Chapter 4… finally! I was busy being awesome and going to space camp… yup, the legit one in Huntsville, Alabama! It was AWESOME… I learned how to fly a space shuttle! :D

I'm gonna do review replies now cuz I keep forgetting to.

SamayaK – thanks! I would say "you too," but that would be majorly awkward!

bookwormgirl2497 – dude… I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THE SON OF NEPTUNE SNEAK PEEK SO NOW I'M FREAKING OUT!

Kristen159 – Aww, thanks! Your review made me smile :) - you see? I'm doing it again!
Chocomadsandirish – now THAT is a great idea! Soooo using it!

Alexandriarulzforeva – That's what I'm doing now! (someone offstage – DUUUUUHHH)

HermesPotter – Your review (and username) made my week! I was seriously ridiculously happy for about 6 days after I read that! Imma go find your story when I finish writing this chappie!

Gypsy1213 – Thanks so much! Gods, I love reviews! :]

Nameless person – thanks, thanks, and more thanks!

Gypsy1213 – well, hello again! Yeah, I made that monster up :) Do you know how HARD it is to find a monster that Percy didn't fight? I had to do it for my other story and it was IMPOSSIBLE so I decided to make up one for this fic :)

GazmRules – Well, TOO BAD, cuz guess what? I FED THE IMPORTANT CHEESE TO MY PET CHINCHILLA LAST CANADA DAY! Ha!

Alexandriarulzforeva – Thanks!

PHEW that took forever! I think I'll write now.

Chapter 4

Artemis stared in shock at the creature. What was it? She shook herself out of her daze.

"Hermes! We need to get up there and help them!" She grabbed his hand (not her fault! nearest thing to grab on him!) and started running towards the palace. She got to the top of the hill easily, Hermes right behind her. Then the monster turned towards her and she froze. In the blank face, she saw things that terrified her. She saw memories. She saw Typhon attacking her fellow gods. She saw Orion taking his last breath. She saw things she didn't even remember – her mother, Leto, being threatened by Hera… and even some scenes that were too horrific to describe. The memories seemed to be surrounding her, blocking out everything else. She could feel her legs starting to tremble as the scenes getting worse. A voice spoke in her head.

I know you, it said. Artemis collapsed at the last word, the world blacking out.

Hermes caught her as she fell.

"What did you do?" he yelled. He didn't understand why none of the other gods were responding to the creature. They were all staring at it, horrified. Then it looked at him.

Ah, Hermes, said a voice in his head. So nice to see you again as my equal. But that won't last. Soon the gods will be my slaves and nobody will ever lock me in a jar again!

"Fear," he said, suddenly understanding.

Very good, little one, it said. Ever since Kronos returned, I have been gathering all of my energy to return to physical form. And now Kronos is gone, and I am here, and you, puny god, will not be.

And then the creature's face started to change. Hermes looked closer and almost fell over in shock. The scene was not scary at all. It was of him. He was holding hands with someone – Artemis. As he watched, the couple smiled at each other. The Hermes in the face leaned over and gave Fake-Artemis a hug. She smiled and leaned towards him… and suddenly, he was the Hermes in the face, and Artemis was really there, inches away from his face. He could smell her sweet breath as she leaned closer. He instinctively leaned forward… and the ground ripped apart beneath them. Artemis was falling, falling down the gap, away from him. He let out a yell and jumped back. The vision dissolved. He was kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily, Artemis still in his arms.

"Wha- you- you- I- no!" he panted.

The creature laughed. It made Hermes' hair stand on end.

This was just a warning, god, it said. And then it disappeared, just like that. The gods started coming back to reality. Artemis gasped and woke up. She looked up into Hermes' terrified face.

"It…" she started. Then she started to sob.
"It's okay," he said. "It's gone now." He held her tightly, tears running down both of their faces. "It's gone now."

Artemis knew what she was doing. She also didn't care. There was no place else she would rather be in the world then right here, with Hermes. She could feel him stroking her hair. She knew he was crying too. They both sat there for a good five minutes, holding each other tight, never wanting to let go. When Artemis' tears slowed down a little, she was able to look at the other gods. They had pretty much the same reaction as her. Aphrodite was crying as Ares held her, looking shell-shocked. Athena was sitting with her head in her hands, curled up into a tiny little ball. Zeus was sitting on his throne, looking white-faced and completely terrified. Poseidon was staring at Athena as though he was savoring the fact that she was still there. She pulled away from Hermes and looked into his face. Suddenly, the gravity of what she just did hit her. She jumped away from him like she had just been electrified. I just cried on the shoulder of a boy, she thought. I'm losing myself. Her sudden movement seemed to wake the other gods up. Zeus sat up straighter and straightened the tie on his pinstriped suit, looking embarrassed. Athena uncurled, looking around in shock. Her eyes met Poseidon's and he looked away quickly. His cheeks turned red like he had no idea what just happened, but it sure was strange. And Hermes… He was still sitting on the floor, looking heartbroken, like a little sad puppy. Artemis looked away quickly. With his curly hair messed up and tear streaks running down his face, he looked so much more… human, so unlike his usual prankster, one-dimensional self. He looked real. She shook herself out of her funk and collapsed on her throne, trying to forget the images she just saw. The other gods started migrating to their thrones, trying to make themselves more presentable.

Hermes slowly got up off the ground. She had been so close to him… He started walking towards his throne. Hermes glanced up and saw Artemis looking at him regretfully. He stared right back, and she held his gaze. An unspoken message went between them. I know what just happened, and so do you. They both jumped when Zeus called for attention.

He cleared his throat and then spoke three words.

"Fear is back."

A/N :D I hope you all liked it! And in case you're wondering, the monster is literally fear (from Pandora's box) in a physical form. Scary! Okay, that's all! Bye! Next chapter will be a little happier, I promise!

Love,

Tape Monkey