Chapter 17:

The twin titans were looking better since Perseus' intervention within their fading, yet it was still clear to any observer that they were withering away. Perseus at first had been desperate to reverse their condition but soon grew to accept the scenario as he saw that they were both at peace with what awaited them.

Rather than move on as Perseus had so many times after helping people, he decided to stay and get to know the two before it was too late, and so a friendship was built between the four of them over the month that had passed. Selene had been wooed by the 'adorable fluffy bear' that she referred to Erimia as and the two were often together as she played with Erimia. Perseus' daughter of course knew what was to come having heard of such things in stories that her grandmother and great aunt had told, therefore instead of getting angry at the name and not being seen as the fierce warrior she was, she let go of that side of herself. And so, over the month Erimia had remained in her smallest form and played with Selene whenever she could, the two growing close as Erimia found her first close friend, not regretting having decided to be kind to the Titaness.

Whilst they had been up to this, Perseus had regularly hunted with Helios around the small island they resided on and Perseus was taught some skills regarding his manipulation of his powers connected to both the sun and moon by the elder titan. Despite how much the Titans enjoyed the company, as time drew on, they both grew weaker and were soon trapped within the confines of the cave, lacking the energy to venture outside for any long period of time.

This deterioration in their condition had only made it clearer as to what was to come and had deeply saddened Perseus and his daughter, but whilst the confinement may have kept them from enjoying themselves outside the cave, they were kept entertained as each told stories of their own lives.

Perseus had been surprised to hear that the chariots of the moon and sun were drawn across the skies by themselves with the titans only providing the energy to guide it over its journey, as from what Hestia had told him, the twins were known to ride the celestial bodies across the sky.

In return for the stories and teachings of the pair, as well as the much appreciated company that he could be entirely open with, Perseus had taken to preparing the food for the pair and was ecstatic to hear how the pair loved his cooking, which only fuelled him to try to cook better. Furthermore, he shared with them some of the songs that Callie had forced him to learn during his stay in Tegea after having heard his voice once and saying it was beautiful.

And so, as another month was coming to pass the cave on the small Greek island was filled with the smells of delicious food, the voices of singing and laughter, filled with joy but covering a hidden sadness. The titans had grown weak and could barely sit up without the support of the cave wall and yet neither had felt so at comfortable or at peace before in their immortal lifespan.

As the night was coming to a close and transitioning to the new dawn the sun never lifted over the horizon as the moon fell, bathing the entirety of Greece in darkness that no one knew the cause for. Perseus on the other hand was gently comforting the barely awake titans as Erimia laid on Selene's stomach as she softly stroked the cub's pure white coat. "It will be okay; you will live in paradise within the realm of the faded for eternity and one day I shall join you and we can sing together once again." Perseus said comfortingly, although he was trying to convince himself at the same time, whilst holding back tears at the fading friends that he had made.

"We know Percy" Selene said, having adopted the nickname Antheia had gave him when she had first heard it in one of Perseus' stories, "And we will see you one day but it better be a long way in the future or we'll make sure your paradise is far from peaceful." She spoke in a threatening tone which surprised Perseus given how soft she was talking, but the chuckled along with the others.

"I promise." Perseus said simply but Selene nodded knowing that he meant it and wouldn't break the promise if he could.

The four stayed there in a peaceful silence as they relished in the last moments of their short-lived, yet strong, friendship. Helios then turned his head to look at his sister in the eye as they seemed to have a mental conversation before both faced Perseus from where they leant on the walls of the cave.

Helios then began to speak, "Since we knew we were to fade over a year ago the pair of us scoured the lands looking for someone who didn't associate with the filthy Olympians, other than a few of course, to who we could pass on our domains." Selene then picked up where he left off.

"We had no success, which is no surprise given the gods have made it their goal to wipe out all those that oppose them in the slightest. And so, as we settled on this island, we came to the decision to pass our domains onto our cousin, Hestia, the Olympian that we most trust and who is the nicest person we've met, to pass onto who she sees worthy."

Helios then continued, "But yet here, as if by fates will, Hestia's own child has come and shown us kindness so very few have ever. Showing the honour, loyalty and purity that only the fictional legends told to children contain."

"We therefore decided that you would be the one, to carry our domains, not for another but as your own as you still can having not come into your own domains yet." Selene paused for a moment, "I know that you may reject it, saying you aren't worthy or some other rubbish, but it is our decision."

"So please Perseus, will you give us our final wish so we may pass in peace knowing that someone as good and true as you shall safeguard our domains?" Helios concluded.

Perseus was shocked at this revelation. He knew that he was already powerful as Hestia had told him, power which he never craved to contain. All he desired was to have a peaceful life with a family that he loved and that loved him, but he knew that this would only make him more powerful, and yet he couldn't refuse his friends final request. And so, having come to accept this, Perseus nodded, "I would be honoured and shall serve to make your domains as breathtaking and revered as they were under your own control."

The siblings gave a weak smile as they lifted their hands, and each placed one on his shoulder closest to him. Then muttering in an ancient language passed down from the eldest titans or possibly further, that Perseus had been taught by his mother, they said, "To Perseus, son of the Hearth and Heart, keeper of dawn and dusk and natures chosen lord, I Helios, Titan of the sun and day / I Selene, Titaness of the moon and night, impart my domains of sun and day / moon and night, to restore and protect for all time to come. May they take him as their new bearer to tame and wield with honour and glory."

As they spoke glowing strands of silver wove it's way around Selene's body, as did glowing strands of Gold to Helios, before trailing up their arms and collecting in bright glowing light where their hands came into contact with Perseus. As they finished speaking, all strands had collected in the light that now connected them to the godling which then wove around his body and overlapped one another before sinking into his skin.

As the energy sunk within Perseus, he began to emit an array of glowing light, consisting of bright white, gold and silver, along with a deep midnight blue that was almost black. As he glowed, Perseus could feel the power combine with his own and his own strength increasing to many times what it had been before, having the full power of the domains rather than his own that had not yet been announced.

As the power flowed through him Perseus could feel a connection to the darkness that littered the cave, along with the light that flickered from the warm fire lit in the centre of the cavern. Soon the glow died down and Perseus reopened his eyes that had closed as the power entered him, and Selene gasped as she saw the twinkling lights like that of the night sky residing in his pupils.

The twins then smiled as they felt Perseus' strong connection to their domains that could only be gained by someone with who the domains truly belonged like themselves. It was then with tears that Perseus noticed their bodies begin to flicker together, yet the warm and soft smiles never left their faces as they each held one of Perseus' hands.

"The domains belong with you Percy, we can feel it. It will be natural for you to guide the sun and moon across the sky and they will prosper under your guidance." Selene explained.

"The day and night are similarly connected to you and the skies will glow with new depth and light under your care. Nyx and Hemera sleep along with the other primordials, but should they awaken they will love you as they did us when they taught us of the domains. Don't fear them as so many do for, they are kind and loving people unlike many of the other primordials." Helios continued, surprising Perseus as he thought of meeting the primordial goddesses one day when they awaken.

"You are a truly great friend and shall remember you until you join us in the realm of the faded young Perseus." Selene said as she ran a flickering hand, softly down his cheek and wiped away the tears that were flowing from his eyes.

"I shall remember the two of you as well and shall one day meet you in the paradise where the faded reside." Perseus answered, not being able to hold back the chocked sob he let out when Selene gave a last kind smile before flickering out of existence, leaving only a silver glow that almost immediately faded to nothing.

As Perseus stared into the empty void of space that was left behind by the Titaness, his attention was soon drawn to her brother who was also smiling warmly and drew Perseus into a hug. After only a few short moments Perseus was left hugging nothing as the glow dissipated and Perseus was left alone in this cave other than Erimia who was curled beside Perseus, obviously depressed over what happened to her kind friend.

Neither occupant of the cave could have told how long the deafening silence hung in the air where nothing dared move, it could have been minutes or hours. Finally, something happened but it was anything but normal, a bright flash had illuminated the cavern before slowly dying out to reveal three figures. They were all young women and based on appearance they seemed to be sibling, probably identical triplets given how close their appearance was to one another, furthermore, as Perseus vision came back into focus after the brilliant flare of light, he could clearly see that these women were extremely beautiful leading him to assume that they were immortals of some sort.

Regardless of their arrival, Perseus didn't move from his place kneeling on the ground where the Titan's had faded from and simply peered at the three curiously, Erimia moving closer next to him but staying in her smaller form.

"Perseus, Son of Poseidon, Aphrodite and Hestia, heir of Selene and Helios." The woman on the right spoke out as she stepped forward.

The middle one then stepped up to join her sister in front of Perseus, "First child of the Sea's, Love and the Hearth, blessed by Demeter and loved by the Wild."

Finally, the last sister joined the others on their left, "Your time has come. Whilst most Godlings come into their domains at the mortal age of 18 you had to wait for Fate's will to play out, our will."

There was a moments silence as Perseus processed what they had said, they knew all about him, facts so few knew, and they were fate's will. As he quickly interpreted the identities of the three from their words, Perseus lifted one of his legs up and bowed his head in a formal kneel, "Lady Atropos, Lachesis and Clotho, I apologise for not being able to recognise you, as you will know I am not in my best condition."

"Of course, young Perseus." Lachesis, the leftmost sister, spoke softly and with a kindness that their tales failed to mention.

"But as my sister has said, your time has come. Today you shall be brought into your domains and true power, and such power it is that you hold." Atropos, the middle sister, said with some awe in her voice as she spoke of his power.

"Many Gods and Goddesses are not fully controlled by fate and have some power to weave their own path in life but your freedom from our threads is more than even some weaker primordials." Clotho explained.

"As such you will carve out the future with your actions and choices, backed by the great power you shall wield." Atropos continued.

"We cannot truly see your future, but we see that in godhood, your power will challenge the eldest titan's born from Gaea and Ouranos, as you are far from a normal God." Lachesis added.

"You are born of Aphrodite, a titan in her own right, and a strong one due to her being born from Ouranos' true power mixed with the seas. And then you are born from her and the seas, passing great power onto you with control over water that rivals both Oceanus and Poseidon." Clotho explained.

"And you are a true child of both the Hearth and Love, as both loved you dearly regardless of circumstance, therefore passing great power to you." Atropos picked up from her sister, "All of this is only what we can observed as your true self is clouded from even us. Only our mother, Lady Ananke, Destiny herself holds will over what has happened so far and what is to come for you."

"Many believed that we three design the reality that unfurls in every detail but that is far from true. We simply weave a path that we believe is truest and for the greatest, but our tapestry is not made of stone and is ever changing. We hold great power that can challenge that of the primordials themselves, allowing us to control fate as we do, but only our mother truly designs what is to happen, and even then only she and our father Chronos the true holder of time know of what is to come." Clotho continued.

"But from our observations of you over the years we have confirmed our belief that you are the purest of beings and as such have decided that you are the one will shall trust with a great power. As told to us by our parents, Lady Ananke and Chronos, there would be one that we choose to give this power to that would define Fate and uphold our will and protect destiny." Lachesis said, as Perseus was struggling to keep up with everything he was hearing.

"And so, we ask you to be the one blessed by fate. The one with the power to defy the very weavings that we create. The one to whom prophecies don't bind and who protects all that is good and true." Atropos finished off, leaving the cave in a tense silence.

Erimia, who similarly to Perseus, was struggling to follow everything, knew that this was something monumental and that what her father chose would define what is to come. As a result, she decided to trust in the judgement of one of the very few people she could trust no matter what and looked at him as he met her gaze, showing through her eyes that she was with him in whatever choice he made.

Perseus, steeling his expression as he came to a decision, looked back to the Fates, eyes glistening with determination. "It would be my honour Milady's; I shall do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of destiny and all that is good and true. I swear to you that I shall not falter in my responsibilities and will serve you with honour."

As this, all three sister's faces lit up with bright smiles and their eyes shone with excitement. Then Clotho spoke, "Then rise Perseus, Blessed Protector of Fate."

Perseus stood up before the three sisters, Erimia standing with him and increasing her size to around 2 and a half feet tall. As Perseus stood in front of all three sisters, they held their hands out and began chanting as one, each voice overlapping and emanating a power the likes of which Perseus had never felt before.

"We the fates decree that on this day, Perseus, Blessed Protector of Fate, Son of Poseidon, Aphrodite and Hestia, becomes the God that he is destined to become. May he take his domains to hold, protect and honour as he wields them for his immortal existence." Their voices speaking in a foreign and ancient language that Perseus could somehow understand, realising that it is due to his blessing by the fates and that the language was that of the original Primordials.

They then switched to the common Greek tongue as the glow that was building in their hands was sent into Perseus, "Hail Lord Perseus, God of Dawn and Dusk, Day and Night, the Sun and Moon, Nature and natural beauty, water, fire, battle, wolves and hunting." Perseus was shocked as he heard of all the domains he held as even the few immortals that held a similar number of domains that he had heard of didn't have such powerful ones.

As the glowing beams form each of the fates was fully absorbed by Perseus there was dead silence for a moment or two before Perseus felt the power burst through him as he unleashed his true form and wielded a fraction of his full power for the first time. Perseus emitted a swirling glow of the purest white and the deepest black that exuded power that would rival the big three and was only a portion of his full strength.

The surroundings responded to the presence of his power and the small island was ravaged by violent and brutal waves that decimated the coast, the land itself crumbling as it shook aggressively and huge ravine like cracks spread across the entirety of the island. The sun peaked over the horizon as the moon was falling off the other side and their light combined and whipped across the island, obliterating everything that it made contact with. Finally, the deep crevices within the land spewed forth raging flames, the likes of which no mortal could even witness and hope to live to tell the tale.

The light from both the moon and sun came together before Perseus where the sliver glow sunk into the darkest inky blackness whilst the golden one brightened into an impossibly pure white before they melded together in a breathtaking swirling display. As they slowed to a stop, they hardened into a solid form that fell into Perseus outstretched hand, now holding the brilliant sword that was created, made from his power itself, his godly weapon. The sword was a perfectly swirled mix of black and white where each side of the blade was one whilst where they met, as well as the handle and cross guard, was a swirled mixture of the two that was almost hypnotic in appearance. Across the flat centre of the blade, inscribed within the swirl of black and white was ékleipsi meaning eclipse, the place where light and dark truly combined.

As the blade was caught in his hand a new burst of even greater power was unleashed as the island finally sunk under the pressure as the last of it was annihilated. Then as the waters from the surrounding seas crashed together over the sinking, devastated island, the conditions started to mellow out as Perseus floated back down and came to a stop standing on perfectly calm water with a disgruntled Erimia next to him atop the water and the three Fates staring at him with shocked expressions.

As everything came to a stop Lachesis smirked before speaking, "It seems that we have made the correct choice sisters, he has great power and is greatly connected to his domains." Her sisters nodding in agreement.

Clotho then spoke up, "One last thing before we leave. I already believe I know what you answer shall be, but what is to be your godly animal." She said with a smirk almost identical to her sisters.

Perseus smiled at this and looked to Erimia who's eyes widened as she met his eyes before she nodded shyly. "Erimia shall be my godly animal." Perseus said with finality.

"And so, it shall be" Atropos said as a glow passed from Perseus to Erimia who glowed brightly before it died down and she was left the same although emitting a far stronger aura. "Erimia is now the immortal animal of Lord Perseus and can only fade once her father does." Atropos announced joining her sisters in smirking as she called him Lord obviously knowing it made him uncomfortable.

It was then that the Fates disappeared in a flash of light leaving behind a quiet "good luck" to Perseus who just let the now gentle waves carry him to the shore of the nearby mainland where he flopped down both mentally and physically exhausted, joined by a once again small Erimia curled up on his chest where she promptly fell asleep.

Both Perseus and Erimia were still dealing with the loss of their two recent, yet close friends who had only just parted with their lives, along with everything that had happened since and neither could believe that it was only such a short time ago that they were telling stories and laughing with the twins.

Before Perseus could fall asleep, needing the rest for the first time as he had to adjust to his new powers, he used the sun's light to teleport his daughter and himself onto his old prison that now felt like more of a home than anything, after all it was where he had met his mother. Perseus smiled at his new power and control, not because he desired the power itself as so many others did, but because it meant he could keep those he cared for safe and better conceal himself from the Gods.

As he laid on the bed with Erimia on his chest he was slipping into the realm of Hypnos when he felt a warm and soothing hand trail down his cheek softly. "I'm so proud of you son, I will keep you safe, don't worry, just get some rest." Hestia said warmly as she placed a soft kiss on his forehead before pulling back and seeing the slight smile on his face as he finally fell asleep. Hestia had seen the entire meeting with the Fates after having watched over the fading of the two titans, having been using the hearth to keep the twins filled with hope and peace all the way to the end and support her son and granddaughter in their grief.

She now knew, more than ever, that Perseus was truly powerful, rivalling the big three at the least and that he would be even less safe if Zeus and Poseidon found all this out. Whilst this reality angered her, she truly was proud of her son and was happier than ever as she had grown close to her sister and had a real family that she loved and that loved her. Whilst no one noticed, the Hearth had grown brighter since she met Perseus and now it was stronger than ever, and Hestia knew that she was too. If anyone came for her family, they wouldn't succeed, as they were all fighters when those they loved were threatened. Whilst she may be a peaceful goddess, there is nothing she wouldn't do to keep Perseus, her son, safe.

Another Chapter down,

I know a lot of you are probably thinking, why has he got the domains of sun and moon. As I previously mentioned, this story doesn't follow the myths perfectly and as such Artemis and Apollo aren't born yet, being the reason why no one went to Apollo about the plague btw.

I'm sorry if this disappoints you but I wanted Perseus to do all this stuff beforehand.

Also, Perseus won't keep the domains of sun and moon if you were wondering, he'll pass them to Apollo and Artemis as he sees them worthy successors of Helios and Selene.

Anyway, In the next few chapters we'll be meeting a pregnant Leto, so you can look forward to that.

As per usual, I love to hear from everyone, and thanks to those who reviewed already, so please review and tell me what you think, want to happen and what I can do to write better.

Also, no one got the domains perfectly, but I thought I'd mention a few that got close, so props to:

- Crywolfseven

- Flash

- Eddys700

- Dragon Master 888

Finally, Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time :)