A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad my first fanfic got such a good reaction. Without further ado, the 2nd chapter.


Chapter 2

A piercing pain struck my head as I blinked my eyes open. A terrible headache gripped my head, and I grit my teeth. I shook off the piercing pain and looked at the sky. The dark rocks of the top of the cavern I had fallen into looked back at me, and I remembered the events that had led me to get trapped here, in Tartarus.

Clenching my fists in anger, I strained myself to stand up. For some reason, I was incredibly weak; I could hardly support my own weight, much less walk around or fight any monsters that would attack me.

As I stabilized myself, I recalled what I had learned above ground: the air of Tartarus was poisonous, and that mortals couldn't survive here without some sort of immortality or a cure. I grimaced at the pain shooting through my legs as I took a few steps towards a river in the distance, the air struggling to exit my lungs.

After a few minutes, my legs went numb and I was able to ignore the pain there for the moment. My lungs still burned as the toxic air crippled me incessantly, and my skin was beginning to get covered in welts.

I forced myself to keep going despite the horrid torture the air was inflicting me with, and the river began looming up in front of me. I squinted and saw with shock that it was a river of fire. I gasped and realized this was the River Phlegethon, the fabled river of fire that blazed through Tartarus.

As I gazed in awe at the stunning but terrifying river, a faint voice echoed in my head.

"Perseus! It is I, your mother!"

I straightened in shock. "Mother? What happened to my memories? Who are you?"

I heard a small sigh. "Perseus, listen carefully, time is short. I was captured a couple years ago, and to save you I was forced to conceal your memories. Do not fret, they will return to you soon. Promise me that you won't come to free me when your memories return, you do not have the power necessary yet. I love you son."

I felt a few tears trickle down my cheek. "Mother, please tell me who you are. I will grow stronger and I will come free you."

I heard a small chuckle in my mind before it suddenly stopped. "Perseus, my captors are returning, you must hear this. I heard you are stuck in Tartarus, and as a mortal, you have already lasted incredibly long, a whole week already. To be immune to the toxic air, you must drink from the river of fire. Good bye for now son, I will try to contact you again soon."

That shocked me; I had been unconscious for a week and I somehow survived the toxic air and was fortunate enough not to be attacked. I sensed my mother's presence leave my mind, which reminded me that I now knew my memories would soon return.

Remembering my mother's words about the Phlegethon, I clenched my fists, tensed my body, and began edging towards the river of fire. The intense heat from the stunning river tried to push me away, but I steeled my will and arrived at the bank. Kneeling down rapidly, I cupped my hands and drank some of the river.

Nothing could've prepared me for the sheer pain that coursed through my body. I felt like flames were licking the insides of my throat and esophagus, burning me alive from the inside. My throat felt pierced by thousands of burning needles, causing me to stumble and almost fall into the Phlegethon. Slowly, inexorably, the pain began to dim and my throat stopped burning. As the pain faded away, energy returned to my limbs, rejuvenating me. I stood up straight, taking deep breaths of the toxic air that no longer affected me, relishing the return of my powers and the feeling in my body.

I swirled my hand in the air and encircled myself with the shadows, further boosting my energy. I quickly checked the ring on my hand to make sure Anaklusmos was there, grinning when I saw its brilliant celestial bronze blade awaken in my grasp.

For the first time since I fell into Tartarus, hope was flowing through my veins. With my power returned to me, knowing my memories would join them soon, not even the Titans could stop me from escaping this pit.

I had been walking for several hours in the direction where I thought the Doors of Death were located. I had heard of stories of how the doors appeared occasionally in Tartarus, allowing reformed monsters to return above ground, and as far as I knew, that was the only place I could go to leave Tartarus.

As I walked rapidly in the direction of Tartarus' heart, I felt movement in the shadows. My eyes narrowed as I detected several powerful beings trying to sneak up on me in the shadows. From what I could sense, they were Titans. Walking like nothing was wrong, I willed Anaklusmos into being and caressed the beautiful blade, remembering Zoe smiling at me before she turned around to meet the hunt. I maintained the act that I didn't know the Titans were stalking me for a while before the path I was on opened up into an open plain, where no shadows were playing.

I scowled, realizing this was the opportunity the Titans had been waiting for. I couldn't draw upon my powers as effectively, and now they could easily neutralize me. I still harnessed my powers as I sensed night falling, strengthening me. I swirled my hand in the air, drawing the remaining shadows to encircle me protectively.

As I prepared, a laugh echoed across the plain.

"Foolish demigod, I do not know how you still live, but no matter. You cannot hope to defeat me, Hyperion, Titan of Light! Your shadows will fall before my infinite brilliance."

I gritted my teeth and turned, taking in the Titans standing in front of me with a quick glance. Hyperion, Perses, and Krios were arrayed against me, each wielding their weapon of choice. Hyperion was wearing brilliant golden armor that was dispelling my shadows, and his eyes flamed through his helm. His powerful gold sword was hanging lightly in his right hand, releasing brilliant light that blinded me temporarily. Krios was wearing pure black Stygian iron armor that sparkled with stars on it and wielded a massive Stygian iron blade. Perses had armor that looked like tectonic plates, moving inexorably as he stepped forward. His massive Stygian iron sword had red veins piercing through its blackness.

I frowned at the sight, backing up rapidly. There was no way I could take out two of the big four Titans and the most powerful of the minor Titans by myself in my element, much less down in Tartarus in a place with barely any shadows.

Hyperion smirked as I backed up, then unleashed his power and ignited himself with fire. Quick as a flash, he charged me with his golden sword swinging at me from the side. I ducked under his swing and tried to trip him as he ran past me, but the Titan leapt over my foot and twisted in mid-air, firing a bolt of pure light at me, blinding me. I swung my sword blindly at where I sensed the Titan was as he approached, and was rewarded with the resonating sound of two swords clashing.

Once again calling the shadows to encircle me, I blinked my eyes open to recover from the traumatizing light they had been inflicted with moments earlier. I began clashing earnestly with the Titan of Light, my instinctive training allowing me to match the powerful Titan blow for blow.

Slowly, I managed to get the Titan to turn around and force me back towards the path I had come, which I wanted to attain in order to harness more shadows. I grinned as I acted more tired than I felt, and after a few minutes of dodging or blocking Hyperion's blows with Anaklusmos, I fell weakly to the ground at the entrance of the path. The two other Titans had been watching the exchange the entire time, and I could see they were both impressed at the way I had been keeping up with the second strongest Titan there is.

I smirked inwardly at the thought of what I was about to do; the two Titans would be in awe and hopefully Hyperion would be out of commission, allowing me perhaps to escape. Hyperion strode forward leisurely, thinking he had me cornered.

"Well demigod, I must admit you fought well. However, you will burn for daring to defy the Titans," he roared. I smiled then held my hand up in his direction. The shadows surrounding us suddenly rushed out and chained the Titan of Light.

"What is the meaning of this!" he shouted, struggling to escape his shadowy bonds.

I smiled, "You underestimated me. Then again, everyone does."

Quick as a flash, I turned and sent the other shadows to trap the two watching Titans, who were petrified with surprise. Krios was instantly bound and forced up against the wall of the side of the path. Perses roared and slashed his Stygian sword at my shadows and cut them apart. Shocked, I rapidly ran towards him and swung at a chink in his tectonic armor on his side.

The Titan of Destruction smirked, "I will not lie; you are the most powerful demigod I have ever seen. You managed to bind two of the big four Titans after having held Hyperion off for several minutes!" My blade struck his armor and got stuck. "However, my powers are different! They channel destruction! Your blade cannot touch me!"

I backed up uncertainly, disarmed. How did my blade not affect him?

The Titan sneered at my terror and released a wall of force, throwing me back hard against the cliff, forcing me to break my control of the shadows binding the two other Titans. In a flash, Hyperion rushed over and punched me hard in the chest.

"Fool! You will pay for humiliating me!"

I grimaced in pain as the Titan repeatedly hit me, the air leaving me lungs each time. I slid down from my position and gasped for breath. Krios placed a hand on the enraged Titan of Light,

"Do not forget, he must be kept alive."

The Titan of Light stepped away, a look of disgust in his flaming eyes.

"Demigod, count yourself lucky that Kronos has other plans for you," he hissed angrily. "You would be dead if I wished it now."

I winced at the mention of Kronos; somehow I knew this was related to what Oceanus had told me above ground.

"There is no way I will allow Kronos to inhabit my body," I said faintly. "Kill me instead."

Perses grabbed me by the neck and threw me at the cliff side behind me, then strode forward and leaned down,

"I have been kept down here for too long. Once Kronos awakens, you will be his host, and we will have our revenge on those foolish Olympians. You have no choice in this matter."

I narrowed my eyes but asked a question that was still bothering me. "How were you unaffected by my sword?"

The Titan threw back his head and laughed, his tectonic armor heaving with his movement. He abruptly stopped and looked back at me,

"My armor is made of pure Tartaric magma, one of the sturdiest materials in existence. As a matter of fact, commonly used materials cannot affect it at all, most notably celestial bronze."

I absorbed this information, wondering if I could try to manipulate him into revealing what materials could break through his armor.

Perses smirked, "Fool! I am not an idiot, you cannot manipulate me!"

I drew back, remembering in a flash that the Titans could read my mind. I grimaced inwardly at my stupidity, and then focused on throwing up a shield around my mind like I did earlier. I grinned evilly as the Titan stepped back, anger showing in his eyes.

Krios stepped forward again, cutting off an angry retort by Perses.

"Enough Perses, we have wasted enough time here. Now that we have the demigod, we must follow the plan."

Hyperion strode forward and punched me a couple times again, then Perses swung his blade at me hilt first. The last thing I felt before the darkness enveloped me was my ring returning to my finger, signaling the continued presence of Anaklusmos.

I woke up feeling pain pervade every part of my body. I could feel something metallic tearing at the skin around my wrists and my ankles, and it felt like I was spread-eagled in the air. Blinking my eyes open, my eyes immediately took in the surroundings. I was being held in some sort of chamber that seemed to have no opening or exit. I was in pure darkness, but my eyes could see as well as they would during day thanks to my powers. I looked to the side at my wrists and noticed that I was cuffed. A metallic wristband was digging into my skin and was attached through a chain to a point near the ceiling on the wall. I glanced at my other wrist and was greeted with the exact same thing. I groaned in pain; the metal was extremely bothersome.

I took a quick look at my ankles and saw they were similarly bound, and were spread apart, each attached to a point on the floor. I grimaced and realized that I was indeed spread-eagled in the air, hanging thanks to my bindings.

A noise disturbed my musings, drawing my attention to the corner of the room. A door appeared and through it strode Hyperion, walking with an arrogant gait and glowing brilliant light that dispelled the total darkness that had been submerging the blank black room.

"Puny demigod, it took you long enough to wake up," he snarled. I raised my eyebrow in confusion, while throwing up the barrier around my mind immediately. The Titan of Light gritted his teeth and elaborated,

"You have been unconscious for several weeks since we captured you."

My jaw dropped as the Titan stood there calmly. But how?

"Despite you having somehow created that irritating barrier around your mind, I can tell you want to know how you were possibly unconscious for so long."

I narrowed my eyes and spat, "Tell me then, Hyperion."

The Titan smirked, "Since you asked so kindly, I suppose I can entrust you with this information. It is quite simple. After we brought you to our base of sorts, you were granted with partial immortality. That blessing added on to your injuries and energy used up caused you to go into a coma."

I gaped. There was simply nothing that could have prepared for me for that. I was now immortal like the Hunters of Artemis. I now had a much higher chance of escaping Tartarus, which reminded me that I had yet to understand why the Titans granted me this partial immortality.

Hyperion's booming laugh interrupted my train of thought and brought me back to reality.

"Well puny demigod, you seem to be thinking quite hard there! Why don't I enlighten you with some details that might spare your brain the strain. You were given this partial immortality because of the role you must play. In two thousand years, Kronos will finally be able to reform enough to begin planning our revenge on the Olympians. When he rises, we Titans will be strong enough to destroy Olympus and regain our rightful place as rulers."

The Titan smiled evilly before adding,

"And you are the key. You are the strongest demigod in existence, for reasons I don't even know. Despite my lack of information regarding your lineage, you are the one Kronos shall use as a host to rise at first before he can reform fully into his true form."

Hearing that for the third time, regardless what people may say, did not make me feel better in the slightest. The assumption that would do whatever they wanted was starting to seriously tick me off.

"You will return to the world in two thousand years, and the world will bow to us!" the Titan said gleefully. That's when I snapped. My eyes began glowing pure light as all the darkness in the room gathered around me like a hurricane. I could see the chains straining from their places attached to the walls. For the first time, I saw a flicker of fear pass through Hyperion's flaming orbs. I grinned at the sight as I absorbed more and more of the shadows, increasing the power of the hurricane and slamming the Titan of Light into the walls.

Hyperion was pinned against the wall, quite dazed, as he tried to use his powers over light to get rid of the shadows. The power gathering around me, however, was completely unaffected. I could sense the fear coming from Hyperion as he bellowed,

"This isn't how it's supposed to work! Those chains should've suppressed your demigod powers! Unless…"

Pure horror gripped the Titan, as he slipped to the side where the door was. Hyperion pressed his hand against the door and harnessed his powers over light in order to create a moment of distraction so he could pass through the door.

After the Titan left, I slumped over, drained of my power. I had just wielded more power than I ever had before, and it almost killed me, although it seemed to have done its job on the Titan. However, I could not get Hyperion's last words out of my mind. Unless… Clearly I wasn't ordinary, although I should've realized it sooner. I wielded the shadows but not like a son of Hades. I suddenly understood that I wasn't truly wielding the shadows, but more so the darkness inside them. That explained why I could harness them even when they weren't really there, and also would explain how I could have bypassed the chains I was imprisoned in.

As I contemplated this new discovery, it came to me that I was stuck in Tartarus for the next two thousand years. How was I supposed to survive through this situation?

A cold, faint laugh echoed through the chamber. We meet at last Perseus. My face paled to a sickly shade of white. Somehow, I knew exactly who this was. I have heard tales of your power, and I must say, it interests me. Sweat rolled down my face as I struggled to escape my bonds, to escape this dark presence that incited such fear in me. The voice chuckled audibly at my fear that it could somehow sense. I can sense your aura and your fear young demigod. The largest part of me that is reforming lies below the chamber you are currently… how should I put this… residing in. With that, the remaining color in my face drained and I began writhing around earnestly. Once again, the cold laugh pervaded the chamber. Speaking to you is draining the small remnants of my energy, but before we part, I intend you to know that as long as you are within this chamber, my domain of time protects you from having to succumb to primal necessities. As a small bonus, it accelerates time in this chamber so that our future can be here sooner. I will speak to you again Perseus, better be ready.

A smirking face flashed through my mind, right before my head exploded with pain.

Scenes flashed through my mind as I shook my head, trying to shake off the pain. I saw a beautiful woman dressed in a pure black dress looking down at me lovingly in one scene, then I saw a bunch of dummies in front of me as they were getting slashed to bits in another. I suddenly realized that these must be my memories coming back to me.

The pain began wearing off after a few moments, leaving me to think about my memories. The beautiful woman I had seen must have been my mother, and the other scene was probably me training. The training would explain why I had such strong instinctive reflexes and how I could keep up with a Titan for a while.

My head slumped once more as the few memories I had regained engrained themselves in my mind. Despite the interesting new information, I was still nowhere in terms of who I was and how I was supposed to escape here.

The only thing I did know was that once I escaped, the Titans would pay for kidnapping me and would regret the moment they immortalized me.

It had been several months since I had been trapped in this chamber. Every day, some food appeared in front of me, intended to keep me alive. The Titans had, after one week, released me from my spread-eagled pose and merely chained me to the wall. In my free time, I practiced controlling the darkness in the shadows, attaining levels of mastery over the element I could not have dreamed of before.

Today, the Titans were planning to do something to me, since I overheard Hyperion whispering something about him enjoying the pain I would go through. This did not reassure me, but since I was exiting the chamber for the first time since I had been captured, I was eager to know what had happened outside.

I knew many years had passed since my capture above ground, since the chamber accelerated time within itself, and I was quite curious to know what happened to the Greek empire and the few hunters I had rescued and given to Artemis.

A noise in the corner called my attention, and three Titans stepped through the door. I narrowed my eyes; they were the same three Titans to have captured me initially, and I had not seen Perses since then. Said Titan stepped forward rapidly and snarled,

"Well demigod, it seems we meet again. Today you will experience pain like no other, and it will bring a smile to my face."

I smirked and decided to antagonize the Titan of Destruction,

"Long time no see Perses, I would say it is a pleasure to see you again, but you wouldn't want me lying?"

Perses clenched his fists and released a wall of force, slamming me into the wall of the chamber. In a few quick steps, the Titan grabbed my collar and smashed me into the wall again.

"Insolent fool! Once Kronos regains his form, I will enjoy draining the life out of you. Relish your life while it still exists."

He threw me at the wall on the other side of the chamber with full force, causing me to slump down in a painful heap, dazed from the impact. Hyperion walked over and slung me over his shoulder and strode over to the door, smirking at Perses,

"Let's go watch this puny demigod writhe in pain, shall we?"

The Titan of Destruction smiled evilly, and the three Titans left my chamber with me half conscious. We came out of the chamber into a long hallway that had many doors on each side. A massive double door loomed at the end of the passage, and had above it Orthrys written in Greek.

I frowned at this as the Titans strode rapidly through the hallway. They reached the double doors quickly and pushed it open, opening into a massive throne room. My jaw dropped as I took in the beauty of the throne room. It was clearly ancient, but the architecture was magnificent. Twelve massive thrones surrounded a beautifully decorated mural on the ground. I recognized the material instantly: the ground was made out of a stunningly crafted Stygian iron alloy, diluted enough to not affect people not related to the Underworld. Each throne was differently colored, but the largest throne at the end of the throne room was the most stunning. It was pure gold, with black lines similar to veins contrasting it sharply and spreading out through the sides of the the throne. The symbol of an hourglass was embedded above the throne, made out of a metal I couldn't recognize.

I had never seen such a sight in the entirety of my life. The throne room of Orthrys was the greatest architectural vestige I had the fortune to see, far outshining the structures I had seen during my wandering travels in Greece. The Pantheon could not compare to the stunning beauty of this room. Ornate designs flowed through the ground, while the walls depicted some of the Titans' greatest conquests. Behind the gold throne, there was a massive mural illustrating Kronos killing Ouranos.

I realized instantly that the gold throne was Kronos' throne, seeing as it sported his symbol as well as the fact that it towered over the rest of the thrones.

Hyperion scoffed, drawing me out of my trance. He was staring displeased at the contrast between his own throne and Kronos', clearly jealous of his younger brother. Krios ignored the Titan of Light and led the way out another door, which led us back out into Tartarus. I blinked a few times, remembering the horrendous environment surrounding me, then realized that the toxic air didn't affect me.

Krios answered my musings, "Your partial immortality prevents you from the effects of Tartarus, young demigod. Do not rejoice, however, as the pain you will soon endure will make you wish Tartarus' air was the only punishment you needed to go through."

I shuddered at these words, causing Hyperion to grin evilly at my fear,

The Titan of Light threw me on the ground and began dragging me towards a river I could see in the distance.

After a few minutes of walking, the Titans stopped and Hyperion kicked me unceremoniously.

"Puny demigod, it is time for you to face pain!"

I looked at the river and instantly froze in recognition. The River Styx stared back at me ominously, its black water swirling around, full of lost hopes and dreams. I realized instantly what the Titans intended to do, although I couldn't grasp why.

"You will bathe in the Styx so that your body will be able to host Kronos' soon," Perses said.

I tried to back away from the edge slowly when suddenly a voice I hadn't heard for a long time spoke in my mind. My son, I believe in you. You can bathe in the Styx and use the blessing to escape. Remember to anchor yourself, your mortal point. Do not let go of it. Perseus, I give you my blessing. Hope and power coursed through my veins once my mother spoke to me. I smiled and looked at the Titans, who were dumbfounded at my happiness.

"Well, it was nice knowing you."

I grinned and threw myself into the Styx. However, nothing could have prepared me for the pure pain that tore into my body. I felt like I was drowning in pure acid, the pain tearing my body apart. I felt myself sinking into the river, with the few memories of my short life flickering through my mind. I saw the wolf that attacked me, the Hunters of Artemis, the many criminals I brought to justice, Zoe. Then I saw nothing. Pure darkness encircled me, and the pain began to subside. I must be dead I thought sadly. Suddenly, out of the darkness, the image of the beautiful woman appeared.

"Perseus, my son, remember what I told you. Focus on your mortal point, anchor yourself before it's too late!"

Her face showed obvious panic. I realized that my musings were true, she was my mother. I narrowed my eyes and focused on a well-defended part of my body, about four inches below my right armpit. The pain of the Styx roared back and began torturing me, flickering my focus. I fought to resist the pain, but before it could envelop me, I saw a hand. I looked further and saw my mother again. She gave me a sad smile,

"I know you can do this. Grab my hand!"

I steeled my will and forced myself to ignore the pain, then slowly, inexorably, raised my hand and grasped my mother's. In a flash, the river threw me out onto the bank, on the other side of where I dived in. The Titans looked at me in shock.

"How are you still alive? You've been in the river for two hours!"

I smirked and said, "Maybe because I am unique? It's time for me to get my revenge for you capturing me. Now that I'm invincible, good luck beating me."

The three Titans looked at each other in fear; they had clearly not anticipated me regaining all my energy and resisting them now that I had obtained the blessing of the Styx. I raised my hand and called all the darkness around me to surround my hand in a vortex of energy. Clenching my fist, I drew some of the darkness to surround me and form temporary armor, with the strongest part covering my Achilles spot.

Pulling out Anaklusmos, I slashed through the air and sent the shadows to bind the three Titans. Without waiting to see the results of my move, I turned and ran as fast I could, away from the river. Once again, my mother's voice spoke in my mind. Perseus, to escape Tartarus, you must attain my palace. There, you can find a portal to the mortal world, the only one in Tartarus other than the Doors of Death.

I rolled my eyes while running and replied. Where is your palace?

I heard a faint laugh. Follow the trail of darkness, my son. I felt her presence leave my mind and gritted my teeth in frustration. Why must I always be given riddles?

I looked more carefully at my surroundings as I slowed down, having put enough distance between myself and the Titans. My eyes widened as I saw a sliver of pure darkness hanging in the air, seemingly tracing a path to somewhere. In a flash, I understood that this was the trail of darkness my mother spoke of.

Narrowing my eyes, I began running alongside the trail, eager to escape Tartarus as soon as possible.

After several hours of running and having to fight off a few monsters, the trail of darkness ended at the edge of Tartarus. I looked down saw a massive palace, cloaked completely in darkness and radiating a familiar presence. This was the Mansion of Night. I looked around for a path to attain the palace, but there was nothing to allow me to get to it, as it was floating a hundred meters below me and was quite far away from the edge of Tartarus.

An idea struck me as I contemplated my options. I decided to harness the darkness surrounding the palace in order to transport myself down there. Feeling a familiar tug in my gut, I funneled the nearest shadows away from the top of the palace and formed a sort of slide down to the Mansion of Night. I smiled at the success of my idea, then stepped onto the slide and slid down to the palace.

I straightened myself after the impact and looked around quickly. Everything was pitch black in the palace, but it released an ancient power that seemed very familiar to me. My instincts took over and I ran rapidly through the maze of hallways before arriving before a massive set of double doors, even larger and more majestic than that of Orthrys' throne room.

I pushed the doors open hesitantly, unprepared for what might await me. It occurred to me that the palace had been completely empty as I ran through it, which I suspected had to do with the capture of my mother.

The doors opened dramatically, leading into an empty room. I frowned and strode over to the opposite side of the room and touched the wall experimentally. Instantly, a vortex of pure darkness formed in front of me. I felt my mother's presence touch my mind again. Perseus, this is the portal. When you walk through it, you will return to the world above, but be prepared. Many years have passed since we were imprisoned. The world will differ greatly. I nodded in acceptance, steeled my will, and took a step through the portal.

Instantly, my mind began pulsing with pain, as millions of scenes flashed through my head. Pain similar to the Styx gripped my head and I fell to the ground, screaming in pain. I rolled around, trying to numb the pure pain that was invading my mind, when the pain suddenly stopped.

I stopped shaking and opened my eyes again. I grasped the magnitude of the situation. I had escaped Tartarus and the pain I just went through brought back all my memories.

I touched my head to make sure this wasn't a dream.

I knew who I was. I was Perseus, son of Nyx, and I had escaped Tartarus. I will save my mother and I will get my revenge on the Titans.

Suddenly, my energy reserves drained out at last, and I stumbled in exhaustion. I had exerted far too much energy today, and I slipped into unconsciousness, falling awkwardly onto the forest ground.