A/N: Your reactions are the best. Oh, and just in case you didn't get it. The pairing is Pertemis.

: Yes … I … Know…

Quihi: Well, keep reading and you'll know why.

Kenneth: *wiggle eyebrows.

Ilovedragons2014: Thanks!

Zayden StormVoid: So glad you got that bit about the whole Mr. Don thing. And yeah, I try to answer a lot of the things that you people have been wondering about that doesn't really make sense in the story. Oh, and for your final point, careful what you wish for ;)

Onwards!

Chapter 10

Things were awkward in that infirmary. Artemis and Beckendorf was just looking at Percy who was glaring at Mr. Don, who's his father.

"How are you doing, Percy?" Mr. Don asked.

Percy scowled. "Why do you care?"

Mr. Don has a pained expression on his face. "Son, you need to understand that –"

"Dont. Call. Me. SON!" Percy yelled in anger. Artemis paled a bit. She'd never seen Percy this angry. Percy's knuckles were turning white from him balling his fists too hard.

Nico and Piper came into the room. They were about to say something when they noticed the situation. "Um, did we miss something?" Piper asked.

"I think it's better if we wait outside." Mr. Don said. "Give him some time."

Beckendorf agrees as he gestured everyone to exit the room. "Let me talk to him," Artemis said. Beckendorf studied her face for a second before nodding and exiting the room.

Percy collapsed onto the floor. He was trembling, but it was hard to tell whether it's from anger or fear. Artemis sat on the floor in front of him. She looked at him with concern.

They sat in silence for the next minute before Percy finally spoke. "When I was born, my mom died." Percy explained. Artemis looked at Percy to see he was holding back his tears. She'd never heard this story before from Percy. Artemis doubted that anyone had heard this before, including Hestia – one of the other woman that Percy trusts.

"Sorry to hear that," Artemis said simply.

"I grew up at the Orphanage." Percy explained. "Hestia took care of me. She taught me everything I know." Percy smiled at the memory briefly before his expression turned serious. "Then, a man came to visit."

Artemis had a feeling on who it was. "Your father?"

Percy nodded. "His real name is Poseidon," Percy said. "He told me that I was his son and he wanted to bring me home. He said he has something big coming up and he wants me to help him. I refused."

"Why?"

"Because, I knew nothing of him." Percy growled. "He didn't raise me. He didn't take care of my mother. He didn't even know my name."

"But he wanted to bring you home,"

"So his company would have a successor." Percy said distastefully. "He's the reason why I had never touched Olympia. When I think of him, I just feel nothing but hatred."

Artemis felt bad for Percy. She never knew he had such a rough start to his life. The Percy Artemis knew was always happy and do dorky things. When Artemis looked at Percy, he was sobbing.

"Sorry," Percy managed. "You shouldn't see me like this."

Of course she shouldn't. From all the time Artemis knew Percy, he'd been nothing but sweet, funny, and dorky. Now, he just looks . . . sad.

Instead of saying anything. Artemis moved and sat next to Percy. "Percy, I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"After, um . . . I left." Artemis started. "Did you miss me?"

Percy stared into the wall as his mind wandered off to the past two years. He really missed her. That's why he's been keeping tabs with her progress in the pro scene, which wasn't hard since Olympia was in every media outlet out there. Artemis had been one of the person he have ever loved truly. Letting her go had been the hardest thing he ever had to do.

"Yes." Percy said. "Every day."

Percy could almost feel her crying. He knew she felt guilty about leaving him. They had that special connection with each other they've never had with anyone else. Losing that connection has been devastating for both of them.

"But," Percy added. Artemis caught her breath, waiting for him to continue. "If I ever got the chance to go back in time, I wouldn't have it any other way." He faced towards Artemis and lightly grabbed her chin with two fingers. "Because if I do things differently, then I wouldn't have met you."

To his surprise, Artemis chuckled. "That was so cheesy."

Percy laughed, which was good to hear. "I'm all for cheesy."

Artemis ran her fingers through his hair, like she always does when they'd been dating. "Dork." Percy's face and Artemis's were literally just inches away. If Percy moved forward just a bit, their lips would be touching.

Percy was staring into her eyes as Artemis was staring into his. There was a slight tug in Percy's stomach, pulling him towards her.

"Guys!" Nico barged into the room. Percy and Artemis immediately moved away from each other and turned towards Nico. "We have a situation."

"Yeap," Percy said, trying to hide his blaring red face. "Be there in a sec." He stood up and offered his hand to Artemis who wasn't meeting his eyes. She took his hand as Percy helped her stand up.

"We should get ready." Artemis said absently as she rushed outside.

Percy took his AR Glasses and typed an email to Nico.

From: Percy

To: Nico

Fuck you

From: Nico

To: Percy

Sorry bout that but honestly, you took too long.

Percy went outside and finally see Rebellion's HQ for the first time. It was . . . smaller than what Percy had in mind.

The walls were coloured white, adorned with banners that had the Rebellion logo – a sword going through a skull – embroidered on it. Percy had just exited a room on the right side of the wall from the main entrance. In the middle of the lobby was a grand staircase that went up for a few steps before it splits off into two, going left and right. Both of which Percy didn't know lead where.

Beckendorf smiled at Percy as he walked over towards him, his shoes making the wooden floor creak. "Hey," Beckendorf said. "So, you're good?"

Percy nodded. "Where's . . . Mr. Don?" Percy thought about calling him dad, but he decided against it.

"He has something to take care of." Beckendorf said. "And he asked me to give you this." Beckendorf handed him a small black box. "He says you'll know when to open it."

Percy didn't open it, neither did he intended to. He just stuffed it in his pocket. "So, what's the situation?"

"It's the Hacker," Piper gestured them to follow her. They followed her up the stair case and went up towards the right one. Along the upper hallway, there were three wooden doors. Percy looked across to see the same set of doors as well on the other side. Piper led them to the end of the hallway and went into the very last door. "He'd just made a public announcement."

The room they entered was like a meeting room. A huge round table sat in the middle of the room surrounded by chairs. "Have a seat," Beckendorf said. The middle of the table was empty, so it looked more like a donut. "Put on your Glasses, please."

Percy and Artemis put theirs on. Artemis still wouldn't meet Percy's eyes, which was something that Percy was worried about.

When Percy put on his Glasses, the middle of the table lit up, showing a holographic display of the Hacker's announcement.

Do you feel safe? Do you feel protected inside your precious little bubble? You. Are. Wrong. I will have control over this precious game of yours. When I am in full control, believe me. Everyone will bow down to me. Everyone who go against me will feel my wrath. Starting with you, Poseidon.

And to all the 'pro players' who even think about stopping me. You can come and try. I will make you feel pain like you have not felt before. I will make you suffer greatly that you could only wish for death. Try and stop me. We'll see how that ends up for everyone.

For those seeking salvation, here's my offer. Percy Jackson. Bring him to me, and you will be spared. Bring him to me, and I will reward you.

BRING HIM TO ME!

The video ends. Everyone in the room was staring at Percy worriedly.

To be honest, Percy wasn't afraid. He wasn't scared.

He was angry.

This person, for some reason, wanted to control the world. And he needed Percy to do it. He probably needed him to get to his father. Percy didn't care about his dad. He didn't care about Olympia and he certainly didn't care about this guy called the 'Hacker'. He hated people like him. So he's going to confront him.

"If he wants me so bad," Percy growled. "He's going to get me. I'm going to go to him."

"Percy, don't." Piper said. "That's just what he wants."

"Great. This'll be easy then."

"Are you crazy?" Nico asked. "What are you going to do assuming we let you go to him?"

"I'm going to kill him."

Nico rolled his eyes. "We barely survived our last encounter with him! If it hadn't been for Piper and Beckendorf, we wouldn't be in this room right now!" Nico was getting frustrated by Percy's selfish act.

"Nico's right," Beckendorf said. "Going against him alone is suicide. We don't know what he's capable of. We have no info on him."

"I don't care." Percy growled. "I'm still going after him."

"Percy, we need to think this through." Piper said, trying to convince him.

Percy glared at them. "This is my choice. This has nothing to do with you."

Nico stood up as he smacked the table. "This has everything to do with us!" Nico said. "You're one of us! Did you think we're just going to let you go and kill yourself? Are you really that selfish?!"

Percy stood up angrily, his fists were balled up. "So what? Are we just supposed to let him do anything he wants? He can mass murder thousands of people at once. How is my life worth any more than theirs?"

"Percy, we can still think this out." Piper tried to reason with him. "We can still get him."

"There's no time for that!" Percy argued. "Look, if you're all too afraid to do this, then sit down and let me –" Percy never finished his sentence as he felt a very painful sting on his left cheek. Artemis had slapped him.

Percy looked at Artemis to see tears streaming down her cheeks. She glared at Percy as she sobbed. "Did you really think that no one was going to stop from you from doing this? Did you think that by killing yourself and surrendering to this . . . maniac, everyone can go around and be happy?"

"Artemis, I –"

"Are you really that selfish?" Artemis sobbed. "Don't you care about everyone in your life? Hestia? Thalia?" Her voice was trembling. "Don't you care about me? About what I think?"

Percy stayed silent. He had been so blinded by anger that everything just evaporated from his head. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how he must've sounded like to his friends, and how much of an idiot it made him look like.

Artemis wiped her tears. "I'm not going to let you kill yourself." She said, her voice returning to normal but still angry.

Percy just nodded as everyone sat back on their chairs. Nico was still glaring at Percy, but he softened up just a bit. Beckendorf cleared his throat. "Well, now that that's settled. Let's start with a plan. Piper?"

Piper seemed to snap back into reality. "Oh, right." She starts to explain. "Well, from what we know, the Hacker is going to target the Rookie Showcase."

"The showcase?" Artemis asked. "Why?"

"Maybe because it's one of the biggest events of the season." Nico supplied. "Almost everyone who plays Olympia is going to be watching that showcase. It would make sense to target that event to make a statement that would scare the public."

"Perhaps," Beckendorf said. "We have no clue on why he's going for that event, so we're just speculating."

"How did you know he's targetting the Rookie Showcase?" Percy asked, his throat felt a little dry.

"The Hacker has called several people, threatening to kill them using AR Glasses. All of the people he's contacted are rookies who are in the showcase."

"Threatening? Are you sure?"

"Positive." Beckendorf said. "What's wrong?"

Percy's mind went into a halt. "Do they sound like distorted voices?"

"Yeah. Sometimes they would get emails. All of them are untraceable and come from a blank ID or email address." Beckendorf explained.

Percy recounted the three times he'd that same incident. One, was when someone called him and there was nothing on the other end. Just static.

The second one was when he'd received an email from a blank sender. It had warned him to stay out of the Rookie Showcase.

The third had been before Artemis called him that late night. It had warned him to stop playing Olympia.

"Percy?" Piper asked. "You look like you've got something on your mind."

"We need to stop the showcase." Percy said. "He's going to blow it up and he's going to use the AR Glasses to do so." Percy was certain about it.

"Are you sure?" Beckendorf asked.

Percy nodded. "The Hacker has contacted me three times. Two of those times he had warned me to stay out of the showcase and to stop playing Olympia." Percy said.

"Your point being?" Nico asked in a slightly annoyed tone, but Percy let it slide.

"Like the Hacker said, I am the key to his success." Percy explained. "He needs me alive. That's why he warns me to not go to the Rookie Showcase. You said it yourself, he's targetting that event."

Beckendorf nodded, the pieces starting to fall in. "And since he warns you to stop playing Olympia, that means he's going through there." Beckendorf said with a grin. "Nice work."

"Yeah, but that still leaves us with a dead end." Piper said. "How are we meant to stop him from doing whatever he wants to do?"

Percy grinned. "Simple." Percy said. "He wants me alive. He wants to probably kill everyone in the Rookie Showcase. The only way to stop that from happening . . ." Percy gestured Piper to continue.

"Is to make sure you enter that showcase." Piper said. Percy nodded. "You're forgetting a minor detail here. The Hacker has just issued practically a bounty on your head. Everyone is going to be looking for you. We can't just waltz into the showcase and not expect people to just leave you be."

"Which is why," Percy grinned. "I'm calling for backup."

Line Break

The Rebellion HQ has a garden for a rooftop. Percy figured if Artemis is going to be anywhere, it's going to be here. He went upstairs and sure enough, she was there.

Once again, Percy could never understand how she can look so beautiful under the midnight sky. The moon seems to want to just shine on her alone, giving her the spotlight.

"Hey," Percy said. Artemis didn't answer. She was sitting on one of the lounging chairs that was there. The floor was actual grass. Various batches of flowers were scattered around like roses, hibiscuses, daffodils, a weird type of flower that looked like a mixture of sunflower and a lily. There were other types as well, but he didn't know what they were called.

Percy took his seat next to Artemis. She was staring into the sky. Her face had always seem to glow under the moonlight. "Hey," Percy called again. And again, Artemis didn't respond. Percy sighed. "Artemis, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I was being so selfish, I'm sorry that I didn't think about how you were feeling, I'm sorry that I –"

Artemis put a finger on his lips. Artemis looked at him sadly. "I'm not mad at you, Percy. I'm just . . . afraid." Percy waited for her to continue. "When you said that you were going to him, it hit me. This was karma. I was going to feel the same way you did when I left you. Only I'm going to get it a hundred times worse."

Tears were welling up in Artemis's eyes. "I remember that feeling, Percy. That feeling of emptiness when you're not around." Artemis shook her head. "I just didn't want to experience it again. You call yourself selfish. In reality, I was the one being selfish for not letting you go."

Percy moved over towards Artemis's chair and sat next to her. "Come on, you can't blame yourself like that."

Artemis sobbed into his chest. "Please don't leave, Percy." Artemis said. "I . . . I love you."

Percy's heart felt like it had left his chest. His brain went haywired. He cupped Artemis's cheek in his hand. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that again."

This time, no interruptions. No one was going to barge in on them. Percy slowly leaned forward and felt Artemis's lips against his. There was nothing in his head except for pure bliss. The moon seemed to shine brighter in approval of their relationship. Artemis hugged him and pulled him into an even deeper kiss. They kissed for what seemed like forever before pulling away. Percy leaned his forehead against hers as he smiled. Artemis smiled as well.

"Never leave me again?" Percy asked.

Artemis chuckled. "Never again."

Then, someone cleared their throat behind Percy and Artemis. "It seems you two lovebirds are doing fine." Percy recognized that voice immediately.

"What took you so long?" Percy asked.

Thalia shrugged. "Took me a while to get Jason off my back." Thalia said. "So, you guys back together now?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

Percy grinned while Artemis just blushed.

"Well, about time." Thalia said. "Now, who's butt do we need to kick?"

A/N: I know, I know. Short chapter. But hey, I explained a lot didn't I?

Oh, wait until you see the next one.