Authors Note: I have a fun authors note today. If you guys want to see how Nyx really looks like in my fic, then head to your search engine and type 'Nyx smt'. If you crosscheck with my description, you would easily recognize her, she's like at the very top, first or second picture. She's not the blonde lady, the one who looks absolutely awesome. Now with that out of the way, let's get on with the chapter.

Chapter 44: Midnight talks

" -\I |-| )./ "

"Tetrekar…"

"You are an anomaly. You shouldn't exist. You disrupt order!"

"…Hey Perseus…"

"There is no monster behind me…"

"Looks like we're both monsters then…"

"We could be each other's saviors."

Saviors…

"Άρτεμις."

Perseus shot up from his place, his vision blurry but slowly focusing. His eyes slowly drifted over the room he was in, a bedroom. And he was lying on a bed.

"The sleeper finally arises. Good thing you took a day for it." A familiar female voice rang out, making Perseus wince. He shook his head a couple of times and then blinked, his gaze falling on Eris, who was reading a…book? It looked like a book, Perseus thought as he saw her shift through a page. Her long dark brown hair was spewed everywhere on her face, and Perseus noticed some red streaks among them. She was wearing a purple single sleeved gown, with black metal armbands on her upper arm.

"Είμαι ακόμα στο βασίλειο του Nyx?" Perseus said hoarsely.

"Mhm. Like mother will let you out of her sight now. Don't take it to heart though." Eris replied, setting her book down. "How are you feeling?"

"Κουρασμένος και πονεμένος." Perseus mumbled, sitting up, only to wince when a prickling sensation shot up in his left arm when he shifted it. He glanced at it, and to his shock, found numerous needles poking along the golden veins on his arm, Perseus touched his chest, where sure enough, there were a couple of needles imbedded in his body too.

"Oh yeah, about that." Eris said. "Mother wanted to try and see if she could heal whatever happened to your arm, but no luck from her end. And I see that you're still speaking in Greek huh."

Perseus blinked and then sighed. "…Sorry."

Eris shook her head. "Don't apologize, you should have seen me trying to speak Latin. You'll get used to the languages in your head soon enough, and possibly others as well.

Perseus slowly nodded, his eyes trained on the door.

"You want confirmation, don't you?" Eris asked with a grin.

Perseus frowned. "I don't follow…"

"That time has passed when you went in that 'mystery' world, and became the Phantom Olympian." Eris said, getting up and sitting next to Perseus. "I'm sorry Perseus, or Lykofós? Approximately two millennia have indeed passed since you disappeared, and a lot has changed. Not just within the Olympians or us deities, but the entire world as well."

Perseus sighed heavily, clenching his fists. "Not what I wanted to hear when I woke up you know."

"The blunt hard truth is much better than a convoluted beautiful lie." Eris said simply. "And I'm guessing, you want to go to Olympus right?"

Perseus raised an eyebrow. "Why are you saying that like you know something I don't?"

Eris grinned and then raised her arm. The armband pulsed and just like Perseus's brace, began to elongate along Eris's arm, until it extended to form a sword. She then began to wave it in front of a wall, and Perseus watched as shadows collected on the wall, forming a portal. Perseus looked at Eris and then back at the portal, where he was sure he could make out some trees on the other side, and then back at Eris who shrugged in response.

"That…is not-"

"A portal to Olympus? Of course it is little brother." Eris said with a laugh. "This will lead you to the place where Olympus is located. I'm sure you know how this works."

"Wait…hold up now." Perseus said scrambling out of his bed. "Just like that?!"

"Hmm?"

"You're telling me I can go…I can leave…just like that?" Perseus said, short breath escaping from him. "And why would you even show me, you barely know me."

Eris pouted. "I know enough. Enough to know that you don't deserve to be locked in against your own will, and knowing mother, she'll probably treat you like some Schrödinger's cat."

"A what-"

"And besides, I'm the goddess of strife and discord. The thought of seeing my mother rage would be spectacular. Go forth now, before Nyx is alerted."

Perseus was still staring dumbly at Eris with his jaw fallen, making her sigh. She then brought her hand back, which brought the portal also forward which then consumed Perseus. Perseus was broken out of his stupor as he felt a familiar sensation wash over him, until he found himself on solid ground. Actual earthen solid ground. Perseus almost had half a mind to kiss the ground, but then refrained from it because…Gaia. Instead, Perseus began to dash through the trees and bushes, noting that it was night time, and on seeing a glimmer of light ahead, continued to rush forward as the adrenaline and elation ringing in his head drowned all surrounding noises. He then climbed up a rock structure and hoped off it, landing on-

CRASH!

"What the hell man! Where the hell did you even come from?!" a man cried out as he clutched his hand in pain. Perseus blinked slowly as he quickly got up, panic in his voice.

"Oh Styx, I am so sorry sir, let me help…" Perseus said, only to trail off as he did a double take on what he was seeing. The man…was dressed weirdly. And if that wasn't enough, the thing Perseus had crashed into was some kind of metal contraption, with…was that cooking oil coming out of a container?

"My hot dogs! You ruined three days' worth of my money you delinquent!" the man groaned out as he slowly got to his feet.

"Hot dogs…are you keeping dogs in that thing…" Perseus muttered as he took a step back. Hushed whispers began to surround him as Perseus looked around to see that a crowd of people had formed around the incident. Perseus stared at them weirdly, all of them were wearing a different style of clothing which he had never seen before. And now that Perseus thought about it, the clothing seemed to resemble what Eris had given him to wear first, before the black chiton he was currently wearing. Whispers of 'drunk teenagers' floated the area, making Perseus frown. He knelt down and brought the metal contraption up, and made sure that nothing else seemed to come out of it, gave another apology to the man he knocked down and bounded away. He began to run across through what seemed to be some sort of garden, a huge garden that to. He was surprised that mortals had managed a scale such as this. After coming out of a tree line, Perseus found himself stopping in his tracks, as he took in another bizarre sight the had to offer him.

He wasn't really sure what he was looking at, but it had to be a palace. The grand scope of the building surely attested to that, but the way it looked weirded Perseus out. Not to mention, when did Zeus allow people to build a city next to the mountain. The palace, Perseus noticed had steps leading to the entrance, though the length was quite short than what Perseus was accustomed to. Etched on the walls were words as well, which Perseus took a moment to recognize and translate.

"Truth, knowledge, vision." Perseus muttered, staring up at another series of words etched on. "State of New York memorial to…Theodore Roosevelt? What's up with all these strange things and names." Perseus mumbled, his eyes falling on a statue of a man on a horse, with two other men on either side of him. "Is that the king?" Perseus wondered out loud, frowning. "Doesn't look the part though…I wonder if he led a kingdom."

Perseus then heard a low growling noise next to him, making him jump and extend his arm out. Two flashes of light were lit in front of him, making him glare until they went off. Perseus did another double take as he stared at a metal contraption in front of him. It was red in color, with the front looking like some kind of face. It had glass planes on either side of the top part, and Perseus watched in surprise as a door like thing swung open, with a woman coming out of it. She was staring at Perseus warily as she slowly closed the door, clutching her bag tightly.

"What is this." Perseus whispered to himself as crept closer, and summoned a sword. He noticed that the meal contraption was balancing on wheels though they didn't look like any wheels Perseus had seen, and they were small to be chariot ones.

"How does this this move?" he asked the woman, who was now rummaging through her bag. "Are there invisible horses pulling this, wait, how do you mortals have invisible horses? Are they behind this-"

"Sir, can I ask you to step away from my vehicle." The woman replied, a slight quaver in her voice as she took out a small rectangular object.

Perseus blinked. "Um, what's- oh! Is this what this is called, a vehi-"

"I will call the cops sir." The woman replied. "Please step away from me and my vehicle."

"Um, alright. You want me to step away." Perseus mumbled, moving back. The woman relaxed slightly, until her eyes widened. Before Perseus could wonder the change in reaction, he felt a force push him to the side lightly. And a crashing sound. Perseus wobbled to the side for a bit as he felt the opposite side of his body tinge with miniscule pain. He turned around to see another one of those 'vehicles' in the path, the front side all banged up and small cracks forming on the front glass plane.

"Oh…did I do that?" Perseus asked with slight surprise, glancing at the woman from earlier, who was now opening and closing her mouth, shock evident on her face. Perseus winced and then jogged up to the damaged vehicle, to where he could clearly see a person in there, clutching his head in pain. Emulating the woman, Perseus stepped in front of what he noted was a door, and opened it. Or more appropriately, he ripped it open. He then gently placed the ripped door on the ground and helped the person in the vehicle out, noting quickly that there was a cut on his head.

"Ouch, that would be my fault." Perseus said, healing the cut. "There, good as new. Now I hope your invisible horese are also safe, unless this 'vehicle' is some kind of metal monster? Maybe an automaton?" Perseus asked.

"M-M-M-" the man spluttered, pushing Perseus away from him. "M-My car!"

"I thought this was called a vehicle? Or is 'car' like a given name for a pet" Perseus asked.

"You asshole!" the man shouted, diving back into the inside of the vehicle. Perseus watched as the man came out again, this time holding out some kind of barrel, attached to a metal part. Perseus wasn't sure what that was, but judging from the woman's terrified gasp, it couldn't be-

BANG!

Perseus frowned when he saw a small projectile come out of the barrel, and pass harmlessly though his chest. The woman screamed in fright while the man just stared at his object and then at Perseus, and again began to shoot similar projectiles out. Perseus frowned as more came his way, the loud noises also alerting nearby shouts and yells. Knowing he couldn't stay any longer if what was coming at him was supposed to harm him, Perseus ran away, and dived into a shadow. He knew he had to go to Olympus quickly, but gods know where Eris bloody sent him. Perseus then ripped open a portal and went through it, hopeful that this time he would appear in a familiar setting. Instead he began to freefall in the air, the ground which was covered with numerous people approaching much faster than what Perseus expected. He swung into a position and landed on the ground with a thud. A large indention formed beneath him, which Perseus didn't seem to realize as he slowly got up, taking in the newest and most bizarre sight he had ever seen in a place. And he had seen that demigod Dionysus's party once, something he never wanted to witness again. But this…

He was standing on some kind of path with a lot of people milling about, all of them scrambling to see Perseus. The god in question was slowly turning around, taking in the bright neon lights that filled his view. He jumped when he saw the image of some kind of mechanical device change into a smiling man holding something, and then whirled around to find a huge tower in front of him. There was a sign that displayed a bottle of sorts with the words 'Coca-Cola', and another one displaying the word 'Sony'. Perseus glanced around to find a particular place filled with mortals, a place that had a prominent golden yellow M on display. But a common theme he began to notice was images of pine trees that seemed to be covered with red balls, a man like creature that had a body consisted of two white balls, and dots on its face. A happy looking old man dressed in red made an appearance, which startled Perseus at the scope of it. On either side, more of those vehicles, primarily yellow in color, were riding down their own paths. And as for the mortals, they seemed to be slowly approaching Perseus, some of them holding a strange square object in their hands that had a flash of light coming out of them.

"Did he just fall out of the sky?"

"Look at that crater he made!"

"Hey sir, are you going for some kind of toga party?"

"What's wrong with his arm, it looks hideous."

"Is he glowing?"

Perseus was breathing heavily now, slowly sinking to his feet as the noise and sights were becoming too much to bear. He was a god for crying out loud, why was he struggling to focus. He had to get out, he had to move. The mortals were closing in, he had to go to Olympus. He had to see-

A large screech broke Perseus out of his train of thought, prompting him to look up. To his immediate surprise, he saw two Arai heading straight for him. Around Perseus, a thick blanket of mist began to appear that slowly filled the area, and while Perseus was distracted by this, the two Arai grabbed him by the head. One of them slashed a shadow on the ground, which then ripped open. Perseus was then shoved into the tear, and began to freefall once again until he hit solid ground. Letting out a groan, Perseus then slowly got to his feet, and recognized the room he was in. Nyx's throne room. And the primordial herself was present, staring at Perseus with a disappointed look on her face.

"When I sensed your presence leave my realm, I knew what was happening." Nyx said with a frown as she glared at Perseus, who was also glaring back at her. "I didn't put any blocks or enchantments because I trusted you. And I believed you would at least display that with what I had to offer."

"Trust you? You tried to mangle my arm even more without my consent!" Perseus cried out. "Not to mention, you're full on board with quite possibly keeping me locked up here, thanks to the Fates-"

"Perhaps." Nyx interrupted, her eyes dimming. "However, I was able to see reason because of Pontus. He brought up…valid points that I myself should have seen coming, which is why when the Fates arrive, I have a proposition regarding your situation. It's no use keeping you caged in your home."

"Not much of a home though this place is." Perseus muttered.

Nyx's eyes brightened. "You were practically made here."

"Thank you for reminding me." Perseus said with a smile. "And the Fates are coming?"

"Yes. I need their help with bringing you up to speed on the happenings of the current world, and what happened back then." Nyx replied. "It's a lot though, I'll recommend to prepare yourself. After all, we don't want a repeat of what transpired a few minutes ago, do we?"

Perseus narrowed his eyes. A grey flash of light shone in the room, making Nyx hiss. The light died down to reveal the Fates, all three of them of rocking chairs, and a book, the ancient kind Perseus noted, in Clotho's hands.

Nyx's blank mask formed a small smile. "What would a mortal call you three right now…ah yes. Three grandmothers, ready to tell their grandchildren a story next to the fire."

The Fates glowered, and even Perseus cracked a smile on hearing that.

"Wonderful." Atropos muttered, eyeing Perseus. "How are you feeling."

Perseus shrugged. A couch appeared behind him, which the god sat on. "Alright. I saw these cool automatons in the mortal world, which people could move around in. I think they are automatons though, could very well be a metal hunk pulled by invisible horses.

The Fates stared at Perseus and then at Nyx, who sighed. "He means a car Morai."

"…I could see why you want us now." Lachesis muttered, clearing her throat. "Well then, where shall we start. Perseus?"

"Preferably…the aftermath of the war with the giants." Perseus answered.

The Fates nodded, and then turned some pages back. "Well, if you hadn't already guessed, the gods won against the giants, bringing upon the end of the gigantomachy. And then, the earth mother herself rose out from her slumber, engaging you into a duel. And after a series of events that left us baffled for millennia, you stopped the rise of Gaia by 'sealing' her as we were told. And from what I could say…changed the course of history in quite a lot of ways."

"The aftermath, was a dark period. Literally, because at one point someone decided for a short while, the entire world should experience nighttime for who knows how long. Continuously."

Nyx shifted in her place. "I do not regret my actions."

"Olympus was thrown into chaos on hearing their arguably most popular and beloved god had disappeared within Gaia's grasp. If you thought your origin theories were bad, you should have listened to some of the ones that cropped up as to how you disappeared. As for the council, your mother…Hestia, was almost at a point of being catatonic. No outbursts or anything of that caliber, but everyone probably would have liked to see that instead of an almost unresponsive goddess. The other gods, Zeus too, were hell bent on searching for you, believing that you must be somewhere on Earth, if not, elsewhere. After a week or so, when no signs of Gaia rising were shown, the search had begun. Zeus, Hera and Apollo scourged the skies, Poseidon, Aphrodite and Hephaestus the waters. Ares, Hermes, Demeter, Athena and…Artemis, they searched the lands. Hades and Hecate the Underworld, with the former periodically checking the shadow plane as well. They believed that if you managed to counter Gaia, then you must have escaped somewhere. They even went so far, to places that would now be referred to as the United Kingdom and Ireland in order to find you. But, it was all for naught. After manhandling us, Zeus then declared that you could possibly be in Tartarus, in a regeneration pod. And after some convincing, Hades and his subordinates were sent down to trek across the pit, in order to find any presence of you. But just like last time, there was no progress."

"And Artemis?" Perseus asked worriedly after a brief moment of silence. "And the hunt?"

"The hunt is still active to this day if that's what you're wondering." Lachesis replied. "Though it's…different now. And as for Artemis…"

"I'm sure he was also asking about the condition of them after his disappearance sister." Clotho stated.

"Oh, well, they were distraught. What else would you expect, the hunters father, brother, friend…whatever figure you were to them, had just gone against a primordial, but didn't live to tell the tale. Especially when you only reunited with them for less than an hour when you had disappeared for two weeks after the Queen Niobe incident. Arius had run away when the news was fully broken to him, and only returned after a couple of years with the original hunters who had long left. Phoebe and Celyn kept only to themselves, only interacting with Artemis and select members. Though they all had an underlying hope that reared itself sometimes, that you would return one day. But as the years flew by…nothing of that notion happened."

Perseus sighed heavily, when a dreadful thought entered his mind. A few shadow wisps came out around him, moving with twitches. "Don't tell me…are my hunters… . Clio, Acantha, Ajax…are they…?"

The Fates raised an eyebrow at him, until the realization settled. "Oh…I'm sorry Perseus but…they died when their time came. But we assure you, they lived to a ripe old age, and accomplished so much that they are in written in stories, as bounty, or solo hunters. They may not be as greatly regarded as the other heroes like Perseus and Atalanta, but they have left their mark in the scripts, and are known."

Perseus's hands caught on hellfire, but he then let out a soft laugh as held his head in his hands, slowly shaking it. "I'm happy, that they…they lived to their fullest. But at my cost, I didn't see that happen." He muttered. "What about Atlana? Zoë, Phoebe, Celyn, and Arius?"

"They are still in the hunt. And the group that helped take down the giants left at certain points in time, but still had fulfilling lives. Most of them, at least." Atropos said with a wince. "As for Arius…"

Perseus frowned, slowly fearing the worst. "What about him?"

Clotho sighed. "To move forward with him, we would have to talk about something else. And that has to do with Artemis."

Perseus nervously gulped. "Go on…"

"Artemis, didn't take the possibility of you being gone very well. In fact, she was one of the last to let go of the fact that you would return. At first, she decided to take her rage on, well, everything. To the point where she had to be forcibly stopped by Apollo and her friends, lest she got another domain overload because of her burning down the wild. After she calmed down, considerably, she then continued on passively, holding together the hunt and its domain due to the loss of you. In a way, she became like Hestia, but instead of being unresponsive, she became colder to others not close to her. Almost aggressive when it came to the male gods, who wrongly thought that since you were 'out of the picture' it couldn't hurt to try their hand with Artemis. And that was when she showed them why people truly feared her, especially men. Her new nature did not help at all as time went on, and certain circumstances began to creep their way into her."

"Circumstances?" Perseus echoed.

"Yes. One for instance was that the peoples fate in you slowly began to waver. Granted, it was from people from other regions, but with no word coming from the priests about your wants and decrees, people began to doubt. Offerings went unanswered. Towns and cities which you kept safe began to get raided again. Slowly, pandemonium began to settle in regarding you. And Artemis was not happy with the comments she heard regarding you later on."

"Oh." Perseus said, wincing a bit. He may somewhat understand the people's narrative, but that mean it didn't hurt that he was the cause that people began to lose fate in him. "Artemis didn't go all, you know, on them did she?" he asked worriedly.

"Not really no. if it makes you happy, Artemis has been taking that oath quite seriously. There may have been a couple of instances where an eyebrow could have been raised, but nothing drastic at all, we assure you. And Artemis knows this as well."

"Continuing on, we now come to something integral. Perseus, you had your fair share of bringing young maidens, even rescuing those ones that had horrible experiences with men. Either it was slavery, abuse, even almost being molested. Well, that only increased with you disappearing, leading Artemis to rescue them when she could, and bringing full judgement on the perpetrators. Afterwards, she would bring the maidens to the hunt. But the experience with men led them to very wary of boys, and it even extended to Apollo or Hermes when they came to visit sometimes. Because of that, Artemis was unsure of how she should take the hunt forward, if the animosity only remained. It became difficult to recruit boys in the hunt as well, especially with you not being present since you were basically the male face of the hunt. More girls joined, and more boys left in time, until it came to the point where Artemis's hunt was considered a safe haven for maidens, and not for young teenagers and children as it previously was."

"That's not to say all the boys left, Arius and a couple of others who were there for years remained. But that all changed, when Artemis brought in the last male to ever be a part of the Hunters of the Twilight Moon. A male, by the name of Orion."

Perseus frowned as he heard this. "Orion…" he muttered, wondering why the name sounded oddly familiar in his head.

"That's because, this is the same Orion we three had introduced as Artemis's bane all those years ago." Atropos answered with a sigh. "Only this time, everyone was unaware of it."

Perseus got up to his feet, his eyes glowing. "She recruited her bane to the hunt?! And you three didn't think of warning her, or that no one else seemed to realize who he was?"

"He was different Perseus!" Lachesis snapped. "Orion was admittedly different from his brethren. He was the most human looking of them all, clearly could pass for a very tall man. And because of this, he was regarded as the runt of the group, and abstained from participating in the war against the gods, deciding to live a life of solitude. Until, he had a dream from his father, who promised him fame and glory greater than anything he could have imagined if he completed what his siblings failed to do. And so, decided that is he was going to tackle Olympus, and allow the Pit itself to strike, he would have to do it from the inside. And the best way to do that, was to be a part of Olympus's very own force. The hunters, and thus, even get close with his bane."

"Orion then decided to make a name for himself first, and became the royal hunter of King Oinopion of Chios. But, after raping the king's daughter Merope, the king had him blinded and exiled into the wild. But as luck would have it, Orion stumbled across Hephaestus, and after giving the god a cock and bull story for his blindness, gained his pity. Hephaestus then made a pair of mechanical eyes for the giant, allowing him a body sense that excelled that of mortals or his own before. His heightened senses developed during his time blind also made him a formidable hunter, and had soon caught the attention of Artemis, who was impressed by his hunting skills. She allowed him to join the hunt, but not as an official member, and slowly gained her trust by steering away from the other maidens respectfully, doing his tasks properly, and showing off his hunting prowess. Strangely though, Orion actually began to develop slight feelings for Artemis. But his duty to destroy her and his lineage caused his thoughts to knowingly get corrupted, to the point where he began to obsess over her. Killing her was still in his mind no doubt, but the methods he began to fantasize…"

"Let's keep that out…" Clotho muttered, noticing the deep frown on Perseus's face.

"Oh no, no." Perseus said, waving his hand. "Carry on, though I would really like to know about these methods. And is this Orion in Tartarus now? If not, I would personally like to send him there you know."

The Fates sighed together. "Anyway, with the obsession in hand, Orion wanted to win over Artemis's hand in any way he can by direct methods which related to hunting. He was an animal when it came to that, even resorting to sometimes kill with his own bare hands. Then, it became worse. Orion believed that in order to gain Artemis's undying attention, he had to remove any obstacles that could pull her away from him. He began to destroy minor monuments dedicated to you, because of your status to Artemis. But figuring that wasn't enough, decided to permanently remove any personal attachments. And the first in his list, was the hunt itself."

Perseus got up once again, already bristling with rage on hearing everything about Orion from the Fates. The guilt and anger he felt about his earlier hunters being dead didn't help him calm down either. It took Nyx's foreboding presence in front of him in order to snap Perseus out of his state.

"Tell me he didn't." Perseus growled out. "Tell me he didn't touch them…"

"He was about to molest a hunter, but he was stopped almost immediately." Atropos replied slowly. "Apollo was already wary of the giant humanoid after he saw his tendencies when hunting. And after digging around about him, had kept a watchful eye over him and was able to see what was happening. He alerted Zoë who was Orion's prime hater, and she managed to defeat him. Apollo then inflicted Orion with madness and sent him running off, and soon after that, alerted Artemis of what happened. In the end, Artemis tracked him down to a cliffside where she found the giant dressed in critter corpses. She summoned a scorpion to make Orion fight, and he lost in the end. As a finishing blow, Artemis manhandled him off the cliff, where he fell into the sea below. Without looking, she drew a bow and launched an arrow into the sky, where it then fell and effectively pierced Orion's heart, killing him. It was also then that we learnt how Orion had to be killed. Unlike needing a god and demigod to kill most of the giants, Orion was another special case where only a god, and an animal originating from the wild, together can kill him."

"And as a side note, Zeus was so impressed with Artemis's fight with her bane that he immortalized the giants disintegrating body in the sky, turning it into a constellation, along with the scorpion as well. Quite…unnecessary if you ask me." Lachesis said, shaking her head.

Perseus took a couple of deep breaths, before sitting down. "So he's dead. And in Tartarus I presume?"

Clotho shook her head. "I'm afraid not. He's still in the mortal realm, has been for several centuries, and the only giant from the gigantes to be currently in the mortal realm, or fully regenerated. Zoë Nightshade herself has taken it upon herself to hunt down the giant when she first heard of his reappearance, though Orion always managed to elusively avoid her. Especially if Artemis was involved."

Perseus sighed in frustration. "This Orion, I've only heard of him today, but he has already managed to put a sense of hate in me towards him. Probably because of his actions and intentions." He muttered to himself, pausing for a moment. "Wait, did you say Zoë Nightshade?"

Clotho smiled. "Indeed. The hunter had taken the name as her last name a few years after the gigantomachy, in honor and remembrance of the man who gave her a second chance, and a family she never knew she needed."

"Oh." Perseus whispered, a smile on his face. "Zoë…"

Atropos cleared her throat. "Continuing on, the incident with Orion sent a ripple through the hunters, which is still prevalent today. The distrust of males which existed in the back of the hunters came reeling ahead, causing a sort of split between the two. And while Artemis didn't want to let any of the boys leave, Arius convinced her it was for the best interest of the hunt, and soon departed with the rest of the males. But his story doesn't end there you know, for after roaming Greece for a few years, he then settled in Skiágis. During his travels, he came across several demigods, all of them living hard lives, which Arius knew could improve if the hunt still accepted males. Sure, the girls could go on and join Artemis, but Arius believed that the spirit of the hunt, a group of warriors, heroes, that trained for their true purpose should be kept alive. And so, Arius with the blessings of the gods and Artemis, created a place in Skiágis that would be a home for all kinds of demigods regardless of parentage, gender, and other trivial reasons. A place where they could train and even hone their innate abilities. A place, that then started to become referred to as a 'camp'. Camp Half-Blood it was then called. And after recruiting the centaur Chiron, who had also taught his fair share of heroes and had his wish of being an immortal teacher to heroes granted, Arius's belief prospered, along with the camp. He oversaw everything in the camp, like a director you could say, while Chiron oversaw the activities. And to this day, Camp Half-Blood still exists very much, and is still a home to countless demigods."

"Woah…that's honestly surprising." Perseus said slowly grinning. "Way to go Arius. But wait, is he still around or…"

Lachesis frowned. "He was granted partial immortality once again when he reached adulthood, so that he could be a part of the Camp of course. But after the gods moved to Germany, he mysteriously vanished. No one, not even the hunters or Artemis who he still kept in touch with him before know about his whereabouts, and don't think of asking us, we don't know either. The best you can assume is that he's alive somewhere, and can't be dead because his soul isn't in the Underworld."

"Come on Arius, not you too." Perseus murmured. "So, who has been running this Camp then alongside Chiron?"

Lachesis shrugged. "Ares was the next one, but was quickly kicked out. Some older and experienced demigods came in between. Apollo at one point, now that was a weird time for Camp… . But currently, the god Dionysus is now the camp director."

"Dionysus, the son of Zeus?" Perseus questioned, a bit weirded out. "Why would he become a camp leader to children? And did you refer to him as a god mow?"

"It was against his will. He tried to chase after a nymph which Zeus declared as 'off-limits' to anyone, except for yours truly. He has been put in probation in the camp as its director for one hundred years. This will be his third year now."

"And yes, he is a god now." Clotho replied. "A part of the Olympian council as well, he is the god of wine, madness, and parties. Amongst other things."

"Yeah…I can see all those domains being fitting. Especially parties…" Perseus said, a slightly disgusted look on his face. "So, there are still thirteen Olympians in the council?"

"Twelve." Lachesis corrected. "Hestia was the one who offered Dionysus her throne, finding no drive to be a part of the council anymore. She still attends some meetings from time to time, which the gods appreciate because they can get advice, but she also spends most of her time in Camp Half-Blood, in secret though. And if you're wondering about your status, well, you're deceased. Faded, dead, whatever you want to call a god that has ceased to exist. Zeus removed your throne after his final announcement that you wouldn't be returning. At all. Don't worry though, your throne isn't destroyed. Now that would have been problematic, destroying your seat of power."

"Oh…" Perseus mumbled. "You three are making me feel so may conflicting emotions today."

"That's what we're best at." Lachesis replied with a smile. "Now, what else shall we discuss…"

"The Decimation?" Clotho prompted.

"Ah…of course." Atropos said, her face darkening. "And that all started…because of one golden apple."

"Me!" Eris shouted from the ceiling, her eyes widening when she saw everyone stare at her. "Ah shit…I was doing so well."

"Come down daughter." Nyx said. Eris complied and hovered next to Perseus, giving Nyx a forlorn smile. "You called mother?"

"You participated in Lykofós's escape, when I explicitly told you to just watch over him as he rests." Nyx stated.

"Trueee." Eris dragged out. "But, the thought of you being mad, then you and Perseus fighting, and Perseus's confusion on seeing the world was too good to let it slide. Oh, I just love the chaos!" Eris said gleefully.

"So all of that was for your own entertainment?" Perseus questioned. "You threw me in some random city!"

"No I didn't." Eris said indignantly. "I led you to where Olympus was located."

"Well I didn't see any mountain now you know-"

"Enough." Nyx announced. "Morai, please continue."

"Yes." Atropos muttered. "This goddess over here, was angry that she didn't get invited to the wedding of Thetis and Peleus."

"Thetis got married?"

"I was insulted! Disagreeable they told me…"

"Yes and yes. Eris threw the golden apple of discord during the celebrations, which was titled for 'The Fairest'. Three goddesses then laid claim to the apple, declaring themselves to be what the apple spoke of. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite."

Perseus barked out a laugh. "Of course Aphrodite would participate." He said, shaking his head fondly. "Athena though? That's a bit of a surprise. Must have been the pride."

"Yes, yes, moving on. Zeus then declared the mortal prince of Troy, Paris, to be the judge on who should receive the apple. And well, the goddesses bribed him with gifts. Hera promised him to make a great ruler when the time came to take the throne. Athena promised to make him a powerful and fearless warrior. And Aphrodite, she…promised him the hand of the most beautiful mortal woman to currently live on Earth. Helen of Sparta, the daughter of Zeus. And if it wasn't obvious, Paris chose Aphrodite as the bearer of the apple and won over Helen as his wife. Which, did not sit well with Helen's then husband, Menelaus. He wanted his wife back, and by killing two birds with one stone, wanted to siege Troy as well. They weren't much liked you know, and Menelaus with the help of his brother Agamemnon, who was then the high king of Mycenae, launched a great expedition across the Greek mainland to participate in a war against Troy, and to get Helen back. Almost all of Greece participated in it, and some of the gods took sides as well. The war lasted for ten years, and gave rise to more heroes such as Achilles, Odysseus, and Aeneas, the first demigod child of Aphrodite."

"Aphrodite had a demigod child?!" Perseus asked, shock evident on his face. "What happened to not looking twice at a man, even if he looked like me or Ares?"

"Bewitched by Zeus." The Fates said together.

"Carrying on, the Trojan war of course, then happened. Troy mostly prevailed an invasion thanks to the walls which Poseidon himself built, all by himself when he was turned a mortal by Zeus-"

"Excuse me…but what?!" Perseus shouted.

Lachesis groaned. "Poseidon and some other gods rebelled against Zeus, and wanted to turn the council into a sort of democracy. That didn't last for very long though, and Zeus turned Poseidon and Apollo into mortals, hung Hera over the abyss of Chaos which he miraculously brought a part of to Olympus. Athena participated in the rebellion too, but she talked her way out of a punishment."

Perseus wasn't sure if he should laugh, be disappointed, or just rant. In the end, he slumped on his seat and nodded slowly. "I see…"

"There, there little brother, you'll get used to what the Olympians have been up to soon enough." Eris said soothingly, patting Perseus's head.

"Now that we can continue…the Greeks finally defeated Troy when Athena whispered a plan to build a large wooden horse, and to fill the inside with some of the Greek soldiers and present it to the Trojans as a gift. Which they accepted, and in the dead of the night, the Greeks in the horse opened the gates and let in the rest of the army, and finally laid their siege. It was bloody alright, and Troy was ransacked, most of the royal family being sold off to slavery. A few batches of the Trojans managed to escape, with Aeneas as their leader. And all of them harrowing the same thought. The god Perseus, had failed them. You were a prime that they always prayed to, but since you couldn't answer them."

Perseus raised an eyebrow. "I failed them. Sure, the Trojans may have been interesting to view worshipping us because they weren't Greek, but that doesn't mean I had any particular fondness or bias towards them. Not to mention, I would have stayed neutral. And probably go with it till the end, unless circumstances change direly, making me side with Greece. Which I doubt would have happened, but still."

"Tell that to the Trojans." Lachesis muttered. "Anyway, they and Aeneas's descendants fled to what would now be called Italy, where the descendants slowly established a powerful empire. They became, the Romans. And while they were increasing with power, the Greeks were decreasing in their significance. They were still powerful, but the previous glory and fame they retained before and during the Trojan war had started to disappear. It didn't help that the age of heroes was also coming to a close, with Zeus wanting to see an end to it. Your decline as a god also didn't help matters, and then slowly but surely, the Romans attacked. They pillaged the cities of Greece, and destroyed quite a lot of monuments and artifacts of the kings and gods. Most of them of you, since being descendants of the Trojans in a way, you were still infamous among them. Though you weren't the only god whose honor was destroyed. The Romans had ransacked Athens, reducing the city to the ground, and looted the most important statue dedicated to Athena. The-"

"-Athena Parthenos." Perseus whispered. "These Romans stole it?"

"Yes. And to add insult to injury, the Romans wanted to adopt the Greek deities as their very own. For them, they wanted to reimagine the Gods as perfect beings, bent to their ideologies and values. To the Gods however, they viewed this as a stupid name change."

Perseus blinked. "A stupid…name change?"

"Is what the gods viewed them as. The Romans, I don't know what they were thinking, but probably had the idea that they could change the gods to their liking. But they can't, you can't change who we are, no matter what. You can't change our roles, are assigned designations in the ultimate balance of this universe. You can't take away what we are, a name change will not allow that. Sure, the gods weren't be in their prime now since they won't really be worshipped so strongly, but they still existed because their belief existed within the flame of the west. Greeks still existed, using the actual names, much to the chagrin of the Romans. Camp-Half Blood also prevailed, and acted as a safe haven to the Greeks if needed. And the gods, they detested the Romans. If it wasn't for the change they tried to push, then it was for the decimation of you from history. The Romans basically wiped or shrouded any existence of you, and it was only a century or so ago when the world began to rediscover your existence in the myths, thanks to some old documents that the Amazons preserved and were discovered by the mortals. The information was still scarce, but enough to make people know you were important among the gods."

"And now, it's time. Time you learn some world history, as our job here is finished." Atropos said, turning to face Nyx. "I assume you will have that covered?"

"Indeed. But I will require your presence again, to let Perseus know about the flame of the West, and the current affairs of the gods. As well as, the great prophecy."

Clotho frowned. "I suppose so. Until we meet again then, Perseus." She said, she and her sisters disappearing in a flash of light.

"Do they have to do that light show all the time." Nyx grumbled. "It ruins my eyes."

"You don't have eyes mother, just empty sockets." Eris noted.

"I can still see, so it's the same thing. Now, Lykofós, how are you coping with all this information?"

"It's…difficult. Very difficult." Perseus mumbled, sighing heavily. "But I'll…I will be fine, I think."

Nyx nodded. "I believe you will. In the meantime, you could go and be by yourself in order to process al this information. Rest if you want to. Because once you're ready, we have to catch you up to date with all major world events that have happened over the millennia. Rest easy my son."

Perseus wasn't sure how long it had been since his discussion with the Fates, but it must have been considerably long if he had managed to explore the entire castle of Nyx's. He was impressed by the scale and scope of the structure, and may or may not have a liking to the style of architecture used. He had just exited from the barracks when he came across Pontus, who was heading towards a chariot, likely leaving.

"Grandpa P!" Perseus shouted, startling the old primordial. "I didn't know you stayed over."

Pontus blinked in surprise, a small smile on his face. "Nyx insisted, but I really can't stay here any longer. It's not good for a primordial to be away from its realm for long periods of time you know. Otherwise, it wuld try and find their beacon."

"What does that mean?"

Pontus smirked. "Best you don't know."

Perseus huffed. "So another thing you're going to keep me in the dark with?" he asked, watching as Pontus winced. "I was only jesting…"

"Too soon though." Pontus mumbled, a thoughtful look on his face. "But now would be a good time to ask me anything I should have informed you about."

"Well…how about Anaklusmos, Zoë's sword that is imbued with the sea." Perseus asked. "That sword is ridiculously balanced in my hand, and I asked you quite a few times if it was because I had a connection to the sea. So…do I?"

Pontus frowned. "You shouldn't honestly. Yes, I may have left my signature behind during the creation process, but all I imbued you was my healing abilities, which beings who I bless with only receive. Unless, the sword recognizes that power originating from the sea. Or Poseidon messed with your body, one of the two. But don't expect to control water or anything consisting that substance now, it's not going to happen."

"Hydrokinesis. That sounds fun." Perseus replied with a grin. "Imagine me controlling water."

"Don't count on it! You will only get disappointed!" Pontus stated again, hopping into the chariot. Perseus shook his head as he stepped back, allowing room for the chariot to fly off. After biding Pontus farewell, Perseus then made his way to Nyx's throne room, where the primordial was waiting for him.

"Welcome back. Now we just have to wait for…him." Nyx said, staring at particular spot next to her throne. Shadows began to descend from the ceiling and solidified into a humanoid shape. The shadows then disappeared, revealing a tiny and withered old man, leaning heavily on a walking stick. He slowly peered at Perseus, his beady black eyes blinking constantly.

"Perseus, this is my son, Geras, the god of old age. I have assigned him to be your, ah, history partner you could say. Geras, make sure Perseus is well taught, and if needed, show him some of those movies and television shows Eris always complains about."

"Understood mother." Geras croaked, wobbling down the steps slowly. Perseus rushed forward to help him, but Geras instead raised his stick, shaking it threateningly at Perseus. "Back! I don't need your pitiful help."

"Geras." Nyx said with a sigh. "Let your older brother help you."

Perseus whipped his head up. "I'm older?!" he whisper-shouted, staring at Geras. "Than him?!"

"Don't let the looks fool you." Geras muttered. "I'm older than I look."

Perseus blinked. "Don't you mean younger?"

"No." Geras said with a frown. "Why would you even say that?"

"Take this with you." Nyx interrupted, shifting in her place. A shadow crept out and solidified itself in to a rectangular object, that fitted in both of Perseus's palms. It was a greyish black in color, with two windows on it that seemed to showcase two wheels of sorts, with a black strip wrapped around them. 'History' was written on the center of the object, on a white square.

"What is this?" Perseus asked, holding the object with two fingers.

"That is a tape, VHS tape to be exact. You put it in a VHS, and it shows you a video." Geras explained.

Perseus tilted his head to the side. "What's a video?"

Geras muttered a curse as he led a confused Perseus out of the room

"It has been…two night cycles since Perseus has gone for his 'history lesson'." Eris said with a frown, glancing at her mother. "What do you think is taking so long?"

"Patience daughter, you shouldn't be surprised by this outcome. I'm sure Lykofós is taking all this in his own pace, soaking up all the knowledge."

"Meh, he should be out in the world and discovering all that himself. You know what they say, the more practical, the better." Eris drawled out.

"No one says that. And, Perseus can't flow through the time stream now, can he?" Nyx questioned. The shadows then began to move in the throne room, with Geras coming out of them, looking very fidgety for some reason.

"Well?" Nyx prompted. "How did he take it?"

"He took it well enough." Geras muttered. "Took some time to get him through the various wars, the second world war was terrible for him. But, I managed to distract him with those movies. Currently hooked on them for the past couple of days that god."

Eris raised an eyebrow. "For two nights, he has been watching movies?"

"And television shows. Currently watching Doctor Who as we speak."

"I'm sorry what?" Nyx asked, her blank face morphing into one of confusion,

"Yep, like I said, hooked. He first started with the Dick Van Dyke show, Bewitched, all the James Bond movies except for Goldeneye, The Godfather trilogy. Then some Greek shows like Anastasia, Light in the tunnel. French shows like Maigret and Commissaire, movies such as Smoking no Smoking, Milou en Mai. Then Indian movies Golmaal and Sholay-"

"Okay we get it!" Eris whined, but Geras rattled on.

"He was even interested in Japanese media, and ended up watching some of the Godzilla films, Detective Conan, Dragon Ball, Neon Genesis Evangelion-"

"Geras…" Nyx said in a warning tone.

"Then let's see…oh yes! Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Indianan Jones, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends, The Wizard, E. T., Clash of the Titans-"

Nyx raised a skeletal hand, and a shadow portal appeared beneath Geras, sucking him in. Eris breathed out a sigh of relief as she massaged her forehead.

"For being the personification of old age, I'm surprised he remembered all that and more." She muttered, cracking an eye open when the throne room doors opened. Perseus then walked in, munching on what Eris was surprised to see was popcorn, and had t-shirt with the words 'Doctor Who' scribbled on it in Greek.

"Hello, you guys want some popcorn. Man, this is the best modern food I have ever had so far. Hm? Oh this?" Perseus asked, noticing Eris staring at his t-shirt, "I'm surprised myself that I'm wearing it, it's actually quite comfortable. Even these shorts, and I wanted something Who related so I just made this-"

"Why are you talking in a British accent?" Eris weakly interrupted.

Perseus blinked. "I am?"

Nyx sighed. "Enough. Perseus, did you at least go through what you were supposed to do?"

Perseus bit his lip. "Yeah, I did do that. Gods, mortals really went through so much huh. Wars, disasters, development, all in a scope so large I almost forget that this is the world I'm viewing, not Greece. And Greece is so small compared to the Unites States, have you seen how big this place is?!"

"It is indeed." Nyx said, her eyes brightening. "Fall of Roman empire?"

"Uh…let me just calculate…395. Anno Domini, or AD in short. Or CE, which means common era-"

"Death of French queen, Marie-Antoinette?"

"16th October, 1793."

"When did Mughal emperor Akbar ascend the throne?"

"14th February, 1556"

"American civil war time period."

Perseus's eye twitched. "12th April 1861, to 9th May 1865. And did demigods really fight against-"

"When was Nelson Mandela born?"

"18th July, 1918. And are you seriously asking me dates-"

"The second world war time period."

"1st September 1939, to 2nd September 1945."

Nyx then paused, and regarded Perseus with dimmed eyes. "You are ready then."

"That was a horrible test." Perseus replied bluntly.

"The Fates should be here any moment now." Nyx announced. A few moments later, the Morai did indeed appear, giving Nyx and Perseus a weary look before sighing. "Here we go again. Where shall we start."

"The flame of the West." Nyx answered.

"Very well. Perseus, what do you know of Western Civilization?"

Perseus cleared his throat. "From what I understood, it is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional beliefs, and other factors that make up the western world."

"Indeed. And Greece is the birthplace of that civilization. You could see it from the development of the democratic system, and advances in technology, mathematics and science. And of course, the Greek Gods themselves moving to places where Western Civilization thrived. It is not some abstract concept, it is a living force, the collective conscious of every single living being that is a part of the culture. And the Gods, are an integral part of it. They are the source of it, and so tightly bounded that it makes it virtually impossible for the Gods to fade at all. That is, unless, all of Western Civilization is obliterated. So as long as the flame burns bright, so do the Gods. But like we mentioned before, the flame shifts where the civilization is at its strongest. From Greece, it moved to Rome, in the country now known as Italy. Then after the fall of the empire there, it shifted to Germany, France, and then Spain. After that, several centuries spent in England. And last, but not the least, the United States of America. Moved over here during England's colonization period, and have now been here for almost five centuries. And have very well left its presence in the country. After that, some events happened here and there while the Gods remained. Like the American civil war, which was fought by the demigods and the mortals. Thankfully, the latter didn't find out about our existence. After that, the next major event that was indirectly influenced by the Greek Gods were the two world wars, specifically the second. The big three gods, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, their children were the main leaders on their respective sides during the war. Children of Zeus and Poseidon joined forces to form the Allied powers, while children of Hades worked together to form the Axis powers. And now that you know your world history, you know that the Axis lost, with Allies being the victors. After the aftermath of the war, the big three then made an oath on the river Styx, an oath that declared that these three gods would not bear anymore demigod children henceforth, as these children are not only just too powerful, but they have altered the course of history many times, for better or worse. Poseidon was the one who brought the oath up, serious about preventing any more conflicts. Hades was on board with it after hearing the terms, and the heavy loss of children he faced, contributed to the agreement, while Zeus…needed convincing. He didn't fully shut it down, but wanted to hear more about it. But then came the deciding factor, the great prophecy and what it entailed, which forced Zeus's hand into taking the oath. And speaking of oaths, you actually did well by binding Zeus to that oath you forced him to take back then, the one which only you and Artemis can use. For it was Artemis, whose simple words of asking her father to take the oath, indirectly forced him to do so. As well as another oath, from her side."

Perseus raised an eyebrow. "An oath from her side?"

Atropos narrowed her eyes. "We're going off-topic."

"Ahem, you do realize this is something he should know concerning Artemis?" Clotho replied, making Perseus frown.

"…Fine. But after this topic." Atropos muttered, clearing her throat. "And then, the oath was taken. The council believed that this oath would not only bring an end to most conflicts, they may have tackled the prophecy as well. But, one thing you must always know about prophecies Perseus, is that you should never try to control them. For it can only lead to your downfall. And it was during this time, an ancient enemy of the Olympians regained its conscious, and was sickened on seeing how much the world had changed, mortals believing themselves to be gods for creating superweapons, and the gods in question, hiding away in secrecy, and not the dominating force of nature they once were. Unlike, the Titans. Unlike, Kronos."

"Are the Titans actually rising once again." Perseus asked. "And the gods know nothing about this?"

"Currently, no. But they will soon enough, and you Perseus may just be the god to inform them. Kronos is patient, and bidding his time. He isn't called the Crooked One for no reason, he will fight for his end goal. For he wants every single one of his Titan brethren to be with him in this war, including the peaceful Titans. And you never know, he may be able to sway them too. After all, Zeus didn't win any favors by imprisoning every single one of the neutral and peaceful Titans now, did he?"

"He did what?!" Perseus yelled, eyes glowing purple momentarily. "Is he mad?! Even his own mother?"

Lachesis frowned. "Rhea left long before the imprisonment happened, it was during your time Perseus. And we're not sure about her whereabouts either."

"But yes, Kronos rallying the peaceful Titans is very much possible. We just hope it doesn't extend to any others as well. But speaking of the great prophecy, I think it's high time you listened to it."

Perseus's eyes widened. "Of course, all this talk about the prophecy, and I don't even know it's contents. And…the first great prophecy during my time. The last one was during the Titanomachy, about the Ophiotaurus. I wonder if another innocent creature is going to be a part of this one too."

Lachesis blinked. "Well…" she began to say, but was stopped by her sisters. "Right, the prophecy…"

The three Fates collectively drew a breath and closed their eyes. They then opened them, and Perseus noticed that their eyeballs had rolled back, leaving only the whites of their eyes to be seen. And then, the Fates spoke together.

Half-blood children of the eldest gods

Shall reach sixteen, against all odds

Twilight shadows black throne of time

Away from kin, but with one of no rhyme

Siblings clash with an oath to break

One of their souls, accursed blade shall take

And a single choice shall end their days

With Olympus to preserve, or raze

Perseus blinked slowly as he finished hearing the entire prophecy. He threw up a finger, then paused, opened his mouth, and then closed it, raised his hands in a stopping motion, but then let them drop.

"They, are longer than I remember." Perseus chuckled weakly. "So that's what made Zeus consider the oath in the end."

"Indeed. The prophecy talks about the half-blood children of the eldest gods: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades. And that a couple or more of each of their children will turn the age of sixteen, no matter what. And twilight will play a role with Kronos, if black throne of time means anything. 'Away from kin'…that could mean anything, especially it's next part. A batch of siblings will also play a role in this, revolving around a cursed blade. And a promise to break. And it seems that a single choice, might just end someone's days. With Olympus in question, being saved, or destroyed."

"A half-blood child." Perseus muttered. "The fate of Olympus and the world, lies on this child. A child, which I'm sure even the gods wouldn't hesitate to kill, if it means preventing their destruction." Perseus said with a frown.

"Exactly. The young demigods fate is already up in debate with the gods. And with Zeus on neutral, it's only a matter of time before someone strikes."

Perseus slowly paled. "The way you are talking, implies that a half-blood child does exist. You're not serious…no you…and Zeus is neutral?"

Atropos gravely nodded. "There does indeed live a child of the eldest gods, who is the prime candidate as a child of the prophecy, and, is a reason for Zeus's absence. This demigod, is Thalia Grace. Daughter of Zeus."

It took a while, but Nyx was finally able to calm Perseus down from his biggest rant yet, after convincing him that she would allow him to watch even more different forms of media, including modern music and food. And in secret, would allow Perseus to roam the mortal world, unbeknownst of the Fates.

"Are you done." Clotho drawled after seeing Perseus recede his shadow tendrils back from his body. Perseus huffed. "No. but it's not fair to make you three overstay your welcome, so please, continue."

The three Fates sighed. "You might be wondering how this demigod came to be. Well, about forty years after the second world war, Zeus was going to oversee the production of various entertainment media, which he began to do monthly. Movies, television shows, theatre plays, those things. And it was during those where he stumbled across a TV actress who was very popular during the eighties, a woman by the name of Beryl Grace. With a big poofy eighties hairdo, an alcoholic and a penchant to do certain stunts in order to always be in the newspapers. Zeus was smitten by her beauty and boldness, and began to court her. And while Zeus was obviously aware of the prophecy, he had his thoughts muddled with the fact that as long as he kept his relationship with Beryl non sexual, he could get away with being with her as long as he pleased, and to never worry about a demigod child. And judging from the look on your face, you really can't believe that Zeus even considered the idea."

"Mhm." Perseus hummed, nodding his head.

"Well, one day, it happened. Zeus impregnated the woman, and on December 22nd 1987, Thalia Grace was born. Zeus was there for the entire pregnancy as self-inflicted guilt; which Beryl didn't help matters with. But he didn't show up on the day of the birth with an excuse relating to the winter solstice. And did not make an appearance after that day, ever again. Though, it wasn't the ancient laws he decreed that allowed it."

Perseus tilted his head to the side, his eyes widening. "The oath."

"Indeed. And as you already know what happens if a god breaks an oath on the river Styx, Zeus was kept in a coma for one year, and after that, four years as a mortal down in the human world, with no provisions. The rest of the Olympians were utterly shocked on seeing Zeus take the effects of the oath. Hera was rightly furious, but was abstained from Poseidon for killing Thalia, claiming that while he was disappointed with his brother, the child's life shouldn't be a reason for Zeus's infidelity, and shouldn't be killed for the prophecy's sake. Some gods didn't agree with Poseidon's words like Ares and Athena, but after a vote 6-5, Thalia's life was spared until Zeus's return, where he would make a final decision pertaining the demigod. Hera then became the temporary ruler of Olympus, and no. Her rule wasn't that better than Zeus's, but still passable."

"And what of the child currently?" Perseus asked.

"She is still living, but there have been constant monster attacks on the family. Beryl was already not too thrilled with Zeus disappearing on her, the monster attacks, and slowly became unstable. Heavy drinking, drugs, and rash actions in order to draw more publicity towards her did nothing to help her image at all. She believed to be the greatest woman alive for garnering the attention of the Greek king of the gods, and disliked Thalia too, telling her constantly that she was the main reason Zeus left, and that their lives were better off without her. She-"

"She said what." Perseus asked calmly, eyeing the Fates with narrowed eyes. "And the child is still living in that house with that woman?"

Lachesis took a deep breath. "Perseus, you know very well that demigod's home lives aren't always the best. What the demigod faces may be horrible-"

"But that is not an excuse to let them live in that environment. She is what, nine? And has faced constant contempt from her mother for who knows how long, just because that whore of a man wouldn't give that woman his thunder rod forever, and this would still apply if the Styx oath wasn't put in place. And let's not forget about the monsters that are attacking her, how are they able to track her scent?"

"Lamia." Eris interrupted, a slight scowl on her face. "The daughter of Hecate."

"…Hecate?!" Perseus almost screeched out loud.

"Yep. She started having children somewhere around the beginning of the Trojan war. One of her daughters, Lamia, was the queen of Libya at her time, and had caught the attention of Zeus, and had children with her. Hera was not pleased at all by this slight by Zeus, and killed every single one of Lamia's children. Heartbroken, Lamia retaliated by casting an incantation upon demigods, which will allow monsters to be able to track them with ease, killing them easily. This was her revenge for her children being dead. The gods were disgusted by this action and turned her into a snake like monster." Eris replied.

Clotho's eyes narrowed. "And that's how demigods lives are, you can't do anything about it Perseus-"

"Oh no, I would have done something." Perseus replied with a grin, getting up. "I would have gone up right now, rescue the demigod from that household, and care for her until she is ready to be on her own. Who knows, maybe even drop her to the hunters if she wants to-"

"Perseus, stop!" Atropos commanded. "You have no right to interfere as you please, you abusing your loophole of the ancient laws has never sat well with us. You can't change what we have set in stone-"

"Ah! But you three don't set things in stone, you all said it yourself! We all make our own choices, and you three just get to watch as we progress in life. Do you three even understand your roles?"

"…"

"Don't tell me what I can't do, you just don't want your 'all purposeful plan' against the Titans to be ruined. And believe me, I'm going to be in the beginning of that equation, and if I can, prevail them from attacking Olympus. I think I even have a role to play in it, 'Twilight shadows black throne of time'? I might defeat them."

"Or side with them." Clotho growled. "Prophecies always have double meaning, 'shadows' could easily imply that you're hiding the Titans, or have lent your strength to them by consuming them with your support. The next line in the prophecy doesn't really help with this claim, doesn't it?"

Perseus faltered in his place and pursued his lips. He was about to open his mouth when he stopped, and silently sat down, a scowl on his face.

"Lady Nyx, we put our faith in you." The three Fates then said together after a brief silence. Nyx slowly nodded, and the Fates disappeared in a flash of light, but not before giving Perseus an emotionless stare.

"I won't…" he muttered to himself. "I will not-"

"How ironic!" Eris cackled, looking up at her mother. "The Fate's put their fate in you! What is this-"

"Faith Eris." Nyx said. "Not the word associated with them."

"Oh…" Eris muttered, her eyes darkening. "But they did forget to inform Perseus about Artemis."

Perseus's head shot up. "Right! What about Artemis?!"

Nyx frowned at Eris. "Must you too use that name for him? His given name is Lykofós."

Perseus scowled. "My given name is also Perseus."

"Second name."

"The most commonly used one!"

Nyx sighed. "Children, difficult to please."

Perseus rolled his eyes. "Can you tell me about Artemis now, or I'm going myself and ask her about this, and you know you can't-"

"Stop you?" Nyx asked with an amused tone. "Darling, you have no idea what I'm capable of. But, we need to get the block out of the way. Perseus, you remember Heracles, don't you?"

Perseus frowned. "You mean the demigod who was a rapist, who killed my sisters pet crab, and the same one who ruined one of my favorite hunter's life forever until me and Artemis intervened, the same demigod who rewrote history to fit his narrative, and erased Zoë's existence from history as well? Oh I know him very well. What does he have to do with Artemis."

Nyx's eyes brightened but she didn't comment. "Zeus turned Heracles into a god after his death to centaur's blood, and throwing himself into a bonfire-" "Fan-bloody-tastic!" "-And married him to Hebe, the goddess of youth. Seeing this, and the fact that more gods were piling up to Zeus to have her hand in marriage, even after a lot of threats, didn't sit well with her at all. She pondered to take an oath of celibacy, just like Athena and Hestia, but this was during the time when she still held on to the hope that you would return one day. I may be missing something, but one thing is for sure. She swore of men, and even made sure that Zeus would upheld that oath, which he did. Though I'm not sure if it was because of your Styx oath, or by his own self. But yes Lykofós, Artemis has taken an oath of maidenhood."

Perseus had a blank look on his face, which continued for almost a minute until Eris cleared her throat. Perseus then blinked once, opening his mouth with hesitation and glanced at Nyx. "…So, she can never marry. I…can we still court at least?"

Nyx shook her head.

Perseus slowly nodded. "I don't blame her for it, I mean…I technically am faded now so it's not that it matters." Perseus said softly, a small smile on his face. "If she understood what she was doing and not acting rashly, and it doesn't affect her negatively, then I'm happy for her."

"She still loves you I believe." Nyx said softly. "Every day when there is some sort of an eclipse, she is all by herself. You know, after your disappearance, she didn't participate in making any eclipses for a year, which greatly confused the mortals. She even goes to Greece for an entire month yearly, visiting the places where you two held cherished memories."

Eris sniffed. "It's romantic enough to make me try romance again."

Perseus dumbly nodded, slowly getting up. "I would like to be with myself if that's alright. I'm not feeling anything; I just want to…be alone."

Nyx nodded in understanding while Eris tilted her head as they watched Perseus leave the room. "You think he's pondering over Artemis's oath."

"I don't believe so." Nyx said with conviction. "He truly meant what he said about the oath, he holds no ill-will, and wants the best for his beloved. Even if it may mean, letting her go romantically."

Eris frowned. "That's so unfair, you clearly said she still loves him, what bullshit is this between them. He indirectly broke up with his girlfriend without seeing her for two millennia, and his mother had to tell him that!"

Nyx sighed heavily. "I shall take my leave. And just keep an eye on Perseus, see that he doesn't leave. I know I said I will allow him to, but he has to take precautions. It's not that he can't go blindly around the world, even with the amount of knowledge he has consumed of it."

"Too much knowledge." Eris muttered, remembering her brother's get up.

"But what lies out there, is too important for Perseus to interact with without interference from the Olympians. But…I have a promise which I hope he will have upheld. One that will benefit him, and the Olympians in their inevitable fight."

After another night cycle, Eris was in the throne room, sitting on her own throne that was besides Nyx. Though it was only brought out for special occasions, Eris liked being in the throne room as it was the pinnacle of the original darkness, her mother. And she fed off it much like she did in various other confrontations and calamities. Eris was once again reading her book and eating an apple when she heard a distant noise coming from outside. Sure, she was used to the periodic screeches and cackles of Arai and Empousai, but this sounded more like…music. Suddenly, the throne room doors opened, allowing Perseus to slide in, while pushing a vacuum cleaner. Geras soon followed in, wobbling under the weight of a boom box which was blasting a song. He smiled at Eris and then did a pose, continuing to move with the cleaner as he did more poses, and then stopped in front of Eris.

"I want to break free! I want to, break freeee. I want to break free from your lies, you're so self-satisfied I don't neeed you. I've got to break free…"

"Gods knows! Gods knows I want to break free…"

"…Too much knowledge." Eris muttered weakly.

Perseus didn't seem to hear her as he continued on with the song and poses, while Geras shuffled towards Eris. "He wanted to do this with mother present, but this doesn't seem to deter him." He said, glancing at the singing god. "I think Apollo visited him in his nightmares."

"We don't get dreams or nightmares." Eris muttered. The shadows in Nyx's throne began to solidify to reveal the primordial herself, a slight frown on her face when she saw Perseus's act. "Hmm…judging from the lyrics, you want to go home."

"Gods knows!" Perseus sang, dramatically gesturing towards Nyx. "Gods knows I want to breeaak…free."

"And you will now." Nyx said, extending an arm out. The occupants in the room noticed a black vapor like substance in Nyx's hands, which Eris and Geras immediately recognized.

"The Death Mist?! How did you convince Akhyls to give it to you mother?" Geras asked with slight awe.

"Simple. I merely told her that Lykofós was going to cause misery to the Morai and the Titans. Besides, she really can't say no to her mother."

"That's called…Death Mist." Perseus said warily. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Calm Lykofós, you used the Death Mist before to trick Hades and Persephone with your age up, didn't you? Granted it was a small amount, but it was effective in concealing your aura from a big three god for some time right. With that small dose, they could sense you but couldn't grasp who you were exactly. And that's what Akhyls's prime resource does, it conceals the aura of beings, the capacity depending on the type of being. For monsters, it can't be applied. For mortals, it kills them. For demigods, it hides them completely from monsters for a limited time, but can only be used when the demigod is at the verge of death. And can be viewed by immortals. And for them, it completely conceals the true aura of a god, only with a large dose such as this of course. You will be visible to every being, but they will not be able to grasp what exactly you are. Absolutely nothing. Your aura is a blank state to them, you will be like a solidified apparition."

"So what I'm gathering is…" Perseus said slowly. "No god will be able to track me down, or even sense my presence until I myself show…myself...physically. So I won't be technically invisible, but I can't exist to an immortal or any being by sensing my presence…at all. Whoa…this is like some…quantum science stuff." Perseus muttered.

"You studied science?" Eris asked incredulously.

Perseus chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I can't look like some total idiot in front of mortals right? I'm a god, and that previous experience in the mortal world has scarred me."

Nyx's eyes dimmed, and extended her arm to Perseus. Perseus frowned for a moment but then took her hand. When he did that, the death mist began to shroud Perseus's body, giving him a somewhat smoky appearance. Until, Perseus's body absorbed the mist, making him feel sick.

"Ugh…I can literally taste it."

"Can you sense him?" Nyx asked her children, to which they then began to concentrate, and after a few moments, shook their heads. "Splendid."

"Can you sense me?" Perseus choked out.

Nyx smiled serenely. "I am a primordial you know. Though if the dose was much higher, then it might be possible I won't be able to sense you. Though that wouldn't happen, without harming Akhyls for that. Though a word of caution, the death mist can disappear from your body if you exhibit a large amount of your powers, or take your true form. While this is a useful tool, it can cause some problems so make sure you know when do you want to use the death mist or not. You can always take more, but the procedure will become more unbearable based on how many, or how much doses you took."

"Noted. Quantum Death Mist is temporary unless I go full power. Like Super Saiyan." Perseus wondered out loud, confusing Nyx, Eris, and Geras. "So…I can actually go now?"

Nyx raised her hand. "Hold, another thing Perseus. Don't…go looking for the Olympians. Believe me when I say that what the Fates are thinking may have some merit. But, it's not perfect at all, which is where you come in. There are already some Titans lurking in the mortal world, I think it would be sufficient if you can gather information regarding them, which you can then present to the gods in time. Maybe even send some Titans back to Tartarus. But your reappearance will literally cause a ripple effect among the Greek world, it has not helped with that tree like structure that has remained within your temple has now disappeared. Everyone is suspicious and doubting, so before Kronos can even think of moving his chess piece, be the black piece that retaliates in secret, and trickery. You have what it takes, utilize it properly. But…if a god finds you by sight, then I will not stop you from interacting with them. Whatever you do once they see you, is fully up to you. Can you please at least abide by this much?"

Perseus frowned deeply, pursuing his lips tightly. Nyx watched with bated breath as Perseus let out a sigh, and gave a stiff nod. "I…it seems reasonable. But that last thing about the gods, no turning back on that. Like you said, my choice." Perseus replied with a slight growl.

"And I swear on it." Nyx said with conviction, clasping her arms together. She then glanced at Geras who nodded, pulling out a shadow which then solidified into a couple of objects, which were then dropped into Perseus's palms. He immediately recognized them as cards, like a debit, a learners permit, passport, and an identification card. A pouch full of green dollar bills and drachmas was also among them.

"Everyone has their disguises, and so should you if you're going to plan to blend in with mortals. The names and details on the cards are blank though, so you have to fill it up by looking at them." Geras replied.

"This is kinda cool, not going to lie, staring at the cards. "Um, what should I put as blood group?"

"AB+"

"Okay…date of birth?"

"August 18th, 1975. That is, if you are going to go with this twenty-one year old form. Your birthday also matches to the exact day I gave birth to you. And the current year by the commonly used calendar is 1996. December 15th, 1996."

"Huh, I actually have a birthday now." Perseus said with a grin, and then frowned. "Um…what about my name. Perseus?"

"Lykofós."

"Definitely not." Perseus mumbled. "Lykofós is way too Greek and not really pronounceable, no offense. Perseus though…"

"Is also Greek." Nyx replied flatly.

"I'll get back to this later." Perseus mumbled.

"Wait! Clothes!" Eris cried out gleefully, snapping her fingers. Perseus's clothes shimmered, turning into a dark blue sweatshirt, with a black t-shirt underneath it. there were also black colored jeans on Perseus's legs, which he frowned at. "Jeans, really? And why gloves?"

"You'll get used to them." Eris replied dismissively. "And gloves to cover your palm, no offense. I'm not sure if the mist will be able to hide that as it's not magical."

Perseus sighed, and then glancing behind him and then at Nyx. "…I can actually…go?" Perseus asked hesitantly, taking a step back.

Nyx nodded, a genuine smile on her face. "Go forth Lykofós, you have broken free."

"And make sure you get rid of that British accent, otherwise the Americans may not take you seriously. And get a souvenir wherever you go." Eris called out.

"How am I supposed to sing my Queen songs then?" Perseus asked with a grin, summoning a shadow portal. "Well, let's see what's the deal with the city where Mt. Olympus is allegedly located." Perseus said to himself, jumping in the portal.

And done! Phew, another big chapter completed, I really hope this won't be the norm- But there's so much I want to tell you guys, it's sometimes impossible to stop writing. Now, if you haven't already guessed it, yes, there won't be any Romans in this story. No roman gods, no roman demigods, no roman variants. But, I will say one thing. Don't worry about the roman demigods, just don't worry. I will talk more about them later, and why am I saying this? Because I don't want to worry you guys, that's why. And, also don't worry about Artemis's oath, please. I know what I wrote, and I also know what I wrote. They will get back together, and no, not going to drag the reunion out for twenty chapters' either.

Also side note, I changed Artemis's flower in this fic, from moonlace to red amaranth. Why? Because it's kinda cliché. And red amaranth was held sacred by Artemis, so yeah. But thank you guys for reading the new chapter, and I will see you guys in the next update. Bye!...\/