A/N: This is Chapter 1 of March of the Titans revised thanks to my brilliant Beta: Clarisse the Wild. She has fixed the chapter a whole heap and hopefully if I'm lucky I'll get more reviews for it. The plot has changed a little but it's still almost the same as it was the before but with bits and pieces taken out and put in. So enough of my babbling. Enjoy the revised chapter 1 of March of the Titans.

March of the Titans

Chapter One: Athena Always Has a Plan

The Earth is said to be powerful, but its creators are even more so. The Titans were omnipotent, and two of them were the parents of six powerful gods, the rulers of Mt. Olympus. The Titans named Rhea and Kronos bore three daughters and three sons.

Hera was the goddess of marriage and women. Hestia was the goddess of the hearth and home. Demeter was the goddess of fertility and harvest.

Zeus was the lord of the sky and thunder. Poseidon was the god of the oceans and earthquakes. Hades had been tricked into ruling the Underworld. Ever since, he wanted revenge.

When he released the Kraken on Argos, his plan was foiled by one of Zeus' mortal sons, Perseus; he fought to avenge his family who died in a chaos Hades had caused.

Perseus was found in a coffin with his dead mother, Danae, by a mortal fisherman named Spyros, who raised him as his own with his wife.

After avenging his deceased mortal family and reuniting with his love, Io, Perseus thought his business with the gods was over. But in reality, defeating the Kraken was just the prologue of the rest of his story.

Athena watched Perseus from Mt. Olympus, something she'd been doing quite often lately. Shaking her head furiously in disapproval, she stormed into the Throne Room where her father was with the rest of the Olympians.

"Father," Athena said, bowing respectfully in front of the King of the Gods, checking who was present and who was absent from the Throne Room. Perfect, she thought after scanning the room. Unsurprisingly, she had already come up with a plan. Athena always had a plan.

"Athena." her father said, nodding at her.

"I saw what you did down there with Perseus," she said, slightly angry; she knew better than to raise her voice, but she was too enraged to be able to control it fully. Hera was giving her husband meaningful looks, but Athena didn't care.

"Athena, my dear girl. Mind your temper. It gets the worst of you." Zeus said fondly.

Athena was enraged by the fact that her father was trying to change the topic of the conversation; to calm down, she exhaled deeply before stating with utmost confidence, "He should be a god, not a useless mortal."

"Athena," Zeus began explaining calmly, "Perseus wanted to stay mortal, and I granted him his wish. Moreover, I gave him back Io to keep him company."

As much as Athena wanted to yell in frustration, she refrained from it. It would have been most unwise.

"But Father, he's a very talented warrior as it is, and not only amongst human," she objected, "And you very well know that. Aren't you more proud of him than you are of Ares," Athena meant to just suggest the possibility innocently, but it came out as a statement instead of a question.

Whispering started amongst the other Olympians in the room. Athena ignored it, not taking her grey eyes that had seen too much already off her father. Zeus cocked an eyebrow, seeming interested; Hera was continuously trying to attract his attention, but Zeus ignored her altogether. Athena took it as her cue to proceed.

"Yes, he's a very skilful battler. I daresay he could even replace my half-brother, Ares as the god of warfare," Athena said bravely, "He's got what it takes, Father."

A ghost of a wry smile appeared on Zeus' face. "Replacing a god can't be done so easily, Athena, I'm afraid, however fond of you are of your mortal half-brother."

A shadowy expression flickered on Athena's face at his response, but it vanished just as soon as it had appeared.

The whisperings of the other Olympians were unceasing and she felt it as their eyes bore into her skin, but she refused to give up. She had already uttered Ares' name, it would have been too late for that in any case.

"Ares' has been neglecting his divine duties recently, hasn't he, Father," again, it came out more like a statement than a question, "Unless, of course, his duties as the god of war include seducing Hephaestus's wife and coquetting with other women. In that case, he's been doing an excellent job." she said, her voice laced with mockery.

Her lips curling up in a satisfied-half smile when Zeus frowned thoughtfully.

"I think she has a point, Zeus," Hephaestus said through gritted teeth, his face a blotchy red colour as he clenched his fists. Several other gods nodded in agreement. None of the momentarily present Olympians particularly liked Ares.

"Thank you, Hephaestus," Athena said without a hint of gratitude in her voice; the god wasn't doing this because he wanted to help her, he wanted to just take revenge on his wife's lover. Hephaestus nodded at her, muttering something gruffly that Athena took as a 'you're welcome.'

Zeus' expression became more thoughtful; his thick eyebrows that were drawn together indicated that he was thinking hard about what Athena had just told him.

"You might have a point, Athena," he conceded at last, making Hera gasp, since she was, after all, the goddess of family. "I'll give Perseus another chance to prove to us he has a place amongst us, but just because it was your idea and you're the goddess of wisdom for a reason."

Athena smiled, satisfied. Her plan had worked out perfectly. Ares was Zeus' least favorite son, and she knew for a fact that he had been contemplating getting rid of him and/or replacing him for a long time. Because of his behavior, not many of the Olympians liked him either, especially not the ones present in the Throne Room at the moment. Of course, her plan wouldn't have worked out if Ares' supports would have been present, but fortunately they weren't. Sometimes, wits wasn't enough; sometimes, a little luck can be useful.

"What chance are you talking about, Father?" Athena asked curiously.

Zeus frowned. "He will be given tasks by all the Olympians that he has to complete to prove that he is indeed worthy. Of course, these would be quests that a war god should be able to compete, as he's thriving to replace Ares. I believe that's fair," he said, glancing up at the other gods who nodded in approval. Then he turned back to Athena, and added in an undertone, "But make sure that by the end of all the quests, he wants to become a god. Understood?"

Athena refused to be shaken. "Consider it done, Father." she said, confident that she'd be able to do it.

Zeus nodded at her, then waved absently with his hand, dismissing her and the rest of the Olympians from the Throne Room. He wished to be left alone to be able to think. But Athena wasn't worried. She knew for a fact that Zeus never went back on his word, especially not if he had promised something to her, his favorite child. Not even if he would come to regret this decision.

She bowed respectfully to her father before exiting the Throne Room with the rest of the Olympians. She felt triumphant. She was going to replace Ares, who had recently offended her gravely, with someone much more capable of handling the job, someone she was even fond of.

Athena didn't know what she had gotten herself into.

To be continued!

Please review and chapter two is coming soon. Clarisse just has to edit it and hopefully it'll be up soon. Thanks again Clarisse. I couldn't have done this without you. :D