044.Resist
On Perseus's home island of Seriphos, he had become a hero known far and wide for having slain a terrifying sea monster.
But the hero at this time did not feel the excitement and happiness that he had longed for when he first started out. After his mother's death, he had been in a daze for a long time. Most of the time, he curled up in a busy tavern, drunkenly offering his faith to Dionysus, the god of wine.
Suddenly, he stood up from the corner, his glass raised in a panic, and muttered to himself loudly but unsteadily, "Cheers to the God of Wine! Cheers to the spirit of the God of Wine!"
After saying that, he drank the wine in the glass.
The bustling tavern suddenly quieted down. No one associated this slovenly drunkard with the great hero Perseus. However, Perseus's actions still ignited the passions of the drunkards. They raised their glasses and cheered, "Cheers to the god of wine! Cheers to the spirit of the god of wine!"
Alcohol is a good thing for the sufferings of the world. It allows intoxicated people to draw tragic intoxication and contentment from it, allowing the spirit to transcend everything and perform this tragedy vividly.
The pub was filled with a joyful atmosphere. People were drinking, singing, dancing, and cheering...
Perseus was pulled into the drinking revelry by the enthusiastic crowd. He laughed loudly and danced awkwardly, as if the pain had really disappeared.
However, there will always be a time when people wake up.
When the crowd dispersed and the bustling noise died down, Perseus, who had calmed down, looked at everything around him, but felt a greater and cold emptiness that enveloped him deeply and he was no longer able to drive it away.
Even if he fell into a coma, the cold wind in the middle of the night would soon wake Perseus up. He would cover his aching head and struggle to get up, enduring the sorrow alone in the silence and darkness.
Rather than becoming a hero, he would rather nothing had happened and he continued to live a simple life with his mother.
Unfortunately, there is no going back.
Perseus carefully avoided the hands and feet of the crowd, and sat silently outside the tavern, staring at the eastern sky gradually lighting up with a dim yellow halo, and the dawn breaking with the passage of time.
He couldn't help but think of his strong and gentle mother, from the time he could remember, bit by bit, until her death, the scenes in Perseus's eyes were like a kaleidoscope.
But in the end, everything comes down to her last words before her death - do the right thing.
Perseus slowly closed his eyes, the pain in his heart was beyond words, but even so, his mother Danae had a huge impact on his life. In this dazzling rising sun and this increasingly vibrant world, he suddenly realized that it was useless to escape by drinking.
Even the god of wine, who was persecuted by the queen of gods Hera at that time, sang while drinking and taught humans how to make wine, spreading his grace to mankind to the best of his ability.
Perseus shouldn't have continued like this, and shouldn't have been so self-righteous as to numb himself with alcohol.
Naturally, that beautiful and charming figure appeared in Perseus' mind, and he couldn't help but remember that before everything happened, the messenger Hermes asked her to continue to complete the mission of killing Medusa, even at the cost of Danae's life.
Perseus felt extremely guilty. He even made his mother recall her past sadly in the last moments of her life, and she left with regret.
Therefore, how could he bear to go against his mother's last wish?
And now, Perseus, who is alone, no longer has any worries... No, maybe he does have some, but in the end, everyone ends up in the same place.
Thinking of this, Perseus opened his lips slightly, silently pressed his lips and tongue against hers, and murmured every syllable of her name.
Me...du...sa...
Originally, Perseus was almost a well-deserved favored son of heaven, but he was deceived by this cunning woman and wanted to rescue her from the hands of Poseidon, the god of the sea. However, Perseus did not expect that all this was her conspiracy, which made him unknowingly develop different feelings towards the woman he wanted to kill.
But now, all of this has lost its meaning. He has gone from being a favored child of heaven to having nothing. Perseus has lost his mother, his home, and his self-righteous sense of justice.
Perseus was forced to kill a woman he did not want to kill, but he had long lost his high-sounding excuse and could not convince himself. No matter whether she was promiscuous or not, whether she hated him extremely, or whether she really betrayed the gods she should be loyal to, it all seemed ridiculous.
Because Perseus also had deep doubts about these gods. Even though among them were his so-called relatives, or even half of his bloodline, the other half of Perseus's bloodline was a real human being, which was different from them.
No, Perseus is neither human nor god. He is extremely contradictory, a combination of strong and weak, different from most beings. The blood of the gods gave him physical strength, but it was Danaë, who had experienced all the pain but still chose kindness and tenacity, who gave him the perseverance to move forward.
If Danae wanted to do the right thing and follow her heart, then what she should do was not to obey the gods' mission and become an extremely sharp tool in their hands.
Perseus fearlessly betrayed the gods and his own father, the king of gods Zeus. He wanted to keep the woman he cared about the most alive, even though he knew it was mixed with his own chaotic desires.
But so what?
This was the only thing Perseus, who had nothing, wanted and the only thing he could do.
Thinking of this, Perseus, who had an empty and desolate heart, seemed to have finally found his firm inner belief at this moment. The dry and cracked earth seemed to be moistened by the rain again, and it seemed to be rejuvenated with new vitality.
Yes, Perseus suddenly and slowly stood up, as if even his scorching soul and tears were burning with such light. He roared, shouted, and howled silently, and walked resolutely into the morning sun...
He is going to find her.
——Even if it’s just from being a chess piece of the gods to being a knife in Medusa’s hand.
*
Perseus's experience did not satisfy Hera, the Queen of Gods. Given her personality, she would naturally not let Zeus's illegitimate son go so easily. Instead, she would persecute these helpless and weak people even more cruelly, just like she persecuted Dionysus, the god of wine, and his mother who was killed by thunder.
But this time, Hera, the Queen of Gods, finally chose to restrain herself, because she had previously inexplicably united with the gods to rebel against her husband. Although Zeus did not say anything on the surface, he undoubtedly felt strongly dissatisfied with her as the Queen of Gods.
Hera, the noble and powerful queen of gods, goddess of marriage and fertility, had not seen her husband for a long time.
The helplessness and pain gnawed at Hera's heart like ants, so she could only let Perseus go temporarily. After all, in her eyes, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future, but if she completely broke away from her husband because of this, there would be no room for recovery.
The king of gods Zeus may love Hera, but his love is too much and too superficial. Hera's jealousy and madness have long made Zeus tired, not to mention that Hera actually joined forces with other gods to betray him, which made Hera lose her last loyalty.
Even if Zeus was a habitual adulterer, what was wrong with the King of Gods wanting to reproduce? He naturally chose to ignore his wife Hera, and even if Hera chose to let Perseus go, it would be useless.
Unlike Hera, Zeus felt that although Perseus had not killed Medusa yet, this offspring whom Zeus valued had become a great hero passed down by word of mouth by accident. Seeing his son gradually moving towards the direction he had predetermined, he felt very happy.
As for Danaë, apart from some feelings at the beginning, she was just a mortal after all. She only had a fleeting moment of affection, but soon forgot everything and it disappeared into thin air.
To Zeus, Perseus's sadness was like his last labor pains before transforming into a hero. When he realized his own abilities and strength, Zeus firmly believed that he and his descendants would gather all mankind in the future to consolidate the eternal rule of the gods Zeus and make the prophecy of Prometheus, the god of foresight, come to nothing!
Zeus valued Perseus so much that he would occasionally take time out of his busy schedule to pay attention to Perseus's performance. He found that Perseus really got over his sadness very quickly and embarked on the journey to find Medusa. However, the King of Olympus did not notice the change in Perseus' inner thoughts, but only felt that he had become more determined and brave.
Unlike Zeus's occasional attention, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, has already forgotten about this incompetent demigod. She had previously participated in the rebellion against the king of gods Zeus. Although she was not punished, Athena had to swear in front of her father that she would never betray Zeus again to prove that she would not repeat the same mistake.
The oath was binding on the gods, and even Athena could not break it at will.
But perhaps it was precisely for this reason that the king of gods Zeus not only had no intention of settling scores, he did not even neglect her like he had neglected Hera. Instead, he showed very obvious courtesy and preference to the powerful Athena in front of the gods, making Athena's status second only to Zeus, which made everyone unable to stop being surprised and envious.
The trust crisis of the king of gods Zeus was resolved so easily, while Poseidon, the god of the sea who had always been at odds with him, lost his divine power and became like a stray dog.
Thinking of Poseidon, the god of the sea, the high and mighty goddess Athena couldn't help but think of Medusa who betrayed her.
And it is precisely because of the protection of his uncle Poseidon that this stain is still glaring in his eyes until this moment and can never be erased.
Since Perseus couldn't do it, then he would have to deal with Medusa himself.
Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, cast a quick glance at the mortal world, and after searching for a while, she soon found her target.
*
I felt lost and devastated after leaving Troy. Even in Tartarus, which was like hell and was suppressed by powerful forces, I had never felt such despair.
Because I know that even if I am fortunate enough to possess the power of hope, it will still be impossible for me to fight against the gods of Olympus with my mortal body.
I wandered aimlessly through the bustling streets, and then from there walked into the deserted desert. The veil fluttering in the wind obscured my appearance and also concealed the pain in my heart that was like a rootless duckweed.
Before, I boasted to Poseidon, the god of the sea, that I would make them pay the price. It seemed more like the last cry of an incompetent person, or a kind of helpless self-consolation.
At this moment, I have begun to have strong doubts from my original unwavering determination. I wonder if I should not have resisted these powerful gods at all, but should have opened my legs to flatter them, given up my insignificant self-esteem, and indulged in the manipulation of fate?
At this moment, even though my enemy had lost his divine power and was in a very miserable state, I seemed to feel an even stronger sense of fate.
Yes, fate...
Why is fate so predetermined and unavoidable? Why can I only numbly walk towards a doomed end?!
Naturally, no god can answer my question, because these gods themselves have to obey the instructions of fate. No matter how hard they struggle, they will eventually return to the final destination.
At that moment, I suddenly had an extremely crazy idea, as if I had finally found my destination after a long journey. Yes... I would find the goddess who determined the fate of all living beings, and then question them with all my might, striving for a completely different ending for myself.
Once this idea came into my mind, it grew like a weed and could no longer be eliminated from my mind. Even though I didn't know the palace of the three goddesses of fate, I didn't know how to rewrite my own destiny with my power.
But I seemed to have found a glimmer of hope to continue.
Just when I was in extreme confusion, I suddenly realized that something was wrong.
Looking up and around, I found that I had unknowingly come to a towering temple. I looked closely and saw that this was obviously not the Temple of Destiny I was looking for. Instead, it made me feel a sense of familiarity and uncertainty.
Because the one standing in the majestic temple is none other than the goddess I once believed in, Athena!
I was sure that there was no temple of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, nearby, and it was absolutely impossible for me to go to a place where she might be. Therefore, I quickly sensed the danger hidden in the air and had to stop vigilantly, thinking about how to escape from this premeditated trap.
Athena, who is as powerful as Zeus, is not someone a mortal like me can easily resist. When I decided to retreat, an irresistible force suddenly lifted me up like a hurricane. I immediately lost control and fell heavily in front of the statue of Athena.
I can endure any severe pain, but I am unwilling to bow my head and body before the statue of Athena.
I immediately struggled to stand up. However, when I stretched out my hand to support the ground and was about to stand up from the kneeling position, the powerful pressure unique to Athena came heavily towards me, as if to crush me completely and make me prostrate myself respectfully before the great Athena!
One knee simply cannot withstand such suffocating force, but I will never surrender to Athena as she wishes!
At this moment, I didn't care about my ferocious face. I just gritted my teeth and tried my best to resist the force that was forcing me downward.
Although I can feel that this is not as good as what I endured in the abyss of Tartarus, Athena is still very powerful to me. The scene in front of my eyes has long been blurred without my knowing it, but the remaining faith in my heart supports me to continue to fight against the gods.
I don't know how much time has passed. It was so long that I began to wonder if Athena would get tired of this and would simply wipe me out from this world. Suddenly, I felt a chill in my numb limbs and skin, as if it was shouting at me with all its might to escape immediately!
Time seemed to slow down at this moment. I listened to my own painful gasps and struggled to open my sweat-soaked eyes.
Everything in front of me was distorted, but I seemed to vaguely see spots of light reflecting metallic luster finding my face. I tried hard to open my eyes wide, trying to see it all clearly.
Soon, in my slowed-down vision, I saw a golden spear being vigorously swung, gradually approaching me...
On the brink of complete despair, I began to scream hysterically, almost going crazy. The power of hope in my body was completely aroused, and the strong unwillingness forced it to flash an increasingly shining golden light.
The force that was about to crush me suddenly disappeared. My numb and powerless body relied on the last bit of strength left to dodge Athena's fatal blow, and then fell heavily to the ground.
"Medusa... In front of a god, even the most powerful struggles of humans are useless."
That distant and compassionate voice was exactly the same as what I remembered. If believers heard its voice, they would be moved and want to dedicate everything they had to Athena. However, at this moment, I felt an inescapable fear from it, deep in my bones.
Because I know very well that even if I escape this attack by luck, the powerful Athena will strike me countless times.
As expected, when I was no longer able to make any resistance, the golden spear had no way to avoid it, and it didn't even bother to change its angle, and it came straight towards me.
At that moment, no matter how unwilling I was, I had to close my eyes, because I suddenly realized that maybe I would really die here, and my revenge as ant-like would eventually end easily.
I hate it so much but I can't do anything about it.
But at this moment, "clang--" the clanging sound of metal was extremely distant yet seemed to be very close. The harsh sound brought me back to my senses from my trance again.
I slowly opened my eyes, but unexpectedly, another familiar yet vicissitudes of life figure appeared in front of me. A shiny sword that was no less than a golden spear collided with it, emitting dazzling sparks, and the atmosphere became tense in an instant.
At the same time, I heard the peaceful Athena shouting almost angrily, "Perseus, you are so outrageous—!"
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