Hestia’s Hymn (ὕμνος) – Chapter 8 (Part 6)
Perseus 2.
The source of his action was nothing but the intuition he placed the utmost trust in.
Perseus was the type who believed his instincts above all else, and even when they let him down, he never doubted them. When he first opened his eyes in this world as the human Perseus, it was the same. He heard stories of gods and still went ahead with temple operations despite not knowing if the gods cared. Everything he did—flattering with offerings—was done with the conviction that “this is the right way.”
Summoning Orpheus at the festival for Apollo because his intuition said he would meet him there, and issuing the order to bring him along. It was the same. He had such sharp instincts that whenever he sensed something bad, he immediately acted. He warned the children to be careful on the night path, told Achilles not to do anything dangerous, and told his mother and sister especially to be careful. It was so over-the-top that anyone else would think he was crazy.
Moreover, the bomb that could detonate at any moment was Hestia. Even though he was supposed to protect her, she never fell after landing on the ground. By modern standards she had stayed in the temple for about a week, and Perseus had been escorting her around the city, introducing her to the king, all while pretending he wasn’t doing anything special.
Was his intuition wrong?
Or had he avoided dangers he didn’t even know existed?
Hestia returned to Perseus with a vibrant smile that showed none of the fatigue she must have felt after having her fill on the ground.
“I’ve had so much fun for such a long time. I think it’s about time to go back.”
The sudden announcement of her return, spoken at the top of his lungs above the dark evening palace that had been built in the polis, made Perseus’s heart leap. He had felt a bad intuition the moment he saw her and kept escorting her, but in the end she had come back without anything happening, so he sighed in relief, thinking he had misread the sign.
“Is that so? I was very worried. I thought you might have only come to look after the children.”
“But you had a wonderful time, so I’m glad.”
“Then when do you plan to return? I’m sorry it’s so late, but how about you head back to the temple first and at least say goodbye to the children?”
“I was thinking I’d have one last choral performance with the children before I go. What do you think?”
“That sounds wonderful! The children will definitely be happy. Hestia-nim gave them so much love that I’m worried they won’t stop crying. We’ll have to be careful not to let them know.”
“It’s fine. Actually, I’ll be glad if they cry.”
Hestia laughed with a motherly warmth, and Perseus felt relieved. If she returned like this, there was no need for any more worry. He had finished his daily walk as usual, was heading back to the temple, and was planning to hold her farewell party, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“Ah.”
“Why?”
“When I talked to King Acrisius in the palace earlier, I entrusted the soldiers with my spear, but I still haven’t gotten it back.”
“That won’t do. Hephaestus himself made it…”
“But…”
“I’ll head back first. Come get it slowly. It’s not like you’re a child, so don’t worry about getting lost.”
“Understood. I’ll see you at the temple soon.”
“Yes.”
Hestia bounded away, her footsteps light and happy. Perseus stared blankly at the goddess’s back. He was about to turn toward the palace, wondering if something might have happened, when he took one step in that direction and his heart suddenly dropped with a thud.
“What is this ominous feeling…?”
The moment he turned his back on her, a heavy pressure that felt as if he were not even in his own body washed over him. Terror. He glanced back to double-check, but Hestia was already gone. Just like the first time he met her, the goddess moved with an unnaturally swift gait as though she were using some kind of mysterious spell. By the time he realized it, it was too late to chase her.
“I have to get my spear back quickly…”
Perseus forced himself to move forward, searching for the person who had taken the spear. But it turned out the timing was off; the person who had picked it up had been swapped with someone else. The new guard didn’t know where Perseus’s belongings had gone and kept asking his predecessor, making the situation so frustrating that Perseus’s nerves were on edge.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
For some reason, days when things didn’t go smoothly were common, and today was exactly that kind of day. He couldn’t move fast enough because he didn’t have absolute proof, and the pathetic human instinct of “I have to hurry or something bad will happen” made his body tremble. Just when he was about to give up and leave the spear behind, he finally found the soldier who had swapped shifts and asked about the spear’s location. He succeeded this time, and finally recovered the item, but by then it was already too late.
“Did I make a mistake?”
He asked himself.
The Wisdom Pocket did not answer.
Instead, a chill and anxiety spread through his entire body, filling his heart until breathing became difficult. He wanted to dash straight out of the palace, but his body refused to obey. He barely managed to slip back into the polis and take a deep breath, and only then did strength return to his limbs.
“…………”
The moment strength returned to his body, his gaze shifted sideways.
The opposite side of the polis where the palace stood.
Perseus’s own temple was clearly visible there.
“────?”
It was on fire.
“……………………Why…?”
The instant he saw the burning temple, his mind went blank as if his memories were being blown away. Smoke rose high into the sky, turning the clouds dark. Even though it was already dark, the clouds were so thick it felt as though the world’s end had come.
“Why is it on fire?! Why?!”
Without time to think, Perseus transformed into an owl and flew toward the sky. Since the temple was right beside the hill, he should have arrived in moments, but the screams of the people reached his ears in the short time it took him to get there.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
“Perseus-nim! Perseus-nim! Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!”
“Save us!”
“A monster has attacked the temple! Perseus-nim!”
“Where are you?!”
“Please save our families!!!”
From the temple, the believers came running toward the agora, frantically searching for Perseus. The chaos had only just begun to spread, and he flapped his wings as fast as he could before it was too late and landed beside the temple.
“I’m here!”
“Oooooooooo!!!”
“Perseus-nim!”
“What is this?! Anyone! Tell me quickly! Why is our temple on fire?!”
“A monster! A monster with snakes on its head appeared and set the temple ablaze, attacking the children! A woman just tried to stop it, so you’d better hurry!”
“What?! A woman… h-huh…?!”
“──Hestia-nim!”
Perseus realized that the intuition he had felt earlier had come true, and not just that—the worst possible mistake was unfolding before his eyes. Even talking with the believers felt foolish, so he sprinted straight toward the burning temple and dove into the area where the children’s screams were echoing.
“It’s this way!”
He sprinted in front of the twelve gods’ statues where the children always sang. The children, hiding behind the statues and other statues, were trembling. The monster that had been about to pounce on them only appeared in his vision now. It turned its head the moment it heard Perseus’s footsteps and its snake eyes flashed.
“Finally you’re here, Perseus!”
“Kids—!”
Boong!
“Ouch!”
Perseus swung his spear without even thinking to curse. Medusa leaped backward two steps and dodged it. He naturally had transformed into an adult, but Medusa didn’t even flinch. Perseus turned his back on her anyway, focusing on the children and the statue-like people trembling. The cruel reality made even the flattering smile that had always been on his face turn despairing.
“What… what is this…?”
“You’re too late! You’re too late! It’s way too late! Hahaha! How is it? My masterpiece? Isn’t it beautiful? I collected only the best for you.”
“What… what is this…?”
“You still don’t get it?! Your wife Achilles! And the hateful Hestia! Unfortunately, one of them got away! If you had come just a little later, I could have smashed both!”
“This… is that…?”
Perseus held up the stone sculpture with a dazed expression. It was a part of a human face.
“Hah! Hahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!”
Medusa’s greedy laughter still rang behind him as he faced the reality. Hestia was turned to stone while embracing the children, but not a single scratch marred her body. However, right in front of her, Achilles’s head lay on the ground. Since she was stone, there was no blood, but every part of her body was shattered into pieces, making it clear she wasn’t safe at all.
“Achilles…?”
His head spun. Hestia didn’t answer. The smile of the woman who had been laughing until just a moment ago, even when she was trying to protect her, had turned to stone and vanished.
“Wait, no, this can’t be! What is this?! Achilles? Are you the woman who dies here? Hey, am I still half-asleep? Am I dreaming?! Huh?! What the hell is this?! What the fuck?!”
“Hahahahahahahahah!!! You’re making that kind of face too! How funny! So funny!”
“What… what is this… I must have made a mistake. What… what… Why did a monster suddenly appear on this peaceful evening and cause all this chaos?! Did I make a mistake somewhere?! Where did I go wrong?! Answer me! Now!”
“I did make a mistake! A huge one!”
Medusa’s laughter was unpleasant, so Perseus covered his ears. Every question he asked was directed at the Wisdom Pocket, but it didn’t reply to any of them. Normally it gave wise answers, but right now it was useless, and that anger only deepened his fury.
“H-Hyung! Hyung!”
“Unnie! Unnie~!”
“They both ran to save us… ugh… uwaghh—!”
Perseus’s body, burning with fever and then turning cold, was shaken by the children. He thought maybe he was about to collapse, but luckily he was able to move.
“It’s because of me that Achilles…?”
“Hic—!”
He had meant to help, but he knew he shouldn’t, so he pushed the children aside and stood up. The children stumbled backward, teary-eyed. Perseus couldn’t hold back the heat.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
“We’re sorry…”
“Don’t hit… hick…”
“Hyung… uwah…”
“Hahahahahahahahaha!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! You’re venting your anger on the children! What kind of worthless man am I, who can’t even reach the level the gods heard about! They called you a saint, but in the end you were just a human! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! What a sight! Such a pathetic sight! Go back and tell her this story! Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!”
The children cried, and Medusa’s laughter stung Perseus’s heart. Thanks to that, his anger quickly cooled, and his clever, flattering mind finally faced the reality. Even so, it took a long time to decide that he couldn’t get angry at the children. After calming down, he hurriedly helped the fallen children to their feet and roughly pushed them away.
“No, no! I didn’t get angry at you! Don’t be scared! More importantly, run away from here right now! Hide among the people in the square! It’s dangerous here. If you can, run to the palace! The Spartoi are there, so it should be safe!”
“H-Hyung?”
“I’m not angry, so hurry up and get out! Stay quietly and I’ll come find you later!”
“Really?”
“But… Hyung is…?”
“Don’t worry about me! Hurry! I told you to get out! Do you think I’m going to turn to stone too?!”
“No! No!”
“It’s not like that!”
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!”
No amount of comforting words would make the children make normal judgments in this situation. In the end, they were forced to run, but they ran because they weren’t the ones in trouble. Medusa still couldn’t stop laughing to the very end.
“Oh dear, good, I’m letting the children go. After I turn you to stone, I’ll chase you slowly.”
“You really talked a lot. You really laughed. You really took off my mask—?!”
“Does that make you angry? You lying bastard! Hahahaha!”
Perseus finally faced Medusa directly. She was a beauty covered in green scales from head to toe, wearing almost nothing, but the snakes sprouting from her head and her torn smile ruined every last bit of her allure.
“I’ll definitely kill this woman.”
That was why Perseus didn’t hold back.
This was just monster hunting.
A perfect way to vent his anger.