Perseus: Excidium Troiae

Nine

A/N: Well, here's chapter nine. This arc is going to be exactly nine chapters long and I hope you'll all enjoy it. Stay safe, happy reading, and have a great day/night.

PERSEUS staggered up the hill, teeth gritted, hand at his side. He could already feel the wound closing, and the harsh evening wind brushing against his injury didn't even sting. No wonder he had felt so powerful during the start of the second battle. He stormed up the path, ignoring the glare of the moon above him and the lights coming from the Greek camp at the beach as the Achaeans buried their dead and performed funeral rites. Below him, in the city, the same thing was being done. He finally came to a stop under the tree he had met the god at that morning, and sure enough, Apollo leaned on the trunk, waiting expectantly for him.

Anger filled him and his vision turned hazy. Before he knew what he was doing he had jumped onto Apollo, knocking him onto the ground, and was whaling on him with his fists. The god made no move to defend himself, and Perseus threw everything into his blows. He put in all his frustration, his anger, his fury, and slammed his closed fists into the god of the sun. They went on like that for minutes, the sun god motionless, Perseus seeping with emotions as he punched and punched and punched. Finally, panting, he peeled himself off Apollo. The immortal deity slowly rose from the ground. He was bruised and bleeding ichor but he didn't look fazed. He waved his hand, causing both of their injuries to disappear.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Perseus yelled. "You did this to me!"

"I did," Apollo said, with no remorse in his voice. "I had my reasons."

"You had your reasons?" He bellowed. "You had your reasons for turning my life upside down? Just like you had your reasons for cursing the only girl I ever liked because she would not go to bed with you?!" Apollo looked unperturbed.

Perseus ran a hand through his hair and snarled. "What were you thinking?" He turned to glare at the sun god. "Why? Why would you do such a thing?!"

Apollo inhaled, then began, "I had a vision." Perseus cut him off, not even trying to hide the rage he was feeling.

"A vision?" He yelled in disbelief. His fists shook and he glared even more ferociously. "You made me immortal because of a vision?!" At his words, he felt power course through him, fuelled by his anger. Clouds gathered above them and thunder boomed. The ground beneath him began to shake, rumbling like an earthquake was being created just by his screams at the god of the sun. The ground rumbled, but his feet were planted steadily on the earth, just like Apollo's. He let out a roar of frustration, barely hearing the yells of fear and surprise coming from the city down below, or the Greek camp by the beach. This time the son of Zeus stumbled. "You—"

"You would have died," The god snapped, cutting him off and momentarily stunning Perseus with his sudden aggression. "You would have died today by Achilles' blade had I not given you Hera's apple!" He paused, righting himself. Perseus felt shock engulf him as the son of Leto's words sunk in.

Apollo continued, "Look, I know, that ever since Cassandra...we haven't been the same. We'll never be the same, and I've come to accept that. I know, you're probably starting to see me as some sort of manipulator and villain in your life. You think that I'm a bad person. I took your choices away from you and I took away something that could have made you really happy." He glanced up, towards the heavens. "But you have to understand." The god came closer, eyes narrowing, a finger burying itself in Perseus' chest. "You—You are destined for great things. You are going to save a lot of people one day. I saw that the second you landed on Delos. Whatever I do, whatever choice I make about you, by Hades, even for you—it's so that you will be happy, and so that you will survive this war."