Perseus

Perseus was a Greek demigod hero of Argos, a son of Zeus and thus a half-brother of Kratos. A legendary warrior renowned across Greece, he journeyed to the Island of Creation in hope of changing his fate and reviving his lost love, Andromeda, and there met his death at his brother's hands.

A legendary hero#

Perseus was reckoned a powerful and legendary hero among the mortals of Greece, a demigod son of Zeus known to have defeated the witch-sisters called the Graeae and slain monsters of every kind. So great was his reputation that Poseidon counted him among the heroes capable of killing the Hydra, alongside Theseus, Peirithous, and Hercules, though the Sea God judged him unreliable and ultimately set his favor on Kratos instead. He carried into battle a magic sword, a shield, and the Helm of Darkness, a gift of Hermes, which let him vanish from sight.

The Island of Creation#

Some time before his end, Perseus set out for the Island of Creation to seek the Sisters of Fate and change his destiny, so that he might bring his love back to life. There he became trapped in a great bathing house above the Hall of Atropos, and his long confinement, with no sign of the Sisters, drove him toward madness. When Kratos reached the hall, Perseus called out for aid, but the Spartan could not reach him at once.

When Kratos finally entered the bathing house and shut the door behind him, he sealed himself inside with Perseus. Half-mad and convinced that the Sisters were testing him, Perseus took Kratos for their instrument and attacked. He turned invisible with the Helm of Darkness and pelted Kratos with projectiles from a distance; when Kratos destroyed the helmet, he fought on with sword and shield, using the shield to catch the sunlight and blind his opponent. Kratos smashed the helmet, broke the sword, and at last hurled Perseus through a wall to impale him on a hook, killing him and opening his own path out of the chamber so that he could continue his quest.

Nature and obsession#

Like many who came to the Island of Creation, Perseus was desperate to change his fate, in his case to recover the woman he loved. He felt entitled to Andromeda's affection though he had met her only once, suggesting his devotion was closer to obsession than to a true bond. Confident in his own skill to the point of arrogance, he underestimated Kratos and resented that the Spartan had been granted the honor of killing Ares, which he thought too great a glory for him. Petty and taunting while shielded by his helmet, he grew desperate and far less assured once it was stripped away, revealing how much his courage rested on his enchanted gear.

His presence in the saga left a riddle. In Greek legend Perseus was famed for slaying the Gorgon Medusa, yet in this history it was Kratos who took her head during the siege of Athens, leaving unclear what deed had truly made Perseus a hero. What became of him after Kratos used the power of the Fates to travel back through time is unknown, though it is unlikely he survived the destruction of the Greek world that followed.