As Perseus came back to reality, he first realized that he had faceplanted on the ground in front of him. 'Well, that's a good first-impression.' He thought. The second thing that he realized was that... damn, immortality hurt. It felt like every sense he had had been multiplied a-hundred-fold. It felt like lightning had struck him, then he had been burned to a crisp, then placed back together piece by piece with excruciating slowness. In short - it hurt. A lot.

"Well, get on it with it," Zeus growled, catching the newly-made god's attention. Razor-sharp instincts pulled to the front of his mind the conversation that had been had while he was unconscious, as well as his instructions.

"Athena!" Hestia growled, looking downright ready to murder the goddess, who was glaring at the spot the fledgling immortal was currently residing in, his body smoking as it transformed into that of a god's.

Two critical eyes turned to face two furious ones. "Yes?"

Across the room, another goddess, Artemis, was frowning intensely. She felt eyes on her body, and refused to let them meet hers. She knew who they belonged to, after all, and as much as she hated to admit it, she had done wrong. And... if she met those eyes of the God of the Seas, she knew she would feel horrors beyond her imagination. More than likely, she was already doomed.

Back with Hestia and Athena, Hestia's glare was so fierce fire literally started to form around her body. "You stuck-up, pompous filth. You lie, you manipulate, you take, and you take! All of it must be yours. Everything must go to your will. To your... plans." The last word was sneered as if it was a curse.

Another goddess joined in the argument as Athena prepared to respond. "You have messed with love, Athena. It is one thing to disobey your own realm, it is another entirely to disobey mine." Aphrodite glared, and for a moment, the Goddess of Wisdom paled and began to doubt her decision.

"I did what I had to do to save my daughter-"

"-You tried to murder your daughter and blame it on him!" Hestia bit out. The Goddess of the Moon bit back a scream. She had trusted her sister, and that faith had been misused, desecrated in the worst way possible.

Athena rolled her eyes, her hubris coming back in full force. "She'd be better off dead with that... that..."

"That what?" Hermes finally joined the conversation. "That man who was willing to give up immortality and godhood just to protect her? That man who will be the greatest hero of his age? No... That Son of Poseidon. That's the real problem here, isn't it?"

Hera gave her two drachmas. "I don't see why this matters. We all know where this goes from here. The girl will eventually go insane and die, and the boy will forget about her. Did you remember that part, Athena? Or did you forget that mortals cannot contain the consciousness of gods?" Athena curled her lips, sensing the mood of the room turn against her.

"That is enough," Zeus silenced the room, sparking dangerously. "We will wait for the boy to awake and tell us his domains. He is a Son of Poseidon, it won't take too much longer," he said, assuredly.

They waited for another eight hours.

Perseus knelt down on one knee. "I am Perseus, the Major God of Currents, Heroes, Combat, and Loyalty." Whispers erupted. Zeus grew enraged at the word 'Major'. He glared at his sister, Hestia. She would pay for bringing this upstart to Olympus. He would make sure of that. At the moment, though, he grit his teeth and clapped twice.

"Rise, Perseus. You have joined us in the ranks of Godhood. Did the Fates decree that you would join us as an Olympian?" Perseus shook his head negatively.

"They did not, My King." The title was necessary, now. At least until all of this cooled down. For now, tensions were too high, and he was still at risk to be blasted to death. He snuck a look at Alexandria, his vision even sharper than before, and his heart broke as he learned his first lesson of being immortal. 'Never get too attached to anyone, because... they'll die, and you'll live on.'

The girl's eyes were unfocused, her face drooping, and her limbs limp. He thought back to his unconscious memories. 'Athena possessed her and burnt out her mind... That's why she's like this.' A second thought came immediately after. 'But... she did it because of me. Does that make it... my fault?' He blinked multiple times as he processed the thought, but ultimately filed it away. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to save her somehow...

"This meeting is finished," Zeus grumbled. He needed to relieve some stress. The King of the Gods disappeared in a flash of lightning, and Perseus got a little ping in his brain, which was instantly processed as a discrepancy in his realm of Loyalty. He meet the Queen of the Gods' sorrowful eyes, a single tear leaking from her eye before she, too, flashed out of the Throne Room.

"My son, I'm so proud of you." Poseidon approached the new god, shrinking down to a mortal size. "I am also thankful to Hestia for helping you along on your journey that the Laws forbade me from doing," He turned to his sister, who walked over to them, shrinking down as well.

"Of course. Perseus knows that I just didn't do it out of the goodness of my heart, however. He has a job." Poseidon nodded.

"I see. But for now, he can enjoy himself and learn how to manage his domains." He turned back to Perseus. "You've done the hardest part, but being a god is not all fun and games. You now have a responsibility towards your domains to maintain them to the best of your abilities." He turned back to Hestia. "Alright, I must take my leave now. Atlantis is in turmoil with your appearance, Perseus." He cut off his son as he started to apologize. "It's not your fault!" He laughed.

Hestia smiled. "I understand, brother. Others wish to talk to the new god, as well." She winked at her champion, and the two of them flashed out.

Apollo reached Perseus first. He whispered to him a bit, and then spoke louder. "Well done. I have not forgotten what you did for my son. I am glad to have some representation from my island of Delos in the hierarchy of the gods. If you ever need advice or healing, do not hesitate, Percy." The new god winced at the nickname and what it reminded him of, but he smiled and nodded anyway.

"Thank you, Lord Apollo."

The God of the Sun laughed. "None of that 'Lord' stuff, man. We're all gods, here. See ya around," He smirked, winked, and flashed out in a golden ray. Perseus took a glance at Athena's throne, but both the goddess and Alexandria had disappeared.

Hermes came up next. "I meant what I said, and I know you heard it. I am sorry about what happened to your friend, Perseus. Truly." He pat the god on the head, winking and snapping, before walking out of the Throne Room, wings sprouting out of his clothes, carrying him off.

"I want to apologize-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Lady Demeter." It wouldn't hurt to start some positive interactions with some of the Olympians, Perseus decided. He could understand her thought process.

"Thank you, young god. I am glad it did not end up being the deciding vote. The guilt I would have felt..." Some of the plants on her throne swooned. Perseus just cracked a smile.

"Then let us be glad it didn't," He responded. The goddess looked at him appraisingly.

"Yes," She said, "Let's." She took a look at something on his head and shook her head with a chuckle, but left without another word. The sun was suddenly a bit less intense, and he smiled.

Ares had left. It seemed he didn't care too much about the new god after all, but Perseus had no doubt that he would be watching. He looked at the last of the immortals who wished to talk to him...

"Lady Artemis." He acknowledged. She straightened up, and walked over.

"Don't let this get to your head. I still don't approve, but... I was wrong. Tell anyone I ever said that, and I'll send you to reform myself," she promised, not letting him get a word in edgewise before she flashed out. Perseus looked at the spot she had stood, astounded.

"Well... okay then."

Enjoy the longer chapter in return for last week's shorter chapter!

With love,

PJO Fan Power.