Son of Love and Fire

Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

The sun was just rising, casting the first rays of light across the quietly bustling early hours in Tegea. As the sun peaked above the horizon it looks dull and lifeless in comparison to how the colours had painted the sky for months. As the city began to fully awaken, for some it was with a dull throb to their hearts as they recalled the events that had so recently unravelled.

The royal family shared a sombre meal, free of the presence of the arrogant prince who was sleeping off a head splitting migraine, the family reflecting on their luck, having been blessed by the protection of the god. Despite this both the women at the table were stuck within their own minds, being unable to free themselves of the memory of the kind-hearted, seemingly young, man who had departed them with little notice, already craving the joyful light his smile lit the room with upon the rare occasion that he broke out of his formalities.

Similarly, Callie woke with an aching heart, craving the presence of her lost brother, although not wanting to hold him back by praying for his presence, knowing in her heart that he would come as promised if she ever called. She mindlessly made her way through her usual routine and was only broken from her depressed thoughts momentarily as she lifted the silver blade from the table and cradled it in her hands reverently, it immediately becoming her most prized possession and definitely her most expensive. Furthermore, as she read the letter, she couldn't hold back the tears that slipped from her eyes and joined the dried ones on the page as she was overwhelmed by both sadness and joy, for the connection she both had, and lost. She quickly placed the note and knife away beneath her bed where she stored the few prized possessions she had, then moved on with her day, preparing herself for her future and always waiting for the return of her brother.

Antheia on the other hand had far less restraint in her emotions and when she awoke, recalling her memories and racing out to her father who told her it wasn't just a dream, she bawled into her father's chest, weeping for her lost friend. It took a long while before she broke away and as she did, she made a promise to herself that she would never break. She would live her life in a way that would make 'Percy' proud and wait for the day he returned.

-----

As the sun rose, for the first time in months, Perseus awoke laying in a tranquil clearing on soft grass, surrounded by nature as he had been for the greater portion of his life. Perseus had left the city the previous night, travelling out through the forest and spreading his senses out into nature as he hadn't done for so long having been cooped up in the palace.

As he travelled through the forest, he fuelled it with life, especially where it was damaged closer to Tegea and some of the small outer villages he'd passed so far, causing life to fill the surrounding, plants to grow and natural colours to bloom and brighten.

Perseus was uncertain of what it was that he would do next, although he had decided that it would be best to travel for some time to reconnect with nature and explore Arcadia.

As he got up, he decided to transform into his wolf form, placating his longing for the feeling of freedom that running through the forest in this form gave him. As the transformation was completed with a sharp flash of light a huge almost 7-foot wolf was revealed, with fur blacker than the darkest parts of the night sky and silky fur that caught the early morning rays of light.

At his appearance, many of the animals that had surrounded the clearing after following him when he was rebirthing life within the damaged forest, scampered for cover at the sight of the predator that was deadly even when at a normal size. After a short while they re-emerged, staring at the huge creature curiously, after a few seconds a small fawn stumbled towards the wolf, obviously having left it's mothers supervision.