The Cradle of Olympus

by Rohan Rodrigues

Taking place for a brief period in Ancient Greece and beyond, at a time when the Olympian council of Gods haven't reached their full potential yet, an unknown entity has made it's presence known. What will it's connection be to Olympus, and the greater Greek pantheon as well? Arc I is complete, continuing on with Arc II.

42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42: The world of all ends

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"…Perseus. We should leave." Artemis whispered. "Staying here long will be too problematic. If Hera finds us…"

"And what about Zoë? She can't live here anymore, and we can't just leave her out in the wild." Perseus asked. "She'll be helpless Artemis."

Artemis pursued her lips, and then slowly nodded her head. "We will take her." Artemis finally said, slightly surprising Perseus. "I don't want us to be the only option, but her being a mortal complicates things further in our world. But we can provide a safe haven, no, we will…"

Perseus slightly smiled, squeezing Artemis's hand in response. He really wasn't expecting her being this resolute, but then again, this was Artemis. Her protectiveness to maidens had only increased after what happened with Callisto. Mostly depending on the situation that is.

"Carry her out." Perseus said, helping Artemis to her feet, placing Zoë in her arms. "I need to speak to the other Hesperides, meet me at the ravine?"

Artemis nodded. Perseus kissed her forehead in farewell and sunk into a shadow, turning up next to the Hesperides, who were staring at spot where their father was with a blank expression.

"Hey." Perseus said, startling them. "I- …I honestly don't know what to say, I doubt a 'sorry' can even covey what has happened."

Hesperia nodded slowly. "We...didn't think it would be this extreme. Father placing the sky on our sister, and banishing her while stripping her immortality."

"What is going to happen to her. Neither she or any of us have seen or even stepped outside on a fraction of the outside world. This place is the only thing we know, ever since we were born." Aigle asked worriedly.

"Well…I'm taking Zoë with me." Perseus said. The Hesperides nodded with understanding, it made sense for Perseus to say that. "And don't worry, me and Artemis will make sure she will be taken care of. Or let any kind of prejudice fall upon her due to her not being immortal anymore."

"Will we even see her again." Erethusa muttered, looking lost.

"I will make sure of it." Perseus promised. "Once Zoë is comfortable with her new situation; I can bring her here with my status. And damn Atlas if he even fathoms the thought of trying to cause a scene."

Perseus then flashed to the ravine at the bottom of the garden, which in turn was the entrance. He found Artemis there, though Zoë wasn't present.

"She's in my tent back at the hunt." Artemis explained on seeing the questioning look on Perseus's face. "I would have brought her to my palace but with father's laws and…you know."

"Thank you." Perseus said, sitting next to her, head in his hands. "How could this go all south? Everything that has happened…wasn't even a possibility. It just…"

"Fate likes to do the butterfly effect Percy." Artemis replied, rubbing Perseus's back. "One decision, can lead to a drastic course of events. But I have to ask, do you know what happened to Heracles?"

Perseus's eyes narrowed. "He wasn't in the garden. Our best possibility is that he ran off, though I find that a bit odd. He still has to retrieve the apples, and I doubt the Hesperides will take kindly to his return."

Artemis smirked. "If that means his labor will be incomplete, then all the better. No one can deceive someone and think they can get away with it. …Perseus?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?" Artemis asked slowly. When Perseus nodded in response, she continued. "I wanted to ask you this for a while now…but I wasn't sure how to get it out without possibly closing you off. But, you have been quite distant lately, and it's not even a recent thing. You have even stopped visiting Pontus, you hardly talk to anyone these days, and half the time I feel like I'm running the hunt by myself, not that I can't manage but it's just…abnormal not having you around. Not to mention again, Pontus. You stopped meeting him, and we're the ones that force you to come to his realm, and when you do, you basically ignore him. What happened between the two of you?"

Perseus took all this in with silence, sub consciously rubbing his mark. He had to choose his words carefully, even though he hated the fact that he was once again going to be fabricating lies to hide another secret within him. Only this time, he couldn't confide with her. Not without potentially leading her into unknown danger. He had to figure what this, he was, himself.

"We had a disagreement." Perseus said. "But, we have actually put aside our differences recently. I actually plan to meet him soon."

Artemis looked worried. "After almost three years? What happened that caused it in the first place?"

"It's…complicated." Perseus said with a wince. "Believe me, you would either laugh at the absurdity, or get seriously confused."

"Don't say that." Artemis mumbled with a smile, pushing Perseus lightly. "You will only make me more curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat." Perseus said with a sing-song voice.

"But was left satisfied." Artemis rebutted, a challenging look in her eye. "You want me to pry it out?"

"I highly doubt you can." Perseus said with a grin, but was definitely not prepared when Artemis crashed her lips with his, almost making both of them topple over. Perseus managed to steady himself at the last minute, while Artemis straddled him, her hands running through his hair. Perseus was almost reduced to a catatonic state with the vigor Artemis was showing, until he got a quick hold of his bearings and returned the kiss with equal vigor. In the end, the two found themselves on the ground, both of them breathing heavily with Artemis still on top of Perseus, cupping his face. Perseus was rubbing Artemis's shoulders, his hands slowly going lower, small gasps escaping both their lips. Perseus's hands then rested on Artemis's hips, and feeling a bit bold, his hands went to rest on-

BOOM!

"What the f-" Perseus and Artemis shouted together, both of them unwillingly separating from each other. A spot just next to them was reduced to a small smoking crater, electricity still crackling through it. The smell of ozone was also prevalent as the sky darkened, flashes and booms of lightning and thunder forming respectively.

"Did he…was that my father?!" Artemis shouted through clenched teeth, glowing silver.

Perseus nodded slowly, also glowing a dark blue while he slowly counted to fifty. "Yes." He simply said, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Zeus was definitely not expecting the audience he got from the gods he summoned a few minutes later.

---

"Status." Gello muttered, sharpening a curved blade. She was in a cave, though not located in Earth. It was a dark and dreary cave, with a thin layer of magical mist flowing around. Besides her was one of the disk faced beasts, its spindly limbs jerking as it struggled to stay still, clearly not used to it. It then let out a series of chatters, which Gello seemed to understand as she nodded periodically.

"So he's finally going to visit the primordial. I'm not sure if this will bode well or not." Gello said with a sigh, rubbing her eyes. "Perseus, Perseus, Perseus. What an enigma you are. An enigma we shall utilize to our full capability. After I finish dealing with that blasted fallen that is." She muttered

"If I can do what I did before, and manage to separate him from Olympus…but how. Shadow beast, is there anything religious happening today?"

Another series of chatters followed.

"A festival dedicated to the titan Leto? How boring." Gello muttered, licking her fingers, only to pause as she remembered something. "Shadow beast, who's children did you say those four royal children were? The ones which Perseus had befriended just recently."

"Shikischaciskah."

"Queen Niobe…" Gello whispered, a serene smile on her face. "A very prideful mother, with fourteen 'amazing' children that she has pushed to almost perfection in her eyes. And what is something that people inherently hate? Comparison. Yes…beware queen of Thebes, your impending doom is soon arriving."

---

"Deep breaths Perseus, no need to get nervous." Perseus muttered to himself. "I'm just going to meet the man who more or less lied to me in certain things, and have not kept contact with for a couple of years. How bad will it be?"

"I had the same thought when you first started speaking to yourself." Umbra piped up. "And now, I'm reeling at the fact that I didn't tell you sooner that it's irritating!"

"Whatever you say girl." Perseus said with a sigh, once again rubbing his mark sub consciously. He soon reached the entrance of Pontus's abode, where the primordial himself was present, an apprehensive look on his face.

"Perseus." Pontus greeted, a slight smile on his face. "It…It's honestly wonderful to not just see you in your own accord, but to speak with you as well."

"It has been a while…Pontus." Perseus said. "You got my message I presume?"

"You wanted to talk." Pontus said, forming a bubble out of his finger, which then enlarged and surrounded the two beings. "A safety measure."

"Thank you." Perseus said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Before we start…how…have you been?"

"Bored." Pontus said with a chuckle. "But hey, that's how my life usually is so I'm not really complaining. No attendants or people to watch over, just laze around, and maybe make kelp glow."

"That…does sound boring." Perseus said with a slight grin on his face. "As for me, I-"

"Taking a break from Artemis?" Pontus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Forgive me if I misunderstood, but hearing Frothy lament continuously about the two of you, and not giving a direct answer made me come up with my own assumption. And I didn't ask Artemis herself in case I offended her."

"Oh no, we're not on a break it's just…" Perseus began to say but then trailed off. "…Complicated. Which I find infuriating."

"An immortal's life is complicated Perseus. No one ever said it was a smooth journey." Pontus replied. "So are you still courting her or…"

"Yes of course. I just haven't been with her a lot lately, due to what I discovered, and other reasons I don't want to dwell on right now."

"Discovered?" Pontus questioned, though the latter part was still in his mind. He really wanted to connect with Perseus again, and helping him in any form could be the first step to that.

"Yeah." Perseus said, showing his mark. "It has to do with this."

"…Oh." Pontus muttered, already feeling dread pool inside him.

"Okay. So…have you heard what happened between me and Zeus a couple of years ago? You must have heard of the tension."

"Aphrodite may have mentioned that." Pontus replied.

"Well, whatever you may have heard, there's more to it. A lot more to it."

Pontus clasped his hands together. "Continue."

Perseus exhaled deeply. "I may have unlocked my powers. Sealing powers to be exact. It happened when I confronted Zeus, and the experience was…weirdly amazing and queasy at the same time.

Pontus was staring at Perseus blankly, not sure if he had actually just heard what Perseus had said. "Y-You wh-what?!"

"You knew what my powers were from the beginning, right?" Perseus asked.

"I…yes. Yes I did."

Perseus nodded his head. "I presumed so. But why hide it for so long? What was so horrible with me knowing what I possessed?"

"It's more than just me hiding the true intention of your power Perseus." Pontus said tiredly. "It's your identity I was protecting you from."

Perseus frowned. "A son of Nyx?"

"No."

Perseus blinked twice. "Wait, I don't underst-"

"It's not my place to tell you Perseus." Pontus said quickly. "Honestly, the only person who may be able to answer everything is Nyx herself. Maybe it's high time that you do meet her."

"But may I ask something Perseus? How exactly did you unlock your seal? Or better yet, what happened when you did use it? Did you?"

"Uh, yeah, I did use it." Perseus said. "Like I said before, it was weird. My body felt like it was moving on its own, and there was a lot of white. Then these streams of energy came out and- you know what, I could show you actually-"

"NO!" Pontus screamed, stumbling back. "Don't- don't even think about showing it or saying those words Perseus! Especially if you're next to a living being, please don't do it for your own sake."

Perseus stilled. "Yeah, maybe I shouldn't, especially after what happened to Zeus…"

Pontus openly gaped at him. "You used it on Zeus?!" he almost screeched.

"Not on purpose!" Perseus argued. "I told you, my body was behaving on its own. I could just watch what was happening, and it didn't help when Erebus suddenly came in my mind."

Pontus stared at Perseus, blinking owlishly. He then fell on his knees, mouth quivering.

"Erebus…spoke to you?" he asked slowly, a grin forming on his face. "Of course he did, why wouldn't he." Pontus thought bitterly. "The second Perseus unlocks his seal, and Erebus is right around the corner, thinking of how he can prepare his living weapon."

"Um…yeah. He said some stuff about overthrowing Zeus, which I must admit, did sound tempting at first, but I know that wasn't what I wanted. Not sure how the situation would have escalated if it wasn't for…"

"For…" Pontus prompted, raising an eyebrow.

"The inner voice in my head." Perseus said after a brief pause. "You know, that inner voice that pops up sometimes to…give reason. The voice of reason!"

Pontus tilted his head to the side. "Your voice of reason, stopped you?"

"Yep. Quite…something." Perseus said, trying to look innocent.

"…Fair enough." Pontus said after a while, not believing Perseus at all. And as much as he wanted to pry that truth out, he still had to take things slowly with the god. After all, he wasn't out of the hook yet either. "So, you awakened your sealing power, almost destroyed Zeus in the process, and…what came out of it next?"

"Nothing. Nothing for quite a while, until one day, when I entered the shadow plane, I felt a pinch of pain where my mark was."

"The Tetreja?" Pontus asked. "That's what the mark is called." He explained.

"Is it now?" Perseus replied, lightly frowning. "Tetre…forbidden? Forbidden…"

"Are you getting a grasp on the language?" Pontus asked, looking a bit surprised.

"Um, yeah. Ever since I got the power awakened. I was able to translate a few symbols, but there's a lot that I have to decipher on that tablet. And speaking of it." Perseus said, removing the tablet. "Why don't we talk about the contents of this, which I'm sure you are quite well aware of."

Pontus looked away shamefully. "I- I don't have an excuse for that."

Perseus shook his head, placing the tablet between them. "So what does this tablet contain exactly? Even with the stuff I translated, I can't get a gist of it."

'Well…this is one of four tablets, that make up the Ordinal Tetrad. When joint together, the contents of each tablet correlate with each other, making it symbolic, and powerful in a way. This, is one of them. It explains how to summon a gateway like what I did for the one in my realm, though I wasn't sure where it led. Only one can be summoned at a time though in one realm, that's what I think is supposed to be he case, and at any location as long as this-" Pontus said, pointing at the diagram. "Is drawn on the ground. And, when you utter the above words."

"So one gateway per realm." Perseus muttered, thinking back to the one he found in the shadow plane. "So they can be destroyed."

"Not permanently. Like I said, only one summon at a time. So it's a 'destroy the gateway in one location, and find another place to summon it again' type of deal."

"But, the gateway is still very much important. From what I remember, the gateway is like the entrance of something that has…correlation with a lot of things. So without it…nothing can be done or undone."

Perseus nodded, and then wondered if he should mention about the megalith he found in the shadow plane. Pontus was actually making an effort to let him know on what was happening, and maybe some insight could be given on it as well.

"Another thing. So, you remember how the Tetreja was hurting whenever I entered the shadow plane? Well, I decided to see if the pain was actually some sort of signal, leading me somewhere. And, it did. I found another megalith, similar to the one here but partially destroyed." Perseus said, not surprised by Pontus's queasy looking expression. This topic must have been something dangerous if a primordial looked this afraid.

"An archaic megalith in the shadow plane?!" Pontus whispered shouted. "But who…how…"

"That wasn't all. Just ahead of the megalith was something else altogether. It, how to describe it…it's a tree? But it's also not, like it has these roots and vines intertwining with each other to form a sort of trunk, and it's either made of rock or some metal. No wait, scratch rock, I couldn't sense it with my terrakinesis, which I never did anyway in the shadow plane. Coming back, the tree thing was eerie, it's branches weren't spread out, they were pointing upwards. Not to mention, the-"

"Strangely colored liquid that was oozing out of the gaps." Pontus whispered, his face a deathly pale. "You…found this in the shadow plane?"

"Yeah…"

"Call Umbra." Pontus said, his body slowly dissolving with the water. "I will be leaving a noticeable trail behind, but follow it quickly lest it should disappear. Do you understand me Perseus?"

"Y-Yes." Perseus said, worried on what may have caused the change in Pontus. Did he know something about the tree structure? Regardless, it looked like he may get some insight on it after all.

Perseus then found himself clutching tightly on to Umbra, the orca speeding away through the ocean as it tried to keep up with the trail left by Pontus. They seemed to be going somewhere unknown, the area became darker as they continued to dive. The trail then took a steep dive downwards, with the temperature and light source decreasing considerably as they continued. And then, it happened. Perseus's mark began to hurt again, making him wince and warily watched his surroundings, a spear ready in hand. Though there didn't seem to be anything at all present, not even a lone sea creature. And if his mark was aching just like back in the shadow plane, then that could only mean one thing. And then, Perseus saw it.

At the bottom of the ravine, was another archaic megalith, this one covered with various shades of luminescent plants. The megalith was also partially destroyed like the one in the shadow plane, and just like that one, there was a tree like structure protruding ahead of it. This one, was almost identical to the one in the shadow plane, though it was a bit smaller. It was also made out of an unknown whitish blue material, with red ooze leaking out of the gaps within it.

"No…way." Perseus muttered out loud, the familiar eerie feeling already creeping up his skin whenever he was next to one of the structures. Perseus immediately got off from Umbra, making sure she went back to Skiágis despite her protests. He didn't want to possibly risk her life. He then descended to where Pontus was, who was staring at the tree structure with a faraway look in his eyes.

"I thought you said you had to destroy it first in order to summon it somewhere else." Perseus asked, glancing at the megalith. "Unless you already did-"

"No." Pontus said. "I didn't summon this one. This megalith, has existed for almost a millennium. Or, longer really, because I found it a millennium ago after taking an impromptu trip to traverse every single corner of my realm."

"Oh. …Do you have any idea what this is." Perseus asked, his attention on the protruding structure.

Pontus sighed. "None whatsoever. I do have a theory, but we would have to do a lot of backtracking for the entire thing to be explained. And frankly, you do not have the time since you have other obligations to attend to if I'm not mistaken."

"Well if it going to take long, then I guess I could hear it at a later date." Perseus replied, a light blush forming on his face. "I finally got the time for me and Artemis to go out."

"Have you now?" Pontus said with a smile. "Doesn't her mother have some festival going on today?"

"That's true. We'll be leaving after the celebrations, and spend a couple of days together. Arius being the lieutenant will take care of the hunt during our absence." Perseus said, kneeling on the platform. "You know; I didn't think of using those words which opened the gateway before in the shadow plane. Do you think…?"

"It may be a bit unsafe, the megalith is partially destroyed after all." Pontus replied. "You're always welcome to use the one in my place."

Perseus nodded, a thought entering in his head. "Pontus, is the number of megaliths depended on how many existing primordials are there? Like, Gaia will have one, Tartarus one, you one. But, there are two in…this realm. Does this megalith have a connection to say, the primordial Thalassa?"

Pontus's expression darkened, glancing back and forth at Perseus and the structure. "What makes you think that that thing, has a connection with Thalassa?" he growled out.

"It was just an assumption Pontus." Perseus chided. "But you can't deny that there must be a reason for it existing."

"And whatever it may be, leave it." Pontus said. "Nothing good came out of anything related to the forbidden beings anyway." He muttered.

"Oh yeah, one last thing." Perseus said, pointing at the tablet. "Can you tell me about this diagram?"

"Oh…that." Pontus said. "That's…how do I say this…the most functional diagram for a being ever? For you perhaps."

"What do you mean?" Perseus asked.

"I mean, drawing that diagram on the ground preferably will allow you to summon the gateway with the following above words written on it." Pontus said. "And from what I heard, there are more uses to it then even I know of. And all of that, centers around a common place. The world of all ends."

"The world of all ends?" Perseus questioned, slightly frowning. "Sounds a bit on the nose."

"Don't take it at face value son." Pontus mumbled. "For a long time, I didn't know what this world was. I heard whispers back in the day from other beings, but nothing further. That is, until I finally got a good glance at this tablet over here, and more or less grasped the concept."

"And? Perseus prompted.

"Well, as the name implies, it's a world." Pontus said, making Perseus sweat drop. "I do have reason to believe that it may be the Void you go to through the gateway, or it might be something else entirely. But the world of all ends, look, you can even make it out on the diagram. See these symbols, and see on the structures as well, they all talk about that world."

"You mean…" Perseus said, scanning the tablet and grazing his hand on a stone pillar. "This convergence?" he pointed out.

"One thing at a time." Pontus said dismissively. "Now, would you like some help in learning some of the language, or will you rely on your own abilities to do so?"

"I think I can manage." Perseus said, the blurry symbols changing to Greek letters, and then back to its original form. Perseus then felt a tingling sensation at the back of his head, which at first he began to ignore, only for it to then increase in intensity. Perseus winced at the pain that was building up, and was about to call out for Pontus when he fell to the ground, his mind immediately blacking out. A series of images flashed in his head, a palace, large crowds of people attending a gathering, a woman addressing the people with a prideful look on her face. And then, flashes of gold and silver enveloped his vision, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Perseus!" Pontus shouted, already at the god's side. At first, he thought that something present here, mostly the tree structure, may have triggered this. But on seeing Perseus clutch his head, black colored sweat pouring out of his head, and muttering in-comprehendible words, Pontus had a sinking feeling on what was happening. And as soon as Perseus started convulsing on the ground, limbs jerking and form flickering, Pontus immediately knew what he was dealing with it.

"Domain overload." He whispered, trying to prop Perseus in a sitting position, but the god kept spasming. "But how, he didn't seem in pain, or show the symptoms. Oh…this must be very sudden."

"N-No…what's happening." Perseus gasped out. "Wh-Why are they frozen…who…"

"Perseus? Perseus can you hear me" Pontus shouted, almost tempted to pull out his own hair. His eyes then widened, and slapped his face with one hand while he summoned his staff in the other.

"I hate getting panicky, can't even think straight." Pontus muttered, tapping the ailment stone on top of his staff on Perseus's head. It took a while, but Perseus soon stilled, though his condition looked worse to wear. He slowly opened his eyes, the blue in them swirling with ferocity. "I have to leave."

"Are you daft?!" Pontus exclaimed. "You just went through a domain overload; the only reason you're not writhing in pain is because of me stabilizing you. You have to rest, and I have to keep an eye-"

"Someone is hurting them!" Perseus shouted, his mark unknowingly glowing. "I don't know who, but whoever they are, I need to get there fast! Especially if it was so serious for me to get a damn overload!"

"Harming yourself further will not help you!" Pontus yelled back. "Artemis didn't rush off to face whoever caused her domain overload didn't she?!"

"And I'm not Artemis!" Perseus yelled, his mark now pulsing with light. Perseus's eyes glowed white, and before Pontus could react, a swirl of hellfire surrounded Perseus and then exploded, the primordial getting directly caught by the onslaught. Pontus flew in the air, and slammed on one of the stone pillars of the megalith, his entire form charred and blistered. A part of Perseus's mind jerked at the sight of him, only to get overtaken by another head splitting pain, making his form flicker. Perseus screamed in pain as the entire area shook, as rock spires, spikes, cracks and platforms floated an earthquake began to take place, while bursts of hellfire escaped his body. Pontus barely raised a barrier as he was subjected to the destruction, watching Perseus fully live up to his other name meaning as the archaic megalith was reduced to ash, the ravine also beginning to cave in. With his mind going on overdrive, Perseus flashed away with a harsh light, leaving behind in his wake something Pontus hoped wouldn't follow to where Perseus was going. And if this was something that continued, then he had to control his nature. Fast. Before he laid wake a repeat of what happened many millennia ago.

---

Perseus crashed into a wall as he appeared wherever his mind had taken him, which was the place where he first sensed his domain overload coming from. Perseus's mark and eyes were still glowing white, heavy breaths escaping his mouth as he stumbled around, small wisps of energy escaping his closed fist. Perseus almost trampled over a body, and paused to see that it was still intact. It clearly looked alive as it was warm, though it seemed to be frozen in place. Frozen in time, but with a temporary effect

Perseus groaned as he felt another jolt go through his body and slightly blur his vision, prompting him to move quickly. As he turned a corner, his eyes fell on another body that was lying on the ground. He was about to ignore it when he noticed something that made him stop in his tracks. There was an arrow protruding from the bodies back. Perseus's body began to spasm as he knelt down, and he then gingerly turned the body around, smoke starting to come out of it when Perseus touched it. Perseus's vision momentarily focused, and on seeing the body properly, felt bile creeping up his throat as his mouth opened with no sound coming out.

The body was of the youngest child which Perseus had rescued not even a month ago, the child of the royal Theban family. A fear stricken face with glassy eyes and a sliver of blood coming out of the mouth met Perseus's own, almost making him stumble back. And an arrow, through the heart. Before he could fully process what was happening, a scream tore through the silence, followed by the sound of a bow releasing an arrow. No sooner did that happen, Perseus's head started aching again, wisps of white energy aching to break free from Perseus's fist. After taking one long look at the deceased body of the child again, Perseus then began to make his way to the source of the scream, almost slipping into shadows as he stepped on it. He entered a corridor, where he was greeted with the sight of a young girl, pinned to the wall with an arrow through her head. Perseus choked out in response, the aching and ringing in his head increasing. Whoever was doing this…he was not going to leave them unscathed. He slowly approached the girl and gently removed the arrow out, and then placed her on the ground. While he was closing the eyes, Perseus noticed something that made him drop the arrow, and stared at it with a blank look on his face as it rolled aside. For it was a silver arrow. Artemis's arrow.

Perseus's mouth went dry, desperately trying to reach out to Artemis, desperately trying to confirm if this wasn't her doing, if this wasn't some fever dream he was experiencing. But as soon as he sensed her, he was blocked by a wall of rage, coming from Artemis that startled him. And made his head hurt even more when he thought he saw a flash of her, aiming her bow at another young woman, shielding a little girl in her arms.

"No, no Artemis, NO!" Perseus screamed loudly, flashing and reappearing in quick succession to another place, a balcony, in the same vicinity. He found Artemis just below it, her red hair floating as she glanced around as if someone had called out to her. Before Perseus could say something, another scream broke out behind him making him turn around, only to find the oldest child he had rescued from back then fall in front of him, a pleading look on his face. But before Perseus could do anything, a volley of arrows pierced the child's back. With a silent cry on his lips, the child went limp. And Perseus saw gold.

Apollo flew down from where he took his shot, congratulating himself for the final kill when a stone pillar came flying his way, almost taking out his head if he were mortal. He ducked down, and aimed his bow at the assailant, only to falter when he saw Perseus staring at him blankly, eyes glowing white and leaking ichor while weird wisps of energy was coming out of his clenched left hand.

"Uh Perce? What's up with the get-"

"Why." Perseus whispered hollowly. "Why would you, and she…do it…I believed…"

"Um…Percy-"

"Did you do this?" Perseus shouted, his hands coating with hellfire. "D-Did you pressure her…did you?!"

"Hey hey, she and I came with similar reasons here Percy." Apollo said quickly. "You see, Queen Niobe insulted…um, Percy. Why is your tattoo glowing?"

"Apollo, I'm done with the seven- Perseus?!" Artemis exclaimed, a look of deep fear and dread settling in her as she stared at her lover. She did not expect him to appear here at all, he was supposedly with Pontus. And here he was, where she…oh. Oh no.

"Artemis." Perseus said softly, startling the twins who were distracted with racing thoughts and Perseus's mark. "…Why?" he asked with a broken tone, not even looking at her.

Artemis tried to speak, but no sound seemed to come out of her. "It was Queen Niobe Perce." Apollo piped up. "She insulted our mother, Leto, claiming that she was greater than her for giving birth to fourteen 'extraordinary' children, when she only gave birth to two archers. And she then insulted her ability to be a proper parent and all, you understand right? What if she insulted Hestia or-"

"BUT WHY THE CHILDREN!" Perseus screamed, fissures and rocks appearing around him. "Did the children insult your mother?!"

"No, but-"

"Did these maidens." Perseus said glaring at Artemis who flinched. "And these youth, insult your mother?!" he asked Apollo, with a dangerously low tone.

"Perseus." Artemis began to say but was cut off.

"IS THE QUEEN DEAD IN THESE GROUNDS? OR ARE YOU PLANNING TO KILL HER NOW?!"

Apollo sputtered. "W-We were going to l-let her l-live. To feel the pain of losing her family."

Perseus's entire figure slumped down, tears and ichor pooling out of his eyes. "Artemis." He asked. "Were you…actually? I thought you…why-"

"Percy please" Artemis begged. "I- I couldn't excuse what the queen did, she-"

"BUT WHAT DID THEY DO?!" Perseus yelled, a silent sob coming out of him. "Do you know how much this is hurting me, what you two did. What you are doing to me Artemis?"

Artemis was staring at Perseus with worry and slight fear, a shout of worry escaping her lips when his body spasmed. Seeing him like this, looking broken and…weak. It couldn't be…but…she had gotten it as well.

"Percy." She said softly, tears coming out of her eyes, her hand covering her mouth. "You're- you're having a domain overload, aren't you? We can- we can help, just-"

"No." Perseus said hollowly. "That's not what is primarily hurting me."

Artemis's heart burned, realization settling in her. Before she could do anything though, Apollo had already got a roped arrow ready, and shot it at Perseus, possibly to subdue him. And that broke hell loose.

Perseus's eyes flashed, a long cry escaping him as his body couldn't take in the unknown energy collecting inside him. He then finally unclenched his fist, and tendrils of white energy poured out, breaking through the ceiling. Artemis and Apollo watched with downright fear as the tendrils moved around haphazardly, until they stilled and directed themselves to face both of them respectively. The twin god's eyes widened as the tendrils lunged for them, both of them shouting at Perseus to stop this. But the twilight god didn't respond, his eyes staring blankly ahead as he lightly swayed in his spot.

Apollo reached for his twin short swords after his bow proved useless, but his weapons passed the tendrils harmlessly. Before Apollo could try flashing away, a tendril pierced his neck, eliciting an ear piercing scream from him which quickly faded. Apollo desperately tried to remove the tendril off from him, but more began to pierce various areas of his body, soon apprehending him. Apollo struggled to move around, but his tries were becoming slow and sluggish as he felt his body tire considerably. And then weaken, and then hurting…

The same thing was happening with Artemis as well, the tendrils going through her abdomen and limbs. She desperately cried out for Perseus, but the mix of noises coming from the phenomenon deafened her voice. Meanwhile, Perseus felt surges of energy flowing through him, his body slowly healing itself. Perseus's head then began to clear making him sigh with content as the energy from Artemis and Apollo rejuvenated him. He then stilled as the realization crossed his mind, his eyes quickly opening to find the twins on either side of him, both looking sickly and deathly pale, their skin almost sticking to their bones, just like how Zeus looked when he first awakened his power. Perseus felt his breathing quicken as he took in the sight, only one thought in his mind right now. He had to stop whatever he was doing, before…before they…

"H-How do I break this." Perseus desperately thought as his gaze wandered towards Artemis. And though the wound of the event was still fresh, he just couldn't do this to her, he can't. Even to Apollo. His mind went back to the various words he learnt since the beginning of the sealing power journey had taken him, racking his brain to find a reverse effect. The last time, it was his father who had cut the connection. But he was not present, and if his words were true, he wouldn't be now. Not for a long time.

"Solosis…seal. Akilio…awaken. Maybe the reverse, seal sleep? Seal sleep, solosis sleep, solosis…sleep! No, no that can't be, I need something, anything-"

Perseus was muttering to himself, his worry worsening when he saw the tendrils glowing brighter, absorbing more life force from the two gods. He didn't want this, he had to stop it. Someone, anyone-

"Esdrelio…it's esdrelio…my son." A woman's voice echoed inside Perseus's head making him falter. The voice…it said- but it wasn't him…which meant-

"Say it now Lykofós, hurry!" Nyx's voice echoed inside Perseus's head. "Before you consume them, say it! Esdrelio!"

"E-Esdrelio!" Perseus shouted, a zooming noise ringing in his head as his hand jerked back. The tendrils again surged with power, but this time, it seemed to be giving it back to Artemis and Apollo though Perseus's state did not weaken. Perseus watched with awe and fear as Artemis and Apollo returned back to their original state, but just barely. The tendrils then snapped out of the two gods, and were then sucked back into Perseus's palm. Perseus then felt himself spasm, making him fall to the ground as he panted loudly, his eyes slowly surveying the damage he had caused. The entire balcony/bedroom he was in was destroyed, and Artemis and Apollo looked less than better, but still breathing. Perseus then slowly got to his feet, only to realize that someone was still talking in his mind.

"I am sorry my son, I did not wish for you to use them like this. Nor did I wish…that you discovered them at all. Fret not, for all will be fixed. I, will make sure of it, I will…"

"M-M…what." Perseus gasped out, clutching his aching left arm. He took one last look at the scene, his eyes lingering at Artemis's form before he closed them painfully, turning away. There was no way, no chance he could face her, especially not now. After what she did…and what he did…

Sending a quick signal to Hecate and Hermes here, Perseus leapt out of the ruined room, falling into the shadow plane with one destination in mind. Somewhere, far away from this destruction he caused. far away from Greece. Far away from home.

---

"So it's done. I must say, this was better than I expected." Gello muttered to herself, choosing not to add 'scary' with the description. "But of all the places…this remote spot far away from the mainland." She said, staring from the shadows at Perseus, who was sitting underneath a tree. He looked very tired and withdrawn, as he blankly stared into space, his left hand covering his eye. And as for that hand, it looked horrible. A dark grey color covered the entire area of his wrist, the skin cracked. There were small golden patches and prominent golden veins popping up from the wrist, which faded as they continued into the lower arm. The mark was also still very much there, pulsing with a bright blue light.

And while Perseus was staring ahead with a blank look, the inside of his head was a jumbled mess. He just couldn't get the images of the Theban royal children out of his mind, their cold lifeless bodies, especially the oldest child, his last thought begging Perseus to save him. He had promised to look out for them, even show them a city they never got too see. And that wasn't all, the image of an almost catatonic Artemis filled most of his panic ridden mind. The ghostly pale sunken skin, the dried up hair, and tear stricken face continued to haunt him, even with his eyes opened. And the deed she and Apollo had done. After all those years, all those talks, it all went down with Hades in the end. It was too much to fathom. And finally his hand, with that now accursed mark glowing painfully on his outer palm. His hand was disfigured, and he wasn't even sure if it would heal properly. And here he was in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles away from his homeland. All because he was a coward, and couldn't face the possible repercussions he might face after what he did.

Perseus then let out a tired sigh, absent mindedly rotating a floating rock in his palm. His form started to flicker again, making him winch and clutch his abdomen. He was once again facing a domain overload since he left, but the scale of it was smaller than the last time. He wasn't sure if it was because of it being a minor domain, or if the proximity from where he was to Greece was too far to comprehend the intensity. While he pondered if he should go check it out if the condition worsened, Gello shuffled nervously as she watched the god, an apprehensive look in her eyes.

"He has the mark alright." She thought to herself. "The same one Moros warned us about. Will it be safe to apprehend him though, if he is as powerful as he is made out to be. He's finally away from the other Olympians, maybe I should send that angel-"

Gello briefly paused, frowning when she felt something shift in the air. Perseus also frowned as the wind began to howl, feeling an unknown presence slowly approach. He wasn't sure if it was him, but the air was getting heavier, and sweltering. Perseus was about to stand up when he realized that he was slowly rising up without his doing. And it wasn't just him, loose rocks, leaves and small animals were also levitating off the ground. Perseus twisted around to get upright, weapons at the ready when he heard a loud humming noise echo around. The ground then started to ripple as if it was water, and Perseus watched with shock and slight confusion as a large earthen hand emerged out the ground. The hand seemed to gently lift whatever it was connected to off the earth, like it didn't want to hurt it. A hill shaped head soon emerged, with vague eyes and mouth shapes forming on the face. The earthen figure then fully emerged out of the earth, and as soon as it did, the levitating phenomenon stopped, making Perseus fall on the down, though he floated down gently. He already had a shield and sword ready, warily taking in whatever early morning drama the Fates had sent to him. The earthen body didn't move, but Perseus noticed cracks slowly forming at the surface, bright light shining out of it. A small explosion then broke out from the body, prompting Perseus to raise an earthen wall. After sensing the debris settle down, Perseus slowly peeked from the top, his eyes widening with surprise as he took in what was front of him.

It was a giant, no, a giantess that was standing at the spot of the earth covered being. She had chocolate brown skin, and white stringy hair that was pulled to a low ponytail, tied together with a vine. She stood tall at twenty-six feet, almost four times taller than Perseus, and was wearing full celestial bronze armor, almost draped in it. Chainmail draped each of her oddly reptilian feet, and Perseus watched as the giantess twisted her head around slowly, opening her eyes to reveal the most weird and unique pair of eyes he had ever seen. A pool of violet, with a gold colored iris and a single white pupil.

"Okay…guess I have to update my list again." Perseus muttered, recalling his weapons back. "Um…hello?"

The giantess slowly lowered its head to face Perseus, it's eyes shining on seeing him.

"Um, I'm not sure why you decided to take this spot to uh, emerge from the ground. Cause I don't want the reason to be that you were searching for me." Perseus said.

"…"

"Can…you understand what I'm saying? Probably not, I am in a foreign land." Perseus said, muttering the last part to himself. "Look, I…am friendly. You don't have to be intimidated by me…at all. I can help…if you want-"

"Lykofós…" The giantess rumbled. "…Perseus."

"Ah fuck." Perseus said with a sigh. "Full name, said by a complete stranger. Never a good sign at all."

The giantess didn't seem to be bothered by Perseus's statement, and instead raised her arm. The ground beneath her began to ripple like before, and a dual bladed sword flew out, settling itself in the giantess's arms. "Mother, requires you." She simply said.

"And I request elaboration." Perseus shouted, backing slowly and winced as his abdomen ached again. From the way the giant seemed to move, it looked to be more efficient in its movement than other beings her size, which may pose a threat. And as long as Perseus was able to stay quick in his feet, and use the environment to his advantage, then he should be fine.

The giantess swung her sword like a top, it's flashy coating making Perseus squint. He readied his own weapons, and while doing so, launched a string of shadow wisps at the giant, where they were able to get a hold of her wrists. Until something unexpected happened.

The giantess looked nonchalant on seeing her wrists bound, putting Perseus on edge. His eyes then widened, when he noticed the wisps beginning to dissolve, until there was nothing left. Perseus's eyes narrowed, backing away a considerable distance and then launched a couple of shadow tendrils at the giant, while growing in size until he was twelve feet tall. Perseus was ready to try and swing her around, when he faltered and started gaping at the fact that tendrils also dissolved as soon as it came in contact with the giantess's skin. Said giantess still had the nonchalant look on her face, but Perseus swore he could see those eyes twinkling more than usual.

"Alright…shadows aren't working huh." Perseus muttered, raising his arms. The ground beneath began to tremble, and then a series of stone spikes emerged, floating in an arc above Perseus. He then swung his arms forward, launching the spikes at the giant, where this time, they did manage to pierce her skin, making her step back. Perseus was about to let out a triumphant yell when he stared with a dumbfounded expression at the spikes getting melted into the skin, not even leaving behind a slight scratch at where they pierced.

"You got to be fucking with me Morai." Perseus breathed out, shaking his head. "Who are you?!" Perseus demanded, raising his sword. The giantess merely blinked in response, and then raised her open palm. Perseus steadied himself in preparation, ready to block whatever was coming his way, only to not expect a golden beam of light to shoot out of the giantess's palm, passing seamlessly through Perseus's sword, and hitting him square in the chest. Perseus let out a grunt as he toppled backwards, rolling until he hit a tree. He quickly got back up to his feet to find the giantess raising both her arms. Perseus was seriously expecting some kind of super ball of light to pop up, when instead, metallic shapes began to break out from the earth's surface, slowly taking the shape of spikes. Perseus narrowed his eyes and also raised his arm, erecting an earthen wall while also forming a human sized shield. He didn't have time to ponder on the possible magnetism ability when the metal spikes began to bombard Perseus, slowly but surely reducing the earthen wall to dust. The shield easily deflected the spikes as intended, giving Perseus a window of opportunity to slash the giant's shoulder, making her growl, Perseus quickly turned around, expecting ichor or some fluid to pour out from the wound, only to find the wound sealed shut. Wanting to end this soon, Perseus then let out a loud cry as a series of his powers manifested, shadow tendrils and wisps, rock spikes and platforms, and threw them at where the giant stood. Perseus dropped to the ground, weapons at ready, as he waited for the collective dust to clear from where he struck. He then let out a heavy groan, and straightened his stance on seeing the giantess standing tall, with no harm whatsoever upon her.

"You are…an interesting opponent." Perseus said, reaching into his cloak. "But sorry to tell you this, play time…is over."

Perseus took out his helm from his cloak, wearing it quickly. He then began a light walk, coating his hands with hellfire as attached blades formed on each of his braces. The giantess seemed to have sensed the shift in attitude, and relaxed slightly, raising her dual bladed sword behind her. Perseus then began to sprint ahead, sliding down into the giantesses shadow while the latter terribly missed striking Perseus with her sword. Perseus then popped out of the giantesses back, through the shadow that was cast on her back from the sword, and stabbed the giant with his hellfire coated blades. The giant howled with pain as she shook her body to get Perseus, and the blades off her body. Perseus quickly slipped back into the shadow before it can move its position, and popped up again below a tree, analyzing his plan to kill the giant.

"Weapons are harmful; hellfire is an added bonus. Though she does heal from them…and the hellfire wounds look to be the same. But my shadow and terrakinesis powers, they don't affect her." Perseus thought, pursuing his lips. The giant had stopped clutching her head, and was glaring at Perseus hatefully. Her eyes began to glow a violet color, and a stream of light shot out of her eyes, heading straight at Perseus. The god grimaced as he formed a shield, and blocked the full force of the beams. Parrying the beams away, Perseus summoned hellfire balls in his palms, hurling them at the giant who quickly tried to dodge them but failed due to her large stature. While the giantess was distracted with that, Perseus began his barrage of attacks, hacking and slashing the giant multiple times in order to incapacitate her. He had tried to bind her again with the tendrils or solidifying the earth around her, thinking the absorption was a focus ability, but that failed when those still got absorbed. But what Perseus didn't realize, was that while absorbing the shadows didn't seem to affect the giant, the earth based weapons seriously did. The giantess let out a sigh of relief as she felt the earth rejuvenate her, and then shot a beam of light from her palm at Perseus's head, knocking him aside. In his confusion and slight desperation, Perseus summoned a wall of shadow to block another beam of light, but that immediately vaporized the wall, striking Perseus once again. The god let out a frustrated cry as he quickly got to his feet, this time going for distance as he brought out his bow. But the giantess seemed to have prepared for that as she summoned more metal objects from the ground, directing them to Perseus, and making him unable to stay still and aim his shot. Perseus then improvised, and fully surrounded himself with hellfire, internally cursing as the fire began to spread. He didn't have the concentration to control the fire currently, he needed to find a convenient way to once again harm the giant. The flowing metal objects dissolved into ash as they came in contact with the hellfire, making the giantess drop them. She then resorted to melee combat, thinking she would have the upper-hand with her stature, but this time, it was Perseus's turn to smirk. He formed a claymore from his braces and lunged up, bringing down the great-sword down on the giantess's head, which she narrowly blocked at the last second, causing a loud clanging noise to echo through. But Perseus wasn't done, for he quickly turned the claymore into a shield, which he then flipped over and stood on, making it bounce of the giants face and launching him slightly up the air, giving him bullet time to launch a volley of hellfire coated arrows. He the rolled on the ground, passing underneath the giant and slashing her legs, making her fall. Perseus grinned in response on seeing his prey down, he was almost close, close to seeing victory. All he has to do now-

Suddenly, the giantess let out a scream, a burst of green energy releasing from her body which Perseus was unable to dodge, the wave leaving him feeling incapacitated. Perseus felt himself fall on the ground, the shockwave and the previous string of pain from his domain overload leaving him immobile. But that wasn't the only thing that started to worry him. What worried him was the fact that the ground seemed to form a shell around him, slowly forming a barrier around him. Perseus tried to break free from it, but even his own terrakinesis didn't seem to have any effect on it. It was as if, there was an even greater force acting against him.

"You used your last resort my child, I'm quite surprised." A drowsy, but serene voice spoke along with the wind. Perseus felt the hair on his arms stand up as the trees rustled, a series of leaves coming out of it and taking shape. The dirt from the ground also lifted up, solidifying into each of the lower limbs. Perseus watched as all this took the form of a woman, made out of leaves, dirt and other earthy elements that were a bit of a mix up. The only thing consistent, were the pale yellow orbs peering down at him.

"After all these years, all these tales, I finally meet you at long last, Lykofós Perseus. Tell me, how does it feel to have an audience with the primordial of the realm you call home?"

"Gaia?" Perseus asked with a quiver in his voice, still trying to break free from the makeshift shell on him. "I…presumed you were asleep... . How, how are you like this…"

"Oh I was. We primordials do love our sleep." Gaia said with a yawn, smiling serenely. "But we do love our drive to accomplish something more, which is what I intend to do. And I am sure you are wondering…what is a primordial doing over here, talking to a lowly being? And if she did indeed call the giant her child."

"Well Lykofós, meet one of my many children bred with the pit himself, Tartarus. Her name, is Foteinós, and she and her siblings have been specifically created with one goal in mind. To be the destruction of a specific god, whether currently, or in the future. The perfect opposites, the anti you. I'm sure you must be piecing everything together now especially with that little spar still fresh in your mind."

"So…you." Perseus managed to say. "Want to overthrow the Olympians now? Why not do it yourself, since you're already awake and can lay waste upon them."

"You wouldn't understand godling." Gaia said with a sigh. "The ordinal law wouldn't allow you measly beings to harm me, and where's the fun in that? The best I can do is, to have my anger and pent up vengeance, undertaken by warriors I trust."

Like you did with the gods against the titans, and now these giants against us. How long will it be before you overthrow them then?"

"Never!" Gaia snarled, raising her hand. "They are perfect beings, each one unique with their own skillset and qualities that I nurtured. …Unlike you, you imperfect being."

Perseus scoffed. "Imperfect huh? Tunnel love much or-"

"And that is the truth." Gaia said with a soft sigh, making Perseus pause. "A failure from the start, scrap from the dinner table. Everything that you possess was handed to you, you never had anything to call your own except for that…cursed power. But this is how you beings are anyway, why am I surprised to think you would be any different. In fact,…" Gaia said, sliding her finger against Perseus's cheek. "You are…" she said, slicing his face, ichor slowly dripping from the cut. "…imperfect."

Perseus struggled underneath Gaia's grip, confused. "I don't get you, what-"

"Poor Lykofós, still very much naïve I see. Fear not, one day everything will be explained. And then you will realize that you never belonged with anyone, in any family. Not with your primordial mother, not with the Olympians, not with, well, anyone worth mentioning. And you already have practice to lessen the pain once you leave them, for after all, you did abandon them. Just don't expect a homecoming, you are far from home, with no way of going back."

"You-"

"You think it was a coincidence my daughter was here, ready to fight you?" Gaia taunted. "My twin sons have already begun their quest to raid Olympus, stacking mountains on top of one another. Yes, I anticipated you getting a domain overload from that, though I did expect a stronger reaction from you because of that. But nevertheless, they have succeeded in capturing one of your fellow Olympians. Though I must say, the gods aren't taking this threat seriously than I expected. I am heavily disappointed in that." Gaia muttered. "Incompetent rulers, reminds me of Typhon all over again."

"Now, what happened to your arm little godling, I noticed it being a bit disfigured." Gaia said, almost ripping out Perseus's arm from the shell. "But wouldn't that have already healed…"

Gaia trailed off, staring intently at the glowing blue mark on Perseus's palm. Perseus was slightly surprised on seeing her recognize it, but wasn't prepared for what came next. The earth once again rippled, forming a large boulder while the spectral form of Gaia began to shudder. The boulder floated above Perseus's head, and then came crashing down on him repeatedly.

"Who showed you this?!" Gaia screamed. "Who gave you the means to unlock your power Tetrekar?! Who gave you your Tetreja? Who? Was it Nyx, Erebus?! Tell me godling, who did you seek!"

"Mother." Foteinós said softly. "Enough."

Gaia sighed with frustration, but then straightened herself, stepping away from Perseus, whose face was bloody and bruised. He spat out some ichor, glaring at Gaia with an evil grin on his face.

"Seems like this scares you." Perseus coughed out showing his mark. "Would you believe me if I told you I already know the magic words?"

Gaia's yellow orbs widened, while Foteinós stepped ahead with her weapon ready. "Who did you try to seal?!" Gaia demanded. Perseus didn't respond, and instead closed his fist, a familiar white energy beginning to swirl around it. Gaia remained silent in response, while Foteinós let out a yell, her blade aimed at Perseus's hand. Before she could do anything however, Gaia raised a finger, and stopped Foteinós in place, making her swirl her head back with confusion.

"Not today my child. Regroup with your brothers, you have to be prepared at the nexus point." Gaia said, snapping her fingers. Foteinós looked like she wanted to protest, but before she could, she dissolved into the earth, no trace of her to be seen. Perseus was confused on seeing this interaction, but not wanting to let the chance slip, opened his palm. But to his shock, the white streams of energy that came out didn't seem to sense Gaia, as they floated around aimlessly.

"You can't do anything with a spectral form godling." Gaia said coldly, placing her foot hard on Perseus's neck. "You must be the first forbidden being I have ever met who was willing to give his life just to disposes away little old me."

"W-What di-did you just ca-call me?" Perseus choked out.

Gaia's orbs narrowed, until they widened again. "You…, are you in the dark with all of this?" she asked, an evil grin playing on her lips. "Which primordial did you seek that actively let you in this blind? You couldn't have found this by yourself either, it would have been impossible." Gaia was cackling now, increasing the pressure of her foot on Perseus's neck.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you this little godling, but you're going to experience pain you wouldn't be able to comprehend if you're going to ever go through what I think you're going to do. And when that happens, and if that happens to me…Tetrekar…I will destroy your essence before you even touch me. And that is a promise from the earth mother herself. But, I'm not going to kill you now, even with how quickly I can do it. I would have even done that now through my daughter if I wanted to, but the thought to have the Olympians watch their soon to be outcast getting decimated fills me with so much euphoria…"

"And it won't be long before it happens, especially once the siege is done. And the war, shall begin."

Gaia's form glowed momentarily, and the materials making up the spectral form fell down. Perseus gasped out harshly after the weight was removed from his throat and finally managed to break out from the shell holding him down, and stumbled out of the pit. He was still coughing as he settled down, his throat still sore from before. But what invaded most of his mind, was the reeling fact that he met the earth mother herself, and the words she spoke to him. There was another threat that Olympus was facing, and he wasn't at the forefront of it. Again. He really was dangerous to Olympus's enemies if they wanted him out of the way.

Perseus quickly sent a telepathic message to the one person outside of Artemis who had the means to actively find him. And it was only a few minutes later when a flash of green light appeared, followed by a bellow of mist and a very furious Hecate.

"Lykofós fucking Perseus you bloody asshole!" Hecate shouted, slapping the god hard on the face, and then gasped when she saw the wounds on his face. "Oh my- I didn't do that did I?!" Hecate asked worriedly.

Perseus coughed. "Don't worry Hecate, you're too physically weak to even leave a mark on my face."

"Oh, that's a relief- excuse me?!"

Perseus chuckled, but then winced as his jaw started to hurt. Hecate frowned with concern as she kneeled down, taking Perseus's head in her hands. "Who- …this looks bad, even for a gods standard."

"Not surprised, since a primordial technically went all whammy on me." Perseus quipped, making Hecate pale.

"A what?!"

"Gaia. She came to…I don't know gloat? She sent some giant that was a child of hers and Tartarus after me, and apparently there's more of them…"

"That sounds troubling." Hecate finished. "There's a similar situation happening in Olympus currently, these twin giants began to stack mountains one on top of the other, in order to climb up the magical gateway of Olympus. So far that only has happened."

"No wonder I was feeling that overload." Perseus muttered. "Okay, so I have time, I think. I need to see Pontus, as soon as possible." Perseus said trying to get up but fell back due to Hecate pushing him down, an angry look on her eyes.

"You, stupid stubborn delinquent, you were gone for two weeks! And after you got pummeled by a fucking primordial and some other unknown being, and call me here making me think I'm needed for something when in reality, you just want to go and see that crusty old man who has gone into hiding! None of us can find him anywhere, not even Aphrodite."

Perseus's eyes widened. "Pontus in- no. he, I can find him, I have to find him. Even with his secrets…he can only tell me…what I really am…"

Hecate frowned. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Hecate, you've seen many children of Nyx right? Like, the biological ones at least, the ones born from her?" Perseus asked, showing his mark and ignoring the strangled cry from Hecate when she saw his greyed arm. "You must have seen this mark on them right?"

"I- what happened to your arm?! And what do you mean children of Nyx have that mark, I thought that was something random created by you." Hecate exclaimed.

"I knew it; I shouldn't have kept this to myself. I should have, I should have reached out." Perseus muttered repeatedly, clenching his fists. "Damn it Pontus why, why did I have to believe…why is everyone failing me?" he asked with a bitter laugh as he summoned his silver glove to cover his arm. "Or am I selfish for believing that?"

Hecate pursued her lips, gently picking Perseus up to his feet. "I don't think I'm the right person to answer that, but for all its worth, I hope I don't let you down at least. And I'm terribly happy that you're actually alive and not rotting somewhere in Tartarus. Because when we found Apollo and Artemis back then in a state I would never have associated with a god I- we actually assumed the worst when we couldn't find you, and that was so scary…" she said, giving him a hug. "Everyone's going to be happy seeing you return."

Perseus nodded slowly, Gaia's words echoing inside his head after hearing what Hecate said. "You will realize that you never belonged with anyone, in any family. Not with your primordial mother, not with the Olympians, not with, well, anyone worth mentioning." "The thought to have the Olympians watch their soon to be outcast getting decimated fills me with so much euphoria..."

"Hecate, what's the situation in Olympus right now." Perseus asked.

"Well for starters, Ares has been captured." Hecate replied bluntly. "Hermes has gone to get him back after receiving intel from a double agent. Those twin giants haven't tried anything new like mentioned before, they just threatened to throw Ares into Tartarus, or the abyss. Though I did hear whispers that the giants want wives among the Olympian council. Namely, Hera and Artemis."

Perseus's head shot up with surprise, which quickly turned to fury as that sentence bounce around his head. One of the giants wanted Artemis as his…he couldn't even fathom that thought. Pontus could probably wait, since he is in hiding anyway.

"Judging from your reaction, you still love her." Hecate said with a smile. "Not that I doubted it, it's just, after what had happened, and Artemis was dead sure that that was the last straw, and you probably were slowly falling out of love with her by avoiding her before and all that-"

"You're spiraling Hecate, that's usually my job." Perseus said with a scoff. "I still dearly love Artemis; I don't think that can change at all. Or…it might, but I…frankly doubt that. But, we really need to have a serious talk between us because I don't think I can be with someone who…argghh." Perseus said with a groan. "But I'm not guilty in this either, I kill as well, and after what I did to her and her brother-"

"You don't kill or ruin lives of other people for unnecessary reasons of hatred that should be directed at someone else okay." Hecate pointed out. "Now, for that last part, as much as I hate being therapist, you two do need a serious discussion regarding this. Can't believe I'm going to say it, but Aphrodite could help? I mean, love goddess and all, though this seems more than just love."

Perseus nodded. "I know, but first let's deal with whatever Olympus is facing now and get that over with. I have to inform the council, about these new race of giants with the information Gaia has provided me with. Got to love when people monologue like that." Perseus said with a chuckle, wincing again. "I can't even smile…"

"Good, save them for later." Hecate said, tilting her head to the side. "Because those twin giants have begun their climb once again, but this time, they have an army. And Artemis is the one going to go against them, alone."

Later on when the two gods left with a flash, Gello emerged out of a shadow, a pensive but hopeful look on her face as she glanced at the ground. "Moros was right to be wary of Gaia, but to think she is unknowingly helping him. This just makes my work much easier. Now…time to inform a little birdie about a change in plans…"

---

As long as Perseus could remember, he figured that the gods didn't have an army. Sure, he saw Ares occasionally train the minor gods, and the war room was always occupied by some people. But the thought of an army, never really crossed his mind, due to the fact they already were a bunch of highly powered individuals. Well, today he was proven wrong. Mostly.

Mount Olympus seemed to be in a rush, and not the market rush that happened when Demeter opened her shop. Weapons were being distributed everywhere, and mostly every single minor god seemed to be present. Nature spirits of every kind were also present, with Pan directing them somewhere while a bunch of satyrs nervously shuffled among themselves. Perseus and Hecate navigated through the large crowds, and entered the throne room, where most of the gods were present, watching something from the hearth. On close inspection, the image depicted two giant individuals, each one with colored long flowing hair. They too were heavily armored with celestial bronze armor, and had reptilian feet, just like Foteinós. "These must be two of her siblings." Perseus thought, and then noticed a lithe figure darting between the giants, trying to harm the giants but they too seemed to be healing without any difficulty. Perseus then remembered Hecate's words from before, and quickly approached the moving image, a worried expression settling in.

"Artemis." He breathed out, garnering the attention of some of the gods, who looked relieved on seeing him safe and sound. Hestia almost tackled Perseus to the ground as she gave him a bear hug, whispering soothing words to calm her sons evident worry. Perseus wasn't sure due to seeing through the heart, but judging with how Apollo looked, Artemis looked fairly better when he last saw her…that day. The image and events flashed in his mind again, making Perseus momentarily turn away. A few minutes later, the gods cheered when they saw Artemis finally defeat the giant twins, by transforming into a deer and darting between the two giants This prompted them to throw their spears at her, but missed, and in turn pierced each other instead. They died almost instantaneously, and slowly turned into red colored dirt.

"So they can be killed. Good, good." Zeus muttered, stroking his beard. "Ah Perseus, it is good to see you return after, whatever it was that prompted you to disappear. I do have some questions I would like to ask though." Zeus said, giving a piercing stare to the god.

Perseus stiffly nodded, his heart leaping to his throat when a silver flash of light appeared in the room, revealing it to be Artemis. Like her brother, she looked a bit pale and clammy, giving a tired nod to her father. She then turned around, and dropped her bow on seeing Perseus, a look settling on her face that pained Perseus on seeing it.

Fear. He had accepted that possibility, but seeing it in person truly pained him. The other gods looked as if they were expecting something, and then frowned when they realized Perseus and Artemis weren't hugging each other like there was no tomorrow, or kissing like there was no one in the room. Were they dreaming? No wait, gods didn't have dreams.

"Well, the full council is at least present here on Olympus." Athena stated. "The twin giants, which they call themselves the Alodae, have been annihilated. The army is still left though, but if we send a couple of ourselves and a few forces, we could easily eradicate them. There are just cyclops, dracaena and gegenees, nothing too major to note."

"Understood. Apollo, how long until Ares is fully recovered?" Zeus asked.

"Well, with the golden apple in play, I would say he could make a full recovery by tomorrow morning. As long as he has full bed rest, and doesn't try coming into battle with the infirmary bed in hands." Apollo muttered.

"That's wonderful. We need everyone at full strength, I have a feeling that this attack wasn't at random. And seeing that we couldn't kill them, not directly at least, doesn't bode well with me.

"Because that's how they were created." Perseus spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. "You're right my lord, the attack by these Alodae wasn't a coincidence. I just faced one of their brethren not too long ago as well."

"You did?" Zeus demanded. Artemis looked really worried on hearing about this, but was interrupted before she could say anything by Poseidon who piped up. "Were you having the same results as Artemis? Where you weren't able to kill it, or harm it for long periods of time?"

"Yeah, the exact same thing. That giant- giantess, managed to escape though before I could do concrete damage to it. And the reason for that was…because of her mother."

"Her mother?" Hephaestus asked.

"Yeah. Her, and the Alodae's mother, is Gaia. Primordial of the earth."

Everyone was staring at Perseus with varying degrees of expressions, Zeus himself looking disbelieving and about to yell something when the light in the throne room began to dim. Everyone present looked confused at this since it was still very early in the day. Zeus grumbled and snapped his fingers, frowning deeply when the sky didn't brighten on his command.

"Which lummox is messing with the meeting right now." Zeus shouted. The other gods looked confused, but then lightly frowned when they heard loud cries and shouts coming from outside. Perseus glanced at Hermes who nodded, swiping his hand to open the throne room doors, revealing a very much darkened sky, and a swirling tornado slowly approaching from the sky.

"Who…" Zeus trailed off, surprised that he wasn't able to sense the phenomenon happening in the sky. The gods slowly trickled out, each one getting more concerned until Athena let out a short yell.

"The enemy army! Its approaching the summit of the second mountain fast, we have to send some of our forces." Athena quickly said.

"Athena, take Hephaestus and a couple of groups to handle that army. Don't let a single one get away. Meanwhile, I shall see what that tornado is all about-"

"Is that…singing?" Apollo interrupted. The other gods gave confused looks at the sun god, but then realized that they can also hear distinct singing coming from up above.

Zeus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Who would be singing-"

"Brother!"

"What?!"

"Something has just entered the barrier." Poseidon said quickly, worry flashing in his eyes. "And the power signature-"

A low grumble shook the entire floating city of Olympus, with a few more tremors following suite. Zeus's eyes widened on feeling the intensity, and then gestured his siblings closer.

"I want you three to back me. I'm sure you can tell that whatever Poseidon sensed, it's not something to scoff at." Zeus said oddly seriously, which didn't sit well with the younger gods. "I want you five, and Hecate, to keep an eye on that tornado. And telepath me if it acts up or anything!" and with that Zeus flashed away. The elder gods looked apprehensive, but gave the rest encouraging smiles as they too flashed away. Athena gave a short nod, and squeezed Perseus's shoulder as she left for gathering the troops, Hephaestus lumbering not far behind. Which left Perseus, Artemis, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes and Hecate, the rag-tag group of gods who were used to situations like this. But they didn't know how to deal with this one in front of them. Perseus and Artemis not talking, more less looking at each other.

Apollo swiveled his head back and forth between Perseus and Artemis, then groaned out loudly. "Oh for my chariots sake, just make up already! I can't stand not seeing you two act lovey dovey together, which is actually physically paining me to say!"

"Apollo shut up!" Aphrodite hissed, giving the at odds couple an apprehensive look. "This is a very delicate matter which we have to tend to properly, we can't just-"

"Guys, please." Perseus interrupted. "Thank you for the sentiments, but now isn't really the best time to discuss this, please? We need to deal with that-" Perseus said, pointing at the sky, and noticed Artemis staring at him, who then looked away guiltily. "And then I…I'll…let's just get this over with." Perseus finished with a sigh.

"Hey guys." Hermes said. "Singing tornado is starting to disappear, and the singing is getting…clearer?"

Hermes was right, for the tornado was slowly starting to fade, while the singing was getting louder. The group then frowned on hearing the words, while Perseus slowly kneeled down, placing his head in his arms.

"Little angel all alone? Huh?" Hecate stated.

"Reunited with his hated one…Perseus, do you…have any idea." Artemis said softly speaking for the first time.

"Yeah." Perseus said, getting up and glaring at the figure floating in the sky where the tornado was. "You know, I just realized. You guys haven't properly met him yet, haven't you all. So everyone, meet Mados. Fallen angel of Ouranos, and the my most infuriating enemy of all time."

Mados's form then became visible to the gods, slightly surprising Perseus due to certain changes. He still had the same androgynous face, long flowing blue hair and golden eyes, but this time, there seemed to be very dark circles surrounding his eyes. The floral like pattern armor from before was present, though he adorned a ripped black cloak as well. Attached on his back was a stygian iron wing which Perseus was sure he had ripped in half, and a new addition, a leathery bat wing. Mados's right arm was mangled and clawed, the same side the bat wing was attached on. And in his left hand, he was carrying a familiar translucent blue rod, eliciting a slight twinge from a certain scar on Perseus's chest.

"That's Mados." Apollo exclaimed, letting out a low whistle. "Damn…he looks very pretty…"

"Now's not the time to mooch off the enemy dude!" Hermes groaned out.

"My dear adversary, I have returned!" Mados shouted, spreading his arms wide. "And I see your friends are along here as well, wonderful! I missed having an audience, and one for our fights is desperately needed, if it gets…heated." Mados said with a grin.

"…Huh." Apollo simply said with a laugh, then yelped when Artemis slapped the back of his head.

"This is the idiot that's been giving you trouble?" Hermes asked with a snort. "Doesn't look that intimidating to be honest."

"Hermes, messenger of the gods." Mados said with a sneer. "If I wanted to, your defeat would be swifter than you could even blink."

"Yeahhh, that doesn't faze me buddy." Hermes shouted back.

Mados ignored him, and instead took in the sight of Mount Olympus before him, a smirk falling on his face. "So this is the epicenter of the gods, hung above a measly mountain. The fact that you're tainting my master's beautiful dome sickened me to the core, and still does! But what I find ironic…you're so high up, and technically on top of a 'mountain'. But…no snow to be seen." Mados said with a hum, raising his ether frost wand at the sky. "I believe; this mountain could use some decorations. Will look the part for winter too."

The gods watched as Mados channeled another swirling tornado, and released it like a spinning top at Olympus. The gods raised their shield and managed to block almost all of the tornados brunt force, but the surrounding area wasn't lucky. Everything was mostly covered with snow and ice and a heavy layer of mist, some locations almost buried by them.

Perseus squinted his eyes to see through the newly formed mist, and jumped ahead on hearing Artemis's panicked shout of his name. He was then tackled by the chest and felt himself moving upward, his vision returning to find a sneering Mados, hungrily licking his lips.

"This time…this time you will be mine!" Mados shouted, slamming Perseus into a large chunk of ice and then out, hurling him into the air, where Perseus then began forming weapons and wore his mask and gloves mid-flight, and the floated forward to tackle Mados mid-way.

Meanwhile down below, Artemis was already thinking of a plan to help Perseus out when she and the other gods with her got a message from Hephaestus, his voice sounding hoarse.

"Everyone! We are managing fine below, don't worry, but that's not the reason for this communication. Something else has just entered the barrier, it's heading to where you guys are and its-" Hephaestus was cut off before he could finish his sentence when another tremor struck the grounds, prompting the gods into battle. Loud metal noises were then heard, as if two sheets of metal were banging at each other. At the distance, a large figure then emerged, which slightly gleamed in the scarce sunlight. The giant was over forty feet tall, with metallic gold skin that was embezzled with precious stones. He carried an iron staff, and had rust colored reptilian legs, clearly a close relative to the Alodae that had tried to scale Olympus. His blood red eyes peered down at the assembled gods, a small smile forming on his face.

"So, these are the mighty Olympians here to greet me. I must say, a mediocre welcome party for sure. The name is Alcyoneus, and I request you to show me Hades."

"Yeah, not happening today." Hecate replied. "I hate to tell you this, but Hades is way down there. You wasted your time coming here."

Alcyoneus narrowed his eyes, but continued to smile. "Fair enough. Why don't I instead use my time here, where I can decimate my brothers' banes, and absorb all the riches this place has to offer."

"I'm sorry, what are your brothers' banes." Apollo snarked, but soon got his answer when a small army of ghosts, shades, appeared, pointing their weapons at him and the rest. "Oh of course, us."

"Engage my comrades!" Alcyoneus bellowed, smashing his iron staff on the ground. "And strike for the earth mother!"

On the other side of the city, Perseus and Mados were engaged in melee combat, the former able to fly around but not as efficiently as the fallen angel, who zipped and spun around, swinging his long sword as he dove towards Perseus. The god formed a quick shield and smacked Mados on the face with it, and then formed a claymore which he used to push the angel back with a clang. Mados straightened his position, and then waved his wand a couple of times, summoning large gusts of wind that pushed Perseus down on the ground. He landed on the roof of the throne room, with Mados quick to join him.

"It's no fun fighting up in the air honestly." Mados said with a sigh, extending his wings. "So a compromise, a good old, no nonsense battle on solid ground, with everything we got. Hellfire included.

"Really." Perseus asked, swinging his claymore. "I thought you would never ask." He said, lunging at high speed at Mados, who then met him with his long sword. The two continued to trade blows at each other, while also using their other powers to distract each other. Mados used his stygian wing to periodically launch blades at him, while his leather wing was used to corner Perseus at the back. Meanwhile, Perseus used the shadows to lift and pin Mados to the ground, but the dreary sky proved to be difficult to get darker and stronger shadows. He instead used regulated pieces of the throne room roof to hurl at Mados, silently hoping this wouldn't get traced back at him.

Perseus then managed to swipe Mados's face, and was shocked to find tiny wisps of shadows pooling out of the wound.

"Oh for Fates sake." Perseus said with a groan. "From whom did you get the essence? Was it a daimon, Lycaon? …Please don't tell me it was the primordial himself."

"The first option ickle Percy." Mados said with a sneer. He then began to circle Perseus, his speed increasing as he continued. Perseus anticipated something and then formed two shields from his braces. He was right on his intuition when a series of razor blades began to come from the blur that was Mados. He managed to block most of them, though some did manage to pierce him. Mados then summoned large pieces of spiked ice blocks, throwing them at the temporarily immovable Perseus. The god merely rolled his eyes, and coated himself and weapons with hellfire, cutting through the blocks like they were melted butter. Mados grinned on seeing the god fall for his bait, and then tucked himself in a fetal position, a reddish black aura surrounding him. Perseus had just started to remove the melted blades from his body when he noticed what Mados was doing. Mados then released the pent up energy, the red shockwave quickly approaching Perseus. But instead, Perseus just stayed where he was, arms crossed as he waited for the wave to pass through him. After all, the last time only pushed him back meters away, what will it even do this time he thought.

Perseus was indeed sent flying back, his body coated with rashes as he fell on the ground, a small crater forming around him. Yep, he was never going to take any power for granted ever again.

On the other side of the city, the elder gods were desperately trying to subdue the threat they were facing, another giant, but to no avail. Demeter had summoned multiple vines which she used to bind the giant while Poseidon struck the ground in front of the giant with his trident. He then pulled the trident down like a lever, flipping the broken ground and the giant along with it upside down. Hera and Zeus was floating on a cloud, the former launching a few successive energy blasts at the giant. Zeus was chanting something as he slowly raised a finger into the air, a large storm cloud soon forming. He then pointed at the giant, and a massive bolt of lightning erupted from the cloud, striking the giant directly at his body. But Zeus's victory was short lived, as the giant gradually got to his feet, the only damage being a small blackened spot where the thunderbolt struck.

"That was a level eight bolt, how did it not vaporize him on the spot?!" Zeus thundered, making the giant smile.

"Even after facing my twin brothers, you still don't see the truth? Not only are we immortal Zeus, we are highly invincible to the point that we can't be killed. But you gods, you gods don't have the same advantage as us. And with that we shall destroy you, I shall destroy you personally. For I am Porphyrion, king of the giants, and your bane Zeus! I shall uproot Olympus and hurl it at the sky, and become the rightful king of this world. And as a little bonus, your heavenly wife, for my own."

Hera gagged on hearing this, while Zeus bristled with rage. He snapped his fingers, and a row of lightning bolts launched at Porphyrion. While the giant was distracted with it, Zeus summoned his master bolt and jumped, decreasing in size and dived inside the giant's mouth. Porphyrion felt bile pile up in his throat as he struggled to choke the god out. Poseidon had sneaked up behind the giant while this was happening, and pierced the giant with his trident. Demeter brought forth multiple plants bearing flowers and leaves which she then used to throw at the giant. The petals and leaves had turned razor sharp, which managed to irritate Porphyrion with the twinges of pain he was feeling on his body. Porphyrion then doubled down, clutching his abdomen which had started to glow. He let out a silent scream as his stomach bursted open, a spurt of ichor and Zeus coming out, the latter drenched in the immortal blood. He gave a triumphant smile to his gagging siblings and turned around to gloat, only to remain silent as he watched the gaping hole close itself up. Porphyrion was still gasping as he struggled to stay upright, making the gods sigh and groan as they once again began their assault.

Back to Artemis and the others, they too were in a similar situation in holding down Alcyoneus, making sure he didn't summon more shades to garner their attention. The giants metallic skin proved to be difficult to cut through easily, but they were still managing. Apollo was whizzing around, setting a part of the giant either on fire or with an explosion, thanks to Hephaestus's bomb arrows. Hecate had amassed a large number of golems that attacked the legs, while Hermes and Aphrodite tried to confuse him with the former hurling insults, and the latter sweet talking him. Artemis side stepped a strike from the staff, as she tried to make the giant hurt and in turn kill himself by his own hand, just like she did with the Alodae.

"You're only just delaying the inevitable." Alcyoneus said, groaning when a spurt of oil came out of a newly formed wound from Hermes. "The earth mother will send more of my brethren to Olympus, followed by an even larger army. The two gods you sent fighting down will soon fall with the sheer intensity. And then, Olympus will be razed!"

Alcyoneus then raised his staff, seemingly going to either strike Artemis or summon another wave of shades when a large screech broke through the sounds of metal clanging. A blur tore through the horizon, and crashed into the ground, revealing it to be Perseus pummeling Mados with his gloved fists, while Mados repeatedly clawed him. The angel then managed to remove Perseus's gloves, revealing his greyed arm which took some of the gods who saw it by surprise. Alcyoneus faltered on seeing the god, the fearful expression on his face on seeing the god only intensifying when he saw the glowing blue mark on Perseus's palm.

"Mother said she would deal with him, that Foteinós…" Alcyoneus whispered, narrowing his eyes. He shrugged the gods off his body and leapt back, muttering something. At the distance, a chasm opened which Alcyoneus leapt into, not before telling Porphyrion to retreat as well. Which his brother promptly ignored.

"The hell? You can't just leave the fight!" Apollo yelled.

"Let it be Apollo, we need to help Percy." Hermes said.

"No stop, don't come any nearer." Perseus shouted, stopping the gods at their tracks. "I…I'm going to do something that's definitely dangerous, and will probably result in all you guys killing me if I haven't already did it myself."

"…I'm sorry what?!" Aphrodite said out loud.

"Just trust me on this." Perseus yelled, catching Artemis's gaze. "Please." he then pleaded, raising his arm, fist clenched. White energy began to swirl around his fist, Artemis and Apollo's eyes widened on seeing it.

"Okayyy…back up, back up everyone. Just back up, yeah, back up." Apollo said quietly, dragging Hermes and Aphrodite with him as the two were fixated at the sight. Hecate went to get Artemis too, but she let go, and instead approached Perseus.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Artemis shouted, making Perseus swear under his breath. "I may not know exactly what this is, but it definitely can't be anything good at all. For both parties, I know it. Please Perseus, I know I greatly hurt you badly but there has to be another way instead of using…that!" Artemis cried out. "Just please…at least listen to me this once!"

Perseus pursued his lips, contemplating Artemis's words as Gaia's words echoed in his head. "You must be the first forbidden being I have ever met who was willing to give his life just to disposes away little old me." Would he actually fade if he did try to 'seal' someone with his power? Gaia seemed very adamant with that fact, and Artemis, even though not knowing anything about this, seemed weirdly worried for his safety regarding it. Like she might know something he didn't.

But he was tired, tired of all his problems returning one after the other. He wanted to get it either done with, or rid of it. And if his powers have any inclination as to what they can do, then he was going to take it. Especially if it meant, taking care of Mados, once and for all.

"Y-Yes yes, listen to your lover night spawn." Mados gasped out. "I heard that thing isn't pretty, a daimon told me about it you know. You could lose your life; you wouldn't want that…would you. Would you?!" he shouted.

"Well I can't exactly let you roam out freely." Perseus said, narrowing his eyes. "You could very well do what you do best, bring suffering in a town like Kichyros, and I won't stand that. Not just in Greece, but other places as well."

"No, no, no. you won't, you can't." Mados pleaded. "You don't understand, she told me what would happened. Gello, she- she-"

"Gello?!" Perseus and Artemis echoed out. Artemis looked angry on hearing that name once again, and the fact that she was still somewhere interacting out was troubling. "You're in league with Gello. Of course, that explains the essence." Perseus muttered staring at Mados coldly. "Sorry Mados, but this is the end of the line."

"No, no this isn't, this can't be!" Mados screeched. "Send me to Tartarus please, end me with hellfire at least please, anything but that, PLEASE- !"

Perseus then opened his palm.

The streams of white energy bounded out, reaching far into the air where they could be clearly seen from a distance. Which was how Porphyrion noticed it, and swore under his breath when he realized who was doing it. He should have heeded his brothers warning. Porphyrion then let out a scream as a green shockwave erupted out of his body, sending the elder gods back. With the gods distracted, the giant tapped his foot on the ground, and a chasm opened which he quickly dived into, making his escape.

Perseus called upon the streams of energy towards him, making sure that none of them went for anyone other than Mados. Perseus then aimed the streams at the struggling angel, the latter screaming in pain as the streams pierced his body. Perseus watched as Mados's body began to change, becoming weaker by the moment, the struggle by the angel also waning. And then, for the first time, Perseus said the two words that would define his fate moving forward.

"Solosis Akilio!"

Perseus's eyes glowed white as the streams pulsed with power, and a white aura began to surround a howling Mados. A golden flash of light began to emerge out of Perseus's hand, as well as a holographic image of his mark, the Terteja. The golden light began to consume Mados, his cries quieting down as he was engulfed in it. Perseus then felt a snapping noise in his head, and the light disappeared. In Mados's place was a golden pod, with a netted design and said angel inside it, a terrified expression on his face. The streams of energy seemed to create a protective layer over the pod, and soon enough, the entre crater was covered by a translucent surface, like ice, with swirling patterns adorning it.

"Esdrelio!" Perseus then shouted, and the streams of energy recalled back. Perseus took a few wobbly steps back, his insides feeling like they were inside out. And then, he promptly threw up.

"Perseus!" Artemis shouted, rushing to Perseus and taking him in his arms. Perseus lightly coughed as Artemis gave him a once over, lightly gasping when she saw Perseus's arm. Before, it was just his fist that was greyed, but now it extended all the way to the top of his lower arm, barely touching the elbow. The golden etched veins and patches were also more prominent.

"Percy" Artemis asked softly, caressing his cheek but then stopped when she realized what she was doing. But Perseus leaned his head forward, prompting Artemis to continue her ministrations. "Are…you are completely safe right, outside of your arm at least." She asked. "Sound mind and all?"

"My arm feels fine, don't know what you're talking about." Perseus muttered, glancing at his left hand, his mouth forming a silent 'oh'.

Artemis chuckled lightly, wrapping her arms around Perseus and buried her head in his neck, whispered apologies echoing out. Perseus remained still as this was happening, but gradually placed his hand on top of her head, gently caressing her scalp, which only made her tighten her grip on him.

"Artemis…we need to, no, we have to talk. We cannot leave things unsaid, whatever it is we both have to let out." Perseus whispered to Artemis. The goddess stiffened on hearing this, but then nodded, her head still under Perseus's neck.

The rest of their group slowly came by, each one grateful to see both of them make it out alive. As much as they wanted to pick the two up for a group hug, they let them have their moment. Though that quickly ended when the elder gods flashed in, Zeus in particular glaring daggers at Perseus.

"I should have known it was you who was doing that strange light show." He almost spat out.

"Um…what is that?" Demeter asked, pointing at the translucent dome that was now a part of the ground.

"That would be my doing." Perseus said. "You could cover it if you want really, just don't try to destroy it. Though I'm not even sure if you can even destroy it."

"So…can someone just tell me what's just going on here?" Aphrodite complained, which was soon followed by the other gods' questions until three familiar voices spoke up loudly.

"Olympians! Control yourselves this instant." Atropos ordered, banging her bronze club on the ground. Clotho and Lachesis were also besides her, decked with rusted armor and clubs, which was a very rare sight to see them, as they were without their threads.

"Lady Fates!" Zeus squeaked. "I mean, ladies Fates, or should I just call you-"

"Quiet lord Zeus." Clotho said with a sigh, her eyes scanning the crowd of gods assembled. "Where's Ares?"

"Infirmary." Hera supplied.

"Then bring him in the throne room." Lachesis said. "You all as well, go to the throne room. Oh, and get Hades while you're at it."

"If he picks up the Iris message that is." Hera mumbled, stepping aside. The gods slowly trailed to the throne room, meeting Athena and Hephaestus halfway, the two of them assessing the damage. Hades soon appeared as well, with lipstick marks and pomegranate juice dripping from his mouth.

"There you are!" Zeus cried out. "Where were you when I called you here for help against a foe threatening Olympus?"

Hades gulped. "Sleeping?"

"…With my daughter, weren't you?!" Demeter cried out.

"Oh for Tartarus's sake, they're married! It's been over a century sister, get over it." Poseidon exclaimed.

"Enough! Is everyone here?" Atropos asked, after seeing Ares enter the throne room, via a cyclops carrying his bed. "Good. Now, I'm sure you may be wondering why we called all of you here, and why we are in battle armor. The reason being, Olympus now has another threat they have to see to it being defeated. And you all have firsthand experienced it, with four giants laying siege on Olympus."

The gods that were present nodded, while some like Hades and Ares looked confused and interested. "These adversaries." Clotho continued. "Are not your usual enemies. They are, the Gigantes, bred by Gaia and Tartarus, and bred specifically, to be the perfect oppositions of a specific god. In short, most of them are your banes, the anti-gods."

"These giants, are our banes?" Athena questioned frowning. "And are you implying all of us have a specific giant that is a bane?"

"That is indeed correct. There are at least twenty or so of these giants, maybe more but of the lesser kind. But these giants which we're about to list, they are the most prominent ones which we will definitely see in battle."

Lachesis waved her arm, the hearth in the burning brightly and producing an image of brutish familiar giant with dark green hair, lima bean green skin and pure white eyes.

"Porphyrion, the king of the giants and bane of Zeus. Then, we have Alcyoneus, the eldest of the giants and bane of Hades. Polybotes, bane of Poseidon. Enceladus, bane of Athena. Clytius, bane of Hecate. Mimas, bane of Hephaestus. Periboia, bane of Aphrodite. Gration, bane of Apollo. Hippolytos, bane of Hermes. Ephialtes and Otis, twin giants and the bane of a far wandering demigod. Thoon, bane of us, the Fates. And finally, Foteinós, the youngest of them all and the bane of Perseus."

"Wait, where is my bane?!" Ares whined, severely disappointed that he didn't get a cool enemy.

Atropos sighed. "You do have a bane, Damasen. But, since he is the opposite of you, he's more, peaceful you could say. And thus would not be participating in the upcoming war. You also have a bane Artemis, but like Damasen, he will not participate in the war either."

Both Ares and Artemis had varying levels of disappointed looks. Hera and Demeter looked even more sullen when they were told they didn't have banes either. Though everyone was very happy on hearing Hestia didn't have a bane too. Because if Hestia being the most peaceful goddess out there, the thought of what the opposite of that would be scary to think of.

"But wait, why do you three have a bane?" Apollo asked the Fates. "What's he going to do, exercise while fighting?"

Lachesis smirked. "Funny. Thoon wants to unravel the strings of fate, removing that fully from the living being conscious, and plunging the world without destiny."

Hermes blinked owlishly. "Isn't that a good thing?" he asked cautiously.

All three of the Fates groaned. "Hermes." Clotho said. "What do you think will happen if fate is destroyed? You think freewill will reign supreme? Think again, fate is the destiny pre-planned for you, but it's up to you to do something with it. It is the potential possibilities in life, and which ones you shall seize. They can either be guaranteed, or not. Why do you think crossroads exist, and even have the goddess for it present here?"

"And another misconception." Atropos said. "We don't control the lives of every single being in this planet, we are not even all knowing. What our domains are, is in our names. Clotho the spinner, who creates life. Lachesis the allotter, who draws the life. And me, Atropos the inflexible, who takes the life. Without us, life and death will have no meaning on different beings, mostly mortals. Without us, there will be no lives to give or take, rendering the circle that this world lives on null. The mortals would technically become immortal as well, what classification does that give with us gods."

"Thoon wants to destroy all of that. No set future, an endless time loop, a limbo if you will. No death, no life, just existence. Would you like that? Would you all like that?" Lachesis asked, clearly agitated. Every single god present had shrunk back on their seats, looking at the Morai fearfully.

"No." Hermes said with a small voice.

"Good, now, on to more pressing matters. How are we going to kill the Gigantes."

"Yes!" Zeus exclaimed, quickly sitting up. "Please tell me there's a way."

"There is indeed." Atropos replied. "Gaia may have taken many steps to see that her new children would be invulnerable to the Olympians, but there was a flaw. A flaw, which we would exact. The giants can be only killed with the combined efforts of a god, and a demigod. And it doesn't have to be where a specific god has to kill a specific giant, it can be any god, paired with a demigod of course, that can kill a giant."

"There are a few exceptions though. For instance, Alcyoneus can only be killed if he is outside of his homeland, the homeland being the major mainland of Greece. I would suggest taking him far away from here."

The gods muttered among themselves on hearing this, wondering where they would get demigods who would be willing to join the upcoming war. Perseus and Artemis glanced to each other, both thinking the same thing. The hunters may have to join the fight.

"There are two demigods who would be able to aid us though." Clotho announced, gaining the attention of the gods. "Theseus?" Poseidon asked.

"He's in the Underworld barnacle beard." Hades said with a smirk. "Not dead though."

Lachesis rolled her eyes. "The demigods are a lion caped warrior who is currently sailing the sea, and a demigod wandering the far eastern lands."

"…My sons. Heracles and Dionysus." Zeus whispered.

"Dionysus? The kid who wants to go to India?" Athena asked.

"The very same." Atropos confirmed. "Zeus make sure to bring these two as soon as possible, we don't have much time. And you two…" she said, glancing at Perseus and Artemis. "Five hunters at most. Remember, all demigods."

"The battle will be happening quite soon." Clotho said. "The location being the nexus point of Gaia and Tartarus. I'm sure you all know where to find it" And with that, the Fates flashed away in a dull grey light.

"Well." Zeus said with a sigh, taking a brief look at the gods assembled. "This is something we didn't expect to happen, but it's here now. I don't know how long the battle would take, or the intensity of it, but we will prevail. Hera, give our son another apple to recover. Perseus and Artemis, prepare the hunters. Athena, the armed forces. Demeter, the nature spirits and enlist Pan's help. Hephaestus, bring in the machinery which we discussed, the omega versions. Poseidon and Hades, I request of you to bring in your troops. Hestia and Apollo, enlist the medics. Hermes, collect the minor gods and titans willing to help. Aphrodite, evacuate any mortals or living beings on the nexus point. Olympians, you are dismissed."

And with that, the Gigantomachy had begun.

---

The reunion with the hunt was tearful, after all, Perseus had disappeared for an extensive period of time. Perseus was equally happy on returning back to his second home, but then sighed when he remembered the situation that rapidly approaching. And his dilemma with Artemis.

"Okay everyone, listen up. Now, you guys have fought a lot of monsters over the years, no question about that. Biggest one being the Laistrygonian giants. I'm here to tell you that you might face bigger. There is a war approaching, and you all have to participate. Even though I believe in your abilities, this is the first time you all will experience something like this, and it scares me and Artemis. But, you won't be alone, we will be there, watching every single one of you guys. You will be well protected; I can guarantee that. Do you guys understand what you all are up against?"

The hunters looked apprehensive, but on seeing Perseus and Artemis's believing looks made them sure of themselves. It was time they showed the world who the hunters really were, the semi mortal force of Olympus, and not some random group of hunters who frolicked around the woods.

"Well can't say I'm not worried that every single one of you guys are excited." Perseus muttered, nodding at Artemis who returned it. "Atlana, Althaia, Aias, Amara and Adras, please step forward."

"The A team." Perseus quipped, making Artemis smile as the demigods stepped forward. A daughter of Apollo, daughter of Hebe, son of Nemesis, daughter of Demeter, and son of Ares.

"Okay, the reason we called you five over is because you all have a special role to play." Artemis said. "There will be these giant enemies that us gods will be mostly fighting, and we can't kill them without a demigods help. Which is where you all come in, you five along with two others will be helping the gods kill those giants. And even though some of you all will be in close proximity when the fight happens, we will still guarantee you coming back safe, I can promise you that at least. Are you all up for it?"

Another wave of apprehensive looks passed around, but in the end, all five had agreed to be in the frontlines. Some of the other hunters had heard the conversation, and weren't too thrilled about it.

"Oh come on." Arius whined. "I don't want to sound entitled, but I am the lieutenant right?"

"Yep, which is why you're in charge of the rest of the hunters during the fight." Artemis said, softly patting his head. "I know of your capabilities, but there have to be certain limits sometimes."

"Can we at least assist?"

"No Phoebe."

"Deliver food and water to them?"

"Why would you even do that Celyn."

"Distractions?"

"Zoë…" Perseus warned and then sighed. "Anyone who asks if they could do something that will require them being in the frontlines, will stay back in Olympus. And that's final."

That shut most of the hunters up.

"Artemis, I need to go somewhere really quick. But I'll return in time to help you with the set up." Perseus said, squeezing Artemis's arm.

"What will you be doing?" she asked, lightly frowning.

"Cute." Perseus thought. "Recruiting. I'll be back in a minute!" he called out, sinking into a shadow, a few destinations in mind. The first, being Arcadia itself. And then, Skiágis.

---

The nexus point of Tartarus and Gaia, was located at the badlands, just at the outskirts of Macedonia. And living up to its name, they were, bad. Cracked and hardened soil, barren or dead vegetation, and hardly any life brimming or present. Until now.

Numerous flashes of light enveloped one part of the land, the light dying down to reveal he army of Olympus, each and every single one of them armed and ready. Those that were going to help with the medics began to set up tents and stations, while Athena directed the various armies into positions. Ares walked around completely reenergized, and begun hyping all of them up, with Phobos and Deimos trailing behind him in his chariot. Poseidon's army of cyclops and merpeople were present, which confused everyone since it was virtually impossible for the former to breathe outside of water. Apparently, Poseidon found a place not too long ago where they were seashells that granted a sea bubble for an underwater dweller to breathe in, or a geyser to summon seawater. Though Poseidon wasn't really sure about the origin of it.

Hades's shades were also present, with said lord of the dead in his chariot along with Persephone, while Thanatos trailed behind him along with the Furies. Zeus's wind spirits were present as well as the four wind gods. At the distance, Demeter was with various nature spirits while Hermes and Pan directed the satyrs either to the medical area, or for battle. Artemis had then arrived with the hunters of the Twilight Moon, joining Apollo and Hecate, the latter summoning more golems and humanoid mist made warriors. A loud rumble was heard, which turned out to be the Elder Cyclops led by Brontes, followed closely with the hundred handed ones led by Briaries. Another rumble was heard on the other side of the army, this one belonging to a large group of Ourae, mountain spirits, all led by Perseus, who was sitting on a water bubble encased Umbra.

"Thanks for that seashell uncle Poseidon." Perseus called out.

"No problem kid. And damn, you actually managed to get the Ourae." Poseidon said with slight awe.

"Yep. Artemis, can we…" Perseus trailed off, glancing at a tent.

"Yes, of course." Artemis breathed out, dread slowly pooling inside her, and unknown to her, in Perseus as well. The two entered their spare tent were Perseus made his way and sat across the length of the bed. Artemis then joined him, sitting opposite Perseus, her back facing him. The two stayed like this for some time, their irregular thumping heartbeats the only sound they could hear.

"Well, I suppose I should start since it is my fault we're in this situation. Perseus I…I really can't excuse my actions, I really can't. I know myself that I have done things over the years to people who haven't wronged me at all, but still faced my wrath. And that, that didn't sit right with you, did it?"

"Yeah." Perseus breathed out. "I get you giving punishments to people, I really do. But Artemis, there comes a limit with how far you can take it, and how far you can extend it to. And both times you…went off. And here's the thing, I still love you-" Artemis almost jumped on hearing that. "-But I don't want to change you if this is how you're really going to be. And if this is how you're going to remain…then I don't think I can be in a relationship with you at all."

Like I said, I'm not going to force you to change, I will never do that. But, even if you make promises, all of that have been empty every single time, I-"

"Perseus?" Artemis gasped out, her heart pounding in her chest. "Can I just speak for one minute?" she felt Perseus shift behind her and then he patted the bed, giving her the okay to go on.

"About me changing, and empty promises, I'm going to rectify that. I am going to change." She said with defiance, grabbing Perseus's hand from behind before he could say anything. "And I'm not doing this for you or to be with you and all. I'm doing this for myself. I have realized that my reputation has been tainted with all that I have done, if other have also known this too or not. I, a protector of maidens, sent one to a camp of barbaric men where they defiled her repeatedly. I, a protector of mothers during pregnancy, threw out a woman who got defiled by a bear thanks to Aphrodite, because I was disgusted by the woman actions, and even drove out one of my favorite hunters for not telling me the truth and lying, knowing that it would have been difficult for her to open up, and possibly leave her only home. I, the protector of young children, slaughtered fourteen of them along with my brother just because their bitch of a mother taught that making them do grueling activities that they didn't want to do was enough for boasting material against my own mother. I have done all those things, and more that actually make me look like a hypocrite, and its high time I corrected what I have caused, and stand by my convictions. Which is why…"

"I, Phoebe Artemis, swear an oath on the River Styx to uphold the domains I was given. With the Morai as my witness, I shall never go against my domains lest I bear the curse of the River Styx. Étsi eínai!"

Perseus listened silently to what Artemis was saying with full conviction, that the oath took him a while to register and caught him off-guard. He was about to yell something when Artemis finished her oath, the Styx water glowing momentarily and it then evaporated, formed a symbol and then disappeared. Artemis breathed out a heavy sigh of relief, like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, while Perseus stayed in place, still wondering if Artemis had really just taken an oath, on the River Styx of all things.

"Artemis." Perseus whispered. "You…you do realize how sacred that oath is? I…I can't believe you actually did that."

"It was the only way." Artemis murmured, unshed tears in her eyes. "I already promised to you, and may or not to myself repeatedly that I would change, but to no avail. This was my last straw Perseus; I did a lot of soul searching when you left. You made me realize what it was that people admired me for, why I am the goddess I am, and why you loved me. What I did, wasn't it. So…thank you. Thank you for making me find myself again." She said, letting out a watery laugh. Perseus smiled in response, lacing his fingers with Artemis behind him.

"I'm, glad. And happy, since you're happy." He whispered. "I can actually feel that this means a lot to you. Though for my case, I doubt soul searching would work at all."

Artemis lightly frowned. "What do you mean."

"I- I don't know who I am." Perseus whispered back. "Gaia told me that I was in the dark from knowing my true nature, that if people, the Olympians knew, they would shun me. An outcast she said. And…I think that's true."

"Perseus, if you're going to continue that talk, I'm going to smack you-"

"But you know it too! You know how I almost killed you and your brother, you can't deny that. You even looked at me with fear when I first returned, that face…"

Artemis sighed. "Look, I'll admit, I did feel scared when I first saw you, but it wasn't because of you. It was the thought what may come next, that you might, you know, break up with me. I actually though that was going to happen if I saw you again, that thought scared me and still is, cause my dumb brain keeps thinking you're going to change your mind one day."

"…Hey Artemis's dumb brain." Perseus said with a chuckle. "Stop telling my strong and beautiful girlfriend all those thoughts. She doesn't deserve them, if you want, come in this monster's head and torment him."

"Perseus." Artemis warned, squeezing his hand. "You're not a monster."

"Right. The god, no scratch that, I don't even think I'm a god at this point. The being who has this creepy permanent mark on his palm, which he can use to shoot out steams of energy that can drain the life force of another being, and, even seal the being permanently in some cocoon for probably eons to come. Oh, and is slowly getting his body disfigured. Tell me that isn't a monster."

"I swear if we were facing each other, both your cheeks would have my handprints." Artemis muttered to herself, shifting behind until her back was touching Perseus's own. She them took his left hand and slipped the glove away, revealing the greyed arm, the blue mark still glowing, albeit dimly.

"There is no monster behind me. All there is, is my beautiful boyfriend, who's head is sometimes in his arse, knowingly."

"Hey-"

"He also has dark thoughts plaguing his mind, which I would love to just shoot them with my arrows, or keep it as my own, but he's too stubborn to let them out. Kinda like me."

"As for this new weird power of his, it's just another part of him which he can't help. And I would be there if he struggles with it, and be his guiding light, and continue loving him"

Perseus shivered when Artemis raised his arm, and placed a chaste kiss on his mark, rubbing it gently.

"How can you love me when I tried to actually kill, maybe even make you fade." Perseus choked out. "I even threatened your brother's life."

"And how can you love me when I did all those horrible things to numerous people over the years, especially to those children you had only recently bonded with. I killed them." Artemis whispered, wiping her eyes. "How can you still love me after all that."

"I-…" Perseus trailed off, and then sighed.

"Looks like we're both monsters then huh." Artemis said with a smile, leaning her head back.

"Monsters. Hard to believe that." Perseus said, also leaning his head back. "I have to make sure to save you then, from whatever darkness you find yourself in."

"Don't think I wouldn't do the same." Artemis replied. "We could be each other's saviors."

The two continued to stay like this for some time, their synchronized heartbeats being the only thing they could hear.

"This battle, war…promise me you will stay safe." Artemis said tightly, not letting go of Perseus's hands.

"As long as you do the same. Then yes, I promise." Perseus said, kissing her knuckles. "You want to head somewhere?" he then said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"After the battle, you want to head somewhere? Like, a beach, or a new forest, definitely out of Greece though. We could scale a mountain if you want. We didn't get to go on our weekend trip in the end, so you want to do it after all this is done?"

"Yes." Artemis said a bit too quickly, letting out a laugh. "Yes, I would very much love that."

Perseus grinned. "Great, that's great. That's really great… . Shall we, Artemis?" Perseus asked.

"We shall, Perseus." Artemis replied softly.

Distant thunder was then heard, followed by a series of claps of thunder, which was the call of Zeus. The two gods grudgingly got up from their position, but not before giving each other a chaste kiss on the lips and then went outside with linked arms. A flash of lightning lit the sky, followed then by a bolt of lightning striking the earth, and disappearing to reveal Zeus, his hands rested on Heracles and another young man's shoulders. Perseus had heard a few stories of the demigod son of Zeus that had apparently created a drink that was 'so good', he had amassed a large cult following around it, and himself. Dionysus. He had black hair and deep purple colored eyes, and was a bit scrawny. He only wore a purple chiton, and a staff of sorts with a pinecone on top of it.

"He, I can respect." Ares said, jutting his head towards Heracles. "But this twig, even Aphrodite can snap him in half."

"Hmm?" Aphrodite hummed, looking up from her armor. Her eyes fell to where Ares was looking, and she immediately saw red when she noticed a demigod wearing lion skin.

"YOU!" she screamed, lunging for Heracles, only for Perseus to hold her back. "Let-me-go-Percy! I swore I wouldn't do anything unless I saw him in person and now that he's here, I'm going to crush his skull with my bare foot!"

"Aphrodite, as much as I would love to strangle him, now is not the time please." Perseus begged.

"Oi, is this the monkey that killed Seb?" Umbra asked, looking scary for an orca. "Well, since Perseus is busy with Aphrodite…"

"Umbra." Artemis warned.

"Just one synergy beam."

"I'll feed you salmon after the fight if you ignore the boy."

"…Fine."

Dionysus casually sipped some wine while Heracles felt faint on seeing all these gods and beings, though he felt more faint at the thought that some of them looked ready to murder him. The hunters especially, who he expected to sign autographs for, were glaring daggers at him. One hunter in particular being the one with the most heated glare.

"Why does she look familiar-"

Suddenly, a large tremor started to erupt around the surrounding area. The gods quickly drew their weapons and called upon the army to be ready as they analyzed the threat. A red glow started to emit from the ground, followed by a brown glow. A chasm then opened, this one larger than what anyone had ever seen. A swarm of enemy cyclops, dracaena, gengees and Laistrygonian giants emerged out of the chasm, followed by the roars of two drakons. Another chasm then opened, this one revealing a large number of giant figures, all of them donning similar celestial bronze armor and weapons, their reptilian legs glistening in the afternoon sun. most of the gods recognized Porphyrion, Alcyoneus and the Alodae, along with their other brethren which they recognized through the images shown previously.

"Oh look, there's my bane." Aphrodite said, pointing at a female giant who looked like it just woke up. Perseus's eyes narrowed when he spotted Foteinós among the crowd, also glaring at him.

"You were right brother; they did get demigods with them." Polybotes muttered, gripping his fishing net tightly. "Do you think we can manage?"

"If you follow the plan as I intended, then yes, we will." Enceladus replied.

"Remember everyone, we have to make our mother proud. And allow her ample enough of time for her to make a grand entrance" Hippolytos said excitedly.

"Oh for mother's sake, stop parroting old news! Tell us something new for once." Ephialtes said with a sigh.

"I like them." Otis mumbled. "Helps me remember."

"Foteinós, you know what to do right." Porphyrion spoke up, gaining the giantesses's attention. "Do not let him open his fist. Cut it off, or sacrifice yourself if you have to, but make sure that mother will avoid it at all cost"

Foteinós looked uncomfortable, but then nodded.

"Did he even seal whoever he was fighting." Alcyoneus wondered out loud. "He's still present, and very much alive…"

"Probably did it just to scare us. We can't take the risk though." Thoon said solemnly.

"Warriors of Olympus!" Zeus announced, sending a bolt in the air. "I thank you for coming in such short notice. Today, we are fighting an adversary that directly threatens our rule, and will require us gods at the front. We will be expecting assists from against the minor armies, and we shall prevail! No warrior shall be left unattended, or death unturned. For Olympus!"

"For Olympus!"

"Phalanx formation, three sets!" Athena shouted.

"Archers, to your positions!" Apollo ordered.

"Nature spirits and Satyrs." Pan yelled out, cracking his knuckles. "Go wild."

"How pitiful, the Olympians are actually trying." Porphyrion said with a laugh and then sneered. "Kill them!" he bellowed out. The monsters behind him cheered as they surged forwards, screaming and shoving each other as they raced for their prey.

"Olympians, take form." Zeus shouted, increasing in size. The other gods followed suite, and while they were still very short compared to the giants, their enormous heights were still a sight to cower under. Zeus stepped forward in his chariot, master bolt in hand along with Heracles, Dionysus and Nike, the goddess of victory, floating beside him. Hera had her peacock feathers, ready to throw them at unsuspecting monsters. Hades placed his helm on his head, and gripped his bident tightly. Poseidon swung his trident around while Demeter removed her scythe, forming an arc with it. Athena lifted her spear and summoned Aegis, the grotesque face of Medusa already making some people on both sides faint on seeing it. Ares barked out a laugh as he summoned his claymore, while Hephaestus summoned a boulder breaker, and then coated it with fire. Hermes changed the form of his caduceus to a celestial bronze sword, Georgios and Márta already snapping their jaws. Aphrodite glanced longingly at her shoulder and then sighed, before removing her sword as well, and lighting her fingers with a pink glow. Hecate removed her torches from her robes, hellfire already being lit in them. Apollo summoned his twin short swords, favoring melee combat for now while Artemis readied her bow. Perseus twisted his head around to note that the demigod hunters were still on Umbra's back, his attached blades and helm out as he crept into a battle stance.

"Olympians…"

The screams of monsters echoed in the distance.

"…Charge!"

The Olympians yelled out the battle cry, running or riding across the field and into the monster horde. The Charioteers had already managed to trample a third of the army before they engaged in battle with the giants, almost everyone battling their respective banes. Zeus jumped high into the air, electricity coursing through him as he smashed into Porphyrion's face. Hera launched her peacock feathers at the giants' belly while Heracles lumbered over, swinging his club around like a mad man. Dionysus flew over with the help of Nike to where the Alodae were, who had engaged in a fight with Ares. Poseidon had begun to battle Polybotes, who tried to capture the god using his net, and blocking him by spewing poison. Hades struck his bident repeatedly at Alcyoneus's metallic skin, while Persephone and Demeter helped by either attacking him full on, or summoning sweet smelling flowers to distract the giant.

"Uncle Hades, you're supposed to take him out of the mainland!" Perseus shouted as took on a drakon, while Foteinós waited patiently.

"I know! But at least I should weaken him first to do that." Hades yelled back, sending images of fear into the giant. Alcyoneus swung blindly as he shut his eyes, almost harming Persephone with his staff as he fumbled around.

Meanwhile, the armies of the Olympians and Giagntes clashed, with the former side having a good advantage. Their formations managed to block most of the monsters' attacks, and their haphazard way of fighting proved to be futile against the seasoned immortals and other beings they were up against. The hunters especially took down quite a lot of numbers down, the melee specializers were no slouches either. Arius led the fray, followed closely by Phoebe, Celyn and Zoë, the three of them forming a close bond since they were technically 'older' than most of the hunters. They had just finished taking down a troop of dracaena when the ground began to rumble again, a large crack quickly forming and running.

"Fall back now!" Arius yelled, ushering the hunters and most of the troops out of another chasms way. A loud roar belonging to a drakon echoed from before, but only when the monster revealed itself did they all noticed one thing. It had wings.

"Perseus." Phoebe said telepathically, garnering the gods' attention as he just finished ripping the drakons intestine out when he noticed the winged creature.

"Ah shit." Perseus muttered, quickly decreasing in size and then flashed on top of the dragon. The dragon growled loudly as it buckled its body, trying to shake off Perseus

"Percy, can I borrow your vambrace really quick? I need it in dagger form." Artemis said in his head.

"A bit busy now!" Perseus said, clutching hard on to its scales.

"Where are you…oh dragon. I see you. Is it a bad time to ask?"

"Uh…nah, it's fine. Just get ready to catch the dagger." Perseus said, forming a dagger from his brace. He then dropped it into a shadow portal, where Artemis was waiting at the other end.

"Thanks a lot Percy."

"Don't mention it. Umbra, how are you and the kids doing."

"Just peachy. Its synergy beams and raining arrows over here. Shall we focus on killing those lizard legged fiends?"

"We need Zeus to give the 'okay'. Until then, continue with what you're doing." Perseus said, shifting his attention to Zoë. "Hey!"

"What!"

"Anaklusmos."

" *sigh* Take."

Zoë threw her hairpin at the awaiting portal, where it was caught by Perseus. He summoned the sword, letting the familiar feeling course through him and then slid down the dragons back, while tearing its wing in the process. Perseus then launched himself in the air, tossing the sword into the portal where it was then caught by Zoë who the used it to take down a cyclops. After she was done with it, she again tossed the sword into the portal, into Perseus's awaiting arms as he stood on the snout of the dragon. He swung Anaklusmos a couple of times and then pierced the blade into the dragon's eye, who had already started to plummet down to the ground. With his job done, Perseus then there the sword back into portal, where Zoë once again retrieved it and sliced open a dracaena's throat, turning it into dust.

"Thanks a lot Zoë!" Perseus said telepathically.

"Why don't you just keep my sword at this point." Zoë said with a laugh, throwing the sword at the last second in the portal, which Perseus caught

"Not keeping it to yourself?" Perseus questioned, but didn't wait for a reply as he broke the connection and quickly brought a shield up blocking Foteinós's sword, with the giantess glaring at the god.

"Hello ma'am." Perseus said, tipping his helm. "Got distracted taking down a full lizard, but I'm free now to take on a half lizard-half woman." He said, pushing the giant back. He then formed a sword and raised Anaklusmos, aiming the latter at the giant. "Bring it."

Apollo let out a whoop as he sidestepped Gration's lance, hopping on top of it as he shot a flaming arrow after the other on the giant. He then kicked the giant on his jaw, sending him stumbling backwards. While that was happening, Hermes was also pushing Hippolytus back, the latter while slow, made it up with unparalleled strength. But it was still no match for the swiftness of Hermes. He did his signature tornado move, this time bringing the giant to the ground, where he landed right on top of a fallen Gration, both of them groaning in pain as they tried to get up.

"Nice work brother!" Apollo said, giving Hermes a fist bump. A loud shrill singing voice then echoed in the area, making Apollo and Hermes smile, the two turned around to find Aphrodite mercilessly slashing her bane Periboia while singing, who was covering her ears, more focused on blocking the singing.

"Now…will you…die…for me?" Aphrodite asked sweetly, forming a pattern with her glowing fingers. A portal began to form beneath a levitating Periboia, who was still oblivious to what was happening. The portal then darkened, and a number of rusted weapons popped out, each one piercing the giantess everywhere. Aphrodite posed triumphantly, but the groaned when she saw that Periboia was still twitching.

"Ugh, when can we properly kill these guys." Aphrodite whined.

"Until my father gives the okay." Artemis replied, ducking down as large boulders, courtesy of the Ourae, and the size of a town square flew above her, bringing down another dragon to the ground. "He's waiting for Heracles to come back, apparently he had chained Alcyoneus to fathers chariot and dragged him out of Greek territory, in order to kill him. Where's Hecate?"

"Here. Just…bored." Hecate said with a sigh, as she watched her bane Clytius desperately trying to put out the fire on top of his head, but to no avail as it quickly spread. "My fight was…anticlimactic. No wonder Perseus doesn't use hellfire often; it gets boring if you use it too much."

Cytius then let out a silent scream as he crumpled to the floor, all that was left of him was a mix of red dirt and silver grey ash.

"And…he's dead." Hecate said with a yawn.

"…Can't we just dose all the giants with hellfire?" Apollo asked,

"Once again Phoebus Apollo, it does not work like that." Clotho said, tumbling down next to the gods, with Thoon in a chokehold. "Like we said before, there are some special circumstances."

Atropos and Lachesis then flashed in, each one clutching their clubs tightly, they then brought each club down on the giants stomach, while Clotho managed to shove the handle of her club inside Thoon's mouth, and began to choke his neck with the handle within it. After a few moments, multiple snaps and cracks were heard, and Thoon then slowly dissolved into red dirt.

"Like ours." The Fates said together, internally smirking when they saw the gods slowly back away from them after that gruesome display.

"He's back! My son is back!" Zeus yelled loudly when he noticed Heracles approach the battlefield in Zeus's chariot, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"The prodigal son returns huh." Hera muttered. "Husband, now?!"

"Yes yes. Demigods, prepare to strike the giants! Olympians, ready your final blow!"

"Sorry about this Perseus." Athena muttered as she ripped a nearby mountain, and hurled it at Enceladus, who got temporarily blinded by an arrow from Atlana. The mountain crashed on top of the giant, effectively pinning and covering his entire body down. The mountain then let out a slight shudder, before it stayed still.

Hippolytos had managed to get up during the commotion, searching for Hermes only to be not found. He was about to help Gration up when he felt something pierce his back. He looked down to see Hermes's form shimmer, a sly grin on his face as he dug his sword deeper into the giant while the snakes injected their poison.

"A little help over here?" Hermes called out. Umbra swam close to the giant, and Aias then pierced the leg of the giant with his own sword, effectively killing him.

"Nice work kid." Hermes said as he watched the giant crumble into dirt, and then flew away. Meanwhile, Althaia had helped Poseidon defeat Polybotes by giving the god enough time to hurl a large piece of rock at a submerged Polybotes, who the hunter had led to by causing a distraction. One arrow later, and Polybotes was gone. Amara had helped Ares kill Otis to with melee combat, while Dionysus gave the finishing blow to Ephliates after Ares was done with him, his thyrsus pierced into the giants' throat. Adras had assisted Hephaestus with killing Mimas, the latter killing the giant with a volley of molten iron. and then there was Zeus and Heracles, the former launching one final lightning bolt which the demigod caught with his club, and the smacked Porphyrion upside the head with it. The giant stumbled around for a while before he fell on his knees, and the crumbled to red dirt.

"Is that the last of them?" Hades asked, slumping in his chariot.

"No, I'm afraid not." Hestia said, who had come immediately to check on the gods. "Perseus, I think he's still fighting his bane now."

"I thought I hit an arrow at her." Atlana said, drawing her bow and then released an arrow. The arrow did in fact hit the giantess, but they were surprised to see the arrow getting absorbed into the giant.

"Oh this is great." Ares said with a laugh. "Of course Perseus has a special case giant, why wouldn't he."

Perseus on the other hand was tiring, he had been fighting back to back the entire day now, and with Foteinós twice now, only to see the same results, even with the help of a demigod. He hacked and slashed the armor of the giantess, almost ripping it to shreds with his umbra ore sword. Foteinós let out a yell as she brought her fist to the ground, metal spikes emerging out of it and heading straight at Perseus. Perseus let out a bellow of hellfire at the spikes, instantly melting it as he jumped into the air and crashed into the giantess's body into the ground forming a crater. Foteinós let out a beam of light from her eyes, sending Perseus back. She then summoned more metal objects from the ground, shaping them into weapons of her choice. Perseus clenched his teeth, and raised his wrist and summoned his weapon from Artemis, the pieces assembling back on the brace. He then summoned his shadow tendrils, but frowned when he noticed that the stone spikes he thought he summoned weren't present. Perseus tried again, the ground beneath him quivering as he tried hard to summon even something with his terrakinesis. But nothing seemed to happen yet.

"Why is he struggling." Athena asked worriedly, stepping forward. She didn't get too far however when the earth began to rumble, and large earthen wall erupted from the ground. More of them erupted out, and began to surround Perseus and Foteinós, worrying the latter. Because this was not his doing.

Atropos raised her arm, in front of Artemis, who looked like she and the others were going to see what was happening between Perseus and his bane. "Don't, this is not your battle. Let things play out as it should, between Perseus and Foteinós only."

Meanwhile, Foteinós didn't say anything in response, and instead launched her makeshift weapons at Perseus. Perseus placed his hand on the ground, a roar escaping his mouth. A series of stone pillars manifested out, which Perseus jumped upon, dodging the flying weapons as he parkour on the pillars. Behind him, the pillars broke from the ground and followed Perseus, the god after hopping of the last one controlled the pillars to strike Foteinós. The giantess barely reacted as she saw the pillars coming her way, which made Perseus smile. He then sent a wall of hellfire ahead, controlling it to the extent where it consumed the collective pillars. Foteinós reacted to late as she felt the pillars pierce her, the pain caused mostly due to the hellfire which swept inside her body. She let out a cry as she stumbled back, her body trying to heal itself with the earth it had absorbed, against the hellfire that was still burning inside her body. She glanced at the sky, a worrying look flashing across her face when she noticed the sun starting to set.

"I would also like to end this soon too." Perseus growled, noticing her gaze at the sky.

"Then let me…destroy you." Foteinós said, swinging her blade, Perseus meeting her at the sides with his swords. Perseus pushed her back and then crossed his sword and Anaklusmos together, meeting Foteinós at the hilt of her sword. Foteinós merely scoffed as she began to push Perseus down, already bringing him to one knee. Perseus growled when he realized that his terrakinesis still wasn't working, and instead slipped into an overhead shadow, making Foteinós topple over. Perseus then popped up again, hellfire collecting in his hands. He let out a yell as he blasted the giantess with the fire, the intensity increasing as the fire began to spread everywhere. And because the two of them were contained in a makeshift cage, the fire was also contained as well, increasing in height as Perseus continued to expel the hellfire. It came to the point that all he could see was a silver grey landscape, his body feeling numb as he continued to increase the intensity. He thought he could hear voices in his head speaking to him, but he still continued on, doing anything he could to finally destroy the last of the giants, and end the war for good. The sun overhead shone brightly one last time as it finished its journey for the day, the violet colored sky reflecting in Perseus's eye as he began to float in the air. He then extended his arm out, the glow of his mark strangely visible amongst the burning inferno. If his hellfire wasn't going to work, then this was all he had left as a last resort. And a proper one at that.

Perseus then frowned as he felt the air surrounding him began to thicken. Before he could check and see what the cause was, Perseus felt something go through his body, and looked down to see a double bladed axe inside his body, one blade already pierced and poking out from the other side. He then began to fall, the enclosure around also crumbling, causing the contained hellfire flames to expel outside, prompting the gods to flash away quickly along with the demigods, lest they get caught by the flames. The fire then subsided, revealing Gaia in her full physical form. Her dress was in tatters and covered with scorch marks, the same with her tanned skin. She was breathing heavily as her piercing green eyes focused on Perseus with disgust, a scowl on her face and blackish-brown hair was frizzed up everywhere. Behind her was a lump of silver grey ash, which Perseus hazily noticed, making him smile.

"Barely. Just…barely lucky." Gaia said through clenched teeth. "My daughter would have been alive if it were not for her overconfidence. But…" she said, staring at the night sky. "She overshot her luck…and paid the price."

The gods had flashed back to where the rest of their army were, all of them keeping watch on the spot where Perseus was, when suddenly Apollo gave a yell.

"He's alive but barely." Apollo said, seeing through his familiar, Vision's eyes from the sky. "And there's…there's someone else that's not the giant with him. A woman."

"Stopping your terrakinesis wasn't enough." Gaia muttered, walking towards Perseus. "Training your bane, my daughter, every single day wasn't enough." She said, picking him up, until he was face to face with the primordial. "The same going with my other children, who failed against the wretched Olympians. What more…can I lose after a century of waiting." Gaia whispered, her eyes boring down on Perseus. "Your death isn't enough; I would rather throw you in the abyss. It would even be poetic justice! Tell me… Lykofós Perseus…son of Nyx…a few final words?"

"You…you."

"You should have…"

Gaia gritted her teeth. "Speak up you insolent maggot!"

Perseus stilled, slowly looking up with an evil gleam in his eyes, the blue ring in them swirling. "You should have gone…for the head." He rasped out, showing Gaia his clenched fist, the Tetrekar pulsing brightly. And then, he opened his fist.

A burst of energy streams erupted out of Perseus's palm, heading towards the night sky. Perseus let out a yell as he grabbed Gaia's face with his palm, the primordial letting out a literal earth shaking scream as the energy streams crept inside her body, and coming outside of it. Perseus reached out to where the axe was, and removed it out with a sickening squelch, panting and then sighing with relief as the wound began to heal itself, while he drained Gaia's essence.

The gods and everyone else present were left paralyzed as they watched Perseus more or less go toe to toe with an actual primordial. Some of them had seen the same phenomenon today only in Olympus, but to see it in this degree was surreal for everyone. Zeus in particular almost fell faint as he saw the display of power his nephew was showing, while getting a nagging feeling in his head that he had seen something like this before today. Apollo gulped as flashbacks entered his head, while Artemis kept her chariot in the ready, in case things got too drastic.

Perseus was still holding Gaia up through the streams, knowing fully well he couldn't keep the process any longer. He had to seal her, but he doubted doing it right over here would be the best option, he still had doubts about the power of his. He needed to put her somewhere where he doubted anyone could get access to, a place that could also be problematic for a primordial. A place…a world…

Perseus stretched his right arm out, desperately hoping that he could do what he was about to pull off. He let out a joyful cry when he saw that his terrakinesis was indeed working again, and then immediately got to work. He used his powers to create indentions on the surface, and slowly moved his arm around as he drew what looked like to be a diagram on the ground. a diagram of something he had thankfully committed to memory. After he was done, Perseus took a quick breath and then shouted at the top of his lungs- "Paramudi!"

The ground beneath him began to shake. Gaia's body convulsed once, while Perseus struggled to stay upright.

"Maziong!"

Steam started to rise from the ground around Perseus while Gaia continued to trash around.

"Tetrekar!"

The circular diagram etched on the ground began to glow, an eerie red light coming out of it.

"…Ordinage, Kassioka!"

Perseus then almost fell as a shockwave erupted from the area where the diagram was etched. The ground then began to shake again as stone structure started to erupt from the ground, giving off an eerie light against the night sky. Soon enough, the archaic megalith made its appearance, looking slightly cleaner than the one in Pontus's realm, the Tetrekar symbol gleaming in the moonlight.

"Perseus!" Artemis shouted in his head. "What are you- what is that thing?!"

"Just something that will help me take care of Gaia for good." Perseus said, opening a shadow portal to where the gods were. He threw Anaklusmos to Poseidon, and summoned his umbra ore weapon back from Artemis. "Might need this, and don't worry, I did promise I would come back safe right? Same goes for here, I'll be back before you know it."

"Percy-"

"See you soon love." Perseus said, closing the portal and throwing Gaia on top of the platform, where she began to convulse and scream. Perseus took another deep breath and then uttered the words out which would send him, and hopefully Gaia to the Void. The world of all ends.

"Meraza Tetrekar. Parasal Majika." Perseus quickly chanted. "Mereza Tetrekar. Mahasa Paragion."

The archaic megalith began to glow, a low hum emitting from it also. Perseus quickly jumped on top of Gaia, and a helix shaped beam of light erupted from the center of the platform, consuming both Perseus and Gaia, until they weren't there. All that remained, was the patient and worried looks of the Olympians, as they wondered if the twilight god was going to make it out alive, or not.

---

Perseus cracked an eye open, and looked around and saw himself going down a wormhole, with Gaia in tow. Multi colored flashes of light were seen everywhere as Perseus continued to fall. Suddenly, bright white light was seen at the presumable end of the tunnel, and Perseus's body jerked back as he came out of the other end, tumbling into the Void. As for Gaia, she instead got suspended just at the exit, very much conscious as she began to float up.

"Oh no you don't." Perseus muttered, still having a hold on the primordial through the energy streams. "Solosis Akilio!"

The streams began to surge with renewed power, as a bright golden light expanded from Perseus's hand. Perseus shone the light on Gaia, and just like before with Mados, the light began to consume her as well. The holographic Tetrekar symbol then appeared, prompting Perseus to shout the ending word.

"Esdrelio!" the snapping noise was heard once again as the light, symbol and streams of energy faded, revealing a golden barrier covering the entrance/ exit of Gaia's domain. Perseus let out a sigh of relief as he pushed his hair back, taking note of his arm which was even greyed out more, with it now reaching over his shoulder, almost touching his neck and left pec. Perseus sighed on seeing it, and instead floated closer to the golden barrier, a single word echoing in his head.

"Solosia…solosia…solosia."

"Sealed." Perseus muttered, touching the barrier. "So that's what it meant."

Perseus then glanced around nervously, wondering if someone was going to find him here, or if he was going to fade out of existence as Gaia had put it kindly so to speak. When nothing like that seemed to happen, Perseus sighed with relief, letting out a soft cheer as he drifted away. He did it, he actually did it. Not only did he and the gods successfully annihilate another threat to Olympus, they had also taken out the main instigator for most of them. Perseus was sure he wasn't going to hear anything related with Gaia for a long time.

He had turned up underneath Pontus's realm, which automatically made him wonder on the status of the primordial. Hecate had mentioned he was in hiding, was it because of Gaia. Or what he did… . Perseus shook his head, deciding to look for Pontus after everything with Olympus had been finished (which would definitely include a victory feast) and before he went away with Artemis, somewhere. He really needed to think of a place-

" )-\ ,,) _/- (/- "

Perseus stilled when he heard something in his head, something that sounded reminiscent of static. He glanced around the Void, slowly forming sword as he scanned the area.

" -\I |-| )./ "

"Is this happening in my head." Perseus muttered, rubbing his temples.

" \/ "

"What-"

"Tetrekar…shio annados?"

"Wait, who said that?" Perseus called out, swiveling his head around.

"…Who are you…forbidden being." A monotonous voice echoed everywhere, making Perseus wince at the volume.

"That's the second time someone has called me that." Perseus thought, his train of thought interrupted by the voice again.

"I sense…a seal…in place. Did you seal…a primordial."

Perseus fell silent, not sure on how to answer that question. The voice repeated the question a second time, and then a third, with a slight edge in its voice.

"Yes!" Perseus suddenly said, creeping next to the wormhole to Pontus's realm. "I sealed a primordial."

"Gaia…" the voice said. "Why are you not sealed with Gaia."

"…"

"You are a forbidden being. But…there are four."

Perseus frantically looked for the speaker, still not finding it. Taking his chance, Perseus instead made his way to the wormhole, not wanting to stay here any longer.

"You are not part of the four…you are not one of us. You can't leave this world."

Perseus bit back a retort, almost reaching the entrance when he felt something go through his body, excruciating pain burning everywhere. Perseus choked out a scream, glancing down to see a familiar energy stream protruding from his body.

"You…are an anomaly. You…shouldn't exist. You…disrupt order. And I can't let that happen."

Perseus felt his power and energy being drained, and was then sent flying back, all the way to where Gaia's barrier was, bracing himself for what was to happen. Perseus then felt his braces shifting in his arms, and watched as shifting pieces started to come out, each side rippling as it floated above and below Perseus respectively. Perseus then felt his body seize up, and as if someone else was controlling him, began to bend down into a fetal position. The umbra ore pieces rippled again, and then formed two diagonal halves of what resembled a box, and began to close down on Perseus.

"Wait no stop, what are you doing?! No please, I won't return here again, I won't use my powers too, please. Please, no, no, no, NO!"

Perseus continued to plead as the umbra ore pieces fitted themselves, and in a last attempt, tried to use his sealing powers once again, only to find that not only was his mark not glowing, but his sealing powers and innate ones weren't working as well due to the world he was in for the latter. Perseus was then encased fully, loud thumps and cries coming out of the box as it shimmered, and then changed into its initial form all those years ago. A cradle.

The golden barrier on Gaia then began to glow, as multitude of wispy threads formed out of it, and wrapped itself around the cradle. After forming a cocoon around it, the contraption then let out a pulse of light, and stayed intact, the only thing keeping it in place being the extension from Gaia's barrier. Everything then remained still, the monotonous voice seemingly gone, and the only sound being heard, was the distant chanting, repeating only one single word.

"Solosia…Solosia…Solosia…Solosia…"

---

"What's taking so long." Poseidon muttered, leaning on his trident. He glanced at the rest of the gods present, wondering what the others were doing. Zeus had taken half back to Olympus, after confirming that the war had indeed been finished, and that they had been victorious. Poseidon had elected to stay back with Hestia, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Hecate and Aphrodite, all of them here to await for Perseus's return no doubt. And in case of the older gods, so that none of the younger ones would do anything rash.

"Is he going to come out." Hermes said uncertainly, nervously glancing at Artemis who was staring defiantly at the megalith.

"He will. He will come out." She muttered.

Hermes shrugged at the rest of the gods, when suddenly, a tremor started to occur which didn't make anyone happy.

"Oh for Tartarus's sake, how many earth shaking phenomenon's are we going to get today?!" Hecate cried out. The gods watched as a series of spikes came out of the ground in front of the megalith, increasing in size. It was then they realized that the spikes looked more branch like, as a trunk then appeared, its body twisted and a bit misshapen. The tree structure was brown in color, and looked to be made of an unknown material. The gods watched as the structure shimmered momentarily, a blue colored liquid beginning to ooze from it.

"Is that…a good thing or a bad thing." Apollo asked quietly, a feeling of dread settling in him as he and the others stared at the tree structure. Though they weren't the only ones seeing what they were seeing.

Pontus tiredly swiped his hand from the mist image, a blank look on his face as he stared into nothingness. He was still at the bottom of the caved in ravine, leaning against an almost destroyed archaic megalith. He then got up slowly, and wobbled towards the similar tree structure, placing his hand gently on the surface.

"So this..is what happens. To a sealed being." He mumbled, resting his head on the structure. "I'm sorry Perseus…and I'm sorry Thalassa. If only I knew…if only…"

\/

---

End of Arc I