Chapter 21:

As dawn broke on the island that used to imprison the son of the love goddess, Perseus and Aphrodite were in the middle of the clearing, laughing together. They had both woken early, keen to get a start on Perseus training in the domain of natural beauty, leading to Aphrodite explaining charmspeaking to her son, an ability she was sure he had adopted.

When asked to demonstrate, Aphrodite had told Perseus to run around the clearing using a weak charmspeak, when she was unsuccessful, she made the command again using a large fraction of her power, enough to overcome practically any resident of Olympus unless that are the most powerful of them and had great desire not to follow the command.

At that point, the pair had realised one another were immune to the influence, even Erimia seemed to be immune as she had joined in and had offered her assistance when they were unsuccessful. This resulted in their amusement at the ridiculousness of the tasks they kept requesting through charmspeak, going as far as to attempt to make Erimia blink, which initiated a staring contest between her and the other two.

After a fair while the group were able to overcome their laughter and calm down a bit, at which point Aphrodite expressed her opinion that all of their powers came from the same source passed through immortal blood, even for Erimia, as such their charmspeaking was ineffective against one another, whereas Aphrodite's 'demigods' hadn't gained the same form of power and therefore didn't retain any immunity.

Aphrodite herself was surprised by how supportive Perseus had been about her demigods but realised she shouldn't have expected anything else as Perseus assured her, he was impressed with how she helped those within her domain that were suffering and how she assisted those that gained demigod powers, protecting them when most, if not all, of Olympus' residents would even think about doing so.

The three of them were soon joined by Hestia and Demeter who had awoken to the blissful sounds of laughter and were drawn outside to meet them. Once they arrived, it was Erimia who first attempted charmspeak on Hestia, demanding that she cuddle her, before jumping into her arms in her smallest bear form. Hestia immediately caught her granddaughter and began smoothing out the fur on her side as she grumbled softly in approval.

Aphrodite and Perseus responded by muttering grumpily about cheating, but could both see the slight dazed look on Hestia's face that took a moment for her to shake off. Laughing it off, the three retired to breakfast as the Olympians shared stories with the two young immortals.

As they polished off the meal prepared by the combined efforts of Erimia's hunting, and Perseus and Hestia's cooking, their conversation shifted to more serious matters.

It was Demeter who broke ground on the all important discussion, "I've seen that you've already begun work on mastering your final domain", to which Perseus nodded, "I guess what I need to ask is what comes next. I know for so long your goals have been to attain your domains and reunite with your mother. What comes next?"

Perseus was put off by the question, but didn't take long to formulate an answer, having been thinking about such for a while now, "I'm not entirely sure, but you are right, I've achieved many of the goals I had set for myself so long ago. I was thinking that I would next try and meet with my uncle, Hades, and my cousin Persephone. I've heard so many wonderful stories about the two from the you all and I look forward to seeing the people hidden behind the image Olympus is so keen to create."

"Unfortunately, for the next couple months Persephone is confined to Hades' domain as a result of Zeus' cruel actions. You won't be able to meet the pair until after then and even then, I don't know if Hades would come to meet you, even with both of our encouragement." Demeter stated, speaking for Hestia and herself.

Hestia continued on, "As much as I dislike the situation, it is rather true. Hades is greatly uncomfortable in the domains of his siblings and finds solace in the solitude of the underworld away from the arrogance and impetuousness of most Olympians."

Perseus nodded his understanding, not surprised in the slightest, "I was aware of this, at least most of it, I was planning to travel to Cape Tainaron in search of the entrance to the underworld that I've heard mortals speak of."

Hestia answered the unasked question, "I am unaware of where the entrance to Hades' domain exists in the mortal world, I find my way there through the hearth in his palace, with his permission obviously."

"I won't lie, it is a dangerous path, even when I tell Hades to expect you, there are perils beyond even my brother's control in the depths of his realm. Although you are skilled and powerful enough to make your own way, be careful, I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that you won't like the consequences if you frighten us by being harmed." The other two goddesses nodded in agreement, leading to Perseus sighing despite the smile on his face.

"Thank you, mum, but if you could, could you not warn Hades of my arrival, I know it might seem reckless, but I want to gain his respect and kinship for myself, not because of my relations or your advisement."

Hestia seemed torn for a long moment as she debated the risk, versus her sons reasons given, and decided to leave the decision to Aphrodite as she drifted in indecision.

Seeing her meaningful look, Aphrodite spoke out, "I won't lie, I hate the idea of you ever being in harms way again, especially if its avoidable. I also have very little familiarity with Hades, most Olympians as well really. On the other hand, you are more than capable of a task such as this and I admire your motivations, this is a choice you must make for yourself; my advice though is to follow your heart and what you think is the right path. An immortals existence is long, and their path often filled with twists and turns, I am already proud of the decisions you've made, and should you follow the same guidance I doubt you'll be steered wrong."

Perseus was touched by the support and the belief in him expressed by everyone around him and said as much. Before any such plans came to fruition though, Perseus had a task to complete, one that everyone at the table was excited for.

As such, the group made their way outside to return to the work that the trio had begun that morning. As they were heading out, Aphrodite softly grasped Perseus' wrist, leaving the two standing in the house as Perseus cast an inquisitive glance towards his mother.

"I just wanted to thank you, for the piece you gave me last night. It is the greatest gift I have ever received, and I promise to never take it off."

Perseus gave a watery smiled in return still not having fully come to terms with the return of his mother in his life but overjoyed none the less. After a warm and expressive embrace, demonstrating the mutual feelings, the pair broke apart and reunited with the group outside.

Perseus and Erimia spent the greater portion of the day working on charmspeak with the willing assistance of Demeter and Hestia under the expert tutelage of Aphrodite. Unfortunately, due to the test subjects willingness to participate, it didn't pose nearly as intense a challenge as the godly beings needed.

Whilst charmspeak was extremely difficult on powerful, and especially immortal, beings, with willingness to comply there would never really be any difficulty in the process. As such they had to develop a system to motivate the pair against complying with the instructions without causing embarrassment or harm.

The solution generated was actually though of by Aphrodite who decided it would be a competition between the two, each gaining a point for every instruction they could resist, and the loser had to clean the washing by hand at the end of the day, a useless task given the ability for the immortal beings to easily complete such a thing without the slightest effort.

As such the pair grew more and more competitive as they began to rack up points and Perseus and Erimia actually gained a large deal of experience and skill through the experience. Erimia finding that due to her lesser abilities, eye contact and her human form were necessary to utilise the ability properly, at least on unwilling or powerful entities.

The end of the day led to both trainees being surprisingly exhausted despite the work being almost entirely just talking. Aphrodite explained that this was just an overuse of a relatively foreign power for the pair of them which they both realised was surely the case as soon as she brought it up. Aphrodite went on to explain how the ability used power just like their other capabilities but unlike others didn't show as much effort or response as others did.

She ended the lesson with an impressive demonstration of commanding both Hestia and Demeter, who ended up tying, to do the washing together, to which the pair were still in a daze as they put away the clothes, only breaking out of it once it was entirely completed.

The two took it in stride and congratulated Aphrodite on the display, remarking how unbelievably impressive it was to last so long on the pair of them despite their strength and constant resistance. Accompanied by Aphrodite's numerous explanations, the devastation that could be wrought by such an ability was clearly depicted, from a moments distraction in a fight that could aid Perseus or Erimia in attaining victory, to winning a battle with a word or two at most.

Aphrodite made sure to finish the day with an intense spar against her son, going all out without powers, having headed to the beach to avoid any serious damage to surroundings. After seeing him fight the other day she wanted to test herself, already entirely aware she was outmatched. Nonetheless, Perseus amazed her by having her on her back with a sword at her throat and another at her navel in under a minute.

Then he held back to prolong the spar and Aphrodite was further impressed by the way he would counter even her most ludicrous advances skilfully and effortlessly. By the end of it, Aphrodite was exhausted, and the pair had spent an hour at it, long past nightfall, Erimia having joined in as night fell, taking the opportunity to go all out with another against her father. In response, Perseus had simply increased his speed and skill to be more than a match and had worn the pair out, not having to resort to powers in enhancing his movements in strength or agility as he easily could.

In the end, Hestia and Demeter chuckled seeing Aphrodite and Erimia, both in human form slouched in exhaustion as they rode atop Perseus' terrifying wolf form into the clearing. The wolf that could kill a man just by its intimidating stare was nothing but cute to Demeter and Hestia, unless it actually got in fighting stance with fiery eyes and bared fangs.

As such the pair approached and Demeter patted his snout as Hestia ran her hand softly along his side until reaching the point where Aphrodite and Erimia were and catching them from their tumbling decent and placing them on their feet.

The following dinner was eaten ravenously by the pair and enjoyed by all before they each once again retired for much needed rest.

The rest of the month passed in a blur, Perseus and Erimia both working with Aphrodite intensely each day, although everyone taking plenty of time to relax throughout given the lack of any pressing time constraint. Each of Olympus' residents on the island spent as little time on the mountain as they could and were almost always there partaking in the training and relaxing most of the time.

Perseus and Aphrodite had found that he had many of the powers that the love goddess had, such as detecting the immediate emotions of someone, even when they attempt to hide them, and seeing their attractions and love for people if they want. Furthermore, they could cloud peoples mind with images of love, or betrayal if they wish, an act more difficult with those more powerful, but could greatly hinder an aggressor.

Despite the similarities, one of the powers that they found Perseus did not have was the ability to shift his appearance, as Aphrodite could at will, which Aphrodite concluded was because natural beauty didn't require any modification or deception as others would often attempt to alter their beauty artificially. As such, whilst Aphrodite could assume any appearance, Perseus was unable, moreover meaning that he couldn't morph his appearance into someone's greatest love or desire as his mother could.

This led to some confusion as Aphrodite attempted to use this ability against Perseus but found it ineffectual, this was only until they realised that it required access to someone's mind to a degree, and Aphrodite couldn't gain anything from Perseus'. The night after that discussion had to an encounter that Perseus had been avoiding but felt he no longer could.

After everyone had shared dinner, he walked to the beach with his mother, Aphrodite, and the pair sat in the sand, side-by-side observing the fantastical sunset. Perseus cleared his throat, drawing his mother's attention.

"There's something I need to ask you." He said, pausing after it and only continuing after a few moments wait in which Aphrodite said nothing, only looking at him reassuringly.

"I didn't know who to talk to about this, but I don't think there is anyone better than you to ask." Perseus blushed brightly as he soldiered on, "I-I..." Perseus coughed into his hand as he attempted to hide his burning cheeks, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, well, I understand um, sex and stuff, but I think there's a lot I don't understand yet." Perseus couldn't look up after getting that out, so staring at the sand as he dug his feet into it, he went on.

"I've observed relationship in the mortal world, but I don't yet understand how I'm supposed to go around such a thing, or if I should, and I don't understand how to decide who I'm supposed to have a relationship."

Aphrodite wasn't embarrassed as her son was, being far more comfortable with the concept and idea, even if her own situation with such things hadn't gone so well for her. She first calmed Perseus down by reassuring him that nothing was wrong and that she was glad he came to her about it.

She then went on to describe how she hoped such a decision wouldn't simply be something he made for himself, but something he felt within, a connection he could develop with someone he would one day meet. Along with the straightforward information she had to give, Aphrodite explained the many forms that relationships could take and how he could go about such a thing.

After they had made it through everything, Perseus' initial awkwardness washed away almost immediately at his mothers reassurances, he expressed his own feelings on the matter, describing how he hadn't found the connection his mother describes yet, and that he would wait his entire immortal existence until he did so.

Whilst such a statement was often said by the optimistic or naïve, Aphrodite could tell, even without her powers, that Perseus' statement was said with full conviction and was something that he had already decided a fair while ago even if he hadn't realised it at the time. She felt it apt in a way, the product of both her and Hestia within a complete willingness for abstinence found in no god she had met before, coupled with an unwavering belief in true and meaningful love.

Aphrodite expressed her analysis to which Perseus agreed after a few minutes silent consideration and he felt better for it, knowing that Aphrodite approved of his conclusion and being reassured that Hestia would share the same values.

By this point, coming up on a month after Aphrodite had been reunited with her son, and their makeshift family had expanded, the group had spent the past few days relaxing and having fun together, knowing that the time they had been having was coming to a close. This was affirmed by Perseus that night, when he expressed his plans to leave by the end of the week, only three days away, and begin in small city of Eurotas before heading down to Cape Tainaron for his search.

Everyone expressed their disappointment at the regular life they had adopted ending but supported the decision and gave their encouragement. Perseus responded by telling them that they were welcome on the island and in their home at any time and that he would come to see them at the end of his task and tell them all about it.

This all led to this morning, Perseus stood on the beach, covered in the same dark red leather cloak of so long ago, his hood down leaving his face clear to the three goddesses waiting to see him and Erimia off, who was seated by his side in her bear form, currently at the size of a large hound.

Perseus was also using the same flexible black clothing and had the same leather satchel slung across his back with his possessions concealed within from his previous adventures in the mortal world. His bronze knife was in a sheath at his waist, concealed under the cloak, his spear in its concealed form as a pole in his bag and his original bow with a string made from Nemean lion fur also slung across his back. The bow was the same as before, although having been enchanted to form an arrow every time the string was drawn back. His godly weapon, Ekleipsi wasn't on him at the moment, though could be summoned practically instantly at a moments notice should he need it.

Each of the goddesses had unshed tears in their eyes, as did Perseus, although he attempted to hid it as he wiped at his eyes before facing his family. He shared a hug with each of them and exchanged well wishes with each, Erimia following suit before morphing back into her bear form and retaking her spot at Perseus' side. With a final wave, Perseus let himself and Erimia melt into the shadows cast by the early morning glow and found himself appearing in the woods in the outskirts of the town of Eurotas, his intended destination.

With a deep breath Perseus steeled his emotions, pushing aside his disappointment at parting ways with his family, even if it was only temporary. He then let out the breath slowly, giving way to a determined smile as he set his mind to the task, he'd set himself, excited to meet his uncle and cousin.

It only took the pair a few moments to navigate themselves out of the woods and into the town, from where Perseus decided to go to the tavern, a place he often found productive in acquiring information about the goings on of the mortal world. He hadn't been gone long, but thought it best to find out if there was any unrest in the region of Laconia which he intended to travel through for the next few months.

Knowing the strange sight, it would make for Erimia to accompany him, even in her godling form, it was decided that she would scout the area and see if there was anything interesting to the city of Eurotas. Entering the city centre, Perseus observed the bustling Agora markets, where the people were hawking their goods. Taking the opportunity, Perseus used some of the leftover coins from his previous journeys to purchase a meat pie.

He had accumulated a fair wealth from different jobs on his last journey but had spent very little, living in forested areas, and hunting and foraging for his sustenance. He'd begun saving with the more pessimistic perspective that his life in the mortal world originally, was going to be prolonged for decades on end. Fortunately, this didn't occur and as a result of primarily selling the hides and meat that he had hunted, he had amassed a small fortune for himself.

Taking his purchase with him, and thanking the young lad that was running the stall in the market for his family, Perseus headed into the tavern that was just off the main street, clearly a popular one as it was already housing a good deal of people in the early morning, not all of whom were stragglers from a night of drinking.

Taking a seat after collecting an amphorae filled with water and a cup, Perseus tuned out the noise from outside the tavern and focused on the conversations within the room. As he sat in the corner with his hood up, Perseus was unnoticed by the clientele of the establishment, but with his acute senses, he picked up a range of different discussions. Not wishing to pry into anyone's personal affairs, Perseus soon found three different groups talking about diplomacy, most focusing on Laconia given that was where they reside.

After an hour within the tavern, Perseus had found little had changed from his previous experiences, and while Laconia was amassing wealth and military strength, they weren't at war or seemingly close to it. As such Perseus was reassured that his journey would go uninterrupted by such issues and was keen to get a start. Another conversation he had overheard drew his attention as the kindly man at the bar told a few customers of folk tales. Specifically, he mentions the entrance to the underworld located in Cape Tainaron, telling of how many had dwelled into the expansive cave system in search of the legendary gateway, most wishing to bring back someone from Hades, none of whom had returned. The man didn't go into much more detail than that, having soon moved onto another tale, at which point Perseus zoned the conversation out, but it did give him the assurance that he was likely on the right track.

Having overheard such a thing, Perseus was curious as to whether his patrons had caused that to happen as a way of showing their guidance, but he doubted it. The Fates hadn't chosen him to carry out his own fate but rather to guide others in theirs.

As a result of the reasonably fortuitous exploration of the town, Perseus and Erimia were soon to head off down south for the journey to Tainaron, keen to start on the long journey ahead of them. Prior to leaving, Aphrodite had questioned him on his decision to begin the task at one of the northernmost cities of Laconia when the destination was at the southern point of the region. Perseus had responded that he not only wished to ascertain some certainty on the fact that his destination was truly located on the cape, but to also explore and hopefully aid those in need within the region provided he had spent little time there in his previous experiences of the mortal world.

The pair were travelling south at a tremendous pace due to Perseus having assumed his wolfen form and maintained nigh on top speed the entire day. Having not started until midday, the pair had already managed to travel half the region before nightfall, at which point they each hunted a selection of food and foraged a few items to add flavour to their meal. In the end the pair ate healthily for the evening.

Unlike most other travellers, the pair didn't choose to settle for the night, being of godly blood, neither saw need for rest and instead they flew through forests as they explored the area, they found themselves in, Wandering through towns they came across unnoticed by residents. Whilst this was in part to familiarise themselves with the area, Perseus used the opportunity to observe the mortals within the region. While many places throughout the mortal world had possessed differing levels of wealth, there was suffering to be found everywhere and it only depended on how hard one must look.

From what Perseus could see, the more rural towns they wandered across enjoyed a trickle down from the regions obvious wealth. Each populated area had at least one rather impressive temple that seemed to be occupied by members of the cities that formed the leadership of the region. This was not foreign to Perseus, but he had seen very few regions that seemed so united, or a leaders domain that was quite this expansive.

Nonetheless, Perseus was impressed that it was so difficult for him to find the darker elements of the society. It was not long to daybreak that Perseus had wandered across one of the larger populated areas in the region. Unlike the other ones he had explored so far though, this seemed to be less of a community and more of a meticulously organised operation.

Upon the closer inspection that followed his discovery, Perseus found out that it was a training facility of a scale which he hadn't seen before. Along with shrines to the war god Ares, Perseus saw, even at the ridiculous hours of the morning, legions of soldiers going through torturous regimens in the name of training.

The thing that impressed Perseus most was the effortless cooperation between each warrior and the men by their sides. While one man took on an assault from one angle, two others covered his back, each seemingly aware of the other actions, an achievement that could only have come from a lifetime of training together.

As the sun rose, Perseus transformed into his godling form and climbed a tree to observe without notice. Perseus had seen greater fighting skill elsewhere in his travels and had trained to an extent beyond the capabilities of mortals, but he would question the chances of other organised mortal forces succeeding against the cooperation of these units.

The thing that turned Perseus away from the sights before him was not the brutality of the training though, it was the group of students that begun training as he watched from his perch. These recruits could not have been walking for more than two winters at most, and yet they were strapped into leather paddings and handed blunted steel blades before being corralled into similarly brutal training as the older warriors within the grounds.

Despite this, Perseus could see that this was an expectation of their society for the young boys, and refused to interfere, even when his patience was tested by the commands yelled at the children by commanding officers.

Unfortunately for said commanders, Perseus patients was not unending, and much alike to both of his mothers, when angered his wrath would be feared for good reason. After over an hours work running around the grounds, through the forest where the young boys would regularly be tripped by undergrowth and be dragged to their feet and thrown back into line by superior officers, each used their blunted blades in a lesson on swordsmanship.

As the time reached midmorning, and the group had moved on from their lesson, they were brought to a ring marked out in the ground by a rough wooden barrier, just short enough for the young boys to be able to heave themselves over it.

At this point, Perseus was growing disturbed at the state of the children who could barely support their own weight anymore. Erimia had finished her own explorations at sunrise and had just now joined her father, following their connection in order to locate him, and then falling into a shadow and appearing under the tree he was in.

Fortunately, the appearance of the large white bear had gone unnoticed as she quickly transformed into her godling form and joined her father in the tree where he was hidden. Erimia could sense his disturbance and quickly observed the scene before her. She herself shared in her father's anger at the sight but had greater restraint, recalling her grandmothers teachings so long ago to respect the lives of mortals and not be too quick to judge.

Perseus, having been taught much the same, reached the conclusion that the actions before him were unacceptable when the children were forced to fight with their blunted blades against one another. One of the children who was clearly reluctant to participate, had received a rough blow to the head before being lifted to his feet by a commanding officer only to be thrown back towards his combatant to receive further blows.

At the point where it was clear that the children's consent in the training was clearly of no concern, Perseus saw the actions of these officers as abuse and not training. After telling Erimia to remain hidden and observe for anything he might miss up close, Perseus dropped from the tree and landed in a crouch practically silently. Covered in the dark red cloak Perseus had created so long ago, and wearing flexible black clothing underneath, Perseus was unnoticed by the leagues of warriors training across the ground.

Sticking to the shadows cast by the morning sun, Perseus soon found himself near the arena in which the children were being forced to fight one another. Even in his approach in the entirely empty field, Perseus was unnoticed and came to a stop at the edge of the ring on the other side of the other children and their two commanding officers.

All of the others present, were entirely occupied watching the children continue to spar, the already injured boy trying his best to block the vicious blows of the older and stronger opponent he was facing. Waiting for the boys guard to fall, Perseus effortlessly leapt the barrier and blocked the vicious strike to the child's ribs with his spear. The metal sword reaching a complete standstill almost immediately against Perseus' godly strength to which all the mortals in the military complex couldn't match.

The child who sword he had blocked was swiftly knocked off his feet with his sword cast away in a single swing of the spear. Perseus was gentle with the boy who had clearly been similarly forced into brutalising his fellow recruit, although Perseus felt no such hesitation in his anger towards the commanding officers. The one outside the ring and soon leapt the barrier and backed up his fellow officer. In an attempt to intimidate Perseus, the officer in command walked up to him with his sword still sheathed at his side, bedecked in a shining bronze armour with a bright cloak attached at his shoulders marking him as a high ranking soldier.

This was complete nullified by the fact that at Perseus' 7 feet height, the otherwise tall warrior came up short. Nonetheless, the officer had an enraged face as he shouted at the intruder, spittle flying everywhere as his face reddened.

"What do you think you're doing Soldier! You do not belong here, and you will not interfere with the recruit training. Get your armour on and report back here immediately, then you will receive your punishment. You'll be lucky if your insubordination doesn't cost you your head!" Turning away from him, expecting Perseus to follow his commands with haste, the man cussed the intruder and began to address the 'recruits'.

Perseus on the other hand, turned around and removed his cloak, placing it on the barrier neatly, revealing the knife sheathed at his hip, along with the clearly, ridiculously expensive clothes he was wearing. The flexible black leather had patterns traced across it in intricate detail and was too perfect a black to be mistaken for anything of lesser quality.

Despite his imposing appearance that heavily implied that he was not a recruit here and more likely a member of royalty, it was the unveiling of his face as he turned back from removing his concealing cloak that drew gasps from the children and regained the attention of the commanding officers. Perseus' godly appearance shocked the children and second in command, resulting in the commanding officer's attention being drawn back to him.

As the officer looked him over with an air of superiority, he clearly weighed up the situation and came to a conclusion upon the way in which he would act. To be a man in his position required a great deal of skill and a strategic mind, he had experience and wit at hand, but they were overridden by the officers pride and arrogance. Believing the man to be nothing but a child of a rich minor lord who believed himself above all else, the man disregards the weapon for a showpiece.

A greater warrior, less clouded by emotions, would have deduced from Perseus' posture that he was a trained fighter himself, and that whilst young, his physique spoke of a strength that at the least, most others wouldn't be able to face up against.

Ignorant of the true nature of his situation, the warrior stepped up to Perseus with what he believed to be a menacing look on his face, meanwhile his right hand was removing the trainees from the circle excited to see the legendary commander teach a young fool a lesson.

Not flinching a bit at the mans approach, Perseus stood his ground as the comparably short man stepped right up to him and shouted in his face, "I guess you have made the decision for me, haven't you. It will do these boys well to see a man cut down for insubordination, I just didn't believe I would face the disgust of seeing it in my training ground."

"Draw your blade whelp and if you survive, I'll send your beaten body back to the peasants that raised you."

Perseus was not fast to anger, but he was already on edge and the unwitting insult towards his mother wouldn't be left unanswered for.

"Children have no place on the field of battle, but I can respect their wishes if it is their choice. Your people have the right to their own ways as does anyone else, but many of these younglings have no desire for the brutality you force upon them." Perseus spoke in a cold and soft voice, barely reaching the children, but sending a shiver down the spine of both of the officers.

Shaking off the chill that had overcome him, the commanding officer spat on the ground at Perseus' feet as he took a step back and placed a hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade.

"These boys will one day be men, and men are made for war. When they reach their adulthood, they will already be some of the fiercest warriors in the isles. It is an honour to be a member of our esteemed ranks and each of these whelps will earn it each day with their service."

Perseus' eyes darkened and his resolve strengthened, this man would learn his lesson one way or another, he would only hope it was before reaches his uncle.

"If this training is of such value that it would justify the brutalisation of children, then prove it. Draw your sword and face me." Perseus continued in the same cool, calculating voice.

Easily goaded, the man drew his sword with an exaggerated flourish, letting the sing of the blade scraping the scabbard on its departure ring across the grounds, drawing the attention of the all the warriors on the grounds as swords were never to be drawn before breakfast. It had only before occurred for the worst of punishments for failing trainees, something none wished to see but had to confirm for themselves.

Perseus had yet to move, standing in a deceptively at ease position, analysing the brute before him. As much as he could find to hate about the man, he did seem to possess a fair deal of talent and had probably earned the respect he received from others on the grounds for his swordsmanship.

The man moved in a swift stroke, making a cleaving blow towards Perseus' seemingly unprotected midsection, clearing aiming for maximal damage before his opponent could respond. Perseus though was anything but unprotected and after a short moments consideration, decided to at least start by showing this man that he was completely outmatched.

Spinning out of the way of the stroke the two engaged in a vicious dance accented by the clash and scraping sing of metal as Perseus easily deflected the commanders attacks. Going easily to tire the man out and make him sloppy, Perseus held back a fair deal, only relying on a mortal degree of speed and strength and a small portion of his skills.

Seeing the opportunity as the two approached the edge of the circle, Perseus drove a cleave that was coming down at his head to the side with a deft flick of his dagger, leaving the sword lodged in the wood. Rather than taking advantage of the commanders predicament as he attempted to pull the blade from the railing as the now numerous onlookers expected, Perseus backed away silently.

Finally releasing the blade from its position, the officer swung around with his sword out in a broad stroke only to find his opponent on the opposite side of the circle, not showing any effect of their duel that had left him drenched in sweat and panting. With a snarl, the man leapt forward with even more deadly and fast manoeuvres attempting to skewer the man who seemed to be playing with him.

Growing tired of the situation, Perseus once again flicked his dagger across the man's blade, but this time it was wrenched from his grasp and thrown out of the circle where it clattered off one of the older trainee's hastily raised shield.

The man stumbled forward and rather than halt in his actions, threw a rather desperate punch towards Perseus' face. Rather than gut the man's exposed gut Perseus sheathed his dagger and twisted his arm, using his momentum to drive him to his knees with his arm pulled painfully back immobilising the man with a combination of pain and the promise of more severe damage to his shoulder should he move.

Perseus spoke in a whisper, though his words travelled through the grounds where the entire population of the facility had gathered.

"You have skills, but you are not the greatest warrior by any means. If you cannot defeat me, what is the hope that those you train may be able to. As such your brutality towards these relatively defenceless children is nothing but a product of your own demented mind. These young boys will be given a chance at life and will choose their own path, as all should be given the opportunity to."

Even in his current position the man didn't let go of his rage, "I will not listen to the commands of some insignificant bastard such as you. I am the leader of this unit, the great commander – ahhh!"

His ravings were cut off as Perseus snapped his arm with a resounding crack that rung in the cold morning air. The next few things seemed to happen all at once as a rustle and twang sounded before the whoosh of an arrow sounded through the grounds. Everyone had turned to the sound as the second in command had grabbed a recruits bow and shot an arrow at Perseus.

An act, though even in the protection of his commander, was disgraceful in their culture as the man had clearly won the duel that had been fought. As everyone turned in search of the bleeding corpse of the stranger, they found Perseus clutching the arrow with his eyes seeming to glint as his irises were consumed by the fiery orange that had only been present in a small amount before.

Perseus had soon flung the arrow back, throwing it with speed and accuracy no one else on the grounds could hope to match, even with the finest of bows. The second in command's screams rung out as the arrow embedded itself into his eye stopping just far enough not to instantly kill the man.

Even then, it was not over as the commander had used the distractions to lean across the railing and draw a subordinates sword which he used in a last ditch attempt to cleave Perseus' head from his body.

At this point Perseus had given up pretences and instead of dodging the attack even though it would have been easy given the mans slow and overpronounced movements as he utilised his unfavourable hand, he caught the sword bringing it to an immediate standstill.

Awed silence spread through the camp as most warriors came to their own conclusion that the stranger was the god of war himself, Ares, who had come down to test them. As foolish as the commander may have been at the current moment, even he was not a simpleton.

The man immediately fell to his knees and begged the man to spare his life, swearing himself to servitude in return for his life. Even clouded with anger, Perseus didn't wish to bring such unnecessary death, already disgusted by his own actions.

In a cold voice Perseus proclaimed, "No children shall unwillingly be forced into training within your ranks ever again. So long as this decree is maintained I will spare your life."

The man was in tears of relief as he thanked Perseus profusely, only to be interrupted in his ramblings, "As a reminder I will fix your broken arm for you."

The man ignoring the underlying rage in Perseus' voice and hearing the offer for freedom from his current pain looked up with a hopeful expression. Even as he acted Perseus begun to regret his actions but concluded that he had to send a message to protect the children before him and more to come.

A swift slash of his dagger seamlessly separated the mans arm from his body at the shoulder, drawing out a scream of agony as the superheated blade cauterised the wound immediately.

Looking up from the man, Perseus realised everyone watching had dropped to a knee, including the whimpering second in command who clutched at the arrow embedded in his eye.

Perseus had to swallow the bile that rose in his mouth at the sight as the ground remained silent, no one willing to move a muscle. A deep shame overwhelmed him as he pictured the disappointment he expected from his family, especially Aphrodite who had been so proud of him, he was no better than Ares who he'd heard plenty of stories about, none of which were any good.

Looking at Erimia who was still hidden in the tree, only visible to his keen eyes, Perseus looked down at his dagger, which was as clean as ever, cleansed by the powers that he had used to make it searing hot. In his eyes it dripped with innocent blood, ignoring the consequences, Perseus couldn't stand it anymore, and approached the whimpering officer before using his powers to painlessly remove the arrow and repair the wound. Although he felt sickened Perseus didn't heal it completely, leaving him with a small scar on his eyes and blind in that eye. He then melted into the shadows and retrieved Erimia before re-entering the shadow he emerged from and bringing them to the place they had first stopped for the night, collapsing against a tree when he arrived.

Perseus dropped his head into his hands and begun shivering relentlessly. Erimia feeling her father's pain and struggle returned to her natural bear form, becoming a small cub, and curling herself into Perseus' lap, trying to both comfort him and let him know that she understood what happened.

Erimia had been as angered as her father, and without his instruction would have likely been less considerate, more likely tearing the officers apart and leaving without any message, ultimately resolving nothing. Perseus on the other hand had done his best to fix the problem for good and did so with as much restraint as he could maintain, more than she personally believed those monsters deserved.

Aphrodite and Hestia had been, rather predictably, watching over their child and grandchild's journey and seen the events that unfurled. Both had been sad to part from the pair and had stayed together that day. Hestia tried her best to comfort Aphrodite who hadn't had to part with her child before intentionally and was dealing with the resulting emotions.

Both had been as angered as Perseus was when they saw what he did at that training ground, Aphrodite though had much less patients for the mortals. The love goddess was not a hateful goddess, nor did she ignore the value of mortal's lives as most of her fellow immortals did, but she didn't hold the same degree of reservations as her son or Hestia. The moment she had figured it out, she had leapt to her feet and announced her intent to smite the "filthy bastards". It took Hestia's efforts, and some of her powers, to calm Aphrodite down and convince her that Perseus felt the same as them and would take care of it.

As the two had watched they admired Perseus' actions, and as it came to a climax, both knew the emotions that Perseus' would be going through given the lessons and foundations he had been raised upon. Both accepted his actions wholeheartedly, and whilst Hestia herself didn't wish for the spread of violence, such action in the defence of children was more than justified in her eyes.

As Perseus left, the goddesses were surprised and immensely proud that he had healed that man's eye, leaving reminders of his actions but mitigating some of their suffering, an action neither would have taken in the same situation if they were honest.

As they saw the state of their child, both of them wished to go and comfort him, but Aphrodite insisted that Hestia knew what she was doing far better that the love goddess did, having herself only truly been Perseus' mother for a short while.

Hestia had scoffed at this, and told Aphrodite in no uncertain terms, that the love goddess was as much Perseus' mother as she was, then concluding that Perseus was likely more afraid of Aphrodite's opinion than Hestia's as the goddess of the hearth had spent many evenings teaching Perseus that her own feelings towards him were unconditional and unchangeable.

As such Aphrodite left to her son's side with a message from both mothers that they approved and loved him. It took the love goddess and Erimia's combined efforts almost an hour to calm Perseus down. Perseus was not by any means unused to violence at this point in his life, but the mornings events had been a shock to him.

Fortunately, Aphrodite proved to herself that she was a true mother as she comforted her son and assured him of her love and pride for him. In the end Perseus came out of the events stronger and with a sounder resolve better understanding his own line between justice and vengeance.

As the pair once again continued their journey down south, Aphrodite had returned to Hestia's palace where she had stayed last night, and found Demeter had joined them and been filled in on the events of the morning. Each with much higher spirits than they had when Perseus and Erimia left, assured of the good the pair were doing for both themselves and others, joined in a hearty lunch before parting ways to continue their days.

The events of that morning were far from over for the officer despite his own thoughts on the matter. He had been checked over by a medic that operated on the grounds and been given a relatively clean bill of health given his situation, leaving him to retire to his quarters.

At this point he lay on his bed relishing the cool breeze that drifted through the small empty window that looked out over the grounds where the recent events had unfolded. Groaning as he couldn't fall asleep, the officer sat up and swung his legs around, rising up he walked over to the window and looked over at the circle that was still splattered with blood from the morning, no one willing to enter it.

He didn't know how to feel about the events, whilst he was enraged at the loos of an arm and the humiliation before his troops, he felt the honour at having been in the presence of a mighty deity and battling with them, even if he was thoroughly beaten.

As he gazed out over the grounds, he didn't notice the presence behind him before he turned around. He immediately fell to his knees as he stared up at the most beautiful sight he'd ever witnessed, a being who couldn't be anything other than a goddess.

Before he could even begin to think of making a sound, the goddess spoke, "You worse than the monsters of Lord Hades' realm, but you have suffered for such crimes and will repent. I am here because you tried to harm my child once already defeated in battle, you have no honour or decency."

"I Aphrodite, goddess of love, curse you to never be admired again regardless of any achievement you make. This should bring an end to the arrogance that drove you to your actions today."

Aphrodite took a few steps forward, the mumbling officer entranced by the movements of the goddess, leaning close to his face, Aphrodite whispered with a cold promise of pain, "Should you ever break my son's decree over this instillation I will have far less constraint when it comes to your punishment."

The goddess then disappeared leaving nothing but the most intoxicating fragrance of roses with a hint of the scent of a hearth.

A/N:

Another chapter down, as usual any and all feedback is appreciated.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter :)