Prologue: The descendant of an Olympian

Back again with a new story. I do not own anything from any media.

A young boy was resting in a small island. It was the island of Delos. He was wearing a white shirt with blue shorts and matching sandals. His hair was a curly dirt blonde color, appearing slightly wavy. It was tied by a hair tie, making it look like a ponytail. He had blue eyes, indicating he was Caucasian descent. His skin was a pale tan color.

"I wonder why I was brought here in the island of Delos." The boy said to himself.

Little the boy knew, he was not what he appears to be. Sure, he looks human. However, he is something much more.

"Aristides, we're here to find someone." A woman said.

"I know, Mom. But why are we here in this island? Much of it is a historical site." The boy named Aristides said.

Aristides was a young, 8 year old boy. He grew up with his mother, who never married a man. She always had a content smile on her face which made him question her as to why she always smiled.

"Aristides, you're about to know as to why we came here. Follow the path that leads to the temple of the Delians. I cannot follow you, for you must discover this by yourself." His mother said.

"What do you mean, Mom?" Aristides asked.

"Follow your heart and you will see." His mother replied.

Aristides walked through the historical site carefully, avoiding the spiky plants near him. He came across a familiar temple now in ruins.

'The temple of the Delians… I keep seeing this place in my dreams, only it was not like this…' Aristides thought.

A strange, nostalgic sensation got his attention. He couldn't understand why, but Aristides felt as though he was physically there, despite coming to Delos for the first time.

'Why am I feeling this sensation…? Does this island have something familiar to me?' He thought.

"You have come…" A soothing male voice called out.

Aristides looked around, startled by the sudden voice. He then saw a beam of sunlight shine down near him. From the light, a man appeared. He was wearing a white tunic with old fashioned sandals. The man's hair was a golden color, appearing curly. Aristides noted the items he held. It was a gold lyre on his right hand, but on his back, a quiver of arrows with a bow was apparent. Aristides held his ground, feeling intimidated by the man's sudden appearance. The aura was heavy, but it felt warm and calm, like the rays of the sun.

"Wh-who are you?" He asked.

The man chuckled, seeing the boy looking intimidated by his presence. He took a knee to look at the young bot in front of him.

"You can relax, young one. I see that your mother has raised you with care." The man said with a smile.

Aristides was surprised that the man suddenly mention his mother.

"How do you know who my mother is?" He questioned.

"Silly Aristides… Who does know your mother better than your father?" The man said.

Aristides was shocked that the man inadvertently revealed he was his father. More questions began to pile up in his mind.

"Calm yourself. I know that you have many questions in your mind, but I will introduce myself. I am Apollo." The man named Apollo said.

"Apollo!? The Olympian god of music, light, poetry, medicine and knowledge!?" Aristides asked in shock.

"Also of archery, the sun and art." Apollo finished.

Aristides lost his footing and fell on the ground, unable to comprehend on what he heard. The sudden surprise of encountering a mythological figure in Greece was too much for him.

"Let's take this slowly, for we have a lot to catch up." Apollo said, holding Aristides.

"Where are you taking me?" Aristides asked.

"To meet with the other gods." Apollo said.

######

Aristides was brought to the mythological realm of the Olympian gods: the peak of Mount Olympus. There, he was greeted of seeing the other Olympian gods around his sight. In front of him, Hestia was tending the Flames of Olympus. Hestia had a green robe, which concealed much of her form, save for her head. Her face was angelic, having pale skin. Her hair was brown in color, appearing straight with curls.

"Oh, we have a guest of Olympus. Pleased to meet you, young one. I'm Hestia, goddess of hearth." Hestia said.

"Whoa…" Aristides said, speechless.

"Apollo my boy. I'm glad to see that you are meeting your son for the first time, albeit early." A familiar voice said.

Apollo and Aristides looked to where the voice came from. It was Zeus, who was wearing a bright white tunic. In appearance, the god appeared human, albeit more muscular than an Olympic athlete. He was holding a handful of lightning bolts on his hand. His hair was ivory in appearance, including his beard. His eyes were a soft, sky blue color. Like Apollo, his hair was curly, but wavy.

"I know, Father. I wanted my son to stay with the humans till his mother was prepared to bring him here." Apollo said.

"Still, out of all the women you could have sired, you met with one from the East. I guess I won't ask about it, since we all have someone we like." Zeus said.

Aristides hid behind Apollo, feeling intimidated by Zeus's presence. Although he looked intimidating, the king of the gods in Greece was a jovial man.

"Don't be frighten my son. This is my father, also your grandfather." Apollo said.

"I know… But I'm still in shock in realizing that from my father's side, I'm related to the Olympian gods of Greece." Aristides said.

"Aren't we someone looking for answers?" Zeus teased.

He then went up close to Aristides, who remained quiet. The young boy was shy, unable to say anything. Nearby, Hestia noted how tense the boy looked.

"Calm yourself, Zeus. The young boy looks distressful." Hestia said.

"Sorry Hestia. I can't hold my excitement to see one of my children have their own child." Zeus replied.

"You're certainly excited for your grandchild, Zeus." A female voice said.

Aristides blushed up a storm upon laying his eyes on the goddess in front of him. She was Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. She was wearing an amber tunic that accented her figure. Her already godly appearance was accented by an amber necklace. Her eyes were a soft brown color, but her hair was straight in a bright blonde color.

"Aw, he's very shy." Aphrodite cooed.

Apollo and Zeus chuckled in seeing Aristides being shy near Aphrodite.

"Hahahaha… Every god and man could not handle Aphrodite's beauty that easily. One gaze is all it takes and they become entranced by her appearance alone. Not even I have the willpower to resist her." Zeus said.

"ZEUS! You dare cheat on me in my presence!?" A female voice called out.

The voice belonged to Hera, goddess of marriage and wife of Zeus. Her clothing was an ivory tunic with a gold necklace. Her hair was a light brown color, almost appearing red. The goddess's eyes were a soft green color, similar to grass. A male peacock was seen near her.

"Sorry Hera. I was talking with one of my grandchildren." Zeus said.

Hera had a look at Aristides. She couldn't resist cooing to the young child, who was shy of the people around him.

"Aw… Aren't you the cutest child I've seen? I can accept that you're the son of Apollo so don't feel scared of me. Also, forgive me of my husband, Zeus. He's very UNFAITHFUL to me." Hera said, emphasizing her speech.

"U-um… I don't want to be rude, but I think grandpa should stay with you." Aristides said shyly.

Hera smiled brightly, already taking a deep liking to the young child. Zeus comically sulked, not liking how his grandson was taking Hera's side.

"He's certainly well mannered." A female voice said.

The voice belonged to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. Her appearance was equally beautiful as Hera. She had a Thracian helmet that was worn loosely above her forehead. She had a sword on her back with a scabbard. She had an ivory tunic that had gold accents on her shoulders. There was a gold band at her forehead with a light blue gem. Her hair was black as night. A surprising feature was her gray eyes. An owl was seen on her shoulder. Aristides looked at the goddess in front, feeling a welcoming sensation.

"Athena… Goddess of wisdom…" Aristides said, bowing to her.

"It's okay, young one. You have proper manners, despite being the son of Apollo. You're a demi-god, Aristides." Athena said with a smile.

"It… It's still a surprise for me to know this. I never knew that I was the son of one of the Twelve Olympian Gods. Now here I am, talking with them." Aristides said, still trying to make sense of what he's encountering.

"Take it slowly. We can give you all the time you need to understand everything you need to answer your questions." Athena said with a pleasant smile.

"I always wondered as to why my father never came to me nor my mother. She always had a content smile, seeing the sun shine on her face… Now I know why…" Aristides said.

Apollo held his son close to help him overcome his confusion.

"In any case, you have spoken with Zeus, Hera, Hestia, Athena, Aphrodite and me. You have yet to meet the others." Apoolo said.

"Where are the other 6?" Aristides asked.

"Hephaestus is in his workshop, forging. Ares is gone off to fight in war. Poseidon is in the sea, ruling his kingdom. My sister, Artemis, is hunting with her fellow nymphs. Demeter is currently with her daughter, Persephone. Hermes will return shortly from his work." Apollo said.

Aristides began thinking on meeting with Hephaestus. He decided to meet with the god.

"Father… Can you take me to see Hephaestus?" He asked.

"Sure, my son. Follow me." Apollo said.

######

Apollo guided Aristides throughout Mount Olympus before finding Hephaestus's forge. Unknown to them, Aphrodite was following them.

"This is where he goes to forge. He's an expert when it comes to making accessories or weapons." Apollo said.

They entered the forge to see Hephaestus designing a helmet.

"Hephaestus, my brother. How have you been doing?" Apollo said to the blacksmith god.

Hephaestus was a man with a rough skin tone due to centuries of forging. His hair was gray white, but he looked like an average man in his mid-20s. His brown eyes were focused on the helmet he was designing. In appearance, he had a muscular physique and tan skin. Despite his appearance, Hephaestus was a gentle giant. Aristides noted that his legs looked crippled.

"Been forging as always. Who's the young man here?" Hephaestus asked, seeing Aristides.

"I'm Aristides. I happen to be Apollo's son." Aristides said to Hephaestus.

The blacksmith god looked at the young boy before smiling. He was pleased to see a nephew come to see his family in Olympus. He noticed Aristides was looking at his injured legs.

"I'm sorry… But something is telling me to help heal you…" Aristides said.

Hephaestus and Apollo were surprised on what the young boy said. Aristides moved to Hephaestus and gently placed his hands on both of his legs. A divine light was being channeled from his hands that healed the blacksmith god's legs. This left Hephaestus deeply shocked, seeing the son of Apollo healing his legs.

"Well, he certainly has acquired my knowledge in healing." Apollo said with a proud smile.

Hephaestus decided to move around with his newly healed legs. Much to his surprise, they no longer cause pain when he started walking.

"Thank you, Aristides. I could have asked Apollo to help heal my legs, but he said he couldn't. Now I feel like my old self." Hephaestus said.

Aristides smiled, seeing the blacksmith god now acting cheerful. By then, a female figure came to the forge and noticed Apollo and his son.

"Brother, it's good to see you." The female said.

Aristides caught the word, thinking of the goddess's name.

'This is…Artemis…' He thought in surprise.

Artemis was a young goddess. She had a bright yellow tunic, dark brown sandals, and a headwear with her symbol of the moon. On her back, she had a quiver of silver arrows and a bow of silver. Her blue eyes were calming to one's sight, yet they held the fierceness of a hunter. The young goddess looked at Aristides with an indifferent expression. The young boy moved away from her sight, hiding behind Apollo.

"Calm yourself, Aristides. This is my sister, Artemis." Apollo said to his son.

Aristides didn't come out from hiding. He was nervous to meet Artemis's gaze.

"It's fine, young one. I can see that you bare no ill will. I've heard from Athena and my brother about you. If anything, you were raised with respect, especially knowing how to act." Artemis said.

"Um… I hope I didn't intrude on you. I came here because I wanted to see Hephaestus." Aristides said.

Artemis smiled from the young boy's honesty. She could see that he was telling the truth, despite his shy nature.

"You can relax, Aristides. I came here to have my bow repaired from Hephaestus." Artemis reassured.

Aristides bowed respectfully to the young goddess as she requested the blacksmith god to repair her bow.

"We should be heading back to the throne room for now. Hephaestus tends to be focused when it comes to his specialty." Apollo said.

######

Back in the Olympian throne, two new figures arrived. One was man with a familiar trident, His hair was brown, appearing below shoulder length and was brown. His eyes were sea green in color. He was wearing a sea blue tunic. Blue, intricate markings were shown on his skin. He had a muscular physique, but he was temperamental. Near the man, there was a younger male. He had a winged cap with a blue tunic and a scepter. His sandals had wings on them, which made him fly in the air. His tunic was a deep blue, and his eyes were brown that had a hint of mischievousness. His hair was an orange red color.

"Poseidon, Hermes. Glad to see you two came here to visit Olympus." Apollo said.

"Glad to see you too as well, Apollo. I suppose you're taking a brief break in your duty with Helios." Poseidon said.

"I'll say. He's been taking a break for today to honor his son." Hermes said.

Poseidon and Hermes took notice of Aristides. The young boy was graced by a calming sensation from the sea god, as though a gentle current of water was washing him.

"You must be Aristides. I'm glad to finally meet you, young man." Poseidon said.

Aristides bowed respectfully to see the sea god, making him smile for his behavior.

"He's truly shy, but he does act respectfully. Maybe we should try to help get along with him." Hermes said, getting close to the boy.

Aristides responded by moving away from Hermes before moving to Poseidon, which made the messenger of the gods pout playfully.

"It seems he has a wise mind to not openly trust you of your trickery, Hermes." Poseidon laughed.

"It's not my fault I carry an aura of a trickster. I was born like this." Hermes refuted.

"More like, you acted on your trickery when you stole Apollo's cattle." Poseidon reminded.

Hermes laughed nervously as Apollo kept his gaze from becoming upset. Internally, he was still angry with the mischievous god's actions years ago.

"Setting that aside, I think the boy is ready to be trained. He hasn't met Ares nor Demeter yet. Since Spring is here, Persephone should also come here as well." Hermes said, changing the subject.

"Looks like you have a chance to meet the last two gods of Olympus. Be warned, Aristides… Ares is not one would expect. He may have the skin of a sheep, but he's a wolf in the disguise of a sheep. Many of us don't like him for obvious reasons." Apollo said.

Aristides nodded in response. He stayed close to his father as they prepared for the last two gods to arrive.

"They're here." Apollo said.

Ares arrived, alongside Demeter with Persephone. Ares was a handsome man in appearance with fiery orange blonde hair. However, he had a visible scowl on his face, seeing Aristides. He was wearing ancient Greek armor with a Spartan shield and spear. His armor was soaked with blood, due to a recent battle. His eyes were fiery red and his skin was a light tan. Much of his body was laced with scars from previous fights.

"So the sun god decides to sire a woman from the east and has a child. He's nothing but scum to me." Ares said nonchalantly.

"Choose your next words carefully, god of war. I won't be merciful for showing such manner of speech to me." Apollo said,

"You think that I fear you, Apollo? I relish in war, but your child is nothing of whom I can see potential for." Ares said.

Aristides took an immediate dislike to Ares, frowning upon hearing belittle his mother. Unconsciously, he was channeling his godly powers in his body, creating an aura of light.

"Try saying that in front of me." Aristides said, taunting Ares.

"Such speech would get you killed, mortal. I could easily lop your head off if I wanted to." Ares said.

Aristides stood his ground before delivering a haymaker to the god of war. Ares thought it was a simple punch, but what he didn't expect was the force behind it. He was sent flying till he hit a nearby wall, causing a visible dent. This caused the god of war to snarl in response.

"So you inherited my father's strength… That makes it worth fighting you." Ares said, about to charge in to Aristides.

"What's going on here!?" A loud voice echoed.

It was Zeus, whom heard the disturbance. Immediately, everyone stopped, seeing the king of the gods in their sight.

"Forgive me, Father. My son reacted when Ares insulted his mother. I didn't expect him to inherit your strength…" Apollo said, apologizing.

Zeus looked to the indent on the wall where Ares impacted. He gave a jovial laugh in response, surprising everyone.

"Well, a chip off the old block. My grandson has inherited your strength, Apollo. I'll have a word with Ares to control his attitude, considering he was a rude host to your son." Zeus said.

Zeus dragged Ares to scold him for his irresponsible behavior, much to the god of war's chagrin.

"Ares never learns… He's a bloodthirsty person who relishes in combat…" A female voice said.

Aristides had looked to the owner of the voice. It was Demeter, goddess of agriculture. She had a bright green tunic, which glowed emerald in the sunlight. Her hair was a blonde color, similar to harvested grain. From Aristides's point of view, she had a calming, maternal aura. He noted that the air was rich with agriculture from her presence alone. Holding on her arms was a freshly harvested batch of grain.

"Oh, I didn't expect to meet with our new guest. Who are you, young man?" Demeter asked.

Aristides was shy in approaching the calm-hearted goddess. His cheeks turned rosy in response.

"M-my name is Aristides, and I'm the son of Apollo." Aristides introduced himself.

Demeter was surprised to hear about the young boy being the son of Apollo. She gave a soft smile to the young demi-god.

"You can relax, Aristides. I'm known as Demeter." The goddess said.

"The goddess of agriculture. I liked how you provided knowledge on farming to the people." Aristides said.

Demeter giggled, seeing how respecting the young boy was. Near her, a young woman came into view. She was wearing a yellow tunic with floral designs. The young girl had the same blonde hair color from Demeter. Her eyes were a soft blue color, but they hold sadness within. Aristides noticed this and felt concern for her.

"What's wrong, Persephone? Why do you have such a sad expression?" He asked.

Persephone didn't say anything, but she was surprised of the young demi-god sympathizing her.

"If you have read my fate in Greek mythology, then you understand…" She said solemnly.

Aristides went up close to the young goddess and gently touched her hand. Persephone felt a warm aura that made her heart soften. She closed her eyes, feeling the calming light from Aristides.

"Thank you… What is your name, young man?" Persephone asked.

"I'm Aristides. I wish I could help you alleviate your suffering from your forced marriage with Hades…" Aristides sympathized.

The young goddess was surprised that the demi-god was trying to help alleviate her pain. She gave a somber smile before hugging the young boy.

"Maybe, one day you could help me provide my freedom for me from this cursed fate." Persephone said.

Aristides then noticed a small plant that sprouted near Persephone's feet. The goddess went down and plucked it. It was a white rose.

"I'll wait till that time comes. I cannot bare to be the wife of a husband whom I'm forced to marry." Persephone said.

Apollo was surprised that his son was willing to help Persephone break off the forced marriage from Hades. Zeus showed up, overhearing the conversation.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple… Persephone ate the fruit of the dead during her stay in the Underworld. Each seed she eats, she will stay a month within the realm." Zeus said.

"But Grandfather, Hades was the one who kidnapped Persephone and forced her to marry. When she ate the pomegranate, Hades succeeded in his plot for making her the Queen of the Underworld. You can see her pain and sadness as though it was clearly shown in front of you." Aristides explained.

"Even so, he's my brother… I can't breach my treaty with him unless something can convince him otherwise to set Persephone free. Even though I'm the ruler of Olympus, my authority has its limits. Not even my wife Hera can talk Hades out from this." Zeus said.

Aristides began to think carefully. He knew that each time Persephone ate the seeds of the pomegranate, she would spend a month within the Underworld. He slowly realized a loophole to be found. However, it was only a short term idea.

"If Persephone has to stay one month for each seed she eats, why not let me provide offerings to her? It would help her avoid eating the seeds." Aristides suggested.

Zeus was surprised on how the boy found a loophole. He smirked, knowing the demi-god inherited his father's knowledge.

"You have quite a smart mind. However, I must remind you that she remains as Queen of the Underworld. Only if she doesn't eat a single seed, she will be free from Hades." Zeus complied.

"Plus, we may need to find someone who can replace Persephone. A forced marriage is not good for any being, gods or otherwise." Aristides said.

"You're right… However, I can't bring myself to betray my brother… One day, we will have to negotiate on Persephone's part so he'll understand." Zeus said.

Persephone never felt hopeful during her existence. Thanks to Aristides's part, she now realized she has some freedom that can be granted for her.

"Thank you, son of Apollo. You have no idea how much this means to me." Persephone said with a soft smile.

Apollo smirked, seeing how mature his son was. He felt proud of his compassion with Persephone, even suggesting to make offerings for her to abate her hunger in the Underworld.

"Your training will begin tomorrow morning, Aristides. I need to shape you up since there's more to the world than seeing the gods of Olympus." Apollo said.

"Wait, that also means there are deities as well?" Aristides asked.

"Yes. There are other gods from different worlds that exist. You will meet the Japanese Shinto gods, where your mother was born." Apollo said.

"But what about my training?" Aristides asked.

"Don't worry. We'll all train you for two years before you can head back to Japan. You will be send in a region called Kyoto. From what I heard from Hermes, there have been some strange occurrences going on out there." Apollo informed his son.

"Alright. I'll await the day where the training starts. But what purpose is the training for?" Aristides asked.

"You will be trained on combat, medicine and mastering your godly powers. I will help you with your training on your powers and medicine. For combat, Athena and Zeus will come and help provide tips for you." Apollo said.

Aristides was excited in hearing what Apollo said. By then, a familiar sound of horses echoed near them. It was the sun chariot, running in the sky. There was a man whose aura was so bright, no one couldn't see through it. It was Helios, the sun god. He had white, shiny hair, almost appearing pure white. He had a bright yellow tunic with sun designs.

"Apollo, it's time for you to take control of the chariot." Helios said.

The sun god noticed Aristides near Apollo, who was fascinated of seeing him in person.

"Wow… It's an honor to meet the sun god of Olympus." Aristides said.

Helios chuckled, seeing how the demi-god admired him.

"Don't worry. Your father tends to the sun chariot around noon." Helios said.

Aristides watched as his father rode the sun chariot off. His days of living as a normal human were now over, but in waking, a new life was found.