Authors Note: Ayo, we have a cover now! I will talk more about the cover later, but I just want to thank YesThatIsMyUsername (Yes, that is his username XD) for the amazing cover which you guys saw. He has done a pjo story as well, so be sure to check it out if you're interested. I'm not sure if this was a long time coming, but certain people I *cough* wouldn't name *cough* thought it was. But seriously, this is an amazing cover, and I hope you readers like it. So now, without further ado, let's get on with the chapter.

Chapter 39: Ancient monuments, always have traps

"Lord Perseus, can I please have clear weather today for star gazing."

"Lord Perseus, can I please have a good yield on black currants."

"Lord Perseus, can my village please receive your divine protection from bandits."

"I need a list. I need a list for this." Perseus muttered to himself as he separated various poisonous flowers from a flower patch of roses. Who even had the right idea to grow these here was now considered problematic by him.

"Zoë did." Hesperia said, grinning when she saw Perseus's surprised face. "Your expression says it all. And she is problematic milord, it's not even a question."

"Who's calling me problematic?!" Zoë shouted from the top of the golden apple tree.

"Lord Perseus." All the Hesperides said together.

"I didn't mean it like that." Perseus exclaimed, a slight betrayed look on his face. "I meant it as a joke, I was just kidding Zoë!" he explained, though Zoë's glare did not waver at all.

"Oh, and our sister rarely jokes, or even takes them light heartedly. Really makes her a bore at times." Arethusa said with a sigh.

"But seriously, why are all the daisies clumped with belladonna of all flowers." Perseus muttered, knocking his head in order to quieten the voices down.

"We and Ladon don't get affected by them. And they are pretty so I thought might as well keep them." Zoë replied, but then frowned. "Why are you hurting yourself?" she asked Perseus.

"Stupid…prayers." Perseus grumbled, taking a clump of belladonna's in his arms. "Like sure, my festival is coming, it's almost autumn. I will protect your village or town if you want, but don't ask me to change the weather for crying out loud. I am not the god of sunny skies and clear nights, or some love god who will grant you your perfect date, like please..."

"My lord Perseus, I am going for a hunt, is it possible if can you please ask Lady Artemis if she would like to oversee my hunting, and if she would even like to join-"

Perseus's eyes flashed, his right eye beginning to twitch. "Oh not this guy again." He muttered to himself, pulling a shadow spike which he usually used to summon the Olympian council. This time however, he had another use for it.

"Hope that shuts him up for his entire life." Perseus breathed out, flicking the spike upward, where it began to rocket up to the sky.

"What was that for?" Hesperia asked.

"Actaeon." Perseus grumbled. "A hunter from the mainland, not affiliated by me or Artemis, but is currently the biggest fanatic on Artemis, to the point where it's getting on my nerves. Not to mention, he gives off a weird felling. And just because I'm very close with her and she doesn't answer your prayers doesn't mean you have to barge me with them!"

"You sound loony." Zoë yelled. "Who in the world talks to themselves?!"

"And a bit jealous." Hesperia replied with a smirk.

Perseus barked out a laugh. "Yeah right, jealous. That is not jealousy by any means, I'll tell you that. Just pure irritation. Oh, if only I could smite him where he stands. But only if he does anything against me." Perseus lamented, tilting his head to the side. "Hmm, unless…"

"That sounds rude. Being a god must be hard." Hesperia replied. "Anyway, how are you this good in gardening?"

Perseus smirked. "Persephone." He said simply. "She would often accompany me to her gardens when I visited the underworld. And that meant long practical talks on everything relating to flowers."

"The way you handle them reminds me of Calypso." Arethusa said with a chuckle, but then abruptly stopped when she realized what she said. Perseus could immediately feel the energy in the area dim, and a sort of tension resting on his shoulders.

He had of course heard about Calypso, the daughter of Atlas who was currently imprisoned in her birth island of Ogygia, now a phantom landmass. Perseus very well remembered the discussion/argument he had with his uncle regarding the imprisonment as soon as he had heard about Calypso. And of course, Zeus's take on 'support' was quite different than what was warranted to lead to imprisonment.

"We don't hold any ill will towards you if that's what you're wondering." Arethusa replied. "The decision was lord Zeus's alone, and we know you tried your best to reason with him after you heard of her, even though it was well over decades since her imprisonment."

"You don't have to remind me." Perseus muttered. "Just another point to the list of things that's wrong with this family."

"Everyone is not perfect, surely you know that. Even families, and you know what I mean." Zoë replied with a sigh, and then smirked. "Like how you can't even control liquid water, even though you supposedly have an affinity it.".

"Ha ha ha, very funny." Perseus snarkily replied. "Would you like some parrying skills while you're at it?"

Zoë blushed in response, her eyes narrowing. "That's not- That was uncalled- ugh!"

Perseus chuckled. "But seriously, I'm pretty sure something is wrong with your sword or something. Cause I checked with Pon- Poseidon long back, and he said he couldn't sense anything connecting to the ocean." "Though he did look a bit shifty whenever I mentioned it…"

Zoë hummed, a thoughtful look on her face. "I refuse to believe that. And are you trying to insinuate that my Anaklusmos is faulty-"

"PERSEUS! Get your slippery self up here this instant, you slime eating maggot-"

"He already broke out of his gag?" Perseus drawled. "How long has it been, eleven minutes? That's a new record."

The Hesperides sighed heavily in response.

"I'll deal with your father now, don't wait up." Perseus replied, flashing away. He then appeared in front of Atlas, still trapped underneath the sky pillar, and had hardened dirt coating his mouth as well.

"Atlas, how was your meal from the ground." Perseus innocently asked.

Atlas spat next to Perseus's feet in response. "You high and mighty roaches… . Believe me when I say this, once I get this burden of my back, you, and the other Olympians will suffer thoroughly. With the blade of my master, each and every single one of you all will be slaughtered and then trapped within Tartarus. Who knows, maybe some will be used for other purposes, like the female gods. And I, will personally give my lord your mangled body, courtesy from my hand."

"The gods weren't the same capable amateurs you knew back, no offense to you guys." Perseus said, grinning in response when he heard thunder rumble overhead. "Not only are they way more experienced, but have also doubled in strength and allies. For now, all your talk is bark, with no bite."

Atlas smiled, or tried to with the layer still surrounding his mouth. "I can say the same for you as well youngling. Like I mentioned before, there is a threat waiting for you way 'downstairs'. My only regret, is if I wouldn't be the one to be able to destroy you."

Perseus sighed in response. This was not going to be the last time he was going to hear about this 'threat' that was supposedly waiting for him and the Olympians from Tartarus. He had dismissed Atlas's cries earlier, but persistent talking from him on it had prompted him to secretly ask Hades if he could check on anything suspicious happening in Tartarus. Though there was only so much he could do, in case the being himself decided to 'check' on Hades as well.

"It's been like half a century since you mentioned this threat to me and the Olympians. I'm starting to think if whatever you concocted is just wishful thinking from your part." Perseus said, somewhat trying to get a rise out of Atlas. The latter however, continued to smile in response, slightly unnerving Perseus.

"We're done here then. Farewell Atlas." Perseus said, walking away.

"Walk away lad, and when the time comes, do not forget to eat your words! You dare turn your back on me, and mingle with my own blasted daughters. Then again, that's what I expected from those incompetent- Mph!"

"Eat on this." Perseus muttered, forming another earthen clamp that solidified itself on Atlas's mouth.

"How long until he eats through his gag this time?" Zoë asked Perseus when he arrived back to the garden.

The god shrugged in response. "It will probably take a while; I did harden the material quite considerably so we have like an hour. During that time, why don't you help me plant these."

Zoë's eyes widened on seeing the flowers Perseus had summoned. "These are really pretty, what flowers are they?" she said, breathing in the flowers scent.

"My sacred flower, nightshade. This is the poisonous kind though, and even though you may be an immortal nymph, take caution when handling them. There's a reason we have medical gods strutting around."

"What happened to you berating me for growing poisonous plants, since you now want me to help plant these?" Zoë asked.

Perseus blinked once. "Well…I'm not saying to plant them next to Ladon, or the other flowers." He pointed out

Zoë rolled her eyes. "Hypocrite." She said, shaking her head.

Ladon roared in approval.

Perseus sputtered while the other Hesperides began giggling. "That is not hypocrisy!'

"Whatever you say lord Perseus." Zoë said in a sing song voice, skipping over to an empty patch. "This should be a good spot for the nightshade. Maybe even the belladonna."

"Heh, did you know belladonna is actually referred to a deadlier form of nightshade? Highly poisonous that plant is. From the roots, to the fruit, even the leaves." Perseus said, softly stroking the stem of the plant.

Zoë raised an eyebrow in response. "For such a beautiful flower, you chose a very dangerous one Perseus."

"Well, I do see myself in it. In a way, or fully." Perseus breathed out, crouching down. "What about you Zoë, you have a favorite?"

The Hesperide shrugged in response. "I don't know; I like all flowers. My preferences honestly vary from time to time." Zoë said, smiling as she glanced at the nightshade flower. "But I'm pretty sure I'm going to take a liking to this one."

Perseus laughed. "Well thank the Fates then, someone else likes my pick. I swear, outside of Artemis, everyone else hates my flower, it's absurd."

"What is lady Artemis's favorite flower?" Zoë asked.

"She adores the moonlace flower." Perseus replied. "But in actuality, she loves the red amaranth, which I'm not surprised about. A bit of a long story, but I still remember the look on her face when we both first stumbled in to a field of amaranths hidden in a cove. She literally radiated with joy and wonder, and that smile…" Perseus said, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "I will never get tired of seeing that smile, it makes me want to protect it and her. And I know I will."

Zoë smiled fondly, not saying anything as she didn't want to disturb Perseus's peace. Later on as Perseus was wrapping up the day with the Hesperides, he suddenly felt someone reach out to him telepathically. A presence, he knew immediately.

"Percy…can you please come back to the camp. I need you…- the hunters, they need you now please."

Perseus's eyes widened on hearing this. "I need to lake my leave now, see you again everyone." He said, hastily flashing away, and soon turned up just next to Artemis, which slightly surprised her.

"Percy, what-"

"Are you alright, no what am I asking, you're going to say you're fine only." Perseus muttered out loud as he gave Artemis a onceover. "Thank the fates, you're not injured."

Artemis shook her head fondly. "As if you don't pass off your injuries as mere scrapes. And unlike you, I wouldn't hide anything-"

"The hunters! You said they needed me, what happened before exactly?!" Perseus worriedly asked.

Artemis's face darkened, a sigh escaping her lips. "Me and the hunters, we were spied upon by a male. While we were…bathing."

Perseus's eyes immediately widened, his jaw falling down as well. "W-What?!"

"It was a hunter, not affiliated with us mind you. I shifted through his mind at first, and it seemed like he was asleep just next to the waterfall we were bathing in. I should have really checked the place for any stragglers." Artemis muttered. "On waking up, well, he saw me and the hunters without our knowledge. It may look like a 'wrong place, wrong time' situation, but the fact that he remained in his spot well after waking up, and continued to leer at us was completely unacceptable. And not just at the hunters, but at me as well."

"Oh Styx, the hunters…how are…"

"They're more or less traumatized, you and I both know some of the circumstances of the few female hunters we have regarding men. And they are still children in a sense, so to have a grown man…"

Perseus felt something inside him expand and harden, the familiar purple aura slowly forming around him. "Who…was…he." He almost spat out, gripping Artemis's shoulders worriedly.

"Actaeon." Artemis replied coldly. "And here I thought he might have been a reasonable male. Of course, my expectations had to be crushed."

"That bastard?!" Perseus growled, shutting his eyes tightly. "What…happened afterwards?"

"Well, I demanded why he was present. Began to spout out some nonsense that I was perfect for him, and demanded my hand in marriage. How I was created for him. Like I was some kind of collectible."

"And then I retaliated. Turned him into a buck, and sent his hunting dogs which he had by his side after him. Last I saw, he was a mauled mess, and covered by canines."

Perseus opened his eyes, the irises flashing from purple to black-blue. "You killed him?!" he demanded.

Artemis opened her mouth in surprise, her eyes narrowing. "Are you seriously telling me that I should have let him-"

"Live? Yes!" Perseus said, throwing his hands up. Artemis was about to say something when Perseus interrupted her. "I would have loved to mutilate and slowly kill him but now I can't!"

Artemis stilled, blinking rapidly as she stared at Perseus with slight confusion. "Um…what?"

"You heard me. If that bastard was alive, I would have ripped his limbs and whatever external body parts of his and mismatched them everywhere." Perseus said bitterly. "And if his mind was surprisingly intact, drive him insane as well. Throw him in a city as a warning too really."

"Reaction was a bit extreme than what I was expecting." Artemis mumbled to herself, grasping Perseus's arm. "I already took care of him, there's nothing to worry about now."

"But I want to kill him…" Perseus muttered, visibly perking up with a thoughtful look on his face. "I wonder if Hades would allow me to dish out a punishment if I asked. I am his unofficial punishment giver after all."

"That arsehole needs to be in the fields of punishment first." Artemis said in a deadpanned voice.

Perseus slightly recoiled. "He invaded a goddess's personal space, witnessed her and others without clothes without consent, which was at first unintentional, but then not. And then tried to insinuate his claim on said goddess. If that isn't fields of punishment worth, then I'm going to personally make sure it is."

"You know you don't have to go all extra for me." Artemis said softly, massaging Perseus's scalp. "But it is sweet of you."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to." Perseus said, cupping Artemis's cheek, which she immediately leaned into. "And I know you go all out for my sake as well, so we are in equal footing."

"Mhm." Artemis hummed.

"How do you feel though…after that whole ordeal?" Perseus asked.

Artemis frowned. "Angry, upset. Violated…and quite a lot of other things."

Perseus nodded in response, bringing Artemis's face closer to his. He then began to give feather light kisses on her face. Forehead, eyelids, nose, cheeks, and finally, the lips. Artemis shivered under Perseus's ministration, a full blown smile forming on her lips.

"There's the smile I was looking for." Perseus mumbled softly, making Artemis chuckle softly. The two leaned in for a passionate kiss, which only increased as they continued on.

"Okay- Alright lover boy, stop." Artemis said, pushing Perseus's head slightly from her neck. "As much as I would love to continue our little session, I really want to check on the hunters who were with me, and I'm sure you want to as well. Not to mention, the hunters would like to see their 'father' again."

Perseus whined softly, but then grinned on hearing Artemis's words. "Only some of them see me like that, but I do get your point. But I'll only go if you come along, I'm sure they would like their 'mother' to be with them as well."

Artemis bopped Perseus's nose. "I literally said in the beginning I was going ash head, concentrate over here."

"I am concentrating." Perseus said, staring intently at Artemis, who blushed and shook her head in response. Perseus was about to lean in for a quick kiss when the wind started to howl, and an agitated female voice shouted out.

"ARTEMIS!"

Perseus and Artemis separated, and stared as Aphrodite emerged from a flurry of rose petals, sword out, and eyes glaring down at the huntress. "You, have officially gone too far!"

"I'm sorry what?"

"Why did you have to kill them huh?" Aphrodite demanded. "Not only did you end the life of a beautiful couple, you sealed the fate of future young men and women by demanding them to be as sacrifices?! Plagues and famines weren't enough for you or what!"

Artemis clenched her teeth, stomping over to Aphrodite. "They had it coming, and you knew it as soon as they copulated in my temple! If you were so worried about their lives, why didn't you stop them from doing it like idiots in the first place!"

"Just because you and Perseus aren't going at it like demon bunnies, doesn't mean you have to take it out on defenseless mortals!" Aphrodite snapped. Artemis looked like she was ready to lunge at Aphrodite any second, that is, until Perseus barged into the middle.

"Enough!" Perseus shouted, arms wide. "Now, I have a vague feeling on what you two may be referring about, but just to be clear…what is going on."

Aphrodite visibly bristled with rage. "She ruined my couple of the month, Melanippus and Comaetho. And not only did she kill them just because they were in Artemis's temple doing that, she then sends a plague and famine, and recedes it back on the condition that a fair maiden and young man are sacrificed to her! What is your girlfriend Perseus?!"

"…"

"As if you are any better, Aphrodite. Making mortals receive unrequited feelings for someone, and actively encouraging that blasted winged son of yours to continuously ruin the mortal's lives, and not just in the love department-"

"Tell me Perseus." Aphrodite suddenly said. "Would you, kill a loving couple because they copulated in your sacred place. No, you keep quiet Artemis, I'm asking my brother over here."

Perseus nervously shuffled his feet. "Well…I wouldn't kill them per say…"

"Ha!"

"But." Perseus said, pausing for a bit. "That doesn't mean I would turn a blind eye to what had happened. Our temples aren't meant for that sort of thing, and this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Punishment is fair, but I wouldn't resort to death."

"There, you got your answer Aphrodite." Artemis growled. "Now please step aside, me and Perseus have somewhere to be."

"Oh no you're not, we're not done here." Aphrodite shouted. "You wait and see Artemis, all this will come back to you. You think Perseus is going to sit idle for long? You know yourself how he feels about you mindlessly going and killing innocent mortals"

"The fact that you would still be after me, even if I merely just turned that couple into animals is very much prevalent!" Artemis snapped back. "You just wanted them to live, and who knows, maybe even ruin their lives in the future as well. So don't you dare try to condescend me."

"Aphrodite, can you please leave. I don't want to have this discussion again." Perseus finally said, a slight pleading look on his face. The goddess in question bit her tongue, giving a short nod and a hateful glare respectively to each of the gods present. She then flashed away, leaving behind the lingering scent of apples.

"Well, that was a delight." Artemis muttered, taking a quick glance at Perseus who had an unreadable expression on his face. "Shall we go Perseus?"

Perseus shortly nodded, a small sigh escaping his lips. "We shall, Artemis."

He really wished he could have continued his few moments with Artemis.

"Perseus…"

"…Palace."

"Something…to show…"

Perseus's eyes snapped open, the echoing words of Pontus reverberating inside his head. The campfire crackled a bit loudly, prompting Perseus to decrease the flames a bit. He felt something shuffle next to him, and glanced down to see Callisto and Atlana, resting their heads on his shoulder and lap respectively. Artemis was on the other side of him, asleep and with Phoebe and another female hunter resting on her as well. The recent events then caught up with Perseus. He and Artemis had stayed outside with the female hunters who were a part of the Actaeon incident, providing them any sort of means of comfort. Which ended up with the two gods sleeping outside with the hunters cuddled up against them, with only a small campfire as a source of warmth. Though Artemis was pretty much hot enough for him.

Perseus chuckled lightly at the thought in his mind when he then remembered Pontus's words. He was sure it was him, he could recognize that gravelly voice anywhere. Though he did sound…odd. Like he was struggling to just talk.

Perseus then tried to shift from his position, but the hunters had him pinned down good. Not to mention, Artemis had her signature death grip on his arm, something she usually did if she was sleeping next to Perseus. Perseus sighed in slight exasperation, already finding himself in a dilemma. Should he get up, and face the wrath of sleep driven hunters and his lover? Or just sit tight, and wait till morning to see what Pontus had to show for him. He hoped whatever it was, it really wasn't important. In the end, he decided to wait for about ten minutes to see if Pontus was being persistent on his calling, and when he didn't receive another message from the primordial, Perseus then decided to go with the former. He was already drowsy now, and way too comfortable to move about or deal with anything. He felt Artemis shift in her sleep, and then used that opportunity to make himself comfortable by sleeping on the crook of her neck. "Besides, it's not like continuing the nap would hurt me or Grandpa P…" Perseus thought, finally letting his eyes rest.

"Percy…Pontus is hurt." Aphrodite breathed out.

Perseus just stared blankly at Aphrodite, while his insides began to scramble themselves up. He really had to jinx it huh.

Artemis on the other hand looked confused. "What do you mean 'hurt'. He's a primordial, I doubt anything can hurt him right?"

Aphrodite looked like she wanted to pointedly ignore Artemis's question, but relented in the end. "Ugh… . He's not hurt exactly, but Sebastianos, I leave him with P sometimes, he told me that he was looking a bit frail since the past week. He only told me now because the condition has remained unchanged ever since. Stupid crab, should have told me from the beginning." She muttered.

Artemis raised an eyebrow at this. "Since the past week? Wasn't that around the time when Poseidon reported those weird ancient energy signals he felt in his domain?"

"That is true." Perseus said. "I may have had an inkling that it was Pontus doing it. Or, it could have been something else."

"You think that's related to Pontus's condition? It seems plausible enough." Artemis wondered out loud.

Aphrodite gritted her teeth. "Of all the days I choose to give you the silent treatment, it had to be today." She mumbled.

"Well whatever the case is, I'm going to check up on him." Perseus said getting up. "Are you coming as well Artemis?"

Artemis pinched the bridge of her nose. "I would love to, but I'm not comfortable enough to leave the hunters by themselves after yesterday. Also, I doubt she wants me to come as well." She replied, pointedly glaring at the love goddess, which she as well returned with full force.

Perseus sighed. "Of course… . Hmm, how about I get my mom to oversee the hunters? As long as we promise to return sooner, I think we'll be fine without our hunters clamoring around us."

"I hope so." Artemis muttered, pulling her hair back. "Are we taking Umbra?"

"We have to." Perseus replied, a small smile on his face when he saw Artemis groan. "Sorry dear."

"Like I said before, I will skewer your fish if it continues its antics." Artemis said, to which Perseus snorted.

"Oh please, as if you're golden hind doesn't try to bite my hand off when I try to pet it."

"That's because you always say out loud how golden venison meat will taste when you're next to it."

"The same could be applied when you talk about gutting my fish then!"

"What a bore." Aphrodite said with a shake of her head. "I will be on my way then, please don't get delayed because of your bickering."

Fortunately, or unfortunately for Aphrodite, the couple had reached quite quickly to Pontus's palace. They didn't feel anything out of the ordinary as they stepped in, though they did feel a sort of mystical presence that wasn't there before, as they made their way further in.

"I was expecting him to be here, jumping with joy on seeing us by now." Artemis said. "But he isn't present…"

"He probably isn't here maybe." Perseus said. "Probably went somewhere with that portal like device he has."

"Possibly." Aphrodite murmured, cupping her mouth. "Grandpa P!"

Aphrodite's shout echoed throughout the lace, but nothing seemed to have changed. The few sea creatures that were aimlessly swimming or floating around gave a blind eye to the three gods. Aphrodite was about to give another shout when bubbles started to appear just in front of the group. These weren't regular bubbles however, as they all had a green tint to them. The multitude of bubbles then formed a solid body, made out of water but with the same green tint. There were a number of layers of froth covering the body as well, a body which the trio could vaguely make out to be Pontus. Well, he had the ponytail. And as for facial features, there were none, except for a set of full glowing orange orbs, that dimmed sometimes.

"…Kids? What are you doing over here?" Pontus mumbled, his watery face rippling. "I don't remember today being visiting day."

"Grandpa P!" Aphrodite cried, giving Pontus a hug. Or tried to at least, as Aphrodite harmlessly passed through the water body. It didn't look as solid as they thought.

"Ah, forgive me my dear. I'm quite tuckered out to see you physically, so coming here in my spectral form is the best solution. Though it seems that I have trouble holding this as well." Pontus said with a light chuckle.

"So you are hurt!" Aphrodite said, scrambling up. "What happened to make you like that?!"

Pontus's one orange eye widened. "I'm guessing that crab told you huh? Oh well, no use hiding it since I already said I was tired. But it's nothing serious, please don't worry."

"Pontus." Artemis stated. "I was wondering, Sebastianos said that your condition was like this for a week right?" On seeing Pontus nod in confirmation, Artemis continued. "I'm asking because Poseidon felt some sort of ancient energy pass through his realm, your realm. Do you have any idea on what may have transpired…?"

Pontus's face was obviously difficult to read, which none of the gods liked. "No my dear, this 'ancient energy' is not the reason for my condition. And I wouldn't worry about whatever that was that Poseidon sensed, it's harmless from what I can tell. So relax." Pontus said with a cough, which he then disguised as a laugh.

"I mean; you seem…alright?" Aphrodite mumbled. "Are you sure it's nothing major?"

"Yes, yes, nothing to absolutely worry about." Pontus said with a sigh. "Us primordials get the usual creaks and aches in our joints, we're ancient after all. Though this old man isn't going for a rest now."

"If you say so." Aphrodite mumbled, her attention now directed at Sebastianos who was pulling her ear. "Huh? You want to…fight Umbra?"

"Yeah!" Umbra said, swimming next to Artemis. "It'll be just a friendly spar, and the crab can grow big, and we have the moves. But I want Artemis to direct me in the fight."

Said goddess stared at Umbra with confusion. "…Me?!"

"Yeah, I want to see if you can direct me in a fight." Umbra lazily said. "You cool with that Perseus?"

Said god just stared at Umbra with confusion. "I…have no idea what you're talking about."

Umbra looked visibly forlorn. "Please? I'll give you the moves, and you tell me what to do. Pleeeaaassee?"

"You know; I can humor this. If it means I technically get to beat Artemis." Aphrodite said with a huff, snapping her fingers. Sebastianos let out a series of clicks as it jumped off Aphrodite's shoulder, increasing in size and structure as it landed on the floor.

"How the hell can an orca can do puppy dog eyes is beyond me." Artemis muttered, finally relenting, and gave Perseus a shrug as she swam with Umbra, its markings glowing. "How long is this going to last?"

"Last immortal monster standing, or I guess until we faint." Umbra shouted.

Sebastianos gave another series of clicks, and started humming something that felt a bit like some battle theme. Perseus and Pontus watched with rapt confusion and amusement separately at Artemis and Aphrodite, who were on either side of a courtyard with the monsters in front of them.

"Sebastianos, use Harden!"

"Umbra…use…synergy beam?"

A grey colored glow surrounded Sebastianos, making its exterior gleam. While Umbra's markings lit up, and a stream of energy shot out of its mouth, straight at the gigantic crab.

"This seems interesting to watch, good thing that distracted them from my condition huh Perseus?" Pontus said with a chuckle. "I must ask you this though, did you not receive my message last night? The telepathic one?"

Perseus groaned in response, holding his face in his hands. "So it was urgent. I am so sorry Pontus, truly, but I didn't think of it being important since you never tried to contact me again afterwards."

Pontus chuckled. "That would be my fault, I did a mist message to talk to you face to face, but you seemed quite content being asleep with Artemis, I couldn't disturb you."

"But is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Perseus asked, to which Pontus didn't reply. It was only a few minutes later when Pontus began to drift away, that Perseus was alerted by him.

"Let's go somewhere. And let those two be, they seem quite invested in their…monster battle." Pontus said, making his way out of the courtyard. It was quite a while later when Perseus started to question where the primordial was taking him. They were well in the outskirts right now, and had even passed that arc portal structure to which Pontus still didn't give any comment on. Perseus was about to voice his questions when he noticed stone pillars in the near distance. And that mystical presence from before, only grew stronger as the two swam closer the now visible monument.

For some reason, Perseus was now not only able to now walk on the solid ground beneath him, but he also felt sick as he drew closer to the monument. It was something unlike Perseus had ever seen. A row of pillars in circular formation, surrounding a hexagon shaped platform. Intricate circular shaped patterns etched with red covered the pillars, making Perseus dizzy as he tried to even glance at them. His entire body seemed to be against him, doing everything in its power to run as far as possible from the monument. But something in him was resilient, which tried to make him look at the monument, like it wanted him to embrace it.

"So you're finding it difficult too? Well, you can say that this is a sight for sore eyes. But you are handling it a bit better than I expected." Pontus said.

Perseus didn't reply back, taking a hesitant step forward to the monument. As soon as his feet touched the platform, Perseus felt his insides churn, making him feel like he was definitely going to puke out. His legs felt heavy too, but Perseus continued to walk until he was now standing on the center of the platform. He glanced down, and immediately felt searing pain course through his eyes, almost making him fall down to the ground due to the intensity. Pontus watched helplessly as Perseus struggled through the exertion. As much as he wanted to help him, Pontus had to watch this from the sidelines, as this was something only Perseus had to overcome. But just in case…he had an ailment stone ready if things got messy.

Perseus let out a roar of agony as he slowly got up to his feet. As he was gasping for breath, he grabbed his eyelids and forced them open, his eyeballs darting around until they focused on the very thing that sent him into a frenzy. A lone red colored symbol, that comprised of two slanting thick lines almost connecting at the bottom. Almost, because it was separated by a vertical gap. The top part of the lines had slightly crescent shapes on it as well.

Perseus then felt something watery collect around his eye. What he didn't expect was to see gold cloud his vision, and Perseus watched as ichor slowly dripped from his eyes, across his face, and collected at the bottom of his chin. Something which Pontus noticed immediately.

"Perseus, step out from there. Perseus…PERSEUS! STEP AWAY FROM THE NEXUS POINT!"

Pontus's form dissolved, and flashing in its place was him in the flesh as he hurriedly rushed to get Perseus out, his staff and a spear ready. However, a force field formed itself within the confines of the monument, effectively blocking Pontus from Perseus. The former to no avail tried to break the barrier, but it was ineffective. All Pontus could do was to watch with fear and dread as ichor began to leak out from Perseus's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The blood of the gods, pooled on to the platform when suddenly, the symbol on the ground began to glow a neon red. A circular ring cracked around the symbol and Perseus, slightly sinking the place down. The same neon red flashes of light began to come out of the crack, when a burst of light shot through from the ring. The intensity sent Pontus sprawling on the ground, and he watched as a beacon of light shot up through the waters, and if he was unlucky, through the upper surface and sky as well. The light died down, prompting the priomordial to stare at the initial position where Perseus was, only to almost faint at the sight. For Perseus had vanished, leaving behind a now floating mess of ichor above the platform.

White.

That was all Perseus could see. Even though his eyes were closed, he could still see white. Or maybe he had ripped his eyelids, that's why he was still seeing white.

Perseus gingerly placed his palm on his eyes, and breathed out a sigh when he felt the lids over his eyes. He then carefully prompted them open, slightly worried that they might bleed out again. But they didn't, and Perseus was once again greeted by white. And…chanting.

Perseus tried to move around, but he was only able to move his limbs around, not move in place. Perseus was about to say something out loud when he realized something. He had no voice.

Perseus gently touched his throat, desperately trying to get even a slight sound out but nothing happened. He then realized that the chanting actually got louder while he was trying to get his voice back. And this time he was able to make out the words.

"Meraza…Tetrekar. Parasal…Majika."

A large gust of wind started to blow against Perseus, which for some reason was pricking him. He raised his arms as a reflex, and immediately felt a flash of pain emerge on the outside of his palm. He didn't have any time to witness the potential wound however, as the howling wind drowned out his thoughts, as well as the steadily loud chanting.

"Meraza…Tetrekar. Mahasa…Paragion."

"What the fuck is going on?!" was the only thing Perseus could think of as he clutched his head, his breathing becoming labored. He then felt something tug him down, but didn't get a chance to look as he himself began to rapidly fall down, the white background slowly being consumed by darkness. Perseus desperately wanted this nightmare to end, only it continued as Percy then shot upwards, at a speed that made Perseus believe that his neck had gotten snapped, with the way it was flailing around. Perseus half expected to see the white background again as he saw a speck of light in the distance. He was wrong though, as he noticed the light originating from something g very familiar. The lone symbol from before.

Perseus felt a scream rip through him as the symbol consumed him, making his entire body feel something he never thought he would ever experience because of his mother. The feeling of being burnt. He couldn't feel his body at all.

And then, everything faded to black.

"Easy, easy! Relax my boy, just relax." A voice spoke softly. Perseus knew that voice. His entire face ached though.

"Please don't try opening your eyes now, I just stitched your eyelids back in place. Yes, stitched, because you ripped them off."

"…Um huh…"

"*sigh* you damaged your throat as well, but I'm healing that and everything else with the stone. Just hold still, and relax.

"Art…Ar…"

"Don't talk you lummox." Pontus muttered, pouring whatever he could into healing the god. "At least you aren't leaking ichor like before."

Perseus felt tingling sensations run down his face, the slight pain present slowly ebbing away. When Pontus tapped his closed eyes and gave a sigh of relief, Perseus slowly opened an eye to see a ragged looking Pontus, that could definitely give old Nereus a run for his drachmas on the looks department.

"You stupid Olympian, you just made me age five hundred millennia." Pontus gasped out, slumping down. "Don't you ever do that again; you hear me?"

Perseus tried to say something, but still felt some difficulty on his throat. Instead, he mouthed his words. "What. Happened."

Pontus shook his head. "I am the wrong person to be asked this, because I myself have no clue what just transpired. I'm…I'm almost for a loss of words!"

Perseus frowned. "Why. Take. Me. Here."

"I…I will tell you. Today itself, I swear. This is something I can't hide from you, no matter what." Pontus said, not meeting Perseus's gaze.

Perseus swallowed once, the itch in his throat decreasing. "How long-" he said, coughing immediately. "Was I…" "Out."

Pontus raised an eyebrow. "How do I say this…you disappeared. But then you reappeared like ten seconds later. You were still conscious while I was healing you, writhing in pain and all."

"…Oh." Perseus muttered, his vision momentarily blurring. He then raised his arms, but noticed something peculiar on his left hand. On the outside of his palm, were two slanting scars, slanting lines coming from the bottom of his knuckles, and meeting at the bottom of his palm. Perseus immediately noted that it vaguely resembled the symbol on the platform, something which he wasn't very keen about.

"That wasn't there before." Pontus said, a frown on his face as he stared at the scars. "But why aren't they healed, my ailment stone can heal anything…"

Perseus couched a couple of times, and then cleared his throat. "So…you don't know what…this thing…is?!" he asked.

"Yes…and no." Pontus stated. "I know the general gist of it, but all its capabilities are still a mystery to me. Like, what happened to you, I didn't get a reaction like that when I stepped on it. Sure, I felt discomfort, but not what you may have faced."

"Assuring… . but you promised…answers." Perseus said shortly.

"Yes, yes I will give answers. But first, I feel that we should join with the girls again. I don't want them to worry once again, Frothy becomes very pushy like that. And I'll be coming like this, at east that will put her mind in ease."

"Clean up." Perseus said, a small smirk on his face. As Pontus helped him on his feet, Perseus couldn't help stare at the monument, that was just a few minutes ago causing so much agony for him. But for some reason, all Perseus could feel on seeing it was…calmness. Like it was…home.

Grandpa P! You do look well, oh I am so glad! Hmm, I'll give you a pass for not cleaning up well, since you are under the weather." Aphrodite exclaimed.

"Thank you my dear. So, how was that little battle you two had going on?" Pontus asked,

"She lost. Terribly." Artemis said with a smile, though that didn't convey her real emotion as she subtly glanced at Perseus, who seemed to be oddly quite for some reason, even with all the jokes flying around.

"What?" Perseus asked, noticing Artemis's a bit too long stare.

"Nothing really. Just…you look deep in thought. Something in your mind?" Artemis asked.

"Yeah…kinda. I'll let you know later." Perseus said quickly, choosing not to elaborate.

"I'm going to train little Seb now, music training has now been replaced. But I wouldn't mind a song from you my sweet." Aphrodite cooed, tickling the underside of the crab. She then swam over to a garden, and more or less tried to dance underwater. She didn't look as graceful as she imagined in her head.

"I'll take my leave now. Are you coming Perseus?" Artemis asked, to which he declined. "O-kay then, I'll see you soon then." She said, giving a chaste kiss to Perseus, before hitching a ride with Umbra."

"Artemis willingly going…with Umbra. Now that's a…sight." Perseus said with a chuckle. He glanced at Pontus, and was surprised to see a forlorn and longing look on his face as he stared at Aphrodite."

"Is something on your mind?" Perseus asked.

"Thalassa." Pontus simply replied.

"I'm sorry?"

Pontus smiled. "Sorry, it's just that…looking at Frothy reminded me of Thalassa. You know, female primordial of the sea or water and all, basically my female counterpart. My…sister really."

Perseus's eyes widened in surprise. "I heard of Thalassa, but not many people think she actually exists. And since you never mentioned her, I figured…"

Pontus sighed. "The only reason I didn't bring it up is because there are some painful memories that I bear. She…disappeared a long time ago, and I don't even know the reason why, or her whereabouts. But I know she's out there, I can still feel her. And…there were some recent events that made me nostalgic of her. And seeing Frothy…"

"She reminds me of her you know. Aphrodite reminds me of Thalassa for some reason. She has her red hair, color changing eyes though the colors aren't that diverse like Aphrodite's. but it's not just the looks…the mannerisms Kelpie. She used to be naïve of this world and different things initially too. Had a musical jellyfish now that I remember. And just her movements, the way she talks and behaves…sometimes I do wonder if she is actually Thalassa's…"

"Never mind, I think I'm going off topic." Pontus said, clearing his throat. He then faced Perseus, who was slightly taken aback in surprise at the seriousness the primordial was showing. "Perseus, remember that ancient energy signal mentioned before? That came from the monument I showed you, a monument I summoned from an age long turned to dust. But, I feel could be reawakened."

"The reason I was calling you was because I wanted you to actually check the monument yourself. To see what triggers might be pulled. And they did, you and I both know that. For you see Perseus, there is a dormant power that resides within you, waiting to be set- …Where are you going?" Pontus asked with a confused tone.

"I'm going to join Aphrodite and Sebastianos. I would rather listen to his songs then listen to another speech about me having power." Perseus announced, swimming away.

Pontus's eyes widened at this. He then used the water to bring Perseus back, the latter looking quite surprised. "I didn't even get to the crux of the information! And what's wrong with power anyway?"

"I'm already considered to be one of the most powerful Olympian out there, just below the male big three gods." Perseus said with a sigh. "Imagine what would happen if I gain even more 'power'. The hierarchy of Olympus will change, Zeus's paranoia will finally reach the expanse of space, and I will be chucked into the abyss. Which is why I'm content with letting things be as it is, no need to change it."

Pontus looked like a gaping fish. "O-Okay…that is reasonable. But this power, it's your birthright, something that…your mother has tasked me to teach you with!"

Perseus blinked in surprise, his shoulders tensing. "My…mother? Did…Nyx ask you of this?"

Pontus bit his tongue. "…Yes. She said that while she is happy with your status and the name you have made for yourself in a lot of realms, she also felt it would be nice if you unlocked a dormant power exclusive to…her birth children. And since you are one…"

Perseus had an unreadable expression on his face, but not for Pontus. He could almost hear the gods' musings, and wondered if his grey lies would work on him.

"I vaguely remember you shouting nexus something." Perseus muttered out loud. "Do you mean by any chance nexus point?"

"Yes, and I'm sure you are confused by that. But I will explain." Pontus replied.

"And to have that power, I'm guessing it involves that monument right?" Perseus asked, to which Pontus nodded. "I'll…I'll think about it. I'm honestly not that thrilled about it, but…Nyx wants something from me. My…mother?"

"Mhm." Pontus hummed, a question popping in his head. "Say Kelpie, how come you never thought of visiting Nyx in the first place. You have the means to, and I doubt the Olympians have forbaded you from visiting so…?"

Perseus shrugged in response. "I know I can, Hecate and the furies have asked me quite a number of times if I ever wanted to visit. And…a part of me wants to."

"But the other part…" Pontus prompted.

"…Is scared that it will face rejection from the one who gave birth to me. For all I know, Nyx could have given me away to the Olympians as a sign of abandonment. Or, she may actually hate the person I am now, and would want certain expectations placed on me. I…I don't think I can handle that in my conscious." Perseus whispered.

Pontus tilted his head to the side. "Abandonment huh. Don't be surprised kid…but I feel you kid. I feel you."

And done. Phew, that was a delight to write. So, we're going to really delve into major plot territory now so buckle up everyone. And, will be very soon reach something that can only be explained in one word: Finale. Is that too much spoiler? Nah, I had to throw something honestly. But yeah, what did you think of the chapter?

Fun facts on the cover: The lone symbol I have mentioned a lot in this chapter is actually the 'V' like symbol you can see on the cover. That, is based upon the '\/' symbol I make at the end of the authors note, and, the Geass symbol, courtesy from Code Geass. It's a stellar anime, and a definite must watch for newcomers and possible veterans. The intricate lines on the other hand, is based on the lines I have descripted on the cube in the earlier chapters, and on the weapons and shields which Perseus uses from his vambraces. Now I know I said they're a deep blue in color, and they still are. So ignore the white glowing blue color lol, it's there for the aesthetic XD. And, if you have a clear pic and you zoom in fully, you can also make out the circle patterns I featured on the pillars from the monument. Seriously YesThatIsMyUsername, you have done a stellar job on this cover.

Okay enough talk, so yeah, next Saturday update is definitely happening. And I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to do the usual ; ). Bye!...\/