Teacher, Not Hero (femPercy Jackson X YJ)

Forty-Five: The Legend of Perseus: Part One

Kaldur P.O.V:

Perseus. The Hero of Olympus. 

The name was legend in Atlantis. Every child grew up hearing about his famed adventures. They were bed time stories.

Myths.

How the young son of Poseidon, wrongly accused of stealing Zeus' Master Bolt, traveled across the country to redeem his name and save his mother. Venturing to the Underworld to confront the dark god of death, Hades. How he valiantly battled him, won back his mother, and proved that it was the evil death god who had taken the bolt.

There were near hundreds of fables like this. Perseus the brave hero, fighting the enemies of Olympus and challenging gods, monsters, demons, and titans with his bravery, strength, awesome power, and trusty sword, Riptide.

Never would I have believed that any of the stories were true. They were kids tales. Stories of magic and wonder. "Be good and Perseus will protect you from monsters"

But now? I am to believe that these myths were true? That the world was constantly in danger and that Perseus really existed? Leading a life of adventure and glorious battle? Saving us all? It didn't seem real.

The stories, it seemed, lost many details about the adventures of Perseus.

For one, he was a she. And the Percy I knew certainly didn't act like a glorified hero. Someone who led armies and fought monsters. The Percy I knew tripped over her feet and made corny jokes. She trained and powerful, but humble. Modest. The Perseus from my childhood, whilst he had a flaw of great loyalty, he was also prone to boasting of his accomplishments.

But the way the room changed as Percy declared herself as the demigod warrior from the legends... As she revealed herself to be the man from the myths...

I cannot help but believe every word.

I was taught by the famous hero Perseus, and I didn't even realize it.

My mind raced to process the new found information. I felt myself grow embarrassed and ashamed. Percy was the daughter of Poseidon, Princess of the Sea, one of the most powerful and famous heroes in existence. And I, a common Atlantean, treated her as if she were just any other person.

No. I stopped myself. She treated me like I was just another person. She treated me as an equal. She did not boast or proclaim herself as a great hero. She kept her fame and power hidden. And as I treated her with the respect of a teacher, she treated me with the respect of a student. It was her who decided our roles.

The myths lost a lot of details.

I watched as Robin worked with the controls of the satellites, Wonder Woman and Batman's shouting match droning on in the background.

He managed to detach a small camera drone from the Watchtower and set it on a course for the power surge in Alaska. Hopefully, we would find Percy.

A shiver ran down my spine. One of the darkest myths of Perseus was of his adventures in the Pit; Tartarus. A literal Hell where all monsters go when they die.

In the story, as Perseus traveled with the Seven Demigods of Prophecy, he valiantly travelled through the twisted land with the daughter of Athena. While the Seven Demigods were well known heroes, Perseus was the son of Poseidon. He held a special place in the Atlantian hearts. In the legends, they were refered to as the Seven or as the demigod warrior of their parent. Perseus, the son of Poseidon, the son of Jupiter, the son of Mars, the son of Hepheastus, the daughter of Athena, the daughter of Pluto, and the daughter of Aphrodite.

After saving the statue, the Athena Parthenos, Perseus and the daughter of Athena travelled into the Pit to close the Doors of Death. They succeeded and returned to the rest of the Seven and continued on their quest. There are many different versions of Perseus and his trek through Hell. But as it seems, the myth left out a lot of what really happened.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Robin's excited whoop.

"Alright! Show time. Ladies and gentlemen grab your popcorn. The video feed will be coming in in 3.. 2....1..." Robin trailed off at the end, his voice dying at the sight on the screen. Wally gulped and Artemis let out a sharp gasp. M'gahn drew her hand to her mouth and Conner's eyes widened in surprise. I could only stare.

If front of the camera, was a massive figure. The beast stood at at least 60 feet, probably more. Covered in horrific armor and wielding a battle ax the size of an 18 wheeler, he was terrifying. He looked like something out of a nightmare. Even looking at him on the screen, my body ached and seized with terror. Panic ran through me as if I was staring at Death himself. Looking at him, all I wanted to do was run.

Standing in front of him, we could make out a much smaller figure that had to be Percy. Through the snow, we could just make out the glow of her bronze armor and the sword in her hand. My breath caught.

Riptide.

I couldn't help but stare at the fuzzy image of the bronze sword. Such a powerful weapon. A thing of legend, just like Perseus. It was a symbol of power just as Perseus was. A weapon to be idolized.

"She's gonna fight that thing???!" Wally practically screamed. Similar reactions went through the group. I couldn't help but fear for Percy. Legend or not, that thing was the Primordial God of the Pit. The literal incarnate of Hell. The ultimate monster. The most powerful source of evil in the entire world. The ancient god made Hades' dark prowess look like a toothpick. Even the Olympians trembled in fear of him. The titans before them feared him just the same.

Wally's screech had drawn the attention of Batman and Wonder Woman, who paused their arguments for a brief moment to look over at us. When they did, they saw the absolute monster on the screen and the tiny figure of Percy standing in front of him.

"Oh my gods!" Diana yelled, abandoning her argument in favor of racing towards the screen. She gingerly toughed Percy's small figure and mumbled something in Ancient Greek.

Batman and Black Canary, (who had been trying in vain to stop their argument) stared in mute horror at the demon.

"What is that?" Canary whispered, her voice filled with fear. I chose to answer.

"That is the being who has her sister. She is going to fight him to the death to get her back." I informed her, confirming the fears of everyone in the room. Aquaman silently joined us at the console, his hands pressed together for an Atlantean prayer.

We watched in silent horror as the beast crossed to Percy, placing his blade under her throat. She made no move to defend herself. Was she going to fall so quick? Was she trapped? What was happening?

For tense minutes that seemed to stretch for hours, neither party moved. Although we had no audio, it was clear that they were having some form of conversation. To her credit, Percy did not flinch at the monster's moment and she did not waver as he held his blade to her neck. If just looking at him caused me to feel pure, unsolicited terror, I could not imagine what standing in his presence would feel like. How she stood her ground proved that she was the Hero Perseus.

Slowly, he backed away.

After a brief pause, she raised her sword and stood in fighting stance. And the fear I felt from the image of Tartarus transfered onto her. The power in her moment conveyed her intentions. They showcased her skill. Even as we watched from thousands of miles away, I could feel the atmosphere change.

The lone demigod stood, sword level.

And the monster in front of her raised his ax.

And the heavens finished their preparations as thunder smashed through the sky.