Perseus Abyssos (3)
Night passed, and around the time the sun rose I came down from the Acropolis—the hill that held the temple and fortress—and made for the Agora. The word might feel strange to modern ears, so think of it simply as a “market”; yet in ancient Greece it was also the place where free men gathered for heated debate, something closer to a public council hall.
The male citizens of this country, ranked among the freemen, always showed their faces at the Agora. There they heard the king’s decrees, talked politics, and argued with equal passion about art, athletics, and myth. The talkers staked out a corner and raised their voices, so if you followed the loudest clamor or the densest crowd you were sure to find them. Listening long enough let you learn whatever had happened near Argos; even by modern standards it was an indispensable gathering.
Today, however, I had not come down for rumors. I needed animal feathers and hides, so I walked straight to the merchants selling their wares beneath the colonnade—the long rows of pillars that shaded the stalls.
“It is a rare day when Lord Perseus the Second comes to me.”
“May I look at your goods for a moment?”
“Of course. Though I sell only ornaments—will that suit you? Blades are sold farther inside.”
“No, this is exactly what I want today. Everything is made from foreigner fur or animal hide, yes?”
“It is.”
“Then it is perfect. Show me, if you would.”
The merchant clearly found it odd that a boy still of an age to lust after sharp steel was hunting ornaments meant for women, yet he kept any rudeness to himself. He explained patiently which piece was this animal’s fur, which that hide, and which had been fashioned from a foreigner’s body, so I soon picked out what I needed.
“If you mean to gift a woman, this side is better. Mycenaean masters sold what their apprentices made. They scolded the lads for still being clumsy, but to my eye the work is handsome enough.”
“I want this one instead.”
“As I said a moment ago, I stitched that myself in spare moments on the road. It is far too rough to give a lady—are you certain?”
“I need something of this sort right now. You are sure it is made from the feathers of the animals you named?”
“I will not lie beneath the name of Hermes. I am not bold enough to invoke a god before the famous priest Perseus and then speak falsehood.”
“Then give me this.”
I bought the crude ornament—a ring woven with feathers of every kind. Having slipped out at dawn without a word to Danae, this was all I could afford on the spot; even so, it was exactly the piece I required.
I fastened the feathered ring around my ankle and spent the remaining drachmas on two hides I could sling like belts. The ankle feathers were for flight; the hides for waist or shoulder would guard my body or serve when I moved on the ground. I had decided their uses from the start.
“My thanks.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Fortunately nothing had been hard to find, so I emptied my purse. I had thought the purchase light, yet the horse hide and ox hide proved thicker than expected; I could not cinch them at the waist and instead slung them over my shoulder to work later.
I climbed straight back up the Acropolis and returned to the temple. Leaving the morning crowds behind, I slipped into the rear courtyard, itching to test the power Lord Hermes had granted me. That eagerness felt properly childish for my age, and I made no effort to hide it as I stroked the hides and ornaments.
“But how do I actually use this?”
Hera’s power answered to excitement. Danae had called it sexual arousal, yet any strong excitement seemed enough to meet the condition. At first the change had been hard to control; these days I shifted forms at will. Hermes’s gift should work the same way, I decided, and began to summon every emotion I could.
First, the feeling closest to Hermes himself…
Joy. Vitality.
“Huh?”
Something clicked into place. Joy and high spirits mixed; the mark on my back flared and my fingertips sparkled.
Can I just touch it?
I laid a hand on one of the hides draped over my shoulder—and the world changed.
“Ohhh—ohhhh~! Ohhh?!”
My voice thickened at once; raw power flooded every limb. The whole body felt stiff, almost stone, yet something surging inside made it plain this flesh was no longer human.
“So this is how it’s done!”
Prrrrru!
A snort burst from my nostrils as smoke and rolled through the courtyard grass like a wave. Two thick horns jutted forward, made for goring; muscles swelled several times larger than any ordinary bull’s, proclaiming the majesty of a black ox no man could best.
Moooooo—!
I could still form human words, but when I tried an animal bellow for experiment the servants who had been bustling about guest preparations came running at the sound—then screamed.
“A bull! A black bull! Why is it here?!”
“Look at the size of it! It’s a monster!”
“Eek! Someone fetch the soldiers—no, bring Lord Perseus!”
“Stop! I am Perseus!”
“Eek?!”
The sudden human speech from a bull froze them mid-panic. They stared up at me with eyes that still doubted whether this creature could truly be me; only then did I realize how enormous I had become.
Why did I grow so huge?
Most of the servants were full-grown adults, yet I looked down on them; my height alone reached six cubits—two full meters. From snout to tail I was longer still. In all but name I had become a monster out of myth.
“A-are you… truly Lord Perseus the Second…?”
“I am.”
“Have you perhaps been cursed…?”
“That is a rude thing to say. Wait a moment.”
I peeled the clinging emotion free and folded it back into my heart. Light rippled across my body and I shrank at once into a child’s shape again. The sensation of every muscle surging outward and then snapping back was one I doubted I would ever grow used to.
“H-he really returned…”
“Is your body unharmed?!”
“If anything were wrong, Lady Danae would worry herself sick!”
I rolled my stiff shoulders; the servants fretted over me. I had always treated them with courtesy, so their concern was genuine and welcome. The uproar had been loud enough, however, that a familiar flash of gold hair peeked from behind a pillar at the courtyard entrance.
Mother and Atalante. Oh, little sister—what are you staring at with those sparkling eyes?
A person turning into a bull was reason enough for fear, yet Atalante watched with pure curiosity. The girl had peculiar tastes. I already knew the rumors she spread about me; this little spectacle would no doubt join them soon enough.
“Perseus? What is it this time?”
“Mother. ‘This time’?”
“Strange doings from you are no longer news of a day or two, yet this one is rather too startling. Did something else happen?”
Danae’s voice held surprise, but she had not lost her composure. After the matter of Hera she clearly guessed the broad outline.
“I met Big Brother Hermes at dawn yesterday.”
“…Big Brother? Wait—what on earth—?”
“There was reason enough to call him that. Yesterday at dawn he came down to the temple, inspected the offerings, and left. This morning he returned and invited me to go present the tribute with him; that is how I gained the power to become animals.”
Too lazy to explain every detail, I simply turned and showed my back.
“A rooster mark on your back…”
“From Lord Hermes?”
“Another miracle…”
The servants murmured. Atalante said nothing, only scratched lightly at the mark with a bright, unending smile, as though the pattern itself were a delightful toy. Pure as she was, my words struck Danae harder; her face drained of color and her voice climbed.
“B-but—going to present the tribute yourself?! Child, what strange talk is this?! The offering you prepared was for Lord Plutos—Hades’s other name—was it not? Why would you go in person—?!”
“I meant to go down myself from the very beginning. Big Brother Hermes gave leave, so I plan only a brief descent and return. I should be back before the sun has set four times—”
“Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!”
“…Huh?”
Thud!
Danae’s cry rose high and she crumpled. The servants, realizing she had fainted, rushed to catch her and shake her gently; the courtyard’s mood turned sour in an instant.
“What? Did I say something odd?”
“Big brother, going to meet Lord Plutos yourself usually means death, so she must have misunderstood. If you had explained more carefully Mother would not have reacted that way…”
“Ah—right. That is true. Still, I never said with my own mouth that I meant to kill myself, so why the panic? Haha, she really is faint-hearted.”
“But big brother speaking of the underworld as if it were a stroll is the strange part.”
Even Atalante could not let the remark pass without a scolding tone.
Is it really my fault?
I glanced at the servants for support; they only shook their heads and looked away.
“When a son who has only just woken after half a year suddenly announces he will go to the underworld, what parent would take it calmly?”
“This time Lord Perseus is in the wrong…”
“Exactly.”
It seemed I had no allies here. The women’s stares were sharp; I averted my eyes, cleared my throat, offered a brief apology, and then gave Atalante her orders.
“In any case, I already promised Big Brother Hermes, so I cannot cancel. I leave at dawn. When Mother wakes, reassure her that I am not going to my death.”
“You will truly return safe?”
“Of course. Naturally. I will bring a special gift on the way back—look forward to it.”
“Yes! Big brother never lies, so I will believe you!”
I stroked Atalante’s hair as she clung to me, laughing. Meanwhile the servants carried Danae to the main chamber. Fortunately her body showed no harm; they said she might wake at any moment, so I could set my mind at ease.
Sorry, Mother, but this time I must go. An opportunity like this will never come twice.
I fixed my gaze on the goal I had carved deep into myself.
Do you know what it is?
It is this: to live happily in this goddamn age of heroes without ever drawing the gods’ side-eye.
I had already flattered the Twelve, yet even that felt insufficient. I meant to seize this chance and claim the one thing that would tip the balance. Within Greek myth its importance ranks among the highest; if it can be obtained, it must be obtained.
That cheat item… I will get my hands on it no matter what…
All that remained was to act.
The preparations for claiming it were already complete.