A Dishonored Demigod

23 Hours and Counting

23 Hours to War
In Alaska the settlement of Haven is lively with the bustle of both monsters and various humanoids gathering their possessions and performing last minute preparations for what's to come. Groups of monsters being led by either one of the hollows or Perseus's inner circle go from home to home to help residents pack up,"What's it looking like out there everyone?"
Their leader's voice breaks through the bustle of their work via the earbuds they all have on,"So far we've got 75% of all residents packed up and ready for the move, Master."
A tired sigh comes from the other end,"I thought I told you formalities could be suspended for the time being, Ulquiorra. Regardless, this is welcome news. Once 100% of Haven's non-combatants have been directed to the center of town return to the war room so we can finalize everyone's positions. Out."
The signal goes silent as Perseus turns off the communicator from his end before turning to the group of monsters behind him,"Alright then, let's go over this one more time shall we?"
He gets a combination of muffled groans and rumbles as an answer before peering down to look at a magically created map that gives him a bird's eye view of Haven and the surrounding 50 miles. "Asterios," and a white haired human standing well over even Perseus, not including the two massive horns sprouting from the crown of his head, shifts his eyes to where Perseus points to a collection of rocks,"I'm going to be placing you here. Since our scouts found an still intact entrance to the Labyrinth any and all dedicated magicians should be coming out of there to avoid direct combat. Your natural toughness should be able to shrug off most common combat spells, and with your sanity restored you should be mostly immune to mental attacks. Still, here."
A bone charm with a piece of leather strap changes hands,"Tie that around the base of your horn so it's concealed in your hair. This one allows for a sound mind, which I have no need for due to my curse. Take Ms.O'Leary with you and some of the other hellhounds in case some manage to slip past you."
The Bull of Minos gives him a small, but no less fierce grin,"Got it."
The entire structure shakes as the restored monster stomps out with a pack of shadows surrounding him,"Callisto."
The daughter of Lycaon moves her eyes over to where her leader has his finger,"You will be in charge of the areas here," and his finger circles around a small area of dense woodland,"thanks to our source we know Lupa will be participating in this alongside Artemis, or Diana. You know what I want done, and you know the consequences for insubordination."
Her head bobs as she silently walks out of the room,"Sir, are you sure it was a good idea to retrieve her from the stars?"
"Honestly? I'm still not sure. But I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Your concerns are noted though, Caenis."
The ancient, very much male, tyrant nods,"Very well. I assume you want me to be one of the people manning the front against the Greeks?"
"Yes. You along with the other three will handle the Greek section while the others will deal with the Romans."
Caenis quirks an eyebrow,"And what of the water?"
He waves his concern aside,"That's already been covered, don't worry."
Perseus makes the image zoom in on the actual town,"Now, onto the diclonius..."
****
19 hours to war
Perseus watches as the last non-combatants teleport away before the magic runes are destroyed to prevent tracking,"And that's everyone!"
He claps to get everyone's attention,"Lets break this place down people! Get everything we can use and move out to your spots!"
A collective roar follows the order as organized chaos ensures. Houses are pulled down, streets are ripped up, and plumbing is yanked out of the ground to send water spraying into the air. All the while Perseus watches the place he, Iapetus, Damasen, and even Hestia in no small part, built. A large hand claps his shoulder to draw him back to reality as the lance user himself reassures his friend,"We both knew this was never gonna last. It's amazing it's been around even this long."
Perseus remains silent as the Titan continues speaking,"But...that simply means we have to win so we can rebuild. To make something even better."
A dripping sound alerts him to the fact his friend's hands are dripping blood from the strength of his clenched fists,"Yeah. One more. One final battle, and then I can rest for a bit. I'm looking forward to that."
The demi-monster shuffles away, towards a group of younger monsters to assist them with the dismantling of Haven, eventually ending up at the house he had made both for himself and June. The others give him a wide berth as he raises a hand and presses it against the door before the veins in his arm turn black and it rots to less than nothing under his skin,"It was fun while it lasted. Thanks."
The rot spreads like a disease, devouring the entire structure in under five minutes to leave behind the remnants of a skeleton before even that is destroyed by a strong breeze. His opposite hand descends to the bare patch of dirt as he mutters in ancient Greek, prompting the sudden appearance of healthy, emerald shaded grass. The clopping of hooves approaches from the left as Blackjack whinnies,"Ya okay there, boss?"
A low chuckle answers him as Perseus stands upright and runs a hand through his friend's mane,"Yeah, just tired as hell. You ready for tomorrow? Ya know it ain't too late to switch to guard duty for the others."
The horse huffs a cloud of steam as a hoof slams on the ground,"I'm sure. It started with the two of us, and it damn well will end with me at your side."
Perseus doesn't cease his petting,"Then you know I'll be counting on you to deal with Arion and Hazel, along with your brothers and sisters," and pauses for a moment,"things were so much simpler when it was just the two of us, three with June. My hate was still red hot, and we didn't have to worry about proxy battles between primordials."
The pegasus tuns his body and gently headbutts his rider,"I have to agree with ya on that, boss. But you know as well as anybody there's nothing we can do now. How about one last relaxing flight around before I drop ya off where June and the others are?"
Wordlessly Perseus swings himself up and firmly grabs at the black mane before the two race into the air. A unknown amount of time passes as the two fly randomly before turning back towards Haven,"Thanks, Blackjack. Thank you for sticking with me, brother."
"No prob, boss."
****
10 Hours to war
Perseus lies eyes closed with his head resting against one of Ladon's many necks, waiting. He doesn't have to wait long as the grass next to him shifts and someone sits next to him,"You look tired."
The blunt statement gets a slight curling of his lips as he fires back,"Prepping for war doesn't really give the head commander much of a chance to sleep," and cracks an eye,"so...you're sure nothing I can say will convince ya?"
A resolute nod is his answer before he sighs,"Thought so. Then I'm just gonna take advantage of the atmosphere and relax one last time before going back to work."
Zoë watches as her boyfrie-, no, beloved's breathing becomes calmer and his body relaxes as he drifts into a dreamless sleep. A few minutes later she moves closer to pull his head onto her lap and brushes his hair away from his face to reveal the beginning of bags under his eyes,"A long time ago," she speaks to the air,"before Heracles, before even Ladon grew his final head, a mortal stumbled upon this place. A Persian soldier who'd left his home in search of something he was unable to describe. At the time we were still young and very weak without our father to protect us. Even Ladon could not guarantee our protection because of his youth and lack of venom. And yet, he did not approach us with violence to steal an apple. He simply sat down and fell asleep."
She giggles,"I remember, even back then, being the bravest of us all. When he awoke I asked him his name and what he was doing here. I remember him telling me he was the son of a minor war god and a mortal woman, and that he was searching for something. When I asked what he was looking for, he told me he didn't know. He told me of his life being one endless battle from the time he could hold a sword to when he abandoned his home for his aimless search. He stayed for a few weeks, during which he assisted us in tending the garden and feeding Ladon before he left to resume his search."
She sighs as her fingers continue to comb through Perseus' dark hair,"A few years later he returned with a different feeling about him. He told us stories of his adventures during his search. Stories of battling legendary warriors, slaying monsters so awful they would drive a normal man mad simply by gazing upon them, and the companions he'd made during those times as well as rivals. He brought each of us gifts and stayed longer than the first time to recover his strength and spirit, before ultimately leaving again to continue his search...."
Her voice tapers off and silence reigns for a few minutes, only disturbed by her beloved's breathing and Ladon's constant low rumbling,"A long time passed before he returned once more, this time with signs of his mortality in the form of whitening hair. This time he brought us books from the outside containing poetry, history, culture, and the original stories that would later go on to become the world's greatest myths. And as always, more stories of his travels; stories of his descent into the realm of the dead, and his climbing of the mountain that was said to be the home of many gods. Stories of the companions he had made; how they'd grown older and married to have families and heirs. He told us he felt as if his journey was nearing its end, that he would either find what he had searched for, or would die never having found it."
Her hand stops for a moment before resuming,"I remember the admiration I felt for him, and his willingness to continue on even though he knew his search might never be rewarded. When I told him that he laughed, a deep and warm sound, before declaring that his search was far from a waste; declaring that even if his search never led him to his desire, he had no regrets due to all that had happened during it. He never regretted meeting his friends and rivals, never regretted all his battles against the monstrous creatures that made his blood sing, and never regretted the amazing sights he had seen during his journey."
A gentle laugh escapes her as a gentle breeze ruffles the leaves above them,"This time he stayed for only a few days before setting off, because he knew he did not have much time left before he would succumb to death. It was only a year later that he returned critically wounded from a battle with members of his home that had hunted him down for desertion. He was dying, and nothing we could do could save him since we didn't know how to heal such mortal wounds. He knew and only requested that we heal him so he would stay alive for a month so he could say goodbye to his friends. He left us for the last time, but this time I went with him to help him in case he needed it. It was the first instance I left the garden and walked among mortals. He introduced me to his companions and their families, said his goodbyes, and left to return with me to the garden. Days later we were just like this since he lacked the strength to speak unless I was healing him. It was at that moment he declared that he'd succeeded in his journey. He declared as he was dying that he'd found what he did not know all his life, peace."
A tear travels down her cheek and is quickly wiped away,"He also declared that he died with one regret; that during his life he could not learn what it meant to love, that he was unable to love me. Thus he, my first friend and love, died regretting. My hairclip," and her hand drifts up to the jewelry piece,"was his gift to me the first time he returned, and the only piece of him that remained with me after he was gone and buried beneath the garden."
She looks down at her beloved and bending low kisses him softly before parting,"I did not think that your regrets were so great that you would not forget and keep being reborn. But still....I am grateful for you now as I was back then. Thank you, my first love. Thank you for coming back to me, Perseus."
****
Hello everyone. What I declared to be a week or two has turned into 2 months. I've written this, and rewritten this so many times that I had to take a break just so I wouldn't get sick of it. Besides that I hope you enjoy Zoë's story since that wasn't originally going to be in there, but I decided to add it in because why not. Don't know when the next chapter is gonna be due to the fact my boss is having us clock overtime everyday for the next few weeks. Anyways, I'm off to bed.
Stay frosty, and healthy.
Sincerely,
Krios530

Edit: this update was due to some minor grammar corrections