AN: I'll be updating slower from now on, sorry to all the people who supported this story, including my followers. Thanks everybody for all the follows, favorites, and reviews. When you review, it helps me read the story from a different perspective that isn't the author's perspective. I can see how the plot works from the reader's perspective and how you all are liking it. The reviews don't need to be constructive criticism by any means, just outright insults aren't tolerated. I'm not trying to set a bar for how well-versed or good the review needs to be, any reviews that aren't completely negative and bashing my story are absolutely ok with me. Even reviews that aren't all that productive help. Thanks for all the reviews again, even if the reviews are anonymous, they do help me run the story along and give me a good vantage point. Remember, constructive criticism is always appreciated.

On a side note: Who's POV do all of you want next?

Agitated gods

Ascension of the Fallen: Chapter 5

A few days after Zeus' ascension

Hestia sighed, dropping on the bench next to the hearth of Olympus. Her heart clenched at the thought of Perseus. Perseus, her loyal brother, king of Olympus.

Former king of Olympus, she reminded herself. The hearth sat at a miserable height of five feet, a far cry from the blazing twenty feet that it used to be. All the joy on Olympus that Perseus brought with him was gone. The somber mood settled over Olympus, and nothing could cheer anyone up. Athena was always in her gigantic library of books, reading to avoid the thought of Perseus. Artemis snapped at anyone who spoke to her on Olympus; she usually out hunting monsters. Apollo and Hermes visited bars often, drinking themselves out of their misery and having mortal children wherever they went. Demeter tended to her crops like a hermit farmer, and Poseidon and Hades, her dear brothers, stayed in their respective domains, refusing to even speak with the lord of the skies. Aphrodite was always polishing her already impeccable makeup. Hestia snorted uncharacteristically. Hera and Zeus were the only ones who were fully happy with the outcome, along with Ares and that drunk wine god Dionysus. Though she supposed a drunk god couldn't necessarily express many emotions other than happiness.

The goddess of the hearth pursed her lips in frustration. She had planned to reveal her feelings to her brother, albeit with a possibility of utter disaster. Her heartbeat sped up frantically whenever Perseus hugged her; she had dropped so so many hints about her feelings, but the man was as dense as they could get; which is to say that he was denser than a brick. Their embraces never lasted long, probably because her brother thought she was uncomfortable judging from her heartbeat. Hestia cursed herself for being so hesitant to reveal her love for him. Now, her brother was gone, cast into Tartarus, never to see the light of day again.

Back to present time

Throne Room of Olympus

"Athena, what is our next plan of action?" Zeus inquired with a worried face towards the goddess of architecture. Zeus was no idiot when it came to preserving his power and his throne. The goddess of wisdom appeared distressed by Perseus' return, biting her lower lip nervously.

"We must secure as many alliances as possible. Should Perseus have joined forces with the Titans, this war would be impossible to win."

"Hermes," Zeus barked, "bring the minor gods of Olympus. They will be grateful to defend their home from this threat."

Hermes nodded and flashed away, vanishing in a golden light.

Foolish gods, Perseus muttered to himself, watching the council from the shadows. Now they come crawling back for forgiveness. Well, he chuckled lowly, don't bite the hand that feeds you. No, it's don't bite the hand that protects you… Perseus shook himself out of his thoughts as a smug grin crossed his face. His little brother grew more jittery by the second, while his other little brother, Poseidon, was completely at ease, and even happy. The stupid ass Ares was smiling from ear to ear at the idea of another war, while the dumbass wine god was pale and sweating, finally woken up from his drunken sleep. How was an incompetent, inept wine god even an Olympian? Probably because he was Zeus' son, Perseus deduced. There was no other explanation. Aphrodite was looking over her nails again. Stupid, vain goddess. Probably didn't even have a brain big enough to realize she could perish. The god of time snorted to himself, almost a little too loudly, but he managed to muffle it with his domain over darkness. Hera bit her lip hard, blood coming out, but she didn't seem to care. Demeter ran her hands through her hair, fidgeting in her throne. Fidgeting was reserved for demigods, Perseus thought, demigods you all don't give a shit about. I do need to compete with the titan lord of time for demigods, he thought. Perseus immediately frowned at the thought of his father, the infamous Crooked Titan. Perseus stopped thinking about the silver-tongued lord of time and kept observing the Olympian council.

Artemis' and Athena's reactions made Perseus' blood boil. They acted as if they were sorry, eyes blood red from crying. Athena put her face into her hands, her body wracked with sobs. Artemis just sniffled her nose. Apollo had his head down, running his hands through his hair. None of them deserved his forgiveness; they betrayed him. Perseus didn't care if they were blackmailed; they had a choice.

Perseus rolled his eyes; the Olympians were really that pathetic. He tried to ignore Artemis and Athena, as well as Apollo, but their reactions caused him to grit his teeth in anger.

Hermes appeared in his throne, a look of apprehension on his features as he tried to relax.

"Did you bring them?" Zeus barked, his hands pale white from gripping his throne so hard.

"They are coming," Hermes stated, one hand flipping a knife nervously.

"But they-uh… don't appear very cool with us," Hermes finished.

"What do you mean?" The goddess of marriage narrowed her eyes, glaring at another product of her husband's tendency to cheat. Hermes gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing. The god of thieves opened his mouth to speak. "Well, they seem to-"

A sudden flash of bright light appeared in the room. The light faded, and Zeus rose from his throne, his master bolt gripped tightly in his hand. The lord of the skies had a strange sense of foreboding, but the king of the gods shook the feeling off. After all, he was the most powerful Olympian on record. Not even Kronos could best him. Zeus straightened himself, no doubt preparing to give a flowery speech about loyalty and defending Olympus.

The words caught in Zeus' throat as he examined the faces of the many minor gods and goddesses. Most of them were looking at him with intense looks of anger and hatred, including some of his own children like Hebe.

"What is the point of this?" The goddess of revenge growled at Zeus. The rage was present in Nemesis' beady black eyes, unnerving much of the council. They shouldn't be afraid of a minor goddess, the council reminded themselves. "My valuable time is being wasted, dealing with your stupidity, Zeus."

The minor gods and goddesses behind her nodded in agreement.

Zeus grit his teeth in anger and frustration, slamming his oversized sparkler into the ground. Stupid sparkler it may be, but the action shook the very roots of Olympus, causing a minor earthquake.

The minor gods and goddesses stumbled a bit, fear and doubt now creeping into their eyes. Nemesis took several steps back, slightly fearful at the look of anger and rage present in Zeus' eyes. The king of the gods subtly smirked at the fear, feeling back in control.

"You all," he commanded, pointing his oversized sparkler at the crowd of immortals, and sweeping his arm from left to right, "shall protect Olympus from its enemies. Together we shall defeat this new threat, like we have defeated all other threats past!"

Hecate stepped forward next to the goddess of balance, scoffing at Zeus' proclamation. "You mistreated us for CENTURIES, and now you expect us," she raised her hands, gesturing toward the crowd, "to follow you AGAIN?"

Zeus narrowed his eyes again, not liking the turn of events. He was used to the minor gods cowering in his presence and obeying him without question. The lord of the skies turned towards the Olympian council for answers, only to find that the gods were just as stunned as he was. The youngest son of Kronos furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, before turning back towards the minor gods.

The god of thunder opened his mouth to speak again but was cut off by Nemesis. She rose her voice, letting all who were present hear her proclamation, "No. We will not stand this, we will not follow you once again."

The Olympian halls grew silent. Not a whisper could be heard. Suddenly, the lord of the skies threw his bolt towards the group of minor gods, but shadows suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking the oversized sparkler. When they pulled away, the minor gods were gone. No one on the council spoke. All knew who was behind the plot.

All eyes suddenly turned to Poseidon, who was standing upright with a smug smirk on his face. "The seas shall not aid you brother," he proclaimed, before disappearing in a sea mist. Zeus chucked his master bolt at the sea god's seat and the throne crumpled into dust.

The king of the gods seemed to age ten years in less than a few minutes. His arrogant attitude could no longer be seen on his features, and the god sat back on his throne, defeated. His jaw clenched in frustration, his hand running across his forehead.

The queen of the gods chose to flash out, leaving the rest of the gods to deal with Zeus' increasing anger.

The god in the shadows grinned to himself. He subtly threw up the bird sign straight at the back of his little brother's head, not that Zeus could even notice. With that, Perseus left the vicinity.

A few weeks later

Thalia appeared in cabin one after a long day of practice and a nice, hot shower. Her muscles ached with every step she took, and she promptly fell into her bed. The daughter of Zeus had beaten Theo straight into the ground, for the fifth time in a row, humbling him a bit. A bit since that son of Poseidon never understood how to control his ego. His ego was, and Thalia hated to admit it, as big as, if not bigger, than that of Zeus' children. Thalia closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but that… god, Perseus, that had saved them crept into her mind again. Why did he save them? Thalia had done her homework on the Olympians; none of them would care enough to even lift a finger for any demigods.

"That's right," a voice chuckled.

Thalia opened her eyes, expecting to be in her cabin; except she wasn't in her cabin. The daughter of Zeus looked around wildly. She was next to a fireplace, sitting in a comfy armchair. An ornate coffee table sat in front of her, with two cups of steaming hot tea in porcelain cups. Thalia looked across the coffee table in front of her and locked her bright blue eyes with Perseus' dark black. She couldn't tear her gaze away from his eyes, an endless spiral of black. Thalia blinked, forcing herself to break the impromptu staring contest. The god was casual as always, dressed in a hoodie with black jeans.

"L-lord Perseus," she stuttered. She mentally punched herself for being entranced for so long and she prepared to get out of her chair and bow, but the god of darkness waved her off.

"Just Perseus," he informed her with a warm smile. The mood in the atmosphere was instantly lightened despite the god literally having a domain of darkness, and Thalia did not feel the same fear she had felt before. She nodded, taking a sip from the tea in front of her waiting for the god to speak.

"The mental image of you punching yourself was rather amusing, I must admit."

Thalia choked on the hot tea, coughing violently. A hand was there on her back, patting it. "There, there," Perseus chuckled. Thalia finished coughing and blushed in embarrassment.

"Things are not what they seem. That is what I told you a few weeks ago," Perseus stated.

The daughter of Zeus nodded along, eager to see where this was going.

The god of time continued, "I will tell you my history, in exchange that you never divulge to anyone that you have had this meeting. Then, I have an offer for you to make."

Thalia sat ramrod. Offers from gods always had a catch and figuring out the catch was a no go for the impulsive daughter of Zeus. Despite knowing this, Thalia nodded in confirmation. Her curiosity overrode her gut feeling.

"First of all, I will say that your father would have lifted a finger to help you that fateful day."

"The day when we got into camp?"

"Yes. You were going to die, and your father would have turned you into a tree."

The daughter of Zeus nearly lost her mind at her father's stupidity. A tree? she screamed mentally.

Perseus chuckled to himself, seeming to read Thalia's mind again, "Yes, a tree. My youngest brother's head really is full of shit, isn't it?"

Thalia could only nod numbly as she comprehended the information.

Thalia started to ask a question about how Perseus knew, but Perseus spoke before her, "As the god of time, I can see glimpses into the future from time to time, much like Apollo." He spit the sun gods name with such utter hatred and venom that it made Thalia shudder in nervousness.

The god cleared his throat and composed himself, easing the tension in the room.

"You know that I am the eldest of Kronos and Rhea. What you do not know was that I was once the king of the gods."

Thalia listened to Perseus as he wove a tale of tragic betrayal. The way Zeus had overthrown him, the way his nieces and nephews betrayed him. How Poseidon and Hades rushed to his aid, only to result in his defeat anyway. His name was struck from the records of history, never to be uttered again.

Perseus told his frightening tale of Tartarus; Thalia was so engrossed in the god's tale that she flinched backwards when Perseus raised his hands, causing a massive bellowing bout of laughter from the god of mountains. Thalia pouted at the god, surprising the god and causing Thalia to raise an indignant eyebrow herself. The eldest of Kronos and Rhea rolled his eyes and continued with the tale:

"And so, I had this splitting headache," Perseus emphasized his headache by rubbing his forehead, "It hurt so much that I can still feel the aftereffects of it. I was throwing up in the Phlegethon for days. Good thing I'll never have to be down there again, otherwise the Phlegethon would be damn angry. The good thing about that aspect change was that the headache didn't stay for too long and my power actually grew exponentially afterwards."

When it was all said and done, Thalia surprisingly felt sad for the god. Most immortals remained aloof from mortals, even demigods, deeming them dirt beneath their feet and unworthy of their presence.

"Now, let us get into the offer I have for you."

Thalia leaned forward in anticipation, sitting on the edge of her lush seat.

"You know the Olympians hold no love for you, or any other demigod for that matter. Join me in my conquest to overthrow the gods."

The daughter of Zeus looked conflicted for a moment, "I…

AN: And that's a wrap! I tried a little cliff hanger here; see how you like it. I know a lot of you hate cliff hangers, but this one is pretty mild, at least in my opinion. Feedback is deeply appreciated and always welcome. Thank you all again for giving this story a chance. Have fun, and stay safe!

-thann3