ATHENA POV
I directed the campers and gods to guard the more powerful of the portals. We had to make sure that Erebus wouldn't try to take control of any of them. Just then a blast of black energy knocks everyone back a few feet. I grin triumphantly, at least I was right, right then a jagged bolt of lightning shoots out of the stay and shattered the portal. Energy washed out knocking down he campers and the portal collapsed inward, crumbling in on itself.
Jason grace, son of Jupiter, eyes closed and black mist rising off his body is standing there, holding his spear and getting ready to fire another bolt of lighting into the demigods. I hear a yell and a son of Hermes dashes forward with a sword, followed closely by a son of Hephaestus. Jason regards them silently and not even opening his eyes slams the blunt end of his spear in the Hermes boy's stomach and whirls, stabbing the other boy in the shoulder. He shoots his hand out and lightning crackles and sends both of the injured boys flying back into the rest of the group. He turns in my direction and I ready myself but simply gives a faint frown and steps back into some shadows as they swallow him whole.


PERCY POV
I had been sitting there for Zeus knows how long, expanding my sensory circle farther and farther, but it only exhausts me more and more. I can't spread it out farther yet, so I relaxed and sat back on my palms. Without using energy my sensory circle spreads pretty far but if I strain my senses I can get it out for miles beyond my normal length. I was trying to locate a source of dark energy, a few presences sparked across my senses but nothing major popped out. Apollo was sleeping on a rock, I gave him a gentle dig in the stomach. He stirred but didn't wake up. I grinned, I raised my hands and smashed them down, a veritable waterfall landed straight on Apollo, by the time it was done, he was coughing out ounces of water. He groaned, and I huffed before dragging him to his feet.
I clapped and he dried off, "Jesus, Apollo just learn how to wake up easier..." I grumbled, trying my best to hold in my laughter at his expression.
"You didn't need to pour all that water on me!" He said annoyed that he had woken up.
"Why? Would you rather I try waking you with something else...?" I trailed off as he sighed.
"Can we just leave?"
I looked around, "Yeah, there is nothing here anyway."
We began climbing through the forest and Apollo looked at me and shook his head.
"What?!" I yelled as he did this for the 11th time I took out a canteen filled with my personal nectar, blue coke.
"I just din't get something, you are handsome, kind, nice, and all those adjectives hat make girls squeal as they talk to you or about you,but you don't have a girlfriend, you really should get one." He said shrugging.
I spewed out blue cola and began to choke, he pounded my back as I tried to soothe the burning feeling in my throat, mouth, and nose. I cleared my throat and growled out, "Apollo just shut up."
He backed off, "Sorry, but I think you are already with someone, which is why your shy away from the subject."
I yelled, "APOLLO, JUST DROP THE STUPID SUBJECT!"
He huffed but thankfully shut up. I bit my lip was I really that easy to read, well damn, that explains how my dad knew, I sighed and scratched the back of my head. I needed to analyze myself one of these days. Hell, even dad knew before I told him, I really need to develop a poker face,or at least improve my abysmal one...
We walked in silence for a few minutes until I felt a godly presence, and multiple demigod presences; it was probably a force protecting one of the portals. I decided to check up on them, hoping that they might info. We ran into Athena and some demigods and what we saw shocked me. The portal was a mess, bits of residual magic flitted about the ruined portal, it's runes glowed and flickered with disrupted power. Demigods scrambled around, checking to see if they could salvage anything, but it looked like that wasn't coming back.
Athena growled, as I whistled lowly, "Wow,you did a great job protecting this portal...So Erebus jump through yet?"
"Shut up, Jackson, Grace came destroyed the portal and left." She said.
"So I was right?" I asked grinning.
"I didn't say that."
"Only logical inference Athena."
"Regardless I didn't say that." She said grumbling.
"Either way I have a request and it's not too complicated, but it's important." I said bending down and picking up a piece of the portal that had a rune on it.
"And what would that be?" She muttered lowly.
"How does someone destroy a portal?" I said quietly, "I may need to know later."
"Well you could blast it with enough power to shatter it, that is the simplest way. A bit more difficult is to damage the runes that are on or surround the portal. If they aren't perfect the power could end up in a massive explosion." She said matter-of-factly.
"And how would one become a primordial? Erebus probably needs to use some process for it..."
She conjured a book and looked through it, "One would have needed to have been a primordial at one point, and you need to gather enough immortal essence and or energy to bolster you abilities."
I turned the stone over in my hands and threw it into the air a few times, before catching it. I looked at the campers to see if anyone was hurt but it seemed like they were all unharmed.
Apollo walked over and said, "I patched up the injured. Thought I could be of some help."
"Thanks." I replied and told Athena, "you might as well keep the campers guarding the portals, he might actually try to gather resources from here, good rocks are hard to come by these days, besides these have runes on them." I said as I tossed the rock I was holding into the pile.
Apollo smothered a snicker and paled looking back before grabbing my shoulder and pulling me out of the immediate vicinity. I looked back and noticed Athena brandishing a spear and shield, I yelled at Apollo to flash away, he nodded and we disappeared in a flash of light.


ARTEMIS POV
I watched as my hunters sharpened an arrow and tossed them into piles. I fiddled with my bow,making minute changes in the tensing of the string and such. Phoebe and Thalia were talking about Erebus.
"So do you think it's even possible to beat him?" Asked Phoebe quietly.
Thalia scowled, "I don't know but sure as hell I am gonna try..." She responded angrily, he mood had only been getting worse every since Erebus had taken Jason.
Phoebe shrugged, "I suppose Jackson (she said with some consternation) is one of the few demigods able to fight Erebus at all but I hope he doesn't fail." She shrugged indifferently, "If he dies some of the gods might lose control. He is a powerful fighter and tool..."
Thalia was about to retort angrily, butI stiffened and walked over to them, "Enough Phoebe, Percy will survive. And he is NOT a tool, Phoebe, he is a living breathing person. He will win."
'He has to...' I though silently.
Phoebe finished sharpening her last arrow and slipped it into her quiver. She got up, picked up her bow and said, "I am just speculating. He is only a demigod, he isn't even a minor god."
"Shut up! He is stronger than any minor god, and you can't talk about him like that when you have not even seen him fight or fought him yourself!" snarled Thalia angrily.
Phoebe looked baffled and offended but wisely didn't argue, she knew Thalia was under alot of stress and grief at the moment. Suddenly a yellow flash interrupted in the scene and Apollo and Percy tumbled into camp. Percy got up a bit ruefully and dusted his clothes, while Apollo got up straightening his shirt.
Percy brightened when he saw me and said, "Hey Artemis, fancy seeing you here, what's up?"
Apollo looked around and said, "Hello my beautiful ladies! How have you been, missed your idol Apollo?"
Percy and I both face-palmed and sighed in exasperation. My idiot brother had no limit when it came to his stupidity and obnoxiousness. Thalia got up and ran to Percy and hugged him. She pulled away and mouthed 'Jason?'. Percy frowned and pulled her into a hug. A warm and sad smiled came over Percy's face, he closed his eyes and gently rocked her.
"I get him back Thalia, the you can yell at him for allow himself to get captured and worrying you half to death," he said gently, Thalia smiled weakly. He looked over at Apollo, and sighed, "Wait one second I have got to keep Apollo from getting his parts chopped off by the hunters."
He stalked over to Apollo, "Come on let's get out of here, you want to lose your man parts or do you have a death-wish? You know either the hunters or Artemis herself will do it one day, if you keep this up." He grabbed him by the back of the shirt and attempted to drag him back.
Apollo had a grin on his face despite Percy's all too possible scenario. He reversed grabbed Percy's wrist, "Hey Percy! You don't have a girlfriend right?"
"Oh god..." whimpered Percy.
"Hey ladies, he is totally available! You should totally go for him." Apollo began saying loudly, while Percy tried to yank himself away and told Apollo to shut up.
Percy looked desperately in my and Thalia's directions, mouthing 'HELP ME.'
I walked up and flicked Apollo in the side of the head. Hard. He yelped, one of his hands shooting to cover his head. Percy ripped his hand out of his grip. The hunters burst out giggling and laughing. I smirked smugly, while Thalia and Percy let out some small chuckles.
"Aw, come on little sis, why do you always have to support those against me?" He whined.
"For the love of Zeus, Apollo, I am NOT your little sister!" I growled.
Everybody laughed.