A/N: Hey guys I hope you enjoyed the last chapter as I thought it not only advanced the plot a tad it helped to develop one relationship and set the stage for another. If some of you have not figured out I am setting up Thalia to be in a relationship with Reyna because they are a great couple if written correctly and I have only seen them in one fan fiction. I hope you enjoy Chapter 21 - Capture The Flags - Nightshade Guardian

Percy POV:

When we flashed back we were just outside of the cabin and all the hunters were there including Amy and Lisa who smiled and ran over to me and captured me in a hug. "Hey you two, how are you doing?". They both smiled brightly. "We're making lots of progress and Thalia said that we were better than you in archery now, not that it was hard". They giggled at that and I laughed. "Did she now? I will just have to see later then won't we?". They both smiled and nodded. "Are you both taking part in the game?". They nodded and I smiled. "Then you get to show anyone who comes after our flag that there is a reason the hunters are undefeated" They beamed then raced back over to the others.

Artemis was smiling down at me. "They really do see you as their big brother you know" I nodded. "I know. It's good to know I have a family again" Artemis briefly put her hand on my shoulder then walked over to the hunters. "Are you all ready to show up these campers?" a resounding chorus of yes came from the hunters who looked impressive even without any armour like the others would no doubt have. They shined a bright silver and there was a mixture of bows and daggers and other weapons.

I touched the scars on my cheek from my first few days with the hunters. I could have healed them but I decided to keep them to remind me of what had happened, even if some later memories made my blood boil. Artemis walked up beside me. "Let's go, we need to hear the rules" I nodded and started walking with her and the hunters towards the edge of the woods where Chiron was waiting.

The Greeks looked intimidating with their gleaming bronze armour and nearly two hundred demigods and the new immortals but the Romans were a sight to behold. About six hundred of them stood there in gleaming gold armour with shields, spears and gladii. Chiron spoke up. "The rules are simple, capture both of the other team's flags to win. No team is out if their flags are captured unless both flags have been captured by one team but individuals can still be eliminated by either a death blow withheld or unconsciousness. Hunters, you will be in the left side of the forest, Romans, the right and Greeks will be beyond the creek by Zeus' fist. All weapons, magic items and powers are allowed excluding true forms, teleportation and shape shifting. The flag must be visible and possible to reach even if it is difficult. You have five minutes before the game begins. Please go and set up your flags"

We all dashed off and found a clearing in our area that would be easily defensible and yet still difficult for the other demigods to find and grab the flag. "Put the flag in the branches of the tall tree in the middle" I said. "Still visible but it is very open and hard to get to without being seen". The hunters nodded then Thalia spoke up. "What about her? She still has the invisibility cap". I frowned. I had forgotten about that. I then remembered something I had read from the book Hecate had given me when I was skimming through and smirked. "Leave that to me". Thalia grinned then took charge.

"Amy, Lisa, Atlanta and Phoebe. I want you to stay here and guard the flag. Amy and Lisa in the open and Phoebe and Atlanta in the trees ready with their bows when anyone attacks" I raised my eyebrow at this. "So you are using Lisa and Amy as bait then?" Thalia nodded. "The Greeks have nearly two hundred campers with all the minor gods cabins and the Romans have three times that. We can't take them head on so we need to set up an ambush. We can have some others stay back too if needed". I nodded. "That's a good plan Sparky, but what if one of the seven or Reyna attacks. No offense but they don't stand much of a chance. Thalia grinned. "That is where you and I come in". I smirked when I realised what she meant. "This should be fun but I doubt that it will be a challenge". Artemis smirked. "Do not get overconfident". I smirked under the hood. "I promise we are winning this" She smirked. "Fine but you better not disappoint me". I continued to smirk. "They won't know what hit them"

The conch horn sounded and we dashed towards the creek. "You ready Kelp head?" Thalia asked but before I could answer a large bolt of lightning struck just in front of me forcing me to roll to the side when we were suddenly trapped in a ring of rocks and jewels. Jason flew down from the skies with thunder and lightning and Frank in the form of a dragon flew down with Hazel on his back. They all smirked. "Looks like we have you Percy. Surrender and we won't tell anyone how easily you got beat" this was Jason. They already had that ego that god's tended to have. I smirked noticing that they had completely forgotten Thalia who was currently sneaking around behind them. Looks like I had to play distraction for a while longer. "Sorry but I am not giving up that easily" I summoned up fotiá and immediately felt Hazel reach out and try to pull it out of my grasp with her power over precious metals. At least they don't remember about the arm. I smirked. "You want it? Have it" I let go and the blade spun towards Hazel who caught it and suddenly screamed and dropped the sword with a fresh burn on her hand.

"That's what happens when you play with too large a fire, you get burned". Frank went red and turned into an elephant and charged. I quickly summoned my twin short swords and met his charge by jumping and landing on his back. I held the black sword at the base of his spine. "Dead" I announced and flipped off his back as he transformed into an angry looking god who flashed away as I placed the swords in their sheaths that I had summoned to my waist. Jason smirked. "Hazel, immobilise him". I suddenly felt her force on my arm. I growled. "That is low Jason, you would use my own arm against me?". He shrugged. "Whatever to win".

I laughed. "You have a point but you seemed to have forgotten about someone". His eyes widened as he realised Thalia was not standing where she was before and Hazel suddenly had a knife to the neck. "Dead" Thalia said and the influence on my arm vanished as did Hazel and all the rocks she had summoned. "Dammit" Jason yelled and I smirked. "Don't forget about a secondary opponent to focus on the bigger threat. I will leave you to have some family bonding time. I did promise Thalia that she could fight you anyway" I picked up fotiá and started to run.

"Watch out" I heard Thalia call and I realised that Jason had sent a lightning bolt at my back. I smirked as I exerted my control over time. The lightning bolt stood still in the sky as did both Thalia and Jason. I moved out of the way and time resumed. "You missed" I taunted and he gritted his teeth. "I would love to stay and chat but as I said, I promised Thalia that she could fight you so I'm off" before he could reply I dashed off, leaving the two storm siblings to duke it out.

I headed towards the Greek side first, knowing there would be less opposition but there was still plenty of campers that tried to stop me but all ended up eliminated. "Dead, dead and dead" I declared as I whacked one over the head, mimed stabbing one's heart with one of my twin swords and held fotiá to the neck of another. They all were flashed out. I reached Zeus' fist and saw that Clarisse was there with a perfectly formed Phalanx and archers. "Fire!" she yelled and a hail of Arrows came towards me. I smirked. Time to show them some new tricks. I quickly waved my sword in front of me and created a shield of fire which burned all the arrows. When the arrows stopped the shield faded to reveal Clarisse lunging with her spear. She managed to knock fotiá out of my hand and pressed her advantage as I was left without a weapon and forced backwards.

"Yield!" she yelled as she aimed another strike which I quickly avoided. "Not a chance" I replied and drew my new twin swords. I caught her by surprise and managed to leave a shallow cut across her face after lunging forwards. She snarled and retaliated as we were locked into a fight. I smirked. She was not even near Artemis' level. I quickly feinted a swipe at her head which she went to block and lashed out with a kick instead. I noticed that the phalanx had been pushing forwards but were being assaulted by silver arrows and was beginning to break apart. Thank you Artemis and the hunters. I quickly lunged forwards but dropped my swords. Thinking I had gone mad Clarisse lunged and I ducked under then swung myself around her and grabbed her head. "Dead" I announced as I mimicked breaking her neck. She scowled then flashed out.

I turned towards the phalanx and smirked as I noticed that some had been flashed out because of the hunters. I picked up my swords again, twirled them around and I noticed an inscription I had not seen before. The black one had 'Kanshou' written on it and the white one had 'Bakuya'. I smiled. I knew the names of them now and dashed forwards to help finish off the phalanx.

Thalia POV:

I smirked as Jason circled angrily. He held his gladius in one hand and the other was left free. He had obviously not thought he would need a shield. I smirked as I was going to show him just how wrong he was. Jason smirked and flew up into the air. "Sorry Thals, looks like you can't get me up here". I almost laughed at how wrong he was. When Percy had helped me after I got angry I had realised there was no need to be afraid of heights anymore and becoming a goddess, albeit a minor one, had exponentially helped not only my flying but my wind powers.

"I might not but I can bring you down". I held up my hand and the winds supporting him vanished and he fell for a second or two before managing to regain control but now we were fighting as to who had control over the wind. He tried to summon up a storm to help him but I laughed. "The wind is one of my domains Jason, you can't win" It was true. He was losing height faster than he could gain it and the storm was not affecting me in the slightest. A bolt of lightning flashed down and I had to roll out of the way which also meant losing control of the winds.

Jason laughed again. "Looks like the mighty lieutenant of the hunt is just a scared little girl". I frowned. This was not how Jason normally was. It must be his flaw, a thirst for power and now that he had it he probably felt superior to everyone else. Looks like it was time to knock him down a peg. I smirked as I watched him raise his gladius. "Ready to lose Thalia?" Jason asked and I laughed. "Sorry but I still have a trick or two up my sleeve" as I said this I called on the winds to support me and to make my fly. They did not disappoint. I shot upwards which, ironically, shocked Jason and caused him to lose focus on his storm. I took advantage of this and slammed the back end of my spear into his stomach which sent him sprawling backwards.

"What's the matter? Getting beat by a girl?". Jason turned furious and the air began to crackle with lightning. I laughed and sent a massive gust of wind towards him but he just seemed to shrug through it and sent bolts of lightning towards me. I used my newfound agility to dodge around them then closed the distance once again. This continued on for a while, each of us managing several blows on the other but I still seemed to hold the upper hand. I saw a chance to end the fight when he charged. He flew forwards and was aiming to stab me so I gathered the winds around my spear and when he came in range I sidestepped and swung down. The effect was even better than I could have hoped. He was immediately sent shooting down and crashed into the earth. I floated down to where he was lying and held my spear to his back "Dead". I proclaimed and watched as he got up with anger in his eyes.

"How? I should be better than this! I am a god!". I stepped forward and slapped him. "Get a hold of your flaw Jason. Just because you are a god does not mean you are better than everyone else. Artemis or Percy could easily beat you as could most of the Olympians so don't go acting all high and mighty now". Jason's eyes widened at this and then filled with shame as he realised how he had acted. "You're right, sorry Thals". I smiled and hugged him. "No problem. I will always be here to knock you down a peg when you need it" he laughed then flashed away. I suddenly felt dizzy after using that much power and had to lean against a tree for a second. After I was feeling better I was about to continue with the plan when I heard a scream. "That sounded like it came from the hunters flag" I said and started running.

Percy POV:

I had just finished off the phalanx with the help of the hunters when I heard a scream. Artemis dropped down from the trees with a look of worry on her face. "That sounded like it came from the direction of the hunters flag". I nodded. "I know" I turned to the accompanying hunters. "Take the flag and me and Artemis will go ahead to see what is happening". They nodded and we dashed off.

As we were running we met Thalia who was also running in the same direction. "You heard it to then?" I asked and she nodded. "I just hope it's not Amy or Lisa". I nodded and turned to Artemis. "Any ideas?". She shook her head. "All I could tell is that it was a female scream". I smiled. "I wonder…" I didn't finish that as we came into the hunters clearing to find Annabeth on the floor, twitching with her hat a few feet away, while Amy and Lisa were trying to fight off some of the Romans while Phoebe and Atlanta were firing arrows which bounced harmlessly off the tortoise formation. "So it was her. Let's go help them" they nodded and we charged into the Romans at the back.

They had not expected an attack from behind and were quickly disoriented until a voice shouted out. "Romans! Form up and fight back!" Reyna had emerged and looked every bit the Praetor that she was. Gleaming golden armour with a purple cloak along with a pilum in her hand and shield on her arm. "Time for a rematch" Thalia said even though I could see a slight golden blush on her face. I smirked. "Go get her Thals" she smiled. "I plan too" and then she charged the praetor with aegis up and her spear ready.

The Romans had suddenly got into a tight shield wall with pilums pointed outwards. I laughed. "This should be fun!" and summoned my armour. The Romans were taken aback at this before I charged towards them. They must have thought I had gone mental but just before I hit the pilum I jumped and flipped over the top of the formation. They tried to stab me with either pilum or their gladii but I dodged out the way and slipped the two knives from their sheaths on my arms and got my first look at them. They were made of silver and had a gap in the middle of two blades that looked razor sharp. "Let's go" I said and began whirling around, creating havoc and eliminating people left and right.

Thalia POV:

I knew that Reyna was a tough opponent but it seemed that becoming a goddess had improved her fighting ability even more. I dodged and weaved to avoid her pilum and shield which she used to attack as well as to defend. I tried summoning lightning bolts but she just rolled out the way and they had no effect. "Sorry but I am not allowing those to hit me. They would probably leave me out of commission for a week" I smirked. "You got that right but that's not my only trick" I summoned the winds to buffet her and she stumbled. I went forward to press the advantage when I saw her tense and realised it was a feint. I brought up aegis to block the strike I knew was coming and was not surprised when she dropped the pilum and drew her gladius in an attempt to get through my guard.

The golden blade clashed against my shield again and again and each blow had a good amount of strength behind it and I struggled to keep Reyna at bay. While this was going on I was able to get a good look at Reyna. She had a face that seemed to have a permanent serious look on it but her eyes were what caught my attention. They were a deep black and I could plainly see a fighting spirit and determination behind them but also there was something else. Something that took me a second to identify. Frustration. She was frustrated about something and I wanted to find out what. I knew Reyna had once had a crush on Jason but she still talked to me as a friend and treated with me with respect after Jason became Piper's boyfriend and I had enjoyed her company so I wanted to help her but first I needed to win this fight.

Reyna thrust her shield forwards and I pushed it out of the way with aegis and managed to force it off her arm but she retaliated by kicking aegis off my arm. We clashed our weapons again and I could tell I was losing to her and needed to do something extreme to win. I remembered the fight Artemis and Percy had once had and how Artemis had won. That would do even if it would probably be slightly awkward. Oh well, whatever to win I suppose. Reyna went for another stab with her gladius which I deflected using my spear and then stepped in towards her. Before she could move away I kissed her. Reyna froze and I could feel her lips below mine but what confused me is the feelings that it stirred inside me. I liked the kiss but wasn't sure why. I quickly broke it off then swept my spear across and took her legs from under her and held my spear to her heart. "Dead" I said then stepped backwards.

Reyna looked confused then seemed to shake her head. I held out my hand. "Sorry about that. Anything to win right?" she remained still for a second then took my hand and laughed. The laugh sounded great to me and I blushed slightly but shook my head quickly. I pulled her up and she was smiling. "That was certainly an effective tactic, I was not expecting my opponent to kiss me in mid fight" I laughed and blushed slightly. "Yea, Artemis taught us we should do anything to win in a fight and that was just an example of that" Reyna raised an eyebrow. "Why does it sound like there is more to that story?" I shrugged. "She used the tactic against our guardian to win" Reyna looked surprised. "Lady Diana kissed a male?" A voice spoke from the side of us. "Yes I did as a way to distract my opponent and win a fight so don't go and get any ideas" I looked around and Artemis was standing there with an annoyed look.

"Why were you telling her about that story Thalia?" her voice was dangerous and I gulped when Reyna stepped in. "She was explaining why she used that tactic Lady Di- Artemis" I smiled slightly, thankful that Reyna was standing up for me and Artemis raised an eyebrow. "She used the same tactic on you?" there seemed to be amusement in her voice and Reyna nodded. "Yes and it was very effective" Artemis laughed. "Well it seems that you do occasionally pay attention Thalia" I smiled and rubbed the back of my head. Suddenly the rest of the hunters burst into the clearing carrying the Greek flag. And some had bows drawn but when they saw that we were talking they relaxed. Someone began to laugh. We turned to see the Roman's that had come to try and take the flag were mostly on the floor unconscious or were getting their ass handed to them by Percy.

Percy was whirling about so fast he was almost a blur but what was funny was the Roman's reactions. They were trying to attack but every time got sent flying backwards into trees or had their legs swept from under them so they fell backwards onto their butts. Amy and Lisa were both on the floor rolling around in laughter at how easily the Romans were getting beaten. Reyna sighed and shook her head. "I really thought they might put up more of a fight". Artemis smirked. "I wouldn't be so surprised, he spent four years on his own doing nothing but fight and rescue demigods then another year with us training and helping to fight whatever attacked us". Reyna just nodded. "True but I thought that he would struggle against the sheer number and that someone might get a lucky shot. Artemis continued smirking. "That's why he wore his armour, so something like that couldn't happen".

I gave Artemis a puzzled look. "Armour?" but suddenly the blur stopped and all the Roman's were on the floor and were flashed away and out of the game. I then was able to see what Artemis meant and it took my breath away. He was in a set of coloured celestial bronze armour with silver inlays and boots which fit him perfectly and kept him protected from each attack. What took my breath away though was the images on the armour. It had a bright silver moon on the back and on the front was a wolf in a forest clearing on a cliff howling at the moon. Reyna raised her eyebrows too. "When did he get that?" she asked and Artemis responded with an undertone of pride in her voice. "When the council decided to promote him to the commander of the armies of Olympus". Reyna smiled. "Well I can see why they did" I laughed. "You have no idea, he is not even taking this very seriously".

"Not entirely true it is just that if I did not hold back a bit we could win in a second and where is the fun in that". I jumped as Percy was suddenly behind me. "Would you stop doing that?" I asked and he laughed. "Sorry but it was to funny not to". Reyna looked confused. "How did you get behind her without even moving?" she asked and he chuckled. "Think about what I showed you" and a look of understanding crossed her face. "Of course, I should have known. Have fun in the rest of the game" she said and then flashed away.

"Ready to go and finish the game?" Percy asked and I nodded and turned to the hunters. "Put the flag with ours and some more of you should stay behind as well just in case" I then saw Annabeth who was still lying on the floor but no longer twitching. "What did you do to her?" I asked Percy as she did not look very responsive. He shrugged. "I just set up a little spell that detects magic and if it does it incapacitates the user unless I have made sure they are unaffected by it by inscribing a small symbol somewhere on them or their possessions" I raised an eyebrow. "That seems slightly more complicated than the magic you have used before, where did you learn that?" I asked and he held up a book that had appeared in his hand. "A little gift from Hecate, some more powerful spells and a few new weapons if I can figure out how to summon them". The book then vanished and he walked over to Annabeth and held a knife at her neck. "Dead" he announced and she vanished along with her cap that was a few feet away.

He turned to me, Artemis and the hunters. "Shall we?" there were nods all around and Artemis had a smirk on her face. "Let's show these Romans how it's done" he said and then started to run with us following behind. It took us a few minutes to get to the Roman area and the flag was out in the open with nobody around it. I was about to walk forward when Percy held up a hand. He pointed at something and I saw a glint of gold in the surrounding forest. "An ambush" he whispered. "Good but not good enough. Get ready to shoot". I motioned for the hunters to get into firing position as Percy walked forward into the clearing. The Roman's sprang to life and triggered the ambush. They charged forward, aiming to get Percy when he suddenly whipped out his wings which came through slots on his armour and he began to fly above them. "Now!" he yelled and we all began to fire at the Romans.

The Romans were quick to realise that they had been tricked and got into a tortoise formation to protect them from us. "Let's go. Close quarters" I said and the hunters nodded while Artemis jumped into a tree and started climbing around towards the flag. We then charged forward to meet the Romans who were changing formation to more of a shield wall than a tortoise but they had forgotten about one major thing. Percy. He landed behind them and started causing chaos again while the hunters and I attacked them at the front keeping them occupied.

I noticed that the child of Mars who had spoken out against Percy earlier was not here and hadn't been in the Romans who attacked the flag. Odd. I was brought out of my musing by a pilum that brushed past my face and I returned my attention to the fight and noticed with a smile that Artemis had the flag in hand and was about to climb up a tree to escape. Suddenly she flipped backwards as a demigod stepped out the forest holding a gladius. It was Steven. He smirked as he tried to continue his attack on Lady Artemis but she just twirled the flag like a staff and knocked the gladius out of his hand before whacking him over the head with it and then sweeping his legs out from under him. She held a hunting knife to his neck. "Dead" she announced and turned to start heading towards where our flag was when Steven suddenly grabbed his gladius and tried to stab Artemis through the back.

The air suddenly turned extremely cold and most of the Romans started to shiver. Percy was suddenly standing behind Artemis and had caught the gladius. "You have disrespected the rules son of Mars and tried to perform a deathblow upon an Olympian" his voice sounded cold and almost emotionless. "Your punishment will be decided after the match. Steven snarled. "Fuck you graecus scum" he said and tried to pull his gladius back but found he couldn't. Percy said something in some weird language that I couldn't understand and suddenly chains made of Celestial bronze shot up from the ground and wrapped themselves around the roman's wrists and legs binding him to the floor. "Lord Mars, appear before me to smite the enemies of New Rome!" yelled out Steven. All the Romans had stopped fighting now and were watching the scene unfold. Percy chuckled. "He won't - I'll be damned" he said as Mars appeared in full armour and held a sword in hand.

Mars looked around and then down at his son in chains. "Why have you summoned me and why are you chained?". Steven snarled. "These graecus are the enemies of New Rome and have restrained me for being roman". Percy coughed and Mars turned around and saw him. "Why are you here?" he asked. "I thought -" he was cut off by Percy. "Things changed as I am sure you can ask your aspect about but I can tell you the real reason why your son is chained. He was eliminated from our game of capture the flag by Lady Artemis and when she turned to leave he attempted to kill her by impaling her through the back. He is in chains to stop him trying to run so we may decide his punishment afterwards". Mars scowled and turned to his son. "You tried to attack an opponent dishonourably after you lost a game and dare to call them the enemies of New Rome after all the help they provided during the last two wars. You are no son of mine. I, Mars Ultor, hereby disown Steven Mulloy as my son". A red aura formed around Steven and was then pulled towards Mars as Steven yelled out in pain. Mars then turned to Percy. "Sorry about him and the trouble he has caused for you" his face almost turned sympathetic. "If anyone deserves peace it's you". Percy just nodded. "It's not your fault for his behaviour. Same way it is not Apollo's fault for the trouble Octavian caused". Percy held out his hand. Mars smiled and shook it. "Thank you…?" "Guardian" Percy supplied. Mars nodded. "Thank you Guardian, you have made an ally today. I will support you in whatever you do as long as it is right and honourable or you have a valid reason for doing so" Percy nodded. "That sounds fair" Mars smiled and then flashed away.

Percy then turned to the Romans. "You may continue the game if you want" he said. They looked to each other and nodded. One of them stepped forward, who looked slightly like a vampire with red all around his mouth, and took a swig from a hip flask. "We do not wish to continue. The game goes to the hunters of Artemis rightfully. Our flag was taken and one of our team broke the rules. I, Dakota, as centurion of the fifth cohort and acting commander of the Roman forces in this game concede the game". The conch horn sounded and the flag in Artemis' hand turned to a bright silver with an image of the moon on it but below it was a cliff above the sea. I raised an eyebrow at this then turned to the Romans. "We should head back to the main camp and explain the situation". They all nodded and started walking off while talking. I turned to the hunters. "Go and tell all our sisters that were left at our flag the game is over and to head back to camp". They all nodded and started to walk off while I headed towards Percy, Artemis and Dakota.

Percy turned to the chained Steven who was glaring at him with hatred in his eyes. "You will stand trial for your actions. Former son of Mars" he then clicked his fingers and a magic circle appeared below him and the chains then moved upwards, teleporting the demigod away.

Dakota continued to look at Percy and seemed confused. "Have we met before? You seem familiar". Percy turned his head and saw that the remainder of the legion was leaving. His armour vanished and left him in his normal clothes with the hood up. Dakota's eyes widened. "You are the person that helped the demigods get to camp" Percy chuckled. "Yes I am, to both camps and the hunters if needed". Dakota was still slightly squinting at Percy. "You seem more familiar than that though. Your presence feels old and like I knew you a long time ago" Percy sounded surprised. "What do you mean?". Dakota shrugged. "As a son of Bacchus I can feel the aura of someone I share a drink, food or party with and yours seems so familiar and yet so different". Percy sounded almost emotionless when he next talked. "Lots has changed since we last met Dakota". He reached up and pulled down his hood.

Dakota looked shocked. "Percy? Is it really you?" Percy laughed. "Who else?" Dakota smiled. "It's good to see you again" he said and Percy nodded. "You too but I would like you to keep my identity a secret for now, I'm sure you heard what happened or at least some of it so I hope you understand. Dakota nodded. "Sure, you can trust me Percy" he then turned and started heading towards camp.

Percy pulled his hood up again and turned to Artemis who had a raised eyebrow. "He was one of the first people I met at camp Jupiter and he always stood with us as did his cohort" Artemis nodded. "We going to go and see what happens to that ex-son of Mars then?". Percy nodded then I spoke up. "I'll grab his sword then. Extra evidence or just give it back to the legion so it's not wasted" I walked over and was about to pick it up when I noticed something on the blade. "Did Steven manage to cut you milady?". Artemis frowned then checked herself over quickly. "No, why?". I felt a chill down my spine as I said the next words. "Because there is Ichor on the blade".

Percy turned sharply at this. "What?". I held up the blade for him to look at. He grabbed it and looked closely. He turned to Artemis. "Where did he come from?". She pointed at a small gap and Percy began running and we immediately followed. When we caught up to him he had found a small clearing and was bent over someone. "Percy, who is it?" I asked and he looked up. His hood was down and there was two clear emotions in his eyes. Concern and Anger. "It's Reyna" he said and I felt like a wedge of ice had been driven into me. "What? How?" I asked and he shrugged. "I don't know but I do know that this was deliberate" he moved backwards and we could see the wound that went right through Reyna. It was leaking Ichor from where the sword had obviously pierced her from behind. "Heal her then Kelp head!" I yelled and he glared at me. "I tried" he simply stated then, to demonstrate, placed his hands, which were glowing orange, over the wound and we watched as the glow suddenly turned black and burst, having made no impact on the wound.

"It's a curse. A horrible curse that eats away at the essence of the victim" he stated and my eyes widened. "Is there anyway to save her?" I asked and he hesitated. The book from before was suddenly in his hands and he was leafing through it. "Maybe, if I can find the right page. Found it" he stated and placed it down. The page was written in some odd writing that seemed like Greek but it was constantly shifting about and I couldn't read it. "What is that?" asked Artemis. "If I am right, a way to save her but unfortunately this is going to require lots of energy and a good look at the wound. Sorry Reyna" he said and then clicked his fingers as her armour and shirt vanished leaving her in just a purple bra and trousers but also allowing us to see the wound better. The wound was leaking Ichor like normal but there were also black lines that were spreading outwards from it and that seemed to be moving upwards towards her heart and all the skin around the lines was turning grey. Percy scowled. "Damn, this is worse than I thought, the only reason she has not faded is because she is a fighter"

Percy placed his hands over the wound and then closed his eyes. A cold wind started up again and swirled around them but it was nowhere near as severe as before. Percy then began to chant. The language was odd and I couldn't understand it yet it sounded familiar. I realised that it was the same language the council had been chanting to turn us into immortals. Artemis looked shocked but didn't say anything as a magic circle began to form around Reyna and Percy.

This magic circle was far more intricate than the ones I had seen him use before. There were many complicated symbols and sigils around the edge of it and in the centre was a giant symbol that I recognised but couldn't remember. The chant continued and the magic circle formed completely around them and glowed a bright silver.

Lines started to swirl inwards from the symbols at the edge of the circle and they began to move up Reyna's stomach to encircle the wound. Reyna began to spasm as the black lines started to be pushed back into the silver circle that were now surrounding the wound. "Hold her down" Percy said quickly and continued chanting. I ran and grabbed her shoulders while Artemis held her legs. The black lines were almost gone now and some sort of black energy was forming above where Reyna had been stabbed. Once all the black lines had gone the energy suddenly grew and Percy had to grit his teeth as he continued the chant. Steven's sword suddenly lifted up off the ground and hovered there then the energy shot towards it and was absorbed. Percy stopped chanting and fell backwards with a gasp as the circle vanished and the sword fell to the floor. The wound was gone and there was no trace of anything ever having happened.

Artemis walked over to Percy quickly. "Are you alright Percy?". He nodded and she summoned up some nectar and gave it to him. "Thanks Arty" he said and I noticed her blush and almost laughed. I guess kelp head really did have some charm. I turned to Reyna and blushed when I noticed that she was still only in her bra and trousers which revealed most of her upper body and allowed me to see how athletic she really was. I admired how her stomach was flat and toned but not overly muscular and her arms were strong but didn't look out of proportion to the rest of her body.

"Checking Reyna out Thals?" Percy asked teasingly. "Don't you know that's a creepy thing to do when their unconscious?" I blushed furiously and turned to face him. "I am not checking her out! I swore of romance as a hunter remember?" I felt a slight drop at that. Could I be disappointed about that? Percy smirked. "You do know you only swore off men not women? So technically Reyna is not off the menu, also the oath is slightly hypocritical now so Artemis will probably have to change it slightly when word of us finally reaches the council". I paused at that. He had a point about the oath then I saw his smirk widen again then he turned serious. "All jokes aside Thalia, you need to figure out how you feel about her before you lose your chance. Don't make the mistake I almost did". He smiled sadly at the memory but then snapped his fingers and Reyna's shirt appeared back on her but without any holes or Ichor stains.

"Thalia, you grab Reyna and I'll grab the sword" I nodded and heaved Reyna onto my back. She was heavier than she looked. "Artemis, if you wouldn't mind, I think we have someone to punish" she nodded, placed her hands on our shoulders and flashed us away.

A/N: That was chapter 21, I hope you enjoyed it. The chapter had more Thalia and Reyna shipping in it than I had originally planned but I am happy with it. I felt that the issue with Steven had to be dealt with this chapter as I never intended him to be a long running antagonist but I can also change his fate slightly if you guys really want him to stay on but to have any influence on how the story goes please review so I know what you guys want. Until next time - Nightshade Guardian