Hey everyone, how's it- holy shi- (proceeds to jump off a cliff in order to dodge a barrage of pitchforks, rocks, and tomatoes) heheheh, so, I'm hanging off a cliff. How ironic. Anyway, how have you all been, I've been fine. Past few weeks have been really hectic ever since I started staying in campus, who would have thought two parties in two days could be possible? But hey, enough of me rambling, go and read the story. Enjoy!
Chapter 41: Demigod Dilemmas
The citizens of Mount Olympus were milling around the city, most of them in a rush, or just minding their own work. But one thing was common with all of them, and that was none of them seemed to notice a black dome surrounding the entire outer structure of the throne room. It was as if, an external force was diverting everyone's attention from it. And it wasn't any of the current occupants of the throne room doing.
Perseus was massaging his neck as he slowly got up, wearily taking in his surroundings. Instead of cracks on the walls, a damaged floor, and a sickly looking sky god, everything seemed to have reversed itself to the point where Perseus first approached Zeus. The entire throne room seemed to be bathed with a dull green glow, which then disappeared. Zeus, who was still sprawled on the ground, also had the same dull green glow surrounding him, which disappeared with a flash as soon as he opened his eyes.
"Wha- how… . Who…?"
Perseus narrowed his eyes, recent events still fresh in his mind and approached Zeus, grabbing him by his tunic and slammed him on the seat of his throne. "So…uncle. Would you like to continue where we left off?"
Zeus's eyes immediately widened, his hands already crackling with electricity. "Nephew, that is enough. I don't know what trick you used to get everything as it was, but I demand you unhand me this instant!"
"Now see, that's the problem. And it's not that I can't, I won't. Not until you do this one favor for me." Perseus replied, reaching into his cloak.
"What do you want me to do, apologize?!" Zeus snapped, sending a bolt of lightning through Perseus's hand. Perseus winced as he felt the shock go through him, loosening his grip on Zeus. The god managed to remove Perseus from him, but was met with the tip of a sword, barely grazing his neck. Perseus had a look that screamed for Zeus to dare try something, and then continued to search through his cloak. A few moments later, he produced a chalice out, which was filled to the brim with a dark blue liquid. Something which Zeus immediately recognized, making him fully panic.
"You wouldn't, I refuse!" Zeus shouted. "You can't bind me to an oath, I enforce them! I-"
"What a hypocrite, seeing that most of your promises aren't being enforced by you. It's high time you start doing that, starting with this one." Perseus simply replied, holding the chalice above Zeus's head. "Swear an oath, where you will not even look twice at not just mine and Artemis's hunters, but heroes as well who come under my guidance."
"Wait…what?!"
"Ah, did I forget to mention that? I am the guide to heroes when they most need it, the choice that determines their path. And, I have the Morai as witness to that as well. I mean, they did give me that minor domain." Perseus drawled.
"You cannot control me Perseus." Zeus growled out. "Don't forget, who's your king. I can have you tried for treason"
"Treason." Perseus whispered, eyes slowly glowing purple. "We will see who demands this to be treason if this is taken to the council. And with what I have in store, I assure you Zeus, you're not going to win anything, even with favoritism."
Zeus openly gaped at Perseus, his mind racing with the outcome. And for the first time, Zeus felt something inside him sink.
Perseus didn't wait for a response, and instead bounded Zeus again with his wisps. "Will you swear the oath, or no?" he said, slightly tipping the chalice forward. A drizzle of the water from the river Styx came out, and dropped on Zeus's head, making him immediately writhe in pain.
"I can do this all day, just have to ask Iris for more if you're going to remain silent." Perseus said with a sigh. "For the sake of your sanity, unless you really want the Styx water to mess with your head, swear the oath."
Zeus vehemently shook his head, making Perseus close his eyes with frustration. He then proceeded to tip the chalice further, leading to Zeus's face almost drenched with the water from the river Styx.
"Swear the oath or else I would drown you right here on here throne Zeus!" Perseus shouted.
"No, not on the Styx!" Zeus pleaded. "Please…not on the Styx, it's impossible. Can't you fathom what will happen to me if I break the oath?!"
"More the reason to bind you with it." Perseus muttered. "Swear on the river Styx that you will not prey on my hunters, and the heroes under my guidance. And for insurance, if any future instances occur that may need another oath to be made under the Styx, then that oath can be sealed by both me and Artemis with the same water you will swear on."
Zeus closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, due to the water dripping down his head being too much to bear. He wasn't sure if it was the Styx water on his head, but he could almost hear the Fates in his head telling him that he should do what Perseus was asking of, granted that was actually happening. Or for all he knew, it may be Metis nagging him on.
Suddenly, Zeus jerked ahead, making Perseus momentarily stumble back. Zeus's eyes turned white, and then turned a violet color. The moment only lasted a couple of seconds though, and Zeus's eyes were electric blue once again, but clouded over.
"I…swear to your terms on the river Styx." Zeus mumbled, catching Perseus by surprise. "I'm doing this for you because…" Zeus began to say, but then frowned. "Why am I saying…yes. I'm saying what's innate in me… . you are the heart of our family, something which even my wife hates to admit. And as king, I should do something that's worthy of the title other than winning battles. This…seems like a small step."
Perseus was really confused on what was happening right now. First, he had seemingly unlocked his dormant sealing powers. Then literally out of nowhere, a primordial and his father come inside his head, the latter becoming an even bigger mystery now for Perseus. And out of the blue, Zeus, the self-centered and slightly arrogant uncle of his was actually agreeing to an oath, the most sacred of all oaths, especially with the horror stories Perseus had heard from Hades. He had a half a mind to take him to the fates to see if the Styx water really did something to his head.
Speaking of the Styx water, Perseus watched as the water evaporated, taking form of a tied up rope, and then dispersed. Zeus then slumped on his place, making Perseus note that he had indeed fainted. Perseus then brought down the shadow dome he had kept going on outside, half expecting a number of gods to crash into the room, when he felt Artemis's presence in his head.
"I found her."
Perseus let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding in on hearing the confirmation. His eyes then drifted to the unconscious king of the gods, making him wonder if he could still get some punches out on him. After he properly 'disposed' him off of course.
In the end, Perseus left Zeus locked in his palace. He then started to shadow travel through the shadow plane, but paused mid-flight to feel searing pain on his outer palm, where the mark was. He raised his hand to expect the mark, only to find there didn't seem to be any external change. But it was definitely reacting to something.
Perseus decided to ignore it for now, he had a pressing matter to deal with it. After a minute or so, Perseus found himself in a forest, located at the outskirts of Arcadia. Grateful that Callisto hadn't wandered away far, Perseus hadn't taken two steps before he found Artemis, her gaze directed at a cave. She then turned around, giving Perseus a solemn look and nodded her head. Perseus nodded in return, and then began to approach the cave. His insides twisted as he heard the distinct growls and cries of a bear, the sounds becoming louder as he entered the cave. He heard heavy shuffling from inside, and then came face to face with a brown bear, which immediately stumbled back with fear.
"Callisto, it's me, Perseus. But you knew that already right?" Perseus said softly, trying for a smile. Callisto continued to growl and cry as it tried to get away from Perseus. The god bit his lip with worry, then whipped his behind to find Artemis just behind him.
"Artemis, I don't want to ask you of this, but can you wait outside. Please?" Perseus pleaded. "I understand what you want to do, but your presence isn't going to help this situation. For now, so please…"
Artemis closed her eyes and nodded once, her shoulders slumping. Perseus then directed his attention back at Callisto, and raised an arm in a calming manner.
"Callisto, please come out. I'm not angry, or here to hurt you. I would never do that, because I will always prot-" Perseus said, only to get caught up with the last word as a sinking feeling came over him. He didn't protect Callisto from Zeus, and he was supposed to be her and the other hunters patron. And he failed at that, he actually failed to protect someone he cared-
"Perseus." Artemis whispered in his head. "We have to hurry, it's the twilight hour."
"R-Right." Perseus stammered, closing his eyes. He didn't want to, but he then sent out calming waves to Callisto. The effect was instantaneous, allowing Perseus to hold Callisto in his arms, and then gently escorted her out of the cave where Artemis was waiting. Artemis on the other hand, didn't waste any time and stretched her arms out, a silver glow enveloping them. A similar glow surrounded Callisto, making her shift uncomfortably. Perseus continued to soothe her, and watched as silver vapor started to come out of Callisto. Her form then slowly shifted back to a human from a bear, with more silver vapor billowing out. Artemis collected the vapor in her palms, giving Perseus a questioning look. Perseus wasn't sure what to do either with the godly energy outside right now, they couldn't just blast it somewhere, when he momentarily glanced up at the sky, his train of thought turning to Zeus. And the stars dotting the night sky.
"How about up there. As a constant reminder to your father, and us in a way for what we couldn't save." Perseus replied with a hollow tone. Artemis nodded in response, and launched the silver ball of vapor into the air, where it instantly dispersed in the sky. Soon enough, some of the stars began to shine brighter than usual, until they formed an image that resembled a bear.
Perseus was broken out of his thoughts when he heard Callisto sob her apologies, the first words he heard her say after the full ordeal. He held the girl tight, stroking her hair and whispered comforting words to her, anything to let her know she was not in fault. All this, while Artemis stared at the constellation, with a somber look on her face.
"Boss, boss!" a scrawny guy shouted, stumbling into an encampment. In the center was a burly woman, sharpening an axe, who raised an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of her lackey.
"What is it now." She grumbled.
"The lake! I was collecting fresh water like you asked, and a crack formed! On the ground! Red light and all was coming out of it, and I-"
"Got scared so you came running here." The woman said with a huff, getting up. "Well then, let's see what delusion of yours spooked you away."
"It wasn't a delusion." The man argued. "That glowing crack was still there as I was coming here, you can clearly see the light too-"
A low tremor then occurred, almost putting the woman and her lackeys off balance. She narrowed her eyes at this phenomenon, and alerted her subordinates to be prepared. She then headed to the direction of the lake, and was met with a sight that matched the earlier man's description of what he saw. A large crack, with red light spilling out of it. But that wasn't all.
The leader watched as a hooded, but stick like figure crawled out of the massive crack, its back looking weirdly proportionate. It seemed to be choking as it breathed in the air, only to pause as if it sensed something. The leader stumbled back when she saw the figures back shift, as if there was something stuck and moving. The sudden movement caused the hooded figure to slowly turn its head back, its golden eyes boring down at the burly woman. And then to her shock, the figure jumped high into the air, where it disappeared in the treetops, leaving her all alone.
"That thing…can fetch me a high bounty if it's some new kind of monster." The woman whispered, grinning maniacally. "Who knows, I might be able to one up that upstart Clio."
"Ravagers! We're going after that beast, arm yourselves!" The woman shouted, which was soon followed by cheers. The chase was then on, with the hooded figure jumping from treetop to another, while dodging arrows and spears as it tried to avoid the ground in case of traps.
"Damn mortals, and damn wing." The figure muttered, perching itself on a branch. After a quick breather, and flexing its back, the figure continued its run. But as it prepared to take another jump, the figure felt something wrap itself around its leg, prompting it to turn around. But before he see could what it was, the figure felt itself being pulled down roughly, and was then hurled to the ground. After lying on the ground for a few minutes, it then began to get up, only to hear rustling and shouts surrounding him. The figure sighed, and stood up straight to find the burly woman from before and her lackeys, all with their weapons aimed at him.
"Stand down before we hurt you. And allow my men to trap your muzzle." The woman shouted, gripping her axe tightly.
"Muzzle?!" the figure cried incredulously, the cloak covering its body slowly coming out as a large spike like shape protruded out of its back. "Do I look like a damn canine to you?!"
"So you speak, this will fetch me an even bigger bounty." The woman said with a grin.
The figures golden eyes flashed. "Bounty… . You know, I have been craving mortal flesh for more than a century now."
"What flesh?" a lackey asked, but then frowned when he felt a metallic taste form in his mouth. And a wet sensation where his abdomen was.
"By the gods." The woman muttered, as she watched her subordinate crumple down to the floor, a black rectangular shaped blade sticking out of its stomach. She then readied her axe and called out to the archers to take fire.
"Ready, aim…fire!" the woman shouted, the sounds of arrows whizzing through the air filling the area. The woman smiled triumphantly, expecting her target to fall to the ground any moment now, but something else happened. The figure threw its cloak away, revealing a pale white face and long flowing dark blue hair. But what caught her attention was the lone black metallic wing on its back, which covered the entire figures body, thus protecting him (or her?) from the arrows.
"How…quaint. Regular stone arrows, you were going to kill or capture me with regular arrows?! As a angel of high class and dignity, I am thoroughly disgusted!"
The woman backed away slowly, her grip on the axe loosening. "What the hell are you!" she demanded.
"Why I already told you dear morsel, I am an angel." Mados replied with a smile. "An angel that is very hungry. Tartarus doesn't provide gourmet meat that your kind holds you know."
"Who-" the woman started to say, but faltered when she saw Mados extend his wing out, the blades composing it gleaming in the moonlight. He then spun around, sending similar rectangular blades from before everywhere. While some missed, chopping and killing some forest nymphs in the process, some also got the lackeys, none of their weapons or protective armor able to deflect the shadowed blades. The woman from before yelled in outrage, swinging her axe around as she charged towards Mados, who huffed in response. He dodged her attacks with ease, using his hands to push everyone's weapons away from him while he recalled his blades back. The bounty hunters were giving all they had on attacking Mados, but as the minutes went by, the more agitated the angel got.
"My master wouldn't like me playing with my food. It's time I finish my cooking." Mados muttered, his eyes flashing. He spun around once again, killing or disarming the horde surrounding him. He then launched himself to the air, while a blood red aura began to surround him. After gaining altitude, he then began to spiral downwards, a maniacal glint in his eyes as he basked in the fear radiating out of his prey. He crash landed into the surface, and as soon as he made contact, a red shockwave erupted out of him, obliterating everything in the surrounding area. Mados was lying on the ground, the sounds of burning and various foreign smells invading his senses. He got up to survey the damage, and whistled lowly when he saw the area not just burnt and charred, but big angry pink blobs of sludge lying on the ground, at the same place where the mortals were standing on.
"So that's what happens to mortals when I use Tartarus's inferno…" Mados muttered with a disappointed groan. "Now my meal is ruined."
"Yours and mine both angel. Though I had other purposes for the mortals you killed." A velvety female voice echoed out. Mados hovered in the air, his eyes darting around to find the speaker. He didn't have to look long though, as a dark purple portal appeared from a shadow, magical mist bellowing out of it. Mados watched as another hooded figure came out of the portal, though the person also seemed to be hovering instead of walking. That was when he realized the reason for it, the figure didn't have any legs or a lower body. Instead, there was a vine like thing protruding from the bottom of the upper body. Mados watched as the figure removed its hood, revealing a woman with pale smiling face and blood red eyes. Mados's eyes momentarily widened whe he realized that the woman wasn't smiling, she had a Glasgow smile. And, was radiating a scent he was all too familiar with.
"A daimon? Here, roaming on Gaia? Who knew Moros was that desperate to see if he could steal her prime resource."
"My benefactor has a prime resource that outclasses celestial bronze in every regard." The daimon shot back. "And what about Ouranos hmm? It seems like he's desperate as well, if his angel is wielding stygian iron."
Mados's eyes narrowed. "The number of things wrong in your statement is baffling. Tartarus gave me the stygian iron, and I have been…ostracized from my master."
"Explains the one wing. And frankly, I can see Tartarus clamoring for support from others seeing that his prime resource rejected him. And it wasn't even Chaos who took it." The daimon replied with a smile. "The name is Gello, and you are…?"
Mados sniffed. "I don't do formalities with beings lesser than me, especially those literally beneath me. And, I have no time to engage in conversation with a lowly being either."
Mados waved his hand dismissively as he began to walk away, internally frowning when he felt something wet surround his neck. Before he could react, he was lifted off the ground, the wet feeling increasing as he felt something bind itself around his neck. Slowly, he was then brought back to Gello, who had her jaw unhinged, a long slender tongue coming out of it, which was the source of the thing wrapped around Mados's neck.
"I have no time to do small talk with stuck up snobbish angels as well. Oops, I meant fallen angels, you are no better than the inept infants I feed on with that attitude." Gello said telepathically. "And while I would love to put you in your place, my benefactor has other ideas. The main one being, he's interested in you."
"And what is so special about you anyway." Gello wondered, ignoring Mados's strangled gasps. "That you're a fallen angel? You were in league with Tartarus? You wield Erebus's prime resource despite not being even known to him. Or perhaps…" Gello said, releasing Mados from her grasp, and then drifted face to face with him. "It's your entanglement…with that elusive son of Nyx."
"That little bastard?" Mados replied with a chuckle. "Sorry to tell you this, but I…have no interest in him, none whatsoever." He said bitterly. "I've let go, that Olympian is…too much."
"Aww…don't be like that little angel." Gello cooed. "I can help you bring down that god if you want, especially if I can bring down his maiden lover as well. Two birds with one stone, think about that!"
"You mean two birds with two stones, one for each of us." Mados snarked. "And I'm done with this crazy infested world, I just got back from clawing out of Tartarus for crying out loud. Now, all I want to do is find a nice secluded island, and live the rest of eternity there. With a good supply of meat of course."
Gello wrinkled her nose. "I hope that isn't the average diet of angels." She muttered, her eyes flashing with apprehension. "But are you sure about that, dear Mados? My benefactor treats his people with respect, and welcomes anyone who carries his essence. You, could be a part of that."
"Me…with the essence of Moros?!" Mados said slowly, then bursted out laughing. "Give me ether frost while you're at it BWAHAHAHA."
Gello smiled serenely. "Funny you should mention that." She said, producing a translucent blue rod out of her robe, something which made Mados stop laughing immediately, and stare at the rod with disbelief and longing.
"How did you…how?" Mados spluttered.
"Being one with Moros is a pathway to many opportunities, some consider to be…unnatural." Gello whispered. "He made me what I am today, and he could make you more than what you are capable of. All he asks, is for your cooperation, and an audience with the god Perseus. He's quite…interested in him you know. I don't blame him, if he is what Moros thinks he is."
"Right…" Mados muttered, his eyes gleaming. "Or, you can give my gratitude to your 'benefactor', and I will be off with my wand."
Gello raised an eyebrow in response on seeing Mados jump back, taking a battle stance. He then launched his winged blades at her, only for Gello to float aimlessly above, thus dodging them. Mados bit his lip in response, and then decided to ready himself with another inferno, enveloping himself with the blood red aura. Gello's eyes widened with slight fear on seeing this, but then clenched her fists as a black aura enveloped her as well. The two glared defiantly at each other, the auras spiking as the seconds went by. Mados snapped, releasing a shockwave, with Gello doing the same. Both of their eyes widened on seeing the shockwaves pass each other harmlessly, and each opposing one still directed at them. Mados was then struck with the shockwave from Gello, and while no physical damage was seen, the same couldn't be said with what was happening mentally. Mados cried out in agony as various images bombarded his mind, flashes of bloodied disembodied children with small wings on their backs, a tall imposing being with night blue colored skin and silver dots on it striking him across a room, red searing light bombarding his vision as he was shoved out of a cave in Tartarus, and then an image of Perseus, glowing dark purple, hellfire wings burning with ferocity, and with a glare that crippled anyone who dared face him.
Gello on the other hand summoned a small portal, out of which a number of long spindly beings came out of it, shadow wisps coming out of the top of their head, and stone discs with intricate patterns attached to their faces. Each one of them immediately disintegrated as the red shockwave came in contact with them, the power waning as it struck more and more beings. It still managed to strike Gello, though the intensity was quite low by then, leaving her with a severed arm that melted with a shadow and blisters covering the side of her face.
"You…mangled fallen!" Gello cried out, her eye burning with hate. She did feel satisfaction though, on seeing Mados go through his worst moments, all in quick succession. Every single moment, which each led to his impended doom.
"Ah, nothing better than to watch your victim experience his own downfall, while you feast on them, hmm?" Gello whispered, crouching down next to Mados's face. She extended her tongue, sliding it all over the writhing angel's face, a content sigh leaving her mouth.
"Ah, I can almost taste it." She whispered, black liquid leaking out of her mouth. "It's so delicious…so…"
Gello then unhinged her jaw, and clamped down on to Mados's neck. The fallen angel screamed with agony, his consciousness slowly slipping away. The last thing he could remember, was a burning sensation across his back, and the delighted cries of the daimon of Moros.
A few years later
"Ouch!" Perseus hissed in pain, almost dropping the stone tablet he had received from Pontus all those years ago. This was the upteempth number of time his mark had burned, while he was in the shadow realm. Something that only started to happen, once he had had seemingly unlocked his sealing powers.
"Are you trying to lead me somewhere." Perseus muttered, staring at the mark. Sometimes, he would feel a pinch while he travelled around, with the pain gradually increasing as Perseus explored further. Which, was the reason why he was in the plane now. To find the source of why his mark burned.
Perseus had got the tablet down due to the connection to whatever power he had. Something he was still banging his head to. If only the voice of his father would show up again…
Perseus shook his head with frustration, drifting towards an area that his mark seemed to react strongly to. He soon approached a plateau, that was occupied by now familiar looking creatures, with disks on their faces.
"Wonder what they are actually called." Perseus muttered to himself, bringing out a blade from his brace. The sound of the weapon forming alerted the monsters, who on seeing the blade, cowered. But as most monsters, the thought of killing something that could definitely kill them, was more tempting then retreating. Which then led to the plateau being overrun by shadow wisps everywhere from the disintegrating monsters, which was then absorbed by Perseus.
"It feels the same when I absorbed the shadows from Lycaon's pack. I wonder if there's a connection." Perseus said to himself as he walked around, tracing his fingers on some stone pillars that littered the area. He had just finished circling the area when he realized something immediately. His mark was not paining anymore.
Perseus formed his attached blades, bracing himself for something out of the ordinary. He scanned the ruins once again, taking in the almost familiar shape the broken pillars were placed, and the split stone platform in the-
"Wait a minute…" Perseus murmured, his eyes widening. He speed-walked to the platform and crouched down, a tingling sensation running through his boy as he placed his hand on the platform. A gust of wind blew against him, and Perseus watched as the markings on the pillar and platform glowed, revealing the archaic megalith in its somewhat glory. As well as something else, which Perseus had never seen before.
Protruding out of the end of the plateau was a structure that vaguely resembled a tree. It had overlapping roots, that Perseus wasn't sure was made out of metal or stone, which then extended out into upright inward slanting branches, like a crown. The structure while eerie, wasn't doing anything special, though Perseus wasn't sure what to make of the green liquid that seemed to be leaking out of the structure.
"There has to be a reason why this exists, and why the megalith looks destroyed." Perseus wondered out loud, checking the tablet. While there didn't seem to be any major change on reading it after his power awakened, the symbols did seem to blur in their place, forming vaguely familiar greek letters that Perseus could semi-understand.
"Paramudi." Perseus muttered. "Hallowed…rise?"
"Maziong. Behold…gateway."
"Tetrekar. Forbidden…being? Or is it mark. Wait, didn't my father call me something similar, Tetrekar something…Tetrekarn? Maybe."
Perseus whistled lowly, making himself comfortable on the ground. "Ordinage Kassioka. Pierce primordial…what the hell does that even mean." Perseus grumbled, biting back a groan. "Solosis Akilio!"
The mark on Perseus's hand began to glow, a white energy soon enveloping Perseus's fist. He waved it around, a low hum emitting out of it as well. Perseus then stretched his arm out back and forth, wisps of white energy forming out of his hand. After discovering them, Perseus had a lot of time experimenting with his 'sealing powers', and came to the conclusion of two things: They were energy draining. And they were fully functional when next to any kind of being, whether it be god, mortal, or monster.
Perseus then heard something in his mind, which could only mean someone was trying to communicate with him. Another perk of the shadow plane, telepathic communication was almost non-existent in certain cases. Perseus then prepared to leave, giving one final glance at the megalith and the weird tree structure, his eyes lingering on it for more than a second. For some reason, he couldn't place why the structure gave him the creeps, like it was something related to him. And definitely not in a good way.
Perseus then opened up a portal and stepped in, landing at the place where he heard the call from. He was then greeted with the exclaimed cries of a bunch of young children, all of them running from a wild boar. Perseus then nonchalantly took out his bow, an arrow forming out of his casing as he pulled back. Ten seconds later, four children were staring at the dead animal and the smiling god with awe.
"Didn't your parents ever warn you not to go snooping in the forest at night? Or, at all seeing your age." Perseus commented with a grin.
"Um…" the oldest of the children, a group of four, gulped nervously. "We aren't really allowed to go outside actually…"
Perseus smirked in response. "A bunch of rebels huh. At least you had the good grace to pray to me."
As soon as Perseus said those words, all four of the kids openly gaped at the god, wonder and joy in their eyes. Perseus almost swore he could see stars glittering in their eyes.
"Your lord Perseus! We…we are literally your biggest fans. We pray to you for good grace every single week, and offerings every day, and we always ask travelers and priests for your stories, and-"
"Okay, slow down slow down." Perseus said quickly. "So this is how Artemis feels when I ramble a lot huh." He though with an embarrassed grin. "Well, I'm quite honored to see um…your devotion? Sorry, still not really used to this." Perseus replied, taking in the well-worn clothes and posture. He then noticed the pin attached on their clothes, recognition setting on Perseus's face.
"You all are the children of the royal family of Thebes?" Perseus asked with a smile. "That actually explains your excitement. Not that it's a bad thing." He said quickly on seeing the embarrassed looks on their faces. "But why are you four out anyway?"
"Exploring!" the youngest said with a grin.
"What is up with kids wanting to go 'exploring'?" Perseus said to himself, shaking his head fondly. "Well little one, I think tonight has been enough exploring right? And we should let the animals sleep, don't want them to angrily chase you."
The two younger ones nodded, while the older ones winced. "We were quite loud…"
"And that is dangerous, roaming in the night. Whether it's the forest, or outside your city. You should really have got a couple of guards with you at least. Not to mention, you had two younger children with you, and if anything were to happen…" Perseus said trailing off.
"Come on, let me drop you guys off to the palace. And, don't mention me if you're going to tell someone about what happened tonight. I really don't want another resurgence of people asking me to kill this thing and that."
Perseus took the lead, and got to know a bit of the royal children of Thebes in the short time. They were hard workers in their activities, courtesy of their mother queen Niobe pushing them. Something which Perseus found appalling, especially after he found out that the youngest of the fourteen had already been assigned swordplay, at age three.
"I get that you guys are gifted in a way, but isn't it a bit too much for you all? No disrespect to your mother, but isn't she pushing you all a bit too far?" Perseus asked.
"We're used to it lord Perseus. But…yeah. Sometimes the expectations can be too much. This is the only way we know that will make our mother proud, there aren't any other options."
"I see." Perseus muttered, staring at his mark. "Not that far off…" he thought. "Anything you guys always wanted to do, outside that is?"
"Go to Skiágis!" the youngest said excitedly. "We always wanted to go to the island that is the birthplace of our favorite god."
"Uh… Skiágis isn't where I was born." Perseus said with a chuckle.
"But you are its patron. We rarely stepped outside the city, and if we do, it's just to go to the outskirts of a forest. If there was one place we would go first in the outside, that's your island lord Perseus."
"Huh. Thanks kid, that's actually nice to hear." Perseus replied with a smile. "Maybe I could send a vision or something, that will make the king and queen take their children to Skiágis. That would be fun to watch." He thought.
"Well, we're finally here." Perseus announced, as the royal palace came into view. "Now I need you four to stay here, and be quiet. I just need to take a peek at the surroundings where I will drop you off, it'll only be a second. Oh, and close your eyes." Perseus said, waiting for them to comply. He then flashed away, and returned a few moments later.
"Whoa, what was that?" one of the Theban children asked.
"A nifty trick, where I can go to places in the blink of an eye." Perseus explained.
"Couldn't you have taken us along with you, if you could easily travel anywhere? Another child asked.
Perseus grinned ruefully. "Let's just say, mortals wouldn't be able to handle it. It's like, your entire body will get compressed into a pipe and the end result, wouldn't be pretty."
Perseus then summoned a portal, the other side leading into a dimly lit corridor, which the children recognized to be the one that led to their rooms. After saying their farewells (and a promise of burning a bunch of black currants), Perseus was about to go and see Artemis when a bolt of lightning struck next to Perseus, this one a bit weaker than the usual summons. Which meant, Zeus was summoning Perseus privately, which the latter was not thrilled about. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Perseus hopped into a shadow, and after experiencing his daily mark throb, landed outside the throne room doors. Entering the room, he found Zeus, looking a bit worried as he watched an iris message in front of him. Zeus waved the message away before Perseus was able to see the contents, and regarded him with a calculated stare.
"Perseus."
"Uncle." Perseus replied, biting back his tone. He was still at odds with the king of the gods, after what happened with Callisto a few years ago. Something that was common knowledge throughout Olympus, and which led to bated breaths to see if a battle may happen with the son of Kronos, and the son of Nyx. And for the first time, no bets were being made on the potential battle.
"Is there a reason you have summoned only me my lord?" Perseus asked slowly.
Zeus stroked his beard. "Yes…there is. I am sure you are very well aware of my son, Heracles, and how he has been assigned to do a set of labors by and for the high king Eurystheus. Well, the high king has given my son the most difficult task yet. To collect the golden apples from the garden of Hesperides."
Zeus paused for a moment, lightly frowning when he saw Perseus chuckling.
"He has to get the golden apples? Oh, this is too rich, Aphrodite's going to be happy." Perseus said with a grin. "Not to mention, there is no way he will even find the garden, or, even fathom the thought of defeating Ladon."
Zeus sighed. "Which is where you come in Perseus."
"…Run that by me again?"
Zeus straightened himself on his throne, his eyes boring down on the god. "Perseus, as the appointed helper of heroes, I ask of you to lead Heracles in his task to retrieve the apples of immortality. See to it that he collects them without any setback, which will also allow him to complete his task."
Perseus's right eye began to twitch. "First off, I'm a 'guide'. I give heroes a sort of choice to take, it depends on their own instinct and intuition that they take it or not. Whoever I feel needs it, will receive it. I neither go for every single person on some kind of quest, or have special preferences like say for demigods. And the same will go for Heracles, even with him being the descendant of the first hero I guided, Perseus."
Zeus's face bristled with anger, but he managed to keep his cool. Knowing Perseus, there was no way he was going to turn around. "As long as my son does his task successfully, I will be pleased." Zeus then stated. "Do what you have to do, but do not disappoint."
Perseus snorted. "You're going to get mad either way." Perseus thought with an eye roll. "Very well Uncle, I can attest to that at least. But like I stated before, it's the heroes choice if he wants to take my guidance. I am not responsible for what happens if that's not the case."
Perseus then flashed away, turning up in his tent back at the hunt. He was about to call up Hermes when Artemis poked her head inside, breathing a sigh of relief on seeing Perseus.
"I finally managed to catch you, where were you the past few days?"
"Just roaming about." Perseus replied carefully, cursing himself when he felt an all too familiar new tension settling between him and Artemis. Apprehension.
Just like Perseus's relationship with Zeus was rocky, so was his relationship with Artemis but to a lesser extent. They were still together, and had their moments alone but that seemed to happen infrequently. Part of the reason for this was Artemis's temper when it came to punishing mortals, which seemed to increase more and more as time went on. Sure, Perseus could understand, he punished his fair share of mortals before but the intensity of it… . He did understand Artemis's reasoning...sometimes. Like Actaeon, deserved it fully. But…turning Callisto into a bear, leaving a maiden huntress in a camp of barbaric men where they defiled her, ordering a city to sacrifice their fairest male and female annually just because of one already dead couple getting frisky in her temple, and more instances that even had Perseus do some serious damage control like the Kalydonian hunt, which almost led to the death of Ajax after a mass fight broke out of between the hunters participating. And every single time, Perseus believed that Artemis would be better, she promised as well. But, nothing of that sort seemed to happen anytime soon, which honestly, worried Perseus a lot. Which led him to think that maybe a bit of space could be a good thing, leading him to pour his time into the tablet, and trying to make sense of his mark burning up in the shadow realm.
As for Artemis, she more or less knew the reason for what was happening between her and Perseus. And she did try to curb her temper to a lesser degree when it came to it…and failed every single time, unless Perseus was present with her. Which she didn't like for that to be the case. Not to mention, Perseus had been avoiding her, not blatantly, but there seemed to be a wall between them now, a wall that Artemis wanted to take down immediately. But progress was small, especially when the person on the other side didn't seem inclined to do anything about it.
"So…what have you been up to?" Artemis asked nonchalantly, leaning in and out of the tent. "Or, doing now?"
"Well, I was about to call Hermes for some information. Though I'm not sure if he's free now to help, it's peak hour for him right now." Perseus replied.
Artemis nodded quickly, an idea forming in her head. "Why not I help you?" he asked. "I'm sure I could help in some capacity."
Perseus had a thoughtful look on his face as he stared at Artemis, and then smiled slightly. "Yeah of course, you can help me with this." He replied, patting the spot next to him on his bed. Artemis internally cheered as she stepped in, making herself comfortable next to Perseus.
"So, what's plaguing your mind?" she asked.
"Well, your father wants me to check on his current favorite son's newest labor, retrieving the golden apples." Perseus said, grinning when he saw Artemis's lips curl into a shit eating grin, which then led to her laughing.
"I always said that the high king is getting creative with his tasks. Oh poor Heracles." Artemis said. "So father put you for babysitting."
"Yes." Perseus replied in a deadpanned voice. "Good thing I had practice with rearing your head from trouble."
"Hey! That was me rearing your ash filled head out of trouble mister." Artemis said with a grin. "Looks like your body has reached its limit for having ash for brains." She replied, poking Perseus's forehead.
"Ouch, that hurt arrowhead." Perseus laughed out, Artemis joining in as well. He had missed this; it was a while since he bantered with Artemis alone. Or just, be with her…just the two of them…
Perseus and Artemis were staring at each other now, loving and longing looks in their faces as they got lost in their moment. It was only Iris's voice chimed in, alerting Artemis that she had a recorded Iris message did the two break out, both of them looking away bashfully.
"Thank you Iris." Artemis muttered, keeping the message aside. "So, you're guiding Heracles. Have you thought of what you're going to do in terms of that?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, right. Guiding Heracles." Perseus said. "Well, I momentarily thought of helping him incapacitate Ladon. But…as powerful as Heracles is because of Hera, there's no way he could take down Ladon by himself. So, what I figured he can do, and which I think Zeus would also approve, trickery."
Artemis frowned. "You want Heracles to…trick Ladon?"
"Not Ladon, Atlas. Which, I know is a very dangerous move." Perseus quickly replied on seeing Artemis's shocked expression. "But trust me on this, I have the makings of a foolproof plan. And I know Atlas, you know about my evening chats with him."
"Nice of you to omit the Hesperides too." Artemis snarkily replied, grinning internally on seeing Perseus groan.
"Artemis, not againnnnn." Perseus whined. "I told you already, they are like little nieces to me. I don't complain when I see you talking to other guys."
"The only guys outside of you I regularly talk to is my brother and Hermes." Artemis replied with an eye roll. "As for you-"
"Nope, not listening." Perseus relied with a huff, covering his ears.
Artemis shook her head fondly, getting up to retrieve her Iris message. "Amphitrite? That's a bit surprising." Artemis said, resting on Perseus's arm.
"Amphitrite…" Perseus muttered, his mind wandering off to how he was supposed to reveal the location of the garden to Heracles. He had to give a test, and have him earn the information through his own accord. But to do that… . Perseus then lightly frowned when Amphitrite's name came up. For some reason, there was a certain detail about her he couldn't place. Something informative, but not directly related to her.
"Huh, looks like a new pod of baby dolphins have been born." Artemis said, a small smile on her face. "You remember those dolphins back in Poseidon and Amphitrite's wedding Percy?"
"Yep. And when we…" Perseus began to say, only to stop midway. A certain memory resurfaced back in his mind, a memory of Amphitrite's father shape-shifting into a dolphin. The other old man of the sea.
"Nereus." Perseus said aloud, confusing Artemis. "I can tell Heracles to find Nereus, who he can then ask to reveal the location of the garden."
"That's actually not a bad idea." Artemis chimed in. "Of course, finding him will be a chore, but none of Heracles's tasks are supposed to be simple. Nice job Perseus."
"I should be saying that to you." Perseus said with a chuckle, kissing the top of Artemis's head. "Thank you love."
"Oh…um…uh…" Artemis stuttered, a golden hue adorning her face. "Y-You are welcome?"
"Okay now…I need to find someone who will be able to relay the 'trickery' plan to Heracles." Perseus said. "Should I enlist Hermes?"
"Hermes seems like a safe bet though." Artemis pointed out. "You, want to make it challenging because of Aphrodite and Sebastianos."
"And for you and Del. No one makes my lover mad, and that feisty hind has kinda grown on me." Perseus replied with a grin. "I think we can circle back on this part later."
"Sure." Artemis replied, coughing lightly. "Percy?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you…I mean; do you want to do something together sometime? It's been an awful long time since we had a day for ourselves." Artemis said slowly, trying to gauge Perseus's reaction. She was delighted to find him with a big smile on his face, and eyes shining with mirth.
"Absolutely. We may be busy soon with harvest season and the winter solstice coming up, but we will definitely make time." Perseus replied, adoring the look of joy on Artemis's face. "You know…maybe I'm being a tad bit paranoid right now." Perseus thought. "Maybe we will be just fine, and I'm worrying for no reason. I could always bring up the subject later."
They were gods. Everything will be perfect.
"What is he doing." Perseus muttered. He was watching Heracles right now, who seemed to be building a pyre. For what though, Perseus had no idea. After Heracles lit it on fire, Perseus watched as Heracles then began to drag a full bull behind him, no doubt probably doing a sacrifice. Perseus the gently prodded the demigods mind, and found out that the sacrifice was meant for Athena. Something about blessing him with wisdom to solve his task. A good prayer, though Perseus technically was supposed to 'oversee' the full operation, and hence couldn't have any other gods interfering with him. Which led to Perseus standing behind, clearing his throat, and having a fist fly into his face. Perseus smirked on seeing Heracles slump to the ground, moaning with pain as he clutched his shattered hand.
"Always be aware of your surroundings, visibly." Perseus said, healing Heracles's hand. "You never know if a stray blow was intended for an enemy, or just the opposite."
"…Lord Perseus?" Heracles asked lazily. "My surroundings are aware."
"And you're delirious." Perseus said with a sigh, snapping his fingers. "Clear your head, I'm here to help you with the high king's task."
"You are?!" Heracles exclaimed, trying to bow. "I'm honored my lord; I honestly didn't think I would receive any assistance."
"Yeah, me neither." Perseus muttered to himself. "Now, you need the location of the garden, am I correct?"
"Yes."
"Splendid. Now, while I do know the location, I will not hand it over to you just like that. As you have with your previous tasks, there will be challenges. And your first one is, to find the sea deity Nereus."
"Nereus?" Heracles asked with a frown. "Why would I ask some sea god on where a garden on ground is."
"Because Nereus is arguably the wisest deity around here, and is your best change in attaining knowledge on anything in this realm." Perseus simply replied. "Only us deities know of the location and what lies ahead. And if you want to know about it with no strings attached, then Nereus is your best shot."
Heracles frowned deeply, but then grudgingly nodded. "Would you at least reveal where he is located?" he grumbled.
Perseus snickered. "He's in the mainland, I would suggest combing the beaches on the coast. That's where he usually is. Oh, and he will smell. Keep that in mind, and you will know what I mean."
"On another note, I wouldn't mind some animal being sacrificed to me." Perseus said nonchalantly, while Heracles's eyes widened. The god then grinned, sinking down into a shadow, which made Heracles stumble back into the pyre where he almost burned himself.
A few days later, Perseus was once again in the shadow plane, the activity around quite low. And by activity, that meant the weird creatures Perseus would find milling about being low in count. He then made his way towards the plateau where he found the megalith. His mind drifting to what he could plan for the outing with Artemis. He smiled as he thought about, only to pause mid-air when he heard a low hiss coming from somewhere. He quickly spun around, his eyes narrowing as he took in the area around him. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but that didn't stop Perseus's mind from racing. For all he knew, whatever that might have made the noise, was camouflaged with the background, staring at him too.
"Or I'm being paranoid. Again." Perseus thought with a sigh. "Zeus has corrupted me."
Perseus one again continued down his path, and soon enough came across the megalith. He paused momentarily, wondering if he had actually heard a hissing noise again or not. Seeing that there was still nothing of note, he then stepped on the platform, a thought forming in his mind.
"I wonder." Perseus said, clearing his throat. "Meraza Tetrekar, Parasal Majika. Mereza Tetrekar, Mahasa Paragion."
Perseus warily glanced around, checking to see if the words he had uttered back in the megalith in Pontus's realm would unlock the gateway to the Void. But so far, it didn't seem to be the case. It was like the megalith was unusable. Which was something Perseus didn't expect.
"I could ask Pontus about this…" he muttered, sighing in frustration. But what if Pontus tries to deny him knowing anything, like he did before. He already lost a lot of trust in him, he didn't want to his relationship with the primordial to fully fall.
"One more chance, just one more." Perseus then decided, opening a portal to go back to the surface realm.
"You sure he's over here?" Perseus asked, tilting his head to the side. "I find it odd that Zeus would keep two individuals he himself imprisoned in such close proximity."
"True, but then again…this is Zeus." Hermes replied with a grin. "He probably can't keep track of every single deity he has trapped over the centuries, so he decided to keep them close to each other."
"We should get a codename for him." Perseus said wryly as thunder boomed overhead. "So just beyond this passage?"
"Ye-p." Hermes replied.
"Great. You go and see where Heracles is, stall him if I'm still talking with the titan. I'll let you know once I'm done."
"Affirmative sir." Hermes replied, jumping off a cliff. Perseus drew a deep breath, and then made his way into a narrow passage filled with a heavy amount of magic and mist. After walking for some time, Perseus was greeted with sight of a titan, that paved the way for mankind to evolve with the embers of fire. Prometheus.
"A visitor? Dare I say, most unexpected. Have you come for something, little god." The titan asked, it's voice smooth as silk. Limbs chained to a tall rock spire, Prometheus was wearing only a loincloth, and had short matted dark hair, that fell at the back of his head. But what caught Perseus's attention, were the numerous scars etched on the titan's side, each one having various shades of color.
"Whoa..." Perseus whispered, feeling a bit queasy. "Who knew this was an actual thing. An eagle feeding on your liver?"
"Indeed little god." Prometheus said mockingly. "What did you think it was, a vulture?"
"…My mother told me one time an eagle would come and poop on your face." Perseus said. "She forgot to mention the liver eating part though."
"…My disbelief is through the sky. Overprotective much?" Prometheus said, eyes narrowing. "You don't look like anyone."
Perseus blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"You don't resemble anyone. While us immortals hardly see each other as family, we do have some similar physical traits here and there. But you, you don't resemble anyone I know of." Prometheus stated. "Who are you child."
"Um…Perseus? My mother is Hestia. And…I'm the birth son of Nyx. Though my father is unknown."
Prometheus snorted. "Two mothers and an unknown father? And speaking of the latter, your father is Erebus boy. There is no chance Nyx would have a child with any man other than Erebus. Unless, she had you without him? It's not unheard of."
"Um, I'm pretty sure I have a father." Perseus said bluntly. "I'm getting sidetracked, listen Prometheus. I have a favor to ask of you, and in return, I will grant you the one thing you most desire currently."
"My desire?" Prometheus asked warily. "And pray tell, what is it young god?"
"Freedom. Freedom from these chains, and the bird that feasts on your flesh. I can grant you that, officially with Zeus's blessings as well." Perseus said, smiling internally when he saw the look of contemplation on the titans face.
"You…will really grant me my freedom?" Prometheus whispered, and then frowned. "What is this favor you ask of?"
"In some time, the demigod son of Zeus, Heracles, will approach you, asking for a plan to retrieve the golden apples. You- you can laugh later, first listen to me! Ahem, as I was saying, I have a plan ready that I hope will be able to assist the demigod in his task. You, will be the one to relay said plan to him once he approaches you. Is that clear?"
Prometheus tilted his head to the side, an irritated huff of breath leaving him. "Either the Morai are smiling at me, or are cackling as they weave some kind of afterthought torture for me if I help you. And you know, my brothers screams from underneath the sky have been getting on my skin for quite some time. Very well Perseus, I should do this favor you ask of me, with a guarantee for my freedom. Do we have a deal?"
"It's a deal Prometheus." Perseus said, extending his arm. Prometheus did it as well, but his hand was enveloped with fire, which then spread to Perseus's hand as well.
"Is this fire thing some kind of binding-"
"Dramatic effect."
"Ah."
"Perseus, demigod inbound. You done talking with mister liver cause Heracles looks pissed. I don't think he'll take kindly to another boulder falling on his head." Hermes stated telepathically.
"Yeah, I finished the negotiations. You can send him." Perseus replied, turning to Prometheus. "He's coming, the plan?"
"Humor me youngling."
Perseus cheered half-heartedly on seeing Heracles finish his conversation with the titan. Just a couple more hours at least, and Perseus would be finally done watching over the demigod. He then flew towards the valley where the garden was, and gently set foot on it. It was already late evening, which meant that the Hesperides had finished their walk and were turning in for the night, and Atlas would be muttering expletives under his breath. Perseus decided to stay near Atlas in order to see the confrontation between him and Heracles, as according to the plan. And just in case, the titan did decide to do something sneaky. And as for the plan, Heracles had to just approach Atlas, ask him that if he could retrieve the apples for him while Heracles himself would lift the sky. Knowing Atlas, he would come back again, just to relish in the fact that someone else was underneath the burden he carried for so long. Heracles, will then play the pity card, and ask Atlas to momentarily take the sky from him, just so he could put a protective layer on his back in order to lessen the pain. Atlas, being the gullible fool that he is, will comply, prompting Heracles to snatch the apples while Atlas is distracted with the sky, and then be on his way out. Simple and foolproof.
"Where is that demigod though." Perseus muttered, leaning forward. The walk from Prometheus to the garden wasn't that long, it was at least ten minutes. But that went by, and so did thirty minutes. And then an hour. Two hours.
Perseus was seriously worried now. He momentarily thought that Heracles may have died by being kissed by a boulder, but then Zeus would have already been down here, hurling lightning left and right. Another possibility was that he could be sleeping, and if that was the case, Perseus was going to make sure to chuck the damn demigod into the shadow plane. As he was contemplating that, he noticed a glint coming from the entrance of the garden, prompting him to focus on that. And on seeing what it was, Perseus could already feel the effects of a migraine settling in his head.
For standing with a smug expression was Heracles, decked with his lion skin armor and a familiar bronze sword. Anaklusmos. Zoë's sword.
Perseus wasn't sure if he was actually seeing what he was seeing. The son of the sky god, was wielding a blade born out of the ocean. And how the hell did he get Zoë's sword in the first place. The Hesperides were nowhere near where Heracles was, there was no way he could have met any of them, especially- oh. Oh no.
Perseus immediately got his answer as he saw a young woman duck behind a tree next to Heracles, staring at the hero with awe filled eyes. Zoë…had given him the blade. A virtual stranger, she gave the blade to the first ever non immortal she had ever met in her life, and Perseus wasn't sure whether to bang his head or laugh. And then things went south.
"Ladon! I challenge you, in order to claim my grand prize!" Heracles shouted. He then gave a battle cry and charged towards the hundred headed dragon, who was mostly still sleeping as some of the heads were beginning to wake up. Perseus watched in horror as Heracles began to attack Ladon, cutting one head at a time with a bit of difficulty.
Besides Perseus, Atlas, who had been awake all this time, wasn't taking the current situation lightly at all. "What is the meaning of this?! Ladon, wake! There is a trespasser in the garden, do your duty."
Atlas's voice echoed through the place, waking more of Ladon's heads. Heracles hadn't reached head number six before he was head-butted by numerous snake heads, all of them bearing their fangs that dripped with poison. Heracles awkwardly waved the sword round, desperately trying the block the incoming strikes and sprays of poison. His lineage, even though Heracles may be a demigod and the son of Zeus, it wasn't enough for the blade to properly bond with him. And on seeing all this, Perseus decided to do something drastic.
Perseus launched himself from where he was, and rolled towards the scene of battle, forming a sword/shield hybrid from his left brace. He then summoned a mass of shadow tendrils, and used one to grab Heracles and hurl him out of the fight. While that had happened, Heracles had dropped the sword on the ground.
"No!" Zoë shouted as she watched the demigod fly into the air. She turned to face the culprit, only for her eyes to widen as she saw who it was. "P-Perseus?! What…why are you-"
'What were you doing back there?!" Perseus shouted, launching a series of rock spikes from the ground. "And why did you give the sword to that demigod?!"
"I-" Zoë began to say, ducking down to dodge a severed head heading straight at her. "You're killing Ladon!"
"If you want him to go berserk and destroy this entire place, then fine, I won't kill him." Perseus shot back. We have to kill the heads that are awake. Zoë, there are still some that are dozing but will soon wake up. I will protect you from anything that heads your way, but it is your job to put the dozing heads fully to sleep.
"I…I don't think I-"
"Zoë please. I don't want to kill Ladon either, and I can't go full form without risking killing any of you all. This is the only way, but we have to do it fast before it gets messy."
Zoë looked torn, her gaze drifting from Perseus to Heracles. But it then lingered on Perseus desperately pushing Ladon back from rampaging. And then, at her sword, glistening on the ground.
"Perseus!" she shouted, barreling on the ground, and in turn grabbed the sword. "Cover me!"
"On it!" Perseus shouted, flicking his wrist. The ground beneath them started to tremble, until a massive wall twice the size of Ladon emerged, blocking the active heads from the dozing ones. Zoë immediately launched into a lullaby, stroking Ladon's heads gently, her sword at the ready in case any attacked. Meanwhile, Perseus had to now deal with two separate sets of heads, one after him, and one after Zoë. He summoned another multitude of shadow tendrils, launching them at the heads to which they wrapped around them. There were still many to go, which greatly worried Perseus, especially after he heard shouts coming from the other side of the wall, which had some large holes in it.
"Zoë!" Perseus shouted, bringing down the wall, where it managed to bury some of the heads underneath it. "Were you att-"
"I'm fine!" Zoë gasped out, clutching her shoulder. "It's just a bruise, I swear, they didn't bite me."
Perseus nodded, his vision immediately blurring as he felt numerous things collide on to him. He quickly sunk into a shadow, and appeared just beside Zoë, both of them panting heavily. Perseus winced when he tried to lift his foot, and looked down to see it stained with gold, and traces of an olive green liquid."
"Oh my gods Perseus." Zoë gasped. "Your leg!"
"Tis but a scratch." Perseus muttered, flexing his arm. "How many heads are awake?"
"I can count at least fifteen. But they are the major ones Perseus, would you be able to-"
"Zoë…remember who you're talking to." Perseus replied with a grin, levitating on a stone platform. He then charged straight at a head, knocking it backwards. He then lowered himself down, an opening ready for him to kill off the head. He formed a spear and then lodged it at the start of the neck, and then turned the spear into a claymore, which he then used to slice open the neck. Perseus then heard Zoë call out his name, and turned around to find a sword thrown at him. Perseus caught it by the tip and then flipped it, Anaklusmos fitting perfectly in his hands. And, humming with power.
"Never tried dual wielding with non-attached blades." Perseus thought, slicing Anaklusmos and his newly formed sword together. His then jumped into the air, and proceeded to hack and slash his way on Ladons heads, while his leg slowly healed. Unknown to Perseus and Zoë, the commotion and movement of the tree caused some of the golden apples to fall off, where they then rolled towards the feet of a stupefied demigod.
On making sure that the sleeping heads were actually asleep, Zoë then directed her attention to the ones that were awake. She didn't have much time though, another five minutes and the heads would start to wake up again. Pushing that thought to the side, Zoë began another lullaby, catching a major head off-guard, the delay allowed Perseus to decapitate the head. He then hoped towards the next one, but didn't anticipate another one behind him, which managed to grab him by the jaws.
Zoë's throat tightened, no words able to come out as she watched Perseus repeteadly pierce the head holding him, but there didn't seem to be any inclination of the grip loosening. They needed more help, someone that could preferably be out of sight so as to not alert the heads. Someone like…
"Lady Artemis." Zoë thought, and immediately found herself praying. "Milady, I require your divine help. Me and lord Perseus are fighting Ladon, and the battle is starting to become unstoppable. We really need your assistance, if you can-"
Before Zoë could finish, a burst of silver light erupted from the top of the tree, swirls of energy emitting out of it. Zoë watched as a singular burst of light shot out into the sky, bursting into several sparkles. Sparkles that instead of disappearing, continued to fall down, and take the shape of arrows.
Ladon's heads roared in pain as several arrows pierced into its skin, every single one of them hitting the awake ones. With the distraction into effect, Perseus manged to break free from Ladon's jaw by twisting the neck around, and then proceeded to join the silver glowing light on top. Zoë watched with awe as the light died down, revealing the goddess Artemis, with a glare that can kill. Perseus plopped himself on Artemis's back, sighing with relief.
"Hello love, fancy seeing you here." Perseus said softly.
"Your 'niece' called me here. What's our objective?"
"Target the awakened heads. I think Zoë can manage to keep the sleeping ones as it is, so no need for interference."
"Noted. Shall we, dear?"
"We shall, love."
The two gods then went into position, with Perseus running up the length of the neck while Artemis's arrows followed close by incapacitating it. The two then heard singing coming from afar, which even had Zoë confused. The rest of the Hesperides had arrived, using their magic to charm the already awake heads of Ladon into a dozing like state, which they tried to resist. But with Zoë joining, and the heavy beating the two gods were giving it, it was almost too much to bear for the multi headed dragon. Soon enough, Artemis and Perseus landed on the ground, and watched as Ladon finally succumbed, the stumps that once had their heads falling limp as the Hesperides once again put the dragon to sleep.
"The heads will grow back soon enough; you can't really kill Ladon unless every single head has been severed off." Hesperia said with a sigh, her expression quickly forming a glare. "Now, which lunatic decided it would be a good idea to not just wake Ladon, but to engage it with a fight?!"
"Well." Perseus panted out. "The idiot, who I really want to chuck into Tartarus now, is… Zoë?!"
"Zoë did it?" Aigle asked.
"Wait what!" Zoë shouted.
"No not Zoë I mean- where is Heracles?!" Perseus shouted, frantically looking around. Zoë paled once she realized what Perseus meant, and she too started searching for the demigod."
"Wait, who's Heracles." Erytheia asked tiredly, which led to Artemis explaining about the hero.
"No." Arethusa whispered, fear laced in her voice. "Sister." She said, addressing Zoë. "Please, sister please don't tell me you allowed a demigod into the garden. You know our parents forbade it, and for what?"
"I…he told me he needed it for a quest." Zoë said softly. "Said I would be doing a great deed to the gods if I helped him so-"
"Did you probe him into fighting Ladon?" Perseus asked. "And dammit, why didn't he used the plan I gave him through Prometheus."
"No! I would never do that, and he did mention getting information from our uncle. But after he heard about ladon…I even told him how dangerous it would be fighting it! But, once he heard of a hundred headed dragon guarding the apples…he wanted to kill it. Even with his bare hands if possible. I didn't want to see him die, we had talked for quite a while before the fight and he was nice, he said that if I wanted to, he could take me to see the world without any limits…"
"Oh bloody Fates, what is up with everyone being tempted to 'see the world'." Perseus muttered bitterly.
"And I had to help him! So I led him into the garden, which I know was wrong of me, and then I gave my sword because he really needed the protection and-"
"ZOË! APPROACH ME BENEATH MY BURDEN THIS INSTANT!"
"It's father!" Aigle hissed, she and the rest of the Hesperides looking at Zoë fearfully. Zoë was starting to tremble as she took a step back, her face filled with fear. Perseus clenched his teeth as he stared at the top of the mountain.
"No Perseus, you can't." Hesperia said quickly. "Interfering will only worsen the situation; our sister has to approach father alone."
"…Fine. But I got a bad feeling about this." Perseus muttered. Artemis wrapped her hands around Perseus, and whispered some words of comfort to him. Meanwhile, Zoë was coaxed into facing her father, and began to slowly ascend the steps to meet him.
"Lady Artemis, we would like to thank you for coming to lord Perseus's and our sisters aid. Without you, the battle would probably be ongoing as we speak." Hesperia said solemnly.
"False, give yourselves some credit." Perseus said with a sigh. "You four equally helped as well, I'm grateful to have you all come and help in the situation. Truly, thank you."
"Your safety is gratitude enough for me." Artemis whispered, resting her head on Perseus's shoulder. It was only now that she was able to take in the garden for the first time, and while some of the flower patches were destroyed because of Ladon, it was still no doubt a breathtaking sight. She tried to spy for the nightshade and moonlace patch Perseus had mentioned before when something in her peripheral vison caught her attention. She shifted around, and frowned when she saw the sky pillar, move and shift a bit in its place."
"Percy, does that happen often?" Artemis asked, pointing at the sky pillar. Perseus followed her gaze, wondering what Artemis meant when he saw the sky pillar get lowered down. And as long as Perseus had come here, the pillar was never lowered. Atlas was already kneeling to his maximum limit. So the only way it could have lowered was if someone…
"Zoë!" Perseus shouted, holding Artemis hands tightly. Without warning, he sank into a shadow along with Artemis, and then popped out into the mountaintop of the sky pillar, where Atlas was setting the weight of the sky on top of Zoë.
Percy, Atlas!" Artemis shouted, shooting into a sprint while Perseus summoned a series of makeshift weapons from the ground and shadow wisps. He then threw the wisps at Atlas, wrapping them around his limbs and pinning him to the ground while the earthen weapons collided into him from the back, pushing him forward. Artemis tackled Zoë out of the sky pillars way, causing a brief period of time where no one was holding the sky. Until, Perseus forced Atlas directly under the burden using the wisps, and the pillar landed directly on his back, eliciting a cry from the titan. Perseus wasn't done though, as he then used the wisps to bring Atlas into a position where he could properly hold the sky. After making sure that the titan wasn't going to let go of the weight at all, Perseus the released his binds and rushed to where Artemis and Zoë were, the former holding Zoë tightly while she stroked her hair.
"Shh, you're safe now, it's alright. We got you, we're not going to let you go, you're safe, you're safe."
"H-He said…I had to atone for my crime…I had to take the burden as my punishment…" Zoë choked out, sobbing immediately. "He was right, I am a disgrace, I really am just a burden and-"
"No, no Zoë don't you dare get that assholes words inside your-"
"TRAITOR!" Atlas screamed. "You betrayed your own family you bitch, you broke the one rule we enforced! One measly rule you couldn't follow! Your mother will be ashamed; she wouldn't want to see you! And for that, I disown you, you traitor! Go run with your half breed hero, run! You are not welcome in your home ever again' no home will ever welcome a traitor like you-"
"SHUT UP!" Perseus and Artemis screamed together, a burst of energy coming out of both of them and hitting Atlas square in the face. Both the gods rushed up to catch the sky pillar in case it slipped, but Atlas managed to keep it steady, though he looked very dazed. For good measure, Perseus made another earthen clamp around his mouth.
"Perseus." Zoë called out, tears streaming from her eyes. Perseus jogged to her and stopped in his tracks when he saw the ethereal glow that surrounded her beginning to fade. Zoë choked back a sob as she inspected herself, pinching her finger with her nail which then revealed a slight trail of red colored liquid.
"I'm mortal." She whispered, lightly swaying where she sat. "I…"
"Zoë!" Artemis and Perseus shouted together, the former grabbing her before she could hit the ground. Everything seemed to still as the churning noises of the sky pillar vortex echoed across the garden, accompanied by the melancholic voices of four siblings, mourning their sister.
And that…is where I'm going to stop. Phew, man was it difficult to get back into my writing game after so long, but I managed. But there's still more to come, oh there's still more to come. The finale may be closer than you expect, but the journey is far from over. But for now, I'm going to sign out, go for a midnight walk, and then get up at one in the afternoon, just in time for break- lunch. Lunch.
But anyway, thank you guys for sticking around and reading the story, and I will see you guys in the next update which…will come soon. And no, it's not going to be another three week soon. Bye!...\/