Chapter Eight

It had been nearly a year since Winter alerted the gods to his presence and the fact that he was the son of Nyx and Erebus, then promptly dropped off the face of the earth. Lady Artemis had been pissed when he disappeared mostly because she knew that the boy had been using her to send messages to the council and then he was just gone with no explanation especially since they had so many questions.

Annabeth Chase was watching the ocean, remembering her love, the great Percy Jackson. Her mind was not just focused in her memories but on the recent changes. Monsters were attacking with more force, as soon as a demigod stepped out of camp, they were swarmed.

Quests given to campers ending in misery until mysterious people appeared out of thin air and saved them, spreading the rumor that warriors were protecting the earth as their duty had not ended. It was something that she had never heard of existing. She had no idea who these people were or what they wanted. They just saved lives and disappeared. It was a mix of males and females that saved different campers, indicating that there was more than one.

"Stop thinking so much Chase. I can see the gears in your head turning." Clarisse, daughter of Ares, immortal cabin counselor stood smirking at her.

"What do you want?" asked Annabeth honestly confused.

The daughter of Ares was stubborn and proud. She never really changed and once Percy left, and well Annabeth was never Clarisse's best friend. The two girls avoided each other, the daughter of Ares solved problems with force, while the daughter of Athena used brains. They were just different even though they did respect each other.

"I don't hate you Chase. Stop trying to solve all the problems that was what Prissy was for. Concentrate on what you can do. We need better battle plans or something. Use your brains to solve the problems right in front of you. Worry about everything else later. I don't wanna see more campers die. These guys just got a dose of reality, a reality that I hoped I would never see again."

Annabeth watched her walk away and decided she was right. She needed to help the camp. Better defenses and traps, amp up weapon training as well. Things went slack after a while because the war was over however it looked like war would come again.

They were immortalized for this reason. To lead the camp through another war should it ever come even though Annabeth could understand how Clarisse felt, they all accepted the burden immortality knowing that a war may come but it didn't mean that they didn't want to see another war.

These campers were lazy and relaxed, much like they were before the camp realized what Luke was doing. This time, she knew where to start unlike the last time when they were all scrambling to make decisions. She did it before and she would do it again. She was after all a hero of Olympus.

Zoe watched as Percy cleaned his nails with a knife, so many months of training with the pack, all leading up to whatever he had planned now. It was a rough few weeks, the originals in the pack immediately looked to Winter as leader but the other recruits felt like they were betraying Aaron by accepting him.

There had been an invisible power struggle, until Percy began to train each of them personally. Slowly but surely Percy won over the pack he needed and then began the more intense training. Hemera blessed the pack as their other patron with the ability to travel using light. A single drop of light was enough for them to travel through.

Lady Hestia could not bless them in fear that Zeus would find them, she simply made their camp site a home. It took months but slowly a system was built to recognize the power and leadership. Aaron wore gold wristbands as lieutenant. Aari and Thea wore red wristbands indicating that they were second and third command. The rest of the pack members were free to dress however they pleased. They all wore white capes with hoods to hide their faces while Winter, or Alpha to the pack, wore his usual black.

It took many months before they were ready to head to New York and once they did, they traveled in pairs or in trios. Helping demigods and tracking monsters, avoiding the hunt as well.

Right now they were on the boarder of Washington, avoiding the hunt. It seemed like Zeus was trying to capture them and the hunt was failing, "Will you share the plan with me now?" asked Zoe.

Percy smirked at her, "I once told you that I was looking for three demigods. My parents told me that the horsemen are trying to kill as many demigods as they can hoping to wipe out the army before the seasons awaken. I also spoke to the fates."

Zoe hit him on the head, "You spoke with the fates yet you didn't tell me!"

Percy chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling the furious girl into his lap, "I was told not to tell you until the time was right. I believed now maybe the right time. The fates told me that I was to pick the seasons. Whatever Tartarus did, it messed up what the fates had planned. I carried the power of Winter but he was never supposed to awaken in me, apparently my grandson was supposed to be Winter. Tartarus has messed with fate and time, something I'm sure Kronos had a hand in. This fight was not meant to be fought by us, now the fates rush to create a new destiny."

Zoe looked confused, "I thought Gaia did this."

Percy shrugged, "Gaia tried to wake the Horsemen, Tartarus recognized the power I was carrying even though I didn't know what it was and they both attempted to awaken them in different ways. Once a Horsemen awakens so does a season and vice versa but nothing really went to plan. The Fates never accounted for this."

Zoe said nothing so he continued, "They Fates entrusted me with the task of choosing the next seasons. Once I do, the horsemen will awaken and we will be at war. I have chosen Spring and Summer. I need to find a person strong enough to hold Autumn."

Zoe ran her hands through Percy's hair, "When will you awaken them?"

Percy bit her finger lightly, "Not yet. All the pieces must be in place. If the horsemen awaken before we have a chance to help the Gods prepare, they will launch their final attack. Conquest is waiting for me to awaken the seasons. He has a plan, before I give them the power of the seasons I must have my own plan."

Zoe felt a pang of guilt, be carried so much on his own, "How can I help?" she asked.

Percy ran his lips down her throat and chest, "Keep your identity hidden. Artemis is the only Goddess that we can count on to fight. We cannot lose her or the hunters. If they know of you, hades will break loose. We need everything to go smoothly, we cannot have trust and loyalty questioned which will happen if they know that I brought back you back to life and then defiled you. We do not have time for Artemis to throw a hissy fit because I have tainted her greatest huntress."

Zoe's mind was lost in a haze of lust as Percy played with her clit but she tried to form a response when he pinched her clit between his fingers and she came with a muffled scream.

Alpha, Beta we have a problem." said Aaron and Percy groaned into her neck. He pulled his fingers out of her reluctantly and stalked out of their tent. Someone somewhere better be dying or he was going to be pissed.

Zoe was getting redressed as Percy went outside to speak with Aaron. "The hunters captured Felix."

Percy was actually speechless, he wasn't really being serious but, "How the hades did that happen?" asked Zoe.

Aaron rubbed the back of his head, "They set a trap, using a monster and a younger girl. He went to save her, they ambushed him."

Percy started cursing in every language he knew. "Kidnap a hunter, I don't care which one or how you get her but get one. Keep her in a tent with Thea and Aari. No other males allowed inside that tent. Then we get Felix back. We're not ready to go to Olympus. If I have to threaten the life of a hunter to get him back before she forces him to answer her then I will. I just need a little more time to find who I need, then if that nosey Goddess wants we can fucking have tea for all I care. I'll even introduce her to the pit if that's what it takes to curb her curiosity just get a hunter here and someone get a team ready to spring Felix if they try to double cross our switch."

Aaron, Thea and Sam watched the camp site and grimaced at the number of hunters wandering around. They tied Felix to a pole towards the end of the camp, far away from them but close enough to watch him. They seemed to be waiting for the goddess.

"Thalia, where is Lady Artemis?" called Phoebe.

Thalia threw her hands up, "She said something about letting the council know we caught one and to wait before we talk to him."

Some of the hunters asked if they could go pick berries while they waited, "There's more than one of them. What happens if they attack?" asked Thalia.

Ava smiled, "We're hunters Thalia. We'll be fine. We won't even be gone long."

Aaron smiled at their over-confidence, "Follow one of them. Make sure she doesn't make a sound when you take her."

They followed the girl named Phoebe and waited. Sam put a hand over her mouth while Aaron lifted her by the waist. Once they had a good grip they light traveled back to their camp.

"What the hades do you think you're doing boy? Let me go." She screamed.

Aaron laughed, "We're not gonna touch you huntress but we want our brother back. We're gonna trade you, our brother for the hunts sister. Thea take her to your tent."

Phoebe was terrified, she would never show it or admit it but she was at the mercy of these males. She was shocked when she was shoved into a tent and there were only girls inside. They all wore capes but they were all girls. She couldn't see their face but one of them gestured for her to sit on a chair. It was large in the tent. Enchanted like the hunters so that a whole house could fit inside a tiny tent. She was pushed into a sofa and left to wait.

The whole after noon the girls read books or sharpened weapons. They even did their nails but not once did a male even enter. She heard a boy knock on the door and bring in two trays of food. He never even stepped inside, just passed the trays over.

"We hope to contact your goddess tomorrow and you can leave." said one of the girls.

Phoebe just stared in shock, there was nothing she could do now except wait, she did not expect to be treated so kindly by her captors.