Zelus (Perseus Reimagined) (BXB)

Chapter 23

Some kink you have there, Your Majesty.

???

DAYS TURNED INTO MONTHS, AND months bled into a year.

It seems like not much time has passed since the day I came here. Everything was all foreign to me, but now, I'm a permanent resident of Seriphus. And, like it or not, it is what it is. I've now accepted the fact that I'm never returning to my present life, and my family is gone. At least they've lost me, and maybe there's an alternate reality where they're all living their best life... without me. A life where dad's happy that my existence is unknown to him.

This is my life now. A daimon who goes by the name Zelus, son of the Titan Pallas and Deity Styx, and sibling to the Goddess Nike, Bia, and Kratos.

Is this what you mean, Alex? About reincarnation, that it actually exists. Was I a daimon in my past life? And now I'm reliving his life, but as Jon? If so, will I meet the Alex of this century?

If only it were that easy, huh?

Every day, I'm exposed to the ways of living in this century, and things are becoming easier over time. Boys my age mainly dedicate their time to training because someday, our fate is to journey into war and fight for our rights. Our job is to bring home victory, and shall the enemy's weapons get the better of us, we close our eyes and exhale our final breath, knowing that we died for honor, and that is the only purpose of life in this century. However, when there isn't a spear or a sword in our grasp, we'd be entertaining ourselves with the pleasurable activities given by the Gods. If it isn't drinking, it is dancing with the melodies of the lyre and flute by the campfire. And, of course, they'd be some wild boys who prefer having room service, which is, in a way, considered normal here.

Not me, though. I may have left my own century, but that doesn't mean I have forgotten its lifestyle. Sure, there's no technology or movies, or good books here, but there's this beautiful word called improvise. And that's exactly what I did.

I've never been so grateful for taking a fashion design class back in college as I am now. The clothes in this century are basic and underwhelming, not to mention uncomfortable and, in a way, indecent. On days when there's no class or training—or, as I call it, the weekends—I used Mr. Han's lessons to design some clothes decent enough to my liking. I'd often venture down to the marketplace, searching for fabrics of all types. I prefer cotton, and the best part is they're incredibly affordable compared to silk.

It took many moons to create a single round-neck t-shirt as I had difficulty remembering Mr. Han's lecture. My current circumstances weren't helpful in the least. They'll be days when my mind wouldn't cooperate. In the end, it was worth it just to slip into an oversized t-shirt that instantly felt like home. I stood in front of the mirror, wearing the plain navy-blue design, and I couldn't help but grin like an imbecile, seeing how my upper body was fully covered.

I never thought the day would come when I'd feel the utmost joy for wearing a t-shirt. It just reminds me of the simple things I took for granted in the present. I won't make that mistake again, or at least I'll try not to.

I'd say it's a milestone in designing the oversized t-shirt. Though, I wonder how people will react when I wear it. Most folks in the lower class wore tunics; some were just naked with nothing but a loincloth covering what needed to be covered. The upper class wore chitons made from the finest materials and colors, along with jewelry such as gold and silver, but neither class wore something as a t-shirt. Not even the king.