AN: Keep voting if you want harem or not! One day, overnight, I got over 20 votes saying no to harem, which, mind you, was under 9 hours. This wasn't when I updated and then got the votes… it was a few days until I got the votes. I didn't gain a significant number of followers or favorites of this story overnight either… I'm not ruling out the possibility of a few readers using double accounts. I can't actually see the people voting, so I can't confirm anything. Thus, the sudden influx of votes for no seemed suspicious to me, but it could just be a coincidence. Current scores are 52 to 42 for harem on FFN, and 17 to 5 on Wattpad.
Thank you all for your continued support! This has really been a journey!
Another question for you: Should I write a prequel to this story, where we could see Perseus in action before he was exiled? I most likely wouldn't write a Trojan war prequel, I think that storyline is used way too much. Let me know if you like this idea by reviewing!
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The Titan's Curse part 2
Ascension of the Fallen: Chapter 8
"Nephew, your compassion makes you weak!" the titan lord of the South growled, "Cast it aside…Join me, and we could rule this world with Kronos, together!"
Atlas snarled at Krios, opting to not give an answer as his body tensed, preparing for a fight.
The titan of stars and constellations sighed, "So be it. You are making a mistake, nephew."
Atlas lunged forward with his halberd, the tip glistening dangerously in the sunlight. Krios dodged the strike; his deadly sword flicked back for a counterattack, only to be expertly parried by the titan of endurance.
Krios suddenly retreated several steps backwards, distancing himself from the powerful titan.
"Draco, the Dragon, I summon you!" he bellowed to the heavens, the ground shaking beneath his feet. Atlas looked up to see the constellation Draco disappear from the stars.
The titan of endurance and strength was too in shock to attack his uncle. Since when did Krios have the power to summon constellations? Did Perseus know about this?
He watched, mystified, as a massive behemoth of a dragon that could only be known as Draco appeared and landed on its feet. At least a hundred feet long, and lined with magenta and black scales, Draco was as intimidating as the myths told. But not to the titan of endurance.
Atlas let out a bellowing laugh; Krios needed a dragon to beat him? No wonder he was so pathetic.
Atlas' strangely timed laugh caused a surprised look to appear on his uncle's face. The titan of constellations grew redder by the second, and Atlas couldn't stop laughing at the comical look on his uncle's face.
"You-" he wheezed, finding it hard to breathe, "need a dragon to beat me?"
The magenta dragon suddenly lunged at Atlas, his massive, powerful jaw opening to swallow the titan whole.
The former bearer of the sky remained unfazed, catching Draco, and holding the dragon's maw open with his very own two hands. His leg muscles tensed as he slid backwards from the sheer force; the dirt sliding out of the way. Atlas roared, pulling the dragon's maw with strength that could level mountains.
Draco's jaw instantly snapped like a twig, the magenta dragon bellowing in pain. Atlas let go of the former constellation and the titan reared back with his right fist, delivering one of the most powerful haymakers. So powerful it was that Draco disappeared under the impact, leaving to rest in the stars once more.
Atlas looked around himself. Krios was nowhere to be seen! The coward, he snarled angrily to himself. He must have fled to the Roman camp.
The titan began to make his way towards San Francisco when a sudden force blew him from behind, and Atlas landed on his back, groaning in pain. Several of his vertebrae were definitely broken. He looked up to see Krios with a cruel smile on his face. Atlas rose and began to battle his uncle, the legendary swordsman. The Ram stabbed expertly, his silver sword dangerously maneuvering to cause many dents on Atlas' armor. Soon the armor would be punctured, and Krios would slowly wear his nephew down little by little.
The titan lord of the South began to smirk as both fighters realized this.
Atlas would not be outdone by his uncle, however. He adjusted his style to match. His halberd spun quickly and defensively, parrying many of the hits as well as delivering some powerful strikes of his own.
A brutal fight it was. Sword against halberd, strength against agility; uncle against nephew. Back and forth it went, with neither side gaining an advantage. As powerful and fast Atlas was, Krios was even faster, and the Ram was one of the most skilled swordsmen to grace the Earth.
"This is your END!" Krios roared, delivering a strike powerful enough to make Ares cry for his mommy.
Atlas leapt backwards from Krios' dangerous strike; nevertheless, Krios' strike scored a thin line of golden ichor against Atlas' abdomen.
The Ram instantly pressed the advantage, causing Atlas to backpedal.
Every parry Atlas attempted was countered perfectly by the expert swordsman.
"Am I making you nervous, nephew?" Krios asked mockingly, dancing away from the counter Atlas had prepared for him and returning another lethal strike of his own, wounding Atlas once again. Atlas was now bleeding ichor from too many places to count. The titan of endurance could take many injuries, but Krios was testing his limits.
The former bearer of the sky didn't bother to respond, furiously spinning his halberd like a staff to block his uncle's lethal strikes. With a great CLANG, Atlas pushed the sword of Krios away from him, causing the expert swordsman to lose his balance.
Atlas capitalized straight away, slamming the blunt end of his halberd into the titan lord of the South's chest with power enough to level Mount Everest, partially caving Krios' chest in.
The Ram gasped in shock and pain, taking several steps backwards.
"No…"
The titan of endurance and strength pressed the advantage. Krios was now fully on the backfoot. It was clear that his swordsmanship had not dipped in the slightest, but the Ram was much slower now, struggling to parry Atlas' halberd due to the egregious injury. Atlas stepped forward, kicking the Ram in the chest with his boot. The lord of the South was sent flying backwards, landing on his back.
Krios coughed up golden ichor; his lungs had been damaged badly from the impact. This was the end for the titan. The titan groaned in pain, struggling to sit up.
Atlas strode forward confidently, looking at the titan lord of the South with a smug smile on his lips.
"You…." Krios gasped, ichor spilling out of his mouth, "will… regret this, nephew."
The titan of strength merely scoffed at Krios' last words. With no hesitation, the former bearer of the sky rose his halberd, slamming the sharp edge into the head of Krios. The ground shook with tremors of force as the titan lord of the South imploded into a fine, golden dust.
Atlas' shoulders sagged as he leaned on his halberd; he was tired from his injuries in the fight. He would need several days to recover, even with accelerated healing for titans.
The titan of strength flashed away, having completed his job.
The Ram was no more.
Line break
"We…. need to go, now!" Thalia managed to wheeze out of her chest, catching her breath as she skid to a stop next to the table.
"Why?" Celyn inquired.
"The Piercer," Annabeth stated, while the daughter of Zeus added, "skeleton warriors and Luke."
All three huntresses paled, turning as white as the snow at the mention of the Piercer.
The lieutenant of Artemis was about to speak when three skeleton warriors appeared near the entrance of the coffee shop. No mortals reacted; the Mist probably made them look like military figures in uniforms or something.
"Shit," Thalia cursed under her breath. The three skeletons locked onto the group of five girls, their yellow eyes looking at them menacingly.
"Let's go! Go! Go!" Zoe shouted at the group, "Out the back, try to lose them there.
The five sprinted quickly to the back exit.
"S'cuse me, Ma'am," Thalia spoke hurriedly as she ducked around a waitress, squeezing through several groups of people while the other four followed suit.
The five raced down the streets, weaving and bobbing.
Celyn looked back to see the skeleton warriors hot on their tail, trailing by about fifty yards.
The daughter of Apollo took the lead, "I know this place. Follow me, quickly."
The five girls ducked into an alley, reaching the side door of the Air and Space Museum. Phoebe and Celyn kicked the door down simultaneously.
Zoe and Phoebe were absolutely lost, while daughter of Apollo led the group far away from the entrance they came through, ending up in a plane exhibit.
They stopped to catch their breath and make a plan for their next move.
"We need to get back to the train station," Annabeth pointed at the clock on the wall to their right, "We only have an hour until our train leaves."
"Yea-"
Thalia was cut off by the voice of a girl exclaiming, "Look mommy, a little kitty!"
The five girls looked up to see a lion the size of a mortal pickup truck walk into the room.
"We need to get out of here, now!" Zoe shouted frantically.
As soon as the words left her mouth, a monstrous roar shook the room, causing several of the group to stumble and fall forward.
Thalia turned frantically; her electric blue eyes were wide with fear as the lion pounced towards her. The daughter of Zeus closed her eyes, preparing for death, before she felt a force against her right side, and landed on the ground.
Phoebe had taken the hit for her. The five-foot three daughter of Enyo was currently fighting for her life, barely dodging the lion's claws.
Thalia cursed herself for her weakness, and got up, forming her spear out of a can of mace. Her wristwatch expanded into her copy of Aegis. Arrows continuously peppered the skin of the lion, but all bounced off.
"It's the Nemean Lion!" Annabeth shouted, "The skin is impenetrable!"
The daughter of Atlas nodded, "Aim for the eyes or the mouth! It is vulnerable there!"
Thalia watched, petrified, as the daughter of Enyo somehow avoided being eaten, jerking back and stumbling as her two arms managed to hold the lion at bay.
Celyn landed several amazing shots, sticking not one, but two arrows in the lion's left eye. The legendary lion roared in pain, disengaging from Phoebe, and backing up.
Suddenly, it leapt towards Annabeth, sensing her as the weaker prey. Thalia electrified her spear, stabbing it with tremendous force, except she missed her swing. Sensing the daughter of Zeus was off-balance, the lion rammed into her, flinging her against the wall painfully.
Annabeth backpedaled frantically, swinging her knife but to no avail. The Nemean lion roared, its jaws opening to swallow the ten-year-old whole, but the lion suddenly froze in mid-air. Why would it freeze in mid-air? What was going on with it?
With a slightly stupid thirst for knowledge, Annabeth backed up and looked closer at the lion… it wasn't frozen. Rather, it was… MOVING, but extremely slowly. Annabeth took a few frantic steps backwards as the others yelled for her to keep her distance.
A hand appeared in the center of the room. Nothing else. Just a random, floating bronze tan hand in the middle of the room, no person. Clearly it was masculine, and someone's right hand but whose hand?
The five girls watched with bated breath as the hand tore a rift in the air violently, opening a dark portal.
"Perseus!" the three huntresses and Thalia shouted with joy, while Annabeth was also happy, yet absolutely confused at his appearance once again, as well as how the elder huntresses and Thalia knew him.
The ever-so casual god was, once again, wearing sneakers and jeans, this time donning a t-shirt. He whistled a catchy tune, waving at the group while strolling his way towards the Nemean Lion. The god of time reached out his hand, patting the lion on the head like it was a pet. Of course, the legendary lion tried to snap at the god, but it was just far too slow.
Perseus tutted at the lion, "Bad little kitty."
The god of mountains grabbed its jaw and tore it apart with his own two hands. He stabbed a knife into the lion's throat, causing it to disintegrate into a fine, golden dust.
Perseus embraced the entire group of girls; somehow his arms managed to wrap around all five of their frames… his six-foot four height might have had something to do with that.
The three huntresses blushed a furious red, while Thalia's face resembled a red bucket of paint. They couldn't help it, Perseus' chest smelled heavenly, at least to them. His firm chest and abdominal muscles seemed to be made of marble, and they didn't hurt either. Annabeth was blissfully unaware of the other four girls sharing blushes. The daughter of Athena looked up to the god like he was her father; he had saved her twice now, and he was partially filling the whole that Luke had left in the family.
Perseus released them from his embrace. He dropped five bags full of ambrosia squares and winked playfully at the five flabbergasted girls, their jaws hanging open rather comically. The god gestured to the exit, "You only have twenty minutes left."
The cheeky god disappeared in a flash of gold.
"He didn't even let us thank him, cheeky bastard."
Line break
Hecate ducked, swiping her purple flamed torches and killing more Kakodaimones. Unlike normal Greek monsters, they wouldn't dissolve into a fine dust; they were much more like mortals, dying with corpses. She kicked out her boot, knocking another warrior to the ground. Here she was, dealing with these… vermin. Why did she agree to this disgusting assignment again?
Because Perseus told you to, she reminded herself. Perseus was the hot stuff of many goddesses. Even Hera, the goddess of marriage aka his brutal backstabber, and Hestia, the literal goddess of virginity, were rumored to have the hots for him. The fact that the god was single made it all the better. There would be no jealous wife or girlfriend, and Perseus was a known gentleman, so he wouldn't lay a finger on anyone trying their luck. It seemed like she would need to up her game if she wanted to have him; the competition was absolutely astounding.
Even so, he had rejected her advances multiple times. She should have known that being seductive wouldn't work, since Perseus was rumored to have rejected Aphrodite… although she had given him a stiffy. She giggled at the thought.
Her torches met empty air, and Hecate came out of her thoughts to find that she had decimated her horde of Kaikodaimones. She looked off into the distance to see Eris wreaking havoc on the Kaikodaimones and went to join her.
Eris ran through the hordes, dropping apples of discord everywhere. Kaikodaimones were brutally fighting each other, stabbing, punching, and all out brawling. None of them felt any pain whatsoever, so they continued to slug each other brutally.
"Offense beats defense any day of the week." -Wisest of the Kaikodaimones
Eris snickered at the random thought before being punched in the stomach with tremendous force. She felt one of her ribs crack under the pressure, and the goddess of discord went flying into the fields of Asphodel.
Menoetius watched the goddess fly into the field and winced slightly. She would probably be angry later. The titan of anger threw one of his javelins with impeccable aim, skewering fifty Kaikodaimones straight through their heads even though they were wearing helmets. He smirked at his accomplishments and continued to hurl javelins at the horde, never missing. After all, how could one miss if all of them were bunched together?
Hades wielded his stygian iron blade dangerously, viciously slicing through the Kaikodaimones. His sword slit their necks like butter, and the god of the underworld showed his battle prowess as he danced around the soldiers while sending out tendrils of shadow. Granted, his control over darkness and shadows were never as good as his elder brother's, he was still more than effective. His elder brother had the most powerful domain of the three after all: time. Unlike Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades, Perseus' domain was absolutely everywhere. Time is continuous, always flowing. Therefore, his brother never had to take a huge hit to his powers, such as being out of the sea did for Poseidon or being out of the underworld did for Hades. Even Zeus took a hit to his power when he left the high skies. Perseus wielded incredible control over shadows and darkness, as well as uncanny ability to utilize the domain of time, much like their father Kronos. Perseus was able to combat Kronos in time with his full power poured into it while the other three brothers viciously attacked the titan lord to overpower him.
Hades shook himself from his thoughts as he sliced open another Kaikodaimon.
His undead army fought beside him, clearing out the Kaikodaimones, although for every three skeletons, only one Kaikodaimon was killed. What they lacked in skill, they made up in numbers. The lord of the underworld had summoned over three million of the undead to fight as foot soldiers. At least the Kaikodaimones didn't have artillery or cavalry, or that would have been extremely bad… he shuddered at the thought.
AN: Give your thoughts about the chapter in a review! Thanks! Link to my discord is below.
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