Chapter 10

Darion POV

The next day was 200% better. Now that I was getting along with Artemis, things were good again.

The first thing I did after breakfast was to catch up to the Hunt as they walked out to the archery range.

They noticed I was tailing them pretty quickly and stopped, most of them facing me with questioning glances. I walked right up to Thalia, who was slightly avoiding my eyes.

Running a hand through my hair I paused before dropping it sand saying, "I'm really sorry, Thalia. I shouldn't have done that yesterday. I just wasn't in my right mind and…I really hate I did that."

She looked up and shook her head, replying, "Don't worry about it. You were upset. People get that way. No harm done."

Sighing I told her, "No, there was. I should not have acted out in such a way. That was childish. Taking out emotions on others is most certainly not 'okay'. It was disrespectful."

Thalia snorted. "Disrespectful? Never gotten that before. Especially not someone of your, uh, 'status'."

"Yes, disrespectful. I am but a demigod. You are not only that but a huntress and everyone knows that all of you kick butt and you can beat the crap out of me any time you wanted. I openly accept you as my superior."

With that I left them all with their jaws slacked and Artemis silently laughing hysterically.

I went around camp and actually helped today, instead of being all pissy and sulking in the forest.

At campfire I stood over by the Hunt, not ditching for once (shocker!). Turns out it was so worth it.

After the little kids were sent away, a few guys from all different cabins went up and grabbed instruments. I was really confused as they nervously started to play. Once I caught the tune, though, I laughed heartily and gave them two thumbs up. Less terrified, they started to get into the song.

Now listen to me baby,

Before I love and leave you,

They call him heart breaker,

He don't want to deceive you

If you fall for him,

He's not easy to please,

He's gonna tear you apart,

Told you from the start,

Baby, from the start

He's only gonna break break your break break your heart (x4)

There's no point trying to hide it,

No point trying to evade it,

I know you got a problem,

By doing this behavior

If you fall for him,

He's not easy to please,

He's gonna tear you apart,

Told you from the start,

Baby, from the start

He's only gonna break break your break break your heart (x3)

He's only gonna break your heart…

Through the entire song I was laughing. It was obvious they were talking about me, and I don't blame them. They were some of the few that had girlfriends, but their girls were still chasing after me.

The Hunt glared at me when they caught on, probably thinking I intentionally went around getting these little girls to fall in 'love' with me. They got over that soon enough, though, and turned back to the front.

Artemis looked at bit worried at the whole message of the song—that I was going to break any girl's heart if they fell for me. Giving her a reassuring smile, I faced the stage but grabbed her hand in the darkness of the back, squeezing it a bit before releasing my hold.

After a few more songs everyone went to their cabins. I went back to the Big House for about ten minutes until I knew the others weren't out and about then went to the dunes.

Artemis was already there. She glanced up and me, smiled slightly, and said, "Hey. I thought you weren't coming at first."

Snickering a bit, I told her, "Not a chance. I was just making sure no one would see me make my way here. Contrary to popular belief, I actually like hanging out with you."

She shook her head, amused. Seeing an opportunity, I reached out and took hold of her hand, grinning at the way she no longer jumped or froze.

"You seem happy," she said.

I shrugged and answered, "Can you blame me? You and I are on speaking terms again. You have no idea how much I missed just being able to talk and sit with you."

"Oh yeah, I do. You're the one person not afraid to tell me how you feel. It refreshing. And sitting by you here, it's peaceful. Peace in a world of chaos."

I knew exactly how she felt. Just sitting here in silence was amazing. We could just zone out and not care. Wanting to show my agreeance wordlessly, I gently brought her hand to my lips and kissed it gently before lowering it and looking in her eyes. They shined with confusion, shock and happiness. Oh how I loved seeing that look upon her face, especially at night. There's just something about seeing her in the moonlight she represents.

Smiling, we both just sat there in the dunes for awhile until we were ready to sleep, hardly talking at all.

~next day~

I woke up in the morning and did all the usual stuff before going down to breakfast early, hanging out outside the pavilion until Chiron let in the flood.

The Ares cabin was soon shocked when a visitor came waltzing in. Guess who it was?

Clarisse.

Yay.

She just came in with Chris and they both sat at their respective tables for breakfast. Chiron made some kind of announcement, not that I paid attention.

Afterwards I made sure to stay as far away as possible. Whether or not we were friends, she knew me, and my face, well.

There weren't any problems until a little bit after lunch. That was when I walked in on a couple of the older Ares boys pushing around James, a kid I had found, their sibling who was only eight.

"Ha! Your Darion isn't here to protect you now, is he?"

"Stop it. Stop making fun of him, he's twice whatever you're going to be." James spit back, his lip quivering as he tried to act brave.

It infuriated me that they were picking on him for defending me.

I stormed right into the middle of their circle, shoving James out of harm. "Hey! Fighting, even among cabins, is prohibited! And it's just wrong to do this to your own brother. Don't you have any morals? He's your family. You're supposed to defend him, not hurt him. If I ever catch you doing anything like this again, you will be severely punished. I have half a mind to go to Chiron now."

That sobered them up, but of course, not Clarisse, who had been watching from a bit away.

She poked me in the chest and said, "You do not interfere with my cabin's matters. They are among us. And that little twerp needs to be taught about loyalty!"

I backed away, trying not to lose any kind of anger. "Listen to me, Mrs. LaRue. I can and will interfere with any fighting going on, especially within cabins. Who knows what they do to him inside there. Bullying is not tolerated at camp. Maybe it wasn't enforced when you were here, but it is now. I make sure of it."

Clarisse laughed loudly, wiped fake tears from her eyes and glared at me before saying, "Sure. A whiny little punk like you? There's no way. Here, I'll settle this right here, right now. You and me are gonna fight. We'll see who's better, the mighty Ares cabin, or you little thing."

Andrew thought now would be a good time to speak up, "Uh, Clarisse, don't do that. He might not look like much, but don't underestimate him."

She turned on him, "Traitor! You never back down from a fight. We'll deal with you later. Learn your place, then talk."

She face me again, "Ok, hotshot, the arena in ten. I suggest you armor up."

A mighty voice rang out, "That will not be necessary."

I recognized the voice immediately and turned, bowing as soon as his foot came around the corner.

Straightening up, I said, "Lord Ares. What brings you here?"

He scowled at me and turned to his kids that were hastily bowing. "Clarisse, let me have him. I got a score to settle. But he has a point. Don't be punishin' James over this. At least he's showing loyalty to a powerful ally."

As I cringed at his grammar (sorry, teacher remember!) Clarisse stiffened as if she'd been hit and scowled.

"As for you, punk," Ares growled to me, "Meet me in the arena in ten. But no armor. Gather your weapons, but don't be wearing plates."

I stood shocked. I knew he was into fighting and all, but in camp. That was a bit extreme. Still, you don't say 'no' to a god.

I sighed and nodded, but said, "Doesn't Lord Zeus have something against you gods fighting in camp?"

"Not really."

Really? Really? Zeus? My luck just tanks.

I turned and bowed, while the Ares campers picked up their jaws to do the same.

Raising my eyebrows, I signaled my question.

He smirked and said, "Well, I wouldn't want to miss a good fight. Besides, someone has to keep Ares in one piece."

Ares huffed and looked as if he was about to shout but thought against it. Huh. He does have a brain.

I nodded to the both of them before jogging to the Big House. There, I gathered all my weapons, securing them to my body. There was a knife on each ankle, three knives on my waist, a quiver of arrows on my back, and a bow in the same place.

When I got to the arena the entire camp was there already, seated by cabin. And guess who else? The entire Olympian council.

Walking up to them, I muttered, "Oh, come to see me get pummeled. I suggest you make yourselves comfortable, the show's about to start."

Zeus laughed, much to the shock of the arena, and said, "Well, we'll see. Just don't get hurt too bad, it might scare the children."

I smirk-smiled amusedly and replied, "Not a problem. But I better be getting bonus points for this."

He waved me off and I went to stand in the middle of the arena to meet Ares.

"Ready to go, punk?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Without warning, he swung fast and hard with his long sword. I managed to catch it on my knife, but it was a heavy blow and I knew I couldn't keep it off of me for long.

I shoved his blade back to him and countered, though it was blocked. My mind went into autopilot. After about two minutes of playing with knives, I managed to escape and back quite a few meters away.

"Ha! Scared?"

No, Ares, but even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes.

Not actually replying, I circled him slowly, laying out possibilities. Deciding on one, I walked over to the wall a little ways off of where Ares was standing.

Exclaiming, "Shiny!" I fell to the ground and started to crawl around as if looking for something. At this point everyone was thoroughly confused. Suddenly, my shoes appeared to have caught my interest as I pulled them of and stomped them along as I crawled, inching closer to Ares who was staring bewildered at me. As soon as I was about two feet away, I leaped up and smacked him with a shoe on either side of his face, dazing him. But alas, the image was too funny. I barely managed to knock away his blade before falling on the ground and rolling around with laughter.

Pulling myself up, I said, wiping tears from my eyes, "Well, that didn't go as planned. I was originally going to attack but that picture of the mighty god of war being attacked by shoes….too funny."

Ares glared at me so hard the lenses on his sunglasses started to melt. I put my hands up and tossed him his sword.

I progressed onto plan number two. After I had walked to the gods' section, I asked, "Hey you know that sword I was using? Do you think I could have it again?"

Zeus didn't even question me, handing it over. I flashed him a thankful smile before going back out. Trying to catch him off guard, I lunged and battled him for a few minutes until I had him in position. Backing up again, I feigned tiredness. I knew he wouldn't attack now; he liked to take down 'live prey'. Subtly, I dropped a knife on the sand, moved to the middle of the arena, dropped two more, and dropped another two on the other side near the wall. Getting 'better', I stood and smirked at Ares before charging, changing direction as I was about to come in contact, literally running circles around him, dragging my sword in the dirt. The result was a huge dust cloud around the god. Granted, my eyes were shot, too, but that didn't matter. At my first position, I threw the knife blindly where I felt Ares' presence. Continuing down the line, I fired off the knives before running out and emptying my quiver. As the dust settled, the form of Ares came into view. He pulled a knife from his shoulder and an arrow from his shin, glared and said, "Enough games, boy! Fight me like a man or not at all!"

"As you wish, my lord."

With that I rushed him, fighting like my life depended on it, which it kinda did. Ares wouldn't murder me in front of kids, but he would cause non-descript injuries that would advance into death. I got another few small scrapes in, but so did he. But he, the little fiend, apparently like poison, because one of his blades was covered. It was a numbing poison, one I'd come in contact with before. It wasn't lethal, but was pretty strong. If I hadn't had the will I have, my entire arm would've been asleep.

Then, I saw his move coming. A slash to the head and the preparations for a front kick. Damn.

I let the kick hit me, sending me flying. Luckily, the kids had enough time to get out of the way before I crashed, wood splintering around me. Ugh, that didn't feel good. I managed to put up enough shield so that I didn't majorly hurt myself, but it still wasn't fun. I groaned and rolled over, standing up.

Looking at the mass of broken wood, I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted in the general direction of Chiron, "I'll fix that!"

The arena was silent.

I walked across it and nodded to Ares respectfully before swinging again. We were absolutely locked in combat when Zeus' voice said, "Enough! That's enough. I declare this fight over."

Ares backed away but looked indignant. He obviously wanted to pummel me and publicly humiliate me at the same time. Still, he stalked over to the bench in the gods' section and sat down.

I followed, trying not to limp. He had gotten the back of my leg pretty bad. Along the way I gathered my weapons, putting them back in their places.

"So?" I asked.

Zeus answered, "That was pretty good. A bit of training and you'd improve, I bet."

"Thank you. But, since you're here…spend some time with your kids!" I said, shouting the last part. They all looked at me shocked, but the children got deathly quiet before excitedly erupting in chatter. I had them; they couldn't leave without looking like total jerks. Smirking, I shouted to the sky, "You too!"

With that I walked out of the arena and towards the big house. I caught Zeus' muttered comment, though. "That boy…is infuriating."

I stopped and said, knowing they'd here me, "Why thank you, my lord. I try so hard to be. Have fun today. Play safe."

Instead of saying something about my sarcasm, he replied, shock evident, "You can hear that far away?"

I laughed and said, "That's what you're hiring me for, isn't it?"

I did make it to the Big House, feeling several other gods and goddesses enter the camp. It took a little while but I managed to get to my second-floor room and shut the door behind me. Stripping off my shirt, I calmed myself and let the adrenaline fade away so that I could tell what the damage was. Sure enough, the pain became about thrice as bad.

Before I could do anything about it, though, Artemis, Cassie and Julia walked in.

Artemis raised an eyebrow at my attire, or lack of. "I figured you'd need some help. Looked like you got the crap beat out of you."

I rolled my eyes and said, "No thank you, I've got it. Thanks for the concern."

Her eyes hardened, "Now, Darion, don't push this off. You don't know what kind of injuries you've got. Cassie and Julia are some of the finest healers alive."

"Again, thank you for your concern, but I know my own body and what injuries I have. And I would prefer to treat myself. If I require assistance, I will find one of you."

Artemis saw she was getting nowhere fast. She turned to her hunters. "Go downstairs and join the others. I'll deal with this idiot."

They gave her amused expressions before bowing and going downstairs.

Artemis shut the door after them and turned on me, "You will not refuse treatment from me."

I sighed and said, "Artemis, I can take care of myself. Go have fun with the remainder of the Hunt. Everyone else is having a good time. You shouldn't have to stay behind and look after me."

Smack! She slapped me upside the back of my head and angrily, truly angrily, "I cannot believe you're being such a male! You're hurt and someone wishes to help. You take the help you can get! What's it with you males and your enormous egos? Can you not just put that aside for your own wellbeing?"

Getting a little out of hand, I pinned her against the wall via shoulder and leaned in close to spit out, "You know very well that my refusal of treatment has nothing to do with my ego. You know that if I was seriously hurt I would run straight to help. At least, I thought you did. Maybe you don't know me as well as I think you do."

Her shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry, Darion, it just…I don't like seeing you so busted up. I do know the way you think. But please, let me help, if only to sooth my own nerves."

"Fine, but don't expect me to be happy about it."

I released my hold and proceeded with my self-check, ignoring her presence as she sat on my bed. I found via meditation (kinda) that I had maybe four bruised ribs, two of those cracked, a hairline fracture on my right leg, crushed left-hand ring finger, numerous splinters, and quite a few scrapes, gashes and cuts, though those had already stopped bleeding and were of no big importance. I took out my medical kit and set it on my desk before walking into the bathroom and running the faucet over my left hand, letting it heal slowly. Once it was mostly healed, I took it out and shut off the flow, returning to the bedroom.

"What's the damage, doc?"

I laughed at the line she stole from me and told her, "Nothing huge."

She pursed her lips and said, "I seriously doubt that. I have a funny feeling that phrase doesn't mean the same thing to me as it does to you."

"True."

I took out a bottle of pills and swallowed two dry, feeling the effects immediately. Now, to get out those damn splinters…

I plucked the ones from my arms but they had penetrated my shirt (thank the gods not my jeans). I got a few off my chest, but couldn't reach all of them. Oh well, they'll wiggle their way out eventually. I was putting the tweezers away when they were stolen out of my grip and Artemis murmured, "Just stay still and don't freak out."

Her cool hand grazed my bare back and I stiffened instinctively, forcing myself to relax. It was only Artemis.

As she worked, we talked a bit.

She paused for a moment, before continuing at a slower pace and saying lowly, "Why are you letting me do this? There's no way you'd ever let anyone else ever come this close to you."

That took a bit of thought. "Well, I trust you more than anyone, and I know you won't pull a stunt or try and do something to me while I'm, well, vulnerable."

"You don't trust the Hunt?"

I shrugged lightly, and replied, "Yeah, I do, but not enough to let them get so near me. And I don't really trust the camps' healers 'cause most of them are really, oh, how can I say it?"

I could practically feel her smirk, though it was a bit challenging, as she put away the tweezers and started running her fingers over my skin to see where my injuries lay, "Oh, so you don't think I'd pull a move on you?"

Letting a small, amused chuckle escape, I said, "No way. There is no way on Earth you would ever make any type of move except maybe holding my hand or something like this. I just don't think you're capable."

Before I could think about anything else, her lips were crushed to mine in a hard, fast kiss. My brain was just too shocked to process anything more than the fact that she kissed me, and that kiss was fantastic.

I probably stayed in that state for a half a minute and probably would have been longer, had she not pressed hard on one of my cracked ribs, effectively making me howl in pain and hunch over, trying to regain my breath.

"What…the hell…was…that for?" I said in between gaps.

Glancing up at her, she shrugged and told me, "You weren't responding. I had to get your attention somehow."

Coming to my knees, I said, "And you couldn't have done it a nicer way? And can you really blame me for being so...so out of it? Shouldn't you be happy about that?"

"Point taken. Just get up so we can finish this thing."

Rolling my eyes, I pulled myself up off the floor.

"Now, you're going to tell me when it hurts and when it gets especially bad."

With a salute I answered, "Yes ma'am!"

She lightly poked and prodded my chest. When she hit a bad rib, I unintentionally winced, but nothing more.

Growling, Artemis slapped me again and said, "I thought I told you to say when it hurt!"

"Sorry, Artemis, but I'm just so used to hiding it. The kids get freaked out if their 'savior' is harmed. It's kind-of uncontrollable. You know my reactions are involuntary. Hell, you've waken me up before. If I couldn't control that, how am I supposed to control this?" I apologized.

She looked me in the eye and said, "Concentrate. Become fully human. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. You know you're prepared even right now. I can feel the tenseness in your muscles. You're ready to strike at any moment. That's good, but let it go. Nothing can hurt you in here. Open yourself. Take yourself off of guard duty. You'll be able to if you try."

I nodded and did as she asked, though it pained me to do it. I never liked feeling vulnerable. I liked being in control and knowing I wasn't in harm. I liked knowing that if something jumped out of the shadows I was ready to defend myself and others. Still, Artemis had a point.

This time when she hit the ribs I let out a wheezing sound and grunted, "There."

Soon enough she had me bandaged and everything. She asked, "Is there anything else?"

Shrugging, I replied, "Um, yeah, but I kinda don't want you treating it."

Artemis looked me straight in the eye defiantly, taking on a sarcastic and defiant tone, "What?"

"I beg of you, please just leave for this little bit. I swear I'll let you back in the second I'm finished."

"No."

With that answer, I took my medical supplies and went into the attached bathroom, locking the door behind me. I could practically feel her indignation. Stripping down to my bare boxers, I sat on the edge of the tub and slowly ran cool water over the small fracture in my tibia, healing it. It took a little while to get it completely healed, but I wasn't going to be walking around with a broken leg. After that was done, I wrapped it tightly just in case. Ares did get one slice in at my legs, so I treated the semi-deep cut on the back of my left calf, dripping nectar in the would and splashing a little water on to make sure it wasn't infected.

Of course, then I realized that I had no clean pants to put on and I wasn't going to but the somewhat bloody ones back on.

Sighing, I went to the door and creaked it open, sticking my head through.

"Hey Artemis, could you do me a favor and turn around with your eyes closed?" I asked.

She gave me an odd look but did as I asked. Quickly, I pulled another pair of jeans on before telling her it was all cool to turn around.

"Was all of that really necessary, Darion? I've seen you in your stupid boxers before." Artemis said almost wearily.

I blushed what must've been a fantastic red before mumbling something along the lines of "Shuddup."

She checked me over one last time before letting me pull on a shirt and leave.

The Hunt was sitting downstairs and rose when we came down. Somewhat ignoring them, I walked out the door and started off towards the arena.

Pretty much there, Julia caught on and said, "Whoa, you are not going to be doing that kind of work with that many injuries."

"Yes I am. I don't need the speech. Trust me; Lady Artemis already covered that quite thoroughly." I told her, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. They just didn't know when to let me be.

She shook her head and replied, "No, you cannot do this. Why is it so important? Why must you put your health after it?"

Ok, I'll admit it, I somewhat snapped. What? I've been riled up. "What if they wanted to use it? This camp is supposed to provide everything they need in order to learn how to protect themselves! I broke it, I'll fix it! It's the least I can do after causing so much crap!"

She stood there open-mouthed for a moment before saying, "What are you talking about? You're one of the people that keep these kids safe. You don't cause the shit that happens to them! You've never done that kind of stuff! There's no way! You're far too good a soul!"

I chuckled darkly and said, "You really don't know me, then. I'm not a good person. I try to be, but it doesn't happen like that. I need every bit of repentance I can get. My past is littered with wrongdoings and things I wish I could change. I have nightmares still about some of it. I've killed people. Innocent bystanders while trying to get to the enemy. By no means am I 'pure' in any regard. Nor will I ever be. I can't possibly be…not after what I've previously done."

With that I continued on the shed where I gathered the tools and supplies.

I pretty much collapsed on my bed after I finished. I probably slept for an hour or so, right up to lunch.

By the time I got to the pavilion everyone was seated, and all the gods and goddesses were still there. Good. They need to pay attention to their children.

Anyways, I got their attention, but ignored it all. I sacrificed to the few gods that weren't there, so that none of the ones present could feel resentful. While I ate, I talked a bit with Chiron, as D was sitting with his son.

After the meal, Chiron stood up and officially welcomed to gods to the camp and said that today was a free day and reminded us that capture the flag was tonight. Of course, that brought up a small issue.

He turned to me. "Will you be playing?"

I wanted to say 'no', but the major gods, especially Zeus, were all giving me those appraising looks, and I knew I couldn't. "I suppose."

Chiron smiled brilliantly. "Well then, what team are you on?"

I smirked and said, "Oh, I think you know my team, if they will accept me?"

Looking around the entire pavilion, as to not give up my choice in teams, I saw many nods from campers that really wished for me to be on their team, but also Artemis' slight one. Chiron caught it, too, and said, "Well, it seems they accept."

After pausing for dramatic effect (I love how he tortures the gods) he continued, "So, the Hunt-vs-Camp match will be tonight, with Darion playing for the Hunt!"

Some of the campers 'awww'ed, but they knew I played for the Hunt. However, I was in silent hysterics at the gods' shocked faces. They obviously expected me to play the camp. But it looked like they were still confident. I can't wait to see their faces when we beat them.

Chiron closed out and we all dispersed. As I was walking past Artemis' table, one of them called out, "Arena at five!"

I gave her a thumbs-up before going back to my room, setting an alarm for twenty-till-five, and sleeping.

When the alarm went off, I awoke and changed all my dirty bandages (aka the ones I should've changed after doing the heavy labor and reopened cuts) and went down to the arena, which was empty apart from the Hunt. Kind-of. There were quite a few eavesdroppers. Deciding to play with them, I went over to the Hunt and started to discuss strategies, making them really bad ones, though some were okay. They caught on and played along, until Thalia nodded and said, "Care to join us for some archery?"

We went deep into the forest then gathered in a circle.

Ivy raised an eyebrow at me, "How did you know they were there?"

I smirked and said, "Same way I find the monsters. I feel them. Like their aura. Everyone gives off this presence. Gods and goddesses give off a really, really strong one. Demigods are somewhat strong. Monsters are about the same. Satyrs are a bit weaker. Nymphs are somewhere in-between satyr and demigod. And humans are really weak. But it's not really the strength that distinguishes them. The different presences have different, like, textures. I can feel them. It's hard to describe."

They all looked at least a little awed. Thalia jokingly asked, "So do you get a headache around a lot of people?"

Rolling my eyes, I answered, "Actually, yeah. Like if I'm in the heart of New York or Los Angeles, but it's really small. Just a bit of pressure. But if I'm on Olympus, yeah. It's a bit hard, but not too bad. I learned just to ignore it, but all of the really powerful beings in one place drives my head insane, especially since they're all a tiny bit different."

We talked strategy for awhile before going in for dinner. Immediately after, we all suited up in full battle gear. It was part of our plan. I felt Athena and her kids analyzing me and saw Hermes smiling confidently. Figures it was him spying. Still, gods couldn't participate and had to stand with Chiron and D.

Anyway, we got the side with Zeus' fist, though we didn't put our flag there. I mean, that's the first place they'd look! Once we had our flag placed, two stood guard. A bit farther out, four were surrounding the flag on all sides in the trees. Guards spread out all over the place. The distraction team got ready. Their job was to make a strike for the flag and lead the campers away from the real team. I personally organized this team. We dropped our armor in a pile and climbed to the treetops. I located the camp's flag easily. When we were almost there, four of the five girls I had with me climbed down and noisily ran towards the flag, purposely overshooting to the right. Thalia and I spied on the guards, and sure enough, one of them went to attack them. I dropped down silently and used a pressure point in the back of his head. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Thalia picked up the flag, and put it trough a couple of belt loops. As we traveled back the same way to the creek, we saw the fighting. It turned out to be wise to have so many precautions. The campers were fighting exceptionally hard. Some of them were beating hunters. I suppose they wanted to prove themselves to their parents. When we got there, I let Thalia climb down and walk out with the flag first. I followed a couple of feet behind her and the hunters that saw us descend came and joined us, so it looked really impressive. Chiron blew the horn and the gods just stood there with their jaws slacked. The campers knew the drill, so there wasn't really a reaction, except from Clarisse and Chris. I laughed with the Hunt before jogging over to the gods. Zeus was giving me a not-so-subtle message to do so.

"Boy, what was that?"

I smirked and told him, "I believe that was the Hunt and myself capturing the flag. I'm pretty sure that was the objective of the game."

A few of the gods chuckled as Zeus turned red. He rounded on Artemis, calming a little. "That was a good strategy, but why give it to them for a game?"

Artemis smirked then lazily said, "Well, I agree, but it's not my strategy. That one's all Darion's, with a little bit of my hunters'. I stood by while they planned. No input at all."

The gods looked shocked. I didn't blame them. I don't really look like I could come up with something like that. Athena was the most, though she looked approving.

She turned to me and asked, "I have to admit, it's a really good plan. And you anticipated the extra effort of the campers. It was genius."

I blushed a bit and thanked her.

Hermes looked noticeably put out. "What, did your eavesdropping not work? I mean, really, why would we ever discuss a plan in the arena. Far too many places to hide. Besides, even with the stealth you and your children exhibited, there are other ways to detect unwanted personnel."

His jaw dropped and he said, "What? You knew about us? We were completely silent. The only way you could find us would be…but that's impossible for a demigod."

I laughed loudly and told him, "Well, I guess I make the impossible possible. Thanks, but come on, you were with them. I could feel one of you from a mile away. Maybe if there'd been only one or two demigods or if you'd sent a few satyrs, then you'd get by."

That got the attention on me again, but I bowed to the general mass of them and walked off aimlessly. Chiron called after me, "You better not miss it this time!"

I called back over my shoulder, "Yeah, yeah, I'll show up later."

I practically felt his eye-roll and the gods' shock (again) but kept on walking. I eventually got to the big house where I climbed the side and laid down on the roof.

A bit later, the camp made its way to the amphitheatre in groups of their parent. The second group noticed me and one yelled, "Why are you up there?"

Groaning slightly, I opened my eyes and replied, "Because I wanted to. Any more questions?"

It was the Athena group, so I probably shouldn't have said that. "Yeah, how do you get up there?"

Jumping down, I said, "Simple. I climb up the side."

"How? There's hardly any holds."

"Ahh, that depends on how you look at it. As long as there's friction, there's always a hold, though it only lasts a moment. Watch and learn."

I turned and climbed up the porch railing before scampering up the side of the building, gripping the siding with my fingertips and palms.

"See," I called, "It's not that hard."

They just looked at me stunned-ish. Athena just looked up approvingly, as if I proved a scientific concept. Which I did.

Coming down again, I leaned on the porch railing while they continued on.

Soon enough, most of them had gone by and I had ambled along to just outside the theatre.

Zeus came out near the end with Thalia and Zenos talking animatedly, looking happy. A lot of the kids did. I did one of those finger-salutes to Thalia in a sort of passing greeting, but apparently Zenos just didn't want that. He launched himself at me and I caught him, lifting him high. Knowing what he wanted, I spun him a bit before placing him atop my shoulders. After a moment, I squatted down so he could climb off. Almost immediately, I was shoved into the theatre and was picking up kids and ruffling their hair and laughing along with them. Nearly all the gods and goddesses had this weird look on their faces that I couldn't pinpoint.

By the time I came to rest by the remainder of the Hunt (the rest had dispersed again), pretty much everything had some amount of pain. Cassie noticed me rubbing my shoulder and said, "You will go right back to your room after this."

"Yes ma'am!"

She rolled her eyes and shoved me with her shoulder, mumbling, "Shut up."

Playing with her a bit, I leaned down and cupped my ear, "What was that? I didn't hear you. Repeat?"

She said it again, louder and more forcefully but I said the same thing back. Artemis butted in, though, not looking up from inspecting a little seed in her hand, "Stop flirting with my hunter, Darion."

Cassie spluttered and stuttered out some meaningless words, though you could tell she was denying it. I, on the other hand, put my hand on my heart and said, "Do you really think I'd do that?"

She looked up and said, completely serious, "Yes."

We glared at each other for a moment before smiles formed on our faces and she rolled her eyes. There was an almost collaborative exhale of breath from the hunters. Artemis caught it too and said, "It was a joke. You know, not for real."

They all loosened up a bit and nervously laughed, though Cassie moved away from me, a bit pink in the face.

The sing-along was better than usual and ran a bit late. I snuck out while everyone was saying 'bye' to their parent.

I went to my room and changed my bandages, cleaning out my wounds as I went along. I would've love just to sit in the sea and heal fully, but that would be suspicious.

When I finished, I sat on my bed, looking out the window. I knew my body needed time to heal and I really shouldn't go anywhere.

A knock brought me from my thoughts. Looking to the clock, I saw it was awhile after curfew, everyone had to be either asleep or about to be.

Confused, I walked over to my door, wincing a little. Stupid weak leg, just because it was fractured it has to go and be all evil. Anyways, it turned out to be Artemis. She stood there kind-of awkwardly before asking, "Can I come in?"

Blushing a bit, I stepped aside and said, "Yeah, of course."

She did as she asked and came to stand in front of my window, leaning on the frame. After closing the door, I leaned against the wall by the window, keeping my eyes on her face that was peering out undisturbed.

"Are you okay?" I asked, reaching out and just barely brushing my fingers across her cheek, though I quickly dropped my hand, realizing what I was doing.

She sighed, turning to face me, "Yeah, I'm fine. After all, you're the one hurt. Shouldn't you be more concerned about yourself?"

I couldn't help but snort in laughter at that. Caring about myself. What a concept.

Artemis rolled her eyes and said, "That's what I thought. Still, you shouldn't be so concerned about me."

Coming a bit closer to her, I told her, "If I don't, then who will? Your hunters do, but not a whole lot of others. Let me. In fact, I'll strike a deal. I won't complain about you worrying about me, and you won't mind me worrying about you. And we stop all of this 'we're not worth it' crap. It's stupid. I know how I feel, you know how you feel, and we both know the others' opinion of themselves."

She looked me in the eyes and slowly nodded, slightly unsure.

We stood in silence for a few minutes or so, just looking at each other. I broke the stillness by reaching out and laying my hand on her cheek, taking another step closer. Not breaking eye contact, I leaned in, but she, at the last possible second, turned her head. The hand at my side curled into a fist as I stepped back, taking my other hand to my side.

"What! Can you not just give in? You want it! I see it in your eyes! Earlier today, you we're talking about me conforming to my image. You're doing exactly that! Can't you just put that past you? Can't you just reach out and hold me like you want to? Why do you have to be who they say you are? I get that you're apprehensive, but that's not the reason you're pulling away. Come on, Artemis! Do something for once! You always say how you're not like that. Prove it. Stop being a coward."

Artemis shook her head, obviously ashamed. "Darion, you know what I'm like. You know I've lived this life for so long it's hard to shake the habits."

"You're not even trying!"

She looked down. "I am. I—I haven't felt anything for anyone for a long time. I can't let that part of me go. You have no idea how hard it is for me."

My anger chilled to that cool-exterior kind. "Artemis, I very fucking well do. All my life I've been Percy the stupid or Percy the heroic or Percy the kind. All my life I wasn't allowed to do so many things that those rules became a part of me. But I force through them! I do shit he would never be allowed to. It's not that hard. And if you can't care enough to do it then…then get the hell out. I don't feel like dealing with that right now."

"Darion—"she said, her voice breaking at the end.

I felt bad, I'm not going to lie, but I pointed to the door and said, "Leave. If you can't own up to your own wants, then get out of my sight."

She slowly turned and walked out, her head down. As I watched the door close, I ran a hand through my hair and let out an aggravated sigh.

Flopping down on my bed I thought. That was…harsh, to say the least. I kind-of hate that I said those things to her, but it was needed. I mean, if she can't get over her own image, then how will this…thing survive? I'll admit it, I'm scared. I'm scared because she can't return anything. I'm scared because I'm hurt by that. I'm scared because of all of this is new and terrifying. Still, I felt bad. Yelling just didn't feel right to me, unless I was really pissed. And, while I was angry, I wasn't that mad. So, in the morning, I resolved to at least apologize.

...sorry. Again. Yeah, this took mforever. But at least it's long! Right? Right? Ok then...

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for reading my stories. You guys rock. If you're still reading this peice of crap that takes forever to update, I must be doing something right. I constantly work towards improving. Obviously, that's evident. I think the stories get better over time.

So, don't shoot me. I'll update on my other stories too. I swear. Soon. Ish. If you want to know where I am in the land of updating, leave a review or PM me. I'll reply with where I'm at in all my stories, or one you specify. Even if you're not asking anything, please review. It really makes my day. It makes any authors day. I love reviews, even if they're short. They let me know if the story is any good. Feel free to make suggestions. Who knows, I might include them (and try to cite you).

Also (yes, this is getting long) I have put up a poll on my profile. Answer it! I've got like 4 votes so far. Not that helpful, though I do thank you, whoever you are, for voting! And please, please, if you're going to vote, make sure you know at least two of my stories. Otherwise, while your vote is still really, really helpful, you're not voting at you're full capacity. Still, any vote is a good one!

Forever, xDarion'sKeeperx