Misery's Smile Chapter 11
By your's truly, Art and Rinne
Hey fellas, what's up! Last chapter was pretty… Okay I guess hehe. Well, I hope you like this one huhuhu. So sit back, have some jacket potatoes, and I hope you enjoy!
The full moon was up as Perseus started to stir. He quickly sat up, as he surveyed his surroundings, and himself. Though he was rid of his armour and cloak, he was still wearing his black tunic and leggings. Sighing in relief, he turned to see a snoring, and slightly drooling Aphrodite on her armchair. Resisting the urge to laugh at the goddess, hesat up and tested himself.
"Not bad, Aphrodite," Perseus commented as he stretched his arms, waking up the love goddess.
"I aim to please," Aphrodite said in a strange tone, earning a small sigh from the Primordial.
Then, Perseus stood in full alert, momentarily taking Aphrodite off-guard. The immortal quickly donned his armour and cloak, as he readied himself for departure. Perseus knew that he had dallied too much, and was late in meeting with Chiron.
"I must go," Perseus whispered, as Aphrodite looked at him with an expression of longing.
"Will you come back? Y-You are a good, um, person to talk to… And um, good lo-" Aphrodite said, before stopping abruptly.
Perseus sighed at her golden cheeks.
"You hitting on me, Aphrodite? You know that doesn't work," Perseus raised an eyebrow, as Aphrodite huffed.
"I'm just arranging a meeting with a dear friend, you prude!" Aphrodite grumbled loudly.
"We'll see, eh?" Perseus winked, before he flashed away, leaving a blushing Aphrodite.
Though, he found himself slightly offended at Aphrodite calling him a 'prude'.
Perseus had to adjust his hood, as he blocked out the glaring moonlight. Ignoring the fact that someone rather specific might have been spying on him, Perseus made his way through the fields of Attica. He smelled the fresh air that surrounded the place, not to mention the sheer space that this particular field offered. The forest that was conveniently laid at the back of this place was also another thing that caught Perseus' eye.
Funnily enough, it was pure coincidence that Perseus found this place. At least, that was what he believed. After all, Chaos was the one who held his life-thread. Besides Chaos, only Ananke herself had the authority to weave the fate of Perseus. Or rather, destiny. However, Ananke was still in deep slumber, which made this completely qualify as a 'coincidence'. Something that Perseus took great relish in.
The moon was still glaring. The sense of being watched still stayed, which made Perseus sigh. Contorting his face into a menacing glare, Perseus faced the moon, and aimed his power flare. Instantly, the moon dimmed, and faded within the clouds. After resolving that particular problem, Perseus decided to flash directly to Chiron, and tell him of the good news.
What he saw wasn't what he expected. He expected perhaps a half-dozen, or maybe even just a dozen of demigods, seeing as they were recovering from respective wars and all that. Instead, he found himself facing at least a hundred demigods – and half of them who were probably still children.
"Oh Chaos," Perseus grumbled, as Chiron smiled apologetically.
"I wasn't lying when the Gods were rather… Productive," Chiron said carefully, earning a small splutter from Perseus.
"Chiron, even Nyx wasn't this productive, and look at how many children she has…" Perseus grumbled, as he instantly had to shut out a familiar shouting voice in his head.
The demigods laughed heartily, but Perseus chose to ignore them. They started to chatter, but Perseus quickly silenced them with a powerful glare.
"In any case… Let's focus on the task at hand. First, we need to find a place big enough-"Chiron explained, before he got cut off.
"You're in luck, old horse. I have just the place in mind. We leave tonight. I'm sure you can smell it –an army of monsters are approaching," Perseus said grimly, as Chiron barked orders to the demigods, who followed them with urgency.
Pretty soon, they were relatively packed up, and ready to go. In truth, Perseus was slightly impressed at their discipline, but noted some disillusioned expressions, and also some that held swords clearly not suited to them.
"Follow my instructions, or you will all die. I can smell an army of monsters approaching, and I have no doubt they will overwhelm all of you," Perseus said, as the demigods quickly nodded.
They had seen too many of their companions die to oppose Perseus' blunt words.
In a few orders, Perseus had them holding each other's hands. His yellow eyes blazed as he flashed them away to the place that he hand-picked as the spot for their camp. The demigods shuffled as they got back to their feet, before standing at attention before Perseus and Chiron. Perseus was surprised at their amiable reception to his presence, but understood that Chiron had probably briefed them about him beforehand.
Chiron shouted, "We make camp here!"
Instantly, Perseus let loose a breath – that teleportation had taken a lot of power out of him. Transporting over a hundred demigods and an immortal centaur over an area heavily layered with power was no easy feat. Especially when Athens was basically a hub. An embassy for immortals, so to speak.
"Chiron, when do we start?" Perseus breathed, as he leaned on a tree.
"Tomorrow," Chiron said, before going into a large tent in the centre of the camp.
Perseus sighed, as he ate a piece of ambrosia to regain some of his strength. He knew that this particular action would take a massive amount of power, and a God. He silently called for Hestia – seeing that Hestia was one of the goddesses to support his plan.
A wall of flame manifested, as a clearly puzzled Hestia stepped out of it.
"Hestia, I will need your help to create the barrier of this camp," Perseus said, as Hestia tilted her head.
"Why? Surely the Death Mist would be perfect for this?" Hestia asked, but Perseus shook his head.
"I will need your help to forge the Mist of this world to mask it, Hestia. The dark power the Death Mist radiates will protect the Camp from monsters who fear it, but will draw some rather powerful beings to it. It is something I wish to avoid, at all costs," Perseus said grimly, as Hestia nodded.
"Thus, I will need you to forge the Mist, such that it makes the imprint of the Death Mist unclear and blurred," Perseus finished, as he waited for Hestia's response.
"Alright," Hestia finally nodded, although her face still maintained a wary look.
"Excellent, Hestia. Let's start," Perseus said, as his yellow eyes blazed, and something cold spread throughout the camp.
Chanting in an ancient language before the Gods, Perseus used the Death Mist to forge a barrier over the camp, as he continued to layer it with hundreds of enchantments, which included repelling away mortals and avoiding detection. As he finished the last enchantment, Perseus signalled to Hestia, who manipulated the Mist to layer over Perseus' barrier, to finish the protection.
A bead of sweat trickled down Perseus' brow, as he observed his work. The barrier would weaken over time, but for now, it was near impenetrable. At least, that was what Hestia seemed to think, as she touched the invisible wall that separated the camp from the outside world. The camp was basically a fortress, with the amount of magical protections layered on it. She was impressed, and she showed it by giving Perseus an acknowledging smile.
Perseus could only mutter a silent 'thank you', before he staggered into the large tent, and collapsed on the bed that Chiron had prepared for him.
It was morning, as Perseus strapped his sword to his back. His black cloak billowed behind him as he brisk walked to the centre of the camp, where Chiron had the demigods stand at attention. It was finally time to formally introduce himself.
If there was a word Perseus could use to describe the hundred demigods, it was 'jaded'. Some looked extremely scarred and disillusioned, while others looked extremely haggard and traumatized. It was a total mess. Not to mention the sheer amount of children that were present, and the precious few 'experienced' fighters that Perseus could detect.
The immortal knew then, that it was going to be extremely tough training them.
It was then, Chiron stepped forward and addressed the demigods.
"Heroes! I formally introduce you to Camp Half-Blood! However, before we continue, I would like to introduce you to Perseus. He will be helping me as I, no, we train all of you," Chiron said in a commanding tone, before pointing towards Perseus, whose hood was pulled back.
Perseus returned the gesture with a subtle nod of his head, as his glowing yellow eyes peered towards the demigods.
"It was Perseus who forged the barrier of the camp, thus keeping all of you safe. I expect all of you to treat him with the same respect," Chiron finished, as he nodded his head towards Perseus, who stepped forward.
"So, you are the demigods that Chiron has been talking to me about," Perseus said, as he studied them.
Right then, Perseus let loose a blast of dark power, which forced most of the demigods to stagger. It was here that Perseus had managed to separate the weaker willed demigods from the strong willed ones, judging from how they reacted. After all, the purpose of the aura was to toy with their minds and cause fear.
The effects were shown when more than half of the demigods kneeled down, and whimpered, causing massive unease among the ones still standing. As Chiron patted his shoulder, Perseus sighed and stopped the spell.
"I find this to be… Disappointing. Many of you seem to fear many things, which is something that will change as Chiron and I train you. None of you are fit to even step a foot out of the Camp at this moment," Perseus said coldly, as one of the demigods chose to step out of the line.
Perseus raised an eyebrow as he observed the young upstart who stepped forward in anger.
"How dare you… Who in Tartarus are you to do that?!" The young boy shouted, as Perseus narrowed his eyes.
"I am a Primordial Lord," Perseus growled, as some of the children gasped.
Instantly, the children went to kneel for forgiveness, but Perseus simply rolled his eyes at the act.
"Get up. If I wanted to destroy any of you, I would have done it a long time ago. It is also admittedly unbecoming to kneel to a stranger," Perseus flatly told, as they staggered to their feet.
"Any other questions?" Perseus asked, not knowing what he was getting into, with the amount of Athena's children around here.
Instantly, he was absolutely bombarded, as the curiosity overcame their self-preservation. Especially the grey eyed children.
"Who are you?"
"You are a Primordial?"
"Why haven't we heard about you? Surely all the Primordials are well documented?"
Perseus had enough, and finally said, "Silence."
"Like I said, I am a Primordial Lord, and you are testing my patience," Perseus' yellow eyes blazed, as Chiron sighed. The immortal was enjoying himself a little too much.
Then, Chiron quickly laid a hand on Perseus' shoulder, before he quickly made the group swear on the Styx to keep his partner's status a secret. It wouldn't surprise Chiron if there were powerful beings after Perseus' head – Primordials were hated by many.
"For now, rest. I will expect to see you when Apollo's chariot lies directly overhead," Chiron ordered.
After the demigods were dismissed, Chiron sighed, "You created quite an image of yourself, Perseus."
"It had to be done. We need to-"
"Perseus, these demigods are just children. Not seasoned warriors, or powerful immortals. They are not as hardened as you think," Chiron chided, as Perseus gave a huff.
"They will have to, if they wish to survive," Perseus told.
Chiron shook his head, "What they need now, is a sense of safety first. I hope you do not recreate the Agoge in this camp, Perseus."
"The Agoge is a foolish system. It creates extremely effective warriors, yes, but at a heavy cost. We will not recreate that here, Chiron," Perseus reassured, as Chiron looked on in approval.
"You used the Death Mist creating the barrier, didn't you?" Chiron surveyed his surroundings, while Perseus bit his lip.
"The life-forms here have all wilted because of the dark power that the Death Mist emits," Chiron finished, as he shook his head.
It was true. The once lush, green grass had essentially turned brown. Not to mention the stench of death that was practically radiating from the large, withered forest. He wondered why the demigods weren't affected, and concluded that the immortal blood protected them. The immortal could only heave a sigh of relief as he thought about his decision to use the Olympians' Mist and power to layer the Death Mist.
Basically, the damage was already controlled, so to speak. Perseus sighed before he turned back to Chiron.
"Well?" Perseus asked sheepishly, as Chiron sighed even further.
"We have to rebuild, or rather, restore the land. Which means you will need the help of the Olympians. I doubt Misery and Poison could restore plants and life," Chiron pointed out, earning a grumble from Perseus.
"Couldn't we just ask the demigods to ask their parents? I think they will have a much easier time than me in convincing those gods," Perseus noted, as Chiron nodded in agreement.
Right then, he asked the children to pray for the land, and the effects showed instantly. The Gods were already monitoring the Camp, and surprisingly, most of them supported the idea. When they heard their children praying to them on Chiron's command, they lent their aid.
What was once a dark, dead and dreary land turned into a little bit of Elysium. Lush green fields filled the landscape, and Perseus could see various farms that stretched from the entrance of the barrier, all the way across to a hill. A glimmering lake appeared on the centre of the camp, and a burning hearth could be seen by the tents.
However, the forest remained dead, and it left Perseus heavily troubled. The demigods would need to learn how to hunt and survive in the wilderness if they wished to leave the camp. Judging from how demigods constantly attracted monsters, he doubted that mortals would take them in to their cities for protection. The Mist that the Olympians commanded helped in allaying that problem a little, but it would only help in deterring the lesser monsters.
However, the stronger ones would see through it easily, especially if the demigods were already aware of the presence of monsters.
"Chiron, the forest remains dead," Perseus told, as Chiron looked at him carefully.
Finally, Chiron sighed in resignation, "There is only one who can fix this."
"Who?" Perseus asked.
"Goddess of the Moon, the Hunt, and the Forests, Lady Artemis," Chiron said, as Perseus' eyes instantly narrowed.
"You sure about this?" Perseus pinched the bridge of his nose, and Chiron nodded.
"Oh Chaos…"
Perseus couldn't believe his luck at times. First, the Orion incident. Then, the hunters got poisoned, and he had to help. Now, the Primordial had to contend with having to meet Artemis again.
"You can't be serious," Perseus had said, before Chiron shook his head.
Chiron had only one reply for that.
"I wouldn't have brought this up if I wasn't serious, Perseus. I would have asked one of the demigods, but I do not want to risk them being turned into a creature that would be in turn, hunted by her handmaidens. I think I mentioned in our last conversation that Artemis refuses to really listen to anyone, even her brother," Chiron pointed out.
"Why me?" Perseus grumbled, earning an annoyed sigh from the centaur.
"Do this for the demigods, if nothing else. After all, you did promise to help them," Chiron pinched the bridge of his nose, as he wondered where Perseus inherited his stubbornness.
Perseus rested his hand on Night as he considered his options. It wasn't like he hated Artemis, no not at all. Deep in his heart, Perseus could never let go of Artemis, although he was again, too stubborn to admit it. However, he made a promise to help the demigods.
"I'm leaving. Tell the children that their training starts tomorrow," Perseus sighed.
"And Chiron?"
Chiron raised an eyebrow, which enabled Perseus to continue.
"Did it have to be 'Camp Half-Blood'?" Perseus grumbled, before he floated away in a shroud of mist.
If only Gaea was awake, this would have been a little easier. Though she was a First-Born, an enemy of Akhlys, and an extremely deceitful goddess, Perseus felt that she would be a little easier to convince than her.
Perseus snarled as he finally found Artemis' aura. Then again, all he needed was to threa – ask Artemis to restore the forest and wildlife in the camp. He slowly floated himself down, and found himself facing a warm welcome from the Hunt.
A warm welcome that involved a dozen arrows pointed to his face. Not to mention the venomous glares that could be seen from some of the Hunters who had just recovered from being poisoned. Perseus thought he saw Zoe winking at him, before a burly huntress shoved the little nymph behind her.
The Primordial, however could care less. Without looking at the Hunters, he simply walked through the girls while pushing some of them aside. Though, he had to catch an arrow aimed for his head as he walked towards a tent he recognized to be Artemis'.
Perseus just wanted to get this over with.
"You are not welcome, immortal!" A huntress shouted, and Perseus could hear an arrow being released.
With lightning quick reflexes, Perseus dodged, before he drew his sword.
"If you keep… If you keep trying to kill me, I will have no choice but to defend myself. I suggest you don't try, if you want to see daylight," Perseus' eyes flashed, before a familiar voice shouted.
"What is going on here?!" Artemis shouted, before she saw Perseus, and her eyes instantly blazed.
"Why do you show your face here again?! I thought I told you not to come here again?" Artemis continued to shout, as Perseus started getting annoyed.
Perseus tilted his head, as he gave her an emotionless, yet menacing look. His face was shadowed behind his hood, though a pair of glowing yellow eyes could be seen. It made him look extremely intimidating, especially with Night being drawn. Some Huntresses even stepped back, but forced themselves to hold their ground.
"I wouldn't come here if I had a choice, Artemis," Perseus said dangerously, before he continued.
"I need your powers, Huntress. I am sure you remember that last meeting in Olympus? I will need you to restore a dead forest in that camp," Perseus said, not willing to drag this unpleasant conversation.
"And why would I do that, Perseus?" Artemis asked haughtily.
"Because it is necessary for the demigods' training," Perseus replied tonelessly.
"I do not care for them. Now get out of my sight!" Artemis shouted.
"Put your petty vendetta aside, Artemis. I am merely asking this for the good of the demigods. It would be embarrassing if the Elder Olympians found out that you refused to aid them simply because you were childish," Perseus retorted in annoyance.
Right then, another arrow was released, as Perseus caught and crushed it.
"You should teach your handmaidens better than to attack someone who has saved their lives. If nothing else, you should teach them to have some self-preservation, before they anger someone less merciful than I am," Perseus' eyes were cold and started getting darker.
Artemis gritted her teeth, as she weighed her options. She refused to admit it, but Perseus had a point. She had lost many of her girls to poison. Artemis wasn't willing let them endanger themselves by testing Perseus' patience any longer. She could only wonder where the kind, loving Perseus went, as she thought about it. However, she quickly shoved those thoughts away as she readjusted herself.
"Stay your bows, girls, and rest in the tents. Leave us," Artemis commanded her hunters.
They were reluctant, but they didn't oppose it. After all, it was a direct order from Artemis. The group of huntresses dissipated and headed towards their tents, leaving Artemis and Perseus alone.
"What exactly do I gain from this?" Artemis asked, as she started to reach into her power.
"You gain a separate outpost. An outpost protected under my power. The hunters will be permitted to stay at the camp if you are unavailable to be there to protect them," Perseus said drily, as Artemis weighed her options even more.
"And I doubt that you would gain more support – if you ever had any – among the Olympians if you choose to hinder the demigods' training with your lack of action," Perseus sheathed his black sword, as he saw the wheels in Artemis' head turning.
Meanwhile, Artemis having an inner debate. The lack of a truly safe outpost had plagued the Hunters for centuries. Of the original ten that she selected as the first members of the Hunt, only Phoebe remained as the sole survivor. The others had died from monster attacks that occurred when she was away on a solo Hunt or in a council meeting. Not to mention about the amount of times she was overruled by Zeus, simply because she did not have enough support among the Olympians.
Lastly, it was the fact that Perseus was the one who offered those options. If it was any other, she would have accepted without question. She still couldn't look at him in the eyes ever since that incident without feeling heavy guilt weighing on her heart.
In truth, she still had felt something for him, but she was simply too stubborn to see it.
Artemis did not know when she made the decision, but she found herself reaching into her power and worked to locate Camp Half-Blood. Perseus raised an eyebrow, as he detected her tendril of power reach past his barrier to will the forest and the wildlife to rise within.
After the deed was done, Artemis finally said, "It is done, but my statement still stands, Perseus. Do not even bother asking me for favours again, for this is the last time you will set foot on this camp."
"Do not flatter yourself, Artemis. I have others who are dearer to me to spend my time with," Perseus snarled, before he flashed away.
Artemis did not know why, but when he completed that statement, she quickly rushed to her tent and fell to her knees in sheer guilt and pain. The guilt was quickly replaced with bitterness, as she tried to blame the nature of men for Perseus' actions.
After all, she never could blame Perseus for anything, no matter how she tried.
Perseus reappeared in the camp, before he looked at Artemis' work with the forest. It was in a word – Perfect. Where Perseus once smelled death, he smelled the sweet scent of Life.
The Camp was essentially ready for the demigods. With a water source, a hunting ground, open fields where they could train and finally, the fact that there was no longer a fear of monster attacks, the camp was perfect. It was as Perseus and Chiron had imagined to be, at least.
The tents were still pitched, but Perseus could already see some of the more burly children building what looked like temples.
"What are they building, Chiron?" Perseus asked curiously.
"Cabins, of course. You can't expect them to live in tents in a place like this forever, can you?" Chiron answered, as Perseus nodded in approval.
"But temples?" Perseus asked.
"It was one of their ideas. The cabins are not only built for accommodation, but also as an honour to the gods. Even maiden goddesses like Artemis, Hestia and Athena would have a cabin," Chiron explained.
"None are in honour to us, the founders?" Perseus huffed in amusement, as Chiron pointed to a large building.
"Lord Hephaestus aided in the creation of that," Chiron said, as Perseus slowly stripped off his black cloak.
"As for training… I will be the trainer for combat and hunting. As for you, Chiron, you will be, everything else, ranging from philosophy, and the control of their powers. I'm afraid my methods would be detrimental to the demigods, and the fact that I have no patience for meaningless philosophy," Perseus winked, as Chiron sighed.
"So, we have an agreement, then?" Perseus asked, as Chiron held up a hand.
"Very well, but I have some other duties that also crucial. I will take the administrative duties of the camp. Perseus, you are responsible for the protection of the camp, and the welfare of the demigods," Chiron listed, as Perseus groaned.
"Do you agree in this?" Chiron asked, as Perseus silently nodded.
Chiron held out a hand, which made Perseus raise his eyebrow.
"For the future of this camp, the children and our cooperation," Chiron said, as Perseus gave him a crooked smirk.
Perseus was hesitant about doing this, but he remembered he made a promise to Apollo. Besides, Chiron was an interesting companion to have, and rather similar to Lykos. He eyed Chiron's outstretched hand, as he made a decision.
With a cold, firm grip, Perseus shook it.
(In Olympus…)
The atmosphere was rather upbeat as the Gods looked down upon the camp that they built together, and the powerful barrier that protected their children. Approving nods could be seen among some of the Gods which included Poseidon and Demeter.
"This is indeed… Good for our children," Poseidon muttered, earning a huff from Zeus.
Zeus snorted and turned away, only to hear a dark voice speaking in his head.
'Strife… Perseus… Overthrow…'
Zeus looked around, but only saw the Olympians, who were still intently looking at the progress the Camp was making.
He never noticed the faceless shadow that retreated away from the throne room.
(Deep in Tartarus)
Nyx had just returned from her duties, and she was extremely unnerved. As she hovered over Greece with her black chariot, she couldn't help but feel a dark power that seemed to watch over the lands. The taint in the air was apparent as she rode back into Tartarus.
At first, she wondered if it was Perseus, but quickly dismissed it. Perseus had been extremely diligent in masking his presence in Chaos' plane, aside from rare instances where he briefly flared his power. Recently though, he used a massive amount of strength for something – presumably for a barrier, judging from how his presence went completely dark right after it started to dissipated.
As she dug deeper and used her darkness to probe around Greece, she finally found it. At least, she briefly felt it before her probe was violently destroyed.
However, she felt it long enough to recognize the imprint of the dark aura. Nyx frowned as she thought about it. He couldn't have escaped, could he? After all, it was Akhlys and Nyx who personally oversaw his imprisonment in the pit.
Needless to say, she had to alert Akhlys immediately. If it was indeed him, there was no doubt who he was after.
After all, it was natural that he would seek revenge after the endless tortures Akhlys put him through in the pit.
Nyx rushed into the Mansion of Night, surprising Akhlys and Lykos.
"Sister! Perseus is in grave danger," Nyx's eyes darkened, as Akhlys raised an eyebrow.
"And? Let him fix it himself, Nyx. After all, he was the one who told me not to interfere with his affairs," Akhlys turned her nose up, earning a frown from Nyx.
"Akhlys, listen to me. I felt a dark presence in the world above, and it is disturbingly similar to the one creature that you, on Father's command, personally imprisoned and tortured," Nyx told her sister, who was extremely interested at this point.
"Are you sure?" Akhlys glared, now starting to understand the situation.
"This is an odd coincidence, Akhlys. I felt that familiar dark power after Perseus' power roused," Nyx noted, as the room darkened.
"That fool! I told him not to use the Death Mist unnecessarily!" Akhlys shouted angrily, though her yellow eyes betrayed her worry.
If what Nyx said was true, Perseus was indeed in grave danger, especially if he returned to take revenge.
"I think Perseus should be fine, Akhlys. I could not even feel his imprint after he had completed whatever he was doing. My concern, however, is still him. We cannot allow him to walk across the plane, Akhlys," Nyx said, her voice dead serious.
Lykos worriedly fingered his sword, as he listened to the two great goddesses. If the stories Lord Tartarus told him were true about that prisoner…
"However, we cannot interfere either. As Lord Chaos has decreed, that plane is for Mortals, and are to be commanded by the children of Gaia! He has also decreed that the First-Born have no say to the workings there!" Akhlys retorted loudly, as she paced across the room.
A moment of silence occurred as the two goddesses tried to decide what to do.
"We are chasing shadows and will need more information. A glimmer of dark power isn't going to lead us to the source. It might as well be Hades' helm of Darkness playing tricks," Akhlys said darkly, as Nyx nodded to Lykos.
Naturally, Lykos had expected this, and had already readied himself.
"Lykos! You must take a mortal form as you walk the plane above. Your mission is to hunt the creature we were discussing of. He is faceless, and radiates deep, and dark power like no other. Whatever it is, do not engage when you find him. Instead, call to me immediately, when the Night is darkest," Nyx commanded, before her eyes blazed, and she sent her servant away.
Artemis still mused over Perseus' words as she felt something strange in the air. The forest felt different, somehow, almost like a sickly breeze. She could hear whispers and voices coming from the darkness that filled the woods ahead, although the daylight should have been showing right now.
The voices sounded like it was cooing, almost coaxing Artemis to be drawn to it. It wasn't until she heard the voices of her Hunters calling out to her that she finally fell out of her trance. Then, everything went back to normal. The daylight was somehow restored in the forest. She wondered what happened to instill such darkness, but quickly shelved it away, as she quickly returned to her Hunters.
When she reached her Hunters though, she only saw her brother Apollo in his full glory, complete with the chariot that hovered in the air, and the power he was radiating.
"Get out of my sight," Artemis growled, but was ignored.
"Zeus has called for a meeting. Or rather, ordered a meeting," Apollo said blankly, before he flashed away.
Artemis knew that this wasn't something she could avoid, judging from how forceful her brother was with his approach. It was no doubt, a follow-up meeting about the little demigod camp Perseus had built. She sighed, as she flashed away. The meeting was already underway as she sat in her throne, before observing the black cloaked Primordial who was speaking.
"- will oversee their skills in combat," Perseus finished, as Zeus started to grip his throne tightly.
"Do you think we are fools to think that you are doing this simply out of kindness?! The demigods, under your guidance, will hold no love for us, and with the power you grant them… Do you not see it, Olympians? He is trying to overthrow us!" Zeus shouted in an indignant tone, earning many looks of annoyance from the Olympians.
After the war that had nearly destroyed Olympus, Zeus was naturally paranoid. After all, a shocking amount of immortals had joined Gaia's forces, and helped with the near-destruction of the gods.
Naturally, Zeus was extremely paranoid. Not to mention he was heavily in love with his throne, and the position the Fates had bestowed upon him.
"I am merely teaching them how to survive. If I were to overthrow you, I would rather do it alone. While I strictly hold to my beliefs of not underestimating an opponent, you Olympians have too many weaknesses. It wouldn't be difficult to destroy you," Perseus lied, while flaring his power.
In truth though, Perseus did not know their weaknesses.
Zeus exploded, as he shot a lightning bolt towards Perseus, as he covered himself with an aura of lightning.
It went without saying that Perseus was extremely unimpressed. The Primordial's yellow eyes turned darker, until it was almost the shade of gold. The whole room darkened as he released a red energy that seemed to dissipate into the air, and overwhelmed Zeus' lightning.
Instantly, the effects were shown as some of the handmaidens that were present outside of the room immediately curled into a whimpering ball. Except, this wasn't in misery, but in fear. The Olympians seemed to feel it as well, as they saw images of their greatest fears.
Fortunately, Aphrodite was not affected, due to her domain of Love.
"Perseus, stop! We must focus on the matters at hand. Have you forgotten what Hestia said, Lord Zeus? We must act like dignified Olympians, instead of scorned nobles!" Aphrodite shouted, as she used her power to force Perseus' aura down.
Surprisingly, it worked. Perseus' aura seemed to fold over as Aphrodite overcame it. Zeus also seemed to calm down, as his pride as an Olympian took over.
"Perseus, please be calm. For me, at least," Aphrodite pleaded, as Perseus heaved a long sigh.
He saw Artemis look at Aphrodite in incredulity from the corner of his eye, as he rubbed his palm across his forehead. Aphrodite was never one to be subtle about her feelings, though Perseus had made it clear that he would never return them. He further sighed as he saw the raised eyebrows of Ares and Hephaestus, though they successfully held their tongue.
The meeting went on without a hitch after that little incident, though Perseus could see Artemis' whitening knuckles and Zeus' uneasy face.
Which was strange, as Zeus never looked uneasy, in Perseus' experience. Confident, regal and arrogant, yes, but never uneasy.
It was then, Perseus sniffed, and felt something strange within the air. A sickly sweet tinge to the smell, and a curious aura of darkness. However, he paid no heed as he quickly flashed back to camp. The smell instantly disappeared when he was within the camp's barrier, which deepened his suspicions further.
He could almost hear a soft, smooth voice, but he couldn't see a face in the darkness.
I'm done, and I hope you've enjoyed! I know there's barely any action and fighting, but things are moving now, aye =D We are full throttling this alright huhuhuhuhuhu. Now if you've noticed, Artemis and Perseus still love each other, but they're both stubborn and sharp-tongued idiots ;) And no, they won't be getting back together any time soon hehehe.
If you have any questions, do feel free to PM me!
We really appreciate all your support =D
Alice in Chains - Am I Inside?
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