Hey everyone,
Here's another chapter.
I'm contemplating on another idea for another story that I want your opinions on. Here's the basic gist (not summary) of it:
(Modern Day PJO) "Many years ago, mortal scientists predicted that humans would deplete the earth of its resources that it relied on for sustaining life. Those mortals were right but not for the right reasons. The Greek gods had become hungry for more power and had gotten angrier that their children were beginning to resent them. The world began to fall. Forced to become immortal after the Second Gigantomachy, Percy Jackson and Jason Grace, along with Piper McLean and Reyna, have to lead the new generations of demigods and legacies against the gods, who are doing everything they can to destroy Western Civilization. The gods have gone mad with power, exactly what the Titans, Giants and Gaea had predicted. And so, the son of Poseidon and the son of Jupiter lead the revolution that will change the face of Western Civilization for eternity."
It's a rather vague idea, but I just want to know your guys' opinions on that. Should I start something or should I lay the idea aside?
With best regards,
SharkAttack719
Chapter 3
The Achaeans
"Welcome to Mycenae, Achilles."
The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and Helios shot rays of heat down from his chariot, not too hot but not too cold. Overlooking the city of Mycenae was a large citadel, a palace at its heart with its white columns glittering in the sunlight. The stone grey walls surrounding it made the great center of Mycenae look well-protected and fortified.
"It looks... what's the word... grand? Majestic? Ostentatious?" the son of Thetis said.
"All three of those sound about right," Perseus said. "Mycenae, of course, is the most controlling of the city-states, while Athens holds diplomacy and Sparta holds militaristic domination. I didn't really know much about this city until after Zoë became a Hunter."
"Well, the meeting should last for a couple of days, right? There would be no other reason to invite all of the kings of Greece to this city for one short day of deliberation."
"I would assume so."
Perseus patted his horse on his neck. "Great job, you two. Both of you deserve a nice rest. Rest up and eat while we are in the meetings. Make sure you stay close to the farms and such. Whenever danger lurks by, cry out for help."
Yes, lord, they hummed.
"Come, Achilles," he said as he slid off his horse. "Let's travel the way soldiers travel. On foot."
Achilles slid off his horse and patted his neck. "These horses are excellent. It is a wonder how all of the horses we have back in Aegina are so wonderfully fit and strong."
"They will do anything to please a master, even when the master tells them not to," Perseus said, speaking about himself. "Should we wait for the others? I'm sure they have finished tying up your ship."
Achilles looked back out toward the palace. "You know what? I think we should. It will show the other kings that I do not need some stupid military guard to protect me. I wear the same armor as my commanders, and though they refer to me as their lord, we Myrmidons are brothers-in-arms. Alongside you, of course, Percy."
Perseus nodded, and they waited patiently for the Myrmidon commanders to arrive. It wasn't that long before they arrived, walking on foot and led by Eudoros. Perseus knew that teaching them the labours of being a regular soldier would instill good-heartedness in them. They would not become pompous brats who wanted to be escorted into battle on a majestic chariot with expensive jewels and stones.
"Eudoros!" called Achilles when he saw them. "How are you, my friend? What took so long to tie up the ship at the harbor?"
Eudoros gave him an amused grin. "We weren't held up by the ship. We ran into a little friend of ours and he talked. We were quite excited to finally see each other once again."
"A little friend?" questioned Achilles, his eyes trying to pry information out of his second-in-command.
The Myrmidon commanders all stepped aside leaving one very familiar young man standing in the middle, an exultant smile on his face. He had the same hazel eyes as Achilles and the same brown hair. Their facial features differed quite a bit, but when analyzing closely, one could tell that they were related in one way or another.
Achilles' face broke into shock before turning ecstatic. He briskly walked up to the man and gave him a welcoming hug. "Patroclus, my cousin and friend. It is good to see you! How was your journey to Opus?"
Patroclus was Achilles' cousin and best friend. He was also younger, a little older than Perseus. In fact, Perseus hadn't known anyone with a closer relationship since him and Zoë. Then before that, Atalanta and Theseus. That was how close they were. Other than the five commanders, Patroclus was the next best soldier in battle. He could face Achilles in a duel without fearing the great king's might in combat, though in the end he would ultimately lose. Chiron had talked to Perseus once about Patroclus and how the young man had a lot of potential, not nearly as much as Achilles, but still held a lot.
That was why Perseus didn't train him.
What Perseus had done with Achilles was isolate that potential. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Perseus had raised Achilles as a tornado of terror. He told his pupil that in a battle, he must strike down his foes without hesitation, and unless the foes were helpless citizens, that none should be spared. It was in Perseus' hopes that Achilles would become a feared warrior. In that, however, he shut away teaching Achilles how to strike devastating blows without killing. All Achilles knew was to tear down enemy after enemy, to parry strikes, and to use any means possible to kill those who dared attack him.
Regardless, Achilles, in true heart and soul, was a good man. He respected women, just like Perseus had taught him to. Perseus was happy of what he had created, his first pupil.
Patroclus learning from Achilles would mean that he would try to figure out a way to disturb that wild force that the son of Thetis fought like. Patroclus would learn how to fight Achilles by attacking, not like him, but more like Perseus. And learning that by himself would make the process faster. It was a complicated concept, but Perseus knew that if he taught Patroclus how to fight like that, Patroclus would make it mechanical, to try and get it right.
A man must learn from his mistakes and from the tests that the gods give him, for that is the only way he can grow and become a better man.
Patroclus had been in Opus, the city where his father, Menoetius, was king. Menoetius was one of the Argonauts that hadn't really paid much attention to Perseus, and the same went vice versa.
"It went well, Achilles." Patroclus clapped his cousin on the back. "Now we walk, like simple soldiers, to Mycenae, the grand capital of Greece. Isn't that wonderful?"
"Of course, my younger cousin. Now, men, let's go. I have a feeling that this will be the start of a great, bloody war in which the Myrmidon name will live on forever. We Myrmidons fight for Greece! And that is all we need to put our name in the history books."
A cheer erupted from the six men.
Perseus gave all of them a humble smile. "But first, we need to get there, to Troy. That is our first challenge. Like I said before, welcome to Mycenae."
Line Break
Once the eight men walked into the citadel, servants immediately rushed up to them, all recognizing them as guests for the meeting in the palace.
Perseus was the only one not to accept the tokens of appreciation. He was, after all, just a normal citizen. All he was was a peasant, not even a landowner, for he had given his property to Menestheus.
There were many kings, most of them accompanied with protective guards that stood by them wherever they went. They also had a diplomatic consultant with them at their side. It seemed as though Achilles was the only one who had a protective guard that was actually regarded as more than just an expendable soldier.
Like was expected, there were no over-friendly gestures between kings. They spoke to one another with respect, but there was none of the laughing and humor that Perseus had gotten so used to with Achilles and his men.
There were some relaxed and casual conversations, though.
When the Myrmidons and Perseus walked into the grand throne room that had been changed and modified to fit all of the kings around an extended table, a Mycenaean warrior walked up to them.
"King Achilles of Aegina and Phthia," he said, bowing. "You may choose two companions to stay with you for the sake of space. The rest may roam the city of Mycenae in free will, as long as they do not cause any trouble."
Achilles nodded and turned to Eudoros. "I will take Patroclus and Percy with me. All of you have fun in Mycenae and enjoy yourselves. I will fill you in on the details after today once the first day of meeting is finished. Come back to the citadel's entrance at sunset."
"Of course, my lord," Eudoros said. "Come, brothers. Let's find out what Mycenae is really about, huh?"
The other four commanders hummed in agreement. The five of them stalked off in the opposite direction, heading for the exit of the Mycenaean citadel.
Achilles was let into the room with Patroclus and Perseus at his side. Patroclus leaned closer to the two and asked quietly, "I still don't know why you didn't move to Phthia after your father was king there."
"I grew up on Aegina for five years before I was taken in by Chiron and Percy," Achilles answered smoothly. "I have only seen the lands of Phthia once in my lifetime, and that was to visit my father's kingdom for his funeral. I saw Ajax there, though. He's my cousin as well, not to your extent Patroclus, but still a cousin."
No one had sat down yet as Agamemnon and Menelaus were not there, so Perseus took this opportunity to see what kinds of kings and commanders would be coming on the expedition. The easiest one to find was Telamonian Ajax, the son of Telamon (which was pretty obvious considering his name).
Ajax stood out amongst the other commanders because of his great height. He was at least half a head taller than the next tallest person in this room, and even then, Perseus wasn't the next tallest person or the one after him or the one after him.
Perseus had grown quite tall quite early. When he had turned seventeen, he had stopped growing, staying at just above average.
"Hello, Ajax," he greeted, making the tall man turn away from the person he was speaking to. He knew it was quite rude to interrupt a conversation, but it didn't look like the two had much to speak about.
"Perseus," Ajax grinned. They shook hands, both having large, rough hands. "I heard that you were coming. Where is Achilles?"
"Somewhere over there." Perseus gestured toward the corner of the room. "He wants to sit in the back and analyze the group of commanders that will be going to Troy. There are dozens here, maybe thirty to forty men. It matters not to me, though."
Ajax gave him a wide grin. "Well, Achilles is a good kid. Here, meet Diomedes. He's the youngest commander that will be sailing to Troy other than Achilles. As King of Argos, he is only twenty-two years of age but has much combat experience in actual battle. We were just talking about the attack plan on Troy once we reach there."
The man next to Ajax gave Perseus a curt nod. Perseus offered a hand to shake, which he graciously accepted.
"Diomedes here is the best warrior I have seen, other than Achilles of course," Ajax said complimenting the young king. "Tyndareus considered him fit to be a suitor of Helen before he decided that he was too young. He wanted someone older and wiser. He couldn't have been more wrong taking Diomedes out of the competition for the woman's hand in marriage."
"Best warrior, huh?" asked Perseus. "I'm sure you'll do well against the Trojans. Ajax is a good judge of skill in close combat, one of the best."
"Thank you, Perseus," Diomedes said.
Ajax clapped Perseus' shoulder and grunted. "My, haven't you stayed the same. So it is true. The others don't believe it."
"Pardon?" he asked.
"That you are immortal but can be slain in combat," Diomedes said.
Ajax nodded. "Precisely. The last time I saw you was way back when, what was it, two or three years ago when Tyndareus began looking for suitors. You look exactly the same as you did back then. I'm glad I got the privilege to see you once before that the others haven't. Only Menestheus knows for certain that you are immortal. The others are doubtful, and of course Agamemnon refuses to believe someone like you is immortal."
"Yeah, I know." Perseus rolled his eyes. "He is right, though. I am just a peasant and a former landowner. I am nothing more than a soldier."
"And is it true that you are a son of Poseidon?" asked Diomedes. "That you were an Argonaut and helped Jason get the Golden Fleece?"
"I was an Argonaut, yes," Perseus sighed. When he had sacrificed all of that glory in his little scroll, there were surviving Argonauts who would live to tell the tale of a son of Poseidon. But their stories had been obscured by the new disbelieving generation. His true stories were just rumors, and he intended to keep it that way. "And I did help Jason obtain the Golden Fleece. Just don't tell anybody. There is a reason why I am immortal."
"Hello, lords," a timid voice said from beside them. It was a servant and he was carrying a large mug full of water. He had cups in his other hand. "Would you care for some water to refresh yourself while you wait for Lord Agamemnon and King Menelaus?"
An idea forged in Perseus' mind. "Ah, yes. Thank you, good man. I would like this entire mug of water please."
"Of course, lord," the servant said.
"There is no need to call me lord," Perseus said gently. "I am but a peasant and a soldier."
"Of course." The servant handed him the jug of water and the cups before trudging off to get more refreshments for the dozens of guests and their two guards.
Perseus placed the cups on the table.
"What are you doing?" Diomedes asked.
He took the mug and held it over his head. "You wanted to know if I was the son of Poseidon, am I correct?" Then he tipped it and water spilled all over him.
Diomedes and Ajax stepped back instinctively. A bunch of the men around turned to stare at Perseus but he gave them all a stern look which made them turn away. As the water rebounded off his skin and clothes, it pooled on the ground in a small puddle. But he was completely dry, not a single drop of water on him.
"Are you crazy?" asked Diomedes. "What did you do that for?"
"Touch my clothing and armor," he ordered the young king.
Reluctantly, Diomedes followed the order. His eyes ended up widening and his jaw dropped in shock. "You are dry. You are completely dry."
His astonishment was amusing to watch, along with Ajax's. The tall king of Salamis didn't expect him to actually be dry when he spilled the water all over himself. It was a thing of this world. Many men claimed they were children of the gods when they really weren't. Those who were the children of the gods, aside from Heracles, did not usually like to announce their parentage... at least in Perseus' own experience.
"That is quite amazing, though... you might want to clean up that mess." Ajax pointed down to the puddle on the ground.
"Oh, don't worry," Perseus said. "It will disappear soon."
"What do you mean disappear?" Diomedes asked.
He only grinned as the water began evaporating into the air. It was another staggering sight for the other two, who had grown up in believing the gods but not actually seeing their children in action. Either that or they grew up with demigods that didn't have spectacular powers like children of Hermes.
"That was incredible," said a voice from behind him.
Perseus turned around to find a man who looked almost thirty. He didn't recognize him right away, but in the end, the look of intelligence the man held made him realize who this was. "Odysseus, right? King of Ithaca?"
Odysseus nodded and gave him a quirky smile. "And so the rumors are true. You are a son of Poseidon. It is a pleasure to meet you, Perseus."
They shook hands. "The same goes for you, Odysseus. I hear of your cunning intelligence and deceitfulness. Needless to say, someone are angry at you."
He gave the demigod a sly grin. "Well, of course, everyone must make others mad at one point in life or another. It is another thing to trick your enemies, and that is what I intend to do."
"Well, Odysseus," Ajax said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You sure you're ready to fight the Trojans? That you won't crumble under the pressure and save your own hind when you get in trouble?"
"So what if I do?" asked the king of Ithaca. "Would you rather die in an ambush where your men are cut down like tumbling trees or would you rather die honourably on the battlefield?"
"That has no relevance to what I asked you."
"But I tell you why I would run away when I am in trouble. Sometimes living is better than succumbing to death thinking you are brave and bold when you are nothing but a coward."
Ajax and Diomedes laughed, though for what reason was a mystery to Perseus.
"This man is definitely a good man," Ajax said. "I know us Greeks, oh sorry Achaeans, aren't the best warriors in terms of fighting in a disciplined manner. We will take down Troy in whatever way we can, whether it be by brute force or by a non-aggressive way. Though, I am only useful in one kind of battle." He patted his hip. "My sword and I have forged quite a special relationship. Get it? Forged. And my blade was actually forged."
"That was such a terrible joke at the worst time possible," Diomedes said. "Anyways, it looks like Agamemnon and Menelaus have arrived. We'd better get to our seats."
Sure enough, the king of Mycenae had just stridden into the room, followed by his brother, the king of Sparta.
Ajax, Diomedes and Odysseus all sat next to each other, their guards standing behind them. Perseus went over to where Achilles and Patroclus were. They greeted him welcomingly, but didn't ask about his conversation with the other three men.
Agamemnon was seated comfortably in his head throne, Menelaus at his side. He looked over the crowd of kings and soldiers. He smiled. "Welcome all to my wonderful city of Mycenae. It is a great honor to be in a room with most, if not all, of Greece's kings. All of you have to have heard of the great treachery imposed on us by the abduction of the Queen of Sparta, Helen. This is a great dishonoring moment to the entirety of Greece. How can we let such a woman be kidnapped under the eyes of some of the best warriors in all of Greece?"
He gave Perseus a sly wink that no one seemed to notice.
"It is for the reason that Helen has been taken that we must take action by declaring war on Troy," he spoke clearly. "I have gotten the advice of a prophet, Calchas."
Achilles stiffened beside Perseus.
"Calchas is a seer of sorts, an augur," Agamemnon said. "He has given me the details of what is seen in the goat entrails. He speaks of the gods and how they are splitting. Aphrodite, the love goddess, sides with Troy because the Trojans picked her as the most beautiful. But because of that, we have the favor of two more powerful goddesses. We have Athena and Hera on our side."
A light cheering erupted from the kings.
"He says that others are choosing sides, too, that the twin archers Apollo and Artemis choose the Trojans. The war god, Ares, follows his lover. But we have Hermes, the messenger, and Hephaestus, the god of the forge. Our weapons are made by Hephaestus, the bronze weapons forged in his forges."
"Actually, he crafts celestial bronze," Perseus interrupted. "Regular bronze is not used unless specifically requested."
"Celestial bronze, hm?" Agamemnon gave him a distasteful look. "As I was saying, we also have Poseidon on our side. The waters will give us strength when we sail to Troy. It will be a glorious day. And we have the best soldier in the world, Achilles."
All eyes turned to him.
"Lord Agamemnon," said a man across from Perseus. "Troy's walls have never been penetrated by any force and it is said that Hector, the abductor's brother, is the fiercest warrior that the east has ever seen. You would not think that a city a strong as Troy would not have a warrior with equivocal skill to Achilles, would you?"
"Ah, Elephenor," Agamemnon said in a disapproving tone. "Troy is not strong, nor will it ever be. We are Greeks, Achaeans, and we are the most powerful country in the entire world. Even someone with less skill than the worst fighter here would be able to defeat Hector."
"Less skill than the worst fighter here?" asked Odysseus, a grin plastered on his face. "Do you mean yourself?"
A wave of laughter washed over the room.
"I kid, my lord. I kid."
Agamemnon gave Odysseus a dirty look.
"Do not underestimate the Trojans, Agamemnon," Achilles said. "Sure, I may be regarded as the best warrior of Greece. But if Troy's walls have never been destroyed, they are bound to have good warriors."
"Are you suggesting that Troy's soldiers are better than all of us?"
"No, he isn't," Perseus said. "What he is stating is that whilst you think he is the best and greatest warrior in Greece, most only believe that because of the rumors that he has impenetrable skin. It is that subconscious fear the makes us believe that Achilles is a king in the art of combat."
"So what, you think you are better?" asked a man to his left. It was Protesilaus, son of Iphicles.
"What does that matter?" he asked.
"You think that if we stop thinking Achilles is some freak that will murder us all if he gets mad because he can't be killed that we would dare to fight him? How stupid are you?"
"Silence, Protesilaus," Menelaus ordered.
Achilles stood up and opened his mouth to scream at the ignorant man, but Perseus grabbed him and shoved him down.
"Let me at him, Percy," Achilles said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "He insulted you."
Perseus heard muttering from all around him about the name "Percy." He turned to Achilles and shook his head. "Let him insult me all he wants. Let him believe that you have no flaws. Let him believe that he is a good king and a good man."
However, on the inside, Perseus was angry. He hated ignorant people.
"And you can believe that you're some fancy talking idiot," Protesilaus growled.
"Why so rude?" asked Elephenor. "Mad because you didn't get Helen as your wife? Get over it. It has been two and a half years."
"Why would you listen to the soldier?" the son of Iphicles countered. He stood up from his chair and walked over to Perseus. "He isn't royalty and he's about as young as my younger brother, who is much more stupider than I am."
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "Stupider isn't a word. You might want to learn how to read and write."
Angrily, Protesilaus spat in his face. What happened next happened in such a blur that no one reacted until the punishment was given.
Both of Protesilaus' guards were unconscious on the floor while Achilles held Protesilaus himself against the wall. He was giving the king of Phylace a terrible and brutal beating. In between every punch, he said one word.
"Don't—talk—to—Percy—like—that—you—ungrateful—swin e!"
"Stop, Achilles," Perseus said calmly, wiping the spit off his face. "Stop what you are doing and sit back down."
Achilles growled and let Protesilaus drop to the ground with a bloody and broken nose. Most of the other kings had amused smiles on their faces, though Agamemnon's was one of anger that there was violence in his own throne room.
"Enough of this violence," he shouted. "We are here to discuss the terms of our war against Troy, not to beat each other up. Restrain yourself Achilles, and tell your little watchdog Perseus to calm down."
"Why don't you shut up and wear your afternoon sundress?" Achilles snarled. "That way you can feel nice and pretty, like you've always wanted."
More laughter rippled around the room.
"Either way, do not fear Achilles," Perseus continued. "He is a friendly warrior who fights for his honor and his homeland Greece. I admit, Achilles is the best warrior I have ever seen. It is just wise not to underestimate others. Make the right kinds of judgement."
Protesilaus groaned from his spot on the floor. The servants were desperately trying to get the king up to bring him to the infirmary, but were ultimately unsuccessful as the king flailed around. It was a very amusing sight indeed.
Agamemnon looked bitter. "Well, let us continue about the plans. We plan to build a fleet of over a thousand ships..."
The meeting continued on like that for the rest of the day. There were no more interruptions, though. The little quarrel was over and everyone else collaborated together.
There was one main thing that all of the kings got out of the meeting. The very deadly mission that was to happen once Troy fell. It was one Achilles and Perseus already knew had to happen, but the others didn't.
Helen had to die. Not for Menelaus' dignity, not for the sake of her becoming married into the Trojan royal family. But for the sake of betraying Greece and Greece's honor.
Helen had to die.
Hey everyone,
Hope you enjoy this chapter.
I apologize for any grammatical errors in the chapter above and if any historical facts are actually wrong. I have spent my time looking through different websites, and even a couple of books, but the story that will continue may have incorrect historical info. Still, I believe it just adds to the effect.
With best regards,
SharkAttack719