(A/N) I feel slightly bad about going so long without an update, so here is the next chapter. If it hasn't become clear yet, I had a good portion of the story written already. I like being able to look back at earlier chapters and make changes before I upload parts of the story. I still have a decent amount left to go before I reach the end of what I have already wrote, but I have a feeling that I still have quite a bit more I can write about. So long story short, I would guess that the story I already have finished writing is around a third of what the total story will be. Anyway, I will hopefully get some more new story out of the way this weekend(1/19-1/20) then edit and add to it later. Enjoy.


Percy

After a fairly quick exit from the underworld through some not well-known doors that Ouranos knew about, I found myself outside of Los Angeles looking straight at the city.

It was dark outside, and even LA looks beautiful when all the lights were on.

I would have kept looking, but a sharp pain came from my sides. I looked down where the pain was coming from, expecting to see a stab wound, but nothing was there.

I then noticed that my entire body was starting to ache, I quickly thought about why this was happening, and the answer came quickly.

I, despite all my accomplishments, was still a demigod.

While it didn't matter while I was in Tartarus, nor the underworld, which are realms exempt from the rules all together. Here in the mortal realm, my body could not handle the power I now wielded.

I deduced, that I had three days before my body gave out, less if I used my power.

I needed to become immortal, but how?

I couldn't return to Olympus yet, not while I don't possess all of the essence at least.

I thought long and hard before it hit me, the Golden Apples guarded by Ladon.

It would be incredibly dangerous, especially in my state right now, but it was my best chance.

I somehow managed to hobble to a pay phone and called a cab. When he arrived, I told him to take me to San Francisco and that if he made it before dawn, I would pay double the fare. Once again I questioned if such things should be said to a taxi driver. For just like the last time I took a taxi on the west coast, there were only a few times that the speedometer dropped below ninety-five.

I fell asleep in the back, and did not wake until we reached where I wished to go, right outside the garden of the Hesperides. I paid the cabby what we agreed on plus a large tip, as I had found out that I could make the drachmas convert to any currency I wanted. Which was pretty darn useful in this type of situation.

I sat down Indian style as I waited for the sun to come up. I knew that while most people think twilight happens only once a day, during the transition from day too night. If one was fast, they could catch the ray of twilight when night turned too day, thought the period that was twilight was much shorter than the day too night version.

Soon enough it happened, and I was through the doorway to the garden instantly. I slowly walked in assessing the lay of the land.

I saw Ladon curled up at the base of the tree, seeming to sleep deeply, but I knew better. That dragon would be up in less than a second if it felt anyone to close to the tree. I also saw the Hesperides sleeping underneath the other trees populating the garden. Apparently they had grown lax in watching for intruders during the morning, as the period of twilight was so short.

I decided not to waste anymore time, Riptide appeared in my hands as I rushed Ladon with a war cry.

You might be asking yourself why I didn't strike silently first, it was for the simple matter that I had no idea what part of Ladon would be the most dangerous when he slept. I could have easily struck the wrong part of him and have done no damage. I certainly didn't want him to immediately spear me with his poisoned tailed out of shock.

No, for this feat of strength, I needed him awake. I jumped right as all of his heads spit poison right where I was before, rocketing forward and removing six of his heads from the hundred he had.

"Only ninety-four left to go," I muttered to myself as I hit the ground.

Ladon smartened up and began spitting poison all around me while several of his head lunged towards me, trying force me to move into the poison. I did better than dodge him though. I shifted my position so I was on one of his heads and I swung Riptide in a large arc again, and removed five more heads from the dragon. Including the one I was currently standing on.

As I fell, I felt poison just miss my hair. I shifted my position again when I had reached the halfway mark to the ground. More poison tearing through the space I had just occupied with that accused tail of his finally making an appearance. It had struck below the poison in an attempt to make sure I couldn't simply twist in the air and avoid everything.

I made my position known to the dragon as I chuckled and reached to grab an Apple from the branch I was sitting on. Ladon immediately lunged at me with all his heads. He didn't dare use poison or his tail as it might harm the tree he protected.

I smirked and jumped down, just avoiding the teeth now above me as I swung Riptide upwards and removed another three heads. I landed in the water with an evil grin as Ladon's remain heads looked down at me.

I gestured with my free hand, and the water around the tree began to rise. It moved faster and fast until a vortex of water surrounded the tree. Ladon could no longer see me as I had allowed myself to be pulled up with the water. Round and round I spun around the tree, removing the remaining heads of Ladon each time I came around.

The power surrounding Riptide prevented the heads I had already cut from magically growing back, just like the last dragon I fought. Eventually only one head remained and I stopped the vortex that surrounded the tree and shifted my position so I was in front of the last head.

The last head bowed down in terror to me, for it understood the power I wielded over it. I nodded towards it, and with a wave of my empty hand, all the heads grew back. Ladon looked at me with confusion until he realized at what I had done, then he bowed all of his heads to me in gratitude. It looked surprisingly like a stadium doing the wave.

I went and collected all eleven apples from the tree, putting all but one into the bag, and I prepared to eat it.

"Stop," said the eldest of the Hesperides. "You may not eat that apple unless give permission from the gods."

She didn't recognize me because my cloak still covered up my face, which I was thankful for.

"Why would I need the approval of the gods?" I replied deepening my voice so she would not recognize it.

"Because that is the will of the Gardens, and if you do not obey the will, we will destroy you." was her answer, as all her sister stood besides her.

As one they raised their right hand, power flickering in it. I considered the tone of her voice and I realized that the only reason the gods had a say in this, was because they were more powerful than the Hesperides.

Me? I just chuckled and waved my other hand at them, while the hand that held the apple brought it towards my mouth. I blasted the Hesperides backwards about twenty yards. While that happened, I took a bite of the apple.

It was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted, or rather the most delicious fruit I had ever tasted. It was juicy, yet none dripped away, the crispness was otherworldly, and the sense of contentment it brought was worth more to me than all the drachmas in the world.

I wished I could savor it more, but the Hesperides were starting to get up. So using my powers as a "man" Artemis would say sarcastically, I finished the best fruit in the world in less than five seconds. Immediately I felt my body begin to change, the aches and pains fled, while I felt more powerful than ever. Proof that Ouranos's power had finally settled in the way it was supposed to.

The Hesperides got up looking furious, their eyes immediately looking towards the core I still held in my hand while I removed the seeds from it.

"You may be immortal now boy, but you we not be leaving," the eldest hissed at me.

I merely shrugged, the seeds now safely deposited in a hidden pocket I had willed into my clothes, and gestured with my left-hand again.

Once again I blasted all the Hesperides backwards. About fifty yards this time, though I had made sure that none of them had hit a tree, and calmly walked out of the garden of the Hesperides.