Chapter Text
The castle of the Beast rested in the darkest depths of the forest near their village. He was cursed for his disrespect to Lady Aphrodite, this was the story that the villagers muttered about ever since Perseus was a child. The Cursed Forest some called it. That is why we do not disrespect the gods. The beautiful hero knew this was all a folktale told to the kids to keep them from venturing into the forest. Perseus knew about beasts, he had slain many of them ever since he was a kid. Beasts did not stay in their fancy castles. Beasts did not know boundaries. They were not, oh so careful to stay inconspicuous and hidden. This beast was not real and if it was, if it tried taking anyone from his village, Perseus would slay that beast with ease as he did any other that dared to attack him.
Perseus, the greatest hero of ages to come, the villagers whispered whenever they set their sights on the hero. His beauty and bravery made itself known quickly. The slayer of Medusa and the Minotaur. His stance alone reflected his power and skill. So, when the rumours of the Nemean Lion taunting a neighbouring village spread they knew the hero would, once again, slay another beast before it could make its way into their home. It did not matter to them if he had just returned from a quest for his father. It did not matter if he was tired and wanted to stay with his mother for a little while longer before going off again. ‘You have to kill it!’ they had pleaded, tears ready to fall, ‘Or it will kill us all.’ And how could the kind-hearted hero refuse their pleas.
Another quest was set out for him, once again. Therefore, he went to consult the village Oracle, once again.
The young oracle was the only friend the kind hero had in the village. It was unfortunate that they, so often, had to meet when the hero was going off to a possible death.
“Back so soon?” his fiery red haired friend smiled softly.
“I am to protect this village, protect my mother. I am to slay the Nemean Lion and require your guidance, dear friend. Please lead me to my quest.” the hero said and kneeled. He knew too well what would happen next. It was always a frightening sight to see his friend being taken over by the spirit of Delphi so he kept his head down.
You shall travel day and night
Complete your task without fright
Have your prize out of sight
Your compassion your only slight
A choice to make to get it all right
Keep her safe with all your might
The hero was all too familiar with prophecies and their double meanings. Though, he could not help but hope that it meant his strength would keep her mother safe. He would slay the best and keep his mother safe, he was sure of it. A blindingly beautiful smile was plastered on his face while he walked back to his mother. That was until he ran into the most insistent one of his suitors of all. They had met when the son of Poseidon was out on a quest in a village to the west and they had created a storm together to destroy the Chimera that had been attacking the west village. Perseus was once again sent out due to the villagers’ fear of being the next ones to get attacked. Ever since then the son of Zeus, Jason was convinced that he and Perseus, the two greatest heroes of this age, were fated to wed and create many more strong storms to kill many more strong beasts. Jason and another demigod from his village had been coming to his village and trying to convince him that he was Jason’s fated one. Leo was a well-known blacksmith for creating unbreakable swords and shields, he also very clearly adored the son of Zeus. While Jason visited to convince Perseus, Leo would catch him alone to plead with him to not become the other hero’s lover. Their conversations were always the same.
“You saw what feats we managed together, we can do more. Gain more glory than any other hero could imagine.”
“Glory is not what I need. As long as my mother is safe, I have no desire for glory.”
“You are a mighty hero, almost as much as I am. Do not deprive future heroes of tales about your beauty and feats, it is only unfair.”
“I do not mind not being known by strangers who may admire me in the future.”
“You are a great hero!”
“I would rather be a great son.”
Saying goodbye was always the hardest. His mothers eyes would always get misty and that was the one thing the hero could not stand. He would reassure her, tell her that he would be back soon because he would. His mother had known great pain and he would not cause her any more. Losing her dear son would be too cruel and the hero was anything but cruel.
“Stay safe mother. I spoke to the other villagers, they assured me that they shall make sure you have everything you need while I am gone.”
“I will. Do not worry about me. Be fast but not careless, keep safe.”
“Do not go too deep into the forest while I am gone. I killed the closest of the beasts just in case but I’m afraid that you may get lost. You have enough food to eat before I come back”
The hero warned his mother as he always did, his mother liked to venture into the forest to gather herbs sometimes. His mother smiled softly as she always did in response.
“Why would I go into the forest without you in the first place?”
-
“Jason, it is too cruel.”
Leo pleaded with his friend, trying to dissuade him from what he was about to do. He had been trying all morning but his friend was crazed with greed. The son of Zeus was used to getting what he wanted, his father was the king of the gods after all. The beautiful son of Poseidon was no different. Leo wished once more that his dear friend could see him as a hero as well. He may not be as strong or big as Perseus but he was a demigod, a hero, too. All the things his friend begged Perseus for, Leo would blindly give the moment Jason asked. He cursed his lack of swordsmanship skills, her cursed his elvish form and his lack of glory. So what if the weapons he made were unbreakable? They did not get him glory, they did not help shape him into the companion Jason wanted.
“No! As long as that cursed woman is here, he will not have me. She needs to disappear but if I do it, he will find out. He is as clever as he is mighty. He will not be able to blame me if she ventures out by her own will. She deserves it too, that selfish woman! Keeping him from his potential but his mind will clear once she’s gone.”
Leo knew there was no way he would convince Jason. He could not handle being cast away by the hero so he did the only thing he knew how to do. He stood by Jason. He stood by Jason as they walked to the house that belonged to Perseus’s mother, Scylla. He stood by Jason as he knocked on the door. He stood by Jason when he told Scylla about the blue flowers that grew in the depths of the Cursed Forest. He stood by Jason as he assured her that it was safe and how happy Perseus would be when he was welcomed back with flowers. He stood by Jason as Scylla thanked them both for telling her about the flowers. He stood by Jason as they watched Scylla disappear into the forest, looking for the flowers that had the same colour as her son’s eyes. He stood by Jason as they waited for Perseus to finish his quest and come back home. He stood by Jason as they waited for Perseus to discover that when he came back, his mother would be long gone.
-
Scylla loved her son more than she ever loved anyone or anything. Her boy was the greatest gift Poseidon had given her during their time as lovers. Poseidon had called her a queen among women, had offered her and her boy countless riches that sounded too good to believe. But she knew, from her childhood days where she would cry her eyes out after being orphaned, the best gift she could give her son was to be a loving mother that protects her as much as possible. She chose to stay in the mortal world where her son would not be smothered by the pressure of his father. She chose to let him do as he wanted. She let her go on his heart-wrenchingly dangerous quests and did not show him how it felt like something was squeezing her gut whenever he was late in coming back home.
It was in her nature to be giving, but she did not have a lot of riches. She preferred sentimental gifts; beautiful seashells, tasty foods, nice smelling herbs and mesmerising flowers. That was why when her dear son’s friend Jason told her about the sea-blue flowers that grow in the depths of the forest. It is the same colour as the beautiful eyes of Perseus, Jason had told her. Imagine how happy it would make him to be welcomed by them when he came back, it would be the loveliest surprise. Scylla was nothing if not easy to read when it came to her son and this was Jason, her son’s friend and suitor. He is hasty but not a bad person, Perseus had said about the other hero. Her compassionate son trusted him, so Scylla did too.
As she went deeper into the forest, she started seeing more variety in the flowers. She was close. It was a fascinating sight, truly. So fascinating that she did not notice the rustling of the branches getting closer, or the nymphs of the forest slowly inching away. That was when she saw a castle. It was as big as the temples of Apollo, the protector of their village. It sparkled beautifully under the moon of the protector’s sister but it was also old. It was not preserved as any other castle or temple she had seen. It radiated an air of grief. But its garden was the prettiest she had ever seen. The owner had clearly not been as careless with it. She could see flowers of every colour; lillies in the colour of sunset, roses as red as blood, hyacinths in vibrant purples, peonies that resembled the coral of the ocean… and sea-blue carnations almost as beautiful as her son’s eyes. There were many other flowers but none resembled her son’s eyes as much as the carnations. Scylla kneeled to gather some flowers, she was reaching out to start gathering as she heard someone behind her.
“You walk into my castle and my garden and not even ask before stealing my flowers?”
She could not see the owner of the voice but it was a he. He sounded maybe a few years older than her son, “Forgive me for my ignorance. I did not know someone resided in the forest, I was told the nymphs took care of the flowers in the forest.”
“You knew wrong but I shall forgive your mistake. Why those flowers?”
“They are the same colour as my precious boy’s eyes. Let me gather a few to gift him, please.”
“Those are the flowers my mother planted for me before an incident. She will not like it. Gather any other flower but those carnations. Then I will let you go.”
Scylla was not raised as a thief. She did not steal unless absolutely necessary. She gathered a small bouquet of other blue flowers from the garden. She did not hear the owner of the castle speak again after the carnations. He must have left after confronting her. She looked back at the sea-blue flowers once again. They looked just like Perseus’s eyes. Maybe if she could sneak just one flower into the bouquet… The boy or the mother would not notice just one flower and she could be sneaky when she wanted. Just one would be enough anyway, she did not need a lot, so she picked a single sea-blue carnation to sneak into the bouquet. She did not know, however, there is no way to steal from a son of Hermes, the god of thieves, without being noticed.
-
The son of Poseidon was tired. He had travelled horseback for two days and he had not stopped to rest before fighting the beast. The villagers that were taunted by the lion gratefully offered him food and shelter but the hero did not want to stay any longer than necessary. He had a bad feeling clawing its way into his gut. He had, gratefully, eaten the food offered to him and slept a few hours before setting out on his way back home with his spoil of war, the lion’s pelt, hanging from his shoulders. It had taken him even shorter to get back home than it had to get to the other village but the clawing sensation in his gut hadn’t let him rest. He understood why when he arrived back in his village.
The villagers celebrated his arrival as they always did after he returned from a quest. Adorned him with flowers and words filled with gratitude. Perseus smiled kindly, as he always did, and waited for his mother to get to him. His mother enjoyed seeing him be loved and praised so she usually hugged him last and for longest. This time, though, his mother’s turn never came. His heart started to race. Was his mother unwell? Why had she not come to welcome him?
None of the villagers would meet his eyes when he uttered his mother’s name so he did the only thing he could think of. He ran home. He ran home as fast as a nature spirit who was being chased by a lovesick god, he ran home like a prey that was being chased for dinner. He found himself in his precious home but there was no warmth inside. Not anymore, because his house was empty. His mother had disappeared. Just as he was about to collapse onto his knees, he heard movement behind him. The hero turned around before he could even register hearing the sound, maybe his mother had played with him and planned a surprise.
The person he found was not his mother, though. It was the insistent son of Zeus that had been chasing him, in his hands was a single flower in the same sea-blue of his eyes. Jason had a sorrowful expression. He had come to check on the other hero’s mother the morning after Perseus left to find the house empty. He apparently had asked the villagers and had been told that they saw Scylla walking into the forest, presumably to collect herbs for when her son came back. Jason had waited until nightfall for the other hero’s mother to come back but she hadn’t, so the son of Zeus had set out to find his beloved’s mother. All he could find, though, was his mother’s basket and a single sea-blue carnation. Jason told the son of Poseidon that he found both near a castle deep in the forest and that his mother had been killed by the monster that resided within. His mother was gone.
“She is not!”
“There is no way she could have gotten away from the beast, dear. It’ll be alright, you can stay with me and we can-”
“She is not gone! My mother is brilliant, unless I see with my own eyes that she is dead, I will not leave her alone.”
“Beloved, I understand-”
“You do not understand if you are still insisting. Do not call me beloved, I never accepted your intentions! I am grateful that you looked for her and couldn’t have asked you to do any more but I am not giving up. Not if there is a chance that she is out there. It was my fault that I left my dear mother out of my sight but I shall make up for it. I will go and save her by any means.”
Perseus thundered out of his house and caught a glimpse of Leo, the blacksmith, anxiously waiting by the door. He did not stop to acknowledge the hero and continued walking until he reached the ocean, his Nemean Lion pelt still hanging by his shoulders. As soon as his feet touched the ocean he dropped to his knees and put the pelt in the water. And he prayed. He prayed to his father for guidance in exchange for the pelt. It did not matter to him as long as he could get his mother back to safety. He prayed until nightfall without being answered so he continued praying. The pelt disappeared, melting into the ocean by sunrise. His father had accepted his prayers.
With that Perseus knew he could go into the forest right away and his father would lead him to wherever his mother was. So, he did.
-
The goddess of love giggled as she watched the display heroes beneath her. She let her influence enrage the son of Zeus even more, confident that the jealousy of the hero would help her get her revenge against the disgraceful woman and her son in the forest. She had blessed the son of Poseidon so the hero’s beauty within showed in his looks as well. She assumed that this would provide enough entertainment to last a decade. She had not expected the son of Zeus getting so infatuated with Perseus, but it was alright. She would let Jason be driven insane with her influence, she would observe pure love the son of her husband held for Jason and make sure it did not get in the way of her plans. She would bide her time to see that cursed woman’s son filling with hope and she would enjoy it when tragedy struck. She had bid her time for many years, she could wait a few months more.
-
Perseus walked for hours until he saw the castle and the beautiful garden. He knew his mother must be inside when he saw the sea-blue carnations. His bravery did not falter but his spirits did when he thought of what he might find inside. What if his mother really was dead? No, he would know if she was. He would sense it. He kept walking until he reached inside the castle.
It was eerily quiet for a moment, then he heard a distant sound of crying. He would recognise that voice anywhere. It was coming from the upper east wing of the castle, he followed the sound until he spotted a woman with dark brown hair sitting behind metal bars.
“Mother!”
The young hero ran towards the older woman. She did not look injured, only shaken. She was alive. His mother was still alive, he was not too late.
“Oh, my boy! I made a mistake in my judgement. You should leave me here, go back.”
“How could you ask that of me?”
“Your mother stole something precious of mine, I did not harm her but she shall stay here to repent.”
Perseus hurled around to see the owner of the deep, sharp voice he heard. The boy in front of him looked as sharp as his voice. He had slightly long luscious blond hair that framed his hace with soft waves, his eyes as blue as the sky on a sunny day. His sharp jaw and prominent cheekbones complimented the rest of his features. His physique was similar to Perseus’s but he was taller and a bit more muscular. He was adorned in mud-brown chlamys that draped from his left shoulders, held in place by golden brooches on his waist and shoulder. The scars on his body were out for display, on his arms, legs and shoulder, going down to his torso. His face was not free of the scars. The most prominent one, starting from above his eyebrow going down until a bit above his chin.
He was breathtaking.
“My mother is no thief! Free her.”
“Oh, but she is. She stole the only flower I forbid her from taking. I gave her a bouquet of flowers but it was not enough for her.”
“She made a mistake, it is only one flower. You have a beautiful garden. Please, let her go.”
“Only one flower? How dare you! If it is only one flower to you, she is only one woman to me.”
“Let’s make a deal then. Have a duel with me. If I win you let us both go, if you win we shall apologise for the mistake and I shall take my mother’s place to repent as long as you want.”
This seemed to catch the boy in front of him off-guard. Perseus could hear her mother pleading with him to not do this but he did not listen. He was one of the greatest heroes of the ages, with so much on the line, he would not lose.
“Deal, the one to draw first blood wins.”
Perseus unsheathed his sword, Anaklusmos, and saw the boy in front of him do the same. They both got into fighting stances. The son of Poseidon had not slept properly in days, he was tired and hungry but he could not afford to lose. If he thought the so-called beast couldn’t get more breathtaking, he was wrong. The blond was even more mesmerising with his sword drawn for blood. Perseus decided to stay in a defensive stance to assess the best way to win against someone whose moves he hadn’t seen before. He was shocked by the strength in the first attack from the boy but he held his stance. After a few minutes of swords clanging he realised that the boy in front of him had good technique along with strength, he needed to start attacking so he did. He managed to find an opening and slashed at the boy’s undefended spot, the side of his waist. His sword cut right through fabric but something that Perseus had not anticipated before happened, his sword did not leave so much as a scratch in the boy. If it was anyone else this move would have drawn blood already but it was almost as if the boy in front of him had skin made of steel.
As Perseus was trying to understand how someone with seemingly invincible skin had so many scars, he realised too late that he left too many openings. His realisation hit at the same time as his opponent’s sword hit his shoulder. His skin broke, blood seeping out of the wound and dripping down towards his hand. First blood was drawn.
“I shall let you mother go as soon as she apologises. You, however, are to stay here.”
“Perseus, I will now-”
“Mother! A deal is a deal. Please,”
He refused to meet his mother’s eyes. This was humiliating. So what if he was a great hero as people called him? He had failed when it mattered the most. He heard his mother mutter an apology and watched as some nymphs that, probably, worked the castle’s garden gently escorted her outside. He walked to where his mother was a few moments ago in a daze.
Whoever this was, he must have known that his own skin was invincible. He must have known that this duel was nothing but a show that would not lead to anything fruitful. This beast must have known that Perseus had no chance of winning but still had taunted him with the hope of returning home with his mother.
“I am Luke, son of Hermes, Lord of the Castellan Castle. Your mother mentioned you, Perseus, you did well to honour our deal.”
As Perseus watched Luke retreat into another part of the castle, he thought back to the folktales he heard as a child. The beast and his castle in the forest. He had learned today that he was wrong. There certainly were beasts that stayed in their fancy castles. Beasts that did know boundaries. This one was, oh so careful to stay inconspicuous and hidden. This beast was real and he was the most beautiful beast Perseus had ever seen.