For a while you guys will be seeing this, "this story is already finished" because I have 4 fanfics completed and waiting for upload in my documents. This being said, I am constantly working on more. My goal is to make my readers smile, laugh, cry. I put parts in many of my stories that make ME laugh because I want them to make you laugh. I put parts that make me, almost, cry because I want to make you cry, as malevolent as that sounds. So, with this in mind, the kind of reviews I absolutely adore are not the "You did a great job, keep it up." ones, though I understand most of my readers won't take the time to write a more personal review, but the reviews I really adore are the ones that say things like, "This part made me laugh so hard!" or "Needed a tissue for that chapter" because I can't improve my writing if you guys, and girls, don't tell me which parts make you smile and laugh, or cry. Well, there's my sappiness for today. Enjoy the chapter!
I DON'T OWN PJO!
The wind whistled quietly across the desolate road. Snow flitted across the frozen ground carelessly as Percy watched. A lone car rumbled up the road, Percy remained still and they passed without issue. He sighed and climbed the tree behind him, leaping through the forest without touching the ground. He arrived at the school silently, still wearing his tailored suit, he found that mortals tended to notice business men less than teens, so he wore a suit and manipulated the mist to make him appear six years older than he was. Nico smirked as he alighted on the snow covered ground, the younger boy gestured to the castle behind him.
"The dance is starting soon. Are you sure you don't want to go? I'm sure you could find some entertainment for the night." Nico offered suggestively,
"Nico, just because I met the biggest man hater in the world and apparently owe her a favor doesn't mean that I'm going to try to pick up ignorant mortal women to take to bed. That's just screwed up, besides, Bianca would slaughter me." Percy responded, the younger boy shrugged with a smirk and went inside, Percy shook his head in exasperation as he melted into the shadows of the school/castle he was standing beside.
"Why does he always try to make shitty jokes like that?" a disembodied voice asked Percy,
"Not sure Uncle. I think it's just to lighten the mood, but he does it so crappily that everyone just laughs at his idiocy instead of the joke. But I guess it works." Percy responded, the golden amulet around his neck hummed quietly in satisfaction. The car he had observed before rumbled to a stop and three doors opened. A blonde boy, probably college age, a blonde girl about Percy's age, and a black haired girl a few years older than her female companion stepped out of the car. The trio trudged through the snow toward the school and Percy smirked. 'This is the rescue team from the Greek camp? No wonder they can't recruit anyone.' He thought scornfully, 'Patience Nephew, the black haired girl is a daughter of Zeus. She is very dangerous.' The Amulet's voice scolded him, he lowered his head slightly in apology and continued watching the trio as they attempted to gain access to the school. 'She may be dangerous, but her godly blood must be diluted by all the other children her father has had. She's his what? Seven hundredth kid? Everyone knows that the more children a god has in their life the weaker they are.' Percy finally responded to the amulet. 'You are right. But that does not mean she is weak, she is still the greatest threat in the immediate vicinity, and as much as I hate to admit it, my youngest son is very powerful.' The voice argued logically, Percy surrendered to his Uncle's superior reasoning and remained quiet.
The snow had stopped falling by the time the camp rescue team stepped outside. Percy watched them closely, they were sticking together, safe but they wouldn't get to the kids they were supposed to rescue like that. Percy sighed and stepped out of the shadows, they didn't see him despite him not attempting to conceal his presence at all as he ran for the trees. Percy drew his spear as he landed lightly in the cliffside clearing. Nico and Bianca lay unconscious by a man's feet, he slowly dropped the radio in his hand to glare at Percy.
"Who are you?" he asked, Percy shrugged.
"I can't let you take them. Sadly the campers are too idiotic to do their job, so I have to do it for them." Percy responded, the man smirked before his body shifted into a massive cat with a scorpion tale. Black spikes were launched at Percy, he rolled to the side and they flashed past him harmlessly. 'The Hunters are nearing our position.' The amulet's voice warned Percy, Percy charged the Manticore with a roar and thrust his spear in its paw as it tried to block. Percy pushed and the spear slid through the paw and into the Manticore, who was frozen in fear, in the chest. The giant cat dissipated with a scream as Percy withdrew his spear. He gripped the shoulders of the two captives and sent them back home using the shadows. Percy turned his spear back into a ring and sat on the ground cross legged, waiting for the goddess he owed a favor.
'You're an idiot.' The Amulet cursed Percy as girls clad in silver stepped out of the trees. A single twelve year old stepped forward, glaring at him like all the rest, but her eyes held something else, unidentifiable, in them. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the same knife she had left him with in a scabbard on his belt.
"Lady Artemis, I am glad you could join us, though you are a bit late to the party." Percy greeted her, her eyes flicked around the clearing quickly, ascertaining that there were no threats.
"What are you doing? If the monsters are dead what business do you have here?" she asked, Percy smiled at her,
"My Uncle misses the stars, so I always make sure to take my time when beneath an unpolluted sky, as his consciousness is bound to a certain item on my person at almost all times." Percy responded, the goddess gripped her bow.
"Don't worry, he's grown much less paranoid, and much friendlier since his youngest son betrayed him. Though admittedly, at the time, he deserved it." Percy hinted, Artemis's eyes widened to resemble the full moon above them as she drew her bow and aimed an arrow at his skull, the hunters followed her example.
"You would threaten me so?" she inquired, Percy's eyebrow rose in confusion.
"Not once in our conversation have I threatened you. My Uncle is quite peaceful since my birth, he gave up his only chance at ever attaining a form again to bless his favorite Nephew after all." Percy declared, Artemis relaxed slightly and lowered her bow.
"Then, you admit your Titan lineage?" she asked, Percy shrugged.
"Do you? Your father is the direct blood son of the King of the Titans, yet you curse at your grandfather as if he had spat at you in the street. In reality few Titans actually want to overthrow the gods, most just want to retire to a sea-side cottage for eternity, if you understand the metaphor." Percy argued. Artemis watched him suspiciously, Percy smiled at her kindly before turning to look in the direction of the school. His smile disappeared.
"What?" Artemis asked,
"Our conversation is over, for now, I have been given the order to return." He answered, he stood and walked toward the cliff edge fearlessly.
"Doth ye plan to jump to thine doom boy?" The hunt's lieutenant asked scornfully, Percy turned and smiled at them as he spread his arms and let himself fall backwards over the edge. His body dissolved into silver moonlight before Artemis lost sight of his face, his eyes hadn't left hers since he had started falling, her heart beat like only the thrill of the hunt had ever made it beat before. Then he was gone, by the time Artemis realized she was staring at where he had been the campers were in the clearing. Zoe glanced at the goddess in concern before raising her bow at the intruding campers. But Artemis didn't notice, a single voice echoed through her skull, 'Treat my Nephew well, Granddaughter. It would not do for one such as he to be heartbroken for what is coming.'
Percy reappeared on the roof of the nearby school silently. He gazed at the clearing, easily visible from this height and angle. 'Something you wish to inform me of Nephew?' Kronos asked, his voice was friendly and full of humor, Percy groaned. 'Whatever do you mean dear Uncle?' he asked. 'You are in love with a certain goddess. Otherwise you would have already shadow traveled to your Cousin's palace. Don't even try to deny it, you idiot, I can read your thoughts if I really want to.' The Titan announced, Percy sighed and sat with his legs over the edge of the school casually. 'I suppose it would be impossible to deny it to someone with access to my mind. But I'm not actually sure what I feel toward the moon goddess, so I can't answer that question. I've only ever had two conversations with her, and both of them involve her pointing weapons at me. That's not enough information to decide whether or not I'm in love with someone.' Percy countered, Kronos seemed to back off, but Percy couldn't be sure.
Morning came quickly. Percy watched the hunters board the sun chariot in minibus form, only Artemis remained on the cliff side. Percy, acting completely on impulse, shadow traveled into the shadow of a large pine near the edge of the clearing. The bus took off with a roar and Percy stepped out of the shadow of the tree. Artemis turned and started walking toward the forest before she froze and turned to look at him.
"Lady Artemis, I wondered if I might accompany you? I have potentially valuable information to you." Percy asked, Artemis stared at him for a moment before shaking her head as if to clear it.
"What are you doing here?" she asked,
"I lied about getting the order to return home, I just didn't want the campers to see me." Percy answered,
"Then why are you here now?" she asked,
"Well, I was hoping to make a deal with you." Percy suggested, Artemis looked away from his eyes for a moment before meeting them again.
"Go on." She stated.
"Well, I have information about which Titans are hostile to Olympus, and which are not. I also know the whereabouts of some of the hostile Titans, though I cannot expose all of them due to prior agreements. I was hoping you would be willing to simply, talk with me, allow me to accompany you on your journey for a while, then I can give you the information you want while I get what I want." Percy proposed. Artemis considered his proposal for a second,
"And what is it you want?" she asked after a few minutes of awkward silence.
"Well, to continue our conversation of course. There aren't many people I get to talk to, and I thought you might be able to give me some information about my mother." Percy answered.
"Who is your mother?" Artemis asked quickly, Percy could tell she had already decided whether or not to accept his proposal, she was just milking him for all the information she could get. Percy closed his eyes for a moment and felt them revert to their natural color. He opened them and met her questioning gaze,
"My mother was Selene, the Titaness of the moon." He answered.
