~A70 Ch28~

Pan blinked at the spectacle he was currently witnessing. Many of the sailors he was with, the majority of them Greek, all edged as far away as possible from the bow of the ship.

Perseus, his Persian companion, was standing on one leg on the very edge of the bow. He had told Pan that the Persians were especially firm believers in Anahita, the Persian goddess of the waters, because much of the territory of the Persian Empire resided in deserts and other, unpleasantly, overly warm areas of land that held little to no potential for farming.

Because of this, Persians performed a reverse rain dance.

Persians were taught in their childhood at least three separate rain dances. Rain dances had to be performed with absolutely no error whatsoever otherwise the Persian who had performed an incorrect rain dance would incur the wrath of Anahita and bring devastation to the entire area of land.

A reverse rain dance was something Perseus had come up with on the spot. The sailors had been murmuring to themselves that the skies looked like it would rain so Perseus, being the kind, caring demigod he was, took it upon himself to push the heavy clouds away- through the mystical force only a reverse rain dance could provide. Or so he claimed.

Perseus was the only person on the planet who knew that the Persian Pantheon had faded.

However, that didn't prevent him from messing around with the Greek sailors. The best part was that they wouldn't do anything to stop him since they viewed any person living past the age of fifty as a boon of the gods and furthermore, wise beyond any of them.

"Ah, it's been a while since I was part of a good rain dance," Perseus stretched his arms high to the sky as he reached Pan before cracking his neck. "Ah, much better."

"The Greeks fear you," Pan observed quietly as the majority of Greeks began kneeling and praying to Poseidon for forgiveness.

Perseus laughed. "As well they should considering how many of them I slew before deciding not to follow that idiot, Xerxes. Anyways Pan, I admit to finding myself intensely curious about your powers. Would you mind if I asked you a bit about them?"

"Not at all," Pan answered, casting an eye on the Greeks who had parted ways after praying, all going to prepare for the last day on their journey to Mycale, the closest Persian port city from their departure point. "So long as you answer my questions about your own powers."

"What exactly are your powers? I understand that you are capable of controlling nature but how exactly does that work? What I'm trying to ask is if nature is the only thing you are capable of controlling?" Perseus clarified.

"Tell me, Perseus, what can you find in nature?"

Perseus shrugged. "Trees, grass, bushes. Dirt too, I guess."

"Partially correct. Also found in nature are animals and water." Perseus made a noise of realization. "I am capable of controlling all these things."

"Are you also capable of creating things? Like can you create a tree?" Perseus asked.

"So long as it is related to my domain," Pan explained.

"So the reason I can summon fire is because it is related to my father's domain," Perseus said as he casually put his hand ablaze much to the horror of the Greek sailors in the vicinity who shrieked as they gathered water to put out the fire. "In the fifty odd years I've been alive, no one's ever explained that to me. Usually, my father, simply gave me instructions but not explanations such as 'this is how you can summon fire' or 'Perseus, take down those bastard Egyptian gods in the name of war and Verethragna!' It has been annoying not having any explanations, so thank you Pan for explaining."

Pan chuckled. Truly, this man was a refreshing if odd breeze in his long life. "So I take it your power comes from Verethragna?"

Perseus nodded his head. "Correct. My father's main power is the ability to change into ten different forms all with varying abilities. But, he is or rather, he used to be the god of war and victory so his strength and skill in battle was far greater than most gods. He also used to be one of Ahura Mazda's right hand man and was entrusted as the guardian of fire which he later gave to humanity so that they could be more than animals scrabbling around in the darkness."

"That sounds oddly similar to Prometheus's tale of giving fire to mankind," Pan raised an eyebrow at Perseus.

"No, Prometheus gave fire to the Greeks," Perseus corrected. "So Verethragna countered by giving fire to most of the main continent. He couldn't be outdone, you know. And then the rest of the gods from other regions followed suit not wanting Greece and Persia to dominate. And that's pretty much how humanity came to be so far."

"I've never heard of this before," Pan admitted, his gaze curious for more knowledge.

"My father was a very, how I should I put this, prideful god. He always bragged about the things he did while he was training me. At least he wasn't too prideful and thankfully, I only got a little bit of that from him," Perseus laughed.

Pan smiled before narrowing his eyes slightly at Perseus. "But that's not the entire extent of the abilities you inherited from Verethragna, is it?"

"Ah, well, yes, I do have one more ability," Perseus shifted in place, slightly nervous.

"And that is?" Pan pressed, eager to discover Perseus's secret power.

"Do I really have to tell you?" Perseus begged off.

"I told you of my abilities," Pan countered.

"Fine," Perseus scowled. "My last ability is something that could only have been inherited from Verethragna, the greatest of all war gods, past, present, and future. The ability to conquer."'

"I'm afraid I do not comprehend," Pan said.

"Tell me, Pan. What is one of the benefits of a victorious war?" Perseus asked.

Pan pondered the Persian's question. "I suppose it would be any wealth you obtain after the battle."

"Very close but not quite. The greatest benefit is that of conquering and keeping what you conquer. Verethragna is the greatest of all war gods because in the entirety of his existence, he has never lost one battle or war. Because of this, there can be no greater war god than a god of war who has never lost. The reason Verethragna is so feared and respected is because of his unique ability to conquer the powers of other beings and claim them as his own. He doesn't steal their abilities so much as duplicate them and make them his own," Perseus explained to Pan's rapidly growing awe. "That is the reason he has never had children before. Because all of his potential children would have this ability- the power to usurp the gods of this world and become gods in their own right. It was only when Verethragna realized that the Persian Pantheon was coming to an end because of some idiot mortals that he sired a child. Me."

Pan let loose a breath of air before he finally said, "The King of the Gods will kill you if he knew of this."

"Pfft. You're behind the times, old man. That King of the Wind Breakers has been after me since I slew Leonidas," Perseus told the god.

Pan stared at the man incredulously. "Did you just refer to the King of the Greek gods as the King of the Wind Breakers?"

"That's my codename for him so I don't attract his attention. The Greek war god is Lord I Should Give Up At Fighting. Hades is the Lord of Shiny Things and Artemis is the Lady of False Claims in relation to Mountain-Breaking. Usually I just shorten it to Lady of Pompous Falsities though. It's a work in progress though, I haven't met a lot of the gods and sometimes I have to switch it up a bit when the gods I have met reveal new traits."

"Oh, well as long as it's a work in progress," Pan commented tiredly. Dealing with a hyperactive, fifty-year old, Persian demigod with the oddest quirks was a very...interesting experience. "And mountain-breaking?

Perseus explained in between laughs all the way to the mainland, a small feat considering that he used his powers over wind to force the boat to move faster than normal.

The sailors were all finally glad to be rid of the Persian with a death wish and his quiet companion. They all swore to never allow the Persian on their boat ever again. His friend was all right though.

"Where to now, Perseus?" Pan asked from underneath his cloak. Despite being humid, he wore a cloak because of the burning sun overhead. Better to sweat than to get sunburn. Even a god had his limits.

"Onwards to the Great Royal Road of Persia!" Perseus charged to the easternmost part of the port town, surprising Pan and many passerby with a speed unheard of in such an advanced state of age.

Pan groaned at the pace the Persian demigod had set and began following the dust cloud Perseus had left behind.. Never again will I deal with elderly demigods.

...

"Impressive," Pan commented.

And for mortals, who possessed no supernatural powers and could only rely upon their innovation, imagination, and own two hands, it was an impressive feat. The Royal Road of Persia was the longest construct ever known to man - for the time being. It was a road made of stone - whether it was stone slabs or even stone pavement. It was built under the decree of some ancient Persian Emperor who had forced the many cities under his command to built a great road stretching as far as possible to unite his empire. While it was mostly used by Persian armies to quickly move among cities, merchants and travelers also used it with increasing frequency as the road always promised to reach some sort of Persian town or village. It didn't encompass every town, city and village, not even the capital city, but it did reach a fair amount of cities and towns.

"Isn't it?" Perseus asked the Greek god with a wide smile on his face. "Ah, this brings back the best of memories." He frowned. "And the worst."

Pan chose to change the topic. "And which city are we traveling to?"

"Persepolis, the capital city of Persia," Perseus expression brightened up once more as he began stretching. "By the way, Zoë's birthday is in about two weeks so we won't have time to catch the sights. Of course, when there's only sand, farmland, and the occasional town to see, you aren't exactly missing much. How fast can you run?"

"...Fast enough," Pan said cautiously. He did not like where this was going.

"Good, good," Perseus nodded his head sagely. "I hope being cooped up underground for so long hasn't made you too slow, old man."

A caw made Perseus and Pan look to the sky. Perseus grinned as he saw a companion of his, the Thunderbird who he had yet to name, move ahead of them.

"What exactly are you planning, Perseus?" Pan asked, very afraid for his health.

"Usually," Perseus began. "a trip between here and Persepolis would take many months. We don't have months. We have two weeks to get to Persepolis and return to Greece to make it in time for Zoe's birthday. So, with my natural ability and your godly ability, we'll run. For three days and three nights, we'll run to Persepolis and in three days' time, we'll return to this harbor town. I need only an hour or so to obtain Zoë's gift. Then, in three more days, we'll travel across the ocean to Greece and then go at a leisurely pace to the Hunt's location. And then, we'll celebrate."

Pan felt ill.

"Let's go!"

Pan groaned.

For three days and nights, the Royal Road went unused by travelers as what they assumed to be some sort of wide area tornado occurred all along the Royal Road, kicking up dust, dirt, and small to medium sized objects, rendering the Royal Road completely unusable.

Needless to say, the only reason Perseus had managed to keep ahead of Pan the entire way, why he had actually lasted the entire journey running at the same pace was because he had invoked the power of the Camel, granting him incredible stamina and leg strength and partially activating the power of the Raptor, which allowed him to move swiftly enough to cover the vast distance in three days.

...

Pan fell to the ground, drained of energy, and choking on sand and other debris that had managed to get into his mouth in the final stretch of their journey along the Royal Road.

Perseus laughed at him. "I thought you knew how to run, Pan. Obviously, someone needs to get some more exercise in every once in a while."

Pan didn't bother to respond as he stood up and conjured himself some water in a glass and drank it all in a single gulp.

"I don't suppose you'd want to get me some water too?" Perseus asked hopefully.

Pan responded using one of the most ancient techniques used even during the Titans' reign. He stuck out his tongue. Pan felt a little better now that he had managed to get some revenge on the man that had forced him to run across a vast land in only three days.

I really must have been underground too long if I had forgotten about teleporting to Persepolis, Pan thought after having finally caught a moment to rest.

"Perseus," Perseus's attention focused upon Pan. "We will be teleporting back to Greece."

Pan had absolutely no intention of running the distance of the Royal Road again, especially not in an hour.

Perseus looked at him blankly before his eyes sharpened in realization. "Oh yeah, that's a thing you guys do, isn't it...?"

Pan fought the urge to throttle the Persian.

"Well, you can't come with me since what I'm going to do requires some delicate work that gods usually don't possess. So, you're just going to have to entertain yourself for a while. Be ready to teleport in about an hour's time," Perseus said.

"What kind of delicate work are you talking about?" Pan questioned curiously.

"Oh, you know, entering a palace, maybe getting some revenge on the newest king and his idiot allies, the usual things that happen when a demigod outcast returns to the city that created the decree to kill all demigods," Perseus responded nonchalantly.

"Entering a palace unnoticed?"

"Well, they certainly won't notice me," Perseus grinned.

Pan rolled his eyes as the evasive answer he received. "Very well, I suppose I shall inspect nature around here and how it compares to Greece."

"You do that Pan," Perseus waved at him as turned and began walking away. "Be here in an hour."

...

Swift punches knocked the several, surprised guards guarding the gate to the palace unconscious. A jump took Perseus over the other side of the gate and on palace grounds. He grinned at the lush, verdurous garden surround the elegant, white palace located in the middle of the large city. Even in the night, it was a sight to behold.

And it was a sight that Perseus would be the last to see.

Two hands were set ablaze. Perseus lifted his hands and began slowly walking to the entrance of the palace, spouting fire along the way, the garden, and when he reached it, the walls of the palace burning in fire. He laughed as he walked. Long had he wanted more than simply killing the king who had issued the law that killed Persian demigods, killed his brethren, killed all of his family. What he would do was simply his brand of his revenge. It was, however, only a fraction of the rage he possessed of this particular subject.

"Setting Persia ablaze in flames," Perseus murmured to himself as he stepped through the burning twin doors, unaffected by the flames or heat. "Can a desert burn? Perhaps not but a palace? Most definitely."

By the time he began walking upstairs, most of the people of the palace had awoken and began screaming and fleeing. Many of the guards within the palace had noticed him but dared not attack him for fear that he would launch a fireball at them.

Despite his entrance, thoughts, and experience, Perseus was not a man who killed needlessly. He had walked slowly to give inhabitants of the palace time to flee. He had carefully launched his fireballs to destroy mostly inconsequential things - though Perseus suspected Pan would object to a garden being inconsequential. Despite his rightful rage towards Persia, he hadn't burned all of Persia to ashes. He had chosen to burn this palace, the palace of the King of Persia, for a symbolic reason. If the palace that belonged to the king could be successfully be attacked, then it would show all the world that Persia was weak.

Perseus quickly rid his hands of fire as he spotted his target and quickly blocked his target's attempt to get past him by raising his hand to the level of his chest. A head hit his hand before recoiling backwards.

The target in question was a fifteen year old girl, neither overly ugly or overly pretty. She was a princess, the only Princess of Persia, and would likely be used as an instrument of politics, being married off to some foreign nation that threatened Persia's empire. But Perseus didn't care about that. What he did care about was the heirloom sitting on top of her head. A silver circlet enchanted by Ahura Mazda himself to never rust as a representation of his faith in the royal family.

Perseus was positive that Ahura Mazda had lost his faith in the royal family so Perseus took it upon himself to give that silver circlet to a new, worthy family. Or at least, a girl he considered to be family considering all the time he had spent with her.

"Ah," Perseus snatched the circlet off the princess's head. "Thank you. You may leave now." Perseus moved to the side and allowed the girl to pass, which she quickly did fearing for her life rather than worry about some old trinket that had been in her family for ages.

"I suppose I should leave now before the guards get some strange idea like imprisoning me," Perseus laughed softly as he began the walk back to he and Pan's meeting place.

...

Eleven days later...

"Perseus!" Zoë squealed as she spotted Perseus at the edge of camp and ran towards him, intent on hugging him.

Perseus laughed as he accepted her hug and spun around once before setting her down. "Zoë! It's been a while since I last saw you!"

Zoë kicked him in the shin. "Don't play innocent, Perseus! It's your own fault that you haven't come to visit me other than on my birthday!"

Perseus grinned toothily as he thought back to why he hadn't visited recently. That Labyrinth had messed up his sleeping schedule for weeks. "Things happen unexpectedly, Zoë. Sometimes for the worse but on occasion, for the better."

A voice slyly interrupted them, "Like causing a mountain to explode, for instance?"

Perseus glanced upwards and encountered the beautiful vision of a twenty-something year old woman with stunning silver eyes, auburn hair curled to one side though not in a way that covered one of her eyes, a small smile on her lips, and dressed in silver hunting clothing.

"Exactly," Perseus grinned. "Artemis."

"Perseus," she inclined her head slightly at the Persian. A small nod of respect.

Perseus groaned at her. "Don't be such a stick in the mud, Artemis. It seems as if every time I come here, I have to make you be a more carefree."

Artemis scowled at him. "And that it is always the second thing that comes out of your mouth."

"Well, maybe if you learned your lesson the first twenty times, I wouldn't have to say that each time," Perseus laughed.

Before Artemis could respond, a figure that emerged from the woods took all of her attention. Two small horns that emerged slightly from his curly brown hair, forest-green eyes, and a curled smile were the first things she noticed. Then she noticed a bare chest to which she scowled, before finally taking in his obviously furry legs. Legs with hooves at the end. Satyr legs.

"Lord Pan?" Artemis asked softly.

"Good afternoon, Lady Artemis," Pan responded with a tilt of his head.

Zoë's eyes widened. "W-what? Lord Pan? Pan the nature god?"

"Do you remember what I just said? That things sometimes happens unexpectedly and sometimes for the good?" Perseus waited until Zoë nodded before continuing. "That's how I met Pan."

A caw echoed through the forest before a huge bird descended rapidly, landing on Perseus's shoulder, and startling both Zoë and Artemis. "And this is my trusty Thunderbird whom I have yet to name. She's a girl."

"She's beautiful," Artemis and Zoë whispered in unison, attention detracted from the appearance of a god not seen in hundreds of years. The Thunderbird was a rare specimen rarely seen and highly coveted for its power over the skies and thunder even among the gods. Zeus himself had wanted the Thunderbird to be his divine animal before realizing that he would have to actuall catch one- Thunderbirds being among the fastest creatures on Earth that could easily outpace even Hermes- and had then settled for the eagle as his divine animal.

The Thunderbird preened at the praise.

"Anyways, let's get this party started!" Perseus began walking, startling both the goddess and her Lieutenant from their stupor.

While Zoë walked alongside Perseus, catching up with each other, Artemis walked alongside Pan.

"Why did you leave?" That was the question that bothered Artemis the most. Because he had left, nature had been in a constant decline.

"Nature has been in decline since the dawn of human civilization," Pan answered the goddess as if reading her thoughts. "In turn, this slow decimation of nature has made me weaker. When I had a human announce my death to all, my power faded quicker. I had intended to fade quietly, however, the belief of the satyrs, has sustained my life force to remain on Earth for many years to come."

"But why didn't you try to fight back?" Artemis pressed. "You could have fought humans for the right of nature to retain its territory."

Pan sighed. "You forget, Lady Artemis, that unlike yourself and the majority of gods, I am a peaceful god. I do not enjoy fighting and will only fight in self-defense or as a last resort. I will not harm humans though I detest their actions because it is not the right thing to do. Humans are ignorant. They still do not know the importance of nature and that it is essential to their existence. But perhaps, in time, they will learn this, and be more respectful towards nature in the future." Pan sighed again, this time his expression showing his weariness and age. "One can hope."

"Though," Pan spoke before Artemis could speak, casting an appraising eye upon the young Persian demigod who had forced him out of isolation, if only for the sake of companionship. "Perhaps, until that time comes, I should grant some of my power to someone who will fight."

Artemis's eyes widened in surprise as she glanced at Pan, then Perseus, then Pan again. "Y-you don't mean to bless Perseus, do you?! He's a mortal! Soon, he will die and you will have wasted your power!"

So, Perseus has yet to inform Artemis of his immortality. I wonder why... "Perhaps, but in the time he has left, I think he could do great things with the power I would grant him." Of course, that time is unlimited so Perseus would have to eventually do something great. Not that he hasn't already if the tales he has told me are accurate. That reminds me...

"By the way, Artemis, I have heard something most displeasing," Pan's forest green eyes narrowed at the goddess with false anger and a touch of exasperation. "You blew up a mountain? Again?"

Artemis's jaw dropped. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before her cheeks reddened in fury. "Perseus!"

...

Zoë's birthday was a quiet affair. Artemis had selected a wide clearing a fair distance away from the Hunters' camp. The Hunters themselves, while tolerating Perseus as one of Zoë's friends and one of their Lady Artemis's... acquaintances, had no desire to spend more time than absolutely necessary with Perseus which is why they had chosen to celebrate Zoë's birthday earlier in the day rather than have to deal with Perseus.

Of course, once it was known that three gods, Lord Hades, his wife, Lade Persephone, and the former leader of the Amazons, Lady Enyo, had been attending Zoë's birthday for the past several years, the Hunters all eagerly avoided the later celebration, not wanting to unintentionally offend one of the gods and end up in an early, by semi-immortal standards, grave.

It was a small party consisting of the three gods previously mentioned, Zoë, of course, Artemis, Pan, whom the three gods were very surprised to see, to say in the least, and Perseus, who tied together all of the beings currently present.

"Time for presents!" Perseus announced.

Zoë perked up like a bunny sniffing the air for that faint yet tantalizing scent of a distant carrot. "Presents?"

"You have a standing invitation in the Underworld," Hades began speaking before anyone could start, "to train with any hero or heroine currently in my domain for a period one month to further your own skills."

"Thank you, Lord Hades," Zoë bowed.

"None of that, girl. We are at a party, among friends. There is no need for formalities," Hades said.

"Yes, Lo- Hades," Zoë replied.

"My turn," Enyo ran forward, stopping just before Zoë and depositing her gift in Zoë's arms.

Zoë stared at the unnecessary wrapping of the spear-shaped gift. She turned to Enyo. "Really?"

Enyo shrugged. "I was told that presents were supposed to be surprises when given on birthdays."

Zoë took the spear from the wrappings. It wasn't a beautiful spear but Zoë was thankful for that because it meant that it was sturdy and strong, powerful enough to withstand several powerful strikes. "Thank you, Enyo. I look forward to learning how to wield a spear."

And so the list of gifts went on. Artemis had promised a week of personal training, as she did for all of her Hunters when it was heir birthdays, as well as promising to teach her advanced tracking techniques that would allow her to track prey over the harshest of terrains. Persephone had given her a single Travel Rose which would allow Zoë to instantaneously travel to Artemis's side no matter the circumstance. Pan had given her a small blessing of the Wild, and much to Perseus's surprise and the surprise of all the gods present, had simultaneously given Perseus half of his power.

"Close your eyes, Zoë," Perseus stepped forward, hiding his gift behind his back.

Zoë's eyes snapped shut. She felt a hand - Perseus's hand - slowly push a lock of her hair behind her ear before a cold, metal thing was gently placed on her head.

She opened her eyes and her hands immediately touched the circular metal thing around her head. Artemis conjured a mirror and allowed Zoë to look at herself in the mirror. Zoë gasped at the sight of the beautiful, silver tiara around her head.

"It once belonged to the royal family of Persia given to them by Ahura Mazda as a symbol of his faith in the family's rule," Perseus explained. "That was before I liberated it. Now, it is yours Zoë. I'm sure Ahura Mazda would approve of my decision."

Zoë hugged him. "Thank you," she mumbled into his chest.

A smile slowly formed across his lips, born from his familial love towards Zoë. "You're welcome."

For everyone present, it was a perfect evening, free from all duties for these short few hours.

Everyone was content.

A/N:

I will try updating this more often. Hopefully, this chapter has answered some of your questions about Perseus's powers. After several months, if you're wondering, I finally know where I want to go with this story so while I won't say to expect updates on a regular basis, do be on the lookout for them. Of course, also consider that I am writing two other stories and am always writing other, unpublished stories simply because I find the plot interesting.

Also, thank you for your patience for this update though I will say it is quite aggravating for people to review on my other stories to update this story. Kindly do not attempt to do so again. I will, as all authors on this site do, write at my own pace.

Answering questions you might have about this story will commence next chapter.

As always,

Thanks for reading!