The Life of Perseus

by skjefferson

Perseus is the son of Chaos. On the eve of Perseus's birth, Chaos is informed of a Prophecy that involves his youngest son. In order to protect his son, Chaos sends him to Earth and places him into the care of two great Olympians, making them promise never to reveal his true identity to anyone. Together, the Olympians raise the young Perseus as their own. This is his story.

A/N: This is A PJO Fanfiction. Percy Jackson is pretty much OOC, and some of the other characters in the series are slightly OOC. I have a vision for this, and I want to make it come to life for anyone who wishes to read it.

I want a ship for this story, but I have no idea who to use. I don't want to be basic and use the generic ones like Percabeth, Pertemis, or anything like. I ship Pertemis as much as the next person, and Percabeth as well, slightly, but in my opinion Pertemis just isn't real and Percabeth is kind of boring. So I will try to put it to a vote. The choices are: Perzoe, Perodite, or Perthena. At the end of the day, I'll probably choose someone who would go better with the Percy, I envision. So please don't be upset if your vote doesn't get chosen.

Prologue: Perseus

It was another ordinary day on Mount Olympus, the King and Queen sat in the comfort of their palace, enjoying their time with one another. It was very rare for it to be so quiet amongst them. Usually, they were fighting and arguing. There was never a time where they were not having a battle. Especially since the King of the Skies couldn't seem to keep it in his pants, though that was a story for another time.

Evidently, that was also the reason for the lack of arguments. As the King hadn't had an affair in about 20 years. This fact provided the Queen with some much needed relief as it always angered her when her husband held an affair. In her opinion, it made him highly hypocritical as she knew he would get angry and jealous the moment she decided to have an affair herself. Though, being the Goddess of Marriage, she knew she would never. It wasn't in her to sleep with anyone other than her husband, and yet she had been trapped to be in a marriage with the most disloyal of men she had ever met in her existence. She was convinced the Fates were punishing her.

But back to the story, as the King and Queen sat side by side, watching over the mortals on Earth, a portal of darkness appeared in their parlor. This caused the King to rise to his feet instantly, bolt in hand as his eyes remained trained on the portal to watch who would come through. To their utter worry and surprise, it was Chaos, himself. The King of the Universe, and the Primordial God of the Void. Instantly, Hera dropped to her knee to bow to the Primordial, while Zeus lowered his bolt and bowed his head.

"To what do we owe this honor, Lord Chaos?" the Queen questioned as she lifted her head to meet the gaze of the Primordial.

"Rise, Lady Hera. You do not have to bow to me," Chaos said as he looked at the Goddess. Hera did as she was told, rising to her feet as she watched Chaos turn his head to look at Zeus, "I have come here because I require your help, Lord Zeus."

"My help?" Zeus's brows furrowed as he looked at Chaos, and then he heard the soft wails of a baby. Which caused his curiosity to peak even more once he noticed the small bundle in Chaos's arms.

"Is that...a child?" Hera gasped softly, her eyes moving from the bundle to Chaos and back again.

"It is my child," Chaos explained calmly as he held the bundle protectively against his chest, Chaos kept his gaze on the King and Queen of Olympus, "A child I had with a mortal woman who had captured my interest."

"Where is his mother?" Hera questioned curiously, and she watched as Chaos's face went grim. She instantly felt terrible for asking as she saw the flicker of emotion pass over Chaos's features.

"She died in childbirth," Chaos spoke grimly, his eyes casting downwards to look at his child before he lifted his gaze to look at Hera and Zeus once more, "My son is a God, and the woman...she was unable to withstand his power through birth. That is not why I am here."

"Why are you here?" Zeus asked.

"I have a need for you to raise the boy," Chaos said softly before Zeus and Hera could question or argue, he continued on, "He is a part of a prophecy. A Divine Prophecy that will not come to pass until the 21st century. I need him to be protected and safe. To be hidden and cared for. A task I cannot do, not in the Void. There will be many in the Void that will wish to harm him, and I am not as powerful as I once was."

"Surely, you cannot expect us to raise the son of a Primordial, there will be questions when he becomes more powerful than us, than any of our actual children," Zeus stated.

"I have already considered that, which is why I have given him a pendant that will block a fraction of his power from being sensed by other deities and immortals," Chaos stated simply as he looked at Zeus, "This is a task I am assigning to you both. Please, help me to protect my son."

Hera noticed the grave look on Chaos's features, and she instantly felt the need to aid this man. She turned her head to look at her husband, grabbing his arm to gain his attention. Once his eyes met hers, she spoke, "This is a request from a primordial, we should not turn it down. Chaos would not come to us unless he trusted us to complete this task," Zeus contemplated his wife's words for a moment, but she was not done. Not yet, "Besides, how many affairs have you had? You owe me this."

Her last words had sealed the deal and Zeus let out a sigh before he looked at Chaos, "We will care for the boy."

And for the first time since the Primordial had walked through the portal, a small smile took over his features. He handed the bundle to Hera, who happily accepted the child into her arms, "Thank you. I thank you so much. I will check in every few hundred years on the boy."

"What is his name?" Hera questioned as she looked down at the child in her arms.

"Perseus," Chaos gave the name with a small fond smile adorning his features, "His mother quite liked the name, and I gave it to him as a connection to her."

"A strong name for a God," Zeus commented as he lifted his gaze to meet Chaos, and the Primordial nodded his head once in agreement.

"And now, to make this binding official. I request that you adopt him officially," Chaos stated. The King and Queen nodded before making the adoption of Perseus official. Once it was, the baby's features changed to fit that of his adoptive parents. His hair was a dark black as black as the void, but with streaks of brown within it. The irises of his eyes were a wonderful mixture of blue, black, sea green, and brown.

At the sight of his son's features changing, a solemn smile appeared on Chaos's face before he met the eyes of Zeus and Hera once more, "Take care of him," and with those words, Chaos disappeared into the portal from whence he came.

Zeus looked at Hera, "I suppose, we have an announcement to make to the council."

Hera nodded her head in agreement to her husband's words and the two flashed to the throne room on Olympus. Hera took her seat on her throne, still cradling the baby in her arms. Zeus tossed his lightning bolt into the center of the room to summon the Olympian Gods and Goddesses. He then sat on his throne to await their entrances. Poseidon was first, and once he saw the child in his sister's arms, he froze.

"We will explain once everyone arrives," Zeus stated to his brother, and though Poseidon wished to argue for an explanation then and there the look his brother and sister gave him caused him to sit on his throne in silence instead. Aphrodite, Ares, and Hephaestus all arrived next, and they took their seats silently. Then Artemis and Athena were next, and finally Dionysus, Apollo, and Hermes arrived.

"What is this meeting for, Father?" Athena questioned, "We were not set to meet again until the summer solstice."

"I know that, my child, but I believe a meeting is in order to introduce you all to my and Hera's son," Zeus motioned towards Hera, who still held Perseus in her arms.

"Son? When did you have another child? When was Hera with a child? Surely I would have noticed," Artemis questioned instantly, and Zeus lifted his hand to silence his daughter.

"We kept the fact of Hera's pregnancy hidden due to reasons we are not yet ready to explain. We had just started getting along better, and we wished to keep him hidden until the right moment. He was just born yesterday, and we thought it time to tell you all," Zeus answered calmly as he let his eyes meet the Gods and Goddesses of the Council, "Once he has received his domains, he will join the Olympian Council as the Twelfth Olympian. He will be treated with the honor and respect of an Olympian before then. I am asking you to inform the world of the next Olympian."

"This runt an Olympian?" Ares scoffed as he looked at the baby in Hera's arms, "He looks as weak as Dionysus, why I could beat him with a hand tied behind my-," before Ares could finish his rant, he was struck with a bolt of lightning, causing him to slump backwards into his throne, rubbing his chest in pain.

"Do not be so foolish as to insult my son again, Ares," Zeus bellowed angrily as he glared at Ares, "You may be my son, but I will not hesitate to cast you into Tartarus. Did I not just say he will be treated with respect?"

Everyone in the throne room stared in shock at Zeus as he scolded Ares. It was no secret that all of them found Ares infuriating, but it was rare that Zeus ever shouted or grew too angry with Ares. At first, it was because everyone assumed Ares was Zeus's favorite son, but it became evident that Ares was just as hot headed at Zeus and arguments between the two more often than not lasted decades.

"Easy, husband, or you'll wake Perseus," Hera spoke calmly to her husband, and everyone watched in awe as Zeus calmed slowly at his wife's words. He still wore a scowl on his features, but it softened when he heard the soft whine of his new son in his wife's arms. Zeus took a deep breath to calm himself down before he woke the boy, and he glanced around the room at the rest of the council.

"Does anyone else have anything to say about my son? Be wise before you speak as I am taking no mercy," Zeus said calmly, but it was evident from the fire in his eyes that he was not calm and was very serious. When no one spoke up, Zeus nodded his head once, "Good, then the meeting is adjourned. Until we meet again at the Summer's Solstice."

With that, nine Olympians flashed out of the throne room, leaving the King and Queen alone with their new son. Zeus looked at Hera silently as she stared down at the baby in her arms, "He is quite handsome, is he not? I predict he will be more handsome than most mortals and immortals alike," Hera spoke softly.

Zeus chuckled, "Do not let Aphrodite hear you say that." Hera merely lifted her head to meet the eyes of her husband. For the first time in a long time, Zeus could see the pure happiness shining in her eyes and he swore to do anything he could to keep it there, "Come, wife. Let us go home."

"Yes, let's. It is time to show Perseus his new home," Hera agreed and the two Olympians flashed from the throne room and to their palace.

Ten years had passed since Perseus was left in the care of Zeus and Hera. Being a young godling, Perseus had already become a fully grown man. Zeus and Hera had spent the last decade raising the son of Chaos and training him to use his powers. They taught him everything from the history of the Earth from the creation of Gaia to the role of every God and Goddess, from the Olympians to the minors.

On the days he wasn't learning, Perseus was sent to train. He trained in archery with the help of his brother and sister, Apollo and Artemis. Though he preferred training with Artemis more than with Apollo, as Artemis took her job as his teacher seriously despite the times when she called him a boy or threatened to turn him into a jackalope. Apollo goofed around most of the time, and it irked Perseus to the core. He enjoyed a good joke, but not at the expense of his training.

He spent some time learning swordsmanship with his brother, Ares, but it quickly turned into Ares trying to kill him and Percy trying to defend himself without seriously injuring his brother so those lessons were cancelled by Hera, and instead he learned from his sister, Athena. He spent time with Uncle Poseidon and Aunt Hestia on Olympus, and sometimes with his Uncle Hades whenever he came for a visit, which was rare.

He also spent one day, every two years in the void. The first time he had done this, it was the day of his fifth year of birth. Zeus had taken him at the request of Chaos, and he learned the circumstances of his birth. How Chaos had fallen in love with his mother and courted her, and soon she gave birth to him whilst on her deathbed. He learned that he was a part of a Divine Prophecy and to keep him safe, Chaos sent him to Earth to be raised by Zeus and Hera. Even after learning the truth, Perseus still saw Zeus as his father. Zeus had taken care of him and raised him from birth, loved him as his own. Perseus merely found himself lucky enough to have two fathers instead of one.

As his powers developed, Hera and Zeus noticed that Perseus had an affinity to night over day, and excelled in use of most weapons, however he preferred his sword when in close combat and his bow for long range. He was a master of stealth, and he was a fierce warrior who fought with honor. It was also very apparent to his parents that Perseus was completely loyal. It was seen in the ways he defended his brother, Ares, even after the countless times the man had tried to kill him.

After his tenth year of training, Perseus had been prepared to receive his domains from the Fates. The entire council had been present in the throne room to await the Fates. Perseus stood at the foot of his father's throne, his arms crossed behind his back.

"Today, is the day, my son will find out his domains," Zeus bellowed proudly, and as if waiting for the cue, the Fates all appeared in a flash of blinding light.

Perseus eyed the elderly women curiously and together the women spoke in unison, "All Hail Perseus, Son of Zeus and Hera, Olympian God of Darkness, Night, Battle, Loyalty, and Time," the Fates announced before they disappeared in a flash of light once more.

"Time? How can this welp be the God of Time?" Ares questioned, his brows narrowed dangerously.

"We do not question the Fates, if they say he is the God of Time. Then he is the God of Time," Zeus stated simply, though he was curious as to this development as well. Then he waved his hand to allow a new throne to form, this one on his left side, "Take a seat, Perseus. Welcome to the Council."

Perseus did as he was told, and he took his seat at the left of his father. Hera smiled proudly at her son, giving him a nod of her head. This caused Perseus to beam happily at her, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

"So, what do I do now?" Perseus questioned as he turned his head to look at his father.

"Now, you take care of your domains and perform your duties," Zeus smiled warmly at his son, "Your life is truly beginning."

Zeus was not joking when he said that Perseus's life was truly beginning. The Godling now had more deeds and duties to perform once he had received his domains. He did not mind them at all, however. He took his duties as a God very seriously.

Throughout the next few decades, he had many Champions that became Great Heroes, such as his brother Perseus. He had taken a liking to the young lad before he had even been born due to the demi-god's mother choosing to name him after the God. He did everything the Ancient Laws allowed him to do to protect the boy throughout his life, even going as far as to seek the aid of his sister, Athena when the boy had to battle the gorgon Medusa. With Perseus, Athena, and Hermes aid the young demi-god was able to defeat the gorgon. He was the elder Perseus's pride and joy, his favorite hero.

Perseus's least favorite hero was his other brother, the great Hercules. Perseus had hated him the moment the boy was old enough to speak. In his mind, he was too arrogant, disrespectful, and dishonorable to be considered a Hero. Even his mother seemed to agree, though she hated all the children his father chose to sire, so that was no surprise to Perseus.

However, despite his hatred of his brother, Perseus had been tasked with the job of following and aiding Hercules in his quest of the 12 Labors. Perseus did not go out of his way to help the boy, only offering his aid when it appeared Hercules was approaching the brink of death. The God had to admit, he enjoyed watching Hercules get tossed around a little too much.

It was on the 11th labor, where Perseus decided not to aid the boy at all. Not after he had witnessed the way he treated the Hespersaide, Zoe Nightshade. The poor Hesperside had no clue what she was in for when she met Hercules. She fell for his arrogant sweet talk, and his charms too easily. It angered Perseus to know end the way Hercules had used the girl to gain the apples from the Garden of the Hesperides.

He watched from his throne in the realm of Darkness as the demi-god exited the Garden with the Golden Apple of Immortality in one hand, and a celestial bronze sword in the other. A gift the girl had given him. Perseus's eyes narrowed dangerously as he watched the scene before him. The girl had followed Hercules out of the Garden, with hopes that she would take him with her.

"Please allow me to accompany you on your journey, Hercules. Now that I have aided you, I will be considered a traitor. I will be banished, and I have nowhere to go," the Hesperside pleaded softly, a look of fear taking over her features. Perseus could see the realization sink into the girl that she would not be safe, not without Hercules's.

"I am sorry, but my journeys are no place for a woman. I must finish my tasks, and I cannot afford to allow you to slow me down," Hercules stated, and Perseus watched as a smug smile appeared on the man's face, "I must be off now, but I enjoyed your company."

The woman turned away at Hercules's clear rejection, heartbroken and lost. Perseus could see the betrayal in her eyes, and it caused his heart to clench. He already knew what he intended to do to help the girl, but first he figured a certain demi-god deserved to be punished. He slipped into the shadows, and appeared behind Hercules. Without a second thought, he lifted his hand and smacked Hercules's down with so much strength, he knew the man would wake with a headache the next morning. Perseus watched as Hercules's body went limp, and once the man was on the ground, Perseus bent over to turn him onto his back and he glared down at the man, "You are nothing but a spoilt child, and you have just made an enemy on the council of Olympians. Heed this warning, Hercules, son of Zeus, do not cross me," He spoke angrily, and though he knew that Hercules was unable to hear him, he knew he made his message clear. He quickly grabbed the celestial bronze sword that was on the ground, the "hero" did not deserve the weapon the woman made for him.

Perseus turned his back to Hercules and made his way towards the woman, who was in turn watching him with wide eyes filled with wonder and fear, "W-who are you?"

"I am Perseus, and I believe this belongs to you," Perseus held the sword out to the woman, hilt first so she would not injure herself. The woman tentatively took the sword from her, recognition flashing in her eyes.

"Thank you, Lord Perseus," her head bowed quickly, and Perseus frowned softly. He cleared his throat before he reached a hand out to lift her head so that she could meet his eyes.

"Do not bow to me."

"Why did you attack him? Is he not a Hero of Olympus?"

Perseus scoffed as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the woman's words, "He is no hero to me. He is an arrogant womanizer who has no morals or honor," Perseus stated simply, shaking his head, "I will assure he gets the proper punishment for what he has done to you. I watched everything he has done to you from my realm. I saw the way you trusted him and how he was quick to abandon you. I was assigned the task of aiding him, however, I will no longer aid him. He does deserve it. Now, what is your name?"

"Zoe, Zoe Nightshade," Zoe said softly as she glanced down at the ground.

"What will you do now, Zoe Nightshade?"

"I-I do not know. I can feel my immortality is no longer present, which means my family has learned of my betrayal. I suppose I will have to wander alone until the end of my days."

"That is not something I will allow," Perseus said firmly with a shake of his head, "No no, I will take you to my sister. There you will find a home, a family, and immortality. Artemis will surely take you in once she learns of your story."

"You believe I could join the Hunters of Artemis?" Zoe asked, glancing up at Perseus. Perseus gave a single nod of his head.

"And luckily for you, I know where they are located. I can teleport you to the area they are in, and I will give you their exact location, but you must find them on your own. The Ancient Laws forbid me from aiding a mortal, however, I will contact Artemis and let her know where to find you."

A small smile took over the Hesperside's features, and the sadness in her eyes had diminished if only lightly. This made Perseus's decision to aid her even better in his eyes. Then, the woman did something that shocked even herself. She launched forward, wrapping her arms around Perseus's torso in a tight hug. Perseus stood there silently for a moment, his eyes widened in shock before he wrapped an arm around the girl.

"Thank you, milord," the woman said as she stepped away from Perseus.

"Er, yes yes, well, no need to thank me," Perseus lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, "You'll do wise not to mention that hug to the hunters. Artemis may be my favorite sister, and I, her favorite brother, but she would still turn me into a jackalope should she hear about that. And well, I much prefer not being an animal."

Zoe giggled softly before she was silent for a moment. She sighed before she handed her hairpin to Perseus. Perseus eyed the pin silently for a moment as it elongated into the sword that he had taken from Hercules. Perseus met the eyes of Zoe once more.

"I want you to have it, or to give it to a hero in the future that truly deserves the sword. I made a mistake giving it to him, but I know you will guard it well and give it to a true Great Hero."

"I will care for it as if it were my own," Perseus promised softly with a nod of his head, "Now? Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Zoe nodded her head, and Perseus offered a small smile before he waved his hand, a shadow enveloping Zoe and whisking her away to the area where his sister had set up camp. Perseus trusted Zoe would find her way there safely.

However, still worried for her safety, Perseus turned and conjured up the mist to create a rainbow, tossing a drachma into it, "Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. Artemis, the Hunt's camp."

It didn't take long for an image of his sister to appear in the rainbow, and Perseus smiled as he watched her take charge of ordering her Huntresses around for a moment before he spoke, "Artemis."

Artemis whipped her head around, a glare on her features that softened only slightly at the sight of her youngest brother, "Perseus, what can I do for you?"

"I have sent a maiden to you. A woman who was used and betrayed by our half brother, Hercules. I request that you let her into your hunt and take care of her."

"A woman you say? Betrayed by Hercules? You know I would have allowed her into the hunt without your interference, brother," Artemis stated.

"I know that, but I needed to be sure. She has been hurt severely by Hercules, I am sure she will give you her true story once she arrives. I have sent her to the area you are in, but I have not given her an exact location. You know I cannot interfere completely. She should arrive by mid-morning or afternoon."

"I will assure that she arrives safely and I will take her in," Artemis promised.

"Thank you, dear sister. Until we speak again," Perseus said. Artemis offered a nod of her head and Perseus wiped his hand across the mist. He sighed as he nodded his head to him, "You did the right thing, Perseus," he whispered to himself before he used the shadows to return to his home.