Ch. 6

A small circle of gods and goddesses had gathered in a loose semicircle around the battle. Perseus stepped up beside Dionysus, who looked bruised and battered but overall okay.

"We should help," he began only for Dionysus to shake his head.

"Father Zeus has commanded us to stay out of the battle. He intends to finish Porphyrion off with only Heracles by his side."

Perseus looked mystified, confused why they didn't all just jump in and end the battle right then and there. But he knew better than to defy the word of a god, let alone Zeus.

Suddenly the sound of clanging metal reverberated through the whole plain. Porphyrion had landed a blow on Zeus' chariot, sending the king of the gods crashing to the ground, his four wind steeds sprinting off in four opposite directions. His charioteer, Nike, fell to the ground with the chariot, rolling a few times before coming to a stop in front of the giant. Porphyrion grinned as he looked down at the victory goddess, his spear already raised as he prepared to impale her.

"Ah, yes," the giant king muttered, "perhaps we lost the war, but at least I'll get to enjoy the sight of at least one dead goddess."

He raised his massive spear and thrust it down at the prone goddess' body. He expected to hear a cry of pain from the victory goddess but instead only heard the sound of a few surprised gasps from the small crowd of Olympians that had gathered to watch the battle. Porphyrion looked down and couldn't believe what he saw.

Holding his spear at bay, mere inches above the goddess' body, Heracles gripped the giant's weapon with both hands, right above the point of his spear. The son of Zeus' body strained, his large muscles bulging out, thick veins could be seen in his arms and neck as he used every ounce of his strength to hold the fatal strike back.

"How is this possible?" Porphyrion growled, staring down at the mortal hero below him. He tried to push past the demigod's grip but somehow Heracles managed to hold firm, not giving an inch to his enemy.

With his attention focused on Heracles, Porphyrion was oblivious to the other mortal hero who charged in from his right. Perseus held a long celestial bronze spear in his hand as he ran straight towards the giant. Ten feet away, he jumped onto the overturned chariot and launched himself in the air. He hurled his spear with everything he had, aiming for the side of the giant's neck.

His spear flew true and Porphyrion staggered backward, bellowing in pain and outrage from the celestial bronze weapon protruding from him neck, just below his ear.

Another thing the giant king failed to see while he tried to overpower Heracles was that Zeus had risen from his fall, his body growing even larger, over thirty feet tall now. In his hand, he held a fifteen foot arc of pulsing electricity.

"No throne for you, Porphyrion." Zeus declared, "Not now. Not ever!"

The king of the gods hurled his bolt straight into the back of the giant, blasting him forward where his crashed to the earth twenty feet from the spot he'd tried to kill Nike.

The king of the giants twitched and spasmed from the massive amount of electricity that coursed through his body. He slowly managed to calm his body's involuntary movements and opened his eyes.

Standing above him, he saw Zeus glaring down, another bolt of lightning gripped in his hand.

"Alright boys," he said, nodding his approval.

Too late did Porphyrion see the two demigods standing on each side of his head. Heracles and Perseus both raised their swords and drove them into neck of the giant. Before he could even let out a cry of pain, Zeus drove his bolt like a dagger into the chest of Porphyrion. The earth broke apart and swallowed the massive giant as he bellowed in rage, his body already starting to dissolve as he fell into the depths of Tartarus.

As the giant's cries of outrage faded away, an uneasy silence fell over the collection of Olympian Gods and trio of demigods.

It was broke by Perseus, who took a couple uneasy steps backwards and promptly fell on his backside, the world suddenly spinning out of control in front of his eyes.

"Perseus!" Poseidon said worriedly.

"I've got this," Apollo announced as he shrunk down to his mortal size and knelt by the barely conscious demigod. Apollo put a hand to his forehead then slowly passed his hand over the length of Perseus' body.

"Just exhaustion," Apollo said with a smile, making Poseidon let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Apollo turned his hand up next to him, summoning a few small cubes out of nothing. He broke apart one of the cubes and gently fed it to Perseus who gingerly chewed the unknown substance.

Perseus felt like one of Zeus' bolts of lightning had hit him; his mind cleared instantly and a surge of energy coursed through his body. He sat bolt upright only for Apollo to stop him with a hand to his chest.

"Easy, little cousin." The god of medicine smiled. "I gave you some ambrosia. It will help but you still need to take it easy. You've over exerted yourself in battle. You need to go easy."

Apollo helped him to his feet again. As soon as he was standing, Perseus felt all the blood rush to his face. He found the entire Olympian Council staring at him, obviously having witnessed his feinting episode.

"Gods," Perseus muttered under his breath. "Could this be more embarrassing?"

He had said the words quietly but in the silence of the gathered gods and demigods, he was pretty sure everyone heard him. His face managed to get even redder, which he hadn't thought was possible.

"My son," Poseidon smiled at him. "You have saved Olympus. Five different giants have tasted your blade on this day! You have no reason to feel shame."

Both Heracles and Dionysus approached their young friend, their eyes wide with surprise.

"Five giants?" Heracles asked in awe.

Perseus stared at the ground in front of him, "I'm sure you've slain double that."

Heracles shoved him hard with one hand, "Stop it, brother! I barely helped slay Porphyrion! Without you, Nike would have died and we'd probably still be in battle."

Dionysus grunted his agreement, "I thought the two I helped kill was a lot."

"Yes, yes." Zeus boomed to the assembled gods and demigods. "It is true, we are in debt to these young heroes. Which is why a reward is required for their courage in battle."

The entire Olympian Council stared at Zeus, waiting for him to explain.

"My son," Heracles' eyes widened and he looked ready to step forward. "Dionysus," the lord of the skies announced. "Come forth, my son."

Dionysus looked stunned by Zeus' words. He glanced at Perseus who nodded encouragingly, then at Heracles who nodded but couldn't hide the look of resentment on his face.

Dionysus walked forward and knelt in front of his father.

"My son," Zeus boomed, "you have saved Olympus." The look on the other Olympians faces' couldn't have been more transparent. They all seemed to be wondering if they'd heard him correctly.

"A great hero deserves a great reward," Zeus continued. "Are there any who would deny my son is deserving?"

Zeus scanned the faces of the other gods. Most failed to hide their disapproval, but none spoke up.

"Very well," Zeus said. "With the consent of the council, we can offer my son the greatest gift that we can bestow upon a mortal. If you wish it, we shall make you, my son, a god."

Dionysus stared at his father, apparently looking for the punchline. But after a moment, he realized that Zeus was completely serious. Dionysus then turned to look at his two mortal companions.

Perseus was grinning, nodding his head like it was the best thing he'd ever heard.

Heracles on the other hand was glaring daggers at his half brother. He tried to force a smile onto his face but it only looked like he was baring his teeth. Dionysus seemed unsure of what to say to his father. He was being offered the most amazing gift possible but at the same time, he felt conflicted. He knew he didn't deserve the gift of godhood more than Heracles. He definitely didn't deserve it as much as Perseus.

It was Perseus' voice that finally spurred him into action.

"My friend," he said still smiling with genuine happiness. "Go! Accept Lord Zeus' gift. You deserve it."

Dionysus glanced at Perseus, looking for some sign that he was disingenuous but found only pure excitement for him.

Dionysus slowly rose from his bow, looking up at his father with confidence.

"Yes, father." He said gratefully. "I wish to join you as an immortal god of Olympus."

Zeus smiled at his son and waved his hand, Dionysus vanishing in a shimmering pillar of gold.

"We shall complete the ceremony in the throne room."

Zeus looked like he was about to follow Dionysus in teleporting away from the battlefield when two figures stepped forward, simultaneously saying, "Wait, father."

Apollo and Artemis both stopped and glared at each other, obviously not pleased that they had spoke in unison. Zeus arched an eyebrow at his two children.

"Father," Apollo said with a slight glare at his twin sister, "surely, we are not done rewarding the heroes of this battle. Without Heracles and Perseus, Porphyrion might still be walking the earth. And without Perseus, both Artemis and I would have fallen in battle."

Artemis huffed quietly at Apollo's words, obviously not pleased to have the fact that a male demigod had had to save her in the battle.

Poseidon looked like he wanted to say something but he bit his tongue, knowing his words would fall on deaf ears with Zeus.

Zeus glowered at his son, making Apollo shrink back a few steps.

"Yes," Zeus said stubbornly. "We are indeed grateful for these two heroes. My son, Heracles and Poseidon's boy, Perseus."

Zeus looked around, silently asking if everyone was happy now. The looks he got from the assembled Olympians told him they were not.

"Very well," Zeus growled. "Tell me, young heroes, what would you like for your reward for your bravery on the battlefield today."

Heracles stepped forward and bowed to his father, "Lord Zeus," he took a deep breath, "my only request is to be freed from my penance. I know in my heart that I am not responsible for the crimes that led to my penance," Heracles shot a withering glare at the queen of the gods but Hera merely smirked and returned his glare.

Hera shrunk back when Zeus shot her a scathing look before turning back to his son, "Heracles, my son..." The god said with a hint of sadness. "You may very well be right but even the king of the gods must submit to the will of the Fates. You're destiny has been laid out already, I cannot interfere."

Heracles looked like he was about to protest but then caught himself and lowered his head, "Very well, my lord Zeus."

Heracles rose to his feet and walked back towards Perseus. Zeus looked like he wanted to say something to his son but then decided against it. Instead, he turned his eyes to Perseus, his electric blue eyes seemingly looking right through him.

"And you," Zeus asked, "What do you wish of the gods?"

Perseus' eyes widened and he quickly stepped forward and bowed to Zeus.

"My lord," he said in a quick but confident tone, "I have no wish of the gods. It was my honor to fight side by side with my father and the gods. I will gratefully return to assisting Heracles on his labors, if that is okay with you and the gods."

Zeus stared down at the young demigod with a look of genuine surprise. He quickly composed himself and nodded, "Very well, son of Poseidon. You may return to your quest assisting Heracles."

Zeus looked around at the assembled gods, "We must return to Olympus, we have much to discuss and a new god to welcome to Olympus."

Poseidon stepped forward, looking pointedly at his brother, "I would ask for a moment to speak with my son. He has asked nothing of the gods for his service, I ask that you allow me a chance to speak to him."

Zeus looked ready to protest but then glanced at Perseus and seemed to reconsider, "Very well, brother. Be quick, we will need you in the throne room shortly."

Poseidon bowed his head to his younger sibling, "Of course, my lord Zeus."

Zeus nodded and vanished in a shower of gold. Most of the other Olympians followed his lead, with a few staying back with Poseidon. The first to approach Perseus was Artemis, much to the surprise of Perseus and his father.

She stopped about five feet away from him have him a nod of appreciation, "Son of Poseidon," she stared at him with her silver eyes, "you have earned my favor on this day. Continue to live honorably and respectful of the gods and your bow shall never fail you."

Perseus bowed to the goddess before she vanished in a silver light, following her father to Olympus.

Apollo walked up and clapped him on the back, "Little cousin," he grinned, "should you ever need my aid, pray and I shall come to your aid. You have earned that, today."

Perseus managed to smile at the sun god, "Thank you, Lord Apollo."

"Like I told you," Apollo smiled, "To you, it's just Apollo." The god dissolved into rays of sunlight, leaving Perseus alone with his father. Perseus was aware of Heracles standing off the side, obviously giving him space to speak to his father.

"Father," Perseus said bowing his head.

"My son," Poseidon said sternly, making him look up at the god. "Despite Zeus' words, it was you who saved Olympus on this day. You have brought great honor to the house of Poseidon on this day."

Perseus wasn't sure what to say but the god continued before he could say anything.

"I have limited time to speak to you but I just wanted you to know that you have made my very proud on this day." Poseidon looked down at his son with genuine happiness. "You are a true child of the sea. Should you need to call on in, the sea and the creatures that dwell within it will be at your service."

Perseus stared up at his father, unsure of what to say. Poseidon reached out and patted him on the shoulder, holding him in place for a minute.

"Perseus," he said more quietly, "the path ahead of you may not be the one you imagine but have faith that in the end, you will get the reward you deserve."

Before he could ask what he meant, Poseidon vanished in a sea green light, leaving Perseus standing there, staring at blank space before him. He stared at the spot his father vanished from for a long moment before Heracles walked over and broke him from his reveries.

"Come," Heracles said with an unmistakable edge of bitterness in his voice. "We have a long journey back to Tiryns. We still have six labors to complete." He turned and began trekking off to the south. Perseus had to jog to catch up to his friend, knowing this journey would be long as he waited for Heracles to vent his frustration with the results of their previous battle.

A.N: Short story done. Back to the main story. Is anyone still reading my stories? It seems like most of my readers vanished during my absence, That sucks but I'll keep writing for all the loyal readers still around.