"Hello, Artemis," Prometheus said calmly as I stood over him, my paw on his chest and my teeth near his throat.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't tear your throat out now, you coward," I growled, my anger growing at his nonplussed expression.

"Because it would be rather rude?" He asked, smirking.

"There may not be any vultures present, but don't think I won't tear out your liver myself," I threatened, only to stiffen as I sensed the people behind me draw their weapons, their minds made up.

"Milady," a young woman said, stepping forward. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt underneath a breastplate with a wolf's head depicted on her breast. In one hand, she held a shield, and in her other a golden spear that she kept pointed towards the ground in an attempt to show she meant no harm, but was ready just in case. She must be one of the Romans, I thought as I felt myself shift aspects. This just made me more annoyed with everything that had happened to me and I growled as I stared into the girl's eyes. "Please, remove yourself from him. Otherwise you will have to be moved."

"Was that a threat?" I snarled, my vision turning red near the edges as the mixture of Greek and Roman demigods in the area forced my aspects to blend and made my head hurt. "You dare threaten me, one of the Olympian Gods?"

"We only submit to our Alpha, the Oathbreaker!" A voice called from the crowd. My eyes widened as they landed on the speaker. It was Hannah, one of the girls that had come to join my Hunt, and left with the others after the interrogation on Olympus.

The Oathbreaker? That wasn't a title I could attribute to anyone of note, nor one that inspired a great deal of confidence.

"A rather sinister title for someone seemingly of such high esteem, wouldn't you think, Artemis?" Prometheus asked. "Or is it Diana right now? All these humans who were kept separated coming together can make things rather confusing, can't they?"

My head throbbed with pain as a boy stepped forward to stand next to the girl. This time, a Greek.

"The Lost don't recognize rank as reason to surrender, Milady," he explained, but I barely heard him over the pounding in my head.

"Then you should recognize it as reason to keep your head, boy," I roared. "We maintain your world and keep you safe from horrors beyond your comprehension. We deserve to be treated as such!"

"You may believe that, Milady," the girl replied with forced calm as my power started leaking out, making the humans tremble. "But -"

"NO!" I bellowed. I was tired of being the one who was captured. Who needed saving. I wouldn't stand for these disrespectful. . . heretics, and their pet titan keeping me here a moment longer. I crouched low to the ground, my eyes locked on the girl before me as she and the others readied themselves, like they stood a chance against a god of Olympus, and prepared to pounce when another voice interrupted me.

"Stop."

I turned my head and growled as a massive wolf padded out of the trees. It had beautiful brick-red fur that swayed in the breeze as it looked down at us with silver eyes like mist on a lake.

"Lupa," I growled, allowing myself to grow to as large as I could while in the shape of a wolf as well - which was just over a foot shorter than her at the shoulder.

"Hello, Diana," Lupa replied, and I nearly sagged with relief as the focus of a being as powerful as Lupa kept my aspect from constantly changing.

"I would ask that you refrain from harming the humans," she paused. "And the titan."

"Do you have any idea who this is?!" I snarled, jerking my snout towards where Prometheus lay still on the ground.

"I do," Lupa growled, and I felt her power clash against mine, telling me that she wasn't about to submit to me either. "But the Lost don't judge an individual based on their past. It is their present and future actions once they have joined us that define them."

"And who are you to decide he gets to escape punishment?"

"I don't," she answered simply. "The Alpha did."

"On what authority?" I demanded. "What power gives this Alpha more power than my father?"

"And what authority does your father, and the rest of you, have to rule over us?" Lupa countered.

"I'd watch your tone, Wolf Mother," I growled, my power surging forth and overwhelming her.

"Diana," Lupa whimpered as she and the humans began to tremble before the power I held within myself. "Control yourself."

"You dare command me?!" I shouted, fury boiling inside me like liquid fire when a soft breeze ruffled my fur and a deep, thunderous growl shook the ground beneath my paws and I turned around to see two green, burning eyes staring at me from a mass of shadows.

"Enough."

The Alpha stood a good three feet taller than me at the shoulder, and looked down at me with gentle rage. Already, I could feel his power completely eclipsing my own in this form, making me want to lie down and expose my belly for him, but I banished those feelings with a surge of anger.

Never again would I expose myself like that. I've already felt the pain that comes from lowering my guard in such a fashion once before, and there was no way this animal would make me, Artemis - Diana - whichever, Goddess of the Hunt submit to him. With another roar, I launched myself at him, and the male regarded me with disappointment, before his lips curled back and he released a bark that shook me like my father had just unleashed his master bolt right in front of me. Faster than I expected, given his size, the dark wolf raised up on his hind legs and swatted me with his massive front paws.

No matter how fiercely I fought back, though, the Alpha simply returned it in kind, with interest. He was bigger, faster, and stronger than me. I managed to land a few good bites on his shoulders and side, but I quickly found myself tiring, and eventually he managed to force me to the ground and clamp his powerful jaws around my throat, growling savagely as I tried to fight back until, finally, I gave up and decided to change strategies. Clearly, I wouldn't be able to beat this beast while maintaining the form of one as well, but in the form of a human, I'd have the advantage of agility, and would easily be able to disarm one of the spectators and take down this creature.

Before I had even finished changing shape, I barreled into the surrounding crowd and grabbed one of the boys who had the audacity to yell at me by the wrist, yanking the sword he had drawn out of his hand with a small crunch. Everyone in the crowd's eyes widened as the boy cried out in pain, but I ignored them and turned around to face the beast only to find it had completely vanished. I casted my vision around trying to catch a glimpse of where he could be, but found nothing. Instead, all I felt was yet another gentle breeze blowing through my hair before a kick struck me in the back with enough force to lift me off the ground and send me flying ten feet away.

Rolling upon landing, I spun in place and found a man kneeling above the boy, with his back to me, wearing nothing as the females of the crowd either looked away with faces burning scarlet, or gazed upon the sculpted lines of his musculature with open hunger. His back was littered with small scars that I could tell were from both blade and claw alike.

"Are you alright, James?" He asked softly.

"I - I'm fine," the boy replied. "I'm sorry, by the time I knew what was happening, she was already on top of me."

"Don't be," the man replied, his voice gentle as he helped the boy, James, to his feet. Standing up, the man towered over all the other humans at six and a half feet. "It was my fault for not being here when she woke up. Lupa, could you please take him to get healed?"

"Perhaps I better do it," Prometheus offered. "It was my presence that sparked this little tantrum of hers in the first place."

"You are pretty annoying," the man conceded, prompting chuckles from the titan.

"What exactly is going on here?" I demanded, brandishing the sword at the nude figure before me.

The man turned to face me, and I finally got my first glimpse of his face. He had a square jaw, and straight nose, with thick stubble covering his chin and neck, and a scar curving around the left side of his face, over his eye which glared at me with a fire in its sea-green depths. His mane of shaggy, black hair hung around his face as his lips curled up in a snarl. I had no doubt that, were he not glaring at me with lethal intent, he would be just as handsome as any of the subjects of great sculptures of the past.

Though he seems noticeably larger in certain areas, a traitorous voice whispered as I looked him up and down.

"You don't make demands here, Agrotera," he snarled and my eyes widened as both my divine aspects gave way to one older than either. "You are a guest in my home, act like it."

"A guest?!" I repeated angrily.

"That's right," he replied, turning around. "Follow me."

Without another word the crowd dispersed and returned to going about their business while the man continued to walk away, not even bothering to look back at me. Growling to myself, I trotted after him. "Stop! Explain who you are and what's going on here, now!" I shouted, but the man simply ignored me and continued strolling back to the building where I had woken up.

"Hey!" I shouted as I ran after him. "I am talking to you!"

"No," the man replied simply, not looking back at me. "You're yelling at me."

"Because you refuse to slow down!"

"Because you expect me to."

"Of course I do," I huffed angrily. "I am a goddess."

"So?" He asked, reminding me of the crowd from earlier and what Lupa had been saying. "I've met several gods and goddesses. What makes you any different?"

"Percy," Lupa said as she padded over. "Please stop provoking her. We only just managed to avoid any casualties."

"Tell that to James," Percy growled. Wait. . .

"Percy? Percy Jackson?" I asked, my disbelief clear. No one had seen or heard from Percy Jackson since the end of the second Titanomachy. "What's going on?"

"If you had just followed Edward in the first place, instead of attacking my friends for no reason," Percy replied angrily.

"You took me prisoner!" I interrupted. "Of course I would try to escape."

"No one said you were our prisoner," he countered. "From what Edward told me, one of the first things he told you was that you were free to leave whenever you want. In fact, I can swear by the Styx that if I hadn't brought you here, you would definitely be prisoner to someone else." There was a moment of silence before he added "or dead." and the familiar distant boom of thunder indicated he was telling the truth.

"He also told me that you would dose me with a potion so that I forgot everything I saw here."

Percy shrugged as he led the way into a large room with a bed and dresser near the far wall, a fireplace to our right, and a desk with a coat hanger to our left. "You could always not take it," he said, stepping around the bed and pulling out some clothes, dressing himself in a pair of jeans and a plain, white t-shirt before going over to the coat hanger and grabbing what looked like the exact same black, hooded duster that he had given to the boy earlier. "But most people do."

"And why is that?"

"Because, this place is a secret. One that you'll keep regardless of whether you want to or not," another voice added softly and I spun around to find a figure floating behind me. He had four wings coming out of his back, and was dressed in a toga like we all used to in the old days. His face was indescribably plain, and his hair a boring shade of brown. My eyes widened as I started to piece everything together.

"You," I whispered, fear gripping my soul as the figures dangerously intelligent eyes regarded me.

"Hello, Agrotera," Harpocrates said, his voice barely audible. "I'm surprised you remembered me."

Suddenly, I remembered what the people addressed Percy as, and I whirled around on him angrily. "How could you?" I demanded. "Have you any idea what you've done, boy?"

"I do," Percy replied, undaunted. "I freed a being who was being unfairly punished just for existing. Something I, and most demigods, are pretty familiar with."

"Harpocrates has the potential of wiping away every aspect of Olympus, you foolish boy!" I shouted.

"Harpocrates," Percy said, turning his attention to the floating god behind me. "Have you ever tried to use your powers over secrets, silence, and confidentiality to seal away all knowledge of Olympus, making the gods all fade because of it?"

"You know, my friend, I can't say that I have," Harpocrates replied with an amused smile. "Of course, that didn't stop Zeus from imprisoning me anyway."

"How would you even know how to free him anyway?" I demanded.

"I didn't," Percy admitted. "It was in freeing someone else who was unfairly imprisoned by your dad that I happened to free him. Since then, I've been taking in anyone I thought needed a home, or protection from the influences of Olympus."

"What are you talking about? Why would anyone need protection from us?" I demanded. "Unless, of course, they were involved in something that would draw our wrath."

"I don't know," Percy drawled, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "Why don't we ask the booming jackalope population? Or how about Medusa? Or Arachne?"

"That's -" I began only to be interrupted as Percy raised his hand.

"I'm not looking for excuses," he said firmly, making me flush with anger. How dare he interrupt me like that? "Nor do I owe you any explanations. I saved you because you were, at one point, one of the few Olympians I had some measure of respect for, and your lieutenant is a good friend of mine."

I was about to reply when a knock on the door drew all of our attention and I turned to see the large, bearded man who had greeted me when I first woke up standing in the doorway.

"Apologies fer the interruption," he grunted. "But I just received an Iris Message from the Dawn. Seein' as yer back too, I figured it be time for us to discuss our next move."

"All right," Percy replied with a nod before turning back to me. "If you want to leave, Harpocrates will take you to get a potion before returning you to your hunters."

"And if I choose not to take the potion?" I challenged only to be surprised when Percy's eyes softened.

"We won't force you," he said, his previous stoicism nowhere to be seen. "You won't be able to so much as hint at the existence of this place or any of the people living here."

"I think I'll manage," I replied angrily.

"Agrotera," Harpocrates said, his voice barely above a murmur. "You know your fellow Council members. Your father. If you reveal that you know anything, they will try to get you to reveal it. My power will not allow it."

"I'll find a way," I growled. "Olympus needs to know that their missing hero is conspiring against them."

Once again, I expected Percy to react with anger at the accusation, but he just sighed and looked at me with what seemed dangerously close to pity.

"You do what you have to," he said softly, reaching into his desk he pulled out a familiar, wolf-shaped pendant. "If you ever need a safe place for yourself or your hunters, you can use this to call me."

I scoffed and snatched the pendant out of his hand, concealing my glee. Even if I was bound by Harpocrates' power, this would be more than enough proof to convince my father. With one last sigh of defeat, Percy nodded to Harpocrates and I felt myself being surrounded by a foreign power as I was flashed away.

A/N: So, before anyone asks, the reason Percy was able to so easily handle Artemis in a fight will be elaborated on later. He isn't ridiculously OP, but he has been growing more and more powerful over the five years since the war with Kronos. Even so, most of his power is combat-oriented. Also he still sucks at archery.

Anyway, we've now been introduced to the Alpha, and it was no surprise to anyone that Percy was his true identity. Harpocrates was a real figure in Greek mythology, but I don't recall him really being used in PJO or HOO, so he's officially my own OC. There were also some cameos of other characters from the books if you tilt your head and squint. Next chapter will be from Percy's POV, so hopefully some of your questions will be answered, but don't expect a long chapter of exposition explaining what the heck is going on. That being said, there were a few hints pointing to what happened sprinkled about, and I'd love to read your predictions and inferences.