Hello! This is my 14th published work on this website. I'm so excited to see usernames new and old, and I hope everyone is excited for this new story! :D Ok, some clean-up work or whatever teachers call it. I will try to update regularly every four days. However, I am a human and I am a student, so I get a TON of homework. I also have a life (if you can call it a life) so things will come up. I have an author's note here and another at the end of the chapter, where I will try my best to alert you to any changes to our schedule. I will also explicitly say what day I plan on updating again. This story is rated T only because of occasional language, so if there's anything that bothers you, you have been warned. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to leave me a review or a PM. I will get back to all PMs within 24 hours, and I will try to respond to review-questions via an author's note. I think I went over everything... I own nothing, but please enjoy this first chapter! :)

Third Person's POV

The night was quiet in the Garden of the Hesperides. Crickets chirped from within the confines of flowering bushes. A large one-hundred headed beast snored softly underneath a tree overflowing with a surplus of golden apples.

A stern voice filled with exasperation cut though the serenity granted by the stars.

"No, Aphrodite, I will not betray my duties and my family by being led to your bed!" A tall young man with dark hair and eyes said, frustrated. He was standing near the base of the mythical apple tree, frowning at the goddess that pouted up at him.

"Perseus," she purred, "we both know you can be so much more than your father's guard!"

"Aphrodite, leave me alone."

The goddess of beauty raised her eyebrows in disbelief and placed a delicate hand on her pronounced hip. "Look, we all know this war will be over soon. It's not going to end in favor of you Titans."

Perseus scoffed. "Please. Kronos is a powerful enemy, and with my father at his side to help him, I don't see how they can lose! And even if they do, not so soon! This war might go one for centuries."

"No, it won't," Aphrodite said, fixing her flowing hair in the reflection from the scales of the dragon, Ladon. "This war is going to be ending soon, very soon. And Kronos and Atlas will not be the victors. I'm trying to save you from punishment!"

The man scowled. "I'm not a fool. I know you just want to get me in your bed, Aphrodite. I won't stand for this."

The seductive goddess stepped forwards, tracing a manicured hand down Perseus' chest, where his tanned skin was revealed in the places that didn't hide under his white chiton and cloak. "Now, don't be like that Perseus! You're too handsome to rot for a century or two under whatever stupid punishment Zeus comes up with for you. It's no secret that you side with Atlas."

Perseus pushed the goddess's hand away from his skin, stepping out of her immediate reach. "Of course I side with him! He is my father, and unlike some people," he shot her a pointed look, "I am loyal to my family!"

Aphrodite puffed out her chest indignantly, insulted by the remark. "Well, if that's how you want it to be, then it will be that way."

"Yes!" exclaimed the young Titan. "I do not wish to go home with you, Aphrodite."

The snubbed goddess thrust her nose up into the air and gave the son of Atlas a look full of hatred and offended pride. "All right," she said in a tone that suggested it was anything but. "Have it your way then. But I won't forget this."

Perseus watched as the rejected deity stalked away from him, turning into a cloud of perfumed pink mist as she went. Only when the horrid stench had left his nose did the man breathe a sigh of relief and continue with his duties of guarding the apple tree.

As he passed the entrance to the garden, five young girls materialized. The youngest of the five looked at him with wide eyes. Perseus was obviously older than the girls, all of whom shared his midnight hair and onyx eyes.

"Is she gone, Brother?" She asked, in a reproachful voice.

Perseus smiled at her emotion. "Yes, Zoe, that vain goddess finally left."

"Oh, good," Zoe said, smiling. She couldn't have been older than ten years old, physically, and not that old mentally. She still had maturing to do before she would finally reach the age where she would age no more.

The oldest of the Hesperides stared at her older brother with concern and suspicion. "She didn't do anything, did she, Percy?"

He smiled fondly at her worry. "No, do not worry, Arethusa. She's harmless. She might seem impressive because of her status as a goddess, but I assure you that she's nothing I can't handle."

"You wouldn't hit her, would you Percy?" The second-youngest girl squealed in surprise.

Before Percy could respond, the middle girl scoffed, saying, "Don't be foolish, Aegle! Brother would never hurt any woman."

Perseus shook his head fondly. "Erytheia, be nice. Sisters, she is correct. You should know that I would never go out of my way to harm a woman."

They replied with a chorus of muttered agreements.

The second-oldest sister tilted her head to the side and regarded her brother with curious eyes. "What will you do now, then, Percy?"

"Nothing, Hesperia. She might seem almighty and powerful, but her words are empty. Though she claims otherwise, the gods will not win this war. That much is certain. Have faith in our father and his army. We will prevail," he assumed with a small, loving smile on his face.

However, Aphrodite had consulted Prometheus before visiting the young Titan. Her words, Perseus would soon realize, were very close to the truth. Within a year, the gods had triumphed over the united Titans. Kronos was no more, his body cut into pieces by his three sons and scattered into the depths of Tartarus. Atlas was imprisoned under the sky, where his home used to be for so many centuries. His daughters, the Hesperides, were spared punishment, as they did not openly take up arms against Zeus.

Perseus was no so lucky. Aphrodite had warned him, to be fair. She said she wouldn't forget his insult, and she remained true to her word. As Zeus was dishing out punishments for the unlucky immortals on his new throne on Olympus, she sided up to him.

"Zeus?" The goddess of seduction purred, her dress suspiciously low-cut, even more than usual. "Can you help me with something?"

Zeus's eyes were first drawn to her chest, like any disrespectful man's, then her to her face. Attempting to refrain from gulping, he said, "What do you need help with, Aphrodite?"

The Olympian goddess pouted up at him, her glossy lips looking all the more alluring to the King of Olympus. "There's this Titan..."

Already, Zeus growled. "A Titan? Who is he?"

"Perseus," Aphrodite clarified, "Son of Atlas. He has insulted me, as well as several other Olympians. He has even tried to force himself upon many goddesses, including me and Hera."

The son of Kronos narrowed his eyes at the mention of his wife. They had just been married; he was not yet unfaithful. The idea of any other man attempting to touch his wife sent Zeus's blood boiling.

Pretending to be oblivious to the aggression, the goddess of love continued her lies. "Perseus also took up arms with his father, Atlas, when they tried to defeat you. I heard a rumor that Perseus came up with many of their battle plans. He surely had an important role in the war."

Full of rage, Zeus slammed his fist into the marble arms of his newly-erected throne. "This is an outrage!" He bellowed. "This Titan dares fool around with my women and take up arms against me? Me?! I will not let this slide!"

Aphrodite shook her head in mock-sympathy. "I understand, Zeus. If only there was some way you could get to him..."

The lightning god stopped and looked at the goddess, his rage quieting so he could listen to her words. "What do you mean?"

She looked up at him, shock painted carefully across her face. "You don't know? You cannot touch Perseus because he is directly under his father. He guards Ladon's tree, the tree given to you and Hera at your wedding. Because of this, only Atlas can convict Perseus of a crime and punish him."

Zeus seemed to consider this for a moment, his original plan stopped. "So what can I do?"

Aphrodite shrugged, trying to appear indifferent. "I don't know; you are the almighty King of Olympus. But..." She looked up at him coyly. "You could get Atlas to convict his son." She gasped in delight. "Or even get Perseus to convict himself!"

"And just how would I do that?" Zeus asked suspiciously, arching his eyebrow.

"There's the six Hesperides. Perseus is quite close to them, and I think Atlas has some love for them as well, as much as a Titan can love another being. Create a reason for persecuting them, or at least one of them, and Perseus will soon be yours."

Zeus stared blankly in front of him at first, thinking. Slowly, he began to nod, a smile splitting his face. "I like this plan."

Aphrodite's expression mirroring Zeus's, she said, "I'll leave you, then. Thank you, Lord Zeus." Throwing the title in as she sauntered away, Aphrodite blew a kiss at the newly-appointed king and flashed away.

Zeus put his plan into action a few days later. He flashed into the garden of the Hesperides in front of his golden tree, and yelled, "Perseus!"

The dark-haired man appeared in front of the king, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "Zeus," he greeted coldly.

"Perseus." Zeus had a smirk on his face that unnerved Perseus, but he wouldn't say anything.

"What can I do for you?"

The King of Olympus regarded the Titan with a glint in his eyes that made Percy uneasy. "I have heard rumors that you are quite a scoundrel."

"What?" Perseus was taken aback. If he was expecting anything, it wasn't this.

"You have forced yourself upon countless women, mortal and immortal, while also taking up arms against me and openly supporting your father," Zeus claimed, as if he was reading off a paper.

"What? No, Zeus, I-"

"That is Lord Zeus to you, mortal."

"I'm not-"

Zeus continued to talk over him as if Perseus hadn't said anything. "Listen to me, boy. It has been brought to my attention that you have disobeyed several rules I graciously put in place to protect others. Since you are a violator, you must be punished. However, you are untouchable to me as of right now because you are your father's guard. I cannot openly target you without allowing one of my brothers' to secure my throne."

Letting out a premature sigh of relief, Perseus began, "Zeus, thank y-"

"I'm not done," the king snapped. Perseus shut up. Zeus continued, saying, "Thankfully, the Hesperides are within my power."

Perseus gasped, his mouth dropping open. "My sisters?"

Zeus nodded, the smirk reappearing on his face. "Yes! I'm so glad you are not a simpleton like your father."

Ignoring the jab, Perseus narrowed his eyes at the god, the same way a cornered animal might stare at an enemy. "And just what do you plan on doing to my sisters?" He growled.

The King of Olympus shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing, if you do what I say."

Perseus remained silent.

Triumphantly, Zeus let his smirk grow. "Good, boy. If you do as I say, your sisters will be spared. You need to go to Atlas and convince him to release you from your vow, turning you into a mortal. You will not tell your sisters what is going on."

The Titan opened his mouth to retort, but the king held up a hand as he continued, "Once you have become a mortal, I shall give you a few days to gain your bearings in your mortal skin before you shall be hunted mercilessly by my daughter, Artemis. If you die too easily and she reports it back to me, you shall be resurrected as many times as I deem fit. If you do not obey by these rules, your sisters will be given to the battle-hardened gods of Olympus, including myself."

Having heard many a rumor about Zeus and his late-night activities, Perseus had a pretty decent idea of what the crooked king wanted to do to his sisters. He couldn't allow that to happen to them.

Sighing, the Titan conceded. "Zeus, I... I accept your terms, as long as you swear on the Styx that no harm is to come of my sisters."

Frowning slightly, the god agreed. "I swear on the Styx that as long as you uphold our deal, no harm will come to the Hesperides." He gestured for Perseus to go on and make an oath as well.

"I swear on the Styx to abide by the agreement settled between Zeus and I," he spoke. As soon as the words had fallen from his lips, thunder rumbled overhead.

"Very good," Zeus applauded, the smirk gathering on his face. "You have two days to lose your immortality and join the real world before Artemis begins her hunt. Do not speak a word of this to your sisters."

With a look of anger and frustration arranged on his features, Perseus nodded grimly. "Leave me, Zeus," he spat. "I need to prepare for eternity of punishment, now."

Victoriously, a look of superiority and self-righteousness on his face, the King of Olympus strode away, flashing into white light mid-step.

Head hanging low in defeat, as there was no way out of this, Perseus gazed sadly at the dragon he raised from birth, Ladon, and walked up the hill to his imprisoned father. There was no alternative; he couldn't allow his sisters to fall into the hands of the wicked King of Olympus.

"I'm sorry, Ladon," Perseus whispered to the creature. One hundred heads lifted to gaze at his master with longing. Perseus walked away; when he didn't come back, the monster let out a sorrowful cry that shook the mountain, already mourning for the son of Atlas.

Hello! I hope everyone liked this first chapter. The next one will be posted on Wednesday, hopefully. So keep an eye out! Reviews are greatly appreciated. Send me a PM with questions! Thanks! :)