The True Son of Chaos
Chaos, the First Deity, The Great Power, the Protogenos of the Void, Father of 7 other primordial gods, the most powerful being in Existence… was completely bored.
Truly, inescapably bored.
The Universe, his greatest creation, took care of itself now. And for all the beauty of nebulae, supernovae, and the stars… it got repetitive after a while. About the only really exciting thing to happen was Life. And even that got repetitive. Intelligent life, though, that was amusing. So many petty squabbles, so many heroic triumphs or calamitous failures, so much theater. No wonder his descendents were obsessed with the mortals.
Yet he was completely bored. His children, the protegnoi kept on fighting with each other. After the death of Ouranus they had even stopped coming to talk to him. As he looked out into the universe from his Throne in the Void. He'd kept track of the goings on of Earth and Olympus in particular. The latest generation of reigning powers, calling themselves 'gods', did one thing more than any other. They had children with mortals and then used their offspring as tools in their politics and as agents on Earth. He remembered when Gaia had came to him running asking him to bring her children, the titans back. At that time he was thinking of destroying the olympians but then remembered how Gaia had killed Ouranos so he simply sent her to Tartarus.
Wait children! Yes he could go and have a child with one of the mortals.
Well, why not give it a try? But if he were going to do this, he'd do it right.
Chaos split off a small sliver of his unfathomable essence and sent it to Earth with the goal of finding him a worthy consort for himself.
And when she (or he) was found, they would help Chaos to birth a child that would change the world.
Whether for better or worse, Chaos did not care. He was simply bored.
Chaos bought an ice cream from a vendor, before continuing his walk down the boardwalk. It was hot and crowded and full of people. Perfect for his needs. He was looking for a mate, so where better to look than in a crowd? Using the pitiful fraction of his powers available in this form, Chaos scanned the souls of those around him. He distractedly ate his ice cream as he reviewed those passing by.
Too timid.
Not enough strength of character.
Unfaithful.
He made no distinction between the males and the females. Chaos was only male out of habit. Either way, a child would be had regardless. Even if he was locked as one gender and picked one of the same, his limitless powers would transcend biology to create a baby that was half his and half his consort's. His only task was to find a worthy companion of his divine self and parent to his half-mortal heir. He could afford to be picky.
He paused as he felt one particular aura.
Sweet, kind, uncompromising in virtue. She was… promising.
Chaos tracked down the source of the impression.
It was a young woman, perhaps not even twenty. She was leaning on the railing, staring out at the sea. Chaos could have learned everything about her by tapping into the omniscience of his divine self, but what would be the fun in that?
Chaos sauntered up to the lady, not touching but close enough to notice him. "It's beautiful," he said honestly.
The maiden didn't turn to look at him. "Yes, it is. I don't think there's anything prettier than the ocean. It's so blue."
"There's beauty to be found all over the world," Chaos said. "But yes, the sea has a charm all her own."
The young lady turned to look at him. A half-formed grin on her face vanished when she got a good look at him. "Oh, god!" she shouted.
Chaos frowned. What would cause that reaction? His physical form was flawless, down to the picometer. The only sign he was more than human was… oh. "Is it the eyes?" he asked with good humor.
She nodded, clearly frightened. "It's like looking at an observatory. All those stars."
"Sorry for alarming you, I didn't expect you to see them for what they were."
The woman shifted on her feet. "I've always seen things. Things that other people can't see. I saw a man with one eye and no one believed me. And one time I saw a pegasus flying over Long Island. Everyone thought I was crazy. Hell, I thought I was crazy."
Chaos nodded. "You have a rare and valuable talent, one rarely seen in mortals. You can see through the Mist."
"Mist? What's that?" she asked, still afraid but hungry for answers.
"The Mist is a force that creates illusions around myths and legends and other things touched by the divine. A flaming sword becomes a shotgun, a hellhound becomes a rhino, and my eyes look normal to others. But not you."
The woman nodded. "Um, thanks for the information."
"It's my pleasure, miss?"
"Oh, Sally Jackson."
Chaos grinned. "Nice to meet you, Sally. I'm Chaos."
"Chaos? Really? Is that your name?" she asked dubiously.
"Only one I've ever known."
"So… Chaos. Why did you call me a mortal? As if…"
"As if I weren't one? Because I'm not, my dear."
Sally seemed to grow less scared and more excited by the second. "If you're not a mortal, then what are you?"
"Immortal, of course," Chaos said with a cheeky smile.
Sally snorted. It was a lovely, endearing sound. "Okay, smarty pants. What kind of immortal?"
"A protogenos. You've probably never heard of those. You can think of me as a kind of god, I suppose."
Sally's eyes widened. "Really? Gods come down to the Jersey shore and hit on high school dropouts?"
"What else would we do with our free time? And who says I'm hitting on you?" Chaos asked.
"I don't know, god stuff. And no guy just walks up to a girl and starts a conversation about beauty unless he's hitting on her."
"I'll take your word for it. I must admit, I'm a bit out of touch with all your mortal customs."
She chuckled. "That is such a 'god' thing to say!"
"Well, if you prefer, I can go back to my god stuff and leave you alone," Chaos said leadingly.
Sally rolled her eyes. "Like I'll pass up a chance to talk to a god. Tell me about yourself."
"Your wish is my command. But only if you'll do the same in turn." Chaos returned.
They talked for hours, Chaos explaining how ALL the myths were real, but he preferred the Greco-Roman version. Sally talked about her hobbies and her interests, how she'd had to drop out of school to care for the sickly uncle that took her in when her parents died. How she worked odd jobs and barely could afford to keep the apartment she'd inherited.
They wound up having dinner together. Chaos could honestly say he was having fun! Who knew mortals could be so engaging?
"So, this isn't your real body?" Sally asked.
"No. My real body would reduce you to atoms just from looking at it. This body you see is akin to a puppet that I control to interact with the mortal world."
"But you still have powers and stuff, right? I mean, it's not just a man suit with freaky eyes?"
Chaos gave a smile like a boy about to show off a trick. "You can thank the Christians for this one." And with a wave of his hand, he turned her water into wine.
"Whoa!" Sally gaped. She looked around to make sure no one saw. "You know, I'm not legal to drink alcohol for another few months."
"Then this can be our little secret, or I could make it something else. Any requests?"
"No, I'll try it," Sally decided, feeling rebellious. She took a sip and hid her grimace.
"Alcohol, like coffee and sushi, is an acquired taste, I'm afraid," Chaos explained.
"Duly noted." Sally set the glass aside. "So… why me?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Why did you approach me? You're a god, a protogenos. You could have anyone you wanted. So why me?"
Chaos leaned forward, steepling his hands. "I can sense the essence of a person, the shape of their soul, what they're really made of. You were, by far, the purest and most good aura on that boardwalk."
Sally frowned. "So, you talked to me because I'm a nice person?"
"Nice, sweet, seductive, fascinating, glorious, beyond words to describe. An impression you've done more than live up to over the last few hours," Chaos said honestly.
Sally blushed. "You're laying it on kind of thick, Chaos."
"And I meant every word. You have a heart of gold and an iron spirit. I picked you because… you're the kind of woman I'd want by my side."
Sally's eyes all but popped out. "You want me to be your girlfriend?!" she asked incredulously.
"Girlfriend, wife, mother to my children, immortal companion. We can take it slow though."
Sally gaped. And then she threw back her head and laughed. "Did… did you just propose on our first date?"
"Technically, no. When I propose, you'll know it," Chaos said, his cosmic eyes smoldering.
Sally blinked. And then she smiled a smile filled with promises. "Would you like to come back to my place?"
"I'd be honored."
It was a whirlwind romance. They dated, they laughed, they had fun. He surprised her at work with flowers and salt water taffy, which she preferred to chocolates. They visited spots all around New York City, Chaos having created an alias with near unlimited funds. The world was their oyster. And every night, they made love as heartfelt and passionate as they had their first night together.
Within a month, they were saying "I love you."
A month later, he proposed with a five-carat diamond ring.
And after a cruise around the Mediterranean in a private yacht for a honeymoon, Sally was pregnant.
Chaos was over the moon. He genuinely felt true happiness and love for the first time in his timeless existence. He immediately started making plans for the baby. This would not be some demigod child, abandoned by their divine parent and left at the mercy of monsters. His and Sally's little miracle would be trained from the cradle. Chaos could use his divine power to mask their scent. He or she would be trained how to handle whatever powers were inherited from Chaos.
This child would be a demi-protogenoi, the first in history, and Chaos intended for him or her to go down in history.
Eight months later, a baby boy was born in the Master Bedroom of the penthouse apartment the happy couple had moved into. When the hired doctors and nurses finished cleaning and bundling the newborn, they handed him into Sally's waiting arms. Chaos sat next to her on the bed, having supported her throughout the labor. "Do we have a name?" a nurse asked, blank birth certificate ready.
Chaos and Sally shared a look.
"Perseus Jackson," Sally said. Chaos had taken her name, so the last name didn't matter. And Perseus was for luck, so that their little boy might have as happy an ending as his namesake.
"Hello, little Percy. We're your mommy and daddy. And we love you with all our hearts. Yes we do. Yes we do," Chaos babbled down at the first child he'd actually begotten rather than generated from sheer divine will.
Thus, on that day, a child was born of Chaos.
And the world would not be the same.