Persues POV (Finally)
I woke up in the middle of the night with severe pain in my abdomen. As my head cleared, the memories of the last few days crashed on me. Within a span of 3 days, I lost the only family I had, I got recruited by the Hunt, fought Gration and almost died even before my duty as a Protector started, was transferred to the Hunt's infirmary by Lady Artemis herself, protected the Hunt from a monster invasion, got involved in a war, fought for my new family and almost died again and finally ended up in the Infirmary again. The fact that hit me the hardest was the loss of my sister. As I thought about her, tears built up in my eyes. She was my everything. After mother had died, she became a mother figure too.
I swung my legs across the bed and sat up. The pain in my stomach was excruciating but I was able to stand up. I looked at my bedside and saw the twin swords and Moonlit lying there. Deciding that sleep would not come anymore, I made up my mind to walk a little to clear my thought. I sheathed the 2 swords and willed Moonlit to disappear and went out of the tent.
The night air felt cool on my skin. It was a beautiful night. The Moon was partially hidden behind the clouds creating a gorgeous silhouette. I noticed that the campfire was still burning, so I went there and sat beside it. I started thinking about my fight with Gration as I stared into the fire.
FLASHBACK
As Lady Artemis and Zoe told me to find shelter for the night, I bowed and started looking out for a good place. Finally, I found a clearing just next to the path that led to the Hunt's camp. As I climbed up a tree to rest, my stomach rumbled like a thunderstorm. I realized that it was 2 days ago when I last ate something...with my sister. My sister. As I thought about her, tears started streaming down my face. Gone. I would never be able to see her, ever again. The feeling of being hollow overpowered my hunger as I cried myself to sleep.
Somewhere around midnight, I work up to the sound of someone heavy walking up the path leading to the camp. I crept to the edge of the path and saw what I was not at all expecting. Gration was standing there, standing at 7 foot which was his reduced height. In his hands was a 6-foot long spear and sheathed at his waist were 2 pure black hunting knives. He had a malicious grin on his face. My mind was consumed with horror as I realized he was here to ambush the huntresses in the middle of the night. With the blessing, I could see very clearly at night and decided to use this to my advantage and defend the hunters, even if it meant losing my life. I would not be able to kill him since it needs a god's intervention but if I did enough harm, he would have to wait a long time before being able to attack again.
Hidden behind the bushes, I drew Moonlit, notched a lunar arrow, and shot him in his stomach. As my arrow hit, Gration started bleeding profusely. He screamed in agony but pulled out the arrow and turned towards the bush I was hiding in. Being an immortal giant, he did not die but was injured much. He nevertheless threw his spear with such speed I had almost no time to react. The spear went right through my left lung and missed my artery by an inch. I almost blacked out because of the overwhelming pain. I looked around and saw that I was covered in a pool of my own blood. Gration had found me and was advancing towards me. Seeing I had his attention, I led him away from the path and towards the clearing.
As I crawled back into the clearing, I sensed Gration draw ever closer. He had followed the drops of blood that had leaked out of my wound. I propped myself against the rock in the clearing and called out to the water around me. Within a second, I was surrounded by a water column. I quickly pulled the spear out of me causing another wave of intense pain and blood gushed from it. I willed the water to heal me as I cut the spear with my swords to prevent further use. The water was able to stop the heavy bleeding and returned some blood to my body, but it was not able to close the wound and it was still bleeding, albeit lightly.
As Gration entered the clearing, I saw him clearly for the first time. Contrary to popular beliefs he was quite handsome. Not in a regal way, but in a rugged way. His face was like a war general mixed with a prince. But his eyes gave away everything. His eyes were the embodiment of the evil force running within him. It was filled with coldness, ruthlessness, and lust. As his eyes fell on me, he let loose a cold, humorless laugh.
"Mortal boy! You dare challenge me. You thought you can defeat me and defend the hunters. Get back to reality. You will not even be accepted there. Why fight for them? Join me. I will give you everything" Gration said in a cold voice. I contemplated what he said for a moment but then cursed myself for even thinking such. So in response, I raised my swords in an X formation, channeling whatever energy I had left into them as they started glowing.
"Haha kid, get ready to die" declared Gration before charging with blinding speed. I just had enough time to raise my swords to block off the attack. My swords connected with his hunting knives, sending sparks flying. Gration punched me so hard blood spurted out of my mouth. As he continued to beat the crap out of me, I was pushed solely on defense and that too wasn't working well as I was bleeding all over. That is when I resorted to my last move. When my mother taught me this, she told me it was very dangerous. Apparently, due to me activating the blessings, my aura can become as powerful as a god's true form should I choose to do so. Since I was a demigod, it took a lot of power and it had a recharge time of around 2 weeks. It was so demanding, that I would not be able to control even water after using it. But it was also very powerful, powerful enough to disintegrate almost anything except an immortal in their true form in a 50 feet radius.
As I blocked another attack, I started concentrating and building my aura. I started to search for power reserves within my body. At one point I found a wall seemingly trying to veil more energy. I concentrated some more and it broke as I felt raw power surging through me. I knew now why it was dangerous. The power was my soul, if I used it again, I would no doubt die. I pushed away that thought and focused on Gration. He slashed diagonally and I blocked it with my sword. I focused on my sword and raw power surged through it. The power was so great that it shattered Gration's knives as well as my swords. The pieces of his own knives hit Gration in his face as he backed off, Ichor dripping freely.
With a final scream, I let my aura out, a swirl of my elements- water, electricity, and moonlight, as I glowed green, blue, and silver. The blast from my aura burned Gration to the point he resembled dinner roast. The Earth reached up as Gration returned to his domain to recover. As I tried to move I found that a shard from my sword had penetrated my thigh causing immeasurable pain. I had absolutely no power left, so as soon as the aura died down, I slid down the rock I was leaning on and passed out.
Much later, I woke to a pair of silver eyes and a pair of onyx eyes looking at me with concern. I tried to get up as my muscles screamed in protest. Turns out I punctured my lung so as I coughed, blood leaked from my mouth. With sheer willpower, I managed to stand and bow and explain what happened. I was in so much pain that I couldn't even look straight. As I finished explaining, my legs finally gave away and I fell forward, expecting to hit the ground but was caught by Lady Artemis. The last thing I remembered was she telling me to rest as I passed out in her arms.
END OF FLASHBACK
I was thinking about my sister again as tears spilled unintentionally. I was jolted back to reality when I felt a presence from the fire. I wiped away my tears as I looked up to see Lady Hestia smiling sympathetically. I at once stood up and bowed.
"No need to bow young man. And that bow looks good" she chuckled.
"But Milady, what have I done to receive your presence? I am no one that important." I asked.
"And that exactly is why I am here. Young man, you have zero ego and always put your family first. And please it is just Hestia and don't bow to me" Hestia replied as I stare at her incredulously. My dam broke as I slipped back to my knees and sobbed my heart out.
"Why me?... I always put others before me. Always making sure everyone is alright regardless of myself. What reward did I get? First, my mother was taken away but then that rascal killed my sister too" I cried. She dropped beside me and hugged me tightly. I offered no resistance and just cried on her shoulder. She rubbed my back and tried soothing me.
"Perseus, you are a being like no other. You have power beyond belief, yet keep it to yourself, using it only to help others. Your heart is gold and your soul is purer than the water in mountain springs. As the Goddess of Family and Hope, I know what you have been through. Connected to my domains, I felt what you felt. I also felt your pain when you lost your last family member. The pain was unbearable. But you must not dwell on that. I can sense that you, my boy, are the literal incarnation of hope. Even when you yourself lost hope as you lost your family, you gave others hope. The hunters lost hope twice and twice you gave them hope. Ancient laws prohibit me from helping demigods but it is worth helping you. I give you 2 things."
"One, since you lost your family, I bless you that you will find a new family and when you die, you will die surrounded by them. Two, I shall give you the fire of Hope. It will increase hope within you and it shall spread hope to others around you, much like how a thousand candles can be lit from one. Use them wisely young man. I may not have known you for a long time but I sense that you are unique. Also, it seems my niece has taken a liking to you. Treat her well, for the last time with Orion has left her scarred but you seem to be capable enough to heal them. Protect her and her Hunt" Hestia said and released me from her hug.
"Now put out your dominant hand for I shall give you your gifts" she demanded. "Aunt Hestia, are you sure I am the one worthy enough?" I asked timidly and was immediately smacked upside the head.
"Sure you are the one. Stop underestimating yourself. And I really liked you calling me Aunt. Now put out your hand" she said and I did so with a little red on my cheeks since she accepted me as her nephew. She took my hand and chanted for a minute. As she finished, I started glowing and I felt new stirrings, like the presence of a flame near my heart that pulsated with hope. She looked pleased as I thanked her and hugged me again in a very motherly fashion. She stepped into the fire but before disappearing, she said something that kept me thinking for a long time.
"Perseus, Artemis is the only Goddess not bound by the Ancient Laws. Though it has benefits, it comes with severe consequences that include draining of power as soon as she leaves her domain, making her very vulnerable. You seem to be the only one not only strong enough but the most worthy to be her Protector. You have caught her eye, Perseus. Please heal her of the scars that Orion left. It would be wrong to say you deserve her attention. Because it is exactly the opposite. She deserves you, the only worthy male out in the whole world, worthy of her" she said with a smile and flame traveled away.
As I watched the fire dance around, I could feel the one inside me as well. Whenever I thought about the fire, hope spread through me, I instantly started to feel elated and it seemed everything would be better soon. I decided to try the gifts Aunt Hestia gave me. I tried to use the fire of Hope. It heals friends, instills hope in them, and harms foes, Aunt Hestia said in his mind. I realized she could talk to me in my mind since we both had the fire of Hope within us. I nodded in my mind and willed the fire to appear in the palm of my left hand. Soon, tendrils of white and red fire came out my chest, snaked around my arm, and finally became concentrated in my palm as a swirl of white and red.
I had a crazy idea. I willed the fire away and summoned Moonlit. As it appeared in my hand, I willed the fire onto the bow. My bow glowed and the helix of blue and green shifted to find space for a third strand of red. My already gorgeous bow now looked absolutely stunning. The red now swirled around the silver bow, between the green and blue. After admiring it for about a minute, I drew back the string and sensed the presence of a fourth element. I smiled at myself as a red arrow with fire encasing it appeared. My fourth element was fire. The east had already starting to glow red so assumed it would be around 5 in the morning.
I aimed the arrow towards the sky and released it. It went up for some time before it disappeared and in its place was a beautiful red flower in the shape of a rose but made purely out of fire. I was admiring it when someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned around and bowed deeply as I realized it was Lady Artemis.
"So when were you going to tell?" she asked but her voice betrayed her and it was a question full of awe. "Milady it just happened this night. I believe it would take some time to explain so you may take a seat" I said. She deserves you, heal her scars, only you would be able to, Hestia's voice echoed through my head. I pushed the thought away and decided to leave that while explaining to Lady Artemis.
"So tell me how? And don't call me Milady or Lady. Artemis will do fine, you have gained enough respect to let me call you that" she said. I nodded, smiled at her, and started explaining.
Artemis POV
I was woken up at about 5 in the morning as I felt Moonlit being drawn. After I had used it in the war, it had kind of connected itself to me, so when Perseus drew it I could sense it. Perseus. I don't know why but happiness consumed me every time I said his name or looked at his face. Emotions I had locked away surfaced, like that warm feeling in my stomach whenever he smiled or how my heart beat faster when he said my name. The last time this happened, I was almost destroyed. Orion had made me fall for him and when I learned his intentions, I was left with emotional scars that would never heal. I had sworn off males but when Orion made me fall for him wrongfully, my heart shattered into a million pieces. I, Artemis, had experienced such heartbreak that I was sure I would never recover.
But then came along Perseus. The feelings that almost brought my downfall resurfaced when I saw him deal justice to his sister's killer, much stronger than earlier. I had pushed it aside thinking that it was just coincidental, but that proved to be wrong when I saw him in that awful condition after fighting off Gration. When he still got up and bowed, I almost cried for him. I was attached to his selflessness the most, the trait that separated him from Orion. Then when he took on 300 monsters for our sake, almost died and still cared more for me and my hunters, those walls crumbled away like gravel under a hammer.
I had fallen for Perseus. I fell for him hard. Very hard.
But I decided I would give it time. I would not let this become another Orion case when I fell for someone too fast because if this time my heart broke, I would not be able to recover. Since he would stay with the Hunt, I would have enough time to judge him and maybe someday confess. But not now.
I got out of my bed, changed, and went out of the tent to see Perseus by the campfire. Apparently, he was up for quite some time. As he drew his bow, an arrow appeared which made me freeze. It was a fire arrow. I was so shocked I couldn't move. As I watched, he released the arrow and it became a fiery rose as it reached the zenith. It was beautiful. I found my voice within a moment and I cleared my throat. He looked at me wide-eyed and instantly fell into his special bow.
"So when were you going to tell me?" I tried to ask but my awe was evident. He started to rant about how he just got the element and whatnot. I just looked at him amused. Then I realized he had called me Lady Artemis. Truth to be told I hated to be called Lady. Those who are older than me or earned my respect don't call me Lady and Perseus here had earned more than my respect.
So I told him that he was to not call me Milady or Lady. He just looked surprised that I was not angry and moreover demanded that I be not called Lady. Then he smiled. It was the first genuine smile he had ever given. I got fuzzy even when he forced smiles but, so when he smiled genuinely, a golden blush automatically crept onto my face, which he thankfully didn't notice.
I was quite amazed by the fact that he managed to get Hestia's attention without prior direct contact. I was even more surprised when he told me that he got the Eyes of Hope and the Fire of Hope. We continued to talk for some time about his new element before I realized it was almost sunrise and the hunters will be waking soon. So to not seem suspicious, I excused myself and started towards my tent but not before turning and instructing him to get ready for the swearing-in which was at 7.
Zoe POV
As I woke up at 6, the decision that I made last night came to my mind. If somebody was worth it, it would be Perseus. I wouldn't be mad even if rejected. I quickly changed and exited my tent. I smiled to myself as I saw that I was the first one awake, just like any other day. The hunters generally woke half an hour after me. As I got to the campfire, I was surprised to see that it was still burning and surprised more when I saw Perseus sitting by it, Moonlit lying beside him. When I approached him, he saw me and bowed after dematerializing his bow.
"Oh gods Perseus, don't bow to me. I am no goddess" I said, surprised by the fact that he bowed to me. He straightened up and mumbled something I heard perfectly. "What is it that everyone is rejecting my bows today? Is it that bad?" he mumbled. "I heard that, Perseus. And what do you mean by everyone?" I asked curiously. He looked at me, sighed, "You may want to take a seat. And no, I won't try anything you may not approve of." I nodded and sat across him.
"Look, if I explain it all, it will probably take another hour. So I will summarize it. I woke up around midnight, couldn't sleep so came out and sat near the campfire. I couldn't help but think of my fight with Gration and then my sister. Thinking of my sister resulted in me crying. La- Hestia sensed my sorrow and hopelessness through her domains and helped me. She blessed me to have a new family and gave me the Fire of Hope. The fire resulted in me getting a fourth element. So I decided to try it on Moonlit. When I summoned Moonlit, it sensed a new element and changed appearance and now has a red streak along with the green and blue one. Since Moonlit had bonded with La- uhh Artemis she woke up when I drew it. She caught me trying the new element and I had to explain it to her. She told me to be ready by 7 for swearing-in. You came just as she left. Also, I am prohibited to call Hestia and Artemis 'Lady' or bow to them. If I do, I get smacked upside the head."
I looked at him like he grew an extra head. How he managed to get Lady Hestia's blessing or how he got 2 goddesses to force him to not call Lady is beyond me. I decided that now would be the best time to ask him what I had planned.
"Perseus, can I ask you something?" I asked him nervously. "Why were you distracted by me when I was shot by the arrow? You knew it was a shallow wound and I collapsed just because of exhaustion." This was not what I wanted to say but I wanted to know. He immediately looked down and I knew I had hit a sore spot. "I-I f-felt the same way w-when I lost my sister that day. W-when you c-crumpled to the g-ground it f-felt like I l-lost my sister again...It felt like I failed to protect again..." he trailed off as I saw a tear fall from his eyes followed by many others.
I was shocked. I always thought men were too egoistic to show their emotions, I thought they called crying an excuse for being weak. But here was Perseus. He was stronger than Lady Artemis herself yet was still humble, he didn't even try to bottle up his emotions trying to not look weak. His emotions were raw. He rightfully cried for the loss of his family without any attempt to hide his emotions to appear strong. I realized I had not said anything for a minute. He looked at me with regret and apology. He unsuccessfully tried to wipe his tears and apologized.
"I-I am sorry. I w-was wrong to s-see you in t-that way. I understand if y-you are angry at me. After all, I-I am still a male" He sorrily said and hung his head low. I instantly regretted staying silent, so I went up to him and hugged him in a very sisterly manner. He tensed up. Before he could say something, I said what I had initially planned.
"Perseus, I was betrayed by one who called himself the greatest hero. I was naive, he used this and made me fall for him, then tossed me aside after fulfilling his purpose. That's why I hate men. But what hurt me most was my banishment from the Garden. I was disowned by my own siblings. I had since missed the love of a sibling. I see that you lost your last family, your sister, who you dearly loved. I always wanted a brother. I would not question if you reject but will you let me officially adopt you as my brother?" I asked with a little worry. I released him from the hug to look at his face. He looked shocked but hope and happiness were also visible. He burst into a fresh round of tears, but this time they were tears of happiness.
"Of course, sister. I would love to be adopted by you" he said, wiping his tears away as he smiled. I was very happy too. Seeing him like that brought tears to my own eyes. Never had I been this happy for a boy. "I, Zoe Nightshade, daughter of Atlas, hereby adopt Perseus Achilles, son of Poseidon as my brother using the nature around us as a witness. We shall be siblings for as long as we live." I declare as the wind picks up and the forest rustles. Perseus was smiling widely, that is until his eyes met mine. Both of us gasped at the same time. "Your eyes!" we exclaimed in unison.
"Your black eyes have specks of green in them, sister" he said in amazement. I looked at him," And your sea-green eyes have specks of black." The use of nature as a witness must have caused this, I thought, nature is very powerful. He grinned at me and tackled me with a hug.
"Thank you. Thank you for being the best sister. Thank you for helping me with my loss" he said sincerely. I sighed as I realized I could have given him Riptide if I had not given it to Heracles. The sword would be in much better hands if it was with Perseus, a hero to be reckoned, not to mention a son of Poseidon. Suddenly, he pulled back from the hug. I almost jumped back when I saw his eyes, they were a poisonous green and there was a literal fire instead of irises.
"Tell me who hurt you sister, who broke your heart so bad that you swore off men, who caused you to be banished? He will face my wrath. No one messes with my sister. Doesn't matter if he is a god or even a primordial, he will pay" Perseus growled in a very scary tone. "Perseus, as much as I love to see you being protective, I fear you can do nothing about him. He is Heracles, now a minor god of strength. Also, his father is Zeus. I doubt Zeus will allow you to kill him. And he has a weapon which I regret giving him" I replied sadly.
"Who said we are gonna kill him? We will just retrieve what is rightfully yours and maybe hurt him a little. If he thinks I can't do anything because he is a god, well he hasn't met me. I will go to any length for my family. Be prepared, me and you, we will leave at noon to get your weapon back" he said in a deathly calm voice which caused me to shiver involuntarily. I smiled and quickly hugged him again. "It is almost 7, all the hunters must be near the planning tent waiting for you to be sworn in. Let's hurry" I said and pulled him to his feet as I myself got up.
3rd Person POV
The hunters were getting restless and Artemis was getting suspicious. Just 5 minutes were left till the ceremony started and there were no signs of either Perseus or her lieutenant. Since it was the first time someone was being offered that position, they, even Palena's group were clearly excited to see what powers he would get or what oath he would take.
Just as Artemis was about to send someone to fetch them, both of them appeared from the direction of the campfire, arms around each other's shoulders, smiling widely. The hunters were displeased as they glared at Perseus while Artemis was enraged. "And what exactly are you two doing? Why do you have colors of each other's eye color in your eyes?" growled Artemis.
Zoe and Perseus both looked nervous. Zoe nervously started answering, "Milady, you remember how depressed I was to lose my siblings to betrayal? And Perseus also lost his only family. So umm...I adopted him officially as my little brother using holy power and this caused the change in color of our eyes."
Artemis's eyes widened before she smiled. "Hey, you stole our idea!" a younger hunter protested. Everyone except Perseus and Palena's group started laughing. Perseus was looking confused while Palena's group was busy glaring at him. "What idea?" Perseus questioned, still confused. "Oh, nothing. Are you ready to be officially sworn in?" Artemis said, smiling. He nodded. "Then kneel before me and say your oath" she continued.
Perseus bowed in his special way, earning quite some gasps, and starred, "I, Perseus Achilles, son of Poseidon, swear on the Styx that I, should I be accepted as the Protector of the Hunt, will protect the Hunters as well as their honor and modesty till I draw my final breath. I swear to not leave any fight until all the hunters are safe. I swear to not leave any hunter in distress. I also swear to not look at them in any way they deem unfit." Thunder boomed, sealing the oath.
"I accept Perseus into the Hunt as the Protector" she said and placed her hand on my shoulder which glowed for a second before it stopped. "Now you are partially immortal and can fall only in battle. And now for the gifts..."
"Miladies, I don't need any gifts. I am happy that I at least have a place to call home" Perseus humbly said. "Oh do shut up. This is the least we can do for you since you saved our lives" said the young huntress. "Alright, but I will not take any from Lady Artemis. She has already given me a home, a job, and weapons. That is enough on her part" he said. He immediately got smacked upside the head, "What did I tell you about calling me Lady" glared Artemis, which caused some gasps.
"Well, on behalf of the whole group, our gift for you is family. So welcome here, Brother of the Hunt" said one of the 10 hunters from the war. Perseus just froze, eyes shining as tears of happiness started to fall. He fell on his knees as he muttered thank you after thank you. Seeing his happiness, even the cold hearts of the hunters melted. They dog-piled him with a giant hug, yes, even the older hunters hugged him. They only let him go when they realized that he was turning blue from the lack of oxygen. The only ones who didn't hug him were Palena's group.
"Then it's only fair that I give you something too. And no, it is non-negotiable" he said. The hunters looked at him questioningly.
"My first gift is to Artemis. Since she has provided me with something I can never repay, this is the best I can do. Please, let me touch your shoulder Artemis, it is necessary for my gift" he said. Artemis looked at him for a few seconds before moving closer. Perseus held her shoulder and started chanting. After a whole minute, he stopped. His forehead was covered in sweat. He looked satisfied.
"Artemis, do one thing, prick your palm to draw Ichor" he requested. Artemis looked at him warily before drawing her hunting knives and making a small cut in her palm. She was surprised when she saw that the cut was much smaller than what she made and was dripping much less ichor. She heard a gasp from the hunters. She looked at Perseus to see him smiling with his hands held out. In the palm of his right palm was a cut exactly like her, bleeding blood. All of us went wide-eyed.
"What did you do, Perseus? What exactly happened?" Artemis asked concerned. He chuckled as he took her hand and healed it with water, then started explaining, "I connected your physical essence with me. This means that I share your physical wounds, I share the pain you receive, and the blood you lose, reducing the degree of damage inflicted. This is extremely useful in case you receive a fatal hit, sharing of wounds will result in reducing the damage on you, so even if you feel immense pain that will also be shared by me, you will live through it. Also, it is just one way so you won't feel my injuries. There is also some emotional connection; if you are ever in danger, I will feel it." All of us were amazed by his selflessness. Artemis couldn't believe the fact that he was willing to do this much for her. Before she could think again, Artemis quickly wrapped her arms around Perseus and hugged him, earning another round of gasps from the hunters. He was shocked momentarily but returned the hug.
"Thank you" Artemis said, pulling back. "No Artemis, thank you" replied Perseus smiling. He turned towards the hunters. "As for you all, I give you a month of free pass from your chores, meaning I will do everything for you. And if you like my cooking, I will love to feed you whenever I get time" he said and again was gathered up once again for a group hug from the hunters.
"Now I guess it is time for me to tell you about myself" he said and all including Artemis nodded. "Take a seat everyone. First I will tell about myself and then my family's history. But I need you to promise on the Styx to keep what I will show and tell you to yourselves." Everyone promised on the Styx as thunder rumbled.
Perseus POV
As they swore on the Styx, I willed my eyes to what they originally were. My eyes were always sea-green but they weren't static, the color shifted around making it look like waves. But the most notable thing was my irises. They weren't normal, they were in the shape of tridents, not Poseidon's but much more ancient. My father had used Mist to hide them but now I could control it. There were many gasps around me. Artemis was blushing golden. I ignored the last part. But before they could say anything, I continued my story.
"I may call myself the son of Poseidon but it is not the truth. I was not conceived naturally, more like a gifted child, much like Lady Athena's children. My mother had caught Poseidon's eye but was not able to conceive children because she was infertile. My father cared a lot for my mother so he prayed for a child and the sea took pity on him. I was created from the sea itself using a drop of my mother's blood and gifted to my father who adopted me, this means that I am also a demi-primordial, the last born of Pontus. So when I tell people that I am the son of the seas, they take it that I am Poseidon's real son. But my mother's side of the family had already interacted with gods hence I am also a legacy of not one but 2 gods, explaining my different elements of control." Everyone looked at me with newfound curiosity.
"Brother your eyes are really pretty. Now that we know, please don't change your eyes. Also, you said that you were a legacy, does that mean you are Zeus's legacy since you use lightning? But then how do you have the power of the moon because Milady is a maiden goddess?" asked Zoe. I shook my head causing them to grow even more confused.
"I guess I have not fully introduced myself, have I?" I asked with a chuckle. "I am Perseus Achilles, son of the sea; adopted son of Poseidon, the earthshaker and ruler of the seas; the legacy of Chang'e, the Chinese goddess of the moon and archery; also the legacy Indra, the Indian god of lightning and the king of Indian gods: and blessed by Hestia, goddess of hope, family and hearth." Everyone's faces were priceless. Artemis was the fastest to recover and asked the most obvious question.
"I knew that there were other pantheons but didn't the Eastern pantheons fade?" she asked. "Yes and no. The Chinese Pantheon faded but the Indian pantheon did not, in fact, the Indian pantheon is one the oldest, and with the strength it has, might be the last to fade" I answered. "But they don't want to mingle with other pantheons anymore hence no information was passed on to the greeks and romans. Our family is bound by oaths so I am to tell only that is allowed." They nodded again.
"Now to tell you about my family" I continued. "I belong to a family of travelers and we were known for our loyalty and humble nature. Around 300 years ago, my ancestors went to the East and settled down for some time. The Chinese gods had started fading at the time and many had already faded. Chang'e was also a maiden goddess, like Artemis, but since she knew fading was inevitable, she decided to find one worthy man to leave a legacy. She found a suitable match in my ancestors and the first and last child of the goddess was born in my family. She was satisfied by her choice and before she faded, she gifted my family with her symbol of power 'Moonlit', and blessed them, saying that all demigods in my family would be able to use Moonlit and also have powers that her children would have. After the son of Chang'e passed away, my family kept the bow as an heirloom and the knowledge of her powers and the training required was passed on. Then sometime later, they moved to the Indian subcontinent. Around a 100 years before now, a child of Indra was born in my family. The child grew up to be the greatest warrior the Indian pantheon had ever seen. With the combined powers of Chang'e and Indra, he was very powerful and a master archer with Moonlit. He became a general in the divine army of Indra and fought the war against Tartarus, known as shaitan back there, where he died protecting his battalion. Impressed by his service, Indra blessed his pregnant wife with the same blessing like that of Chang'e."
"The warrior's child was my great-grandfather and he returned to Greece only to find the empire split between Rome and Greece. Seeing his greek roots, he decided to settle in Athens but had no grudge against the Romans. Time skip to where I was born. When I was 2, my father left me and my mother because of ancient laws. The general of the Athenian army fell for my mother and agreed to marry her and take care of me too. Soon after marriage, my mother adopted my sister. When he found out that my mother was infertile, he started ill-treating my mother, me, and my sister. My mother secretly taught me about my family and trained me in combat. Once I was old enough, I started training with my powers and was given Moonlit. Soon, my mother passed away due to a terminal illness, and my sister and I were left with my stepfather who started abusing us. We ran away and then afterward you know. And oh, the man I killed was the army general so if you didn't provide me with a home, I would be on the run from the Athenian army."
Everyone, well except Palena's group, seemed to be content with the explanation and smiled at me. Artemis got up and stood in front of me. "We will have breakfast and then we shall leave for Olympus. My father had asked me to find a Protector and report on Olympus hence you will have to retell your story there too. On the bright side, you will meet your father. We will leave at 11" she told me and we started walking towards the Dining tent as the hunters scrambled to set breakfast.
"Artemis can I take Zoe with us to Olympus? I need to complete some unfinished business with a certain Heracles for hurting my sister and to retrieve her possessions from him" I said in a calm voice which radiated my anger. Artemis looked at me and beamed with pride. "Of course Perseus. Please be careful though, he is a son of Zeus after all...You know what? On second thought, I think I will go with you two. I'll step in if things go out of hand. I think it would be quite the entertainment" she said with a glint in her silver eyes.
With that, we entered the tent, ready for breakfast as we sat down across from each other.
A/N: My frickin hands are frickin hurting.
I got a shitload of work to do so publishing chapters is a pain in the butt. But I am enjoying writing these long chapters.
I know it's late but thanks for 1k reads.
Keep reading, keep upvoting, stay safe.
Ciao
-KK42069
7283 words (excluding font in bold)
EDIT- This has already been posted on Wattpad and hence the out-of-place author notes. I am bulk publishing the chapters till the point Wattpad and Fanfic are running at the same pace. Please Review.