I load my clip before my eyes blurry, don't worry I'll get them suckers back before you're buried

"Piper-"

"Can't talk." She hissed, aggressively swinging her sword at the dummy. Her breathing was heavy, sweat beaded down her forehead, and she ignored her hands that now trembled with exertion. Her eyes were different, a strange mixture of gold and red, no longer the sea green she usually bore. Gold was wrapped around her irises, and the dark tent of blood red surrounded the gold. The combination was...strange to say the least. But it only meant that Piper wasn't sure how to feel, she couldn't properly sift through her emotions and thus her eye color was distorted. In a dark way...the color was beautiful. However it was also extremely intimidating.

Piper wielded the calvary sword, Spatha, like a woman possessed. She sliced violently at the dummy, a snarl erupted from her lips as she cut its head clean off with a single swipe of her blade.

Percy watched, wide eyed as Piper violently shoved the dummy away from her before moving to get a new one. She was exhausted and she needed to rest. He didn't know how long she'd been at it but he knew it had been hours.

As of late, Piper had been reacting to Hazel's death rather differently than Percy anticipated. Far more differently than anyone else had. Nico was sullen, he kept to himself and hadn't spoken since his sister died, crushed at losing another sibling. Percy had tried to be there for him, but Nico never spoke a word, so in the end the son of Poseidon would just sit in silence with him. Nico was usually curled in on himself, resting his head on his knees that he hugged so tightly to his chest, and on occasion he'd let tears slip down his cheek. Percy knew he had every right to mourn, but he was genuinely worried about his friend.

Leo wasn't fairing much better. He tried to put on a happy front, he tried to smile, tried to laugh, and tried to go about his day as though nothing had happened. Percy and just about everyone else knew it was a front. Leo wanted to seem happy for everyone else's sake. But Percy could always see the anguish behind those plastic smiles and hollow laughs. He didn't have that bounce in his step anymore, and he didn't have that gusto that made him so entertaining to be around.

Frank was gloomy. He'd talk and go through the motions of his day, but he never pretended to be alright. He was stoic, his face permanently stuck in a disapproving frown or a look of despair, he didn't know how to cope with the death of Hazel. She had been one of his best friends. Percy often saw the son of Mars sitting with Hazel's horse, talking to him and shedding tears every once in a while. His voice was hoarse...it often broke at the mere mention of the girl.

Lamia tried to play indifferent. But even with her centuries of acting, Percy could read his sister like a book. She was heartbroken. He didn't know the extent of her feelings towards Hazel, but his observations led him to believe that she felt stronger about the girl than she let on. Green eyes were often glassy, her voice had become hard, and she had snapped at him when he attempted to reach out to her in Swahili. Any reminders of Hazel made her tense up and cross her arms over her chest, she'd squeeze her eyes shut, as though trying to forget the girl ever existed.

Piper's reaction to Hazel's death was different, she did not let sadness rule her, but instead anger and hatred had filled her heart. After the shock of Hazel actually dying set in, she grew utterly enraged. She was aggressive in everything she did. She shoved past people, spent all her time in the arena training and fighting, and anytime Percy tried to talk to her about how she was feeling she'd snap at him and stomp off.

When Thalia had died Percy had been angry too. But the anger had melted quickly and he had fallen into depression. He kept to himself, smoked to alleviate stress, hallucinated that she was still with him, and even popped unhealthy amounts sleeping pills to get some sleep. But Piper had been nothing but enraged since Hazel died, Percy had studied her, seeing nothing but hatred in her red and gold eyes.

Instead of picking up nasty habits like Percy had, she was hurting herself in other ways. She barely slept, she was a hardened shell of her former self, she pushed people away, and she avoided Percy like the plague. She wanted to stay angry, Percy understood the feeling, but it seemed to be the only emotion Piper felt. She was hurting herself physically by exerting herself and mentally by bottling up her anguish over the death of her friend.

Jason, Annabeth, and Percy were the least affected by Hazel's death. They were all terribly saddened at losing their friend, but they hadn't formed as close of bonds as the rest of the quest members had. They thought fondly of her, the three usually getting away from their somber friends to try to create ways to cheer them up. But they knew it'd take time.

At the news of Hazel Levesque's death, Camp Jupiter threw a big funeral, and Percy was amazed by how many lives Hazel had touched. The entire camp had attended, not a single eye was dry as they set her pyre on fire, even Percy shed some tears for the loss of his companion.

He felt some regret of not getting to know her better, but a selfish part of him was glad they weren't closer. He didn't know if he could handle losing anyone else he loved. And for the most part he had seemed to have the upper hand on his insanity. Before Hazel's death, he had felt happier, even slipping back into old Percy mode. He had cracked jokes and even reminisced with his friends about their past at Camp Halfblood during the Titan war. He was healing, the death of another friend could have easily unravelled all his hard work.

While he would miss the optimistic, ball of sunshine that was Hazel Levesque, he couldn't help but be grateful that it wasn't Piper or Leo. He wouldn't have been able to handle that.

Percy hesitantly reached out to Piper and touched her shoulder,"Piper-" She instantly tensed up, her free hand balling into a fist, and a low growl escaped her lips at the unwanted contact.

"Let. Me. Go." She snarled, not bothering to turn and face him. Percy narrowed his eyes, he knew she was grieving and he was perfectly fine with that, she deserved to be broken up over the death of Hazel. But she couldn't push everyone away, he had done that when Thalia had died, and it had gotten him nowhere.

"No, it's midnight and you need sleep. Your body can't take all this and you need rest." He murmured, keeping calm but adding firmness in his tone of voice.

She whirled around, eyes glowing with anger,"I'll do what I want, stop hovering over me." She snapped, pointing at him accusingly,"Ever since we got back to Camp Jupiter you've been suffocating me!" She hissed, eyes darkening, lips tugging into an angry scowl,"And I hate it." Percy merely blinked at her lashing out, knowing it was the grief talking.

"I'm worried about you-"

"Don't be, I'm fine."

"No you're not...c'mon Pipes, let's talk about this." Percy pleaded quietly,"Training yourself past the point of exhaustion won't help anything." He slowly reached out and touched her arm reassuringly, she's been like this for the full five days of Hazel's death, and he knew she needed time but he was utterly fearful of how she was acting. It was self destructive.

Gritting her teeth she wrenched her arm from his grasp,"How would you know?" She snorted and he raised his eyebrows.

"You're kidding, right?"

Piper stared at him coldly,"I'm not."

Percy was growing frustrated by the second,"Because I don't know what it's like to lose someone? I don't know what it's like to grieve?" Tears stung his eyes but he refused to let them fall,"You saw how I was after Thalia died-"

"I did." She interjected,"And not I'm running from all my friends like you did. I'm bettering myself and becoming stronger. I'm not smoking and crying and hallucinating, I'm training. I'm not mourning, I'm getting ready for the next fight." Percy couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was trying to help and yet she stood there, mocking his grieving period for Thalia. Had it been pitiful, of course, but he had been sad and poorly finding ways to cope. Piper had no right to attack him for the past.

He was shaking slightly,"I'm not stupid, Piper, you're mourning and taking this probably harder than most of our friends. And you're not bettering yourself..." He let out a sigh to calm himself,"Piper, you need to sleep...and then we can talk in the morning-"

"I don't want to talk to you!" She snapped.

"Too bad! You've always been there for me and I'm returning the favor! That's what you do for the people you love." He argued, crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced at her sword, planning to get it out of her hands and carry her to her tent.

Piper let out a harsh laugh as she shook her head,"Leave or you'll regret it." She warned, her grip tightened on the handle of her blade and her knuckles became white from her intense grip.

Percy narrowed his eyes,"You won't hurt me-"

"Don't count on that!" She roared, angry tears pricked her eyes,"LEAVE!" She threatened, her eyes becoming even darker than they already were. She had taken a threatening step towards him, sword poised to strike, but Percy didn't fear her. She looked hysterical...she looked broken. Her hair was sticking up all over the place from a lack of management, her eyes had bags beneath them, her skin was more of an ashen color, and her eyes were bloodshot from sleep deprivation. She was losing it and she needed help.

Percy's expression softened as he empathized with his girlfriend,"Piper...please don't do this." He took a step towards her, slowly reaching for the hand that held her blade. Her glare faltered and he inwardly cheered, his old Piper was in there, he just had to coax her out of her hardened shell.

And suddenly her guard was up,"NO!" She shrieked, her voice taking on a tone he had never heard before. He suddenly froze, he couldn't move at all, she was using her charmspeake to compel him. He felt an overwhelming urge to listen to her soothing voice, his eyes glazed over, he'd do anything for her! Absolutely anything! However, Piper didn't realize the control she had on him, too clouded in her anger to notice.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted but Percy looked at her blankly...he struggled to fight off her charmspeake. He didn't want to leave her alone.

"I don't...want to." He growled, barely holding onto his free will as Piper grew angrier.

"Then go to Tartarus!" She spat, her charmspeake hit him full force.

Percy's eyes widened. He was on the torture rack. No no no! His eyes flickered around wildly as he took in the familiar site of Kronos and his scythe. The Titan's chilling laugh caused him to begin to hyperventilate as the scythe was mercilessly embedded in his abdomen.

Percy sank to his knees and screamed in agony as he clutched his stomach.

"You thought you could escape me, Perseus? Ah, hope is so fun to crush!" Kronos laughed, glowing gold eyes pierced his with a look of utter malice. He ripped the scythe from Percy's stomach. Percy looked at his wound in shock, wishing he could pass out, so that's what his small intestine looked like.

Percy was breathing heavily, the anxiety and fear of Kronos's next move overwhelmed him. Piper watched in horror as Percy bent over and vomited violently. His arms shook as they struggled to support him and his whole body was quivering in agony.

Once he stopped his back arched painfully and a whimper escaped him as he began to hyperventilate. He was sobbing uncontrollably, begging for his life and shaking so badly he looked to be having a seizure. He was covered in sweat, it beaded down his forehead and stained his armpits. His eyes were a milky white color and Piper dropped her sword with a loud clatter, what was happening?

"Kronos...please stop..." He begged weakly, saliva dribbled from his chin as his breaths became harsher and more ragged, struggling to not vomit once again as he stared fearfully at nothing. Piper's mouth dropped, go to Tartarus, oh gods she hadn't meant to do that. She just wanted to be left alone...she didn't know she had used charmspeake. She wanted to throw up as she quickly ran to Percy's side and shook him.

"Piper back up!" A new voice yelled as she roused Percy from his flashbacks. She turned to see Lamia racing towards her as Percy blinked and took in his surroundings, Lamia pushed Piper behind her and grabbed Percy's torso.

Piper trembled in shock and guilt as she stared at the bewildered boy,"Percy..." She began weakly but froze as his eyes met hers. His face was red from screaming, saliva had made a trail down his chin, and he had some vomit on the collar of his shirt. Percy realized what had happened...she used charmspeake to send him back into his memories. He hadn't even known she could do that.

When his initial shock faded anger struck him. She hurt him. She actually did it. He had been trying to help her, all he wanted was for her to get some rest so she'd heal up. He wanted to take care of her. And in return she made him see memories he hadn't had the displeasure of seeing for months. How could she do this to him? She betrayed him...something inside him snapped.

All semblance of self control had flown out the window. Now he was shaking for an entirely different reason, he lunged at her but was held back by his sister. Piper jumped back in shock and fear, her eyes wide in surprise at his sudden burst of violence. He was swinging wildly at Piper, trying to get Lamia to let him go so he could attack her.

I'm not running from all my friends like you did.

She didn't know what it was like, watching the woman you loved kill your best friend. She didn't feel his mind shatter, making him lose all cognitive ability, making him go so crazy that he thought he was dying himself. She didn't hear the voices just begging him to kill her, the sadistic laughs of a maniac that drove him to his ever so common insane rages. She didn't watch Nemesis, his mentor and close companion, break her oath to Aphrodite and die just so she could save him. She didn't know how he felt, and she never would. Another snarl escaped his lips as he reached desperately for the daughter of Aphrodite.

I'm not smoking and hallucinating.

What would she know? She wasn't in the motel with him, that filthy room that had mold make its home in the kitchen, that filthy room that had bloodstained sheets, that filthy room that was filled with the pungent odor of hard liquor and aged food. At the time he hadn't felt he deserved much better.

She didn't see him struggle with night terrors, constantly awaking and crying out for his dear friend. And she never saw him hunched over, fingers gliding over a sharp pocket knife, pondering his existence and searching for reasons to keep going. Experimentally gliding the knife across his wrist, never daring to break skin, but fruitlessly fantasizing about the sweet release of death. Living was too difficult. But continuous images flashed through his mind, Rose, his mother, Leo, and Piper. They all held him back.

Piper had no clue how relaxed a cigarette made him. Watching the smoke evaporate into the air along with his worries, watching the embers float from the lit bud and mesmerize him as they fell like snowflakes, feeling the nicotine caress his lungs and make his shoulders slump ease, and exhaling the smoke...watching peacefully as it danced around him and soaked into his clothes.

She had no clue of the addiction, of the constant itch he felt when he hadn't smoked in a while. The trembling fingers that fumbled desperately for a lighter, the panic that would ensue when he was nearly out of cigarettes, the comforting smell of nicotine that reminded him of what he had to look forward to, and the comfortable weight he had happily adapted to when he held the cancer stick between his two fingers; reveling in the smell and taste of it...and reveling in the knowledge that he was cutting his life short.

Hallucinations. What would she ever know about that? What would she ever know about seeing the one she loved miraculously cheating death and standing before her? How could she possibly understand the utter elation of seeing those bright, beautiful blue eyes again? Gazing upon her as though she were the biggest, most lovable dork in the world?

He still remembered it. Waking up in a cold sweat, another nightmare, and he had instantly dove for his cigarettes. A loud laugh had interrupted him,'Gods Perce! You really let yourself go!' His eyes had widened and he thought he was going crazy, he had been, but his hallucination of Thalia had convinced him otherwise. He still remembered his sobs that were muffled into her shoulder as he clung to her, believing with every fiber of his soul that she had returned to him.

And how could she ever fathom that everything was just a sick delusion?

That brilliant smile was but a mirage, that bodacious and thundering laughter was merely stuck in replay in his head, her warm hugs that had made him grin were nonexistent, the witty banter that were actually one sided conversations, her callous mannerisms were but his delusions getting the best of him, and worst of all was when he came back to reality.

He remembered that too. Watching slowly as Thalia faded before his eyes. Oh how sick he had felt as realization struck him, Thalia had always been dead, she hadn't been real. That painful twist in his gut, the feeling of sheer terror of knowing he was losing his mind, and the utter heartbreak of knowing that his best friend would never return to him.

Piper would never know what any of that felt like.

Kill her.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" He roared, trying desperately to get out of Lamia's hold. Piper showed no fear as she watched the boy. She was clearly troubled by what she had done, unsure of what to say or think, unsure of how to make this better. Guilt gnawed at her as she watched Percy give in to his insanity, she hadn't wanted this. Seeing Percy act so wildly was disturbing to her, it was a sight she hadn't seen in a long time, and it was a sight she hadn't missed.

She sent you back to Tartarus.

A loud, hysterical laugh erupted from his lips,"I PROMISE I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" He snarled, thrashing violently to get to the daughter of Aphrodite. With tears pooling in her eyes she breathed out an apology before sprinting away. Percy watched her leave, breathing heavily as he glowered at her retreating form, and he shamelessly belted profanities after her until she was out of sight.

Make her pay-

Suddenly Lamia whirled him around and slapped him. Percy stumbled backwards with a hiss and clutched his cheek, his eyes widened as he looked at his sister, and he let out a ragged breath before slowly awakening from his trance. He blinked rapidly, his anger ebbed away, and he frowned at the direction that Piper ran off in.

"...Oh my gods." He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration,"I-"

"Don't." Lamia snapped, quickly making her brother look at her,"I'm not mad at you for snapping." She amended, losing the edge in her voice as she released a sigh,"I just don't want you to beat yourself up about it...I would have been mad about the situation as well." The daughter of Poseidon rested her hand on his shoulder and gave him a concerned look,"Percy, you know Piper didn't do that on purpose, right?"

Percy shrugged halfheartedly, blinking rapidly as he tried to push his nightmares from his mind,"I know...but I'm still aggravated by it. I just wanted to help her and she pushed me away!" He growled, shaking his head angrily,"I know she's upset about Hazel's death but-"

"Percy." Lamia interrupted gently,"I don't think I need to remind you that we all have different ways of grieving. I know you don't want Piper's anger to consume her, you don't want her to be bitter like you are," She said knowingly and Percy looked at his feet shamefully,"but give her a bit of time to herself first. Let her sort out her emotions a little, and then go and take care of her. She just needs some alone time."

Percy gnawed on his lip anxiously before speaking,"You're right...I've been too pushy, but I'm just worried." He confessed and she nodded in understanding.

"As am I, but she's a strong girl, she'll manage." The black haired woman then frowned,"Speaking of strength...her charmspeake is...phenomenal. I've never seen any one other than Aphrodite send people back in their memories like that." She said in awe, green eyes flickering to meet her brother's,"Has she done this before?"

Percy shook his head slowly, a scowl marring her features,"No...glad I was able to help." He huffed sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest and rolling his eyes. While outwardly he was angered at Piper's actions, he couldn't help but fear for her wellbeing, and he knew that his aggressive outburst towards her would only cause her to be in a state of self loathing.

A small sigh escaped him, he didn't want Piper to beat herself up over making a mistake, he had had plenty of experiences with that and knew that it would only hurt her in the end. He'd have to find her later, assure her that he wasn't mad at her slip up, and now that he took a step away and thought about it...he really wasn't. He had made countless errors due to grieving over Thalia, and even when he wasn't grieving, on multiple occasions had he been controlled by anger and his impulsive tendencies. Piper made a mistake, and after all the crap he's pulled on her he had no right to be mad.

She had always been there for him. Even when they had first met and he brashly kissed her, she knew he had been hurting, and she had been nothing but kind to him in return. Piper took him as he was, an angry, insane, powerful demigod who had more baggage than he'd care to admit. She encouraged him to change, she empathized with his pain, and she forgave him when he didn't deserve her mercy.

He wasn't going to let the voices screw him up this time. Percy was tired of playing victim, tired of losing himself to rage, and tired of being treated like a ticking time bomb. He wasn't going to let Piper go, not over some stupid mistake, she would never intentionally hurt him like that.

Lamia was quiet for a minute before a rueful smile played on her lips,"You really like her...don't you?"

His eyes widened and a blush rose to his cheeks,"W-Where'd that come from?" He stammered, furrowing his eyebrows and glaring at his feet as he tried to hide his red face.

A soft laugh escaped her,"I can already see you've forgiven her...I remember our time in Tartarus very well, and you were extremely bitter whenever the topic of your friends was brought up. Which was understandable, they sent you to hell, and from what I've heard you've been holding that grudge for a million years." She paused before smiling,"And Piper sends you there mentally, you freak out on her, and within the next five minutes I see you soften so quickly. While you've been thinking about the ordeal, I saw you smile to yourself." Another laugh,"And you were either thinking of a dirty joke, or you were reminiscing about Piper's good qualities."

Percy's face felt as though it was on fire,"Alright! I get it, you can read me like a book!" He rolled his eyes,"Yeah, I really like her...love her even..." He trailed off before looking at Lamia carefully,"Speaking of...how are you holding up...with Hazel's death and everything?" He asked slowly, knowing Lamia didn't like to talk about Hazel more than she had to.

As suspected the monster tensed and turned away,"Fine." She said shortly, making Percy snort and cross his arms over his chest.

"Don't give me that, you uh...you cared about her a lot." He mumbled, gauging her reaction as she slowly turned towards him. Green eyes had narrowed and hardened as she glared at him. Percy was about to let it go, he really was, but he noticed the particular shine Lamia had in her eyes. Unshed tears that were dying to escape.

"Percy, drop it."

He was quiet for a moment before stuffing his hands in his pockets,"You...you loved her, didn't you?" It was more of a statement than a question,"You fell in love with her."

Lamia's glare hardened even more,"...So what if I did? Does that bother you?" She hissed, quickly becoming defensive.

Percy kept a neutral facial expression as he shrugged carelessly,"Course not, just wondering is all."

"Okay." A tense silence followed as Percy shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Not because Lamia had fallen in love with Hazel, but because she was glaring at him so harshly, he wasn't sure how to react or if she'd snap at him again for being intrusive.

Finally he asked,"Why her?" There was no malice in his tone of voice, she could only detect curiosity.

Relaxing slightly she shrugged,"Why not? She was pretty, powerful, nice, funny, and...she accepted me instantly. I couldn't help but fall in love with her." She paused for a moment, eyes dropping to her shoes,"She had this...amazing quality where, she saw the best in everyone...she saw the best in me." A sad smile graced her lips as she met her brother's gaze again,"She knew what I was, she knew of my sins, but she didn't care." Her voice cracked and Percy couldn't help but see the correlation in Lamia's love for Hazel and his love for Piper.

Lamia continued,"And I know she didn't love me back...at least not in the way I loved her." A wry smile twisted itself upon her lips,"I cared for her enough to be okay with her choosing Frank or Leo." Her smile faltered as she shook her head,"But I was an idiot, Percy...a complete idiot. She told me someone in our group was to die, she didn't say who, but it haunted her. I should have known she was talking about herself." She breathed, eyes filled with guilt and despair as she balled her hands into fists.

Percy's eyes widened,"Don't be silly, none of us could have possibly known-"

"I loved her!" Lamia snarled, whirling on Percy with fangs extended and eyes the color of crimson,"I should have known!" She howled in acrimony,"I watched as she got more and more accepting of this person's fate, I saw her pull away from everyone, I confronted her about the death of her friend and asked if she needed to talk it out..." Lamia let out a shaky breath as her eyes reverted back to their green color,"Percy...she only shrugged, she told me it didn't matter. She would never be so flippant about someone dying unless it was herself and she accepted her fate." She squeezed her eyes shut,"And I left her...on the battlefield! I abandoned her because she insisted that I go and stop Aphrodite!" Her eyes turned red again as she snapped them open and glowered at her feet.

Percy grimaced as he reached out to comfort her,"Sis-"

"I ABANDONED HER!" She roared, shoving Percy away from her,"I could have saved her! I could have done something! I should have known it was a trap!" The more she spoke the more her fury began to die down, her shoulders drooped and her fangs retracted as she hung her head in shame,"I...I should have been there." The silence was deafening as Percy watched his sister blink away the tears that threatened to fall. She slumped to the ground and rested her head against the wall before letting out a dry sigh, once again slipping on her emotionless mask. It looked as though she had never had her breakdown.

Percy sat next to her, wrapping a comforting arm around her and pulling her against him,"You can't blame yourself. We all could have been more observant, but we were going up against a small army, and you know how selfless Hazel is." He chuckled dryly,"She would have risked her life for me, and we're weren't even that close. You can cry if you want." He assured her,"Get everything all out."

She snorted at this before leaning her head on his shoulder,"I'm good, someone has to be the tough one in this family and it sure isn't you or dad." She teased, and Percy laughed lightly at this, knowing Lamia wanted to drop the subject,"Besides, I've been alive for centuries, and I've lost quite a few people I've cared about. After a couple hundred years, it becomes easier to hold back your tears."

"Doesn't mean you should." He reprimanded lightly and his sister moved away from him so as to meet his gaze.

"Whatever you say, mom." She huffed sarcastically before planting a kiss on his cheek,"Thanks, Perce, but I'd rather not dwell on her death any longer than I already have."

"Alright." He conceded as he rested his chin on the palm of his hand.

They were silent for a moment before Lamia spoke again,"So...me liking Hazel...it really doesn't bother you?" It was clear that the topic upset her, as was it clear that she feared judgement from him. Her guarded facial expression only fueled Percy's need to show Lamia that he wasn't troubled by her confession.

He nodded slowly, digesting the information he was given,"Well, to be honest with you...what you told me is...uh... it's really..." He trailed off, scratching the top of his head as though puzzled.

Lamia's eyes were once again narrowed,"What?"

Percy glanced up at her and mustered a serious facial expression,"It's really, really gay." Lamia looked at him in disbelief for a moment before she grinned and let out a loud laugh. Percy laughed as well, happy to temporarily rid his sibling of anger and sadness. Lamia wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.

Still laughing she rested her head on his shoulder,"I love you." She said seriously before chuckling once again.

Percy grinned and kissed her temple as he embraced her,"I love you too."

-Line Break-

"Lady Diana!"

"Lady Artemis!" The Romans and Greeks gasped and bowed as she walked through the camp with her hunters. She smiled politely in greeting as she passed, mind focused on finding Percy and Lamia.

"Hello, can any of you lead me to Percy Jackson?" Wherever Percy was, Lamia was sure to be near. One camper jumped up eagerly and nodded, she quickly directed the goddess to the arena before escorting her hunters to their sleeping quarters. When Artemis walked into the room she noticed the siblings laughing heartily, leaning against each other all the while as they leaned against the wall.

"Sorry to interrupt." Artemis said softly, strolling over to the two,"But I have some news to deliver." The children of Poseidon ceased in their laughter before Lamia jumped to her feet with a smirk.

"Lady Artemis! A pleasure!" A wink followed as she bowed. The silver eyed goddess narrowed her eyes at the monster's mockery, knowing that she held little respect for the goddess.

"I wish I could say the same," She turned to Percy,"How are you holding up?"

"Way better than everyone else." He waved her off,"I'm sad Hazel is dead but I wasn't that close to her. I'm doing fine." He assured her before shooting Lamia a glance. The monster, however, acted totally unaffected at the mention of Hazel. She instead had taken a sudden interest in one of the training dummies, pretending to inspect if for some unknown reason.

"I'm glad you're doing well." The goddess smiled slightly, resting her hand on the boy's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Percy smiled back before embracing the goddess,"Thanks for checking up on me." He mumbled appreciatively. Artemis froze before slowly hugging her companion back, they've hugged before but sometimes it took a little getting used to. When they pulled away Lamia was smirking in their direction, eyes focused on her brother as she casually leaned against the wall.

"You and Pipes get in one argument and you're already hitting up the Maiden Goddess?" Lamia laughed at their discomfort as the two glared at her,"Like your big sis, you have no problem in snagging the ladies-"

"Lamia, please." Percy groaned in embarrassment, scowling at his laughing sister. Artemis rolled her eyes at the monster's immaturity before clearing her throat politely. The siblings stopped their slight bickering and looked at the goddess expectantly as she shook her head.

"We have a problem." The urgency in her tone made the children of Poseidon look at each other nervously.

"What is it?" Lamia prodded, worry lines marred her once smooth forehead and her eyebrows were furrowed in anxiety.

Artemis bit her lip before releasing a small sigh,"Gaea's forces are on their way. Our final stand is here." Her voice hardened slightly, as she glared at her feet, undoubtably worried about the final battle.

Percy swallowed thickly,"When? And what are we up against?"

Artemis was quiet for a moment before speaking,"They'll be here in about a week...maybe less. Their goal is to eliminate us, so prepare for various giants and monsters to be at her aid...even a couple of gods." Artemis became bitter at this and Percy tilted his head in curiosity.

"Who else besides Aphrodite?"

Artemis began to list them off,"There's Jaunus-"

"The god with two heads?" Percy clarified and Artemis nodded patiently.

Lamia laughed,"Watch out for him, eh? He's pretty two faced!"

Percy chuckled,"Ah! Good one-"

"For once, will you two please...shut up." Artemis growled lowly, squeezing her eyes shut so as to prevent herself from strangling both of them.

Lamia rolled her eyes,"Whatever, party pooper."

"More like Arty pooper!" Percy cheered, making Lamia laugh and give him a highfive.

"For the love of gods!" Artemis snapped,"So help me if you two don't shut up I'll sick my hounds on you!" She threatened, eyes darkening in aggravation as she glowered at the siblings. It was like being with Apollo and Hermes.

"Come now, Artemis, there's no need to shout." A new, warm voice, defended and everyone turned to see a fourteen year old. Her black hair framed her face in ringlets, the rest of her hair was tucked under a brown shawl. She was beautiful in a more natural way, like Artemis, and she bore a gentle smile. Where her eyes should have been were brilliant, yellow flames. And while they should have looked intimidating, Percy found them more comforting than anything else. She smelled of toasted marshmallows and firewood, and she looked nearly as wise as Athena.

Percy recognized her instantly,"Lady Hestia!" He beamed, bowing his head slightly out of respect, knowing she didn't like when mortals fully bowed to her. She had always been humble.

A smile lit up her face as she slowly approached the group,"Hello Perseus, I had wanted to visit you sooner but Hera and I have been having to settle disputes in Olympus. It's lovely to see you again." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and Percy's smile broadened as he felt warmth soak into his body. Other than Artemis, Hestia had to be his favorite goddess. She had always been so down to earth and gentle, not liking to use her status as a way to flaunt superiority like many of the other gods did.

"It's great to see you too!" He enthused before glancing briefly at Artemis once again,"Judging the time you showed up...I'm guessing that you're delivering more news?"

Hestia turned to her niece, smile still on her lips, before turning back to Percy,"I see Artemis hasn't told you."

"I was going to." The moon goddess quickly defended,"But Percy and Lamia kept interrupting me."

"Snitches get stitches." Lamia muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Percy snickered while Artemis shot her another glare.

Hestia chuckled lightly at this,"Don't fret my niece, we are in a time of war, let them have their fun...difficult times are ahead." She reprimanded gently before giving Artemis a reassuring pat on the shoulder. When she wasn't looking, Percy stuck his tongue out at Artemis while Lamia made a face.

The goddess narrowed her eyes at them before sighing,"You're right, aunt Hestia, I'll try to loosen up." Percy and Lamia quickly straightened and put on small smiles when Hestia turned towards them again.

"Now, as I was saying, the gods are going to partake in this war as well."

Percy's jaw dropped,"You're joking...I thought you guys couldn't interfere-"

"The odds are stacked against you." Hestia explained,"You'll need all the help you can get."

"What forms will you all be taking?" Lamia asked.

Artemis shrugged before glancing at Hestia,"Depends, some of us prefer our Greek forms, other our Roman forms. I'll be staying Greek. Your father," She gestured at the two, ignoring Percy's eye roll at the mention of him,"will remain Greek as well, the Romans very much dislike Neptune."

"Not surprised." Percy grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head. He still hadn't reconciled with Poseidon, and truthfully, he probably never would. His hatred for his father no longer kept him up at night, but he certainly held no desire to make a connection with the god.

"Do not waste your energy being mad at Poseidon." Hestia chided softly,"We are all fighting the same enemy, you'll do well to remember that. We can't afford any divide." Percy nodded in acceptance, knowing Hestia was right, squabbles with his father would only make things worse.

"Okay...so what's the plan?"

-Line Break *DJ Khali voice* Another One!-

Piper paced in the woods angrily, outside the camp's borders, eyes darkening by the second as she clutched Hazel's Spatha tightly. Her mind was racing, images of Hazel's corpse made her begin to tremble, as did the look of utter contempt she had received from Percy. Not only that, it was the way he had begged for mercy, she had trapped him into his own personal hell.

The only time she had seen him that terrified was when he had awoken from nightmares. Piper's grip on her sword loosened slightly at the thought of Percy, not able to comprehend what she had done. He had been petrified, eyes glistening with tears, and body quivering as he prepared for whatever torture he had normally endured. The way he curled in on himself was unnatural, while it was to better protect himself, it was also a form of submission, and she could tell it was a position he was used to being in.

She caused that. Piper looked to the sky as dark clouds rolled in, she let out a shuttered breath as rage once again consumed her. She could have prevented all of this. If she had been stronger she could have held her own against her mother, then Lamia wouldn't have left Hazel alone, and she would still be alive. If she had been stronger she would have been able to control her emotions rather than lashing out as she did towards Percy. He had only been trying to help her and in return she hurt him.

And that's when Piper realized something. All of the suffering that she had endured, had been from her mother's hand. The death of Thalia, the death of Hazel, the self loathing she had been drowning in upon her mother's betrayal, and the isolation of the remaining Aphrodite/Venus kids from the other campers. Why would she do this to her? How wicked had her mother become?

"What do you want from me!" She snarled into the heavens, expecting her mother to appear with that familiar smirk. Piper slammed her blade savagely into the base of a nearby tree, pretending it was her mother's head. She hit it repeatedly, for Hazel, for Percy, for Thalia, for herself. Aphrodite had hurt them all, and she had had the nerve to act like she cared about Piper.

With a broken sob Piper wrenched herself away from the tree. Breathing heavily, she fought back tears, and her limbs trembled from adrenaline. She wouldn't allow herself to cry, she had done enough of that at Hazel's funeral, and she wouldn't allow Aphrodite to have the satisfaction of a complete mental breakdown.

Despite her brave face, Piper felt hopeless distraught about her mother. Piper had jumped through hoops to impress that woman, to connect with her, but nothing she did worked. And it reminded her so much of her relationship with her father that it made her stomach drop. Her father loved her but was too busy for her. Her mother...gods she didn't even love Piper, and she wouldn't spare her a second glance.

Is it me? She wondered, bottom lip quivering as she continued to blink back the tears. Is there something wrong with me? Aphrodite didn't hesitate to stab her in the back, and her father didn't hesitate to ditch her for a phone call. Her heart ached as she swiped her now sweaty palms on her jeans, playing back the sparse memories she had with Aphrodite.

The shopping trip they took together had been a memory she constantly had on replay. It was one of the seldom, good memories she had of the goddess. Aphrodite had her try on various amounts of clothes and shoes and made her model.

Piper hated shopping, but with her mom it was different. She had always wanted a mom, especially when her father became so consumed in his work, Piper had never felt so alone. And there she stood, posing in silly positions for her giggling mother before dissolving into a fit of laughter as well.

"It's nice to have a daughter who isn't high strung." Aphrodite had beamed,"You look beautiful, even when you're being ridiculous. Then again you're my daughter, you were blessed with great genes you know, you're welcome." And they had laughed and laughed together, and Piper had never felt so special. They shared little bits of gossip or "girl talk", as the goddess had called it. Piper had felt warmth seep into her chest at the amount of affection Aphrodite had shown her, spending time with her felt like a gift.

And then she left. Resentment replaced sadness as she thought of all the harmed Aphrodite caused her. Things shouldn't have gotten so complicated, her mother should have been more verbal about her problems with the gods. She didn't want a war, she didn't want Hazel dead, she didn't want Thalia dead, and she didn't want to hurt Percy. I just wanted a mom. And apparently that was too much to ask for.

"Come on you coward! Fight me by yourself! Without your monsters or powers! I want a rematch!" Piper bellowed, thrusting her blade into the sky challengingly. There was no response. She began to pace angrily as she impatiently awaited her mother. Piper had been training and improving her swordsmanship, a small part of her knew she be killed, but she was too angry to be rational.

"Ah," A low voice chuckled,"mommy issues?" Piper whirled around in surprise as a large pack of wolves approached her. Their leader was a tall man with a top hat upon his head, his black wolf tail moved back and forth, and eerie amber eyes watched her closely as he bared his sharp canines at her. He was wearing a brown trench coat with a multitude of rips and holes in it and torn up boots. His walk was slow, meticulous, and menacing as he loomed over her with his wild red hair flowing behind him like a flame.

"Who are you." Piper demanded, readying her blade as she warily backed away from the man and his wolves.

He smiled broadly at her, amber eyes darkening as he unsheathed his claws,"Why, I'm Lycaon of course, I'm a little hurt you don't recognize me. I'd figured Lupa would tell you alllll about me." He laughed again before raising an eyebrow at Piper's blade,"I've been sent by your mother, to kill you, and sweetheart..." He trailed off with an amused grin,"your sword won't work on me."

Piper fought back her nervousness as her eyes flashed a brilliant purple, she wouldn't go down without a fight,"Who said I needed it?" She laughed, sheathing her blade and channeling her power. Her aura pulsed with power as she took a step towards the pack,"Bring it, mutt."

What up! I'm back! Senior stuff man, last semester of high school is ugggggggh. Any who, fight scene next chapter. Probably 2 or 3 chaps left till we're finished here.

Also I wanted to play around with Piper's grief a bit. I didn't want to make her cry and all that stuff so I decided to just make her angry...whoops. And Lamia's sexuality won't really be brought up again, I just wanted to experiment with a gay character. And to those of you who are excited with my experimenting, don't expect a gay Percy in any future fics of mine. I don't have beef with gays, I just don't think I'd be able to pull it off well.

Slenderbrine: Nuuu Hazel... Say hello to Harambe for us in Heaven...

DICKS OUT FOR HARAMBE! Question...what if one such as myself lacks a dick? Would I have to use...I don't know like a dildo or something? DILDOS OUT FOR HARAMBE!

Guest: i see you with the j cole line in the beginning

Aye! ONE TIME FOR MY LA SISTAS!

Venerance: Well... I just ended up reading this instead of the "Autobiography of Malcolm X" for AP English _ (Probably fail my reading test due to how hooked I am on this story), this story is one of the best I have ever read and there needs to be more quality stories like this. Of course like any reader, my complaint is the update times T.T but whom am I to judge...

Autobiography of Malcolm X is really good! But I'm glad you took time to read my story. Yeah :/ I've gotten lazy and also hella bad writers block. I'm trying to be quicker about it. And, only our lord and savior Jesus Christ can judge me please and thank you! Also God...and federal judges...and supreme court judges...and juries actually...but if you aren't one of those then back off! OR YOU CATCHIN THESE VIRTUAL HANDS!

son of hades1: Aww u called off our sister, i thought Piper was gonna die, i even put together how i thought percy would react to Piper dying, good chapter as always and update more i miss ya sis

Well Piper couldn't die! And no one cares about Jason or Frank and Leo is precious! I mean Hazel is absolutely one of my favorites and if anyone were going to have the most honorary and baller death ever, it'd be her. Miss ya too bro!

Any way, comment and all that nice stuff. And thanks for being patient my beautiful readers! You're all beautiful on the inside...I can't say the same for the outside because I haven't seen any of you and that would be lying :)