Disclaimer: I do not own PJO nor Mythology.
Alive
Percy stood in front of Thalia, Zoë, and Bianca. They all observed each other, thinking that being put together for a quest was the most dumbest idea the gods had ever planned out, but then again, Athena had suggested they be put together, so they would never say it out loud.
"So, where do you guys want to look first?" Percy sighed as he ripped his gaze from the three demigoddesses.
Thalia blew a bubble with the gum she was chewing, "I don't know, what do you two think?" Thalia looked at the two huntresses, while popping the bubble she had made.
Zoë crossed her arms, "My Lady is captured, we must look to wherever she was last, any ideas?"
"I think we know that Artemis' captured, we don't need that to be repeated." Thalia grumbled.
"I don't think we should be fighting, guys," Percy got in between Thalia and Zoë before anything else happened, "We need to think where Atlas could have taken her."
"Since thou were with her, why don't thou show us where she was last. I still cannot comprehend why My Lady would be with one of thee male species." Zoë narrowed her eyes at Percy, "What were thou doing with My Lady anyway, boy?"
Percy swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Just thinking of Artemis was too hard to bare, and the fact that she was captured by a titan didn't help the cause, "I-I was having a-a normal... talk with her. Yeah, that's what I was doing..."
Zoë gritted her teeth together, "What were thou doing with My Lady, scum."
"I wasn't doing anything, I was just having a peaceful talk with her, okay?" Percy snapped out.
"Thou have-" Zoë was cut off by Bianca.
"Zoë, I think Percy's right. We can't fight for things that don't even matter anymore, we have to look for Artemis. Please, can you at least hold your temper for Artemis." Bianca pleaded.
Zoë sighed, "Fine. But only for My Lady, Artemis."
"Well, where do we head first?" Thalia looked toward Percy.
Percy cleared his throat, "I think we should head west. That's where Atlas' fortress is, right?"
"Okay then, we head-"
A sudden screech came and a clopping of hooves being slammed against the asphalt were heard. "Wait, Wait! Don't leave without me! I want to go too."
Thalia turned, "Grover, what are doing here?"
Grover stopped in front of Thalia trying to catch his breath, "I-I want to go. P-please? I won't be much of a-a weight for you guys."
"Oh, no! We already have a boy on this quest, we don't need a satyr to make it worse." Zoë argued.
"Please, I just want to help Lady Artemis. I want to be useful for once, and this quest will make me prove myself that I'm good enough to be a searcher for Pan. I need this. Please?" Grover knelt before Zoë, wanting for the cold huntresses to agree on him going.
"No, I just-"
"Of course you can go. We need all the help we can get." Percy smiled at Grover.
Grover's bottom lip quivered, "Really? Thank you!" Grover yanked Percy into a warm bear hug.
Percy grimaced, "Yeah, um, can you let go now?"
"Uh, sure." Grover let go, but stumbled to his feet, bowing down to Percy, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You don't know how much this means to me. A great hero like you actually paying attention to a bottom, life satyr like me. I am forever in your gratitude."
Percy pulled Grover up by his arm, "Come on, I really don't like people doing that. I'm not a big hero, nor am I great. We're all friends here, and we shouldn't be bowing down to each other like this. You owe me nothing, satyr. What's your name?"
"Uh... G-Grover." Grover stuttered.
Percy held out his hand, "It's nice to meet you, Grover."
Grover shakily took Percy's hand, "Uh-huh."
"Now, Zoë," Percy turned to Zoë, "Do you know where your father's fortress is?"
"He's not my father," Zoë glared at Percy, "But I do know where Atlas' fortress is."
"Wait, what do you mean by Zoë's father?" Thalia cut in.
"That's none of your business, daughter of Zeus." Zoë glowered in Thalia's direction.
"I think it is my-"
"Please, guy's, can we not fight for like five minutes? Now, can you tell us where Atlas' fortress is, Zoë." Bianca questioned.
"His fortress is in California. Mount Tam to be specific." Zoë answered.
"Mount Tam? I-I think I know where that is, but it's pretty far from here. We need transportation." Percy said.
Thalia smirked, "Well, if transportation is the thing we need, I know how to get a... ride."
"Oh, no, I know that look... What are you thinking?" Grover clopped his feet on the ground, nervously.
"Nothing... nothing at all..." Thalia trailed off, but smiled evilly, "Let's go get our ride, shall we?"
Everyone looked at each other nervously. This wasn't going to be fun. At. All.
…
Aphrodite stood alone on her balcony. As she stood there, her thoughts wandered off to the boy. The son of Poseidon. Something about him... He was so mysterious. His character, so... her? Yes, the boy seemed to hold something. It was something that she looked at everyday when she stared at herself in the mirror. His eyes drawled her in. Made her want to know more. He held something secret, and she wanted to know what that 'Secret' was. She would, and when she did, she would know what he truly hid in his ocean blue eyes.
"What do you hide, demigod?" Aphrodite thought aloud.
"What demigod?" A voice questioned from the doorway to her room.
Aphrodite turned in surprise, "Huh? Oh, nothing. I was just... thinking."
"Thinking? Well, that's a first." The voice grumbled.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Aphrodite glared.
"Oh, nothing. You just seem to be awfully suspicious, but than again, don't you always have some scheme in that dirty mind of yours?" The person walked toward Aphrodite, stopping as she got to where Aphrodite leaned over the balcony, "So, what is that little head of yours scheming this time, huh?"
Aphrodite let out a growl, "Why do you want to know so badly, Athena?"
"Well, it seems that you're having second thoughts on destroying the spawn of Poseidon... Am I right?" Athena innocently smiled.
"How do you know about that?" Aphrodite questioned, surprised.
Athena shrugged, "Hm, that's not important, what's important is that fact that you're not wanting that sweet revenge you want on Poseidon. Since I want revenge against him, I'll help you with your little scheme."
Aphrodite scoffed, "Well, I don't think you want to know my plans."
"Why wouldn't I? It's revenge on Poseidon after all," Athena smirked, "And that opportunity rarely come's up."
"Not when your daughter's involved."
Athena went pale, "What! Which one?"
"Annabeth." Aphrodite answered simply.
Athena began turning red with anger, "Annabeth? What does she have to do in your plans, anyway? You're not using my daughter for any of your games, Aphrodite."
"You did say it was for revenge, why change your mind now, hm?" Aphrodite smiled evilly, "And you wouldn't mind passing this big opportunity to take revenge on your archenemy, would you?"
Athena gritted her teeth, "But not my daughter!"
"It's revenge on Poseidon, Athena. Why are you getting so worked up about this?"
"You're using one of my children!" Athena yelled.
"Yeah... You're point is?"
"You're not going to do this. I won't allow you to." Said Athena.
"And how are you going to stop me?" Aphrodite smirked.
"I'll find a way, I always do." Athena turned on her heel, and stormed out of the room in a flash of gray light.
"Somebody's in a bad mood..." Aphrodite trailed off, smiling.
Aphrodite laughed. It was a lunatic laugh; she had gone insane. Her once sane mind, rotten to the core. The love goddess was no longer there. The one that stood in her place was a stranger to love.
Her laugh turned into a sudden, scared gasp. Clutching her head as the new wave of pain came. But this wave came stronger than most. It dulled her every sense, her every pore. The pain electrified her body like one of Zeus' thunder bolts. Why was this happening to her? What was causing her this massive, petrifying pain? What had she done to earn this? She hadn't asked for this. No one would be as stupid enough to ask for this excruciating pain. No one.
She clutched the marbled balcony trying to ease the pain by breathing deeply. Her heart pounded fast and hard. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
Closing her eyes tightly, she stumbled to the floor on one knee.
Visions. Visions began flashing in her head with different scenes. The images were like a slide show on fast forward. Aphrodite could only see flashes of light, and voices whispered in her head.
Stopping abruptly, the scenes morphed together into one. A young four year old boy appeared lying on a forest ground. His breathing was quick and short, and sweat was spread all over his body. He shivered, and his skin was as white as snow.
"M-mama?" His voice trembled with fear, "Please, help me. W-where are y-you?"
'That voice...' Aphrodite thought, 'I-I know that voice, but who is it?"
The boy stared at the sky, his eyes with a pleading gaze.
Aphrodite struggled to remember. He looked so familiar... Her memories seemed to click into place as she recognized the child's face. It was her son, Perseus.
The boy began convulsing as a glow wrapped itself around him. A scream broke out through the child's lips, and echoed through the forest. The glow began growing, and his screams intensified.
"Help me, somebody, anybody! Please!" He screamed.
Aphrodite wanted to run to him, and help, but she knew she couldn't. This was all but a vision, an illusion. Her son was gone, dead, obliterated by his father. It was part of her imagination. Everything. Why couldn't these thoughts ever leave her alone?
Another scream.
"Mother, please, come save me," The boy wailed, "I need you, why are you abandoning me, why? Can't you see I'm hurt, can't you see I'm... Fading?"
Another scream.
"I needed you, I needed... you." The glow subsided, but it left it's mark. The young boy had stopped moving. His eyes closed, and his breathing no longer-no it was. It was there. A small sigh left his mouth. Slowly his eyes opened.
"I'm fading, mother," He whispered sadly, "I'm fading."
The image slowly faded from her mind. It left an emptiness so deep in her cold heart that it could not be described in simple words.
Aphrodite sighed, shakily, "I-It's part of your imagination. That wasn't real. He's already dead, he can't be alive. He can't." Aphrodite nodded, "Yeah, he's dead. My son is dead."
"M-my little boy is d-dead." Her voice trembled.
Aphrodite struggled to keep her composure, but her tears could not be held any longer. She broke down. Sitting in the corner of her room, she wept. The only thing she could think of was the boy's cry's of pain, and his pleading. If it was her son, it meant that he was alive, and in pain. And she wasn't there to help him. But where could he be? She had to find out; she had to.
"Poseidon." Aphrodite mumbled.
Shakily, she stood up and whipped the tears from her eyes. She needed to find Poseidon, and since today there had been that meeting to send Percy on a quest to save Artemis, than it was most likely that he was in his temple on Olympus.
Aphrodite snapped her fingers, and flashed herself outside the temple of the sea god. Knocking on the temple door, Aphrodite bit her bottom lip nervously. They hadn't had a real conversation since the day she pleaded for him to give her, her son back.
Aphrodite thinking that a servant was going to answer the door, stood there surprised when Poseidon himself opened it. He blinked, bemused, "Uh, Aphrodite, what brings you here?"
Aphrodite looked down, "Can we talk?"
"Uh, yeah... Sure."
They stood there for a moment not knowing what to say until Aphrodite spoke, "Are you going to let me in, or are we going to stand here?"
"No, no, come in." Poseidon opened the enormous door to let Aphrodite in.
He cleared his throat, "Um, what do you need?"
"I need you to tell me if you really killed my son, or have you been bluffing?" Aphrodite stared him right in the eye. No fear showed through her beautiful, venomous eyes.
"W-what?"
"Where is he?" Aphrodite asked, viciously.
"I-I don't-" Aphrodite's eyes flashed. And as Poseidon thought that she would attack him, she stumbled on her knees. Tears flowed down in torrents. Poseidon looked down surprised as the goddess of love sobbed in front of him.
"Y-you lied to me, didn't you? He's alive, and you've been keeping him away from me, right?" Aphrodite trembled in anger and sadness, "Please, tell me where he is? I need to know, Poseidon. He's in danger; I need to help him."
Poseidon sighed, "Aphrodite, you know I can't tell you. If I do, he'll be in even more danger."
"More danger?" Aphrodite growled.
"Huh?"
"He's in enough danger, Poseidon. If I don't save him, he might die." Said Aphrodite.
Poseidon laughed, "Are you doing this to get him back, because I'm not going to tell you. And besides, he's a god. He can't die, he can fade, but he can't die, and that's impossible since there aren't any reason for him to fade."
"You don't understand! My son, our son, is in grave danger. I saw a vision, Poseidon. In that vision he told me that he was fading. I've also had these, these weird shocks. I don't know what it is, but I'm scared. I need to find him, Poseidon. I need to find my son." Aphrodite stood up abruptly. She needed to get him to tell her. It was the only way to save their son's life.
Poseidon frowned, "I can't."
"Why?"
"Because I don't know whether he survived where I put him in. I haven't seen him since the day I left him in that magical forest I created for him..." Poseidon trailed off seeing his mistake.
"You what!" Aphrodite screamed.
"Look, it's not as bad as it seems. Since he's our son, he probably survived... I think." Poseidon ran his hand through his raven black hair, nervously.
"How could you do that to your first, and only child?" Aphrodite asked, angrily.
"Whoa now. He's not my only child; I have Triton." Poseidon said proudly.
"Ha! Triton, your son? Please. He doesn't even look like you, much less act like you." Aphrodite scoffed.
"He's my son. Amphitrite and I are married after all. We had him." Poseidon stated.
"You really believe that? Well, I suggest you stop, because your wife has been lying to you all along. Triton is not your son." Aphrodite glared.
"What do you mean?"
"Triton has another father, and that wife of yours is a lying whore." Stated Aphrodite.
"Don't talk about her that way!" Poseidon growled.
"Well, it's true. Triton has another father, and Amphitrite picked you as the sucker to this whole game." Aphrodite replied rather smugly.
"Who?"
Aphrodite looked bemused, "Who, what?"
"Who's this father you're talking about?" Poseidon asked, barely containing his anger.
Aphrodite smirked, "Do you really want to know, Poseidon?"
"Tell me!" Demanded Poseidon.
"Oceanus."
"What! Her father? That's impossible!" Poseidon said, flabbergasted.
"Well, believe it, because it's true. Father, and daughter conceived an abomination." Aphrodite nodded, smiling.
"B-but that's so... Sick! It's wrong in so many levels. That can't be possible! You're lying." Poseidon narrowed his sea green eyes.
"I don't. It's the truth and nothing but the truth. Triton was never your son. It was Oceanus' son. I'm very sorry for your loss." Aphrodite burst out laughing.
"No, no, no."
"Look at the bright side, at least this isn't the weirdest thing we've seen. Zeus and Hera are married, but they're brother and sister. This family tree is stranger than any family tree out there." Aphrodite waved her hand in the air for affect.
"I can't believe it..." Poseidon trailed off. He grabbed Aphrodite's wrist and yanked her towards him.
"How do you know this?" Poseidon questioned, angrily.
Aphrodite struggled from his hold, "I heard it from somebody."
"Who?"
"I-I can't say who."
"I asked you a question, Aphrodite." Poseidon said.
Aphrodite gritted her teeth together, "Well, I asked you a question too, and you didn't answer it properly."
"I said more than I was supposed to. Now, how do you know this? Who told you?" Poseidon growled.
Aphrodite sighed, "I didn't hear it from anybody... I knew this because I helped her keep the secret from you. After you two got married, she came up to me and told me she was bearing a child. I tried ignoring her, but she told me everything. She told me that she cheated on you with her father, and that the child was Oceanus' not yours."
"You, you helped my wife hide t-this abomination?" Poseidon could barely contain his anger. He let Aphrodite go before he did anything that he would regret.
"Go. Leave me be." Poseidon ordered.
Aphrodite scoffed, "I'm not leaving until you tell me where my son is."
"I don't know! Leave me, now!" Poseidon screamed.
"Fine, but I'll find out where he is even if it's the last thing I do." Aphrodite turned on her heel and walked out. She could see that Poseidon was pissed, and if she tried pushing him any longer, it would turn out ugly.
"I'll find you, Perseus, but first, I need to finish my plans with that son of Poseidon. Brace yourself, Percy." Aphrodite laughed evilly.
"Brace yourself."
…
"Well, well, well, it seems someone's tired." Atlas chuckled evilly.
Artemis looked up with a painful gaze, but quickly looked down seeing Atlas' intimidating look. He grabbed her by the chin, "Look at me." He ordered.
Slowly, Artemis looked up. Her eyes still held that proud light, but not like before. Even though she held that proud light, there was still a frightened look.
Her lips were chapped, and her hair as matted by the sweat the dripped from her face. On her cheeks were tear stains, and from her nose dripped ichor, blood of the gods. Her arms were trembling from the weight of the heavy sky. The slashes that were on her back didn't help. She was pale, very pale.
"Are you ready to answer to me as your lord?" Atlas questioned.
It took her a while, but in a hoarse voice, she spoke, "N-no. I will n-never become your w-wife."
"You stupid girl! After I whipped you, and put you under the sky, you still neglect me?" Atlas growled.
Artemis didn't answer, but she did look at him without fear. Her breath came slowly, and she swallowed some of her saliva. There was a little ichor coming from her mouth. She was bleeding internally as well.
In his anger, Atlas brought his hand up to her face, and smacked it with all his might. Her head retracted, and more ichor dripped from her mouth. It dropped in the pool of golden ichor that had gathered on the stoney floor.
"Well, you'll be glad to hear that someone people are coming to save you. A few demigods, and two of your huntresses to be exact. We'll welcome them with a lovely surprise." Atlas paced in front of her as he thought. "But I think I know the reason why you don't want to marry me. It's because of that one boy you met millennium ago, am I right?"
Artemis swallowed once more, "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you know. You do remember the name, Perseus, right? The son of Aphrodite and Poseidon, or well, as I like to call it, their mistake. I know that you were trapped in his forest when you were young, and I also know that you loved him, but I know just the way for you to love me as you loved him." Atlas brought his hand up to her chin, and looked deep into her silver eyes.
"I don't-"
"Please, I know that you loved that mistake, don't try to deny it. But I'll give you some good news, and maybe some bad news too." Atlas grinned. Taking his hand away from her face, he cracked his knuckles, "Would you like to know?"
Artemis didn't respond.
"Okay, then. You don't want to answer, that's fine. I'll tell you anyway." Atlas sighed, "Well, you know that one son of Poseidon that defeated you in Capture the Flag? Yeah, well he isn't just a son of Poseidon, he's also the son of Aphrodite. So, he is a god. He's Perseus, you're love."
"W-what do you m-mean?" Stuttered Artemis.
"He's alive, and he's in America." Atlas pulled out the silver rose that Artemis had dropped, "Here. At least a remembrance of your little love, after all, we're going to... kill him. But maybe we won't have to since fate already put it's own hands to make him fade. Too bad you won't get to see him before he does though. What a sad tale..."
Atlas threw the rose to the ground at Artemis' feet, and left. Artemis looked at it as if it were the last thing that she would ever see. It's beauty was incredible; it's glow hadn't subsided since the day Percy had given it to her.
Tears slowly descended from her watery eyes as the young moon goddess started to cry. Her chapped lips let out a sad, heart wrenching sob. And her figure began trembling even more.
"P-Perseus," Artemis sobbed, "Come and save me. Please, don't fade. Please."
As her tears fell the day began turning into night. The stars twinkling in the distance, and the once bright full moon, flickered.
"Perseus..."
…
Okay, guys, here's chapter thirteen. I'm sorry for my long absence I've just been having some trouble in life, and I need to get it straightened out. I hope you guys like it, and also, sorry that it's a little short. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, alerts, and favorites. I'll try to upload more often, and I'll try to make my chapters longer.
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-PercyxArtemis