Disclaimer: I do not own PJO nor Mythology.

Encounters

Perseus slumped down on the grass as Thalia tried hot wiring a car that they had found. The rest of the group stood and watched as she worked. Percy decided to keep a good distance away from the demigods, and the hunters. It wouldn't go well with them if they knew he was a god. They would tell Zeus right away; he couldn't afford for that to happen.

Percy lied down on the grass, staring at the sky in wonder. The clouds made different designs as they slowly moved around. He rose his right hand, and inspected it carefully as if it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen. It flashed for a moment making his eyes grow with worry and pain.

Sighing, Perseus let his hand fall, "Almost."

"Almost what?" A voice spoke from beside him.

Startled, Percy stood up, and got ready to make his sword appear. Grover stood beside him. He could only sigh at seeing the nervous satyr.

"Nothing..." Perseus trailed off.

"Really? Well, it seems to me that you've got something going on." Grover sat down next to Percy. "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. A lot of people don't trust me anyway."

Percy grimaced, "Hey, now. Don't get upset. It's just hard to explain, okay?"

Grover sighed, "I can sort of see that. I mean, with regular demigods, it's easy, but with you it's just... I really don't know how to put it, but it's as if all your emotions are hidden. I have the same problem with gods, but not with demigods, well not until now."

"I see." Was all Percy said as he laid back down.

"But you seem... troubled somewhat." Grover concluded.

"Troubled, in what way?" Questioned Percy.

"I don't know," Grover shook his head in confusion, "but you have this look on your face, and I bet the others notice it too. You have this look of... Pain. Yes, pain."

"That noticeable, huh?" Percy quirked an eyebrow in question.

"Sort of, yeah."

"Peachy, just peachy." Percy sighed.

"Do you want to be alone?" Grover asked.

"Huh? Well, no, but I've been having a hard time in life, that's all." Percy inhaled a breath, "Haven't you had day's when you just want to, eh, I don't know... Leave the whole world behind?"

"Eh, no?"

"Exactly."

"I don't get where you're trying to go with this..." Grover trailed off, "Wait. Do you feel that way?"

"Yes, Grover, yes I do." Percy stated.

Bianca looked toward the two talking, and so she walked over to see what was going on.

"So, are you guy's ready for this quest?" Bianca tried making conversation to break the tension that had grown between the Satyr and the 'demigod'.

Grover nodded, while Percy just shrugged. So much for breaking the tension.

Bianca tapped Grover on the shoulder, and asked the young Satyr what was wrong with the daydreaming 'demigod'.

Grover shrugged, and whispered, "I have no clue. He seems to be... suicidal..." As the Satyr trailed off, Bianca nodded in response. It was noticeable. The son of Poseidon seemed very distant, and uncaring. Almost as if resigning to something.

Bianca cleared her throat, "Well, um, do you have any family members living around here, Percy?"

"Yes," Percy answered, "I have many family members, but most of them don't care about me. Actually... Most of them don't even know I exist."

"Family cares about one another, Percy. They must care. You wouldn't be here if they didn't care about you. And what do you mean they don't know you exist. They must know." Bianca sat down next to Percy making herself comfortable.

Percy scoffed, but didn't answer her question. He kept his gaze on the sky, while he cursed under his breath. Bianca couldn't quite make out what he was trying to say, but she got the idea. He didn't want to talk about it, and she understood. When people asked her about her family, she would ignore them and walk away.

Grover was about to say something, but quickly closed his mouth as Bianca gave him a warning look.

"Where are we heading?" Bianca questioned.

"I don't know," Percy mumbled, "but Thalia might know."

Bianca turned to where Thalia was struggling with a couple of wires, a determined look on her face. Thalia seemed so sure of herself, and Percy did too. Even though Percy was in a depressive state, he still had a look that said, 'Don't mess with me, or I'll crumble you to dust'.

"Thalia!" Percy shouted.

A bump was heard, and then it was followed by an 'Ow'. "What!" Thalia growled in frustration.

"You done yet?"

Thalia gritted her teeth, "No!"

"Oh, okay." Percy sighed, and went back to watching the clouds move into different shapes.

"I swear to Zeus if I get another distraction, I'm killing whoever did it." Thalia grumbled. She went back to her wires and concentrated once more. One wrong move, and the whole place would explode, or the car would just do something unexpected. Hopefully, the latter.

Zoë had been listening in on the entire conversation. Percy seemed to be awfully negative, and he would probably weigh the whole group down. They didn't have time to face other problems, they needed to save Artemis before it was too late. But how would she get rid of the sea spawn?

Shaking her head, Zoë walked up to the group that was sitting on the grass, and sat next to Bianca who had been looking at Percy disapprovingly.

"So... Eh, Perseus, um... What do thou plan on doing with the quest and what connections do you have with my lady?" Zoë questioned.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, well, I don't know what's going to happen, but what I doknow is that we're going to save Artemis... I'm positive. I'd give my life to save her."

Zoë rose and eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because... I care about her, and I would do anything for her. I'd risk everything and anything for Artemis. I even regret what I did-"

"What happened between you and Artemis, Percy?" Bianca asked. Zoë and Grover looked at him expectantly, waiting to see what his answer would be.

Percy looked away, "I don't want to talk about it. I made a mistake and I ruined the most important thing in my entire life. I will never forgive myself for what I did, and I know that Artemis won't forgive me either."

"Maybe we can help, Perce." Grover suggested, "If you could just tell us what happened, maybe you can fix your problem with her."

"No. Artemis does not forgive a boy, ever. Don't give this ignorant boy ideas." Zoë jumped into the conversation before Percy could even answer.

Percy gave Zoë a mild glare, but he quickly turned to Grover to answer the shaking satyr, "I can't do or say anything to make her forgive me. I made a mistake and I will never have the chance to fix it, Grover. Another reason why I'm not going to say anything is because I may not live long enough to see the world end. I don't want Artemis to suffer again. My mouth is sealed."

"But what happened!" Bianca exclaimed.

Percy sighed, "Nothing, just forget about it."

"Stupid boy! Tell us or we'll-" Zoë was cut off as a roaring engine came to life and the lights of the car that Thalia was hot wiring, turned on.

"And it lives!" Thalia yelled happily. She turned toward the group and grinned, "Come on, you guys coming?"

The group look at one another like this was the last time they would live to tell the tale of Thalia Grace and the hot wired car.

Bianca grimaced, "Eh, we should probably go before she decides to run us over with the car."

"Yeah." Grover jumped up and ran toward the car, Bianca following the shaking satyr.

Percy was about to stand up, but a foot was on his chest before he could even move. He found Zoë glaring down at him, "This isn't over boy." She spat.

She glared down one last time before she turned on her heel and walked toward the group that was waiting for her and Perseus to get into the car.

Percy rubbed his chest and winced, "Just like Artemis." He shook his head, stood up, and brushed himself down. The group was waiting impatiently in the car. When he got in, Thalia turned around and glared.

"Took you long enough."

Perseus looked down, but said nothing in return. Instead, he laid his head down on the window and closed his eyes letting his dreams take over him...

Percy had never had a dream, and he never thought of having one. Dreams were only for mortals, but it seemed that he was weaker then he thought he was. The god of dreams, Morpheus, was now in control.

A dark land came into view and red lightning streaked through the dark, black skies. It was strange, but he noticed the sky seemed to be lower then usual. There was fog all over the place. He could hardly see where he stood.

A creepy laugh came from inside the deep fog, "Well, how does it feel to hold all that weight, hm? I've been carrying it for millennium! Nobody has ever taken it away from me, until today. I tricked that boy, Luke to hold the weight of the sky, and he tricked his dear friend... The blonde, and then... I got you. Isn't it great when you get to use mindless people to do your own bidding? Refreshing."

Percy knew that voice from somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. Wait. Yes, he did know the voice. It was him; the guy that chased him out of his own forest... His enemy.

Perseus decided walk into the deep fog, he wanted to choke the slimy little fucker to death. He swore that if he ever found the guy, he would give him a deadly punishment. Torture after torture coming after him nonstop.

The image that had appeared in front of him wasn't what he expected. It horrified him and made his anger flare.

It was his enemy, but he was... Laughing. At who? Artemis, the goddess of the moon, his love.

Her body shook with pain and sweat dripped from her forehead. Ichor pooled itself at her feet... Her own blood. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. That monster! He would pay. Dearly.

"So, Artie... Do you miss him? I know you do. The love of your life, your strength to move on, your everything. He abandoned you, didn't he? But you don't know the reason why he did it, do you? Hehe, well, let's just say that he did it for a special reason." Atlas chuckled, "Young love... How pathetic."

"Don't call me that!"

"Does it hurt to know that the person you loved, betrayed you?" Atlas twirled his sword and pointed it at Artemis' neck. "Should I kill you, or should I leave you to suffer? A very hard choice indeed..."

Percy wanted to strangle him. Nobody touched Artemis, nobody. He looked at Artemis and at the pained look she held. The proud glint that she once held, gone. 'I swear that I'll save you, Artie. I owe you that much.'

"Call to him, Artie! I bet he'll listen now since he's with us at this moment." Atlas turned toward Perseus' hiding place.

Percy tensed. Should he reveal himself, or should he just stay where he is and wait until he wakes up? No. He had to reveal himself. He had to prove to that thing that he wasn't playing games.

Perseus walked a bit more into the fog and found himself in front of his own enemy. Artemis disappeared along with everything else. His world spun many times making him dizzy. When it stopped, Atlas still stood in front of him, smiling. They were no longer standing in the fog place. Now, they stood in a blank, white room. Like, the end of the Universe. Blank.

Percy growled, "Where is she?"

Atlas smirked, "She was never there, young Perseus. It was all a trap... So, do you like your new life?"

His voice was different. Perseus took a good long look at his enemy and found that he couldn't even look at him without his vision blurring. Something was odd about the titan, but what?

"What's wrong little godling? You scared?" Atlas' laughter shook the blank room.

"N-no. Who are you, titan?" Percy clenched his sweaty fists. He could make out Atlas' form a little better, and something told him that this wasn't Atlas. It was someone else. The feeling felt more... Evil. Ancient.

"You're figuring it out now, aren't you?" Atlas' form began to melt, while fog erupted from nowhere. For a while, Perseus couldn't see a thing. As the time went by and the thickness of the fog dissipated, Percy saw someone else stand in the place of his enemy. It wore a black robe and nothing else. He didn't know it now, but this would be his new enemy. His main enemy.

The new form chuckled, "Aren't you going to greet your grandfather, Perseus?"

"What?"

The new person's robe covered his face therefore Perseus couldn't see him eyes. Percy knew that if he were to see the eyes of this... thing, he would end up lost in time. The aura of the man that towered over the son of Aphrodite and Poseidon, was evil. Something about him marked him as the evil character of a fairytale.

The person lowered the hood of his robe. Where a normal persons eyes should be, he had golden orbs. Like melted dirty gold that had just been dug up from the ground. He had onyx black hair and a crooked evil grin. His features screamed evil.

"W-who are you?" Perseus stuttered, while he readied himself for any hit of some sort.

"I am Kronos, titan of time, son of Gaea, and slayer of Uranus... Also, your grandfather my dear little godling. Now, are you going to bow or should I make you?" Kronos' eyes bored into Perseus, but he didn't budge. He wouldn't bow down to the likes of him.

"I see then." Kronos rose his hand as it glowed with a evil golden light. "Now, BOW."

Percy struggled to keep his stance, but a force kept pushing him down. He couldn't bow, he wouldn't bow.

"Your stamina is strong, boy, but I'm stronger." Kronos gritted his teeth as his hand began to burst into a painful golden light.

"I will not bow! I am not your grandson. I will never do your bidding, never!" Perseus kept his stance, but Kronos could tell that the young boy was about to break. Just a bit more.

"Come on, boy. Help me rise from my ashes, help me conquer the world. Those stupid Olympians want you dead. You are an enemy to them, why must you risk your life for them, hm? They are imbeciles to have you trapped in that pity forest. Help me, boy! Help me RISE!" Chanting could be heard as the room darkened considerably. The only light that could be seen was the harsh golden light that spread from the evil titan.

"ENOUGH!" Perseus screamed at the top of his lungs. The scene began to swirl and Percy's vision blurred once more.

Before the scene could dissipate, the evil titan's voice echoed in Perseus' ears, "I will always be there boy, always. You will never get rid me, never. Remember one thing, my dear grandson... Your father sent you to your prison, your mother did nothing to save you. Are you really going to help them? They betrayed you. You are NOTHING to them. Absolutely nothing. I am the only one who cares for you. Remember that."

With that said, the scene evaporated and a new scene welcomed the godling. He was back in his forest. Everything was the same before Atlas had attacked his home. The trees were enormous, the grass was greener then ever, and the air had a wonderful scent to it. It was like he never got chased out of it, like he was still there.

"Percy, please stop!" A voice echoed cheerfully. He knew that voice. That wonderful voice that was music to Perseus' ears.

'Artie.' Her old nickname crossed his mind. She was here.

He ran to where he heard her voice, and immediately stopped at the image that met his ocean blue eyes. It was like a flashback of some sort. An old, painful memory that jabbed at his brain like a spear being prodded into his head.

It hurt him so much. He remembered that day. They both seemed so happy... Without a worry in sight. Complete and utter happiness. He missed that feeling. The feeling of having that one happiness in life. His light, his goddess, his Artie.

He hid behind a tree as he stared at his old self as well as his old Artie.

"Percy, hello? Earth to Percy? Are you there?" Little Artemis waved her hand in front of young Percy's thoughtful face.

He should've told her that he loved her. He knew that it would come back to bite him if he didn't say anything. Now, he had to suffer the consequences. She was a maiden goddess... And he? He was a forgotten god. Never to be known by the world...

"Are you okay? You seem to be spacing out a lot, Percy." She had a wonderful smile on her face. Oh, how he missed that smile.

"I'm fine, Artie. I'm just thinking about stuff, that's all. No need to worry about little old me." His young self spoke to Artemis.

What had he done? They could've been so happy. They were happy. He just had to go on a ruin that wonderful bond that they had. 'It was for the best, Perseus. She was in danger when she was with you...' He tried to convince himself that he had done the right thing, but he couldn't. Deep inside, he knew that he made the worst mistake of his life.

He leaned against his tree, and slowly, he slid to the ground while holding his head in his hands. Why couldn't he just forget her? She had a great life with her family! He was just an intrusion to her life... A mistake. Like always. He would always be a mistake.

He needed to wake up, he wanted towake up already. 'Wake up! Come on!'

'Wake up, Perseus. Wake up!' A new voice started whispering in his ear. A very familiar voice... Who was it?

'Come on, Percy! Wake up dammit!' It was Thalia. 'What's she doing in my dreams?' Thought Percy, bemused.

Everything around him began to dissolve until he was surrounded in complete utter darkness. Where was he? He suddenly felt like he was pushed into something, hard.

"Ugh, where am I?" Percy groaned as he pushed himself away from the front seat that he had been pushed into.

Thalia growled, "Finally! We're being attacked. Get your weapons out."

"Huh?"

There was a slam on the hood of the car and black fire could be seen as it got sprayed onto the glass, shattering it. The group scrambled out of the car just in time to see the car erupt into flames and immediately explode because of the black fire.

"W-what was that?" Bianca stuttered.

Percy hadn't noticed, but it was night already. He must have been sleeping for a long time judging by the darkness of the sky.

Thalia spoke up, shakily, "I have no clue, but whatever it was, it's not here anymore..." She looked at the big print that had been left on the dirt ground and examined it. "It was a pretty big beast... Not an ordinary animal."

Percy looked at the flames and then at the big print. It was a claw print from the looks of it. His eyes widened dramatically, "No. It can't be." He whispered.

Thalia turned to him, "You know something about this?"

Percy was about to answer, but was stopped by a flash of light. A limo appeared in front of the wreckage of the destroyed car. It was no ordinary car seeing as it appeared in the middle of no where. Something about it made Percy uneasy.

The group readied their weapons as the front door to the limo, opened. Out came the war god, Ares. Even though Ares wasn't an enemy to them, they still held their weapons high.

Ares grinned evilly, "Perfect. Always ready for a fight, huh? Well, you guys can put your weapons down, I'm not here to fight... Unfortunately. I'm here for that little runt over there." Ares pointed toward Perseus.

"Uh, why me?" Percy asked curiously.

"My girlfriend wants to see you. She says it's very urgent." Ares glared at him as if he would somehow steal his girlfriend. "Don't try anything, kid. I'll gut you like a fish if you do."

"What?" Percy asked. Ares grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him toward the limo.

"Behave." Ares ordered. He opened the door and threw Percy into the limo.

The next thing that he heard made his mind go blank and his hands tremble. He never thought to hear her voice again. At least, not while they were both alone. It was like a melody, a lullaby. Percy lifted himself off the carpet floor of the limo and dusted himself off.

"Hello Perseus." Aphrodite spoke, "I am Aphrodite, goddess of love."

The only thought that could go through his mind was, 'Mother.'

…

Well, here's the fourteenth chapter! I know, I know... You guys hate me for taking such a long time for such a short chapter, but I have an excuse! I've had many things happen to me in life, and I can barely deal with them. Oh, and also... My laptop is being it's stupid self. Anyway, I'm on Summer Break! Since... May 17th, so that gave me some time to write this chapter down. Okay, so I want you all to guess what chapter played the part in Percy's dream. There's no prize, so don't get your hopes up, but I want to see if you all remember. Thanks for your wonderful feedback!

Please Review! (It makes me want to actually write and more faster updates.)

Thanks!

-PercyxArtemis