Perseus: The Myth

Woods

The moon was blotted out by the canopy of trees. Perseus' stolen sword bumped against his leg with every step. The whip he had stolen was strapped to his left leg and it seemed to be emitting heat, as though it were as evil as its owners.

Crickets sung and a chilly breeze rush though the air.

Perseus wished he had thought to bring a jacket. Well, to be fair, he didn't own one. He would have had to steal from the guards again, but still. . .

An owl hooted, startling him out of his thoughts. Now, though the six year old child may have been smart and wise beyond a normal adult, he was still a six year old child who had just been separated by his mother.
The trees were starting to look like jagged arms, reaching for him. Every rustle of noise sent the young boy's heart racing. He had heard of the monsters that prowled the woods, and he certainly did not want to meet any.

A blue light suddenly shone through the forest, making Perseus cover his eyes. When he looked back he saw a beautiful, almost unreal woman. He slowly backed away, wary. His eyes flitted side-to-side as though he was trying to find out the most strategic point to run.

"Do not worry child," said the woman. "I am Anahita, one of the goddesses of rain, bringer of fertility."
Perseus bowed hastily. He did not want to make an enemy of a goddess so soon.

"Do not bow child," she said almost mother-like. "Persians are meant to be modest and therefore so are all immortals opposing Ahriman, unlike those Greek upstarts who - by the way - act exactly like the arrogant vile mortals that walk the Earth, we actually set an example." Her tone changed toward the end to that of pride.

Perseus got up from his bow. "Lady Anahita, with all due respect, why are you here?" Anahita gave him the godly-stink-eye at the "Lady" part, but answered his question, very bluntly.

"You are my child."

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After a long explanation, Perseus knew all the details of his birth, though he was surprised that the goddess herself had not known until he was three. But that did nothing to help him. There were laws put in place that limited godly interaction for all parthenon of gods. The more destructive and arrogant the parthenon, the stricter the laws. As you can imagine, the Aztec and Greek/Roman parthenon had the strictest laws, to the point that they did not know others existed. But even if the Persians were more lax, the gods could not act directly unless the target's life was endangered.

Another problem was the alarming increase in the amount of people worshiping one god named Allah. It was explained to Perseus that all gods came into existence because of either need or the belief in the particular god. Allah had sprung to life as people began to worship one supreme power. This was a problem, because if one god gets all the power of the world, the parthenon of the god would combust (a lesson learned by the Christians).

The Persian entities had only about three years before dooms day, so his mother had been prepared.

"I may not be able to directly help you but I can do so indirectly. At the moment there is a abandoned cottage about three miles away. Inside is a book of Greek and Roman Mythology, as they are becoming more prominent in this area and sightings of them will continue to increase as we fade, " said the goddess, helpfully, "There is also a bow and arrow inside. The arrows are made from Persian sapphire, celestial bronze, and iron so use them well."

Then with a wave of the hand, Anahita disappeared in blue light, without allowing a "thank you" to escape his lips.

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Perseus arrived at the cottage sometime later. He set down his whip and sword with a thunk. He then explored the worn two-roomed house. The first room held a hearth with a large pot hanging over it, perfect for making food in. There was a small cot next to the fire place. The rest of the room was empty. The second room held a homemade-looking table and cupboards. A thin film of dust and dirt spread over everything.
Then Perseus's eyes settled on a rag.

He had a lot of work to do.

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The next few years of Perseus' life were the most peaceful. He had taught himself to hunt quite well, for a 11 year old which was the age he currently was at. His tracking ability was superb as well. Anahita had gifted him, before she faded, with two cows (one male, one female), a coop full of chicks, three sheep and a hunting falcon. She had figured that any punishment that came with breaking the Ancient Laws bestowed on her would not have time to be put fully into effect until after she had faded.

Perseus had also done some renovations on the small two-roomed house such as, repairing and creating furniture (there was now a comfortable chair made of sheep's wool, near the hearth), making a fence for the cows to graze (a barn was way past the 11 year old's skill), and planting a garden of different types of food (many of the seeds he had gotten from the food he had stolen from the guards and others he found in the wilderness).

At the moment, there was vegetable and venison (deer)  stew bubbling in the large pot on the hearth. The rice he had grown was submerged in water in order to prepare it for the cooking process. He, after all, was not the adoptive son of the world's best cook for no reason.

He eyed the stew for a moment, then in a swift motion, he took the pot off the heat and set it down on the table in the other room. He tilted the pot over a wooden bowl and poured the stew inside.

Perseus, then, ran up to the nearby stream and rinsed the pot. He filled his only cooking vessel up with water and wobbled back into the house to let the water come to a boil. A few minutes later, he was about to pour in the rice, when there was a knock on the door.

His eyes widened. He had not seen another being since he was six- Anahita not included -and it came to him as a shock, that anyone would come across his quaint shelter. He slowly made his way toward the front of the house and opened the door. . .