Hello! Chapter 2! Whoo! Thanks for all the reviews and favs and follows from the first chapter! I'm so excited for this story and I hope you all are too! Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Send me a PM or leave a review and I will get back to you as soon as possible! And feel free to check out my other stories as well! Thanks! I own nothing but please enjoy this chapter. :)
Third Person POV (in italics is just a recap from last chapter)
"I'm sorry, Ladon," Perseus whispered to the creature. One hundred heads lifted to gaze at his master with longing. Perseus walked away; when he didn't come back, the monster let out a sorrowful cry that shook the mountain, already mourning for the son of Atlas.
A few minutes later, Perseus was standing beneath a boiling storm cloud. It funneled to a point, trying to touch down to the ground, but a gargantuan Titan stood at the point, holding it up. He was hunched over from the pressure, crumpling in onto himself, sweat pouring off his body as he struggled under the immense weight.
Perseus observed all this sadly. He knew his father had taken a large hit after the lost war, but never had he been this close to seeing that defeat firsthand. The once fear-worthy Titan was reduced to a shaky wreck.
"Father," the young Titan called out to the being under the sky, gathering his courage.
Atlas turned towards the boy as much as he could. "Perseus?" He sounded confused, though not displeased. "What are you doing here?"
"Father," the son of Atlas repeated, taking a deep breath. "I-I want to be released from my position and my immortality."
The shock of the request caused the Titan general to stumble, almost allowing the sky to crash down to the earth it so wanted to touch. "What?"
"I want to be released from my position and my immortality," the boy repeated, sounding unsure of himself.
Atlas regained his bearings and frowned at his son. "Why?"
Oh no. Perseus had not thought up a lie. But is there anything in the deal saying that I cannot tell my father? Coming to the conclusion that there wasn't, Perseus opted for the truth.
"Zeus has decreed it so."
"Zeus?!" bellowed Atlas, instantly enraged by the name alone. "How dare he try to evict my son from his position! I shall-"
"Father!" Perseus interrupted. Atlas quieted. "If I do not get stripped of my position and immortality, Zeus will go after my sisters."
"The Hesperides?" The Titan grew concerned, suspicion helping him keep a relatively-cool head. "What would he do to them?"
The son of Atlas swallowed hard. "He plans on giving them to the gods of Olympus, and keeping one of them for himself, if I do not do as he says."
Atlas's skin flushed white, terrified of the possibility. "Th-those pigs!"
Perseus nodded, his face similarly contorted with disgust. "I agree, Father. I cannot allow that crooked king to harm my sisters. Please, release me from my immortality and position so I can spare them."
Atlas was silent for a moment. Perseus chewed his lip anxiously, hoping his father would do the right thing and allow him this sacrifice. Finally, the Titan general said, sighing, "Very well."
Despite himself, Perseus smiled. "Thank you, Father. If you could, swear on the Styx not to tell my sisters what becomes of me. Zeus was adamant that they do not know, or else our deal is null and void."
The mighty immortal complied, thunder echoing above in the heavens. "Are you ready for your immortality and position to be revoked? This may hurt."
The young Titan sucked in a deep breath to steady him. "Yes," he said without hesitation.
Atlas hung his head, secretly hoping his eldest son would find a way to save himself and his sisters. Though it pained him to do so, Atlas said, "I, Atlas, General of the mighty Titan army, strip thee, Perseus son of Atlas, of thy immortality and position as the guardian of the Garden of the Hesperides!"
A blinding light shone from Perseus as he was illuminated from within. The power was burning through his newly-mortal body, tearing away at his senses. He couldn't help the scream that bubbled from his lips.
The light died down, leaving Perseus kneeling on the grassy mountaintop, panting as smoke poured off his tanned body. His eyes and hair remained black, but the glow that surrounded his immortal body was gone.
"Perseus?" Atlas asked cautiously, staring at his son with apprehension when the boy didn't move. "Are you okay?"
The now-mortal struggled to his feet. "No," he breathed heavily. "But I'll be fine. Father," the boy said making eye contact with the powerful deity, "watch over my sisters. If I am ever able to return without the threat of being hunted and bringing danger to the garden, I shall."
"I look forward to your return, son," the Titan rumbled, emotion threatening to choke his voice. "The Garden will celebrate your arrival when it comes."
Perseus nodded to the emotional Titan holding up the sky, soaking in the mental picture before he departed from the mountaintop for the last time in a long time. He wasn't free yet, though. He still had to say goodbye to his sisters. They deserved that much.
Perseus reached the Garden of the Hesperides after a short walk. As much as he wanted to say goodbye to Ladon, he couldn't. He was mortal now, his scent different from any the hundred-headed dragon was used to. He could die before the hunt even began. Instead, he took the long way around, taking care not to let the dragon catch his scent.
When he stepped into the garden, the five sisters appeared before him, their arms crossed angrily. The eldest, Arethusa, spoke, "Foolish mortal, be gone from the Garden of the Hesperides before-" She faltered. "Brother?"
The others stared at him with varying degrees of horror and confusion.
"Hello, sisters," Perseus said, desperately trying not to show them how depressed their reactions made him feel. This was the right decision, wasn't it? Although he knew it was, their faces made him want to stay forever.
"Percy, what are you doing?" Hesperia asked, uncomprehending.
"I am leaving," he said plainly, forcing the smile to remain on his face.
Aegle, the second-youngest, said, "Why?"
Internally, Perseus wanted to cry. His sister's voice broke when she asked the question, catching on the first sound. He had to stay strong, though. He couldn't let them down. "I cannot remain here any more."
"Why not?" Erytheia demanded. "Where are you going?"
He swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Away," he answered cryptically. Clearing the lump away, he made up a lie on the spot, knowing they wouldn't be satisfied. "Sisters, I have seen a beautiful mortal woman travelling through Greece. Father has granted me mortality so that I may pursue her."
"What's what this is about?" Hesperia cried. "You're leaving us for some random woman you saw from afar?"
He nodded gravely. "Yes." It wasn't uncommon for a minor deity, such as himself, to give up their immortality to be with a mortal. Unlike the new Olympian king, the Titans did not intend to date-and-dump.
The five sisters watched their older brother, their rock for so long, as he turned away from them to begin his trek down the mountain. Suddenly, Zoe, the only one that had not spoken up, shouted, "That's it? You're giving up everything for a mortal woman? I thought we meant something to you!"
Perseus turned to face his youngest sister who had a look of utter anguish on her face. "Zoe, no, I-" He was about to reveal his secret, but stopped himself just in time. Zoe took that as a rejection of her sibling love.
"Go," she spat at her brother, ignoring her sisters as they tried to get her to stop. She ignored the look of sorrow on the raven haired mortal's face. "You're not my brother. My brother is dead. He is not a pig of a man that ceaselessly chases after any pretty woman he finds off the street. My brother had morals. You are not him."
Zoe spun away, refusing to face the mortal man standing on her father's mountain. Her sisters grabbed her arms and shoulders, screaming at her to take it back. That was still their brother, no matter how heartbroken they were that he was leaving. No matter what, that was still their brother. In the chaos, they had all turned their backs to him. When Zoe finally realized what she had said to the only man she could fully trust, she whirled around, ready to apologize.
To her dismay and horror and the shock of her sisters, Perseus was gone, disappeared down the mountain.
Hey guys! I'm swamped with work and I have a band performance this weekend, so next chapter will be MONDAY! Columbus Day for many of you. I have a band performance that day too, but should still be able to get this out. Okay, thanks! :)
