First up, thank you all for the many reviews for the last chapter. 23 reviews, the best result for any chapter in this story so far.
And I want to apologize for taking so long to update, but I spent some days in hospital after ruining nearly all muscles in my right upper arm, so I did not really get the chance to write as much as I wanted to. That is also the reason why the next chapter will take a little longer, writing with only one completely functional arm is not as much fun as you might think.
Anyway, have fun with the new chapter...
She watched silently as he trained nearby, sitting in the shadow of a large tree to escape the unusually hot sun. But Percy seemed unperturbed by the heat. Maybe it was due to Apollo's blessing, she couldn't be sure. Maybe it was just his stubborn refusal to sit back and do nothing. Not even here on this peaceful island. She wondered why he was so insistent on leaving this island.
He was good with the sword, she could see that. She remembered the other so called heroes, that had stranded on her island. All of them were different, but all of them had something in common. They had left her eventually. Percy would leave as well. Once her mother deemed him ready for whatever fate she had in mind for him.
"Percy?" She asked, when he took a short break to drink something. He looked in her direction and hummed in recognition, before he drank some more water. "What are you fighting for? Why do you train yourself so hard every day?"
Percy was silent for some moments, as he thought about her question. The question 'Why' had never occurred to him so far. He just did as he was told. First he followed Apollo's orders until he was sentenced to live at camp boredom. After that he followed his mentor's trials. But why?
"I'm not really sure." He conceded after some time, "I mean, all I ever did was follow the orders given to me by my guardians. I never really did question any of them. Apollo never really gave me a reason to distrust him or question him."
"What did you do for him?"
"Hunting. I hunted down dangerous monsters for him... well only those I was able to defeat with my strength. And he sent me to help his sister's hunters. They were not amused by that, though." he chuckled halfheartedly. None of his encounters with Lady Artemis ended peacefully. They threatened him at the very least, once or twice he even ended up as their target for practice. Thankfully Apollo always saved him.
"Is that why Zoe hates you so much?"
"I wouldn't say that she hates me, it's just... very intense dislike. Most of them share the sentiment."
"Then why did you continue to help them, when they obviously did not want your help?" Calypso seemed confused by his actions. "Just because your patron had ordered you to do it? This sounds really cruel, to send you to fight for people who would try to hurt you instead of thanking you for your efforts."
Percy hesitated when he heard her question. She did have a point, though he was sure that Apollo was not so cruel to send him out to get hurt on purpose. Some of the gods would do that in a heartbeat, but he doubted that Apollo was one of them. No, he was sure that the sun god had other reasons.
"The gods are cruel, Percy, so why are you fighting for them? Just look at me, I never harmed any of them, yet they punished me by imprisoning me here, just for siding with my father..."
"Calypso..." Percy started, but he was at loss. "Not all gods are cruel. I have seen both good and evil from them. My uncles wanted to kill me just for being my father's son. Lady Artemis hates my guts for being a boy and Dionysus just hates all demigods because his father forces him to stay at Camp Half-blood as punishment... among other things. I've also seen the countless unclaimed children at camp, waiting for a sign, for anything from their godly parent to show them that they have not been abandoned. I'm not blind, Calypso, I could see how much it hurts them to never know their mother or father. I kind of know that disappointment and hurt. Though I know my father, he has not even tried to meet me at least once. All he did was give me a sword and even for this small task he used my brother, Triton, instead of coming himself." Percy sighed, as he walked over to Calypso. She looked at him sadly, but also with a hint of anger, though he was sure that it wasn't directed at him.
"You just proved my point. The gods are indeed cruel. Even to their own children." Calypso insisted. "My father is a Titan, one they labeled as evil, yet he cared for his children..." What she didn't say, was that he only cared for those who remained loyal to him, but this wasn't important for her. She had always been loyal to her family... and paid the price for that.
Percy sat down next to her, leaning his back against the same tree as she did. "Not all gods are like that. My brother for example is different. Though our relationship has started somewhat cool, he did his best to help me and ready me for the hardships that would await me in the future." He didn't know Triton's real reasons when his half-brother started to train him, but he was sure that his stepmother, Amphitrite, had a hand in this. He knew that she had to order Triton to help, but that did not change the fact that Percy appreciated his brother's efforts... and even those of his stepmother, however rare her appearances have been so far.
"One of many..." Calypso said with a sigh. She seemed almost melancholic. Percy really wondered why she had brought this entire topic up, when she obviously did not like talking about it.
"There are more. My patron, Apollo. I have seen him, how he interacts with his children. He loves all of them, claims them and tries to help them as much as the ancient laws allow. Others would do the same, but they don't have the same loopholes that he can use." By loophole he meant himself. The law forbade Apollo to got visit his children, but as long as he was just visiting his champion he could not be faulted for meeting his children, who just happened to be around Percy most of the time. "Especially one of his children. A dear friend of mine. Ariadne. I know that no one should play favorites when it comes to their children, but it is obvious that he loves her above all others. He never mentioned why, but I can only guess that her mother is the reason for this."
"This Ariadne... are you two close?" Calypso asked almost timidly.
A fond smile played on Percy's lips, as he thought about the energetic blonde. "Yeah," Had he turned towards Calypso, he would have seen her expression crumble for a moment, before she forced a blank mask back onto her face. "Though I have only known her for less than a year, we are already as close as siblings. It's odd, but I guess we share so many similarities that we just have to get along. We both lost our mothers at a young age and both of us ended up as wards of one of Zeus' twin archers. Ever since she helped me escape Artemis' hunters, we have been nigh on inseparable. This is actually the longest time we have spent apart from each other since then."
"You miss her." Calypso stated, her voice quivering. Percy couldn't understand why she would react like this.
"Yeah. I do... She is a great friend, you would like her. I sometimes wonder... had Apollo never taken me on as his champion, would she have joined the hunt and spent eternity hating all men, hating me without a reason?" It seemed unimaginable, his best friend hating him for no good reason but his gender.
Calypso was about to say something, when suddenly a silver arrow hit the tree, just between Percy's and Calypso's heads. Percy shot up from his place, sword in hand, looking furiously for the only other person that was on this island with them. And it was not hard to spot her. She wasn't far away, her bow still in her hand.
"Just what is wrong with you? Is this the hunter way to say hello or something?" Percy yelled in outrage.
"You should not speak about my lady, the hunt or even Ariadne so callously, boy." Zoe hissed.
Percy could only frown as he watched her warily. Her gaze was cold and filled with anger. And he couldn't find a single reason why she should be angry. "You sure are crazy, you know that?"
"Zoe, stop this madness this instant. I will not allow this on my island!" Calypso said with every ounce of authority she could muster after the sudden shock.
"Do not speak to me, you harlot. Do you think I can't see what you try to do with him? How many have been here before him? How many of them have you tried to seduce? You disgust me." Zoe spat, as she looked at her half-sister with nothing but loathing. But before she could say another word, she had to drop her bow and pull out her hunting knives, as Percy charged at her, sword raised for an attack. She blocked, but she obviously disconcerted by the strength behind his blow.
"I told you that I will not tolerate your petty attempts to hurt those around you that don't fulfill your expectations. Just because you are a lone, man-hating maiden does not meant that you can be so vile to everyone around you." Percy spat, as he pressed his sword down with all his strength. He could see her strength wavering, but he had to abandon his current attack, when Zoe shifted her weight to the side and deflected his blow to the ground.
"You, Jackson, you are the problem. It all started with you. You shouldn't even exist. You only live because of your father's inability to be faithful to his wife. You are living proof that all men are swines. You even dared to interfere with the hunt, to steal Hunters from my lady. To steal her from Lady Artemis!" She tried to slash him with her knives, attack following attack in quick succession. But he either blocked or evaded her strikes. She was surprised by his obvious improvement since their last fight. But she still had centuries of experience on him.
"Stealing her? If you mean Ariadne, then you are blind. It was her choice. I wasn't even there when she made it. And those others decided on their own to go to the camp instead of being sent on another deadly hunt against monsters that are too strong for them."
Zoe feinted an attack on his upper body, daring him to block it with his sword. When he did just that, she moved in quickly, kicking one of his legs away, causing him to stumble. He nearly fell, but managed to catch himself just in time. But he still ended up with cuts on his arms.
Calypso yelled something, but Percy did not understand her. And Zoe obviously ignored her half-sister. The hunter unleashed her anger and pent up frustration on the son of Poseidon, uncaring whether she hurt him in any way or form.
"She would have never questioned the decision to join the hunt, had you never shown up in her life!"
"No, she would have never had a chance to do it. She would have died during that last hunt, before everything went to Tartarus. Would you have preferred for her to die? Is that it? Should she have died, just so you can continue to live in your perfect little world of man-hating girl-scouts following their cruel mistress?" Percy was just angry now. Angry with Zoe, angry about her narrow minded view of their world... even angry at Lady Artemis, who had without a doubt never done anything to stop her hunters from becoming hate filled monsters. A rage boiled inside of him, when he just thought about what he had done for Zoe, only to be rewarded with scorn and hatred.
But Zoe looked at him in shock now. His words had hit her hard, harder than any of his physical blows. "How dare you..." She whispered furiously. "How dare you even insinuate that I would have wanted her death. I helped to raise her ever since I had found her, alone and abandoned by her bastard of a father! And Lady Artemis loved her like a daughter, no harm would have ever befallen her." She kicked him back, so hard that he stumbled several feet away from her. Before he even realized it, she had switched back to her bow and had an arrow ready. He was not even able to try to block the arrow, before it hit his chest.
Calypso gasped in shock, as she rushed towards Percy's fallen form on the ground. He was still, unmoving. For a moment it seemed as if the entire world was muted. Even Zoe, who had been nothing but angry and resentful towards Percy, looked extremely shocked. Her face was pale as she realized what she had done. How she had allowed her anger to get the better of her... She turned around and ran away from the scene, not looking back as Calypso crouched next to Percy.
"Percy!" Calypso was worried when she stopped next to him. Was still for a moment, the arrow still stuck in his chest, before he let out a groan. He sat up, despite her protests and much to her shock he seemed less effected by the serious wound than he should be.
"That was... uncomfortable..." Percy muttered, before he raised his shirt and revealed his upper body. Calypso could only stare in bewilderment. Under his shirt she could see a small ice shard, exactly where the arrow would have hit him. The arrow had not hurt him at all and she breathed a relieved sigh at this.
"How...?" She asked, once she got her wits back.
But Percy merely shrugged. "I've got no idea..." He started poking around on the ice, which started to melt away quickly. The arrow soon fell to the ground, free from its freezing prison. "This is so odd..." Then he looked around, but his eyes only found Calypso, who looked at him with wide eyes and great worry, despite his lack of any serious wounds. "Where is Zoe?" He asked.
Calypso had a hard time keeping the frown off her face. Why would he care for that girl. They had just been shouting at each other and tried to kill each other. And Zoe had nearly succeeded, had it not been for this unexpected protection. "She ran off." She pointed in the general direction where her sister had disappeared as she answered, "I think we should avoid any more encounters with her..."
"No. I want this settled. Now, not later. That girl had enough time to allow her hatred to grow and fester, but I will not stand here and do nothing. She will either get over it and apologize to you or she will leave this island." Calypso blushed slightly, when she heard his exclamation. To hear that he would confront Zoe again, for her sake, was heartwarming. But she was also worried. This first confrontation had not ended well, she couldn't be sure how it would end the next time.
"Percy, be reasonable. She has been like this for a long time, you can't change her." Calypso pleaded.
"Sorry, but don't worry. I'll be careful." Percy said. He could see that she was not convinced. He could see doubt and a bit of fear in her dark eyes. He placed one hand on her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, as he smiled encouragingly at her. "This won't take long. Don't worry." And with that he pushed himself off the ground and quickly ran in the direction where Zoe had disappeared, leaving Calypso alone on the ground.
She watched him silently, until he disappeared behind some trees in the distance. She sighed deeply, knowing that there was little she could do now but wait. She had become a patient person in all those year she had been trapped on this island. Percy would return, she had no doubt about that. It wasn't like he could leave the island, not as long her mother thought him to be too weak.
"Such reckless disregard for his own well being. Another thing that we will have to break him off." Calypso's head snapped around, as she suddenly heard an all too familiar person speaking behind her.
"Mother?" She looked confused when she saw Tethys standing not far behind her. The Titaness had a look on her face that seemed like a strange mixture of annoyance and boredom, her icy eyes still trained on the place where Percy had disappeared from sight. "It was you... you saved Percy."
"Of course I did, child. I wouldn't allow that narrow minded child to kill the boy. Your sister will not interfere with my plans." Tethys said coldly. "And you will do as I have told you. Keep on undermining his trust in the gods."
"It won't work. He is too loyal to Apollo and to his brother." Calypso was still reluctant to follow her mother's orders, but she knew that she was in no position to deny Tethys. Her mother would be her only hope to ever leave this island, the Olympians had most likely already forgotten about her.
"Do not worry about Triton, I have other plans for him," Tethys smirked almost maliciously, before another frown appeared, "But we have to be mindful of Apollo. His influence on the boy is indeed strong, but he won't oppose us. He and his children have too much to gain from standing with us. He won't interfere. Not without loosing his children. Their own fate is tied to another place now."
"But..."
"No more. Perseus must not trust the gods as blindly as he does right now. If he is to fulfill his destiny, he has to do it without relying on those pesky children on Olympus." Tethys said, before she left her daughter and returned to the sea.
Percy had to run the other side of the island, until he finally found Zoe. She had her back turned towards him, as she sat on the cliff, where Percy had found her not long ago. She was silent, her gaze wandering over the endless ocean before her.
"Nice to know that I am not the only person who likes this place. It is relaxing to just watch the sea. It helps me think." Percy said, as he approached the huntress.
Zoe shot up, so deep in thought before, that she had not realized that someone else managed to sneak up on her. She looked startled when she saw Percy standing there, only a few feet from her. He looked well... too well for someone who had just taken an arrow to the chest. And there was no sign of pain visible in his face, only a grim determination that she had not seen there before.
"How are you still alive? I have hit you point blank, no one survives that!" Zoe demanded to know, as she watched him warily.
"You really don't give me enough credit, Zoe. I don't die easily." Percy replied grimly. He had no intention to let her know that he had no idea how he had survived her attack, but he hoped that she would not try to repeat this trick any time soon. It still hurt a lot.
Zoe would have taken another step back, just in case they would end up fighting again, but with the cliff in her back that was not possible. She could only watch him and be ready to fight back.
"Why did you run? You did not even check whether you actually succeeded with killing me." Percy looked at her with distrust and she knew that she deserved this treatment and much worse. "I should have known from the start that your mistress wants me dead, just never thought that it would happen in front of witnesses."
"Lady Artemis has nothing to do with this, boy." No, this was her own decision, based on her feelings. Ariadne's last words to her echoed in her ears now. She truly had allowed her hatred of men to overrule her common sense. She thought she had killed him and until moments ago she had been afraid. Not for herself, but afraid of what Poseidon and the others gods that cared for Percy would do to the hunt because of this. But to hear him blame her mistress, that was just pushing her anger once again.
"Of course not." He said with disbelieve, "Tell me then, why, Zoe? Why do you seem to hate me, no matter what I do to show you that I am not the despicable low life that you expect me to be?"
"You are a foolish boy with delusions of grandeur. Ever since you have first interfered with Lady Artemis hunt, you have caused nothing but trouble. You have brought chaos to us, you are the reason why some of our hunters have left... you are the reason why she left. And now you forced us to come along on your crazy, self-centered quest, not telling us anything about why we are here or what we have to do and the first chance you get, you disappear, leaving your friends worried. They are out there, risking their lives to find you and you spend your time here with that harlot!"
"Zoe!" Percy yelled angrily, "You will stop calling Calypso a harlot. She has taken care of me when I was hurt and does so even now, never asking for anything in return. She is a kind and gentle soul. Compared to her you are worse then the men you hate so much."
"Oh really? Do you really know her so well? Do you have any idea what her real punishment is? It is not just being imprisoned here. Every once in a while a man would be washed ashore here and she would take care of him. Devotedly, carefully, like you just pointed out. But eventually she would seduce them, only for them to leave her alone and miserable in the end. She has no shred of dignity, no matter how often they break her heart, she falls for them every single time." Zoe spat, her voice full of disgust. She had heard many stories about the men that had ended up on this island and every time it would end the same way. "I have seen how she looks at you, how she acts around you. You are just the next idiotic male in a long line." The mere idea that Calypso and she might share the same blood caused Zoe to shudder with revulsion. She was a maiden, sworn to remain one until the end of her days, but Calypso was the exact opposite. No matter if this is a part of her punishment, from all those stories that are told about Calypso it was obvious that the girl never even tried to resist the men that came to her island. And to see how she acts around Percy... Zoe's anger only increased with every moment she had to see those sick looks she gives the oblivious boy. To think that a girl like her would...
"And what gives you the right to judge her, Zoe?" Percy retorted, though without the anger that had accompanied his earlier words. He looked calmly at the huntress, waiting for an answer.
"I don't judge, I know the truth. I can see it." Zoe said stubbornly. She could see the frustration growing on his face, in his eyes.
"This is getting us nowhere. You are just not meant for working with a team other than your precious hunters. But fine. Seclude yourself or leave, I don't care." Percy said, before he turned around to leave. But Zoe wouldn't let him.
"Wait!" She ran towards him and grabbed his shoulder to stop him from leaving. As he turned around to look at her again, she could see the sheer annoyance on his face.
"What? Do you want to badmouth someone else as well? Do you have to reach a quota each month, so you need someone to abuse verbally?"
"I will leave this island, but you will come with me. Ariadne and your friends are searching for you. You have to return to them."
Percy let out a humorless laugh, as he shook his head and looked up towards the sun. "I would. Believe me, I would go and find them in a heartbeat. But I can't."
"Why?"
"I am as much a prisoner as Calypso is. I cannot leave this island, unless I manage to show Tethys that I am strong enough to prevail in this world." He smiled almost sardonically at her and she could see that he was truthful. He wanted to go and help his friends, but a powerful being prevented him from doing it.
"But why would she..."
"Beats me. But I have no choice." Percy said. He pushed her hand off his shoulder and turned away from her. "I'm going."
"What will you do?"
"Train. It's pretty much all I can do right now. I have to improve. I can't waste all my life on this island, no matter how beautiful it is." He wouldn't tell her about his mentor, about what she had told him about his fate. Well he did not really understand what she meant... but he was sure that it would be the wiser choice to keep those tidbits of information to himself. Especially in front of Zoe. The girl was far too close to the gods... or at least one goddess. "You better leave. Go and help the others. Or return to your mistress. I don't care. But do not stand in my way, Zoe."
With these parting words he left the huntress alone on the cliff and returned to Calypso and his training. He knew that he still had a long way to go. Tethys would not make his life any easier. If he wanted to find his friends, to help them and keep them safe, if he wanted to fulfill his trials, he would have to get stronger. As fast as possible.
Zoe watched his retreating form silently for some time. She had seen his conviction. And she knew about his absolute loyalty to his friends. Lady Artemis was right with one thing, her brother's champion attracted trouble wherever he went. It was the reason why Lady Artemis would never allow Ariadne to be alone on a Quest with Percy. The risk for her life would be too great. But the girl was in danger even now and wouldn't return to safety until she had found her best friend. Apollo's daughter was far too stubborn to see reason.
With one final look towards the sea, Zoe made her choice. She would keep Ariadne safe, no matter what it takes to do it. All for Lady Artemis.
A/N: I know this was a rather heated chapter. I had planned this confrontation between Zoe and Percy for a long time, because something like this is necessary for a real change in their relationship. Zoe has been a man hating maiden and zealous follower of Artemis for over two millenia, so her just changing her ways without any turmoil would just not work. She and Percy will clash more often, before their relationship could realistically progress to anything beyond allies.
And though she has not appeared in this chapter, Ariadne plays a pivotal role in Percy's relationship to Ariadne and Zeus' twins. So far I am glad to hear that people have liked her character and that most readers have accepted her, even though she is just an OC that did not exist in canon. To me it is a small triumph that I have managed to create an own character that has progressed beyond the flat and hollow existence of most OCs and I can promise that she will play her role until the end of the story.
And one last time, Annabeth is in the overall storyline, but her role has become minor in Percy's life. There will be no Percabeth. Annabeth will still play her role in the canon storyline, though not with Percy as the child of the prophecy. That role will be taken by Thalia or Bianca, I have not made my choice about that yet. Maybe I will let my readers decide this, once both girls have made proper appearances in this story.
Okay, enough for today. Next chapter will follow Ariadne, so no Percy next time. Until then, have fun and let me know what you think...
