Part II: The Beginnings
The way we grow up does not always define the way we live.
Chapter 2
A young boy watched, intrigued by the swinging pendulum left in front of him.
He was mindlessly stuck on the way the thing swung, making him ignore the fact he had been left alone by his mother in a place he barely recognized.
Perseus was forced away from the contraption when the door to his room was opened, revealing his mother.
He turned around to see her, but in the process he fell down and landed on his butt.
For you see, the boy was not much older than a year and some months at this, making him being alone in the house slightly odd.
Though of course, his mother La'Fae could not be to blame for this.
She was doing all she could, protecting the boy much more than he would ever know.
She laughed slightly at the sight of seeing her son fail to turn properly, but it made sense as he sometimes struggled to even stand, so walking was something he was getting used to.
But as a god, he was able to pick up on things like walking easier than a normal child. In fact, his aging itself seemed to be off set by his heritage.
His mother believed it would be even more abnormal if the boy was a Titan like his father, but because she herself was no immortal, their child was apart of the new race of gods.
But of course La'Fae was no mere mortal as a human could never give birth to a god like her son Perseus.
Once she had reached the boy, La'Fae reached down and picked him up, slinging him over her shoulder.
She turned and quickly exited the room as well as the house.
Despite her laugh, the situation was quite dire.
The house they were staying in was not their own, but a stowaway the child's father had given the two so they could stay safe in their journey.
Right now their main objective was to get to the mountain if they wanted to stay safe. More importantly, if Fae wanted to keep the child safe.
After all, the mountain wasn't just any random place, but the place where the Titans had built their fortitude.
Mount Othrys.
Usually, Perses himself would be at the mountain, but most of the Titans fighting in the war were spread out across all of Greece, fighting in their own strongholds.
Knowing he wouldn't be present, Perses asked another Titan to meet his wife and child, one he trusted to keep them safe. If he would listen to their request was a whole other matter though.
La'Fae exited the house and buckled all the supplies they would need on the final stretch of the journey onto their travel horse.
Sadly, they had to leave the pendulum behind.
Hefting herself and the child onto the mount, they pushed forward along the final stretch of the way, making sure to stay on the path laid out by Perses.
The Titan had made sure to avoid any possible enemies, monsters and gods alike. He was truly the most cautious when it came to his family.
All of it almost seemed silly when you considered what La'Fae would have to go through after she had found a safe enough place for their child.
Truly, she was the heroine of this story.
It didn't take long for the two to reach the base of the mountain, thankfully before sundown.
They were greeted with two large overarching gates that towered above them. Attached were walls that reached around what La'Fae knew to be the entire mountain.
She looked upwards to see a multitude of buildings stretching across the mountain and it's surroundings.
At the top was the palace belonging to the god Kronos, and surrounding it was the fortress built to protect the castle.
La'Fae felt a mixture of relief and awe. It felt amazing to see the place created to house the rulers of the world for the first time since before Perseus had been born.
It would be the boys first time actually being within his fathers domain, and hopefully the two would be able to visit Perses's palace before she had to leave.
The horse came to a stop just before the gate.
A light was shined onto her, and a voice came from the top of the gates.
"Who goes there."
"La'Fae, wife of the Titan Perses, ruler of destruction. This is our son Perseus." She said firmly.
Their was no response from the guard tower, before thankfully the two gates slowly opened inwards.
The horse continued its walk, and La'Fae gave a nod to the guard who had let her in.
She let the steed continue on the main road throughout the cities, and she studied the demeanor of the residents.
Spirits and minor deities alike walked with a certain uneasiness. They were all confident in Kronos's power, but the fact that his own son had been able to keep a rebellion on for this long was a little unnerving.
La'Fae decided she didn't have the time to waste.
Defecting from the main path, Fae wandered to a road that was seldom used. This being because it led to a place only few would be allowed near.
In said place resided the man Perses had asked her wife to go visit.
The man himself was high in the ranks of the Titans which made it odd for him to live so near the bottom of the mountain, yet he had his reasons.
This just made it easier for the woman to make it to the Titans home as she was able to arrive in a very short time.
Yet again, she came to another gate.
This one was much smaller in its size, yet was just as fancy. Behind the gate, La'Fae could see a beautiful garden that wrapped around the property.
Behind it and higher up on the mountain was a important looking house.
La'Fae was about to say something to get the door to open, but was interrupted by a voice behind her.
"To find a familiar face at my doorstep for the first time years is quite the surprise." Said a soft voice from behind.
La'Fae whipped her head around to see a women standing behind her dressed in an elegant white cloth.
She had dark black hair and onyx eyes that seemed to absorb all light.
Perseus shifted to face the newcomer, but covered his eyes upon seeing her.
La'Fae mentally noted this.
"Erytheia." La'Fae said slightly surprised.
"La'Fae. It has been some time since my family or I has seen you. Before the war was it? When you and Perses left the castle to reside in your husbands stronghold."
"Yes, I suppose that was the last time we saw you. We were quite lucky to avoid the whole thing that had started this war." She said shifting slightly.
"Yes, very convenient. Zeus freeing his godling brethren had caused quite the uproar on Othrys. Thankfully their forces haven't dared to step foot on our soil since that day, though the fighting outside of this place is still brutal."
"Yes very." Said La'Fae with slight sadness. She had seen the effects of the war, and she was lucky to have been protected by Perses while she was away from Othrys.
"But enough talk about that. As Peres is not here, I suppose you came here by yourself?"
"Well that is only partly true." Replied La'Fae.
She shifted forward to reveal the bundle of clothing in front of her to the nymph.
"Oh my!" Erytheia breathed.
The young Perseus uncovered his face and locked eyes with the one in front of him.
"I remember hearing talks of your pregnancy before you left. The thought completely evaded me." She said.
"But must I say, he's beautiful!" She said, taking a step forward and studying the boy.
The praise was rightfully earned as the child was honestly a perfect mix of his parents. Fae knew he would grow to resemble his fathers handsome features, but she couldn't ignore how he held her elegance and grace as well.
"Thank you." She said with a warm smile. "Though I must say, young Perseus isn't the most interactive child." She said with a slight chuckle.
Erytheia smiled back at her and the child. "Nonetheless, you coming here means that you expected some sort of hospitality from the house of Atlas, and who am I to deny you." She said, walking forward and opening the front gate.
"Please, I welcome you and young Perseus to the garden of the Hesperides. May you find yourself at peace."
Said Erytheia, the second oldest of the nymphs of sunset.
La'Fae graciously accepted the welcome as it had been in Perses's wishes to seek the help of Atlas, a man he believed was strong enough and close enough to him and his family to fulfill his favor.
La'Fae hopped of her horse and gently placed her son on the ground next to her. She believed the place was safe enough to let him walk by her side.
Taking his hand, she watched as a spirit took away their horse as ordered by Erytheia.
The two followed the nymph up the path as she lead them to the main house. They passed multiple small buildings that likely belonged to the spirits that lived on the property and worked for the family, but there was no one else visibly outside the garden.
La'Fae tried to catch up on all she had missed, but it became obvious a lot had happened during the time she was gone. She did her best to listen to all the woman talked about.
It didn't take long for the group to reach a house larger then the ones they had passed, but not as big as the one at the top of the property. On the outside of the porch of the home was a group of ladies, all talking and sipping on an sweet golden looking drink.
They all perked up a bit at seeing the guest arrive at their home.
Erytheia opened the gate to the porch and walked in with the two.
La'Fae stopped when she found herself in the presence of the Hesperides.
"Sisters, I bring to you La'Fae who has returned from her journey abroad.
And with her comes the young Perseus." She said with a giggle.
The sisters all bowed in tandem, greeting the two with kindness.
The youngest one, a girl who stood behind her older siblings was a lot more shy in her hellos.
"Go on Zoe, say hi." Encouraged Erytheia sweetly.
A small girl of around the age of 6 walked forward, still clinging to her older sisters cloth.
"Hello." She said with a cute bow.
La'Fae smiled warmly. "Hello there young one." She beamed, making the child a bit more comfortable.
The woman scanned the sisters.
"Hesperia, Erytheia, Aegle, and little Zoe.
There seems to be one missing?" She asked after naming the sisters from oldest to youngest. She had just noticed that Arethusa, the middle child was nowhere to be seen.
"Ah yess, our other sister has gone a small trip to the top of the mountain to see our father." Said Hesperia in response.
"Oh I see." Replied La'Fae with a hidden frown. "So that means we won't be seeing Atlas tonight."
"I'm afraid not." Relied the oldest. "But if you wish to talk to our father, you came at the perfect time. You see, he has promised that tonight he would talk to us through an Arce message. I'm sure you'll be able to convey whatever message you have to him then, correct?"
La'Fae gave off another smile, this one genuinely lit up the room. "That would be great! I appreciate you all greatly for the help!"
"Of course, anything for an old friend." Replied the oldest, and just like that the group began talking about all sorts of things, nothing that intrigued the young Perseus though.
Eventually, the child had grown tired of listening to words he couldn't comprehend, leading him to wander outside the porch.
How he was able to make his way halfway down the hillside without being notice was beyond anyone, but it must've been a perk of being a god.
The child eventually veered off the main path before he reached the front gate, traversing the more wild parts of the garden.
Even if there weren't any hostile animals within the garden, it was still dangerous for a young child.
Well to say there were no hostile animal wouldn't be completely right. For the most hostile monster on the west side of the world resided in this garden.
Perseus eventually slowed his walk to a stop when he came to a circle of bushes, a wall he couldn't see over.
Though he couldn't form thoughts of his own, something within him told him to stop. To turn around.
Of course though, his mind wasn't able to process this warning, making him push through the bramble.
He fell forward as he broke through the branches, recovering a moment later.
He had some scratches on his face, but yet again he showed no reaction.
The boy stumbled his way forward till he saw something that caught his eye.
A tree filled with beautiful gold apples hanging from its branches. The boy eyes went slightly smaller as the tree seemed to emit light, a bit to bright for his liking.
The child continued forward, set on taking a golden apple for himself.
He abruptly stopped when he felt the ground around him shake.
There was a stomping sound on the distance before smoke flared around the trees base.
Perseus's eyes locked onto a moving tank appear from the tree. A massive mass of scaly flesh charged at him.
A dragon.
Even worse, it was Ladon, the hundred headed demon who had never let a soul touch his tree.
And now he charged at speeds that shouldn't have been reached at something his size, directly in the direction of a infant baby.
Perseus didn't move one bit, only staring at the dragon with a slightly confused expression.
Once the beast had closed half the distance, a scream could be heard from the side.
"PERSEUS!" His mother yelled his name frantically. The Hesperides stood by her side, watching in shock and fear as the young god was being charged by the most powerful beast residing on the base of the mountain.
One of the sisters, however, wasn't frozen by their terror.
La'Fae took a step forward to help her som even if it was impossible to reach him in time, but was cut off as a flash of white crossed her vision.
She looked up in surprise to see the young Zoe running full speeds to intercept the beast.
Seeing this her sisters became even more heart-wrenched, watching as their youngest seemingly was going to give up her life as well as the child's.
At least Perseus was immortal. Zoe didn't have that privilege, making this possibly her last action.
Within throwing distance, the lead head of Ladon perked up once he sensed something coming from the young boy, causing him to slow his run slightly.
The other heads all sensed the same feeling in tandem. Just as it seemed like it was over for the young godling, Zoe made her way directly in front of him, cutting him off from the monster ahead.
"Stop!" She commanded in her loudest voice with her hand outstretched. She didn't know how effective this would be, but she had to try.
Besides her father, Zoe was the closest one to being able to command the dragon, it even letting her pet him at times. But even with her, Ladon would growl when she got too close to the tree.
So she wondered, would he really listen to her mid-attack?
She could only hope as she watched Ladon slow his charge just before he made contact with the girls hand.
He only stopped fully a half inch away from the nymph, his heads all perked up and intrigued.
But Zoe immediately realized something.
Ladon may have stopped, but it wasn't because Zoe had stepped in. Even now, all one hundred of his heads weren't focused on her.
They were locked on to Perseus behind her.
After leaning in slightly and giving one more sniff, Ladon seemed to pick up on something. Immediately after he turned tail completely and ran full speed, faster than before back to the tree.
The dragon slithered his way upwards, becoming nearly invisibly among the leaves.
Zoe let out a sigh of relief before she turned to the child behind her.
She didn't get time to study him as a figure swooped him up in a hug, tears in her eyes.
"Perseus! Perseus I'm so sorry!" She said nearly sobbing.
La'Fae at that moment felt like she had failed the boy, putting him so close into dangers way.
Not a moment after she picked up the boy, La'Fae grabbed Zoe in the same way, bringing her close.
"Thank you." Was all she said as she rested her head on her shoulder.
Zoe didn't move for a second before awkwardly bugging the woman back, quickly realizing she liked the feeling.
Over the next couple of minutes, La'Fae was able to calm down with the help of the sisters, though they too were quite shook by the whole ordeal.
"I-I think that is enough action for day. Come, let us go to the main house and get you two comfortable. You deserve rest." Hesperia said once the group had collected themselves.
"Yes, I think that'd be great." Fae shakily replied.
Erytheia led the way to the top of the estate as Hesperia tried to comfort La'Fae as much as possible. Aegle stayed in front of them while watching over Zoe and holding Perseus. Zoe herself was focused on the young boy.
She noticed something strange about the child who couldn't be over 2 years old.
Throughout all that had happened today, not once had the child shed a tear. Even more, he hadn't even complained about anything, or anything of the sort.
She didn't know exactly what that could mean, but she decided that as long as long as Perseus stayed with them, Zoe would get a reaction out of him one way or another.
And that's how Zoe's interest in the god Perseus started.
~Later That Day~
Aegle laughed slightly as she watched Perseus yet again force himself upwards after falling down the first step.
Zoe had taken it upon herself to be Perseus's second mom of sorts, and the first thing she would teach him was how stairs worked.
She had gone through the motions over a hundred times, picking them boys feet up and placing them forward one after another.
She eventually had resorted to teaching him to crawl as opposed to walking, and found only slightly more success.
Disappointed by the results, Zoe picked him up once more and dropped him gently off on the ground floor.
"Still trying the stairs are we?" Asked La'Fae in a sweet voice. She giggled slightly.
Sipping on the tea Hesperia had prepared for her, she watched as Zoe continued her endeavors.
"He doesn't wanna listen to me!" Pouted Zoe. "We could've already moved onto tree climbing if he did."
"Well I'm afraid Perseus doesn't react to much, but you've already gotten more out of him then most." La'Fae said, trying to lighten the child's mood.
"But I'm afraid that your lessons will have to wait.
You father had just called, and he's been waiting to see you!"
Zoe's eyes went wide, and even Aegle looked surprised. Spending so much time with Perseus had led them to almost forget about their fathers Arce call!
After swooping up the baby boy, the two sisters rushed towards the living room of the main house. La'Fae followed with a warm smile.
Hesperia and Erytheia were already waiting for the two, talking to a portal of sorts opened up right in front of the fireplace.
Instead of menacing Titan in the frame, the two were watching another pretty girl who resembled their own features.
"Ah, here they are." Said Erytheia.
The woman in the portal turned to face her two younger sisters.
The lady smiled. "Zoe, Aegle, I was wondering where you two were." She said.
"Arethusa!" Beamed the youngest, a smile on her face.
Aegle only smiled widely.
"Look, look! Look at Perseus!" She said giddily as she raised the child in her hands and presented him forward to her sister.
The middle Hesperides laughed heartily. "There he is, the one I've heard so much about. Your cute as ever, aren't you little one."
Perseus only tilted his head slightly at the one in front of him, but a moment later the portal was shifted.
"Is that your sisters on the line?" Asked a gruff voice.
"Yes it is- oh!" Arethusa was caught off guard as a man pulled the message away from her, focusing himself in the middle of the frame.
"Why, hello there my children." Said the new man.
Despite the fact only his face was fully visible, the slight glimpse at his shoulder let it be known he had a hulking stature.
The man had short curled hair that was pulled back, as well as a curly beard the stopped before his chest.
"Father." Hesperia said slightly off guard.
"It is good to hear from you, after all this time."
"Likewise my child. I'm sorry that this is the best I can do, but at times like these, Arce is more than occupied with delivering messages.
Spending time to merely say hi to my family is frowned upon, but I believe it is worth it. Of course I'd much rather see you all in person, but that can not be done at this point in time."
"It is ok of course father, we are grateful for this visit." Said Erytheia reassuringly.
Atlas smiled slightly. "Mature as ever, it is great to see you my daughter. I must say, you start to look like your mother more every time I see you."
The girl smiled with a blush.
"And Aegle, you too are starting to age more. I remember the days where you barely reached my knee, but now you may possible come up to my hip if your lucky." He laughed.
"Oh stop it father!"
The mans gaze shifted once more to see the youngest of the bunch of daughters.
"And last we have Zoe, the one who will forever be my baby." He said.
The girl pouted. "Hmph! I'm not a baby, Perseus is a baby!" She said displaying the boy.
The mans expression shifted from warm to something more serious.
"Ah yes, Perseus. I've heard about the boy. It is good to finally see you, child."
The boy only sucked his finger quietly in response.
"And it is good to see you too, safe and well, La'Fae."
The woman bowed slightly. "The pleasure is mine, Lord Atlas."
He waved his hand. "Enough of that. No need for formalities. What would I look like if I had a guest bow to me in my own home.
Perses has sent you under the pretense that I will harbor you and keep you safe, I presume?"
The woman seemed slightly caught off guard. For the man to deduce what they were here for, it made sense why his mind was chosen to be the general of all forces.
"Ye-yes, Atlas. Perses believed you would be able to house us for a short time at least, or find someone who could. If this is not possible, I would be more than happy to leave if you could make sure Perseus could stay safe."
She said with a bow, despite the mans words.
The Titan shook his head.
"No no, that will not do. I'm aware that no one is allowed into Perses's castle until Perses himself comes back to open the gates as per Kronos's orders, so you rightfully have no place to stay after your return.
I'd be happy to house you two for the time being, but I'd like to see you in person, La'Fae if at all possible."
"Of course, I would be honored for the audience. And thank you, Lord Atlas for your hospitality!" She exclaimed, giving Erytheia a hug in her happiness.
The man smiled. "I'm glad that is all settled then.
Hesperia, I expect that you will host our guest with care?"
"Of course, father." She said with seriousness.
"Then it is done, is it not. The family of Perses shall stay with you all, and you will treat them as your own.
It has been good to talk with you all, but I'm afraid my time is limited.
The oldest nodded.
"Than goodbye, father."
"Goodbye." The rest said in unison.
"Goodbye Atlas, thank you again."
The man nodded in response. "Goodbye to you all.
"Bye sisters!" Said Arethusa with a smile and a wave, and just like that the vision started to fade, leaving the group by themselves.
Atlas immediately leaned back in his chair after the connection was cut, letting out a long breath.
"Something bothers you, father?" Asked Arethusa at her fathers reaction.
The man turned to her. "I have brought you here, daughter, because you are the child that is most like me.
Tell me, what from that call would make you the most uneasy?" He tested.
The girl thought for a moment.
After a while, she came up with an answer.
"The boy."
"Precisely."
"But what exactly about him?" She asked. She could sense something strange about the child, but not anything that would make a Titan conquerer like her father uneasy.
"You heard what Hesperia said about the child."
"How he didn't cry while being charged by Ladon? Perhaps he merely didn't understand the situation."
"Maybe, but what else?"
The girl thought hard once more, but this time couldn't come up with an answer.
Seeing this, her father nodded while rubbing his chin. "Ladon has stopped for only one man other than me. That man was Kronos." He said.
Arethusa raised a brow. "Did he not stop for a Zoe? They are close after all.
"Yes those two share a connection, but I doubt that the beast would stop even for her."
"So you mean to suggest that…"
"Yes. Something had made Ladon, the fiercest beast on the western frontier, stop his charge to a mere boy."
My first chapter in a while, and though it feels good to write again, I forgot just how tedious the actual posting of chapters could be.
Either way, this "return" may seem sudden, but I don't feel like saying too much, at least right now.
Just know I plan on staying for as long as possible.
But about this story itself, when reading you may notice inconsistencies such as Ladon even existing at this time, seeing as how he is a present to Hera, but I suggest while reading that you look past this as this is my story and things like this are here to advance the story.
This also applies to characters, but I'll go into detail about this later.
I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, expect more from all my other stories coming soon.
For real this time.