Perseus had never really been known to be good with respect. "That's a lot of titles... are you compensating for something?" The Titan frowned.
"Huh...? I am the Titan of the East, and the-"
"Lord of Heavenly Light, yeah yeah yeah, I heard you the first time," Perseus cut the supernatural being off. He was scared, still, but the calmness and patience he had acquired over the past two years were starting to serve him well. Hyperion narrowed his eyes.
"Why do you not kneel, not beg? I should blow your head off like his!" He gestured towards the headless lab aid.
"I mean..." Perseus shrugged, the chains clinking. "I've always kinda liked having my head attached to my body." The Lord of the East growled and whipped his arm out faster than the demigod could react. He stumbled. It felt like someone had punched him in the side of the head... not fun. But he was still in one piece.
"What in Tartarus...?" The Titan murmured.
"I told you..." Perseus popped his neck and stood up, grasping Riptide in his right and willing it to become a sword. "I rather like having my head attached to my body." He jumped at the stunned Titan, who clumsily jumped out of the way. His heavy armor clinked, but he wasn't able to dodge Riptide entirely. A harsh sound filled the antechamber as Riptide scratched off the Titan's shinguard.
"Insolence!" Hyperion bellowed. His eyes flashed with power, and he held out his hand towards Perseus. Something about it reminded the demigod of Hestia flash travelling, so he quickly shut his eyes. Heat burned his eyelids, proving this to be the correct choice. Perseus stabbed blindly with his sword, meeting resistance and garnering a yelp. Almost immediately, the heat faded, and Perseus opened his eyes to see golden ichor dripping on the floor from the Titan's stomach.
The man gut-punched Perseus faster than he should've been able to move in his state. Perseus crashed into the wall, and his vision blurred. "This wound... means nothing!" With those words, Hyperion pulled the blade out of his stomach and tossed it aside, the wound instantly healing.
Hyperion slowly walked towards Perseus, who was still dazed. 'Lady Hestia... I... require assistance.' Asking for help had never come easy to him. But as soon as he thought it, warmth flowed over his body.
Hyperion gazed at him. "So... you have the assistance of a god. Unluckily for you... Titans are stronger than gods." He smirked.
"I wouldn't be so sure..." Perseus replied, strength flowing through him and reinvigorating him. He felt like he had slept for hours and hours on end, while simultaneously exercising every single muscle in his body... In other words, awesome.
"Oh, is that so?" Hyperion smiled, a menacing look, and his white teeth were almost blinding. "Prove me wrong then, mortal."
Perseus dashed forward. In hindsight, the jab was so obviously a trap that he felt stupid for falling for it. Hyperion flashed to the other side of the room, leaving Perseus to stumble forward as his blade met no resistance. The Titan was there instantly, and a blow sent him to the ground. The sudden strike took the air out of his lungs, and no doubt cracked multiple ribs.
His instincts suddenly screamed at him to move, and he rolled to the right, dodging the blow of a concentrated beam of light. He leapt back to his feet, and pain flashed throughout his body. He would need weeks to recover after this, assuming he made it out alive.
"You are a skilled fighter," Hyperion admitted as he parried a blow from the demigod. "The gods do not deserve your talents. You could join us," He invited. Perseus grit his teeth as he blocked a sword seemingly made out of pure light and fire.
"What do you mean, join you? Olympus combined is easily stronger than you. They beat you once. They can do it again." This sentence only made the Titan laugh.
"Yes, they did defeat us. But, unlike them, we have learned from our mistakes. We have joined forces with a much more powerful entity. However, he will take millennia to awaken. Which is why we are laying the groundwork now. Besides, what have the gods ever done for you? Do you even know the things that your parent has done?" Perseus was silent. He didn't know who his godly parent was, much less what they had done. The Lord of the East caught on quickly.
"See? You've never even met them... how could you possibly believe that they are good? Join us, Apollyon. Be on the right side of history." The Destroyer looked up at the face of the titan he was fighting. Then... he realized... Hyperion was afraid. Afraid of what? Could it be...? He decided to play his cards correctly.
"Prove it, then. Who is my father?" The Titan smiled, and his attacks became slower as he started to believe he had won the demigod over.
"Well, that's quite simple... You're, in fact, almost the splitting image of the man," He mused. "Your father is Poseidon, the Earthshaker, Lord of the Seas-" He was cut off by two things. First off was the brilliant aura that exploded into existence as Perseus became aware of his heritage. The second, probably a larger factor, was Anaklusmos going straight through his heart as he dropped his guard. "What...?" He slumped to his knees, shocked. Even if it wouldn't kill him, the blade still heavily hindered him. Golden ichor left his mouth in a cough.
"You made one large mistake..." Perseus grinned, his mind clearer than it had ever been. "You forgot about Lady Hestia." Indeed, the Goddess' blessing had multiplied tenfold as soon as Perseus' father had been revealed. The already incredible boosts to his energy and properties became insane, and Hestia's energy could literally be seen flowing through him.
He pulled the sword out of the Titan's body with a 'Plop!' Hyperion scowled. "You may have beaten me this time, demigod, but make no mistake... It was only due to the emergence of your powers. You will not be underestimated again." He started to glow, and Perseus dashed forward, but was too slow to stop the immortal from flashing away, and only his dense aura protected him from being disintegrated by the flash.
All of the sudden, the adrenaline flow was cut off, and he fell to a knee, panting. It seemed that Hyperion had been correct. The only reason he had won was because the strength of the blessing being multiplied by his newfound powers. But, his body couldn't sustain it, so Hestia had cut the power flow off. He cracked his neck and winced. His ribs still hurt, but didn't seem to be broken anymore, which was lucky.
Suddenly, he remembered his original mission - to reclaim the forge! He grasped Riptide with a firm hand, took a deep breath, and resolved to ignore the pain. After all, he had a job to do.
And Hyperion has been defeated! Just a note - Perseus is not 'stronger' than Hyperion. He got him with a lucky, well-placed strike when Hyperion let his guard down, and he was also granted a large burst of power when his heritage was revealed. If it weren't for Hyperion trying to convert him, or him not letting him know about his father, Hyperion would have won. That is the end to this particular god's favor, really.
This makes Hestia, Poseidon, Apollo, Ares, and Hephaestus in his favor, with Artemis still on the fence, which is 5.5 out of the 7 gods needed for his vote. I'm not sure who the next god will be, but I'll have to figure it out soon, as the next chapter will be coming out tomorrow! This is because I missed last week. Quarantine had made everything pretty hectic, but to be fair, I am reaaaaally lazy lol
Hope you liked it, and please... leave a review! Let me know how I'm doing!
Until next chapter,
PJO Fan Power.
