Perseus - The Forgotten God

Welcome back to another chapter of this fanfiction! All the support that I have recieved certainly means a lot to me! In this chapter, it might feel a bit rushed to some, but I just wanted to get this section of it over and done with! Also, I'll be trying to flesh out the personalities of the Gods and Goddesses more in this chapter. And yes, I did use some Greek curses in this chapter, felt like it made sense!


Let me know what you think about this chapter~


Chapter 3 - Stop Swallowing My Siblings!

Ever since Demeter joined Hestia and I down in the stomach of Kronos - I had long since stopped even thinking about that despicable Titan as anything even as closely related to the 'F' word- things had… certainly been more entertaining.

Entertaining, as in Demeter and Hestia's personalities and eccentricities, seemingly clashed, and clashed hard.

Whereas Hestia was soft-spoken, reserved and highly polite, rarely saying a bad thing about anybody or anything, except when it came to Kronos. But, she was also a gentle soul, which I found pretty fitting since it was her 'dream' or her 'desire' to become a Goddess with the domains that revolved around family, whether they be family in general or the more exclusive domain of 'motherhood' or 'mothers'.

Demeter, on the other hand, was blunt and free-spirited, to put things lightly. Almost wild in a sense too; sometimes she was loud and overbearing, speaking over the top of both myself and Hestia; sometimes she was quiet and more reserved, not wanting to talk unless she was directly spoken to. It almost reminded me of her stories of when the seasons changed. But the one thing that remained consistent about Demeter was that she wasn't concerned with speaking her mind, which was rather refreshing, I might add.

However, Hestia didn't like it, especially when… less than pleasant language was involved.

Let it be known that Hestia was not against a rather mean pinch or slap when you used one too many of those expletives around her, and somehow her pinches always found my earlobe or her slaps managed to find my weak spot that was just underneath my rib cage.

I could still feel a phantom pain around my earlobe when I called Kronos a 'Βλάκας Ηλίθιος'. And I doubt that Demeter had forgotten about all the slaps that she had received from the amount of expletives that she loved to use against Kronos too.

At times, I would just sit back; my limbs still entangled within Demeter's and Hestia's hands as they seemingly bickered. Sometimes, when things were getting a bit too strongly worded, however, I often had to mediate between them before things got out of hand or one of them accidentally said something that would sever the bond between them.

And let me tell you; having two huffing, childishly angry Goddess's right beside me was not a fun time.

I still remember being left in complete silence for a long period, even if I could still feel my two sisters clinging to my arms like a lifeline, it wasn't fun being reminded of how alone I'd been in here not that long ago. I always tried to mediate the anger but sometimes no matter how much I tried to get them to apologise to each other, they just stayed quiet for a while.

Eventually, one of them would talk again and they would continue on like nothing had ever happened. All you had to do was wait for the turning point. So when times like those came around, and all of my attempts to settle the grudge failed, I loved to close my eyes and nap.

That was the best time to take them because when I woke up—sometimes forcibly, by being consistently poked all around my body—Hestia and Demeter were friends once more.

Suddenly, it felt like my entire body jostled; everything became blurred, and the voices started to get even stronger.

"-us,"

Huh? I tilted my head, glancing around. Things were becoming wavy, sensations were blending and smells integrated that shouldn't be there, or in fact, I shouldn't know by that point.

"-us!"

Suddenly, my entire body jolted as a powerful sensation coursed.

"Perseus!"

Snapping out of my little funk, I suddenly felt a sense of deja vu wash over me. The stomach that I was in was seemingly heavier than ever, warmer than ever… but more importantly, suddenly awfully crowded.

"H-huh, what?"

Stammering like a buffoon as I was suddenly launched out of my memories, I glanced around. The darkness of the stomach that had been simply overpowering in times past was suddenly much lighter; I could see distinct yet blurred outlines of my siblings that were unfortunate enough to join us in this damned prison.

Opposite me, I could see the outline of another feminine figure with long cascading hair that was getting frazzled and curly around the top. I could also see the barest outline of a chiton garbing her frame.

That was my third sibling and my third sister who joined the fray in our prison: Hera.

And I'm going to be completely honest, she was a massive, massive pain in the ass to all of us. She acted so… so… stuck-up and had this infamous temper that flared up even if you spoke out to her.

It might've just been how she coped with everything suddenly forced on her. To be swallowed by Kronos, to have Rhea's warmth slip away from her. However, even when Hestia, Demeter and I tried to help her through everything, she rejected everything from us: our words, comfort, or even silence.

For me, well, I didn't know what had happened when she was swallowed or after that. I was napping after another Hestia and Demeter argument that I couldn't

So when I woke up, I was shocked to hear that another person had joined us.

It was almost like she was an erratic piece of work that didn't know what she wanted, nor when to let things in, to lower those walls built so highly within her mind.

But at least after we finally got through to her, she did become more pleasant. She joined in on the conversations, and that was when we learnt that she looked at the bigger picture as a whole, almost like she was being made to be a ruler of some kind.

She didn't want a simple solution for a short-term problem. She wanted a solution for a long-term problem and everything to be absolutely tied up, settled, and without strings attached.

I also learnt that when she lost an argument, she became very combative, her silver tongue working a mile a minute to try and sway us to the other side to see her way.

I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that it was something that she got from Kronos more than anybody, and that could either be her saving grace or one of her fatal flaws that would make her a very divisive individual only a select few would entirely follow.

But apart from that, I noticed something about Hera on a more… well… I'm not sure how to describe it, but I noticed that despite Hera being a woman too… there was just… a different connection between her and me.

It was totally unlike the one I felt with Hestia and even different from what I felt with Demeter.

But, those were for thoughts for another time.

"Are you alright, brother?"

Hearing that rather smooth yet cold voice belonging to my brother—my first brother—Hades, naturally sent chills up and down my spine because of how contrasting his voice was.

Glancing over to Hera's left, I saw the vague outline of Hades, where he seemed to relish the darkness. I could see his fingers twirling around, and I could see vague wisps of darkness and shadows following those digits, almost like he was making them dance to his tune.

"I'm fine, Hades," I answered back to him, "Just… reminiscing,"

Seeing him give the faintest of nods, he accepted my answer, before he went back to moving his digits elegantly. But I could see the faintest of lip twitches as I regarded him.

It seemed that the others were, well, not sceptical but slightly fearful of Hades. It even took Hestia, the warmest, nicest person we knew, a while to warm up to Hades.

It wasn't like he was bad, nor a bad person, not by a long shot. But it was just this… aura that he constantly exuded; it was one of coldness, almost suffocating to be near.

But I could still remember very clearly when he was first swallowed and how the others reacted to him and his presence.


FLASHBACK

My three sisters were arguing again about which flower was the prettiest. Demeter said she knew the most about plants, so her word should be final. Hestia said that she was the one to help Mother plant the flowers, so she knew which was the prettiest. Hera's argument was that she was the last one to have seen them, and therefore, she should have the final say since she could remember them more vividly.

Thankfully, as bad as that sounds, they were interrupted by the sudden lurching of our prison. This effectively cut off their argument, as the two sisters on my arms clenched onto me tightly. The three of us knew what this was and what was about to happen.

"Don't be afraid, Hera, it will be over soon" I said. I could feel her reaching around and then she grabbed my ankle. I smiled, knowing that even my strong and independent sister needed the support of her big brother, made me feel really good.

"And then we'll have more company," Demeter muttered.

It only took a few minutes of shaking, just like every other time, before we were blinded by a burst of light and then a weight dropped down beside us.

My theory was correct. Every time Kronos added more to his stomach, we stretched it closer to his skin, letting at least a little bit more light through the walls of our prison.

That meant I could see that over by Hera we had a new cellmate.

"B-brother? Are you alright?" I stammered out. I had just assumed it would be another girl. That's all Mom seemed to be able to make, with three in a row. I had just assumed, and I'd been wrong.

"Who's there? How can you see me?" he called out, his eyes not adjusted to the blackness of our home.

"I am Perseus. I assume you're my brother, the child of Kronos and Rhea?" I questioned. It would be mighty strange if Kronos had just up and swallowed some random dude out of nowhere. Not that swallowing his kids wasn't strange, but… at least we had come out of him to start with?

Ew, that was gross.

"I am Hades, the son of Rhea, yes. Mother told me I had siblings, but I didn't get to learn much about them. I was only a few weeks old when Father became afraid of me when he learned I was a boy. I never got to meet my sisters" Hades said sadly.

"Well, let me introduce them. To your right is Hera, who is a blast of sunshine and rainbows, " I spoke out, sarcasm clear in my tone. I saw Hera bristle, but she didn't reply to the jibe, "She was the youngest before you. Across from you is Demeter, who will be the goddess of plants or something one day." I guessed that one, we didn't really delve much into potential domains these days anymore, considering circumstances, "I'm on her left. And then on my left is Hestia, future goddess of home and family, who provides warmth to our lovely prison." I explained.

"It is nice to meet you all. Mother spoke very highly of all of you. S-she misses you all dearly" Hades said.

"T—thank you, brother. It is good to know that my mother still thinks about us and that the world hasn't forgotten us," Hestia said quietly. She seemed a bit reserved and quiet, maybe even scared.

"Hes, are you alright?" I whispered in her ear, which made her shiver against my body where she was tightly pressed.

"I'm fine, Percy. It's just… his aura is the opposite of mine." Hestia admitted with a slight shiver, "Cold, unwelcoming. It's unnerving, kind of scary," she whispered back. I turned back to our brother, who I could see feeling around with his hands to get his bearings.

I didn't feel anything off about him. Maybe it was because the two of them were opposites so Hestia could feel it? That was my original hypothesis. It was debunked as soon as I turned my attention to Hera.

She was actively leaning away from Hades and still gripping my ankle tightly. I turned to Demeter to see she was also trying to shrink into me and the stomach behind her.

"Hades, do you, um… do you ever feel cold? Unwelcome?" I asked tentatively. I didn't want to say the wrong thing and make him feel what I had just asked, unwelcome.

"Ha!" It was a curt laugh, but I could feel the lingering pain underneath, something that he tried to hide, but couldn't properly, "Every day of my life brother. Nobody but Mother could stand to be near me, let alone talk to me." He admitted, "It was part of what made Father eat me. He was scared that I had so much passive control over people's emotions and thought I might use that to sway them against him. Now I'm in here with you all," Hades answered.

"In which case, I apologize for the skittishness of our sisters. They too are feeling your aura. They'll just need some time to accept you, that's all. We are all used to Hestia's warm and soothing presence. They'll just need time to get used to the new feeling," I explained, trying to make him feel better.

"And you brother? Do you need time?" Hades asked, clearly noting that I had neglected to include myself.

"I don't feel anything like that from you, Hades," I admit to him, "You just feel like a normal guy to me," I said, shrugging my shoulders, though he probably couldn't see that.

"Well, that guarantees you're mother's child then," Hades mused. We continued to idly chit chat until he felt the pull to sleep, at which point we all joined him in slipping into unconsciousness.

FLASHBACK END


*CRACK*

*CRUNCH*

"Ha ha!"

A loud, boisterous cry of victory suddenly echoed about in our prison, and I couldn't help but have the faintest of smiles gracing my face as I looked in front of Hestia, where the outline of a now shattered boulder remained.

Why was there a boulder in the stomach with us? I would never know. Perhaps our father got hungry and decided to indulge in a boulder. Either way, there wasn't much we could do about it, no matter how confused we were.

The person who destroyed the boulder was Poseidon, our second brother.

He had plopped down into our prison, same as everyone else had. The rumbling stomach, the burst of light, and then another weight added to the stomach. We were all really hoping that Mom was turning infertile now, because there was no way we could fit a seventh sibling in here.

Across from me, Hera was sandwiched between Hades and Poseidon. On my side, Demeter and Hestia were pressed up against me willingly by the stomach. I suppose if push came to shove and we had to make more room, Hestia could come on top of me, I mean, she was there already anyways, and it wouldn't take more than a small pull to get her all the way up on top of me.

Poseidon's entire demeanour and aura were vastly different from Hades'. Unlike Hades, Poseidon was a little… alright, quite boastful. He liked to be heard, felt, or even seen. His aura was more pleasant than Hades', and thus he was more well-liked upon first being swallowed by everyone.

Although I could 'look' deeper into that, I knew his aura was chaotic. It was controlled but chaotic like it could lash out at any moment and be something of a force of nature, much like how Hades' aura was more coiled and controlled, ready to spring into action if something got truly out of hand.

Even as his outline shimmered and faded slightly, I could see him picking up a broken chunk of the boulder in his hands, and I could hear him grunting as he tried to break it apart even more with his bare hands.

A moment of silence was ensured. I could hear Hera scoff in annoyance at Poseidon's efforts, and even Demeter shifted slightly next to me. However, glancing towards Hestia, I could see the faintest of warm smiles emanating from her features. Her eyes were locked onto Poseidon like she was giving him some silent empowerment.

Just like a mother would.

However, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness.

It seemed as though Hestia's dream of eventually becoming a Goddess of 'Motherhood' or 'Mothers' had been washed away. Sure, she still wanted to have something involving family, but that was about it

She had become traumatised by Kronos' actions. She had been scarred by Rhea's desperate pleas and crying over each kid she lost.

*CRUNCH*

My thoughts were suddenly cut off as I heard Poseidon cry victory once more before I felt the scattered bits of dust, and chunky pebbles fling around in the stomach as Poseidon threw his arms in the air, proud of his achievement of destroying the boulder into nothing but dust and rubble.

"That was what I did to that dastardly monster! Crushed it with my bare hands!"

"Well done," Hestia spoke out, ever loving and polite.

"You sure you didn't get Mother helping you in the background, Ηλίθιος?" Was Hades' snarky comment.

Immediately after that was spoken, I couldn't help but snort out a bit in laughter at Hades' snarkiness. It was immediately rewarded with a small slap courtesy of Hestia, but it was worth it.

It seemed that, like how Demeter and Hestia got on each other's nerves initially, Poseidon and Hades were the same way.

Except for the fact that no grudges were involved between Hades and Poseidon. If there were, they were quickly settled with actions and reactions.

Maybe that was the difference between a brother's and sister's bonds. Men acted and reacted, whilst the females held those grudges for so long that it nearly became a part of them, and they very hesitantly released them.

"Hey, I'll have you know that Mother wasn't anywhere near me, Μαλάκας!" Was Poseidon's cry of mock outrage, and I could vaguely see him waving a closed fist towards Hades' direction.

"Language!" Was Hestia's annoyed reply, a little peeved about such crass language being thrown around by the boys.

"Mhm," was Hades' response, obviously unphased by Poseidon's goading.

"I agree with cold, dark and broody next to me," Hera said, sniffing disdainfully. Out of everyone, she didn't like Hades much, and it showed with the way the two of them were often at each other's throats, which wasn't ideal since their throats were very easily accessible, being right next to each other and everything.

"Don't you get started with me, Πουτάνα," Was Hades' curt, crude comeback towards his older sister.

I heard Hestia hiss and bristle in anger next to me. I myself felt a little shaken. That was the first time that Hades had insulted Hera like that.

Calling her a 'hoe' was certainly uncalled for.

So, I did what I did best.

"Ahem~" Immediately, I could feel everybody stiffen as I cleared my throat, and allowed my aura to seep out from my body slowly, "Children," I started, immediately going for the 'eldest brother', hell even attempting to enter the most 'father-like' tone I could muster, "Behave yourselves, Poseidon, you calm down," I didn't even need to look at him to see that he was nodding his head, "Hades, apologise to Poseidon and Hera, and you Hera, apologise to Hades."

It took a few moments, but letting another concentrated blast of my aura seep free. I could feel everyone shudder when I did that. The three across from me did so in a way as if I had frightened them. Demeter shifted more in her legs, moving them around and pressing herself more onto my arm. While Hestia got even closer and more on top of me. It was like she was trying to get closer to the source of that power, like she craved it or something.

"Sorry, brother," Hades said, sounding pained as he apologised to Poseidon, "Sorry, sister, for calling you that foul name."

Hera gave a sharp nod of the head, one that could easily be missed, "I accept, brother, and sorry for letting my feelings known to you."

I could only groan in annoyance at Hera's response. Yes… this would become a problem in the future; I could just feel it. I could already feel a migraine starting to come to life. Rubbing my temples, I attempted to soothe the aching pain.

"It's not a problem, brother!" Was Poseidon's response to Hades' apology, before I could hear his fist slam into his open palm, "Besides, we'll settle it mano a mano when we leave our father's gut!"

"I'll be waiting for it."

Well, now that everyone had apologised, I closed my eyes before taking a deep breath, allowing the aura seeping out of my body to recede into me once more, much to Hestia's chagrin, as she tensed up and sighed deeply at the loss. Though she didn't make any attempt to return to where she had been before.

Suddenly, our prison started to shift again, although with great difficulty due to all the extra weight and passengers currently smooshed inside together. "Another one?" I could hear Hestia exclaiming in distress, thinking that another sibling would be joining us in this prison.

"Please no!" Poseidon cried out, "It's much too stuffy in here already!"

"I swear if someone falls on me…" Hera let her threat linger heavily in the air, a small huff to her voice.

"SHHH!"

Now that it was silent again, I could feel the eyes of my brothers and sisters burning into my body, "Listen."

A moment of silence suddenly blossomed before it was broken by Poseidon's confused voice, "To what? I can't hear anything," he muttered.

I clicked my fingers and pointed in his direction. "Exactly!" I exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "It's quiet… too quiet," I added. "You can't hear Mother pleading… and you can't hear Kronos' voice," I explained. It made sense that he wouldn't know, he was the youngest and when the boulder had joined us, something just felt… off.

That was extremely telling that something was happening. Whenever Kronos swallowed another one of my siblings, I always heard Mother crying and pleading, or I could even hear the sounds of my siblings crying out, or even flailing around in my prison.

But now, as Kronos prepared to swallow… something, there was no noise.

No voices accompanied it, and Mother wasn't there pleading desperately like what had happened in the past.

Something was up…

"Huh," that came from both Hera and Hades, and for once, they didn't get up each other's throats as copying each other, like what had happened in the past.

"I wonder why?" Poseidon wondered.

"That's… new," was Demeter's reply.

Suddenly, we all heard it.

*GULP*

We all collectively held our breaths. That singular sound was enough to cause nightmares; it was enough to dredge up any bad memories that we had. I could feel both Hestia and Demeter cling onto my arms, their bodies shivering as trauma surged to life within them.

And I am powerless to do anything.

It was fucking horrible.

*GULP*

I clenched my eyes shut, preparing for the blinding light that always followed the noise, but this time, it didn't accompany. I couldn't help but look up.

*SPLASH*

Immediately, my face was greeted with a torrent of foul-smelling liquid. I could feel the thick liquid slowly running through my hair, and I could feel it start to dry immediately, my lips parted slightly to retch. However, as soon as I did, a little dribble slipped past my lips and into my mouth.

*RETCH*

My tongue felt like it was burning, my throat was almost burning up as the thick, viscous liquid slowly dribbled down my throat, where I felt it lingering heavily upon my stomach like a thick gelatin.

I could feel my vision blur and I could feel my body start to get tipsy. But then, through all of that, my nose suddenly crinkled, trying to close both nostrils to prevent that thick, disgusting scent from entering my senses.

But it was much too late.

I could feel my stomach twist and churn unpleasantly, almost making me want to puke everywhere that I could.

Whatever this was, Kronos was drinking it by the bucketful. It was just a constant, never-ending stream of foul smelling liquid that somehow tasted even worse than it smelt.

How was that even possible!?

*SPLASH*

I could hear the muffled cries of panic and disgust filling the stomach as my siblings were also bathed in the foul liquid. I could hear Hera's ear-piercing shriek of disgust ringing in my already ringing ears. I could feel both Hestia and Demeter sway on their spots.

However, the worst was yet to come.

Immediately, a horrible crushing sensation greeted us all as the stomach walls closed in tightly. Squishing our bodies against one another. The feeling of having the stomach walls collapse in on oneself, and being pressed right up against my siblings was a horrible feeling, especially when we were all getting slathered by this disgusting liquid.

I could feel the heartbeats of my siblings. I could almost hear their stomachs churning and twisting in disgust as the liquid settled within them, and I could hear their breathy, throaty gags of disgust as they fought the urge to vomit.

Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth, I tried to focus on the crushing sensation rather than entertaining the possible idea of getting bathed in my siblings' vomit.

Then, suddenly, without warning, the pressure stopped.

But then the stomach shifted, and a deep, rumbling sensation vibrated our bodies spectacularly.

*PSHH*

"Woop!"

Without warning, Poseidon cried with joy as his body was suddenly blasted upward as Kronos regurgitated him, leaving the stomach back whence he came not all that long ago.

Then suddenly the stomach squeezed down tightly once again. I could feel my teeth gnashing together as the pain flared through my body, no longer dimmed down by the horrible concoction that Kronos had just drank.

*POP*

Then, I felt Hades leave our presence as he shot upward, back up through the stomach. The area felt a bit warmer now without him, and my body pressed extremely tightly against Hestia's made me feel a bit better about this whole situation.

"H-he's…" Hera started with a stammer, disbelief clear in her voice.

"Regurgitating us…" Demeter finished, her voice slightly slurred as the effects of the drink were still present on her.

"H-how," Hestia whispered, her hand clenching down painfully on my hand with enough force to shift the bones.

"It doesn't matter!" I said, "All that matters is that we're leaving here!"

*POP*

With a squeal that quickly lost its power, soon Hera was regurgitated by Kronos, joining our siblings on the outside world for the very first time.

"See you guys soon!" Demeter let go of my arm, and I suddenly felt awfully cold again. But I had no time to linger on those thoughts as another ear-piercing sound rang out.

*POP*

Once again, it was just Hestia and me. I could hear her sniffling, close to bawling her eyes out, as our siblings left us, leaving us alone once again.

The prison felt harsher. Darkness quickly ensued again, leaving us both in permanent darkness, no longer able to see vague outlines or shapes.

Then, we both cried in pain as the stomach churned and crushed us together once again. I closed my eyes in pain as I could feel my body contorting painfully to the stomach's will; it felt like a searing pain was shooting up and down my spine, threatening to burn me alive from the outside in; even my heart was struggling to keep up its pace.

"It's alright, Hestia," I murmur, struggling to reach out and gently run my fingers through her sodden hair, "I'm here…"

"I love you, Perseus," she whispered tenderly to me, her thumb gently running across the back of my hand.

Then, it happened again.

*POP*

Hestia's hand ripped away from my own as she was suddenly launched up and out the stomach.

I was alone…

The darkness plagued my mind, my thoughts instantly became muddled as everything was drowned out in the shrouded darkness. It almost felt like everything had been some type of fever dream, like it never happened.

Even the remembrance of Hestia's touch suddenly disappeared, like it never happened in the first place.

Suddenly, the stomach clenched down hard once again. The pain and pressure suddenly returned tenfold. With me being the only one to experience this crushing pressure, the stomach collapsed profoundly, crushing my body from all sides.

I could feel the walls shifting and twisting against my body, threatening to snuff me out of existence with a simple crunch.

It was becoming unbearable to me. The only thing spurring me on, to continue pushing my will against Kronos' was that it would soon be my turn to leave the prison.

I waited, gritting my teeth as I pushed with all of my might to prevent myself from being crushed.

Was… was it nearly time?

I could feel the gentle rumbles underneath my body start to simmer once again.

I clench my eyes shut, preparing myself for my explosion upwards.

I waited…

And I waited.

Much to my surprise, the pressure started to let off. I let out a shuddering gasp as I could breathe once again.

But then, panic filled me as the stomach started to settle.

"No, no, no, no!" I cried out, madness filling my entire being as thoughts of never seeing my siblings again suddenly fill my mind. Not seeing or feeling Hestia's or Demeter's touch… not hearing the snarky remarks of Hades, or having the boisterous personality of Poseidon around me.

Clenching my fists, I spun around and started to slam them against the walls of my stomach, uncaring for the fact that they bounced off without leaving a bruise or sign of connection.

But I didn't care. I continued to slam my fists against the stomach, trying to force Kronos to regurgitate me so I could join my siblings, so I could join, and be part of the outside world once again after who knows how many ages.

However, as soon as my left fist touched the walls of my stomach, they suddenly shuddered. Then, the wall pushed inward, flinging me across the stomach to the opposite side, where I sank in a light layer of that disgusting liquid that made my nose burn and my stomach churn once again.

Yet, underneath me, I could feel the rumbling appear again. Then, the liquid beneath me started to fizzle, I could feel little bubbles popping against my skin as the stomach started to lurch and shake violently.

Suddenly, a crushing pressure forced itself upon my body. I gave a great roar of pain as it felt like my body was being crushed underneath the weight of a thousand overgrown bodies.

Then…

*POP*

Like a water geyser opened up underneath me, weightlessness overtook me as my body rocketed up from the stomach. I could feel my hair flailing wildly as I was forced up Kronos' gullet.

Then, I felt utter coldness. Opening my eyes, I suddenly gasped as I saw the stars in the night sky, along with the large, shining, and round moon.

As small as they were. They were bright, twinkling little things up in the sky that left me utterly transfixed.

Then, the smell of nature overtook me. Just smelling the fresh air again after so long made my body tremble. I could feel my eyes glisten with unshed tears as everything came crashing back at once.

I was free…

I was free!

The outside world! It looked just as beautiful as the stories my siblings have told me about!

I wanted to feel the brisk night air against my body more, to feel fresh air entering my system, seemingly uplifting me…

*THUD*

Groaning in pain as my body suddenly slammed into the hard ground, knocking me out of my thoughts, I shakily reached out, my fingers grasping into the topsoil of the ground before forcing my body to move.

Focusing on my legs, I suddenly felt pins and needles flare up, causing an awful tingling pain, to ensue. Gritting my teeth, I shakily pushed myself up to my knees, panting as it seemingly took all the energy in my body to focus on my legs.

Limbs I have not used in so long apart from minor shuffles and shifts.

Shakily standing up on my legs, I felt my knees knock together, and I exhaled heavily as I fought to keep my balance.

I could hear Kronos retching in the distance, somewhere behind me. Hearing his voice caused me to shudder. But knowing that I was out of his body made me feel so much better.

"Come on!"

I gasped as I heard a rather smooth voice next to me. Turning my head, I noticed that it was a rather handsome young man with black hair, a beard, and a moustache. However, his electric blue eyes were the most recognisable and eye-popping feature.

"We don't have much time, this way."

In my stunned silence, he suddenly grabbed hold of my arm, before he started to run in the direction opposite of the retching of Kronos. I for one nearly stumbled as I started to be dragged behind him, my legs so unused to carrying my entire body.

And there was mere silence that followed as we continued to run. Run down what seemed to be a large mountain.

Hoping down little nooks and crevices and leaping over upturned shattered boulders, we continued to run down the staircase - why the hell was there a staircase on the side of a mountain? - before the man suddenly yanked me to the left, and my vision blurred as I was suddenly in darkness yet again.

Only this time, this darkness was warmer, lit by small torches on either side, revealing it to be a small little cave.

I barely noticed five other individuals in the cave with me—people I shouldn't know but recognised.

Two males, three females.

One of the females had luscious black hair that shined in the torchlight. She wore a chiton dress that fell to her ankles and seemed to shimmer and flare out like an animal's tail feathers. Her body was perfectly built. She had a rather strong nose, slightly upturned, and seemed to have an air of haughtiness around her.

This must've been Hera; there was no mistaking that kind of aura.

The other female had slightly darker skin and was slightly smaller than Hera. She had long blonde hair that reminded me of the colour of the wheat that used to run in when I was a boy. She wore a bright green dress with a dark cape, although slightly tattered and worn from the time Kronos was in Kronos' stomach. She had beautiful hazel eyes that were mesmerising to look at.

Looking towards the male off to the side, I instantly recognized him as Hades. The cold, cynical aura that he was producing was key to that. He was tall and very imposing, and he was muscular, too. However, he seemed to have albino white skin and cold black eyes that reminded me of the darkness of Kronos' stomach. He had black hair that had two bangs covering most of his forehead.

Then, my eyes shifted towards the other male, Poseidon.

He was a tall, handsome man who oozed power yet held a gentle grace. His black hair was slightly unkempt and messy, with a neatly trimmed black beard. He had a deep tan and sea-green eyes—which reminded me of brief snippets of our Mother, Rhea, who was surrounded by sun-crinkles. This told me that he had been smiling nonstop when he was in Kronos' stomach and his release.

"Perseus!"

Instantly, a youngish-looking girl with flaming red eyes that seemed to pierce through my very soul, but they held untold amount of warmth and kindness, and beautiful mousy brown hair, wearing a reddish-gold chiton that fell just past her knees, with a small hood that covered most of her head.

"Hestia," I murmured out, stunned before I grunted as she suddenly latched onto me, and I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her, bringing her in close to my body.

They were free!

Then, I remembered the other male. Releasing Hesita from the hug, but keeping her hand in mine, I spun around to face him, weariness rising in me. "Who are you? Why did you help us?" I asked, my tone belying that I wasn't in the mood for games now.

He raised his arms placatingly, "I'm Zeus, your youngest brother," he said. Now that he mentioned it, there was a vague sense of familiarity between him, Hades and Poseidon. "You must be Perseus; Mother has told me lots about you," he said, before he glanced around to his other siblings "All of you," he said before sighing, leaning back against the cave wall. "I'm glad that my plan worked, none of you deserved a fate like that."

"For that, we are very thankful to you, little brother," Poseidon said, a large smile on his face and his eyes positively shining. "Things were starting to get cramped in there," he joked light-heartedly.

Hades snorted derisively, "Noo, seriously?" he drawled, raising an eyebrow in bemusement at his brother.

Seeing Poseidon about to retort, I had to quickly simmer them down, "Children," I warned them both. Seeing them stiffen slightly, they both looked to me, rather sheepishly before Hades dipped his head ever so slightly.

Seeing this, Zeus couldn't help but have a smile on his face. Clapping his hands, he got my attention and everyone else, "It's no problem. Dad is quite the idiot, even more so when he is drinking." He admitted, "I was hoping that you would help me with something, a task that I cannot complete on my own, and one that, if successful, would change the very nature of the world forever, and for the better," he said, his voice rising a few octaves as his blood started to pump in his body. "I know none of you have been out in the world for long, but I have, and it's horrible," Zeus admitted with a shudder, "The world below is in ruins; the Titans are spoiled, destructive brats that-"

Stepping over, I placed my hand upon Zeus' shoulder. Tingles ran up and down my body as I felt small arcs of electricity sizzling through my bloodstream. He shuddered as he felt my hand upon his shoulder before his gaze met mine. "We are indebted to you, little brother," I said, "What would you have us do to help and repay that debt?"

For that, I spoke for everyone. But, naturally being the oldest, they waited for me to make the move.

There was a brief pause before Zeus took a deep exhale and met my eyes. "I want you to help me kill our father—" he announced, determination in his voice, "-and get rid of the other Titans, however necessary."

I blinked.

That… was a very big ask.

"That's a big ask, little brother," I said sternly, "what of the other Titans, those who aren't destructive… those that aren't following Kronos' orders?"

It looked like Zeus swallowed a lemon at that. However, he shook his head as memories flooded by him, those of Titans that weren't destructive, nor had any role in the tyrannical rule of Kronos, "They will be spared. If they help us, then so be it" he announced, and I couldn't help but nod at that, "The time of the Titans is over, it's time for us Gods and Goddesses to rule the world, to make it prosperous, for all the peoples that live in it, immortal and mortal!"

Nodding my head, I turned around and glanced at my other siblings. Hestia, being the gentlest soul, looked a little off-put, but I could see that she was ready, no matter how much hesitance her eyes showed.

Demeter looked determined, her hands clenching and unclenching, her hair wavering slightly as her form glittered minutely as if she were holding herself back from something. I could see in her eyes that she wanted to take revenge on Kronos for what he had done to her and us, in taking us away from our Mother and from the outside world for so long.

Hera looked ready, although she was sending these… odd looks in Zeus' directions and having pink dust her cheeks every now and again as she looked away.

Hades, well, he looked ready. The shadows around him seemingly enveloped all around him, causing a terrible coldness to bathe the area. He nodded his head in agreement.

Poseidon, well, knowing him, he looked ready. He was flexing his muscles and swinging them around to warm himself up. Seeing my look, he looked at me, and nodded his head.

"We are in, little brother," I announced to Zeus, causing him to let out a brilliant, eager smile that was full of relief too, "We will do everything in our power to help you. Together, we can get rid of our father once and for all!"

Zeus took a moment to let that sink in. Determination and relief shone within his electric orbs, "Good, I'm glad that you are joining the cause, eldest brothers, and eldest sisters," he announced. "But first, there is somewhere that I need to take you… there is someone whom I know that wants to see you all again desperately."

With that, Zeus made a 'come hither' gesture with his hand, before he started to make his way out of the cave, his body ready and coiled to strike at anything that moved that wasn't us.

"Well, come on, let's get out of here," I said to the others.

With that, we started to follow Zeus down the side of the Mountain, the angry, bellowing sounds of Kronos hurling, along with the sounds and tremors of rockfalls slowly receding into the silence as we went further down the mountain.

END

Well! There you are, nearly complete with the 'Prologue' stuff as you could say! Please do continue to let me know via review, or PM what you think about this story! Once again, massive thanks to reddit user husbandofartemis for helping me along with this fic and editing it, and Beta reading it! It's much appreciated!

Now, because I'm absolutely garbage at writing action scenes, I don't think there will be much about it in the next chapter(s). I'm debating on if I have Perseus' weapon being Kronos' scythe, or having it reworked into a differnet weapon, either way, things will certainly change canonnically, even moreso than what they are currently!