Authors Note: GUYS! I reached 100K+ on total reads for this story! Thank you guys so much for your continuous support, I'm seriously happy XD. And special thanks to 1Valor1 for helping me out with a bit of a writing problem. I really am grateful for all your tips and help :D
Chapter 31: Islands cut from a piece of land? Boring
"Hmm..."
"How long does it take to pick the gods Perseus?"
"Quite a lot Artemis. I don't want to flash back to Olympus, just to drag Demeter because I need some plants. Wait of course, I need Demeter! See, I could have gone empty handed just now."
Artemis sighed. "Whatever you say. Though I'm sure you won't be needing Ares."
Perseus shook his head. "He's going to come along as well, since he's going to stake out the arena for the city."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "There's more to it, right?"
Perseus smiled. "Yep. Aphrodite is going to be tagging along, so naturally Ares is going to come in order to 'win' her over."
Artemis rolled her eyes. "Stupidest thing, I am going to ever witness. What about Apollo and Hermes?"
"You think they are going to miss out something like this?"
"Hmm, yeah you're right. But you definitely don't need my father and Hera."
"Your father is going to allocate the location. And as king and queen, they have to bless it, or something like that. So, Hera is going to be there as well."
Artemis frowned. "Highly unnecessary I feel. So, wait, basically you're going to call everyone?"
"It seems like it." Perseus replied, bringing forward his shadow wisps to call forth the Olympian gods. Successive flashes were seen on each throne in the room, revealing the gods. A few minutes later, everyone was present, Zeus surprisingly being the last to appear as he hastily straightened his tunic.
"Perseus. There better be a good explanation for calling me...us, over here." Zeus grumbled.
Perseus shrugged. "I want the island today. The settlers are not going to stay in the forest for another week."
Zeus sighed. "Allocation and blessings, how can I forget. Very well, those who will proceed with the terra forming, please come to this location on the globe immediately. I want this over soon." Zeus announced, pointing at the golden globe that emerged at the center. Glowing a bright silver was a location, pinned just at the bottom of the Greek mainland, and to the left of the island of Crete. Every single god present flashed to the location, excited to witness the formation of a new landmass. Though Zeus was less than pleased.
"We definitely don't need all of you." Zeus exclaimed. "Go back to whatever duties you all were doing."
"They will not budge uncle, believe me, otherwise I wouldn't have called them over to the throne room in the first place." Perseus said with a chuckle.
"Oh this place looks amazing. Great sea view, pristine water conditions. Mhm, mhm, mhm! I love it." Poseidon said with a grin.
"Ten drachmas that he'll do a mini tantrum to your island during one of his mood swings, in a years' time." Athena whispered to Perseus, who in turn grinned. "I'll take that bet sister."
"Why this location though?" Aphrodite asked, looking around. "I don't see any land for miles, where are we getting the land from?"
"There is a dormant volcano beneath these waters, something which we will have to activate in order to create an island." Hera replied. "It's going to be quite tedious work."
"I'm getting seasick just standing above the water." Apollo said wearily. "Can't we create some floating seats or something?"
"If we can stand, we could sit midair." Hestia said simply, sitting down cross legged.
"Okay, enough talking. We're literally radiating our powers to the extreme with all of us present together. Let's get on with this." Zeus grumbled. "Poseidon, do your thing."
"What thing." Poseidon asked.
"Brother..." Zeus growled.
"I'm actually lost, what thing am I supposed to do." Poseidon innocently replied.
Artemis sighed. "I'm guessing we need the volcano from below to spew lava in order to create land? Is that how it usually works?"
"Most of the time niece. But we need Hephaestus's expertise on this one actually. He's the only one who can control the lava due to the domain of volcanoes under him."
"Fine then. Hephaestus, do your thing quick." Zeus muttered, pushing the god forward. Hephaestus gave out a heavy sigh as he raised his hands, and then slowly started to twist them. Nothing seemed to happen, until the gods noticed bubbles popping up on the surface. More seem to emerged, when suddenly, a large burst of water shot up, nearly drenching the Olympians.
"Holy Hera! What's going on down there?!" Hermes cried out, drowning out Hera's indignant retort.
"Well, the lava is coming into contact with the water. And is now probably going to try rising up to the surface." Athena noted.
"That's a lot of steam though." Ares muttered. "Though it smells funny..."
"That's because it's hydrochloric gas." Zeus muttered, blowing the gas away. "There's going to be a lot of damage control to do."
"All in a day's work." Perseus said with a shrug. The gods watched as more gases and busts of water started to emerge from the surface, as it slowly began to expand everywhere. It came to the point where the calm sea had totally disappeared from their view point due to the rising water and steam, making some of the gods worry.
"How big is this thing supposed to be again?" Hephaestus asked worriedly. "Because there is a lot of volcanic activity happening right now. I'm not sure if I can keep this up longer."
"I want it to be at least one quarter of the size of Crete." Perseus replied. "That is alright, right?"
"Quater of the size of Crete." Zeus muttered. "That...uh. We'll see later. Plus, we can always destroy this and start again."
"I think it's rising up!" Demeter shouted.
The gods glanced below to see dark shape emerging quite quickly from the water's surface. Moments later, a bit of the newly created landmass emerged out of the surface, only to get submerged by the ongoing waves that was still covering the land. The gods continued to watch, wondering when the land was going to pop up.
"I don't think this is going to work." Athena muttered. "The water may stop the land from breaking the surface. And too much time spent underwater may cause the land to erode. Someone has to bring the land up themselves." she said out loud.
"Well Percy, looks like you're up." Aphrodite said. Perseus looked at her quizzically, but then noticed that no one was faulting Aphrodite's words.
"Wait just a second. You guys want me to lift the island...by myself?!" Perseus exclaimed. "I mean, I can do terrakinesis, but lifting full landmasses-"
"You are a god, Perseus." Zeus interrupted, speaking sternly. "You can do it."
Perseus hesitated for a moment as he glanced at everyone, who gave him encouraging smiles in return. Perseus then stared defiantly at the submerged landmass and then extended an arm out. He closed his eyes, and concentrated on the land that was slowly taking shape beneath him and then slowly lifted his hand up. A loud, but muffled groaning noise was heard from beneath, making the Olympians float above slowly. The island then broke free from the surface once more, this time managing to overcome the pressure from the waves. But that still didn't remove the obstacle fully.
"Poseidon, I think you should help Perseus as well." Hestia noted. "Your domain is quite destructive now that I think about."
Poseidon had wry smile on his face on hearing Hestia's words. "It's not that bad. Just a bit...hazardous."
"A bit hazardous." Ares mocked. "You literally sink fisherman boats if they didn't even sacrifice a critter to you!"
"Are you guys supposed to helping me or not?!" Perseus shouted, a line sweat dripping down his face.
"Of course, of course. Just let me focus..." Poseidon said, as he too raised his arms. The entire expanse of the water submerging the island glowed a sea green, as the waves began churning much faster. The waters then began to rise as a whirlpool began to form over it, with the gods at center of it. Everyone watched with slight awe as the water began to be drawn away from the center, revealing the newly formed island down before. After a few minutes, the large expanse of the island was clearly visible for everyone to see, and surrounding it was a now slowly decreasing wall of water.
"This is just the least I can do." Poseidon said with a wink, though he seemed to be sweating and looked a bit uncomfortable as well. "Of course, if I'm back on water...I can-"
"The least you can do Barnacle Beard?! Look at this sight, look at the power!" Ares exclaimed.
Perseus then let out a guttural cry as he began to rise up, along with the island. The Olympians watched with bated breath as a mountain like shape began to fully emerge out, only for it to slowly crumble, revealing a large long crack that was quickly forming across the island's expanses.
"Uh...Percy? We might have a-"
"I can see that Apollo!" Perseus yelled, stretching his arms out wide, he then brought them together as he gave a loud resounding clap from his pals. As soon as he did that, the landmass from either side of the crack came together once again. While also creating a small mountain range in the process.
"When I said he could do it...I didn't expect it to be...this." Zeus said slowly, receiving eye rolling stares from the other gods. Perseus let out a sigh of relief as he let go, and watched as the island slowly settled into its new area. He felt someone hold his arm, and smiled when he saw it was Artemis.
"That was the one of the most amazing things I have ever seen you do. Are you feeling alright?" she asked.
"Oi, what are we, chopped liver?" Poseidon yelled, he and Hephaestus both laying on their backs mid-air. "We helped as well you know."
Apollo was silent during the whole ordeal, but then suddenly spoke up. "Am I the only one who expected to find some kind of tropical island to pop up? With a beach, forest, a bunch of coconut trees at least."
"Ew, what is that bright red liquid popping up from the surface?" Aphrodite exclaimed, looking visibly disgusted. "Is the island bleeding or something?"
"That's magma Aphrodite. Learn the common stuff please." Hera said with a huff.
"Actually, that's lava. Magma is what you would find underneath the crust. Lava would be above it." Hephaestus knowingly replied.
"Well, what are we guys waiting for? Let's set foot!" Hermes said with a grin, speeding down. The gods followed suite, albeit at a slower pace as they set foot on the island. There were still some harmful gases floating about, and the ground was definitely not fit for any vegetation. But the basics were all out of the way as the Olympians marveled at their supposed newest creation.
"I think we did a splendid job." Perseus said with a grin. "Just need to do some terraforming, get some cultivable soil and vegetation around, fill up lakes and rivers and we have a fully functioning piece of land."
"And all of that is going to take at least a few hundred millennia for that to happen." Athena said with a sigh, but then grinned. "Lucky for us, we are gods."
"Okay then, group plan. Poseidon, you go around and cut corners on some unnecessary areas. Hephaestus, take care of any stray lava or magma spots in the island. Athena, go and map out where the city is supposed to be, while Demeter will map out the forest areas and other habitats. Meanwhile I, am going to try and do something with the soil." Perseus said, placing his hand on the ground. He could feel the land extending down below, all the way to the peak of the now active volcano. He then started to slowly break down the rocks surrounding him into a finer material, which soon became the new layer covering the land. Within minutes, Perseus had managed to create a large beach that surrounded half the side of the island. Zeus even contributed a bit by sending some wind spirits to collects some sand and even soil to put on the island.
"Why don't we do this more often? All of us banding together to create something? We can't even create an island vacationing spot as well. Like...an island getaway." Apollo asked.
"Says the god who is right now lounging on the sand and drinking nectar." Artemis said with a sigh.
"Aphrodite, are you alright? You seem quite fidgety." Hestia asked Aphrodite, who was staring at the sand beneath her feet.
"Oh I'm fine. Just feeling a bit tired, nothing to worry about." Aphrodite said with a giggle, scooting over to Perseus. "Give me some sand."
"What?"
"Give me some sand now! I can't keep myself from eating it, I need something t distract me from falling on the floor and eating it!" Aphrodite hissed.
Perseus shook his head exasperatedly as he took a fistful of sand and handed it over to Aphrodite, who too it gratefully and the ducked down. Fortunately, the gods were preoccupied with the sight of a hot spring at the distance.
"We're back!" Poseidon announced after flashing over with Hephaestus. "We did as you asked Perseus, the island looks like any normal chunk of land now. Oh, good job with the beach, though I personally feel you should go for a more black sand approach. Not only is it unique, but the variations are much more-"
"Poseidon, this is literally sand. No need to go fancy." Athena said with a huff.
"There is black sand?" Aphrodite asked, perking up a bit.
"Okay Perseus, we have sped up the process for the tiling of the soil. I would say...approximately three days until this land is fully habitable." Demeter announced.
"Three days?! I...I suppose that's alright." Perseus said with a sigh.
"And I found the perfect location for the perfect city." Athena replied. "I do have full creative control over this right?"
On seeing Perseus's nod, Athena gave a short squeal as she grabbed Perseus into a hug. "Oh, thank you thank you! I promise I won't let you down!"
"Hey, make sure that the barracks are created first. I want to see some soldiers made as soon as possible." Ares said with a grin.
"Who cares about barracks. What we need is temples, and statues of us. I'm ready to take a pose, and I won't mind having a god pair up with me." Aphrodite said, batting her eyelashes. "Would you like to pose with me Per-"
"PICK ME!" "PICK ME!" Ares, Apollo, Hephaestus and Hermes shouted, scrambling towards Aphrodite. Zeus and Poseidon were twitching in their places, drool coming out of their mouths. Perseus on the other hand felt the temperature slowly rise for some reason, and immediately connected the dots.
"Great, looks like her allure is activated." Perseus thought as he saw Aphrodite bask in the attention the affected gods were giving her. He then felt someone slip their fingers with his, making him glance to his side and saw Artemis, staring at him with an eyebrow raised.
"Are you feeling hot and bothered?" Artemis asked. Perseus grinned in response, a knowing look on his face.
"I definitely am now." he replied, fanning his face. Artemis laughed in response, nudging him aside. Perseus didn't let go though, bringing Artemis close to him, and then wrapped his arms around her. Thinking that no one was watching (due to calming Aphrodite down), Perseus gave quick peck on the lips. But Artemis instead made him stay longer.
"I'm telling you; the drooling happens all the time. Side effect of being a water go- Oh what the flipper! What is happening here?!" Poseidon exclaimed, as he gawked at Perseus and Artemis kissing.
"Aww, they are kissing." Aphrodite cooed, finally shutting her allure off. "Now don't focus on me, focus on them." Aphrodite replied, shooing the gods away. The gods blinked in confusion as they were wondering why they were groveling at Aphrodite's feet. They turned around where Aphrodite was pointing, only to be greeted by he sight of a now embarrassed Perseus and Artemis, who were also being stared by the rest of the shocked and grinning gods present.
"I feel like we're missing something here." Hermes whispered.
"Well, I win." Athena said smugly, producing a bag out of thin air. "Give the money please, and no buts, you all swore."
"They are together?!" Apollo exclaimed, looking excited and crestfallen at the same time. "Come on you two, you couldn't wait two more days? Or at least do it last week. Wait, how long have you both been hiding this?"
Artemis shrugged. "We didn't hide anything. Perseus literally asked me like the night before yesterday." she said, but then frowned. "Wait, why would you want us to court each other in another two days?"
"Judging from Athena's expression, I'm guessing they made a little bet on us." Perseus replied dryly.
"Thank you, thank you, thank- pay up Hera! Thank you, thank you, here's your share father. Hmm, now I only have to give Hades his share."
"Hades betted on us? Isn't he the god of wealth?" Artemis asked, looking confused.
"That man has a bit of gambling addiction. Makes sense with that domain of his." Hestia said with a sigh. "But we are happy for the two of you, truly. I hope your relationship prospers, and as Hades would have said, "Damn it's about time!".
"I still think Perseus could for a proper woman." Hera muttered to herself.
"Speaking of Hades, where is he? I expected him to show up at some point." Hermes asked.
"He's in Kichyros right now, dealing with damage control. Apparently, his temple got destroyed by a landslide. No one was hurt thankfully; the locals had already evacuated by then." Perseus replied. "That city has really gone through a lot." he thought with a grimace.
"Damage control was a pain though. The restoration I had to do for my dear city Eleusis, oh, I never want to see it in pain ever again." Demeter said, sniffling a bit.
"Tell me about it, Olympia was a pain to manage." Zeus said with a sigh. "And have you seen Argos? The cracks that have plagued it, I'm almost tempted to ask you for help brother, to mend it."
"...How do you know what's happened to Argos." Hera asked, looking at Zeus weirdly. "Especially since that's my city. And that you have never bothered to check once on how we gods operate on our cities.
Zeus turned pale on hearing his wife's words, and forced a smile out. "Well, I was worried of course. Can't have our dear mortals dying on us now, can we?"
"Of course we can't uncle." Perseus said, grinning evilly. "No mortals mean..."
"No sacrifices." Ares said.
"No temples." Hermes quipped.
"No target practices." Artemis said with a grin.
"And no mortal woman to chase after." Apollo said in a sing song voice.
"I can smite all of you right now, and no one will complain because I will smite them as well." Zeus said through clenched teeth.
"I still don't believe your statement. Why were you in Argos?" Hera demanded.
"I'm telling you; I was worried." Zeus whined. "I went to Crete as well, Athens, Sparta-"
"Athens father? Then tell me, what was the state of the Gemini there? Athena asked.
Zeus gulped. "Um...they all perished?"
Athena rolled her eyes. "They went underground as soon as they felt the earth rumble."
"Well...I didn't know that!' Zeus indignantly cried. "I couldn't see them, so I figured they might have died to the poison."
"My dear husband Zeus." Hera said coldly. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this, and believe me when I say that if I don't like the results, I'm going to throw you off Olympus!"
"...Yeah right." Zeus snorted. "Throw me, off Olympus."
Hera huffed, and then snapped her fingers. The island glowed white, and then changed a bit as well, making it look more habitable. "The blessings from the queen. Enjoy the land Perseus." Hera said, and then flashed away. Zeus cocked his head to the side, and then muttered something about lunatic fathers who were kings and then flashed away as well, but not before blessing the island as well. Poseidon and Demeter then left as well due to their work being done. Hestia left as well, leaving the younger gods to their own devices.
"You know Perce, I have a really good suggestion. Why don't we...make this place our own little getaway island? Like, a vacation spot! Imagine the fun we could have, and we could be virtually uninterrupted as well if we put a mist cloak around this. Come on this isn't a bad idea, right guys?" Apollo asked everyone, only to receive shrugs and grunts.
"Apollo, I don't want to take care of an island for crying out loud. Let the mortals handle it." Perseus said with a sigh. "Plus, an island getaway sounds boring, no offense. What are we going to do, build treehouses and eat fruit every day?"
"...Yes!" Apollo cried. "Doesn't that sound fun?"
"No." everyone said together.
"Fine then, will you at least tell us what you're going to name this place?" Apollo asked.
"Name? I'm not good with names honestly." Perseus said, glancing around.
"How about...Persopolis?" Athena asked.
"Not everything has to be named after yourself bird brain." Ares grunted. "I'm thinking, Sparta!"
"Isn't there already a Sparta?" Aphrodite asked.
"Yes, but this will be Lesser Sparta. Mine, is Greater Sparta!" Ares yelled proudly.
"Pass. Name it something after you though, it is your island after all." Artemis stated.
"I want something cool sounding..." Perseus mused. "How about 'Skiágis'?"
"...'Shadow land'? You're not serious are you." Athena said in a deadpanned voice. "Even Sparta sounds better."
"Be careful sis, otherwise you will end up with kids having dumb names because you let this idiot name them." Apollo said, howling in laughter. And then immediately cried out in pain as he clutched his foot.
"For the record, I quite like Skiágis." Artemis said. "And don't call me sis!"
"Great, we have terrible name givers and buzzkills as a couple. I feel sorry for the future." Apollo grunted. "Wait, why are you bringing out- Ah I'm sorry! No stop shooting arrows, NOOO!"
"Aww, look how adorable those two are." Aphrodite cooed, as she and the gods watched Artemis and Perseus chase Apollo around the beach like two predators.
"You find that adorable?" Hermes choked out. "Lady, you need help."
"Hey, that's my wife you're talking about." Hephaestus grumbled. "Though you're not wrong..."
"Help huh." Aphrodite said, snapping her fingers. A flurry of rose petals emerged out of nowhere, and began to surround Hermes, who looked at them in confusion.
"Uh, what's happening here?" he asked.
"A wave of my finger, and I can summon a gruesome death. You wouldn't want that will you?" Aphrodite said with a smirk.
"You're jesting, she's jesting guys." Hermes said with a chuckle, though the tone changed to nervousness as the rose petals began to move more quickly. And he could weirdly smell rusted metal...
"A lady who can threaten and promise a gruesome death? Just marry me already!" Ares exclaimed, getting down on one knee.
"Aww." "HEY!" "Ew."
"So, what happened since we left?' Artemis asked, Perseus just behind her with Apollo slung over his shoulder.
"Aphrodite threatened Hermes with flowers, Ares proposed to her, Hephaestus is mad, and I find it disgusting." Athena replied.
"...Why not." Perseus said with a shrug, setting Apollo down.
"Please watch the injured posterior, ah, much better." Apollo said with a grimace.
"So, are you guys ready to leave?" Perseus asked, and then sighed when he saw the hopeful and knowing looks on everyone's faces. "Fine, we can stay for the day."
"Yes! My bro has finally gained some common sense!" Apollo yelled, launching up. "I say we have a camp fire. Oh oh, we can do a sing along as well!"
"What do you think we are, street urchins or something? I say we have a duel" Ares said with a grin. "Sparta has yet to give me a blood sacrifice, and I am thirsty."
"I don't mind a duel." Athena said, flashing on her armor. "I learnt some new tricks from my friends in Libya, and I'm aching to see how you all will look with mangled limbs."
"Uh, we are not here to fight guys." Apollo protested weakly.
"Hmm, it has been a while since I last sparred with you two. I'm in." Perseus said with a grin, sword blades ready. "And if we're doing tag tams, then I want Artemis."
"I thought you would never ask." Artemis replied with a smirk, daggers ready in each hand.
Hermes glanced around and then shrugged. "Oh well, I need practice anyway."
"Is no one listening to me?! Hephaestus, reason with them, please!"
Hephaestus had a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm, well I'm not much of a fighter as you all know. So, I think I will respectfully decline- oh who am I kidding." Hephaestus said with a grunt, dropping his crutches. A flaming hammer appeared in his arms, which he then swung around and then pitted it against the ground. "I'm fighting. Only because there is a certain war god's face I would like to turn into charred pulp."
"Ooohh, is someone fighting over me?" Aphrodite asked giddily, summoning her sword. "I want to play as well!"
"This is ridiculous! We're supposed to have a fun time, not a fight time!" Apollo whined, but then let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll be judge then-"
"Runt, front and center!" Ares yelled, banging his spear against a shield. "Get your glowy ass over here. You're going first, against your sister." he announced, backing away. Artemis glanced at her brother, her expression changing to one of excitement as she grinned evilly.
"Oh mother, help me please..."
"Bullseye, bullseye. And...bullseye!" Britomartis said excitedly, turning to face Perseus and Artemis. "Look, three center targets in a row. I'm ding amazing right?"
"Yeah...quite amazing..." Perseus muttered, tilting his head to the side. "You seem to be quite efficient with a bow."
"I don't think I am that good milord. Maybe alright?" Britomartis replied.
"I see... . Well, carry on." Perseus replied, jogging over to the rest of the hunters, who were strangely huddled up together, and glaring daggers at Britomartis.
" 'I'm not good milord, I'm alright'." Celyn said in a whiny voice. " 'Look at me, I'm a bullseye expert'. I swear, I'm going to get her back so hard-"
"Celyn, I thought you were already warming up to her." Perseus asked, raising an eyebrow when he saw the disgruntled looks still present on the hunters faces. "Seems like you're not the only one huh. Come on guys, it's been a week since she's come."
"You know, I agree with Celyn. Britomarty, whatever her name is, is really annoying." Arius said with a huff. "First, she comes randomly out of the blue, manages to capture some deer, making her think it's a big deal. And now, she's sucking up with archery, cleaning meat, and other stuff she claims that she never tried before, and-" by this time, Arius was already on a rant, the other hunters also piping in to give their thoughts which made Perseus groan internally.
"Okay, everyone shut your mouths now, or I will do it myself." Perseus grumbled. "Look, I get that it may take some time getting used to more members joining in here and there, but you guys can't keep being hostile to them forever. Especially since the entire hunt is supposed to be a team, we can't have any sort of grudges floating around now."
"We know Perseus. But she's so...infuriating!"
Perseus sighed. "Look, I'll tell her to tone down the 'good girl' and 'I know everything, but I'm acting naïve' act if she keeps this up for a while. Until then...just...hang out with her?" Perseus said, ruffling their hairs. He then sunk into a shadow, and popped up behind Artemis, who was staring at a map.
"I'm awesome!"
"Styx water, who- Percy!" Artemis cried, swatting his arm. "i swear on my bow, you continue to do this dumb thing, and I will pay hermes to steal your braces from you!"
Perseus mock gasped. "You wouldn't!"
"Try me." Artemis relied with a glare,
"I'll do it once in a while then. So that you will never know when to expect it." Perseus replied, a shit eating grin on his face.
"Immature dummy." Artemis muttered, but nonetheless smiled. "Good thing you're here though, I need your help with this."
"What are you going through?" Perseus asked, resting his chin on Artemis's shoulder as he peered at the map beside her.
"Hunting spots. And weirdly enough, monster camps."
"Monster camps? Which lunatic gave those cretins enough braincells to form encampments." Perseus said out loud.
"Beats me, but they are forming. While there may be a few, it wouldn't be long until we have a camp in each province. And all of them are popping up in these newer areas." Artemis said, pointing to the landmass to the west. "Looks like our influence on these lands have made monsters settle there for some reason."
"Hmm, I don't know any particular reason why this is happening. The only thing I can think of is that someone wants to cause mayhem." Perseus noted.
"It's no use dwelling on this now, we'll look at it further later." Artemis said with a sigh. "Anything in your agenda today?"
"Aphrodite wanted swordplay lessons, but opted for going to visit Grandpa P. I mean Pontus. You know, I haven't seen him since Typhon. Which I feel horrible about now since he was a big help back then." Perseus muttered.
"We'll go sometime. And yes, we. I'm really curios on meeting the primordial, and how he is like. And how did he end up making you his pseudo grandson." Artemis replied, patting Perseus's head.
Perseus smirked. "Knowing him, he will launch into a boring explanation about family tree or something. Or maybe not, in case he slips up and reveals my actual parentage. You know, that might not be a bad thing now that I think about it. I know he's keeping something close to his chest, but what exactly-"
A bright flash appeared in front of Perseus and Artemis, interrupting the former. The flash disappeared, revealing Hermes in his messenger get up. Which was only a winged helmet and winged sandals.
"You two have a message from Demeter, and no interrupting please, I'm on a schedule." Hermes said, clearing his throat. "Demeter says, 'Please go to the outskirts of Kozani, and deal with the bulls there. They are ruining my favorite meadows. Thank you, and bye'."
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "Demeter wants us...to deal with a bunch of bulls...messing up her flowers?!"
"Hermes shrugged. "I can't even make this up if I wanted to."
"You can though-"
"You two understood the message? Good, because I need to go get my payment now-"
"Hold on Hermes, why would Demeter ask us to deal with something so mundane. We are monster hunters, not cattle herders." Artemis asked.
"You just answered your own question. Because you both are monster hunters."
Perseus frowned. "Hermes, bulls aren't-"
"Maybe they are monster bulls, I don't know. I'm just the messenger. Now can I go please, I have a schedule." Hermes said through clenched teeth. Artemis and Perseus glanced at each other and sighed, shooing Hermes away, who flashed off with a huff.
"This is splendid. We're fighting bulls now." Perseus groaned. "I'll rather take on a drakon."
"Don't jinx it. For all we know, a drakon will appear out of the blue while we are feasting on steak." Artemis replied, grabbing her bow. "You ready to move?"
"Yep. Where are we headed again, Kozani? To be fair, I never heard of that place before."
"Map says that it's right north. Lots of plains, no wonder Demeter likes it." Artemis noted, stepping into the archery range, where the hunters were.
"Hunters, listen up. Me and Perseus have a situation to deal with somewhere, though you all will be left behind. You all know how to Iris message so do that in case of emergencies. Or pray, whatever works. Oh, and Celyn, you're in charge while we're gone."
Celyn immediately perked up. "I'm in charge? Like, of everything?"
"Basically, yes. Don't burn this place down while we're out." Artemis said, holding her hand out for Perseus which he took. The two then flashed away, leaving the hunters. Arius, Clio and the rest were staring at Celyn apprehensively, but her sight was directed at someone else. A someone who was just returning from sharpening the arrows, without being told.
"Oh Britomartis. Do I have some news for you..."
Artemis and Perseus materialized on top of a small hill, overlooking a vast expansive plain, dotted with flowers and small trees. And roaming around a particular patch was some moving dark shapes, leaving behind what Perseus assumed was their supposed mess. At least, that's what he thought, he couldn't see any color.
"Looks like we're here. It is a nice place actually, wouldn't mind coming here at one point." Artemis noted, making her way down along with Perseus.
"I don't mind the occasional stroll around flowers, but this is a bit too much for me to handle." Perseus replied, frowning slightly. "The scent...huh."
"It's alright." Artemis said, slowing down. "Looks like we reached our prey."
"Yeah, wonder if Demeter has some reward for-" Perseus began to say, only to trail off as he got a very good look at the bulls. The bulls, had very shaggy and stringy fur, with jagged spikes protruding from its back. Its tail looked like some kind of lumpy rope, which slitted at the end into a mess of stringy skin. The bull then turned around, or rather, turned its head around as Perseus with a slight sick feeling at a long lumpy neck that was attached to the body. The neck had a personal marsh growing on top of it, with various fungi as well. Perseus then glanced at the head, a head which was basically a bull's skull, with bits of skin and muscles attached to it, and breathing out a lavender colored gas. The bull bent its head down, sniffed some flowers, and let out a large groan as it seemingly relaxed. On doing this, it released more of the lavender gas, which immediately made the flowers rot and then disintegrate on contact.
"Artemis, you are seeing what I am seeing right?"
"Ye...p. Looks like we underestimated our bulls."
"I don't think those are bulls." Perseus replied, narrowing his eyes. "Catoblepas."
"What?"
"Catoblepas. I remember seeing them somewhere in Athena's library. They are creatures whose heads are so heavy that they always look down. And they have poisonous breaths, and looks that can kill."
"Enough to kill us?" Artemis asked.
"Nah, only mortal level. But the poison breath is quite contagious on the skin and irritating to have. Oh, and they supplement their diet with flesh." Perseus replied.
"How lovely." Artemis said, knocking an arrow on her bow. She then jumped back, a good distance from the Catoblepas and launched the arrow...only for it to bounce harmlessly on its skin.
"And they are invulnerable to most weapons." Perseus said. "Only way to get them down is through their neck."
"You had to tell me now!" Artemis yelled, bringing out her daggers. "Let's see how they go through this!" she shouted, pouncing on top of the monster, she then hacked and slashed her way through the hide, but this had only agitated it. The Catoblepas let out a low sounding moon, which got every single one in the meadow to move their heads towards them.
"Artemis, I think you should get off from it. "Perseus said, using both his braces to form a human sized shield. A nearby Catoblepas let out a low roar as it charged towards Perseus, poisonous breath out. Perseus held his ground as the monster came near, and then parried the shield when the head struck it, making the head swing aside and the beast to falter. He then turned the shield into a claymore, and struck the elongated neck with the blade, bringing the neck down to the ground.
"Almost...got it..." Perseus muttered, his skin starting to itch as he felt the gas come in contact with him. He dug the blade deeper into the neck, but didn't notice the entire body of the monster being lifted up due to the added weight, making it soon come above Perseus. Perseus had then managed to cleave its way through the neck, only to topple down to the ground as he felt the leftover body crash on to him.
"Percy!" Artemis yelled, finally killing the Catoblepas she was on. She was about to make her way to help Perseus, when a Catoblepas rammed into her, almost knocking her aside. Using her reflexes, she then got on top of the neck this time, holding her knives in front of the monster, and getting it into a chokehold. Lucky for her, the other Catoblepas in the herd, while after her and Perseus, were too dumb to do a combined attack, opting to only speculate. She then managed to cut through the beast's neck as well, dropping down and glancing up to see who her next victim was, only to feel her head spin as she breathed in the poisonous gas, that now seemed to be everywhere due to the herd being very close by. She stumbled in her place, and then held her breath as she formed a defensive position on seeing another Catoblepas make a run towards her. But it didn't even pass a couple of meters when half a dead Catoblepas was thrown at it, making the two tumble away from the herd. Artemis glanced at the direction where the dead monster came from, and found Perseus with a couple of shadow tendrils behind him.
"Oi beefcakes! See red!" Perseus yelled, launching a shadow tendril at Catoblepas pushing it far off from the fight. The other Catoblepas focused their attention on Perseus as they made their way towards him. Perseus let the tendrils go, opting for a massive wall of earth to block and hopefully cage the monsters in. He managed to get two walls holding them, and then made his way to Artemis.
"Hey, you okay? Their stinky brain isn't messing your head up, right?" Perseus worriedly asked.
"Only feeling a bit dizzy. But what about you, you had a-
GRRROOOO!
"Seems like they are mad." Perseus noted. "And I'm fine, just a broken rib, and face first of poison gas. What could go wrong?"
As soon as Perseus said that, the earthen wall immediately crumble. The Catoblepas shook their head as they gazed at the two gods, another batch of gas erupted from their faces.
"Any ideas on how to properly deal with these?" Artemis asked.
"Uh...just cut their neck. Worked for me." Perseus said slowly, his head nodding off. "I feel sick..."
"Ash head, you couldn't have held your breath at least." Artemis muttered, worried that her boyfriend may be out of commission for now. She wondered if she should go full form nuclear on them, when she thought of something. The monsters always breathed out their fumes into the open. And since killing them from the outside was difficult, then killing them from the inside...
"I really hope this works." Artemis muttered, pulling out a bunch of different arrows from her quivers. Holding her breath again, she ran straight towards the herd, and used her godly strength to deal serious blows on the top of their head, making them stumble. While she did this, she then shoved the arrows down the monster's throat, retching a bit as she felt the insides of the monster's throat. She quickly made sure to go through every single one in the area, and also blocked the nostrils for good measure. A few missteps here and there later, Artemis sat down next to Perseus as she marveled at her handy work. The entire herd of Catoblepas had their breathing holes blocked by a multitude of arrows, and as they got their bearings back together, they tried to launch their gas out, only for them to unintentionally inhale it. The Catoblepas were soon twitching in their places as the stumbled along the meadow, with tails and hair falling off, and soon were lying on the floor, their skin bubbling and showing a weird dark green sheen as dust started to slowly leak from it.
"That really looks disgusting." Artemis said. She then glanced at Perseus, who was swaying in his place, eyes opened.
"Perseus." Artemis said, frowning a bit. "Can you hear me."
"Kinda..." Perseus said slowly, his left eye twitching.
"Should I take you to Apollo, or no..." Artemis wondered, tilting her head to the side. She then carried Perseus away from the now bubbling and disintegrating monsters, and set him down at the base of the hill they came from.
"Percy? Is the fresh air doing you any good, or should I go fetch my brother?" Artemis asked.
"Don't need brother, only need you." Perseus mumbled. "Fresh air is good though."
Artemis smiled. "Okay then, guess we're hanging out here for a while." she said, sitting and cuddling next to Perseus. She watched as a light gust of wind picked up a series of flower petals (and monster dust) in to the air. After a few minutes of checking her remaining arrows, Perseus's vambraces, and Perseus himself, she felt Perseus shift alongside her, letting out a low groan.
"My head feels light. Why does it feel so light?" Perseus muttered, shaking his head. He blinked a couple of times and then glanced at where Artemis was sitting, wo was watching him with a look of amusement and worry on her face.
"Are you feeling alright now?" Artemis asked softly.
"Uh...yeah? I think I'll live. Wait...why are we here, what about the Cato-"
"Relax ash head, I took care of it." Artemis replied.
Perseus raised an eyebrow, and then smirked. "Nuclear full form mode..."
"Shut up you dummy. Looks you are still not alright." Artemis said with a laugh.
"Well, head still feels light. I'm kinda scared now that it's going to suddenly float up from my body." Perseus said with a chuckle.
Artemis smirked, her eyes lighting up. "Seems like I have to bring it down to earth myself then,"
Perseus was about to say something when he suddenly felt Artemis's lips upon his. And while Artemis always returned his kisses (some quite passionately), this was one of the first where she initiated it herself. He stayed still, barely breathing as the action was quite out of the blue from her, and when she pulled away, Perseus stared at the woman he was pretty sure he was growing even stronger feelings for. He saw the deep golden blush that was forming from her cheeks, down to the base of the neck. And as tempted he was to comment on her cuteness, he stayed silent, opting to be closer with her as the two stared at the scenery, legs entwined with each other. After a couple of hours, the two began their walk up the hill as they readied themselves to flash out of the area. Hopefully they wouldn't have another mess to deal with, regarding their hunters.
They did.
Pain. Knee-jerking pain. That was what Tartarus felt as he took his first step on earthen soil. He let out a shuddering gasp, as his eyes adjusted to the bright light that was shining upon him. "So, this is sunlight." he thought, slowly getting up. He glanced around the area, the ground was covered with a strange white powder, which made Tartarus shiver involuntarily. How did some powder make him feel cold with fear? Only he can make people feel cold with fear.
"My darling husband. Welcome to my realm." Gaia announced, bowing down a bit. She was adorned with a white dress with blue accents, the leaves braided in her hair covered with frost. She took one look at Tartarus's discomfort, and smirked.
"Feels horrible coming to another primordials realm, isn't it? Now you know how I feel." she said, turning around. "Come on, I have something amazing to show you."
"This better be worth it." Tartarus grumbled, slowly trudging to where Gaia was walking. "Where are we anyways? I expected that green stuff or something everywhere, not this...powder stuff."
"This is snow husband. As for where we are, the land beyond the gods of course. We can't have those Olympian maggots swarming us like flies now, can we?" Gaia replied, slowing her pace. Tartarus finally reached where Gaia was, and then looked at where Gaia was looking. Sitting on the snow, building a mini snow figure was Foteinós, Tartarus and Gaia's only giant daughter.
"She? She is the amazing thing you want to show me?" Tartarus asked confused. He really wasn't big on the child, seeing that she practically did nothing even remotely interesting. Even the baby Damasen, who wasn't keen on baby slapping his brothers could throw a javelin properly at least. "She does seem to have grown though..."
"Right? These past few months have been perfect for my little light as soon as she saw the sun's rays for the first time. I knew bringing her up to my domain would do her goo. Hmm, maybe I should bring the other children up as well." Gaia mused.
Tartarus sighed. "Is that all, your domain being beneficial to our giant child? Honestly, you could have just mist messaged me."
"Just wait a moment." Gaia chided. "At least say hello to your daughter."
"...Fine." Tartarus grumbled, bending down. "Hello there, little one."
Foteinós just stared blankly at her father, her gaze not wavering once on Tartarus.
"Can she hear me? Or she can't speak?"
"She can hear and speak. But she is...selectively mute. Only talks when she wants to, or needs to." Gaia replied.
"Oh." Tartarus simply said, narrowing his eyes a bit. "Can you show me what your mother has been telling me about? Regarding you, and according to her, 'amazing'."
Foteinós blinked, and then slowly got up. She then stretched an arm out, the palm facing upward. Then, to Tartarus's amazement, a ball of light was produced in her palm, slowly elongating to the shape of a sword blade. Foteinós then spread her other arm out, this time producing a glowing shield of light in her other hand.
"This is amazing, she has her powers!" Tartarus exclaimed. "I always believed in you, little one."
"She developed them after a month of staying here. And has become quite efficient with them as well." Gaia replied. "She can form any weapon with enough concentration, and shoot light beams out of her palms. Even from her eyeballs, though that still needs a lot of practice."
"I see. But wait, how does using light as a physical weapon even work..."
"Who cares, my darling daughter has truly made me proud. My beautiful light." Gaia said, giving a small kiss at the top of Foteinós's head. "How are the boys?"
"They are fine. The boys are well...boys." Tartarus said with a grimace, remembering the first and last time he took his giant sons to his laboratory. He glanced at Gaia, who was making pictures of the gods symbol of powers and messing them up, and then cleared his throat. He had to tell her, about him.
"Listen Gaia, you remember when we set Typhon on-"
"Don't get me started. That was one of the happiest, and most disappointing day of my life. Happy, because the Olympians turned out to be a bunch of wimps, who fled the second Typhon sprayed acid on them. Disappointing, because I couldn't get any information on the gods powers and experience. Though I was able to see an Olympian god in action, and my, did he make my heart thud. No offense Tartarus, but that Perseus. Mhm, delectable."
Tartarus winced. "About Perseus, I don't think he's your average or powerful Olympian god you believe him to be."
Gaia frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Tartarus had a steely look on his face. "You may not believe me, but I am definitely sure about this, and that is that Perseus...is...how should I put this... two words. Two words."
"Perseus is a Forbidden Being."
Gaia blinked once, and then twice, thrice. She continued to stare at Tartarus, her mouth slowly forming a grin. And then she laughed. Gaia laughed, a cold ringing laugh that had Tartarus and Foteinós stiffen on hearing it.
"Forbidden being? The god Perseus, is a forbidden being? HAHAHA!" Gaia shrieked, her laughs turning into gasps. "Perseus is the forbidden being...the forbidden being... . It actually makes sense. The shadows, the earth powers. The hellfire..." she whispered, staring at Tartarus.
"How, how could it have returned." she asked. "Chaos...it...how... . Damn you Nyx...DAMN YOU!"
"I don't know either, but we have to stay cautious." Tartarus said. "But I don't think we need to really worry. After all, he has a bane."
"A bane. Yes, a bane..." Gaia whispered, glancing at Foteinós with a blank expression on her face. "He will fall, yes, he will fall. For light, always destroys the darkness...doesn't it?"
Phew, that was something. Lol, this chapter literally had me do research on something not greek mythology. But the way islands are created is really cool. And how did you like the Catoblepas? They are very much different from Rick's version, which I only realized after looking up more on them XD. I hope that's fine.
And the plot thickens, considerably, with Gaia and Tartarus, seems like Foteinós has an important role ;), and who knows how things might turn up. Other than that, I have nothing else to add, except to rev, foll, and fav the story- wait, I do have something to add.
On my author profile, there is a link to a discord server. That is the Pertemis server, for all you pertemis lovers out there. So if you all haven't joined yet, then come on down where other fans, authors (pertemis and non-pertemis) are together. And the link is permanent, don't worry about it expiring :). Thank you guys so much for reading this chapter and fic, and I will see you all in the next update. Bye!...\/