"I know you are awake, child." Said a smooth feminine whisper. As soft as it sounded, somehow it still demanded attention and seemed to emanate from the very darkness surrounding me.

I had gained consciousness on what felt like a comfortable mattress and that alone was enough to put me on high alert. I was behind enemy lines and transported to a secondary location without my knowledge. Even the most inexperienced of warriors know what that means - capture.

Unfortunately, my captor was too savvy to let me glean any information on my surroundings. The voice had called me out on my sleeping act almost as soon as my thoughts gained any coherence.

"Every second you lie there is another second you cannot spend aiding your brethren, young Perseus," said the voice equally, calmly. "I will not harm you, I swear on the Styx."

Strangely, there was no tell-tale thunder of a promise made.

Nonetheless, I opened my eyes. She was right, I supposed, and I was hopeful that my captor was in fact a saviour as her words suggested.

"So, you'll help me back then?" I asked cautiously.

"No," she said simply.

I sat up angrily, disappointed in myself more than anything at being deceived.

"Should have known you would lie, let me guess; you're a Titan."

A chill washed over me. I looked around my prison trying to find its source only to realise that I was surrounded by darkness. All I could see was the makeshift cot I lay on; the rest was a pitch black void in all directions.

"I do not lie. I am Nyx, Primordial of the Night. I was born at the dawn of creation. Long before mortals sullied it with their manipulative inventions." She hissed.

A short breath later she continued more calmly, "I promised I would not hurt you and I shall not. However, I will not throw away the sacrifices of the Olympians for your pride."

"My pride?!" I nearly screamed. "This isn't about pride! My friends need me! Once I can get everyone safe and together there's no way we'd lose to Gaea!"

A long pause stretched between us.

"I'm starting to doubt the Olympian's faith in you, though I suppose loyalty is your fatal flaw. So perhaps I should give you some leeway as a mortal."

I've always hated it when people called my loyalty a flaw. How can being loyal to my friends and family ever be a detractor?

Nyx cared little for my indignation however as she continued more seriously, "However, a far greater burden rests on your shoulders than your mortal soul can withstand. Your only victory, as Cadmean as it is, lies in ascension."

"That said, you claim to not be blinded by pride. Yet, you ask no questions about your family's sacrifices. Is it fear or apathy that directs you?" prodded Nyx.

I gulped. "W-What sacrifices?"

Smoke and ash from the surrounding void began to pool into a spot right before me while a soft laugh rumbled. "Fear, then," said her voice, now coming directly from the swirling mass of darkness.

"The Olympians have all ceded their Domains," she said finally, with almost a hint of wonder.

"They gave up!?" I shouted horrified, there was no way they could have surrendered to Gaea. I simply could not imagine a world in which that could be true.

"No Perseus, they all ceded their Domains…to you."

"W-What?"

That made even less sense! Why would they throw all their power to someone so far away from the front line?

"Olympus has fallen, Perseus. They decided that they would give the world they created and protected a chance, even if it meant their end."

The mass of ash and smoke seemed to vibrate and then Nyx continued, "I must say, that from all the beings that have held these Domains, the Olympians may forever be the only ones who decided they would rather end their own existence than sacrifice their dependants. It truly is a Marvel."

"B-But still, if the combined powers of the Olympian council couldn't stop Gaea, what hope could I possibly have? I-I don't even understand what's happening to me!" I was starting to panic, having finally noticed my rather obvious physical changes. My own blood was shining like a beacon to my godly senses. My veins were glowing so bright I was afraid they would burn through my petty mortal constitution.

A mirthful chuckle diverted my panic. "Calm, Perseus. The Blood of Olympus cannot hurt you," she joked, though I could not know what she meant until years later.

"What do you think Gaea wishes to gain from her rise, Perseus?" she asked more seriously.

"Oh, gee, I don't know, maybe she fancied a hamburger?" I said sarcastically. I never did appreciate the Socratic Method.

Another long pause stretched between us. I was starting to suspect this was the Primordial goddess of the Night's version of an eye-roll.

"Try again, Perseus," she said chidingly.

"Um, kill the gods?" I answered skeptically.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Was this a trick question?

"Oh, and take over the world!" I added as an afterthought.

Cannot forget the world domination. Every self-respecting villain wants to take over the world.

"Hmm, not quite," she started.

"Gaea is the Primordial goddess of the Earth. She cares for nothing but the Earth itself, no, not even her Children." She said as I was about to open my mouth.

Once satisfied that my mouth was once again closed, she continued, "She cares not for the actions of the Olympians. Why would she, they sustain on their own powers. However, the mortals that defile her soil on the other hand; them she hates with all her being. Her war is not against the gods, but the seat of their power - Western Civilization."

I gave a self-deprecating smile. All that complaining about fighting the god's battles and not getting enough attention seems so petty now. What fools we've been. For all the heroic deeds demigods have been known for in the past, I could not think of many that attempted to guide mankind. Then again, we rarely made it to adulthood.

"Her plan was to steal their Domains and forever control the infestation that is humanity. However, say what you will about the god's decision to interact so closely with mortals; they certainly gave Gaea an unexpected reply."

I found it odd how she seemed fascinated with the god's self-sacrifice when she did not seem too fond of their cause - the mortals.

"They bet it all on the possibility that you can get away, Perseus. That you could abandon your friends and family so that they may have a chance at living without oppression," she took a pause.

"They bet it all on the possibility that Humanity and their own children would overcome the efforts of the Earth Mother. That they would be free from the noose of their Domains forever."

Her explanations were making less and less sense to me as my mind simply rejected the idea. Why would the gods sacrifice themselves? Surely that would leave us even less prepared. I mean, even the demigods frequently depended on the blessings of their parents when using their powers.

My train of thought came to a standstill as I recalled the number of farms in the United States, alone. 2.2 million. Could numbers alone defeat them?

I took a deep breath to centre myself. I had unknowingly used Hephaestus's Domain before being transported to this…void. I should, in theory, also be able to use my connection to the Domain of War.

What I saw shocked me to my core. I wasn't an idiot, I knew we had some pretty impressive weaponry in the 21st century. But when I thought about the very minor adjustments that would make them deadly to monsters, and compared these modified weapons to how demigods usually fight. Well the victor was clear.

Plus, with the Domains all gone, the Giants and Titans would be neutered as well. Sure, they were still massive and powerful, but they would no longer need a god to destroy them. Nor would they have access to their full power.

Could this actually work?

"Maybe I could help my friends fight back Gaea and then leave?" I was still uncomfortable with the thought of leaving my friends and family to an uncertain future.

"And walk all the Domains to Gaea on a silver platter? I think not," barked Nyx, "You must choose now. Do you trust your Father and the Olympians, or is your loyalty to your friends too great for this sacrifice? The longer you stay here, the longer the Giants and Titans have control over the Domains."

"What do I need to do?" I asked cautiously.

"Accept your Domain, to begin with, and finally, you need to leave here and never return."

Despite her unsettling words, I asked, "What is, I mean, where is here?"

The swirling mass of ash and smoke then hastened and coalesced into the figure of a nine-foot-tall woman. She was still featureless, but I got the impression of a rueful smile.

"Here," she said simply, her hands waived aimlessly. "This reality, universe," then added, "Life."

Surely, this was too bizarre, even for the son of an Olympian god. I truly missed the days when my greatest problems were staying in school and a disgusting stepfather.

Nyx did not give me time to get used to my life's weird dial being turned up to 120, though.

"The only way out requires a leap of faith," Nyx said dramatically as the darkness around me receded.

We were on a cut-out in a cliff face, somehow midway in an infinitely stretching mass of black rock. The sky was the tell-tale and depressingly familiar haze of Tartarus. Yet, I could not feel his oppressive presence.

What sort of place would Tartarus himself steer clear of?

I shook off the vertigo from peering down the abyss and looked around.

The black stone around us was intricately carved with strange beings and patterns I could not recognise. It felt like a record of some kind, but I could not grasp the context. The ground itself was also carved. This time with circles and geometric patterns, all converging at a pedestal that had been polished to a shine.

"What's this?" I asked as I neared the pedestal. A small yellow crystal lay embedded in the stone obelisk.

"That is a…pillar. One of six, that is the source of all divine power."

Holy shit.

"That's…so you're saying all someone has to do to get access to one-sixth of all divine power is steal that rock!?"

Nyx simply chuckled, "I would like to see them try. Not even I-"

But I had already reached out to grab it. I weighed the little rock in my hand and squeezed it trying to get it to do something. I was expecting lightning bolts and earthquakes…not this.

"Put that down!" screamed Nyx, her voice reverberating all over the cliffs walls so loud it actually hurt.

It was back in its place in an instant and all I could do was smile sheepishly at the Primordial goddess of the Night. She looked at me almost cautiously for a moment before moving towards the cliff's edge.

"It is time for you to inherit your Domains, Perseus. As we speak, Titans and Giants lay siege on New Rome. With you still in this dimension, your demigods stand no chance at retreat."

My eyes widened in panic; time was of the essence. That was when I realized I had made my decision.

Nyx handed me a sheet of paper that materialised from the darkness as though she read my mind. Which now that I thought about it, she probably could do.

The paper contained a chant of sorts, written in ancient Greek.

"Please don't tell me I have to say this for all the Domains," I complained lightly.

Nyx glared at me, "Only one, θεός του όλυπου."

I looked at her skeptically and she continued. "Once you read it, you must jump." She smirked almost evilly as she looked down the side of the cliff.

I gulped.

You have got to be joking.

I was a son of Poseidon for the sake of the gods. Heights and especially falling did not go well with me.

I took a deep breath and faced Nyx once again. "Thank you, goddess, for helping me. And hopefully by extension, all of humanity," I bowed.

Nyx simply laughed, "Do not thank me yet half-ling, I am simply seeing through an amusing plot put forth by my successors."

I blinked at the brutally honest answer. I could not say my confidence had not been affected but I truly believed this was for the best.

So, I took the damn sheet and read the wacky chant. I could not even recognise the words I was saying except of course 'θεός του όλυπου'.

'The god of Olympus' I scoffed to myself. What a load of tosh that was. There would likely be no Olympus where I was going. No gods. No family. No friends.

I could not imagine how strange it was going to be for my mother to learn of my departure from a Primordial goddess.

I took a deep breath; the chant completed. My entire body was glowing now. It had started from my blood vessels and expanded to encompass all of my body. Eventually, I was glowing so bright my body was not much more than formless light.

I knew what I had to do. Any additional thinking would only hinder me and so I determinedly forged ahead, to the edge of the cliff. Ignoring all thoughts of fear or uncertainty and stepped over the edge.

The last thought I recall having before my body crashed against the ground was, 'Did I just doom us all?'