#because Athena technically wasn’t born from her mom

[hecatea]

since everyone is real mad at Zeus by the end of the series, here’s a crash course on the last time the Olympians tried to overthrow Zeus

TL;DR: I think we can brace ourselves for a series about the gods rebelling against Zeus.

There’s a throwaway line in the Iliad suggesting that there may have been a revolt against Zeus spearheaded by Hera, Poseidon, and Athena/Apollo. 

When I say throwaway, I mean throwaway. One time, Achilles tells his mom Thetis that “You alone of all the gods saved Zeus the Darkener of the Skies from an inglorious fate, when some of the other Olympians – Hera, Poseidon, and Pallas Athene – had plotted to throw him into chains ... You, goddess, went and saved him from that indignity. You quickly summoned to high Olympus the monster of the hundred arms whom the gods call Briareus, but mankind Aegaeon,[4] a giant more powerful even than his father. He squatted by the Son of Cronos with such a show of force that the blessed gods slunk off in terror, leaving Zeus free.” 

Similarly, it only comes up again when Homer describes Briares (the Hundred-Handed-One we met in Battle of the Labyrinth) as the one who scared away the rebels on “the day when the other Olympians wished to put him in bonds, even Hera and Poseidon and Pallas Athene.” 

There are so few mentions of this that a lot of classicists think that Homer made it up since there are so few scraps. Here’s one guy saying that while literary scholars and translators seem confused about this, some “recounts Didymos' story that Hera, Poseidon, Athena, and Apollo plotted against Zeus because of his high-handedness and outspoken nature; when Aigaion (this is another name for Briares) saved him he hung up Hera in her own chains and bound Poseidon and Apollo to serve Laomedon. [Others] also know this last part, and add that some scholars actually substituted Apollo's name for Athena's in the text, on the grounds that she would not threaten the father to whom she was so close. But most of their commentary is devoted to an allegorical explanation of the conspiracy, suggesting that they had few real myths to fall back on.”

Quick look at where all the Olympians are at by the end of ToA.

1) Apollo deadass calls Zeus a tyrant and identifies his father’s abusive behaviour by name. He criticizes the Olympian council as less of a democracy and more of a tyranny. While there was no way that Zeus and Apollo’s relationship would emerge from this series in a good state, Apollo did not mince his words in Tower of Nero especially. This could be American political commentary, sure, but it could also be foreshadowing—especially since we actually saw inside the gods’ throne room in this book.

2) Athena seemed alright and acting like her usual self, but we can imagine that her time being forced to be Minerva probably upset and pissed her off since Zeus was responsible for barring the gods from the earth. Plus, democracy is kind of a big deal to her, what with Athens being Athens. If the Olympian council stops being functional, she would care. Also she technically could overthrow Zeus according to a prophecy? Zeus got a prophecy that said that a child of his born of the Titaness Metis would overthrow him, which he problem-solved by swallowing a pregnant Metis whole. Anyways, this is how Athena ended up springing from his head fully-formed—so technically Athena wasn’t “born of Metis” but she could still stir the pot. 

3) Hera is so fucking heartbroken and pissed about Jason dying and Zeus essentially being like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, you know she’d be ready to throw hands. I was actually rattled by her appearances. Zeus was also especially nasty to her while she mourned Jason, with his “Damn it, woman, I didn’t kill the boy!” line. Pro tip: women don’t like being called “woman” when they have a name.  

4) Dionysus is pretty done with his punishment, even if his rekindled brotherhood with Apollo seems to be helping. That being said, Apollo is pissed and could probably talk him into a rebellion.

5) Poseidon was described as “bored” in the meeting at the end which is probably standard Poseidon, but frankly I could see him being mad about what Percy’s been going through (especially if the review on the back of ToN where he says that Percy’s been through enough can count as canon). 

It’s harder to get a pulse on the other gods (even if you can make assumptions about Ares always being down for a fight etc), but Athena, Apollo, Hera, and Poseidon being pissed makes a good start for a rebellion against a tyrant to make the Olympian council more democratic.

TL;DR: This would be a great book/series and if Rick won’t do it, damnit I will 

[kneesheee]

And So It Begins

                                  Warnings: Avengers: Infinity War Spoilers

“Dad, something’s wrong…”

“Lena? Baby girl, what’s wrong?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“I think I’m dying.”

“No. No. NO. NO! TONY!”

“I don’t want to die…”

“I love you.”

--

“Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good…”

“You’re alright.”

“I don’t- I don’t know what’s happening”

“I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go.”

“Sir, please. Please, I don’t wanna go.”

“I’m sorry…”

--

“Mom, what’s happening?”

“You’re gonna be alright.”

“What’s happening to me?”

“Mom, no. I don’t want to go.”

“I just got you back. Please, I don’t want to go.”

“Mom…”

Earlier That Day…

The day of the press conference was tiring. All of the children were irritable and cranky. Francis burnt through three quivers alone as he tried to calm himself down before he had to sit in front of a bunch of strangers and pretend to be one of America’s Future Sweethearts. He supposes that was the price to pay to being one of the heirs to the Stark name.

But the problem that he and the rest of his siblings had didn’t come from the press conference; it came from one Steven Rogers. He wasn’t going to be on the panel which all of the children thought was fair. Mainly because he had the audacity to want to tell the world that he was the father of the twins.

And considering that he hadn’t been out of the ice for fifteen years, held no public relationships, and just received a presidential pardon from being an international criminal… lots of questions would be asked and the twins would have to move from the tower to a “safe location”.

Once he realized that was the course of action if he were to tell the public that line, he shut up. For like two hours then came up with the plan to tell the world where they come from an alternate dimension and that this was God’s way of giving them all a second chance to be a family.

The snarl that crossed Selene and Francis’ face put the wolves that Francis kept on the top floors wildlife reserve to shame. (It was mainly injured cubs and a few injured adults but the point remains the same)

“Listen, Rogers, you are NOT my father. No matter what the DNA reports. My biological father died in my dimension. If I were to ever want a second chance with a family relationship with Steve Rogers, it'd be the one from my universe. Not some knock off version. But rest assured I don’t even need that second chance. Anthony Edward Stark is my dad and no amount of times you proclaiming that you’re my father can change that. NOW LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!”

After that disastrous scene, Selene and Steve had to be forcibly kept apart especially since Selene’s eyes hadn’t stopped glowing. Francis glanced to the other side of the room and noticed her levitating in the air meditating. Her hair had curled and braided into some elaborate style that Francis didn’t care to know the name of, but she looked beautiful. She reminded of the sea nymphs that always giggled and laughed whenever he went to see her at Poseidon’s palace on Olympus.

He wanted to be angry at Lady Aphrodite for meddling with his relationship with Selene, but he cannot deny that her skills in makeup made it hard to not stare at Selene. She was just so fucking beautiful.

Unlike their other siblings, neither one of them were dressed yet. Both of them had clothes made from Lady Athena herself and blessed by Lady Aphrodite. The clothes were a strategic move. They’re literally made to keep ones attention on the wearer. Selene and Francis wanted them because neither was comfortable with attention being on their siblings for too long especially not Torunn and Pym. They’d never get any peace if they were to put the clothes on now.

“You’re staring,” Selene’s voice broke him from his thoughts. He focused again and noticed her familiar glowing green eyes pinning him in place.

“Was just thinking,” he mused as he bit his lip and glanced away. He didn’t notice how she cocked her head and her forehead puckered.

“Want to share or is it private?” Selene asked as she stood up straight and landed before leisurely making her way over to Francis. And it was as if a shadow moved its self from her eyes, she noticed details about him that she hadn’t noticed before. Had his hair always looked as bright and white as a fresh blanket of snow on Olympus?

He looked up at her and both of them inwardly gasp. The other just looked so incredibly beautiful that it was painful. Selene paused and shook her head. Francis was her brother. She shouldn’t be having these thoughts about him. No matter how true they were.

“Private,” he tried to smirk in aloof casualness. She returned his smirk before reaching her hand out to him. She looked to what he was doing and noticed that he was sharpening his hunting knives. He grasped her hand and snapped his fingers so that the knives flew back to their places alongside the wall.

“Ready to shut down America,” he teased as he ran a hand through his hair. Selene had to physically refrain herself from licking her lips and messing up his hair herself. She mentally cursed herself. There was no way in hell her extremely old crush on him was coming back.

“It’s my life purpose,” she laughed as he dragged them towards the changing rooms. They split up at the fork to enter the rooms with their names printed across the door. Neither jumped at the sight of Aphrodite and Apollo standing before them in their respective changing rooms. Just sat back quietly as the two gods fussed over them and made them look like the products of the Olympian gods they were.

Once the two were finished, they were shooed out to find their siblings and make their way to the room where the press conference was being held. When they got there, they ignored the intakes of breath as everyone fawned over the two of them. It was the sight of Francis’ eyes gleaming silver that held them at bay. Only Pietro made his way approached them seeing as he was the only other person in the room being able to resist the effects of Aphrodite and Athena (and the favor from Primordial Lord Eros) powers.

“Are we going to start or not,” Francis drawled, but the look on Pietro’s face had him pausing.

“We have a problem,” Pietro mumbled. The other two champions stared at him before he nodded his head in the direction of Steve and Sam who were both being fussed over by Natasha and Bucky. They didn’t see a problem at first until they noticed the small white star peeking out from under Steve’s shirt. No one knew which champion gasped exactly, but Selene and Francis hurriedly made their way over pushing the others out their way.

“By the Gods of Olympus, you’ve been branded also,” Selene stated as she couldn’t help but to pity them. She might not like them but that branding wasn’t going nowhere not even in another life. A soul branding. She cautiously reached out to touch the Falcon symbol on Sam’s bicep, but a force threw her back before her hand could even get close. She flipped midair and landed on the balls of her feet with one hand touching the ground. She snapped her head up and locked eyes with her fellow champions as she slowly stood up.

“Whoever branded you all doesn’t want us finding out who they are,” Francis murmured before he took a step away. “We can’t even get a read on why they branded you in the first place.”

James moved over to his sister who was knocking the wrinkles out of her dress. He looked at her and she smiled back at him as he wrapped an arm around her waist. And then their dad walked into the room dressed in one of his three piece suits.

“Alright, kids, let’s get going. Everyone else, you all know to stay up here and out of sight,” Tony stated as he clapped his hands and gestured for his children to follow him out. Selene caught sight of one of her leather jackets this one stating “If found, return to Tony Stark” and slipped it over her arms as they all poured into the elevator. The only one staying behind is Pietro because well he is technically dead. “Everything is going to be okay. Answer the questions as honest as you can, but don’t give them too many details. Selene and Francis do not use any form of your godly powers. Pym, no shrinking away. Azari and Torunn do not summon any lighting. And James can you not argue with any of your siblings or bring out your shield. Just smile and be adorable as you’re usually are. I’m sure that you can win them over without even having to say much.”

All of them rolled their eyes fondly, “Yes, dad.”

--

Steve watched from the common room on the Barton’s family floor. The Stark family had just entered the room and the cameras were flashing crazily. Selene was smiling (read: smirking) as most of the cameras aimed for her and Francis.

Tony walked the platform with all the confidence in the world. He wore a smile that was made directly for dealing with the press. The children sat down at the table behind him as if they were born into the world of wealth.

“It feels like just yesterday we were here, and I was announcing that I got married,” he joked. The crowd laugh along with him before he continued, “So how about we skip all of the small talk and get right to the good stuff? You’re all here because of the rumors regarding me adopting kids and the fact that they were kidnapped, and I had to go save them. While it is true that I had to lead a rescue mission, I didn’t adopt kids. I adopted six teenagers. Their names are Torunn, Francis, Azari, James, Selene, and Hank. They all have my last name. Any slander written after this conference will be taken care of swiftly and without hesitation, ignore that and you won’t have a career anymore.”

Selene and James shared a look and snickered to themselves at the shock looks of the reporters. Tony stepped aside and made his way to the seat at the end of the table.

“You there. With the lime green tie,” Tony stated pointing at a reporter. The reporter in question straighten up slightly.

“Yes, I have a question for Selene is it? How do you feel about being adopted by Mr. Stark?”

Selene smiled adorably, “It’s the best feeling ever. My birth parents weren’t in James and I’s life and Dad fills that void of disappointment with love and care. I couldn’t ask for a better father.”

The same reporter inquired, “What made you want to be adopted by Mr. Stark?”

The Stark Siblings looked between each other before James stated, “Nothing ‘made’ us. We’ve known him basically our whole lives. Our actual parents all died and Dad’s has been watching over us. He basically had already adopted us without going through the legal work. And he did everything to keep us out of the attention of the media.”

“And it would’ve stayed that way if Selene and Hank hadn’t gotten kidnapped,” Torunn spoke solemnly. The two siblings in question squirmed Selene more so as the magic kept the attention on her.

Another reporter asked, “Does this mean that you’ll be inheriting Stark Industries together or only one of you?” The siblings looked between themselves and looked at their dad before looking back at Francis.

“We haven’t actually had that discussion yet though if I were to guess, Selene would probably take over as CEO and the rest of us would follow with being heads of the various departments.”

Selene slightly narrowed her eyes with a sharp smile at Francis as the cameras once again began flashing.

Another reporter went, “How is Mr. Stark doing so far as a father so far?”

Each of the siblings sat up straighter with blinding smiles on each of their faces. Cameras went off at the sight.

“He’s the absolute best! He built me a workshop and use all my inventions around the tower. Like the cleaning ant bots for the vents and whenever one of the breaks, he’d fix them for me and he looks through all my blueprints and he hangs up pictures of my creations all around,” Pym stated basically bouncing out of his seat. Tony slipped on his sunglasses, so no one would see the tears beginning to build in his eyes.

“He’s the best father any one could ask for,” James said sincerely before a teasing smile danced across his face, “Even if his jokes could be better.”

The siblings laugh before Azari went, “I’m proud to call him my father. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost him.”

“The media tries to crucify him, but I know that he is one of the best men across the nine realms and I doubt there is anyone who would be a better father than he,” Torunn smiled softly.

Francis turned to look at Tony, “He encourages me to be the best that I can be and to never let anyone put me down. He encourages me to chase after my goals even when the world is telling me that I wouldn’t be able to do it,” when he turned back to the cameras, he was still smiling.  “We’re homeschooled. He teaches us everything we would need to know and tries to make us feel like regular kids in school. We have book fairs. We make reading boards and science boards. And considering our low profile, we can’t go and try out for real teams, so he builds bots and we play sports and hold tournaments at the compound. He had been contemplating on how he was going to ensure our eligibility at colleges and remaining our low profiles because he had wanted to wait until we were older to reveal us to the world. But its better late than never. And I said all of this because the Tony Stark that I know could never be a bad father.”

Tony is not crying, thank you very much.

It was Selene’s turn and she was frowning at the table. Her twin nudged her, and she slowly lifted her head. She had tears building in her eyes and it was all fascinating. “Words cannot even comprehend how wonderful he is and has been to us. How he’s always there for us and how apologetic he is when the world tries to tear us down time and time again. I can’t explain to you how grateful I am to him because I can’t explain it to myself. You see, I grew learning how my mother kept her feelings bottled up and locked down, so I tried to imitate that. I don’t know how to properly convey feelings, but when it comes to this man. When it comes to my father. I would never need words because I know that he knows that me and my siblings are a part of his strengths. When the world loses hope in him. When his friends turn their backs and abandon him. When that shadow of doubt and self-hate cross his face. We will be the ones to pick him and give him the strength to carry on because he does the same for us. Whether it be screaming awake in the middle of night or carrying us to bed because we stayed up late night binge watching Supernatural or sitting aside watching him work in his lab….”

Her siblings are nodding their head in agreement to her words when her eyes snap over to Tony which such intensity that one would think she was his biological daughter if it weren’t for her bright red hair and sea green eyes. She stands up slowly and walks over to him and Tony stands up with her. “You are a god amongst men; a king amongst peasants. You are my father. My dad above everything, and I love you.”

She wrapped him in a hug and wasn’t the least bit surprised that her siblings came up behind her and hugged them too. She could feel him trembling and holding back his tears and she could distinctively hear Aunt Pepper ending the conference even with the sound of cameras flashing in the background.

--

The second the siblings returned home it was chaos. Water rushed over Selene and lightning crackled around Torunn. Pym shrunk, and a blinding light covered Francis. Azari and James took off running. In the span of five minutes, all of them were out of their suits and dresses and back in their regular clothing.

Selene headed for the training room with her twin following her, and Bucky felt a shiver run down his spine at the bloodthirsty grins on their faces.

He still followed them though.

The twins stood in front of each other calmly. They didn’t even look like trained fighters until they moved. It was obvious that Selene was holding back, but with the way James was moving, she started to let go bit by bit. It was a good fight. Selene had a small frame and she was faster whereas James was bigger and strength on his side. It was a dance between the two of them and he was so captivated that even with all his training and experience he didn’t register when Francis stood at his side.

“They’re good aren’t they.”

Bucky did not flinch. “They are.”

He tilted his head to look at the young archer who was staring at his siblings with a smile, “But I’m better. Also, Uncle ‘Challa requests that you return to Wakanda with him. Dad and Aunt Shuri poured over the schematics for your new arm, so you’ll be heading there to get it built and fitted.”

“I was supposed to spar with Azari later?”

“He’s going too. And he’s going to kick your butt when you do spar.”

Bucky nodded his head in understanding and left to find the King and his sister.

--

If there was thing speedsters hated, it was standing still. It was hard for them to do so. They always had to be in movement. And yet, at that moment, Pietro stood ramrod straight and turned his gaze to the morning sky.

His light blue eyes darken until they were the color of burnt rubber. The end was here, and he could run no longer.

--

Torunn collapsed to the ground clutching at her throat. James and Pym were at her side immediately. Tears streamed down her face as she went, “Something is wrong.” Her sword vibrated on the ground sensing her agitation. “Something is wrong with my Uncle.”

--

Bruce crashes.

He feels the adrenaline leave him as Hulk reverts into his body. He blinks as he comes face to face with two wizards? What the hell? Is he even on Earth? Oh right, Stephen Strange and Wong.

“Thanos is coming. He’s coming.”

Honestly, if it wasn’t such a serious moment, Stephen would be inclined to say “who?” As if he didn’t know the monster that plagued the mind of some of his now dearest companions. Yet Banner seems to have seen someone on a level as high as Dormammu. A little fact checking wouldn’t do any harm.

“Who?”

--

“At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing. Then boom. The big bang sent six elemental crystals hurtling across the virgin universe. These infinity stones each control an essential aspect of existence,” Wong explained using his expertise in magic to give demonstration.

“Space.”

“Reality.”

“Power.”

“Soul.”

“Mind.”

Stephen made an elaborate gesture across the medallion hanging around his neck, “and time.”

“Tell me his name again,” Tony demands. A part of him cannot believe that Bruce is back safe and sound, but a bigger part of him is filled with fear and grim acceptance. He knows what’s coming. He’s been prepared for it. But for one of his closest friends to have seen the monster with his own eyes. For Hulk one of the strongest people he knew to get thrown around like a rag doll by him? It’s scarier than he could imagine. He had heard the stories from Nebula and Gamora, but it never really sunk in until now. Maybe it’s because the battle is closer than he ever thought possible. Maybe it’s because he knows that as hard as he may try, he would be losing someone dear to him. And he could only hope it wasn’t any of his kids.

“Thanos. He’s a plague, Tony. He invades planets. He takes what he wants. He wipes out half the population. He sent Loki. The attack on New York. That’s him.”

Loki had said that it was someone else that had sent him. Tony inferred that it had to be powerful. Damn, if Loki couldn’t beat him, how could they? Loki is afraid of him. What chance did they have?

Cause if we can’t protect the earth you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.

“This is it. What’s our timeline?”

“No telling. He has the power and space stones. That already makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe. If he gets his hands on all six stones, Tony…”

He needs to move. He needs to move. Would Ultron have even been enough? The Avengers aren’t. Tony closed his eyes tightly. His kids. Peter. Harley. Kamala. RiRi. His family.

“He can destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of.”

Snark. Don’t Panic. This is bigger than my fears.

“Did you seriously just say ‘hitherto undreamt of’?”

“Are you seriously leaning on the Cauldron of the Cosmos,” Stephen questioned as the Cloak smacked Tony away.

“I’m going to allow that,” Tony nodded at Strange before his mind immediately switched back to the task at hand. “If Thanos needs all six, why don’t we just stick this one down the garbage disposal?”

“No can do,” Stephen said gravely.

“We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with our lives,” Wong stated grimly. Tony only rose a brow. “And I swore off dairy but then Ben and Jerry named a flavor after me, so...”

“Stark Raving Hazelnuts,” Stephen sighed tiredly.

“Not bad.”

“Bit chalky.”

“A Hunk of Hulk of Burning Fudge is our favorite,” Wong admitted while Bruce looked disturbed. "That’s a thing?”

“Whatever,” Tony shrugged. “Point is, things change.”

“Our oath to protect the Time Stone cannot change,” Stephen deadpanned. “And this stone may be the best chance we have against Thanos.”

“Yeah, so conversely, it may also be his best chance against us.” Dammit, Tony wished he knew sooner that Stephen had this stone. Protocols could have been put in placed. Places across the universe could have been found to keep it hidden. Maybe send Stephen and a team away to stand a better chance at protecting it? Too late now. He can only trust in Stephen’s abilities’.

“Well, if we don’t do our jobs.” Is he this much of smart ass cause if so, he doesn’t know how he hasn’t been punched in the face.

“What is your job exactly. Besides making balloon animals.” Definitely have been hanging around the kids a little too much. A low blow and childish. Wow.

“Protecting your reality, doucebag.” He knows that. But he’s snarky when he’s panicking.

Bruce, knowing that Tony is probably one second from a mental breakdown, steps in. “Ok, guys. Could we table this discussion right now? The fact is we have this stone. We know where it is. Vision is out there somewhere with the Mind Stone and we have to find him now.”

Tony inwardly scoffed. He knew exactly where his synthetic son ran off to. Well who he ran off with. “Yeah, that’s the thing.”

Bruce furrowed his brow, “What do you mean?” Vision had always let someone know where he was going and what he was doing. It was completely unnecessary, but Vision continued to do so despite everything.

“Two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder. He’s offline and the kids have no idea where he is. He didn’t say.”

“What. Tony, you lost another super-bot.” Low bow, but Bruce was under stress. He’ll let that comment slide.

“I didn’t lose him. And he's more than that. He’s evolving,” Tony defended. Ultron was still his son no matter how murderous and evil he turned out to be.

“Who could find Vision then?”

Tony rolled his eyes to the heavens and cursed quietly under his breath. “Probably Steve Rogers.” If Selene was here, he would argue that he was definitely not pouting.

“Oh, great,” Strange sneered before turning away.

“Call him,” Bruce insisted. Sure, there had still been tension in the house when he left with the Asgardians a few weeks ago, but Tony knew the risks right.

“It’s not that easy,” Tony shrugged.

“Tony, listen to me. Thor’s gone. Thanos is coming. It doesn’t matter who you’re talking to or not.”

Tony clenched his jaw and looked away. For the sake of the universe, he could work with Steve Rogers. He did it to save his kids. He can do it again.

He sighed to himself before turning away. He pulls out that disgusting excuse for a phone when the extremis in his system registered something in the distance. He looks around him before turning to look at the others. “Say, Doc, you wouldn’t happen to be moving your hair, would ya?”

“Not at the moment, no.”

There was muffled screaming and they all turned to look at the door. Tony walked over and opened the door.

It was pure chaos.

[avicebro]

Perseus: In Myth and in Fate

Hello everyone, I’m tired, we’re gonna talk about Perseus.

This is actually going to be a combination fate meta post and Greek Myth post which is you know, amazing, but that’s because Perseus was the reason as to why I got into Fate, and thus I feel like he deserves this. So, buckle up. I think that should explain my biases pretty well.

Probably the Weirdest Way Zeus Fucks a Woman

Like many Greek Myths, the story of Perseus starts with a prophecy.

Perseus’ grandfather, Acrisius, is the king of Argos. Since he likes being King, he goes to the Oracle for his future. The Oracle breaks the news that he’s going to be killed by his daughter’s son. Instead of pulling a King Laius and driving a metal rod through the kid’s feet and then leaving him on a mountain to die (that’s where Oedipus’ name comes from by the by), he decides that the way he’s going to not have a grandson is by making sure his daughter, Danae, can’t get knocked up at all.

He does this by imprisoning Danae in a bronze chamber open to the skies (in some versions it’s a tower, some a hole in the ground with a grate, it’s just gotta be open to the sky). There. No one can get in.

But unfortunately for King Acrisius he forgot about the whole “Zeus” thing so when Zeus sees this lovely woman in a bronze box/tower he’s head over heels in love with her. And again, since he’s one for theatrics, he makes the smart decision to turn into a shower of golden coins and rain down on her.

Danae becomes pregnant because of a golden shower.

Since divine seed (or coins?) must take root, Danae becomes pregnant with Zeus’ child.

Nine months after Perseus is born.

So, since the first box thing didn’t work, King Acrisius decides to put his daughter and her newborn son into another box (or more specifically a wooden chest) and put it out into the sea. Danae prays to her baby daddy so that they survive, and since Hera doesn’t seem to mind Perseus for some weird reason, they safely arrive on their new island of Serifos, where they are taken in by a fisherman.

Polydectes is a Dick

The fisherman’s brother, the King of Serifos, is Polydectes. When Perseus is grown up, Polydectes finds himself falling for Danae. Perseus isn’t very fond of this creep trying to take his mother, and she doesn’t seem to be very fond of him either, so he tells Polydectes to back off. Polydectes doesn’t take this very seriously so once more Perseus tells him to back off, no dating his mom you creep. This makes Polydectes mad. He might also be too afraid to fight Perseus 1v1 so he makes a plan to get rid of him instead.

He hosts a banquet and tells everyone to bring a horse as the gift. Perseus has no horse to give, so he says that his gift is whatever Polydectes asks of him.

(Side note: Polydectes should have just asked him to die. Nice and simple.)

Instead he asks for Perseus to bring back the head of Medusa, the youngest and also mortal Gorgon sister.

(Side note: Youngest = strongest in Greek Myths. Both Zeus and his father Cronos were the youngest children. It makes a little more sense as a story stand point for Zeus [His mom tired of her husband eating her kids at the 6th one] but with the two Kings of the Cosmos being the youngest child cemented this rule of the youngest being the strongest in Greek Myth. This of course has no relation to Hesiod’s hatred of his brother. None at all.)

Medusa has gotten a little bit of a celebrity status as being unkillable, as whomever looks at her turns to stone. This doesn’t seem to bother Perseus very much – he’s gotta make sure Polydectes doesn’t creep more on his mom, and he is the son of Zeus, after all.

The Killing of the Gorgon

Thankfully he’s got another god on his side: Athena. Yeah, I guess turning Medusa into a gorgon for something she had no control over wasn’t enough punishment. Athena wants her dead now.

So, Athena sends Perseus to the Hesperides, the nymphs who tend over Hera’s garden and also hold the fancy weapons he can use to kill Medusa. For those who know anything about Heracles he ends up convincing Atlas to go and fetch some of the golden apples for him from the Hesperides. But Perseus doesn’t know where that is so following Athena’s advice he finds the Graeae sisters.

The Graeae sisters are three old hags who share only one eye. They are also all-seeing.

(Side note: they’re also the sisters of the gorgons! Thanks sisters.)

Perseus grabs the eye and basically holds it for ransom in return for the whereabouts of the Hesperides. Since they can’t really do anything they say fine, sure, okay here’s where it is, can you give us our eye back?

(Side note: for anyone who has seen the Disney Hercules, the Graeae are kind of retrofitted with The Fates. I’m not saying that I necessarily agree with this decision, but I do understand it. It should be noted that in Greek Myth only one of The Fates actually was an old lady, because only one was associated with cutting the thread of life. But three old ladies who act independently of the gods’ will and make dated references are kind of my trash. Disney Hercules despite its shortcomings has become my trash.)

The Hesperides give him a bag, to hold Medusa’s head, Zeus an adamantine sword and Hades’ helm of darkness. Adding to the list of gods that wanted to kill Medusa and or help Perseus grows as Hermes gives him his winged sandals to borrow, and Athena gives him a polished shield. So, the list of gods that are helping Perseus are: Athena, Zeus, maybe Hera, Hermes, and likely Hades doesn’t hate him because Zeus was somehow able to get his brother’s helm for him to use. The only god that probably likes Medusa still is Poseidon. Probably out of pity.

(Side note: Adamantine! For those who have read Hesiod’s Theogony know that Cronos’ cool as fuck sickle is made out of adamantine. Oh, and also the shackles that bound Prometheus to the rock. And in some versions the walls that Alexander the Great builds? It’s an unbreakable metal basically.)

Now armed with a bunch of OP items, he heads out to kill Medusa. With the polished shield he is able to kill her without looking into her eyes. He beheads her, wraps her head up in the bag so he’s fine. From her neck springs her children with Poseidon: one king named Chrysaor and of course, the well-known Pegasus.

(Side note: Pegasus would eventually team up with another son of Poseidon to do their own story.)

Perseus’ New Bae

On the way back to Polydectes, he stops in Aethiopia (Ethiopia). There he finds a very pretty woman tied to a rock.

Like an idiot, the queen of Aethiopia, Cassiopeia, made the claim that her daughter Andromeda was prettier than the Nereids. The Nereids are basically a bunch of sea nymphs who are close with Poseidon. In response, Poseidon sends out a giant sea monster and floods. Now stuck with a sea serpent and way too much water, they go to the Oracle to find a solution. The Oracle says that Poseidon will only be appeased if they sacrifice Andromeda to the sea serpent, Ceto.

Perseus finds Andromeda strapped to the rock as sacrifice and decides that he likes her so he kills Ceto (depending on the version by the sword or by Medusa’s head). Despite being betrothed to another guy, he claims her as his bride. When the guy that she was supposed to marry interrupted the marriage, Perseus uses Medusa’s head to turn him into stone. He does that a lot.

He returns to find that his mom has been running away from Polydectes, because again, he’s a dick. So, Perseus finds him, uses Medusa’s head on him to turn him to stone, and makes his brother king instead. This works out because Danae actually liked this fisherman and so she becomes queen in some variants.

There’s a small myth in which as he was travelling some of Medusa’s blood ends up dropping onto the desert and creating a new species of killer snakes, too.

Fulfilling the Prophecy

About that prophecy.

There are three versions of how Perseus ends up killing his grandfather. The first two include being hit in the head during sports.

The first version has him not returning to Argos but to Larissa, where some games are being held and also it just happens that King Acrisius is visiting said games. Perseus shows up and is testing out his new sport he just invented (which is basically just a fancy form of the game of horseshoe) when Acrisius steps in the way and is killed.

The second has him returning to Argos, but when Acrisius hears that his grandson is returning, he goes into exile. Perseus just happens to be in the place where he was exiled to participate in funeral games. During the discus throw, it ends up hitting Acrisius, and he dies.

The third has Acrisius’ brother, Proetus, exiling his father. When Perseus returns to Argos, he finds out about the exile and as such turns his great-uncle to stone to ascend his grandfather back to the throne. Then when he’s now the King of Argos again, Acrisius accuses him of not actually killing Medusa. So, sighing, Perseus turns him to stone and fulfills the prophecy.

Nevertheless, through manslaughter or through actual murder, killing is still killing, and as such he must be exiled and cannot be the King of Argos. He takes the son of Proetus and King of Tiryns and gives him Argos. In return Perseus becomes King of Tiryns.

(Side note: this is all to prove the ideas of manslaughter and also exile in Ancient Greece. Technically, Perseus should have been exiled and then purified like Oedipus does, maybe even killed. Even more so, the son of Proetus should have killed Perseus. Well.)

He gives Medusa’s head to Athena, and she puts it on her now famous shield, the Aegis. Because cursing, then helping in her murder wasn’t enough. Thanks, Athena.

King of Mycenae

Perseus finds and founds Mycenae. As such, he’s considered to be a historical character. Perseus and Andromeda would end up being strong rulers, fortifying their kingdom and having a whole bunch of kids (7 sons and 2 daughters. I feel for Andromeda).

He actually ends up being killed by the son of Proetus, after a successful and fruitful rule. Perseus, Andromeda, and her mother Cassiopeia would end up in the stars by the gift of Athena.

These kids would end up really spreading out but the descendants to note are: Heracles, Penelope and as such Telemachus, and of course—Pollux and Castor! See I’ll tie everything to my namesake.

What Fate Did

Now we can talk about the things that fate changed. Most of the changes are what happened with Medusa. Not a surprise to anyone, the rape of Medusa has been retrofitted to Athena being jealous of her and that is why she turns her into a Gorgon. She then, in an attempt to protect her sisters, becomes more and more monstrous, until she can no longer return back. When she ends up killing her sisters and Perseus arrives with his items, she accepts her death.

Perseus, when he arrives on the island, is filled with this feeling of unease and uncertainty. He does not feel like a hero and wishes to simply kill Medusa and leave. He has regret when he kills Medusa. He finds no glory or fame in the act as it is really tricking her.

Medusa says that she does hate Perseus, calling him a brat and a successful Shinji and hating the fact that he was the one that killed her.

Perseus is the Rider in Fate/Prototype. He is specifically summoned by Aro Isemi because he wanted a hero who had a happy ending. His master has been kept alive simply to summon a servant and to be tested on. He’s only with his master for a couple of days. Before he dies, he gives him all of his command seals so that he can continue to live without him. When he dies, Perseus gets revenge by killing those who tested on him. He then becomes a master, thrusting himself into the war so that he can bring Aro Isemi back to life. Oh, and he also decides to become a student at Ayaka’s school because he’s bored or something.

Ultimately the OVA is really about Ayaka’s relationship with Arthur, and it acts to set up the love… triangle? Square? I mean there’s like 4 guys after Ayaka…Pentagram? Despite this, he does have two scenes in the script: one where he defeats Caster to save Ayaka when they launch an attack on their school, and one where he faces off with Saber.

Saber accuses him of being a murderer, as he’s being killing civilians, since he needs their mana to stay in this world. He then says he’ll punish his master, but Perseus reveals that he doesn’t have a master to punish. Saber accuses him of having killed his own master. They engage in battle, Rider almost kills Ayaka before pulling away, and then Saber helps her escape.

Nasu in the notes talks about him briefly, saying that he’s someone who gets obsessed with something to the point that it takes over him. He must give the task 110%. He also says that he’s a kind-hearted soul and puts more emphasis on the fact that he’s a hero who had a happy ending.

Let’s Get This out of the Way

When discussing Perseus in fate, the one thing that comes up time and time again is that Perseus is bad because he kills Medusa. This is not something new in fate—I’ve seen it for fans of many characters. Some characters thankfully get more characterization by fans than just “x killed y” (Like Ishtar for example). Others, like Perseus or more commonly Fionn, are mostly characterized by having killed a more popular character.

(Side note: I am in no way saying that what Fionn did to Diarmuid is okay! But again, his relationship and his dynamic with Diarmuid is what makes him interesting in America. I digress.)

By simply characterizing these characters by whoever they killed, and ignoring what they do in their respective series, it is doing a disservice to them. Especially in a series where characters may have to interact with those they killed, or are trying to repent or rebuild an old relationship with them. I am in no way trying to act high and mighty—if you want to see hypocrisy in action just go through my Avicebron tag and you’ll see me hating on him for killing Roche or even just my dislike for Jason because of Medea—but the claim that Perseus should not be in Fate/Grand Order, despite having a design, voice actor and my room lines from other servants, is silly. I want Jason in Fate/Grand Order because I want to see the relationship with him and the rest of the Argonauts outside of Okeanos and some interludes.

Like imagine if Achilles was only discussed for having killed Hector. That would erase everything he’s done in Apocrypha.

(Again, not saying that murdering these people are okay! What happens with Penthesilea is interesting and I like hearing each side’s view on it.)

What makes fate so interesting for me is that these characters who are tied by fate are given a second chance. We get to see old foes pitted against each other brought together by the throne’s cruel game. This is what makes fate grand order especially interesting—characters who murdered or betrayed each other being forced to work together. Do they despise each other and refuse to work together? Are they, like Hector and Achilles, too tired to fight anymore and as such just pull tiny pranks on each other? Do they try to rekindle their old relationship? Is it even possible for things to go back to before the catalytic event? This is what is interesting for me.

We have two compelling characters at the hands of the gods and fate pitted against each other. Medusa, the monster hated by the gods, versus Perseus, the hero who is just being used as a pawn to get rid of her. One is being remembered as a famed hero while the other as a disgusting beast. Through Heaven’s Feel and Hollow Ataraxia, and ultimately through Medusa’s eyes, we get a subversion of this.

“A Successful Shinji”

Oh boy, Shinji Matou. I won’t say that everyone hates him, and there are certainly are some Shinjis in canon that aren’t… that bad. At the same time, I won’t say that he’s a fan favourite by a long shot.

Designs in fate (at least the earlier spin-offs, whether or not this is true for fate/grand order depends on your own opinion) often tie back to other characters in the series. When Okeanos came out people pointed out that Jason’s design is reminiscent of Gilgamesh. By having a character look like another it makes one already have opinions about them. Like how you are to tie Jason with being a self-absorbed leader who probably doesn’t treat women well, by having Perseus’ design be reminiscent of Shinji’s, you are to make your own conclusions.

The main design aspect that’s brought up is the hair. Which I never got but I guess their hair is roughly the same length and is wavy? I guess when he’s in his school outfit he looks like Shinji? I guess? I don’t know maybe I’m blind.

The biggest comparison between the two is Medusa’s line in Hollow Ataraxia, where she sums him up as a “successful Shinji.”

I could go into a discussion about whether or not we should believe this claim, but instead of boring you I want to instead talk about what Medusa, and ultimately Nasu, is trying to say by calling Perseus a successful Shinji. If Perseus is Shinji, then he should be an envious, manipulative abuser who hurts those he has an advantage over. He should be trying to get approval from those he looks up to. He should be feeling as if he needs to prove something and that any bad that happens to him is not because of him, but because of someone else.

However, we don’t really see these aspects in Perseus’ character. Sure, he has this feeling that he has to prove himself, but he is a flawed Greek hero, needing to prove that he is the son of Zeus. But he is also doing this to help his mother. Depending on the version he can kill multiple people, but in some he only kills the person who was terrorizing his mother and the one he was prophesized to kill. Depending on the version, he is simply a man fighting with fate.

In prototype, we see a more complex character. He is compelled by his love for his master that he is willing to become this human killing monster who goes against everything Saber stands for. If he was truly a Shinji, then he would be doing this not for revenge, but for his own gain. He does use his advantages to try and kill Ayaka but can’t find it in himself to do so. He saves her at one point. He does not act like the self-absorbed, envious and prideful brat that Medusa characterizes him to be. Maybe his anger is bratty—but his anger out of revenge is understandable in order to bring his master back. What I’m saying is that if he truly was a Shinji, he would be doing this less for Aro Isemi, and more for himself.

Then here’s the question: why are there two versions of this Perseus? Through two series Nasu is telling us two different things about his character.

My Answer

I have a possible answer. We have an older design for Perseus, from Hollow Ataraxia. I propose that there are two Perseus servants in the canon. Rider Perseus, the flawed and conflicted hero who wrestles with his murders and his fall from grace as a hero as seen in Prototype. The one that fights for revenge on his master’s treatment. Then, a Lancer Perseus, one that exemplifies the modern view of a Greek Hero, with the cocky, Shinji-like personality. The one that Medusa and the world associates with Perseus, and the real Perseus.

Both versions of Perseus are needed in fate. Lancer Perseus acts as the cocky character some people adore, while Rider provides a realistic view. I would personally love for both to appear in Grand Order—but certainly Rider Perseus provides a more complex version of the character. He, along with Heracles, provides a more realistic view of what characterizes “The Greek Hero” and how interpretation has diverted them from their more realistic and fate-driven narratives.

I included his myth to show that he is more than just the killing of Medusa. He has to wrangle with a lot—and even more when he is summoned in Prototype. And I want to see how he and Medusa and her variants (we know from game files that Gorgon hates him) interact. One person’s dislike for him because of their own biases removes the possibility of growth and deeper deconstruction of Medusa.

I’m going to end this by reminding you all about why Perseus goes on his mission in the first place. For his mother. I refuse to believe that if, by chance, Perseus was Shinji’s servant, the two of them would have been best friends. Rather, he would have taken one look at what was happening and be hit with deja-vu.

Anyways Perseus better show up in Lostbelt.

Thank you for reading! Please come talk to me about fate I’m bored and lonely.

If you would like to read the Prototype notes, you can do so here. If you would like to watch Medusa explain her backstory and thus the story of Perseus, you can do so here. Thanks have a nice day.

[randomfandomfamily]

I’m Watching Kim Possible and Writing Down My Thoughts Letsa Go

What the hell is her outfit? What happened to the badass cargo pants and crop top long-sleeved shirt?

She got pinned down by two guys in less than five minutes, what the fuck.

Ron’s character is... surprisingly lovable?

Wait, where’s Rufus?

Okay, no, why is the transmitter on her chest, I don’t get it.

It’s sparkly pink goop. It’s just sparkly pink fucking goop.

Her identity is supposed to be a SECRET what is this MESS girl I do not APPROVE.

I’m not against Kim wearing different clothes, but a red head wearing that cherry nightmare with bright pink shoes is not working for me.

Open your own damn window, Jesus Christ.

She nabbed a stroller with a grappling hook, but it rolled up back up the hill instead of towards her. ‘Cause... that’s how physics works.

Dead ass just stood in front of everybody on the bus for a minute straight like she was somebody. Nobody is impressed with your shit, Kim, sit your ass down.

Drakken is pretending to drown Kim in the toilet and I’m concerned.

Shego is actually okay. She’s certainly salty enough. Her personality is a little darker, but I can roll with it.

Ron IS livestreaming your first day of school, let him live Kim. You’re parting the Red Sea of high schoolers, he can do what he wants.

I’m still worried about the lack of Rufus.

Why is Wade not in school? Did that question ever really get answered?

Ron, tie your shoelaces.

Wait, Kim’s not really going to try out for soccer instead of cheerleading just because Bonnie told her to, right?

I bet that inconvenient classroom switch makes them late.

Yep. Now they’re labeled on the first day of high school. That’s not in any plot about high schools EVER.

Does nobody have to stop at their lockers?

Kim! Ron doesn’t have a grappling hook! Don’t break into vents you psycho, just run in the halls like everyone else, damnit!

Eternity leave. I want this movie to be on eternity leave.

‘Slightly exploded’

Excuse you, Shego, but Ron was there which means Drakken was stopped by TWO puny kids.

This is Ron’s BEST first day of school? This soft, curly boi-

Kim do NOT try out for soccer! You are a CHEERLEADER!

Is that... a pink, crop top, COLLARED SHIRT? I am DISGUSTED with this.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Kim was a cheerleader to set an example! She showed young girls that you don’t have to act all prissy and frufru in order to cheer and they just THREW IT DOWN THE FUCKING DRAIN BY MAKING HER CONFORM TO HER SCHOOL’S SOCIAL NORMS I’M-

Kim, oh my fucking god, stop showing off. The poor girl just had a bad day, she doesn’t need a fucking cartwheel.

I love Athena’s hair. It is a beautiful mess.

NACHOS!! Ron, you soft soft boi. Still missing a Rufus, though.

Ron Stop-PITBULL why is this the funniest thing in the movie so far, I’m cackling.

Tardy Party strikes again and Kim is STILL WEARING PINK.

THE OLD OUTFIT. THERE IT IS THERE IT IS THERE IT IS THERE IT IS

Athena’s dancing is the most relatable thing.

Born to be Kim’s BFF? And Athena feels the same way? tbh, those lines were delivered very awkwardly. Suspicious 100%

If I see one more useless, out of context cartwheel from Kim I will scream. 

Damn, Athena got MOVES. I bet she’s been training to take down Kim. That’s gonna be the big twist.

Still think Athena is low-key a traitor, but what do you mean the best version Athena can be? Athena is already beautiful you piece of absolute shit!

‘Out-Kim’ Kim? Pippy fucking Longstocking could ‘out-Kim’ Kim. SUPER GROVER could ‘out-Kim’ Kim.

I know Kim ain’t about to get jealous of Athena even though she was the one that suggested the haircut.

Why the hell is Poppy Blue here now?

Kim is an expert in tax laws, has a head start on her midterms, controls advanced technology on a regular basis, and still didn’t know that WASN’T an apple tree?

She’s actually jealous Athena! This is bullshit! I hate it! I’m still suspicious of her, but STILL.

RUFUS!! YAS!! MY BOIS ARE FINALLY TOGETHER!!

Wade’s not buying your bullshit, Kim.

‘Did you get demoted?’ Girl, I fuckin’ WISH.

Let Athena help, goddamn, she’s better at this than you are anyway.

Kim. Ron said he got it first. That means MOVE.

Go Athena, go! Go Athena, go! Shut the fuck up, Kim! Athena is busy kicking ass! Go Athena, go!

Shego knows what’s up. Athena’s WAY better at this than Kim. Definitely traitor material.

Aw, look at all the high schoolers playing with broomsticks.

Bonnie is a bitch, but Kim totally deserves it. Athena is just happy to be part of the team, she’s good at what she does, and she’s not getting a big head about it. Kim needs to step off.

So Kim is tryna learn the bo staff just because Athena used one. Kim, you jealous piece of shit.

Okay, now she’s crying. The producers are trying REALLY hard to make her relatable, but if she wanted to be her own person so bad then she would have tried out for cheerleading like she wanted, not shown off all the time, and she DEFINITELY wouldn’t have conformed just because some sophomore told her to..

She’s skipping school because she got an F?! What the hell is this movie?!

God bless Ron Stoppable.

School has been in session for, like, a month, and Athena has already been voted homecoming queen. Way to go, you.

See, Athena still asked for Kim’s help! She doesn’t believe she’s any better than Kim is, she just admires the hell out of her favorite hero. Either that or she’s still in the process of betraying her. It’s one or the other.

Throw her the damn staff!

FUCK YOU KIM I SWEAR TO GOD!!

Athena just got kidnapped. So either Kim finds her and apologizes for being a bitch or they reveal she was a traitor.

Ron asking the real questions. You wanted to save people by using a weapon you don’t know how to use? Yeah, how’d that go?

Did Kim just have an identity crisis and then fix it within the same ten minutes?

I KNEW IT!! PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE BECAUSE I CAAAAALLED IT!! ATHENA A TRAITOOOOOOOOR!!

They can all just switch outfits in two seconds, damn.

And now Shego and Drakken are going to double-cross Athena because they’re the ~bad guys~ so spoopy yes with your painfully obvious manical laughter.

How long is this tragedy?

Calling Kim out on her shit, yas Athena! I know she’s technically a bad guy now but she’s still a better character than Kim.

A robot. I... wasn’t expecting that. I probably should have been expecting that. But I wasn’t expecting that. Hm.

Kim having a break down while staring at pictures of herself. Is that not a midlife crisis?

Ron hitting an electric cage to get to his friend is the purest thing I’ve seen in this movie so far.

Bet Rufus saves everyone though.

Everyone else: ‘Uuuuuugh the evil plan reveal.’

Ron: ‘Let him finish, bro.’

Athena will be destroyed. Double crossed. Can this stupid move be ANY MORE PREDICTABLE?

Oh of course, NOW she thinks of Athena as a friend. Just in time for some last minute character development to try and fix over an hour of bitchery.

Stay away from the side of the electric cage. Really? Ya think?

Rufus saved the day, wooooot!

Why is Drakken a cute kid? WHY IS DRAKKEN A CUTE KID? And how was that the side effect???

And the very original ‘Run the place is gonna blow’ bit in three... two... one...

Kim been a such a bitch to Athena this whole movie and she’s still protecting the little brat. I literally hate this movie so fucking much.

Rufus found Athena!

Shit. Rufus found Athena’s hand.

No wait! There she is!

ATHENA NO!! KIM IS NOT A GOOD FRIEND!! ACTING LIKE A GOOD PERSON ONE TIME DOES MAKE YOU A GOOD PERSON!!

A martial arts club? Are you fucking serious? What. About. CHEERLEADING?!!

SHEGO IS MOMMING DRAKKEN. SHE IS MOMMING HIM AND I AM LIVING FOR IT.

Ron is a better character than Kim. Athena is a better character than Kim. Shego and Drakken are better characters than Kim. The cat obsessed teacher is a better character than Kim. Everyone is a better character than Kim.

FINALLY OVER!! I’M SO HAPPY THIS IS MOVIE IS DONE OH MY FUCKING GOD!! I’M GONNA GO WATCH RISE OF THE GUARDIANS AND MAKE MYSELF BETTER BYE BITCHES!!