and Theseus looked at each other.
"Well, I guess this is our actual farewell," Theseus said.
"I guess it is," she replied.
They stared at each other for an extended period of time making Percy feel uncomfortable standing there intruding on what should have clearly been a private moment. It was quite clear that their relationship together was closer than Percy to either one of them. They held this sibling rivalry that none could compete with. They fought so often and so long that they were like a brother and a sister bickering with one another. It was amusing to watch, not so amusing to get involved in, and hilarious to start. Percy knew it must have been hard to watch someone whom one had gotten to know so well just depart after just three years. He was sure that they would miss bickering because under all of the hatred for one another was a spark of affection, a family-like love for one another.
"Good luck on your quest to Athens," Atalanta told him.
"Good luck with Meleager, and may the gods be with you," Theseus wished, bowing. Then the unmistakable words slithered out of his mouth at a faint whisper. "I'll miss you, little sister."
Atalanta looked like she was about to cry from happiness. She threw her arms around him. "I'll miss you too, big brother."
They were too involved in their farewell hug to even mock each other about nearly being in tears. It warmed Percy's heart so much to see two really good friends of his be this sad about leaving. Unlike the Boreads, who were very much looking forward to serving their father, and the Dioscuri, who had bottled up their feelings and shut the door on the Argonauts, moving on from the friends they had made on the journey, Theseus and Atalanta let their feelings out.
They broke apart after a while and both hugged Percy one last time before going their separate ways, leaving Percy in Iolcus whilst they headed for their respective destinations.
Percy watched from a distance as his short yet long-time friends disappeared from his view. More Argonauts came down from the ship, making their way through the roads of Iolcus to wherever they desired, whether it be home or to a new adventure that would give them the exhilarating, adrenaline rush feel only danger could bring.
Then, Jason, leading Medea, hopped off of the Argo next to him.
Noticing the depressed look on his friend's face, he wrapped him in a one-armed hug. "Don't worry, Percy. As long as you keep traveling, news of us all will reach your ears. Once an Argonaut, there is no way you can escape the rumors. Even when I'm gone, you'll be able to hear about my story of how I fare as king of Iolcus without having to come here."
"Sure," Percy said in a dejected tone.
Jason didn't sound sad at all. In fact, he sounded as happy as ever. "Come on, Percy—Medea. Let's go show Pelias we got his present."
That was when Percy noticed Medea was carrying the Golden Fleece. The last time he checked she was four months pregnant. She couldn't have been four months un-impregnated. That was impossible.
"Just in case this all goes wrong, Jason," Medea gasped. "A kiss?"
"No thank you," he declined. "Now hurry up! Come on!"
Jason jogged towards the city, disregarding the pregnant woman forced to carry a heavy fleece made of pure gold.
Medea gave Percy a questioning look. Percy frowned at his friend's behavior and shrugged at Medea. But he offered to take the Golden Fleece to free her from the burden. The Golden Fleece was heavy, but Percy could manage without straining his arms. At least it would only make him stronger.
Just then, Zoë appeared on the Argo.
"There you are Percy!" she called. "Oh, hey there Medea."
"Hello, Zoë," Percy greeted. "Care to join us in our journey to the palace of Iolcus? We're handing in our little present for the king before Jason unseats him. I think this will be a good learning experience for you, don't you think?"
Zoë beamed with excitement. "Oh, I'm coming. This may be a good time for me to practice shooting my bow and arrow in combat. I already trained with Atalanta, and I bet none of the soldiers here are as good as her."
"Well, come on then."
They made their way to the center of Iolcus, passing by the awed people staring at them. They all seemed to be staring at the Golden Fleece in Percy's arms, watching as they walked further into the city to the palace. Some children even made their way out of the houses and shops to get a closer view of the magnificent object in his arms. It wasn't silent by a long shot, but as they passed through, the crowds got quieter, murmuring amongst each other rather than talking normally.
"Why does everyone have to stare at this?" Zoë whispered. "Have they not seen gold before?"
"This is the legendary Golden Fleece," he reminded her. "In Greece, it is famous and fabled to be a very hard item to retrieve. Not many generations ago, a boy named Phrixus brought it to Colchis, where Medea is from. Colchis is considered to be a far off land in the east, therefore it is considered to be a dangerous journey... which it was."
"Oh."
Percy, Medea and Zoë continued walking the streets of Iolcus until they reached the stone steps that led up to the palace. There, Jason and the Dioscuri were waiting for them, chatting amongst themselves loudly.
Polydeuces was the first to notice Percy with the Golden Fleece.
"There they are," he said, pointing at the shiny prize of Colchis. "And the Golden Fleece. It somehow feels so much better seeing that when we're on the land here, right? On the water, I don't know, it didn't look as happy and glittery."
"Either way, we got it to the palace." Jason walked up to Percy and grabbed the Fleece. "Here, Percy. Give it to me. I'll bring it in since it's my kingdom we're trying to get back. Then I can liberate Iolcus and free my father. This will be a great day in Greek history, the return of the Argonauts."
Jason turned to Medea and smiled. "Come. Let's go."
Percy turned to Zoë and gestured forward. "Go ahead, Zoë. I'll sweep up after you guys."
She nodded and started forward. Percy was about to follow her up the steps when he heard a soft giggle escape from someone's lips from behind him. He turned to see who it was.
It was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his entire life. She looked so flawless that... that... look at those eyes. Whoa!
"Uh-oh," she said still giggling. She held up an empty vial. "Looks like it's all out. Five months until the twins are born, five months until the love runs out. That's too bad."
Percy stared at her bewildered. "What?" was all he could manage.
She gave him a bittersweet smile. "You didn't think Eros shot him too, did you? That would have been disastrous. At least he only shot Medea with a temporary love arrow. Oh, what a journey. But he is doing it totally on his free-will. He can choose to love her or leave her."
"Aphrodite?"
"You're such a sweet little boy," the goddess said kissing him on the cheek. "But you are quite slow. Goodbye."
Exploding into dove feathers, the love goddess disappeared leaving nothing but one thing: a sense of doom and betrayal.
Five months until the twins are born, five months until the love runs out, she had said. He can choose to love her or leave her.
"Percy?" called Zoë from the top of the steps. "Are you coming?"
She looked just as excited as she had been throughout the entire walk from the Argo. There was no sense of doom in her eyes. Aphrodite couldn't have been talking about Jason, could she? Then again, Jason and Medea had both boasted that they fell in love the moment they saw each other in that night meeting just before Jason had to do this grueling task. That sounded eerily like something Eros would to.
You didn't think Eros shot him too, did you?
If only Medea was shot... she truly did love him; the arrow's effects should have worn off for a long time now. But Aphrodite had shown a vial, an empty vial. Had she been slipping a love potion into his food and drinks for this entire time?
"Percy?"
Percy looked up. Zoë looked worried. He nodded and began walking up. "Yeah, I'm coming. Go inside, I'll catch up."
She nodded and hesitantly went inside.
Percy turned around to face the ocean. Jason wouldn't choose to leave Medea, he wasn't that kind of person. He saw what Heracles did to Zoë. He saw what the outcome was and probably could have imagined what it would be like if the Argonauts hadn't come to her rescue. Percy was confident that Jason would make the right decision.
Percy nodded to himself, refusing to believe that Jason would break Medea's heart. Then he walked inside the palace, ready to back his friend up when Pelias refused to give the throne of Iolcus up.
"Heracles is still dead to the mortal world," Percy whispered to Zoë.
"Serves him right," growled the girl. "For everything that he did to me. He deserves eternity in the Fields of Punishment or even Tartarus."
Percy and Zoë had spent the last six months tracking down Nessus, an old centaur that had apparently let the word loose that he planned to kidnap Heracles' new wife Deianeira, learning of Heracles' whereabouts, and having "fate" bring Iole, one of Heracles' love interests, back to him.
Percy and Zoë were the ones to tell Nessus that should he fail in kidnapping Deianeira (which they were sure he would), he should offer his own blood to her for use so that he would love her forever. It was a devious trick and a lie. Then, they captured Eurytus' mares and sent them as bait to remind Heracles of Iole. He took the bait and eventually captured Iole, destroying the city of Oechalia. Percy and Zoë were in the crumbling city to tell Iole where to jump off from. The plan worked greatly, Deianeira spreading Nessus' blood on Heracles' tunic from her jealousy. It killed him the next day.
All of that was revenge for Zoë and Periclymenus, the latter murdered by the brute. Percy knew Periclymenus had children on the way, though. That was one good thing, the blood of the prince of Pylos was going to be passing on.
At the moment, they were in Argos, the old port that the Argo had originally departed from. They were looking for any news about Heracles from the gods. Percy prayed to his father every day and Hades every week to check on the news about Heracles.
"He's dead as a mortal, though," Percy added. "Zeus turned his own son into a minor god. He's supposedly the Gatekeeper of Olympus, god of heroes, sports, athletes, health, agriculture, fertility, trade, oracles and divine protector of mankind."
Zoë laughed, thinking he was joking around. "Nice joke, Percy. Gatekeeper of Olympus."
She stopped when she saw that he wasn't laughing with her. She gave in a shocked look. "Are you kidding me? You're not joking? Why would Zeus—Ugh! I want to get onto Olympus right now to tell the stuck-up king where to shove his fat, ugly—"
"Whoa!" Percy covered her mouth. "Calm down, Zoë. Just forget about him. At least we got rid of him from the mortal world, right? That's one good thing."
"We spent six months trying to kill him and this is what we get in return?" she screamed, outraged. "This isn't fair!"
"Life isn't fair, but we live with what we got, don't we?" he retorted. "You and me, a team, right?"
She opened her mouth to retort but seemingly thought better of it. "Yeah, we kind of are."
Then Argus, the old shipwright, burst into the room. "Your chariot to Corinth is ready, Percy. Zoë can go with you if you please."
"That's great, Argus," Percy said smiling at the older man. "Thanks for everything you've done for us. Here, Zoë and I can steal and not get caught. Live your life to the best, Argus." He dropped a large pouch full of golden drachmas into Argus' hands.
"You're giving this all to me?" asked a bewildered Argus, his eyes never detaching their vision from it.
"Go forth and prosper, my friend," he said. "Come on, Zoë."
"Goodbye, Argus," she said waving.
"Goodbye, young lady," he replied back, still staring at the pouch. "Have a safe journey!"
The chariot ride was quite short, Argos and Corinth not far from each other. Corinth was the place that Jason and Medea had fled to after Pelias' son Acastus drove them into exile for killing his father.
It was an ingenious trick by Medea, telling Pelias' daughters that she could make their father young again. She demonstrated with a sheep, cutting it up into pieces and putting it in a cauldron of water. She put magical herbs into the water and spoke an enchantment. Out of the cauldron leaped a young lamb. So, the daughters of Pelias cut their father up and brought the pieces to Medea. With Pelias, she didn't include the magical herbs, and Pelias stayed dead.
It was too bad that Jason had nobody to fight with for the throne as the Dioscuri had left as soon as Pelias was dead, not thinking that Acastus would drive Jason into exile.
The scene that was waiting for Percy and Zoë as they arrived in the city was shocking. The princess and king of Corinth were dead.
"The king and princess are dead?" Zoë said a tad bit freaked out. "How did that happen?"
"I don't know," Percy admitted. "But we should go to the palace to figure what happened. Maybe the royal family will know what happened. And then we can find Jason and Medea to wish them a happy life. It'll be good seeing him again."
"Under these circumstances, I'm not so sure," Zoë replied. "Let's go anyway."
And so, the two raced through the city, Percy leaving the chariot back at the outskirts of the city. He was glad he could talk with horses, and they were going to stay around for him and Zoë to return.
Like in Iolcus, people watched as they passed by, but this time it didn't make the two feel uncomfortable. They were running far too quickly to be able to really notice the amount of eyes that were staring at them. Zoë had learned how to run like a gazelle, a much different approach than Percy.
Zoë, like a gazelle, was quick and swift in her running. She moved like a blur, but it wasn't robotic. Like water, she moved like water in the shape of a gazelle. Percy, on the other hand, moved stealthily, like a weasel. Quickly but stealthily.
"Race?" Zoë asked as they turned a corner.
"Such a bad time but you're on."
And both took off at their full speed. Zoë angled Percy off, sending him diving through a street market. He had to duck and weave under people and jump through some windows. Meanwhile, Zoë burst ahead as quickly as she could, cutting through the street like a knife cutting bread.
At the end, at the bottom of the palace, though, Percy beat her by staying hidden. He wanted to make her think she was winning until he burst out of nowhere surprising her. They had races often, and he always won. Rightfully so because she had been in a garden for her entire life. It was only recently that she had gotten used to the forests of Greece.
As she came racing down the final stretch, he jumped out of the building at the end and yelled, "Boo!"
Zoë let out a yelp before coming to a halt right in front of him. "How?" she said. In between her breaths she continued, "Always ... out of nowhere ... weasel ... I hate you ..."
Percy grinned and opened his mouth to speak when he was cut off by a stunned yet happy voice.
"Percy, is that you? Zoë?"
Percy turned around to face the speaker and his face broke out into a wide, happy grin. "Jason! It's good ... to see you!"
The two came together in a tight hug.
Thunder grumbled in the sky, storm clouds moving in towards the city.
"Huh, looks like Zeus is mad at somebody," Zoë pointed out.
"You don't say," replied Percy.
Jason wiped his hands on his tunic and looked at the two sorrowfully. "Can you believe it? She's dead. Burned to death at the hands of an enchanted dress. Why did she have to die before our wedding?"
Percy knit his eyebrows and glanced at Zoë, who looked equally as confused. "Our wedding?"
"Yes, Creusa, the princess of Corinth, and I were supposed to be married tomorrow," Jason replied. He rubbed his eyes as if he was crying. Percy was shocked to see that there were actual tears coming from his eyes.
Zoë gave Jason a murderous glare. "Marrying the princess of Corinth?"
He nodded oblivious to the fact she looked ready to murder him right on the spot. Percy looked up into the sky and saw something flutter down. The storm clouds were approaching, cold wind blowing through Corinth. Then a loud moo came from the distance, the sound of a cow.
The gods were angry, yes that was true, but it wasn't Zeus. It was Hera. Jason had broken his promise to be Medea's forever, making him lose his favor with the goddess. And he didn't even realize it.
Just as lightning flashed in the sky, Percy grabbed the front of Jason's tunic and gave him the worst glare that he could possibly muster up.
"What are you—"
He cut Jason off by shoving him to the ground as hard as he could. Considering Jason was a fully grown man and he was just fourteen, it didn't really add much hurt to the fall, but it definitely stunned the son of Aeson.
"What did you do?!" Percy shouted at the top of his lungs. In anger, he punched Jason across the face and then kicked his chest so that he fell backwards. "She was pregnant with your twins and you abandoned her!"
Jason was coughing, gasping for breath. "What are you talking about?" he croaked, the words barely audible in the wind.
Percy was no longer aware of anything around him, just the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance, the flashes of lightning temporarily illuminating all around him. All of his assurances that he had months ago were proven wrong. Jason was like Heracles, leaving his own lover to fend off by herself.
Percy now understood why the dress was enchanted and burned her to death. It was Medea's doing. She had to have been furious at Jason's carelessness for her feelings. She would have been heartbroken and full of the feeling of revenge. Medea must have acted nice around Creusa, given her the dress, and then allowed it to burn her to death. The king must have died trying to save her.
Cruel deaths to such innocent people, but it wasn't just because of her. Nemesis, the goddess of revenge and balance, existed for such purposes. And now, Hera was angry at his betrayal.
Words echoed in his head, I hope you understand that this is my gift to you. Athena and I hope that Medea can help you, but should you ever betray her in the future, remember that you will lose my favor. You will die alone without anyone. Everyone you once knew will leave you, even those closest to you.
Then Jason's voice: Yes, Lady Hera. I will keep my promise.
"Medea," snarled Percy with all of the contempt he could muster.
Jason inhaled deeply. "It was Aphrodite. I realized it when the twins were born. She was forcing Medea to love me, and I accepted it... then. That's when I met Creusa."
He kicked Jason again, this time in the tender spot of his body. Jason let out a high-pitched squeal. Percy bent down to Jason and stared deep into the eyes of his so-called friend. "You betrayed Medea. She deserved to kill Creusa. You promised! I believed that you would make the right decision! BUT IN THE END YOU CHOSE WRONG! YOU MAY HAVE THOUGHT YOU LOST JUST A WIFE TODAY, BUT YOU HAVE ALSO LOST EVERYTHING! YOU LOST HERA'S FAVOR AND YOU WILL DIE ALONE! No one will ever care for you again. Everyone you once knew will leave you, even those closest to you. You will never find Chiron again."
Percy had his outburst in the middle of the rant, but he was too angry for the yelling to make him feel better. Instead, he settled for a calm, edgy voice.
"You knew what Heracles did to Zoë," he continued. "I would kill you today, to pay for what you have actually caused, but you should live on. Ponder on this for the rest of your life and see whether leaving Medea was truly the right choice."
"Aphrodite didn't make—"
"I don't know for sure," Percy said, cutting him off, "but I think Aphrodite can only start love, not completely control it. In the end, once the start-up is finished, it is up to the man or woman to decide whether he or she will continue to love or give up. Medea truly loved you, but you never loved her back."
He stood up and turned to Zoë. He couldn't be sure but he thought he heard her say, "Stop crying. You did the right thing."
She brought her fingers to his face and wiped it.
"Thanks, Zoë," he said shakily, his body still racking with angry sobs.
Zoë kissed his cheek. "It was no problem at all." Then she turned her gaze to Jason and her eyes suddenly filled with malice, as if a door had been opened to let it in from a special room in the back of her mind. "We should go now, Percy."
"Yeah," he said drowsily. "Let's go."
The two jogged their way back to the city outskirts. For some reason, the sky had begun to clear up. There was no longer a storm plaguing Corinth, as if it was happy Jason got beat up.
When they reached the chariots, Percy tiredly and boringly told them to bring him to Argos.
"Are you all right?" Zoë asked after their journey back began.
Percy silently stared forward, holding the reins of the horses loosely.
"Percy, I—"
"I thought he was my friend," he said suddenly, catching her off guard. "I had totally believed that he would make the right decision. To tell you the truth, I saw Aphrodite the day we arrived back in Iolcus. She said that it was Jason's decision as the love potion was going to wear off. She said that Eros shot a temporary love arrow at her. That meant she definitely chose to be with him out of love. Jason ... I thought that he'd—Never in my life would I ... maybe if I was bitter ..."
"Percy, you can't take this too harshly," Zoë said. "We all know what Heracles did to me was horrible, but if you had never run into me, what would you think of Jason's betrayal. You did the right thing back there, but I know this must be hard for you. Jason has been in your life for eight years, am I right?"
"Yes, but either way, he married her and promised that he would be her husband and they would live happily until the other died," he said. "It seems as though Medea took the twins with her. Jason obviously didn't have them. That makes it all the worse that he didn't care for abandoning his own children. He used to be so nice, though. He was helpful and the older brother I never had. What happened?"
"People change."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Keep a positive attitude," she said. "That's what you always tell me. Just forget about him, right?"
Percy wasn't sure if it was the sound of nature, but it sounded like the birds were singing a sad song. It was sad but hopeful. A small smile crept onto his face. "I know I shouldn't promise you anything because look where it got Jason... but this is different. No one ever said you couldn't learn from mistakes, even if they're the mistakes of others. I promise, like I promised back in Africa, that I will get you an eternal family and I promise that for as long as I live, I will never treat women the way Jason and Heracles did. I swear it on the Styx."
Thunder grumbled in the distance.
"That's a dangerous promise," Zoë warned. "Like all men, you're bound to mistreat women."
Percy grinned, his sadness slowly dissipating at Zoë's joke. "You already have the perfect attitude for a Hunter of Artemis. I just have to train you a little more in terms of hunting animals and monsters, then teach you how to move stealthily and you'll be all set."
"Just wondering, why are we going back to Argos?"
"Ever hear of lycanthropes?" he asked her.
She shook her head.
"They can only be killed with silver," Percy replied. "So we're going to restock on silver just in case we run into them. Then, we need to find more celestial bronze, right?"
"Well this is definitely going to be the most interesting part of our journey," Zoë said sarcastically.
"That's the spirit," Percy said in a joking manner.
He turned to look back at the disappearing city of Corinth one last time, remembering Jason for the last time. He felt a soft hand touch his arm and turned. Zoë was giving him a soft, sad smile. He smiled back before facing forward and whipping the reins.
The horses neighed and said in sync, Couldn't you have just told us?!
As they trampled off back towards Argos, Percy laughed and replied, "Now where's the fun in that?"
Hey everyone,
Hope you enjoy this chapter.
I apologize for any grammatical errors in the chapter above.
Later on, I might actually decide that Percy may have a pairing in this story, so I have started one up about pairings. I will choose what I want, but I would like your opinions on it.
With best regards,
SharkAttack719