A/N: The moment you've all been waiting for is here! Perseus will prove his worthiness to his father's kingdom, even if it means dying in the process. This is a really long chapter, but bear with me. It's worth every word.

X

The Sacrifice

Perseus winced at the sharp prodding of Augustus's blade against his throat. The Captain backed him into a seat, forcing him down into it.

"The jar. Give it to me." Augustus patted around various places on Perseus until he found the sphere. He snatched it up from Perseus's lap, slowly removing his knifepoint from Perseus's throat, "If you try anything funny, there will not be pleasant consequences." Augustus slowly paced through the room, obviously wallowing in the victorious end to their skirmish. Perseus gripped the arms of the chair, watching the Captain's every move. Every step Augustus took made Perseus all the more bitter. Through the past months he had toiled in, he had been awaiting his demise. Whether it was in battle or a training accident, he was prepared for his end. But not like this. Not from the hand of a brother in arms. All of this time, Perseus had thought the Captain as a noble, honorable man. But now he realized he was anything but that. Captain Augustus was a traitor, and no man could sink any lower than that. Perseus's thoughts were interrupted when the paces of the one-eyed Captain ceased. And when Perseus looked up from his seat, he found that Augustus had occupied a throne-like seat across from his own. He threw his legs over one of the chiseled in arm rests casually.

"Perhaps I shouldn't blow this place to bits. I would enjoy this, after all." Perseus remained quiet, knowing that a snarky comment wouldn't save him. It would only make what was left of his life even more miserable. But, then again, it wasn't as though he had anything to lose now. No one to return to back home. Perseus bowed his head with nothing more to do other than listen to the leaking water from up above.

"How long have you known of this little…secret?" Perseus murmured in question. Augustus looked over, his good eye glancing Perseus up in down in a calculating way.

"What? The secret of your planned demise?" He replied as he dug out his knife. He began digging the point of it under his fingernails, "I've known of it for quite a while, actually. Why do you ask?" Perseus shrugged, despite how tense his shoulders were.

"Who knows? I might get out of here alive-your information could be used to my advantage." Augustus threw his head back slightly, releasing a hearty laugh.

"You know, for a selfish Prince, you're actually quite funny." Augustus chuckled for a moment longer before sitting up and standing, "Now, where's the wine around here? It's a palace, after all." Perseus narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the Captain's sudden change in mood.

"What are you playing at?" Perseus demanded, digging his palms into the rests of the chair to stand. Augustus thrust his knife in Perseus's direction, urging him back to his seat.

"Now remember what I said about behaving," Augustus scolded with a tsk-tsk. He began to paw around through cabinets, until he let out a satisfied roar of a laugh, "Well, these beasts do drink, after all!" He got to his feet, flaunting an unlabeled bottle that was half-filled with a dark liquid. He pulled the top of with a squeak, raising the bottle to his lips,

"How can you be sure that's alcohol and not some sort of poisonous substance for gullible souls like you?" Perseus inquired, a smirk creeping onto his face at his sharp-tongued comment. Augustus faltered, and refrained from taking a sip for the time being. Instead, he brought the top of the bottle to his nose, letting its aroma waft up to his nostrils.

"Hmm…it smells like wine," He grumbled with a small shrug, but refastened the cork. He stumbled back to his seat, as if he were in a daze. Augustus leaned forward, looking around as if they had all of the time in the world, "It more than likely aged well down here. Maybe you should have some for a dying-" The Captain's sentence fell short when a sharp gasp escaped his mouth, and his eyes grew wide. Perseus's eyes caught the glint of metal, and they drifted down towards his throat. The point of a blade protruded from the neck of Augustus and his blood flowed freely from the wound. His eyes grew wide as Captain Augustus slumped forward and fell out of the seat, and the sound of him choking on his own blood filled the room.

Perseus immediately rose from his seat, slowly approaching the convulsing body in front of him. An all-too familiar red pool of blood began to collect, and Perseus cautiously reached out to touch Augustus. But a voice in the shadows stopped him from doing so,

"What do you think you're doing?" It demanded, and Perseus quickly retracted his hand.

His eyes darted around for the owner of the voice, "Where are you? Show yourself!" A pair of footsteps slowly began to pace around, sounding as though they were near the throne Augustus had previously been sitting in. Perseus went for his sword, but he cried out in pain when his muscles went tense and seemed to stop working completely. He tried to take a step, but his feet disobeyed his orders. He attempted to bring his arm forward towards his sword, but to no avail. The pain only became more intense.

"So pathetic. You are definitely your father's son." The voice from before cooed, and in a sudden rush, Perseus's muscles constricted even more, "Now be a good boy and sit…If you don't want me to break every brittle bone in your body, that is." The tension in his body released as Perseus returned to his spot in the wooden chair. The footsteps returned, and their maker finally stepped out of the shadows. A gaunt, slender-statured man in dark colored robes with lengthy, black hair appeared, placing his hand on top of the ornamental throne, "Hello, Perseus." The man said with a noticeable amount of distaste.

"What did you do to the Captain?" Perseus snapped, ignoring the greeting.

"Isn't it obvious?" The man replied, glancing down at the now-motionless body of Augustus, "He's dead. It's not the wisest of ideas to lounge in a cursed King's chair."

"Cursed?" Perseus wrinkled his nose at this, "What curse?"

The man waved him away, "It doesn't matter what curse, boy! What's done is done." He removed his hand from the chair, shifting his body and taking a seat in the throne.

"And why won't you of all people be cursed?"

"Because, I'm the one who put the curse on the chair." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone, as if that piece of information was the most obvious thing of knowledge. The man intertwined his fingers, placing his now adjoined hands on top of his lap, "Do you not have any questions?"

"What is there to ask?" Perseus twisted his wrist in the grasp of one of his hands, kneading the throbbing pain out of it. Whoever, or whatever this man was, was dangerous. No human could possibly have the abilities to such a thing, control another body to do what they wished.

"Why, there is a plentiful amount of things to ask. Perhaps you should try using your brain, as difficult as it is." An unfriendly smirk played across the man's lip at his sarcastic remark. Perseus found it strange how much this man resembled his very own father. The similarities the two seemingly shared was noticeable, and there was no doubt about that.

Perseus sneered, "How about your name? Or will that require some critical thinking on your part?" The man's smile wiped away, and his face went partially slack.

"I am Hades, ruler of this kingdom." Perseus thought that the title 'Ruler' was a ridiculous one for a place so dark and dreary.

"Well, Hades," Perseus continued, letting the name play on his lips, "How do you know my name?" Hades chuckled at this at first, rubbing his oily forehead.

"There are so many places to begin in that story. Too many, in fact. But, simply put, we are of blood, Perseus." Hades said this ground-breaking announcement with so much simplicity it almost left Perseus dumbfounded.

"What are you rambling on about? The line of my family has long since burned out, besides my father and I of course." Perseus did his best to look away, not sure if his own words truly had merit.

Hades tilted his head slightly to the side, "Oh, but that statement is obviously false. Don't you realize that?" Perseus hesitantly stood, fearing that Hades might try and control his bodily movements a second time. But instead, he allowed Perseus to wander a little bit, and watched him as he paced towards the desk against one of the walls.

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"You know I'm not lying. I could tell by the look on your face a moment ago. You recognize me from somewhere, do you not?" Perseus winced, irritated from the low tone in the voice of Hades. It was too alluring, and almost hypnotizing. That, along with the similar features he shared with Poseidon was enough to make Perseus go mad.

"You're my father's brother." Perseus said, his head snapping towards Hades.

"A-ha. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Hades rearranged his robes for a moment, smiling with glee at Perseus's realization.

"But why…how are you my uncle?" Perseus replied, his eyes burning in anger. Hades rolled his eyes at this,

"It's nothing to get emotional about, little nephew."

Perseus grabbed the back of his own head, gripping his now-matted hair, "Don't call me that! I am not your nephew!"

"Deny it as much as you wish, but it is not your decision." Perseus breathed in a shaky breath, clenching his eyes shut,

"Then why is it you are not up above ground?"

"That is a story I can't tell…But one that I can show you." Perseus frowned, but before he could question anything, the lights began to dim, and black spots began to blot out his vision. The last thing he felt was his body falling to the floor.

When Perseus seemed to have come to again, he sensed something wasn't the same. He sat up in his spot on the floor, groaning. His dead darted back and forth, trying to get a sense of his surroundings. He wasn't in the caves anymore. And when he investigated a little further, he soon found out that he was in the dining hall of his father's castle. It was unoccupied, other than two figures on one of the balconies. He crept uneasily towards them, and began to make out their voices.

"…Mustn't tell him," Perseus heard passed between the two people. He put his back against a column that framed the doorway to the balcony.

"No, brother. Secrets are nothing but trouble..." Perseus immediately knew who the speaker was. Hades. Only he sounded less cruel, and instead, much more nervous. Perseus grasped the curtains behind him, daring himself to look around the corner. He sighed, and stuck his neck out ever so slightly. There, standing beside each other, were a much younger Hades and Poseidon. Hades towered over Poseidon a fair amount, while Poseidon was still a short, red in the face man, but both appeared much more youthful.

"Yes, but for other people. For our sake, this one is worth keeping." Poseidon debated. Perseus was shell-shocked how controlling Poseidon sounded, even then. Hades furrowed his brow in frustration,

"Have you listened to anything I've been saying? This…power, has brought nothing but sorrow for not only us, but father as well. His wife, our own mother, dead."

"How dare you call that-that-whore, our mother? You and I both know our real mother has long since past." Poseidon snapped. Both looked away from each other at this.

"This may be true," Hades replied, "But we've known her as our mother all our lives."

"You've known her as our mother! Do not speak for me! Both she and father wanted nothing to do with me!" Poseidon screamed, "Her perish is my doing, not yours!"

Perseus watched as his father sunk away into a chair. His father had displayed more emotion in these past minutes in front of his brother more than he had ever shown in front of Perseus in his entire life. The stony look on the face of Hades disappeared for a moment as he walked over to his brother.

"Calm yourself, brother." He muttered, hardly audible, "This is not true. You had simply lost control of your powers and temper. Which is why we should tell father about the fountain." Poseidon suddenly tensed, causing Hades to release his grip on his shoulders

"No." Poseidon said in a low tone, shaking his head once.

Hades growled, "This is not up for discussion! We are both going to tell father about the fountain, or I will do it myself!" Poseidon rose out of his seat, glaring daggers at his brother,

"You may be older than me, Hades, but that doesn't mean you're stronger."

Hades sighed, "This is no time for a show of force, Poseidon! Now stop acting like a child and-" He was suddenly cut off as Poseidon threw his meaty fist forward, connecting it with Hades face. The bony body of Perseus's uncle wavered in the air slightly before crumpling to the ground in a robed heap. Poseidon stared at the useless body of his uncle for a moment before quickly darting out of the room. Perseus shot back for his cover behind the column, but Poseidon had seemed to not notice him. Perseus watched his father run to the best of his abilities down the hall in the direction of the front doors. A groan emanated from Hades on the balcony, and Perseus peered around the corner again. Hades was just getting up, a large purple mark already knotting on his check. He reached up to grab it,

"Must-get-father," He barely managed to say, standing. Hades stumbled past, going the opposite direction that Poseidon had. Perseus felt the surroundings shift through the air, until they regenerated into a new scene. He was in a cave once more, but nothing like Perseus had ever seen. The walls were neat layers of chalk red, and there were holes and gaps in the ceiling that allowed light to come through. Perseus heard labored breathing in the distance as it echoed throughout the cavern. Perseus made his way over a few rocks, guiding his hand along the walls to steady himself. He soon found his father, who was hovering over a small pool of water. Poseidon slurped it out of his cupped hands, groaning in satisfaction at his quenched thirst. He threw the satchel that had been on his shoulders off, letting it fall to the ground. Poseidon continued to relish in the water, until he was relieved. He reached into his bag before pulling out a handful of bottles. Perseus watched his father as he began to dip the bottles into the shallow-leveled water until they were filled. But he soon found himself interrupted as the sound of feet marching down the tunnel could be easily heard. An older man stumbled in, balancing shakily on a few rocks,

"Poseidon!" He cried out, "Stop this immediately!" Two more robust, more intimidating men scrambled in, wielding swords, and shields. And finally, Hades could be seen, standing awkwardly behind the armed men, staring at his brother desperately. Poseidon stared at his competition for a moment before throwing his head back in laughter,

"You have no power here, father. Do you think your little bravado of men will stop me?" Poseidon jeered, "Hades told you of the powers we possess, no?"

The older man, who was apparently Poseidon and Hades' father, looked back anxiously.

"Yes," Their father replied, the aging on his face looking more prominent than ever, "Please, son. Reconsider what you're about to do!"

"I am not your son. Not anymore. My entire life, I've been left in the shadows while you paraded around with your mistress, blaming me for our mother's death. Do you think her dying in childbirth could have possibly been prevented by me?" The old man gritted his teeth as he looked down at the dirty ground. And when he looked back up at his son, his eyes were red with tears,

"I may not be able to kill you for your mother's death, but I can for you killing Sibyl. Guards! Arrest this man!" The men came forward, approaching Poseidon. Poseidon only grinned wickedly at this as he raised his hands. The guards suddenly froze in their spots, as if something was resisting them. They tried to pull forward, clenching their teeth in concentration. Perseus watched as they were lifted up off of the ground, suddenly crying out in pain. The color in their skin and hair began to fade , changing from a healthy color to a more sickly one. Their skin slowly began to grey, as did their hair. Their cries of pain began to suddenly fall silent, as their bodies went slack in the air. They floated for only a moment longer, before Poseidon let his hands fall to his sides and the two men fell to the ground with them. The king and Hades looked up at Poseidon, who was panting heavily.

"What are you?" The king muttered, shaking his head.

"I am your rightful replacement," Poseidon said, staring at his father more intensely than he had before. His father began to twitch and shiver at this, as his own skin shifted to a violent shade of blue. Frost curled into the king's beard and he fell to his knees, frozen solid. Dead. Hades stood, frozen from what his brother had just done.

"They're dead. Y-you killed them." Hades looked at his brother, "How could you do this to them?" Poseidon turned his back to his brother, crouching in front of the water again and continued to fill the small bottles in his bag. The scene faded with Poseidon filling his bottles with his older brother staring at him in disbelief.

Perseus opened his eyes once more, straining them to see where he was now. But when he saw the scrutinized face of Hades, he knew he was his uncle's prisoner again.

"What happened after that?" Perseus questioned, his voice quivering. Hades looked away, turning his back to Perseus completely.

"It doesn't matter," He muttered bitterly, "All I know is that I can't let history repeat itself." Hades glanced over his shoulder without a hint of remorse in his eyes.

"No. No, you can't kill me!" Perseus protested.

"Was that not what that man was about to do earlier?" Hades barked, "You are the spawn of a dangerous, cunning man! When we discovered that pool all of those years ago, he abused its power to mercilessly kill a woman, along with our own father."

"But why would he? Tell me that, at least."

"Why wouldn't he is the more appropriate question here, Perseus. After our mother died giving birth to him, our father wanted nothing to do with him. And after he was married once more to Sybil, she allowed him the distraction he needed to stay away from Poseidon. I was his only friend. Well, until we found the pool, of course. After we discovered its mystical powers, the two of us would often practice using its powers in secret. I was proficient in the use of my powers, but your father was a pure prodigy. He had the ability to control water to his will of course, and could freeze a body of water with ease. He exploited the omniscient abilities the water gave him, and the pool corrupted him, and sent him over the edge." Hades roared, pounding his fist on a table, "Damn!"

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know my father had caused you so much pain." Perseus apologized, pitying Hades and his heavy dilemma. He stood, wincing slightly, "Perhaps I should go. Leave you alone. I promise, no, swear, not to return." Perseus walked towards the door, knowing this was as good a time as any to leave, what with his uncle in a state of serious unrest. But as he extended his hand out towards the door, the blood rushed from his hands a second time, and it jerked back violently.

"Aah!" Perseus cried as his body left the ground again, "Stop-this…Hades…"

"I cannot let you leave, Perseus. You are the key to my vengeance against Poseidon."

Perseus heaved out a breath of air, "That's…not…true! He despises me."

Hades chuckled, "He may hate you, but you are his son." The intangible force that had a chokehold around Perseus's neck tightened, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. This was the end, crueler than any dishonorable Captain could bring. Perseus could feel his life trickling away, his vision dimming.

"Goodbye, Perseus." Hades murmured.

As Perseus released one of the few breaths he had left, something stirred him from his grave state. A door bursting open. It jarred Hades, as well, as the grip on his throat had faltered a little. Perseus desperately gasped for breath, his vision returning slightly. He was shoved back. Not by the puppet-like controls of Hades, but by someone else. The force of the push was enough to break Perseus free from the bonds of the chocking spell he had been in completely, and he flew back, so much so the stumbled down the tower steps.

"Get out of here, Perseus!" A voice bellowed, "I'll hold him off! Just leave!" There was a shatter, followed by a violent explosion. It sent Perseus barreling down even further down the steps, and he yelped and screamed in agony. The fire from the explosion blistered his arms and legs, as he found himself reaching up to shield his eyes. He continued to fall head over heels until what felt like a stone collided with the back of his head. His body suddenly stopped its free fall, and he slid to a stop at the foot of the stairs. As Perseus's head began to bleed, the warm liquid flowing down his neck, he thought of his savior. After all that had happened, someone he had deemed an enemy had saved him. Lex had sacrificed himself for Perseus. He thought himself too undeserving for something as heroic as that.

He was an ungrateful prince, after all.

A/N: And that's that! I hope you all enjoyed part one of These Mountains That Divide Us. Also, thank you to those who have stuck around since the beginning. Part two will be picking up June 1st, so the week after next week.

Until June 1st,

~Leaded-Pegasus

P.S. I will be changing my penname around the time I post the next chapter, so don't be surprised if you see a new name in any of your favorites list.