Epilogue
Chapter 5 – I Witness Their Fears
"You cannot defeat me alone, godling," the giant growled, the weapons in his beard rattling.
"He's not alone, you stupid fucking cunt." Reyna heard the voice rolling across the Field of Mars. Despite his power, he drew the ornate sword with a soft hiss. The normally clean beard had become ragged, unruly even. Black armor with golden eagles flanking a trident covered a cuirass that depicted every curvature of the muscle he didn't need. A purple cape fluttered in the breeze behind him as every monster within a hundred yards began to shrink away. Her mother's consort had only ever appeared the Roman gentleman. Now he is what the legion made a god. And the smile…It was unnerving. There was a gleam in his eyes and grin at the prospect of violence.
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I heard the sword draw. Despite Polybotes to my front, I could not help but turn though as the footfalls slowly grew in volume. The ground shook as he drew closer. Our green eyes met as he approached. I do not think that even in my scariest moment I could match how terrifying it was to see a god smiling at the prospect of violence. Even legionnaires seemed scared of the violence radiating from him and the few monsters in his path seemed to melt away.
"Keep your head in the fucking fight," he growled at me and as I spun, I barely managed to avoid a strike by the giant's trident.
"The Earth Mother desires you, boy, otherwise I would have cut you down already."
"You would've tried," I responded. As the giant's weapon flew past me, I spun on my left heel and brought the blade down across the side of Polybotes' hand. His blood turned to snakes as it fell to the earth. My attention turned to the snakes trying to bite me as with a roar the God of the Legion fell upon the giant. The first clash of their blades sent a shockwave across the field.
"You are one of new gods, a child compared to me. Do you truly believe you can stand against me?"
Percy felt the ground shake as Perseus laughed. The attack of a cyclops distracted him from watching, but he heard the legionary god's response. "I don't need to believe I can stand against you. I know I'll stand over you."
"You are full of hubris, child."
"It's only hubris if I fail."
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"I've never been more afraid than watching you." In her mind, she could see the bloodthirsty look upon his face as he hacked into Polybotes. The hacking had not been necessary, but a single thrust could have ended the giant. Yet, she watched Perseus hack into the being for no other reason than he could. She vividly remembered the crazed gleam upon his face as the giant dissolved beneath the blades of Perseus and Percy. Now Perseus stood returned to his normal appearance. Reyna now knew the god preferred his beard, armor, and weaponry to the toga and proper grooming the people of New Rome imagined him in. It was an anomaly of history that they remembered him in such a way.
"That is foolish, you more than anyone should know that I would not harm the Legion in any way."
"You looked like a devil." He smiled wickedly.
"Then you know how the Greeks see me." The god softened his expression as he looked at her. "My dear, you can afford to release some of your stress. I hear they've given praetor, shouldn't less be upon your shoulders?"
"I…"
"Are like your mother," he said with a laugh. "You've got to release the burden, but you never know how."
"No one wishes to speak to the praetor," she hissed in response.
"If I remember correctly, there are two of you now. And, who said anything about talking?"
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Darkness had fallen upon the city as Reyna moved through the streets. The Greeks would arrive tomorrow. How many nights had passed since she had slept well, she knew not. She imagined that is why her moonlit walk ended where it did: outside the current resident of her fellow praetor. Her hand slowly raised and rapped upon the door.
The seventeen-year-old girl crossed her arms awkwardly in the door frame as it swung open. The dark-haired boy with emerald eyes stood silhouetted by the interior lights. He studied her eyes for a few seconds before a smile split his hardened face and he stood aside to let her in.
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"I sense an old soul in you. I wonder…" Before Annabeth could react, his hand shot forward. She felt pressure on her temples from his thumb and ring finger before the discomfort caused her eyes to close. When they opened, she found herself in hell.
All about her, columns of flame surged into the sky. The heat was suffocating. She looked down, finding she still wore her sneakers, jeans, and a leather jacket. The hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers surrounding her wore armor. A mass of men, their armor distinguishing them as Roman or Greek, engaged each other with the basest of instincts, survival. Her breath caught in her chest as her eyes, now wet from emotion, fell upon broken bodies upon the ground. She now saw the men alone did not die here. Her breath rate began to rise in fearful gulps. Women, children, girls clad in silver, all lay in lakes of blood beside the men. The tears fell as she turned, seeing a city she recognized as Athens burn, while crosses and ropes bore the bodies of those too unfortunate to avoid a blade's quick end.
Then, her eyes found her. Against the base of a great statue of Athena, fought a woman with blond hair and gray eyes. Annabeth watched as the woman's futile struggles ended with a tall man in black armor standing over her. She rushed forward despite herself, striving to save the woman she saw in the mirror every day. She would not get there in time. She tried anyway, her chest heaving. But before reaching the woman who could only be herself from another place and time, the man with dark hair swung his sword. The motion caused him to rotate, and her eyes met ones of sea green. He brought his sword back again and Annabeth watched Percy attempt to kill her once more. She opened her mouth to scream.
Just as quickly as the vision began, it ended. Annabeth hand flew to her chest as her lungs fought for hair. She pressed her hand against her heaving breasts, and she looked at the god.
"So, you're the one that made his life a living hell? It fits. Athena and her children were always a hardheaded bunch." Annabeth wished to respond, but the god continued. "Take your namesake for one, sure Greece was not free. But Athens also wasn't a fucking pyre. Then she says it's a problem to hold the defense and she marches out. How the fuck did that work out for her?" Annabeth stuttered, attempting to respond. "Then there's fucking you. You made that bastard's life miserable," he pointed across the field toward a lone figure now walking toward the flying ship. "Why? Because he reminded you too much of a boogeyman. And what made you do that? Your cunt of a mother showing you her own images of me burning a city. His life was already going to be hard and you and your fuck friends made it worse. Fates are cruel, gods are cruel. He fucking reminded me how cruel mortals can be." Just as suddenly as the tirade started it ended and he looked across the field at the teenager upon whose shoulders the world relied too often. "Keep him safe, Daughter of Athena. Keep him safe so that he can keep others safe."
Without warning, projectiles began to fly from the hovering Argo II. Even as they struck, Annabeth felt change begin to overcome the deity beside her. She turned to see the distinguished senatorial look fading away. The neatly trimmed white hair vanished. The clean-shaven face disappeared. In its place grew the wild beard and dark hair that haunted her dreams. The green eyes flashed, and Perseus became the Destroyer of Athens once more. She turned away in fear, but what she saw scared her more. For Percy was climbing the ropes to the deck of the Argo II and there was murder in his eyes. She began to sprint for their ship. But his voice followed.
"Annabeth Chase, whatever he is and whatever he does, remember that you made him into this. You needed someone to hate but someone violent enough to win. What follows is on you."
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****THE END****
A/N: Thank you all for sticking around for through all the story of Perseus. I hope you all enjoyed it. I have purposely left the story of the Mark of Athena (except for the whole Perseus stole the Athena Parthenos part - In my mind his followers moved it when the Goths attacked Rome and instead of a shrine to Mithras, Annabeth probably finds one to him on her path), House of Hades, and Blood of Olympus untouched. Because for me the main story has always been the ancient one. However, I owed it to you all, the readers, to at least provide a lens through which to look at some of the changes made in Percy Jackson's world due to the career of Perseus.