BOOK AND CHARACTER RIGHTS BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN. QUOTES ARE USED PURELY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLOT AND ARE IN NO WAY MAKING ME ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY.


Chapter 7

Artemis seethed under the weight of the sky, angry at being taken unawares by the Titan and his forces. She obviously hadn't existed during the first Titanomachy, and had been inundated with comments degrading the titans over the millennia. She knew to take her father's bragging with a grain of salt, but apparently she had absorbed more than she thought. Idly, she wondered if she could get away with just letting go of the sky, but she discarded the idea quickly. While the impact would take out a significant part of the titans' forces, the mortal lives lost would be far too numerous. She groaned under Atlas' burden, arms and legs aching and her joints cracking with the effort.

How am I to escape? She thought bitterly. I doubt Father will let Apollo abandon his duties to come rescue me, and there's no way he'd come himself. Too busy denying any of this is actually happening. She groaned again as her back shuddered and spasmed. She clenched her jaw and screwed her eyes shut. She knew Atlas hadn't left any guards (why would he when she couldn't move?), but she still didn't want to verbally admit how much pain she was in.

Trying to distract herself, she cast about her mind, searching for a hint or connection to the outside. Sometimes, she could reach Apollo, but her bond with her twin was silent. She could feel enough from her hunt to know everyone was alive, but nothing more specific. As she tentatively reached within herself towards her bond with Percy, she flinched. His emotions were erratic and powerful, shifting between intense anger, wariness, and confusion. As she focused on him, a scene grew clear before her gaze.

Artemis found herself sitting across from Aphrodite in a limousine. It took her a moment to realize she was seeing things from Percy's point of view, and once she did, she felt his blush as deeply as her own. At first glance, Aphrodite looked remarkably like Artemis herself. As the love goddess' form shifted under her – Percy's – gaze, Artemis sat in shock. His first sight of Aphrodite and she looks like me? After another moment of shock, she shoved the thought to the side, desperate to know what reason Percy possibly could have for meeting with the other goddess.

"Well then, why are you on this quest?" she asked, dabbing at her perfect make-up in the mirror she had compelled the demigod to hold.

"Artemis has been captured!" Percy responded determinedly. Artemis felt a rush of affection towards her friend. Aphrodite, however, just scoffed.

"Oh, Artemis. Please, talk about a hopeless case. I mean, if they were going to kidnap a goddess, she should be breathtakingly beautiful, don't you think? I pity the poor dears who have to imprison Artemis. Bo-ring!"

"She's is beautiful!" Percy responded hotly. Artemis felt him tense as Aphrodite snapped her gaze on him directly, cheek flaming hot. "And, uh, she was chasing a super important monster!"

Aphrodite simply stared at him, not commenting when he lowered the mirror. The bracelet on his wrist shifted as the mirror settled on his lap. Aphrodite noticed and her eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you follow her? She hates boys! A shame, really."

Percy shifted uncomfortably. "Follow? No. She gave the bracelet to my mom, though she did let me keep it when we ran into them rescuing Bianca and Nico."

"She let a man keep her symbol?" she asked, eyes flashing with an unknown emotion.

"Er – yeah? I guess?"

"Interesting…" The love goddess thought for a moment before sitting back in her seat. "Tell me, Perseus, who do I look like to you?"

"What?" Percy asked, confused. Artemis felt herself freeze in panic at what the question might reveal.

"Who do I look like?" Aphrodite asked again. Percy studied her for a minute.

"Honestly, mostly like Diana, my best friend, though I can see bits of Annabeth and… uh… some old celebrity crushes…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck nervously at Aphrodite's expression.

"And here I thought I was helping you get to the Athenian," the love goddess murmured.

"Helping?"

"You think the poisoned t-shirt the Stolls gave Phoebe was an accident? Blackjack finding you, sneaking out of camp, just happy coincidences?"

"You did that?"

"Of course! A quest just by Hunters would have been boring. Find a monster, save the eternal maiden, blah blah blah. Much more exciting with a romantic subplot."

"Uh… I don't know about –"

"I didn't expect this, though. I expected a crush on your friend, but also this Diana?" Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. Artemis knew this wouldn't end well. She'd have to prepare for the questions sure to come her way. "Perhaps this quest will lead to more entertainment than I thought."

"Shouldn't you be more worried about – "

"Anyways, off you go! Go rescue the girls, fight the bad guys, all that jazz. Oh, and be careful in my husband's junk. He's awfully paranoid with his old projects."

"Wait! How should we – " Percy was cut off as Ares opened the door and pulled him out of the limo.

Artemis felt herself drifting away from the scene, and soon found herself back in her own mind, thoughts reeling and body aching. The fact that Percy saw her in Aphrodite meant that, on some level, he was attracted to her. As much as she hated men, she knew Percy. She knew that if he was interested in her, it wasn't lust.

The thought scared her.


"My Lady!"

Artemis' head snapped up at the call, her gaze struggling to focus on the sight of her lieutenant running towards her. The goddess was drenched in sweat, every muscle in her body screaming as she fought to keep Ouranos and Gaia from crashing together.

"Stop!" She forced her parched throat to cooperate, struggling to get the word out. Her tongue felt thick, and she could feel the scratches of dehydration on her vocal chords. "It is a trap. You must leave now."

Zoe, of course, ignored her, crying and tugging at the chains binding her. Before the huntress could even start to find a way to free her, the booming voice of Atlas cut through the air. "Ah, how touching." As Zoe whirled around to focus on her father, Artemis squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hoist the sky just a little higher, just enough for even a fraction of a second's relief. It didn't help. Her spine felt like it was fusing together, and her ears rung from the ichor rushing through them. She finally stopped her extra efforts, panting with exhaustion.

"How is my little traitor?" she heard as the ringing subsided. "I will enjoy killing you."

"Do not respond," Artemis groaned out. "Do not challenge him." Her calf clenched up and she panicked for a moment as she felt the sky slip, her knee slamming into the ground beneath her as she shifted her balance so as to not be crushed. She whimpered slightly under her breath against the pain, hearing but not really comprehending Percy defending Zoe. After a few moments, her thoughts cleared again, enough for her to hear Atlas' offer to Zoe.

"No! Do not offer Zoe! I forbid you." She felt Atlas draw near, forcing her eyes open enough to bite at the titan as he tried to brush his hand against her face. The action took more effort than she anticipated, though she would do so again in a heartbeat. She focused inwards, breathing as slowly and deeply as possible to try to gather just a bit more strength. Artemis watched as the brave, foolish heroes attacked. Her half-sister seemed to be holding her own just fine against the traitorous demigod. Percy, of course, went straight for the titan general, with Zoe acting as back-up. Artemis' heart clenched in fear at the sight, equally worried for her oldest friend and her newest.

Percy soon ended up sprawled on the ground in front of her, his sword knocked away by Atlas' strike. Artemis could see the walls of the palace solidifying around them, dark stone rebuilding itself into a terrible fortress. As the demigod opened his eyes and looked at her, she let her concern wash over her.

"Run, boy," she rasped. "You must run!"

Atlas slowly made his way towards them, javelin hefted onto his shoulder. Sadistic glee glowed in the titan's eyes as he lifted his weapon over Percy. "Die, little hero."

"No!" Zoe yelled. Artemis watched her draw her bow, firing a dozen arrows in the space of a couple seconds. An impressive show, especially given it was to save a male. Atlas yelled in pain as the arrows sunk into the flesh under his arm, turning to glare at his daughter.

Percy heaved himself to his feet while Atlas was distracted, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his sword. Zoe's sword. "The sky. Give it to me."

"No, boy," Artemis retorted. She blinked sweat out of her eyes as it rolled down her face. "You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!"

"Annabeth took it!"

"She barely survived. She had the spirit of a true huntress. You will not last so long." She felt panic rising within her as she felt Percy's determination.

"I'll die anyways. Give me the weight of the sky!" He slashed with his sword, cleaving the chains holding her into pieces. Despite her mental pleading, he put away his sword and kneeled next to her, bracing himself against the towering clouds. For one brief, eternal moment, the sky seemed to be lighter as they shared the burden.

As Artemis stepped out from under the sky, every bone in her body seemed to crack with relief. Muscles, sore with misuse, twinged angrily as she stretched. She shook her arms out for a moment, letting herself absorb energy from the moon gleaming down on her. She saw Zoe flit around the battlefield, sinking arrows into chinks in her father's armor. She glanced beside her to see Percy's face contorted in agony. Rage flowed through her, and she growled under her breath as she summoned her hunting knives and turned towards Atlas.

"For endangering these two… you will pay." She shot forward at her enemy, silver wisps of energy trailing her. Atlas laughed madly as he swung around to strike at her. She spun around the javelin's point, slashing at Atlas' leg before turning into a falcon and shooting upwards. She clawed at that titan's face as she wheeled about in the air, diving madly to dodge another swipe and landing as a tiger.

Artemis continued her attacks like this, moving nimbly around Atlas and striking when and where she could. Switching forms came as second nature to her, a skill for battle she had honed millennia ago, and it helped to keep the titan off balance. Zoe added her deadly arrows to the mix when she could, but they were little more than annoyances to Atlas.

After one such hit, as Atlas turned to heave a stone at his daughter, Artemis winced and stumbled as she felt Percy's pain flash across their link for a moment. Artemis knew that leaving him there for much longer would kill him. She thought quickly, searching her mind for a strategy to lure Atlas back towards his prison. I'll have to trick him somehow – he's stronger than me, so brute force isn't going to work. He's also desperate to stay free, so he'll have to let his guard down before anything has a chance of succeeding.

Arriving at a plan, she grimaced and danced back out of ranged at Atlas swung at her. He'll have to think he's won, she decided. I just have to get him closer.

Upon luring Atlas close enough to the point where the sky meets the earth, Artemis braced herself. She had avoided any serious hits so far, but she'd have to take one point blank to make this look convincing. Get ready, she spoke in Percy's mind. She held back an amused grin at his incoherent response. She was about to give warning to Zoe as well when Atlas swiped at her legs, sweeping her off her feet. She landed heavily on her back before the sky, the air knocked out of her lungs. As Atlas quickly brought his weapon up for a killing blow, Zoe jumped in the way.

"No!" she yelled, shooting an arrow straight into Atlas' forehead. The point sunk deep, golden ichor flowing around the shaft which stuck out like a malformed horn. Atlas roared, enraged, and backhanded Zoe across the mountain top. She crashed against a boulder on the edge of the clearing with a sickening crunch, and Artemis felt her heart stop. Already she could feel her lieutenant's life fading, and the grief paralyzed her for a moment.

"The first blood in a new war," Atlas gloated, and stabbed downwards. Quick as thought, Artemis twisted out of the way. As the spear tip dug into the ground, Artemis grabbed the haft of the weapon and heaved. Atlas flew over her with a shout of surprise. As he crashed into Percy, the demigod let go, rolling out of the way and letting the sky slam back down.

Artemis paused only long enough to check that Percy was alive before sprinting over to where Zoe lay, sprawled across the broken rocks of Mount Orthys. "Oh Zoe…" she murmured. Bruising welts crawled up the back of her legs and arms, dark purple splotches on her skin. Artemis brushed aside some tattered cloth to see a bite in Zoe's side, purple and green and bleeding slowly around the shreds of skin. Artemis' heart lurched at the sight. A bite from Ladon alone she might be able to heal with her brother's help, but along with the injuries from her father…

"My – my lady," Zoe coughed out. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"I'm here, old friend," Artemis replied. Tears leaked down her cheeks. She knew deep down that this wasn't something she could fix.

"I'm sorry. I thought – thought I could help thee." She coughed again, groaning at the pain.

"I should have warned you," Artemis said guiltily.

Zoe shook her head, struggling to breathe. "You did thy - thy best. You always - have." Artemis held Zoe's head in her lap, gripping her hand tightly. "Are they –" she broke off, coughing too hard to continue. "Are they safe?"

"For the moment."

"And – and Perseus?" Artemis looked at her oldest friend curiously.

"He will recover." The goddess paused for a moment. "He carries your sword."

"Yes," Zoe whispered. She stiffened for a moment, then fell back to trembling. "It burns, Artemis." Artemis kissed her forehead, crying freely now. She heard Percy call for her and looked up to see the son of Poseidon leading the daughters of Zeus and Athena towards her. She saw the look of horror on his face as he caught sight of Zoe.

"The wound was poisoned," she explained bitterly.

"Atlas poisoned her?" he asked, confused. Artemis shook her head.

"No. Not Atlas." She motioned to the wound in Zoe's side. Percy turned green and flinched at the sight. The girls looked away, not able to bear the sight.

"The stars," Zoe murmured. "I cannot see them." Artemis' heart clenched, grief overwhelming her. She knew that they needed to leave. She could feel the army of monsters climbing towards them. She couldn't move.

Buzzing filled her ears, and she looked up to see a man in an old plane swoop overhead, firing into the ranks of the monster army. "Get away from my daughter!" the pilot yelled. Monsters scattered as the bullets struck, disintegrating those that moved too slow.

"Dad?!" the Athenian yelled in disbelief.

"Run!" The plane buzzed by, sweeping around for another pass. The strange sight gave Artemis just enough focus to shove her overcharged emotions to the side, enough for her to regain her bearings.

"A brave man," she admitted grudgingly. "Come. We must get Zoe away from here." She grabbed her hunting horn off of her belt, raising it to her lips and blowing a clear, pure note that seemed to echo across the mountaintop. After a few moments of focus, her chariot came into view, landing next to the group. Artemis shifted her grip to lift Zoe, then blinked in surprise as Percy moved to help. The two of them managed to load the huntress into the chariot without too much jostling. As Artemis grabbed the reigns and the chariot sprang into the air, she heard Percy whisper in awe.

"Like Santa Claus' sleigh." Artemis looked back at him and grinned at the sight. He was looking off towards the ground, holding Zoe still against the motions of their flight without thinking about it.

"Indeed, young half-blood," she answered. His gaze snapped back to her, surprised. "And where do you think that legend came from?" She turned around before the gaping son of Poseidon could read the mischief in her eyes. As Annabeth's father aligned his plane behind them and Atlas' yells echoed across the sky, she felt herself slide back into sorrow. Their procession moved through the air like a funeral march as she mourned her oldest friend's final minutes.


A/N Hey all! I'm sorry for the long wait; I'm not the greatest at balancing all of my projects. I'm hoping to update all of my stories this week for sure once, probably twice, hopefully more. As always, thanks to those of you who reviewed/PM'd since the last update - it means a lot to know you guys like what you're reading and that you care enough to critique and remind me to actually post.

Due to IL and MI enforcing self isolation at the moment, I do not have access to my copies of TTC, BOTL, or TLO. I have pictures of the next scene I'm planning on rewriting, but nothing past it. If you happen to know where I can find it online I would really appreciate it! I want to try to put out another chapter or two for this story but I want to keep to the established plot as much as possible, and because I'm trying to change as little as possible from the original books, I'd rather work with the exact text than a synopsis. Feel free to PM me if you know where to look (preferably not too illegal)!