Tartarus, The Tianomarchy
Percy's POV (3rd)
Percy looked at the silver haired Titan, his sea green eyes looking up at him in shock, "How are you alive? Tartarus. He took you and Damasen." The third occupant in the room decided to make his presence known, "That would be because of me, Tartarus owed me a favor, however your friend Damasen won't be coming back - I only had one favor, and The Lord of the Pit is a temperamental man. Anyways, I am glad you decided to come Perseus Jackson, albeit vilolently."
Perseus turned his attention to the man sitting on a golden throne, he was old, seeming to be in his late seventies. It was the man's eyes that set Percy off; they were a shining gold, literally pulsing with power. Percy would've sworn that it was Kronos he was looking at, but there were a few features about the mysterious man that doesn't add up. The man's eyes literally pulsed with power, Kronos, not even in the stories his father told him of the first Titan War describe Kronos like that. Another thing was his age; immortals don't often take an older form, preferring to look like - well - like a god. "And who exactly would you be?"
The man seem to relax at Percy's answer and waved the question off, "All in due time Perseus, before I get to why you're here; I would like to give you a lesson in the history of the Titans - the true history of the Titans." Percy was immediately set on edge, he wanted to fight the man, to stop him before he even has the chance to try and change his views on the world, but something told Perseus that the man infront of him was trust worthy and Percy always trusted his gut. Seeing Percy not trying to stop him, the mysterious man started his story.
"For the most part, the stories you've heard were true, before and during the war, Kronos was a cruel man and a tyrannical leader, but before that, he was a loving brother and friend; a leader that all looked up to." Percy looked to Iapetus for confirmation, the silver eyed Titan gave a slight nod and a shushing gesture. "Before I start that story, maybe I should start with how Kronos came to power; how he became the Titan Lord of Time.
"When the Primordial of Time, Chronus, had first faded, the shock waves of power his death would've caused was contained solely by his symbol of power. This symbol of power is still around today, and is one of the last remnants of the ancient diety. This sacred object is no mere weapon, it is a manifestation of Time itself; an entity older than fate.
"To wield the power of Time, one would have to be chosen by Time, which is how Chronus was first picked, along with the other Protogenoi when they sprang forth from the void that is Chaos. This process is similar to your father's rule over the sea. The oceans and its unbridled strength cannot be tamed by a god alone, your father was chosen to rule the sea by the Sea. One of the main reasons your father has survived so long with the threat of Oceanus is because of the way he rules. He rules the sea with one hand open and the other extended to help any in need - always putting the denizens of his domain first. The Sea approves of Poseidon's leadership and rule and as a reward, your father is left in charge.
"To be chosen by Time is a similar process. When Kronos was first born, he was merely a Titan Lord of the Harvest, the weakest and the youngest of all of his siblings. Instead of being rightfully jealous of his much stronger, older brothers and sisters, Kronos relished his time as the Titan of the Harvest. Helping out any in need and wandering around the unexplored world, growing new climates and habitats that would shape the world into what it is today. Lots of beings and entities had taken notice of this and he became well-loved by all, but only one would matter: Time.
"The entity that is Time required a ruler, someone to keep its power from running rampant and destroying the very foundations of the universe; so it chose one: the golden hearted Titan Lord of the Harvest, Kronos. Kronos didn't want the responsibility or power that came with being a Lord of Time, he was content with his life, but knew of the consequences that were at stake if he didn't take up the mantle.
"It is at this part of the story, where your knowledge of history is changed - the truth will be revealed. The scythe Kronos used to cut up his father Ouranos was no weapon forged by Gaea, it was once the symbol and very source of Chronus' power, the literal manifestation of Time and its unmatched power - the power of the second oldest entity - only second to the void itself.
"After Kronos and his brothers cut Ouranos into pieces, a golden age of power and prosperity followed; ushered into the world by the new King of Titans, Kronos. Gaea was pleased with the new age and went to sleep, something she hadn't done since the fading of Chronus. However, Gaea soon grew restless in her sleep, she wanted to wake once more, but the Law of The Ancients - not to be confused with the Ancient Laws - prevented her from awakening without reason. So she made a plan and set it in motion; she would give herself a reason: the overthrowing of her children.
"Gaea set a curse upon the Lord of Time, one that would weaken the once all powerful Titan and transform him into the cruel and tyrannical leader that goes down in the history books; the great ruler forgotten to time. Even as Kronos reformed piece by piece, particle by particle, his curse was never broken and he had been unwillingly forced to go to into a war he had no intention of ever starting a first time.
Even at Bob's multiple confirmations of the story, Percy was still skeptical, the mysterious man saw this and sighed, "I knew this was to come." The man cleared his voice a few times and closed his eyes. When they opened once more they were literally glowing, the ever so constant pulse was still retained and continued even stronger, when he spoke, his voice was booming, seemingly amplified a hundred times over, "I swear by the void and by my immortality that all I said is true. Let Chaos, The First One, claim my immortal soul if she so much detects a trace of deceit in my words."
Darkness began to descend upon the room and all of the shadows grew thicker. The ominous darkness continued its descent and upon reaching Perseus, he felt empty in the most literal sense; a feeling of the void - lonely and cold. As fast as the darkness came, it soon left, leaving things as if nothing had happened.
Perseus was the first to speak, "What the fuck was that?" Iapetus gave a small chuckle, obviously amused with Percy's bewilderment, "That my young friend is the highest oath one could take, your Olympians always were too scared to inform you about it, they never want to admit their lies."
"It would be like the gods to hide that from us. I would prefer if you just swore on the Styx next time, whatever just happened ranks high on my 'Most Terrifying Experiences' list." Percy said, eliciting a laugh from both beings in the room.
Percy started to take in all the information he'd been given, wondering why the mysterious man had chosen to set Kronos' story straight. Suddenly Time's March, which Perseus had forgotten was in his hand, started glowing a bright, ethereal golden light and it all clicked in his mind, "I have to take up the mantle."
The man looked at him sadly, "Yes young Perseus, you must be the one." You could practically feel the stress radiating off Perseus, he didn't think he was ready. Seeing this Iapetus was quick to reassure his friend, "Have no fear Percy, you are already the perfect candidate for the job."
At Percy's questioning look, Iapetus continued, "You have the strength of the gods and the perseverance and potential of humanity in your blood. Not to mention your heart of gold and the willingness to help any and all you see, no matter who they are; these alone set you apart from anybody on the planet. And as you can see," Iapetus gestured towards his still glowing spear, "Time has already chosen you, allowing you to use its full destructive power and rip the very soul out of immortals and take their power."
Percy looked confused and was ready to start firing off questions before The Man stepped in, "Perseus, you have seen it; you've just thought nothing of it. When you killed Hyperion, Perses and Polybotes, you've seen the light come away from their body and into you, have you not?" At Percy's nod the unknown man continued, "That was their soul, their power and immortality, the black dust that followed was them transporting to the realm of the faded. You've experienced the use of their power first hand, but you've never noticed them.
"While fighting Perses, he had kicked you; the force and destructive power applied should've broken nearly every bone in your body, but the light around you hardened and cushioned your fall, all while giving you the energy needed to fight him and his army.
"When you fought Polybotes and caused an earthquake so large it could be felt up on Olympus; that was the combined effort of your own power and Perses' former domain of destruction.
"And you would be an immortal from taking all of their essences, but your partial immortality is fighting it away. Adding in your Curse of Achilles, there is no other being, immortal, faded or demigod that is more fit to take up the mantle - nobody more fit to become the next Lord of Time. You have been chosen by the entity that is Time, and it had already rewarded you for your efforts: your beloved wolf Zoë was a gift from Time. She was made of a species long lost to time, the dire wolf, and a future species yet to come to Earth."
The man gave Percy some time to digest all of the new information, finally Percy seemed to come to terms with the events that had taken place, but there was one still lingering question, "Who are you?"