A/N: And we're back! Before we begin, I would like to express my immense gratitude for all your kind words and condolences. They meant the world to me, and I appreciate every last one of you.

As I said in my announcement, in case you missed it, I will be attempting to start a biweekly upload schedule starting from today, so expect Chapter 11 to drop on November 27th.

So, as always, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any affiliated works. All credit goes to Rick Riordan. Please support the official books.

Chapter 10: Revelations

PERCY

Percy felt like a puppy that had just gotten adopted, as sad as that sounded.

He felt ecstatic that he could finally join the Hunters as an official member. After spending all this time with them and slowly warming up to them and vice versa, it just felt right.

He had meant every word he said to Artemis; he felt complete again, the first time since he left camp. Sure, he had a family with the Amazons and Lupa's pack, but something always felt off. He always had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he was out of place.

After the hunt against Lamia, it all just clicked. This is where he wanted to be right now. This is where he needed to be right now. He thought back on his initial decision to decline Artemis' offer of escape. When he talked with her about it, he told her that it was a gut feeling – a pull in his heart that good things would happen if he stayed.

"Was it just instincts, or the Fates pulling on my strings?" he wondered. "Either way, it was definitely the right choice. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now."

His mind drifted to the future, of all the hunts and adventures they would all go on together. He couldn't wait to get started.

As his thoughts wandered, so did his eyes, drifting between the myriad of gazes from the hunters. He would usually be met with glares of contempt and mistrust, but he saw none of that now. In front of him were eyes of curiosity, anxiousness, excitement, and indifference.

Not the best improvement in the world, but he saw something else mixed in: Trust. It was pretty small, and not present in every single pair of eyes, but the fact that it was there at all filled Percy with hope.

Artemis addressed him once more. "I hope you're not thinking this will be easy. I have no doubt that some of my girls will still want to…test your loyalties. Try to make you crack and show your true colors with the occasional prank. Surely something you can handle."

Percy gave a defeated sigh. "The pranks are kind of tradition at this point, so I've gotten used to them for the most part. Plus, I can tell you guys have a lot of fun doing them. It's gonna take a lot more than that to turn me away."

Artemis grinned in response. "That's more like it. Your new status also doesn't give you an excuse for slacking on chores either. Especially cooking."

A few hunters around Percy nodded in agreement. It seems that his culinary skills won him a few brownie points. "I'm not one to run away from a challenge, and that won't start now. You want to keep giving me chores? Fine. I'll make you all the tastiest meals I can."

His proclamation had the hunters stirring, and he could tell that his enthusiasm towards joining them was having an effect. It was all genuine as well; even chores didn't sound so bad now that he was being tasked to do them as an official member and not a burden.

Artemis' expression was one of satisfaction, and Percy was glad that she was approving everything he said. "Kneel, Perseus Jackson. It is time for you to make the Oath of the Hunt."

A flurry of whispers rippled across the camp, and suddenly Percy felt a bit nervous.

"This is it. Once I do this, there's no going back. This is my last chance to turn away. Do I?"

The moment he looked into Artemis' eyes, he reprimanded himself for even thinking such a thing. Her gaze held nothing but respect, and Percy was filled with determination and pride after winning her approval. He wasn't about to let her down now after going through all of that.

The hunters in front of her backed up slightly, creating a small space where Percy was able to walk over and kneel in front of the goddess. His eyes were glued to the ground, but he noticed a silver aura wrapping around her legs.

"Since you're a male, I can't have you take the standard oath, so I have an altered one prepared," she explained. "Just repeat after me."

Once Percy nodded, she began.

"I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis." Her voice sounded otherworldly, like there were three Artemis' speaking at once and they were all overlapping. He bit back a joke and repeated the line.

"I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis."

"I turn my back on the company of others,"

"I turn my back on the company of others,"

"accept eternal youth,"

This was the part that made Percy sweat. Eternal youth, huh? When he turned 16, he was offered something extremely similar by the council of Olympus. He turned it down, of course, because he wanted to have as normal a life as he was able. But now…his definition of 'normal' has gone completely out the window. The past three years had changed him, and he found the decision much easier to make this time around.

"accept eternal youth,"

"and join the Hunt."

"and join the Hunt."

Once the last words left his lips, he felt Artemis place her hand on his head. Just as when Lupa had given him the blessing of the Pack, he felt a surge of warmth and energy rush into him. It was only for a moment, though, and once it ended, he looked down at his hands and saw the wisps of a silver outline fading away.

"Once again, congratulations Percy Jackson. You are an official member of the Hunters of Artemis." The moon goddess declared proudly. Percy couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He wasn't sure if it was the blessing or the exhilaration of joining, but he felt like he could take on Kronos single-handedly at that moment.

He turned back to his fellow hunters and saw that most of them had the same look of respect that Artemis wore, which only served to fuel his joy even further.

"Everyone," he spoke out to them. "I'd just like to say how grateful I am that you all have decided to trust me enough to let me join. I understand that not all of you trust me 100% yet, but that's okay. It's something that needs to be earned, not forced. I may be your brother in title, but I hope one day to be your brother in your hearts as well."

A handful of hunters actually smiled at his words, and he got the feeling that perhaps some of them saw him as a brother already. Artemis clapped her hands to redirect the attention back to herself.

"Well said. Now that Percy is a member, he will be joining us on our hunts much more frequently. He makes an excellent hunting dog."

Percy let out a groan at her remark, and a few hunters giggled, which surprised him. After not hearing it for so long, he wasn't sure they knew how to laugh. Not that he would ever say that to their faces.

"Also, I am allowing any Huntress to challenge Percy in a duel. After hearing reports from my lieutenant as well as seeing his prowess in close-combat fighting for myself, I believe that it would serve as a fine way for you all to sharpen your skills."

Thalia let out a snicker. "He's a hunting dog and a training dummy. Will his wonders ever cease?"

"Just for that, I'm gonna make your laundry take an extra 2 hours to dry," Percy threatened.

Thalia gasped. "You monster."

Artemis sighed. "You two can bicker all you want later. Percy, before I dismiss everyone, is there anything else you wish to say?" She stared at him with expectant eyes, like a teacher staring down a student when they know the student did something wrong.

Percy was silent for a moment, and almost asked what she wanted him to say when it hit him. He gave her a sheepish, thankful grin and turned back to the hunters yet again.

"Like I just said, trust is earned, not forced. Since you all trust me enough to let me join you, I think it's only fitting that I give you a show of trust in return."

He could tell that he piqued their curiosities. They all sat up and straightened their backs, wondering what Percy was going to do for them.

"When I first arrived here, I was hesitant to reveal my past," he continued, shooting a quick glance at Phoebe, who looked away. "If I'm going to truly become your brother, I don't want to hide anything from you all. Not anymore. So, let me start from the beginning."

He told them the entire story, just as he had told the gods in the throne room of Olympus a few months ago. Just like every other time he had told his tale, he didn't feel great after bringing up all those old memories. He was filled with a sense of nervousness at the thought of them not believing him. He wasn't sure if that would ever change.

But by the time he finished, he didn't see anything like that staring back at him. He even thought he saw hints of sympathy. The fear in his heart melted away after that.

"Thank you for sharing, Percy," Artemis commended him. "With that, you're all dismissed. Meet back here soon for dinner. Cooked by our newest member." Percy saw a slight twinkle in her eyes at that last bit. He wondered how long she'd been thinking of this.

A couple hunters whose names he got to learn during his time with them came up to congratulate him, much to his surprise.

"Welcome to the Hunt, Percy," said Naomi. Thalia had told him that Naomi in particular had a lot of reservations about him joining, so it picked him up immensely to see her change in attitude now.

"Congrats. I have to admit, you definitely earned it," Hunter told him. Percy couldn't believe that there was a hunter named Hunter either, but he knew better than to bring it up.

"Just make sure you don't die on your first official hunt, 'kay?" Sipriotes teased him. She was one of the eldest hunters here, and her olden-time name was evident of that, so everyone just called her Siri. Apparently, she used to be a guy, and Percy didn't want to know what she did to invoke Artemis' wrath that badly.

The last one to approach him was Phoebe. "I can understand why you didn't want to share your past with us at first. I would be hesitant as well if I'd gone through the things you had."

"It's no biggie. It was a pretty good reason to be suspicious of me," Percy reassured her.

"Hmph. Good. Now get started on dinner, we're all starving." A chorus of hunters shouted out their agreements, which made Percy laugh.

"Sure thing, I'm hungry too. The hunt with Lamia absolutely drained me. I'll make something with beef tonight."

Which is exactly what he did. Beef stew with roasted vegetables. He was about to put the finishing touches on the dish when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Oh, Percy!"

He recognized it instantly. "Thalia, I swear if you put something weird in my food, I will give you something way worse than wet laundry."

The footsteps that were heading towards him rapidly suddenly stopped, and Percy turned away from the cooking pot to see she had a hand on her hip. "Oh, lighten up you big scaredy cat. Not every single second of my day is spent thinking of ways to prank you."

"Really? You had me fooled," Percy smirked.

"Okay, maybe most of my day is, but that's beside the point. There was actually something important I needed to tell you." Her tone was a tad more serious than usual.

"What is it?" Percy asked, slightly nervous.

"Well, two things actually. First –" she cut herself off and threw her arms around him, wrapping him in a big bear hug. It took every muscle in his core to keep himself from tumbling over into the fire pit.

"Congratulations on making it into the hunt. Now you're my brother in more ways than one."

Percy couldn't help but smile at one of her rare moments of genuine kindness and hugged her right back. "Geez, I can't believe the great Thalia Grace is going soft on me."

His words made her break away and punch him lightly in the ribs. "Oh, shut up. I mean it! And I'm so glad you joined when you did. If another week went by, things could have gotten ugly."

Percy frowned in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean."

Thalia blinked. "Oh right, that's the second thing I was supposed to tell you. Remember how I told you we were visiting Camp Half-Blood this year? For Capture-the-Flag? It's happening next week. And this time, you're on our side."

KENNA

Kenna was bored.

"Hah!" She let out a shout as she swung her blade down on her opponent, who quickly brought up their own to block the strike.

CLANG!

The shrill sound of weapon impacting weapon pierced their ears as they each leaped away from each other, slowly circling the arena, waiting for the other to make a move.

"Funny, I thought a Titan would prove more of a challenge," Kenna taunted with a fierce smile.

"Well, a few millennia stuck on an island would cause anyone to grow rusty!" Calypso responded as she took the initiative and launched herself at the much younger camper. Kenna held a Celestial Bronze dagger in her grip while Calypso had a sword that seemed to be made of smoke. According to her, it was solidified Mist, something Kenna didn't know was possible.

As the once-immortal charged towards her, Kenna crouched into position. When Calypso was right on top of her, the girl rolled under her legs and popped right back up behind her, snaking her arm around her opponents' throat.

Calypso anticipated it, however, and grabbed Kenna's arm before it became a chokehold. She pushed the girl's arm away from her and swung her sword behind her at the same time. Kenna ducked in the nick of time, losing a few hairs on her ponytail in the process.

"My hair! You'll pay for that one!" Kenna cried out.

"Prove it!" They traded blows back and forth, Calypso having an advantage in strength while Kenna had superior speed. Just when it seemed like they had entered a deadlock, Kenna's personal training kicked in as she tried some out-of-camp practices. Something absolutely crazy.

She leapt away from Calypso and threw her dagger up in the air, causing the goddess to draw her focus towards it on instinct. While her gaze shifted upward, Kenna quickly closed the gap, and by the time Calypso looked back down, they were nearly face to face.

CLAP!

Kenna clapped her hands together right in Calypso's face, causing her to let out a startled "Ack!" and fall to the ground.

At that moment, Kenna's dagger came sailing back down, which she caught with ease. The daughter of Hermes pinned Calypso to the ground, a knife pointed at her throat.

"That…was…outrageous," Calypso managed to say between gasps of air. A true statement: to any onlookers, Kenna's technique was something straight out of a movie.

"Well it's not too practical unless you're in a one-v-one situation," Kenna explained as she got up and offered a hand to her fallen foe. "And that was the second time in my entire life I've managed to pull that off."

Calypso gingerly took her hand and dusted herself off as she stood to her feet. "Be honest; how many times has the dagger bonked you on the head while you practiced that?"

"More than I'd like to admit. I've got the bruises to prove it." Kenna gave a bitter smile at the recollection of her past failures. "And you need to be honest too. When you said you were going to try out a new weapon, I wasn't expecting a freakin' Smoke Saber! When did you learn how to do that?"

Calypso gave her a smug look. "Well, magic can only take me so far. Learning hand-to-hand combat was fun, but I couldn't help but want to combine the two, you know? After a few days of theorizing and practicing, poof! Mist sword."

Kenna nodded in respect. "I like it. Maybe you can make it invisible! Imagine the chaos that would cause…"

The former Ogygia resident grimaced. "Right. Sometimes I forget you're a child of Hermes. I'll put some thought into it. Anyway, I've got to check on Leo to make sure he hasn't burned Bunker 9 down. Catch you later!"

They waved goodbye as they parted ways, Kenna slowly trudging her way back to her cabin. The mid-afternoon rays of sunshine bore down on the path in front of her, warming her to the bone. Her stomach rumbled as she walked, just as it has every time she left the arena. Which was quite frequent.

I know what you're thinking: How could you possibly be bored in a summer camp for magical demigods? Especially when you get to help train a former goddess in sword fighting? Somehow, Kenna had found the answer.

When she first arrived three years ago, she couldn't be happier. It was like all the stories she heard growing up were coming to life, a new world brimming with adventure and heroes and monsters galore.

And three years later…she still felt out of place. Something always felt a bit 'off' from the moment she stepped into camp. She liked it here, and she got along well enough with her brothers and sisters and other campers and whatnot, but she couldn't help but feel like what she needed was outside the camp boundaries. There had to be more to the world of Greek mythology than Latin lessons and canoeing.

At last, she reached the Hermes cabin and walked through the door to find it barren except for the Stoll twins, the head counselors. As soon as she walked in, she saw Travis stuff something under the floorboard and Conner failing miserably to block her view. She knew it was his secret candy stash; everyone knew where he hid it.

"Afternoon, Dumb and Dumber," Kenna greeted with her usual titles for the pair. Travis tried unconvincingly to pretend he was doing something else as she walked over to her bunk.

"Hey Kenna. Fancy a thumb war? I was just playing one with Conner. Definitely wasn't doing anything else." He gave her a smile that screamed 'I AM A LIAR.'

"Nah, I'm tired from sparring practice. Besides, beating would be like taking candy from a baby." She winked at him on the word 'candy,' making him pale.

"You get one piece of your choice and you keep your mouth shut," Conner offered. Kenna flashed them a devilish smile.

"Deal. Gimme a KitKat." They threw her the treat of her choice and left the cabin while giggling about a prank they had planned for Katie Gardner, leaving her alone with a few stragglers napping in the back.

She had her moments, but for the most part, she was much more battle-hardened than her siblings. She blamed it on her upbringing and her mom's background. It wasn't her fault she knew how to disarm a man by age 10!

Mostly everyone else in the Hermes cabin had nothing on their minds except making mischief and spreading gossip. She swore that some of them were worse than the Aphrodite kids. She was no exception, and enjoyed the occasional mayhem of a good joke, but nothing made her happier than the thrill of a real fight.

As she laid down in bed, chewing on her candy and waiting for dinner, her mind wandered back to her first quest a few years ago. She didn't know it at the time, but quests were a pretty rare thing nowadays, and being offered one as a newbie made some others burn with jealousy.

She couldn't care less though. It was so freeing to her. Fighting those snake ladies in the bakery, testing out her skills with a dagger on real monsters, it was everything she wanted and more. To top it off, she got to partner up with the Hero of Olympus…

"Percy Jackson."

The name still stung a little even when thinking of him now, after all this time. It brought in a wave of memories of the incident three years ago…the day that Percy had turned cheater.

It was still hard to believe. When she first arrived here, she heard countless talks and tales of Percy. Rumors of his many quests for the gods and how he saved the world on more than one occasion. After meeting him and fighting with him, it was easy to understand why. He seemed loyal, but fierce if messed with. Which is why she doubted the letter they found up until the very end.

After seeing how he acted at dinner and the few days thereafter, to be frank, it kind of disgusted her. Then after all the older counselors, people she heard that had fought side by side with him during the wars, tried to confront him, he had the nerve to leave. It put an intensely sour mood on the rest of that summer. In fact, she wasn't sure if it had ever really left her. She wasn't someone who gave out their respect easily, and when people betrayed it…not the best feeling in the world.

"Earth to Kenna…hey, miss G.I. Joe…KENNA!"

The girl in question snapped out of her thoughts immediately and looked up from her chicken curry in a scared rush. One of her only friends in the camp, Emmy, scanned her with a worried expression.

"I know dinner just started like 5 minutes ago, but you'd usually be halfway done with your plate by now. Plus, you've got this whole 'lost in another world' look on your face, which I know doesn't happen often."

Kenna snorted at that. "True. I hate thinking."

Emmy nodded. "Exactly my point. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about the past," she sighed. "Remember the big drama a couple years back? With Percy Jackson?"

Emmy let out a small gasp. "How could I not? It was so…sudden. And confusing. And-"

"Yeah, I know." Kenna cut her off before she started to ramble. It was a bad habit of hers. "I was just wondering, what ever happened to his old girlfriend? Anna…belle? That's what I remember Mr. D calling her."

"Annabeth," Emmy corrected. "And no one knows. She's still out there, traveling in the mortal world, outside the influence of the gods. Because of that, no one can find her."

"Huh. I see. Also, wipe your mouth, you've got some whipped cream on your lip."

"Ah! Where?" Her friend asked, wiping frantically. Until she noticed Kenna's grin, that is. "Oh, you're kidding, aren't you? Consider me tickled pink."

"Gossip's your thing, tormenting people is mine," Kenna proclaimed, putting her arms behind her head, and leaning back slightly.

Emmy stuck her tongue out at her and they continued to eat in peace with Kenna's question answered. She wasn't sure why this onslaught of thoughts that she tried to forget came at her all at once tonight, but she hoped that her training session in the arena tomorrow would clear her head.

Unfortunately, as she woke up the next morning, it seemed she wouldn't be getting her wish.

"Hear ye, hear ye, noble peasants of the Hermes cabin!" Travis called out to them all, rousing them from their slumber.

"Shut up Travis, it's too early," someone groaned.

"Cram it Scott, this is actually important. After breakfast, we're all reporting to the amphitheater," Conner explained.

"Wait, you guys are actually doing your jobs and telling us something ahead of time? Am I still dreaming?" Another camper added, causing a round of snickers throughout the cabin.

"Just for that Mickey, you're getting a raccoon in your sleeping bag tonight," Travis threatened. "He said it was important, so yes, we made sure to tell you all this time. After breakfast, amphitheater, show up, for face our wrath. Peace!" The twins swiftly walked out the door, narrowly avoiding a shoe that was thrown at their heads.

Most announcements that Chiron made were either about rewarding a camper who displayed good behavior this week with a golden apple (the spray painted kind, not the immortal kind), or lecturing the Hermes and Hecate cabin to stop messing with the nymphs. Either way, they were nothing to look forward to.

However, Kenna felt something a little different this time. A slight buzz in the air, as if something big was coming. For once, she found herself actively wanting to know what the centaur had to say to them all, so she wolfed down her breakfast even faster than usual.

"Seriously, where do you fit all that?" Emmy asked in amazement and Kenna downed her sixth pancake.

"Don't tell anyone, but I have two stomachs."

"Really!?"

"No. Shut up."

Soon, breakfast came to an end, and every cabin had filed into their seats at the amphitheater. Well, almost every cabin. The Hypnos cabin was late as usual.

"Move it or lose it, Clovis!" A voice that sounded like Clarisse shouted out. The demigod in question shot back a look of irritation.

"Give me a break, I woke up from my mid-morning nap for this."

"Good, it seems that everyone has arrived," Chiron announced from the stage, eager to get started before things escalated into a pillow fight (trust me, they can get real ugly here).

"Tonight, our camp is being graced by a group of very special people known as the Hunters of Artemis." A wave of shushed whispers echoed through the crowd at the mention of that name. "This will be the first time they have visited since before the second Titan War, so some of you may already be acquainted with them." Kenna wasn't sure if she imagined it, but she could have sworn he shot the Stoll twins a glare.

"For the rest of you, it will be a first. So, allow me to fill you in on the tradition that we share. Every time the Hunters visit Camp Half-Blood, we play a friendly game of Capture-the-Flag. Us versus them."

"Wait, you mean the entire camp is on the same team?" A young-sounding voice called out incredulously.

"Please save all questions until the end…but yes. Before you all cheer about how this will be an 'easy victory,' I want to make you newer campers aware that the record is currently 56 wins for the Hunt, and 0 wins for us." His voice was so calm while delivering a piece of truth that was so cold.

Kenna leaned over to Emmy and asked her quietly, "So I may have been sleeping through most of my mythology courses. What are the Hunters of Artemis?"

"You don't know?" Emmy sounded shocked. "They're a group of maidens who swear loyalty to Artemis and turn their backs on the company of men in exchange for eternal youth and traveling the nation to hunt monsters at her side."

This was news to Kenna. How had she not heard of them before? "That sounds amazing."

"Maybe the eternal youth part, but no men? No thanks!" Emmy declared decisively. Kenna rolled her eyes. As if she could care about that stuff. Hunting sounded way cooler.

"They will be arriving just after dinner, so make sure to put on your best behavior. Remember, there is a goddess in their midst. Be respectful. That is all and enjoy your day!"

As they all filtered out of the amphitheater, she caught some of the grumblings of the older campers who had no doubt encountered them before.

"57th defeat in a row here we come…"

"Not the fart arrows, anything but the fart arrows."

Despite their complaints, Kenna could feel her blood pumping. For the first time in a long while, she actually felt excited about something.

The games they played occasionally at camp usually served as the highlights of her week. Playing Deathball and Capture-the-Flag with no limits? It was like going to a playground as a kid. But with swords.

She could tell that the stakes were going way up this time. Judging from the reactions of the elder campers, she figured that these Hunters were a group to be feared. They were something new; a challenge that she welcomed with all her heart.

As the Hermes cabin walked back to their abode, prepared to start their day's activities, Kenna ran up to Conner and struck a conversation with him.

"Hey Conner, are the Hunters of Artemis really that good?" To her surprise, he shuddered slightly. The king of the grossest and slimiest pranks and camp shuddered!

"Imagine a fight between a bear and a hundred ants. Who's gonna win?"

"The bear, obviously." She couldn't tell where he was going with this analogy.

"Right. Now imagine the bear was invisible and had a crossbow. That's what it feels like to fight them in the forest."

Kenna's eyes widened in amazement. "So, they're super soldiers? That sounds wicked."

He gave a defeated laugh. "They are – when we fought with them in the war. Against them…not so much. Let's just say that their fart arrows rival some of my most foul-smelling creations."

It was Kenna's turn to shudder. The Stoll twin's recent batch of stink pellets made a new camper smell for nearly a week, no matter how many showers they took. It was brutal.

"Is it bad that I can't wait to meet them?" She asked eagerly.

"Not really. They're an elite group of warrior women. Seems just like your type, really. Travis and I are gonna hang back though, we sorta have bad blood with one of 'em."

She saw his expression darken slightly, so she decided not to press him on that in spite of her curiosity. Instead, she joined everyone else in completing her daily activities like sparring with some campers, falling asleep in Latin, and helping the satyrs with the strawberry field.

All while this was happening, it seemed as though her ADHD was in overdrive from her nervous excitement. As the sun slowly descended from the sky, she felt like she was about to burst out of her skin.

At long last, she heard one of her siblings who was known for their loud and oftentimes annoying voice, running around the camp, and screaming their head off, "THEY'RE HERE!"

She, along with the other campers that were around her at the time, immediately dropped the plows they were holding and jogged over to the camp's entrance. The satyrs gave them annoyed looks, but she was sure they'd get over it.

Nearly the entire camp had gathered at the big pine tree, where Peleus was sleeping soundly. Next to the dragon stood a group of around two dozen young girls, dressed in various shades of green, brown, and black. All of them had bows strapped to their backs and knives on their belts.

"It's them…" Kenna uttered under her breath.

The one standing at their head was a girl who looked about 16 years old. She was quite tall, with shoulder-length auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wore black leggings and a silver tunic, one that complimented her striking silver eyes incredibly well. No doubt about it – that was Artemis, goddess of the Hunt.

She was currently talking to a girl that looked like she came right out of a punk rock concert. Almost everything about her screamed 'Goth!' from her pitch-black clothing and leather jacket, to her pixie cut hair and choker. She seemed to be looking at the magical pine tree with apprehension, almost afraid to get any closer to it.

"Lady Artemis, how wonderful to see you again," Chiron announced to the group after arriving at the scene as well as giving a slight bow.

"It's good to see you as well, Chiron," Artemis responded. Before she could say anything else, the goth girl ran up and wrapped her arms around the centaur's torso.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well too, Thalia." He affectionately ruffled her hair.

"So that's the daughter of Zeus I've heard about…" Kenna thought to herself. If she remembered correctly, she replaced the former lieutenant at 15 years old, and has been serving the moon goddess ever since.

"You too, Chiron," Thalia said as she broke their embrace and walked back over to the Hunt. "Apologies, my lady, but it's been a long time."

Artemis chuckled. "All is forgiven. I know there are still plenty of people you're dying to reconnect with here at camp, but you must put that on hold. Chiron, would it be alright if we made a small announcement?"

Chiron looked a bit troubled. "It would be our pleasure, but is everything alright? Has anything dangerous happened without my knowledge?"

Artemis brushed off his concerns. "No, nothing like that. No need to gather the whole camp either, the ones here will be enough. It's just a small…change that I've made to my group that I believe should be brought to your attention."

"Then by all means." Chiron's worried look disappeared as he gave her the floor.

"Thank you." She turned her attention to the recesses of the woods behind the hunters and called out, "You can come out now."

Kenna and the campers around her craned their necks to try and peer into the dark foliage. As the sound of footsteps and rustling leaves grew louder, a figure made its way before their eyes.

"No way…" she heard someone mutter behind her. She could understand the reaction, however. What appeared before them was a tall, intimidating man with a large wolf's pelt covering his face and draping his shoulders. From what she could make out from the lower half of his face, she estimated his age to be either 19 or 20, and he wore nothing else except a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and sneakers.

As soon as he came into the torchlight, a plethora of tiny gasps could be heard from the campers. Suddenly, a swarm of young children burst out of the crowd and ran towards him, screaming happily.

"Wolfy!"

The man broke into a large grin and knelt, embracing several of them at once. He opened his mouth and addressed them all in turn.

"Jack! Samantha! Cecily! It's so good to see you guys again, safe and sound." He teased them and ruffled their hair just as Chiron had to Thalia, and the children all laughed and hugged him tighter in response.

Kenna was absolutely bewildered by the sight in front of her. Who in Hades was this guy? And how does he know so many kids from camp? She turned to Chiron for an answer, and saw that his brow was furrowed, deep in thought.

Her eyes scanned the faces of her fellow campers and saw varying reactions: most of confusion, some of recognition, and some looked like they were thinking so hard that steam was about to blow out of their ears.

She turned back to the hunters and saw Artemis looking down affectionately at the scene in front of them before the goddess cleared her throat and addressed the children.

"Kids, I know you're all very excited to see him again, but do you think you could wait a little bit?"

Reluctantly, the kids separated from the mysterious man and trudged back to the camp. Artemis faced everyone and started speaking loud enough for them all to hear.

"I'm not sure how many people have heard the rumors surrounding the 'Wolf' – a figure who has been going around and guiding demigod children to Camp Half-Blood, protecting and training them on the way just as Lupa has done for centuries for Camp Jupiter. I'm here to tell you that they are true, and the proof is right in front of you. After being captured by the gods of Olympus, he was assigned to my Hunt as a partner to work alongside with. Over time, we realized the benefits of working together, grew to trust each other, and welcomed him as an official member of the Hunt."

Shocked responses could be heard from the campers near Kenna, with a few of them being brave (or stupid) enough to call out.

"Wait, a male hunter? Is that even allowed?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "Be more respectful with your questions, boy. While very rare, yes, I have accepted men into my hunt in the past. He is the first in a few hundred years."

"Who is he?"

Artemis glared daggers at the questioner. "What did I just say about respect? And his identity doesn't matter. Just address him as the Wolf and know that he will be playing against you all for Capture-the-Flag."

No one said anything after that, and it looked like Artemis was about to start moving into camp, but Kenna wanted to ask something too. Without thinking, she called out.

"I mean no disrespect, Lady Artemis, but I'd like to ask something too."

Artemis gave her a small smile. "Of course."

Kenna felt a little nervous with all the attention on her now, but she continued forward. "Is he dangerous?"

Artemis' smile grew into a grin. "Only to our enemies."

With nothing left to be said, the Hunt began marching into camp. Another question popped into her mind, and she turned to an older camper next to her.

"Hey, where are they even gonna sleep? Not in the woods, right?"

They snorted. "Gods, no. You know that silver cabin in the Olympian section? The empty one? They stay there whenever they come to visit. Although, I doubt they're gonna let the guy sleep in there with them…I wonder where he's gonna end up."

Kenna couldn't help but ponder that as well and continued to follow them. Some of the other campers had lost interest and had dispersed throughout camp to continue their day, but the ones with unyielding curiosity pressed onwards.

When the hunters reached Cabin #9, they filed inside until it was only Artemis and the Wolf left by the doorway. She whispered something in his ear, to which he nodded in reply, before retreating into the cabin to join up with her sisters. Once the door closed, the Wolf stood by, guarding it like…well, like a dog.

Almost immediately, he started getting barraged with numerous questions by the campers surrounding Kenna. She almost covered her ears due to the sheer volume of it all.

"How did you join the hunters!?"

"What's your real name!?"

"Could you get me Artemis' autograph!?"

Amazingly, his composure didn't falter in the slightest as he kept silent. His stoic form gave no signs of budging, no matter how many times people tried to get him to open his mouth.

Eventually, most people got bored and ended up leaving after their many failed attempts. One by one everyone disappeared…except for Kenna. She had noticed something earlier but was afraid to ask with the crowd around her, because it was a pretty big indicator, and she didn't want to pry into his past in front of so many people.

After the last person other than her had sauntered off, she slowly made her way in front of him, and asked him in a quiet voice.

"I won't ask why you tried to hide it, but I can see the outline of a bead necklace under your shirt. Were you…a camper here at some point?"

She saw him tense up at her observation. Like he had made a mistake, and someone called him out on it. It was the first and only reaction she had seen out of all the questions that had been asked.

He stayed silent for so long, the tension between them grew thick enough to be cut with a dagger. Just when she was about to turn around and leave herself, he heard his answer.

"…yes," he whispered.

She opened her mouth slightly, and waited for him to say anything more, but that was all he gave her. It was clear she wouldn't be able to pry anything else out of him, so she followed everyone else's lead and walked back to her own cabin to prepare for dinner later tonight.

As she walked away from the Artemis cabin, a single question continually burned in her subconscious,

"Who in the world is he?"

PERCY

Percy knew he wasn't exactly the brightest demigod ever, but man he could be a real idiot sometimes.

He knew he should have put the necklace in his pocket or something, but he didn't like having his dagger out of his reach. Plus…there were too many memories attached to this piece of jewelry. He settled on hiding it under his shirt, but it completely backfired.

He'd nearly forgotten how perceptive Kenna was. She hadn't had much interaction with the daughter of Hermes while he was still a camper, but this served as a reminder that she wasn't' one to be messed with.

"Her eyes are too sharp for her own good," he thought with a sigh.

He continued to stand outside the Artemis cabin, ignoring the plentiful whispers and glances that were shot his way. It was painful, not being able to talk to his old friends like Leo, Calypso, Will, and more, but he was able to put it up with it thanks to Thalia telling him about this trip a week in advance.

Percy turned his head as he heard the door open and saw Thalia and Artemis step out and walk over to him.

"Is everything alright in there?" he asked, concerned.

"Naturally. This isn't our first rodeo. I appreciate your worry, though," Artemis answered.

"We came to check on you. Given everything you've gone through, I can't imagine this is a pleasant reunion with camp…" Thalia trailed off, unsure of how to comfort him.

Percy wasn't surprised that Thalia was thinking about him, but Artemis was unexpected. He enjoyed it. "I'm doing about as well as I can. Thanks again for letting me be the Wolf while we're here. I don't think I'm ready to face them quite yet. I've barely made any progress in my investigation."

"You sure? You don't have to force yourself." Thalia refused to give up.

"I promise, I'm fine. It's definitely bittersweet being back, but if I can handle Tartarus, I can handle this. If I revealed myself before I found out who was behind all this, things could get messy," Percy reassured her.

"If you insist. Just know that we are here for you, Perseus. You're one of us now." Before Percy could respond to the goddess, she had already disappeared back inside the cabin. All he could do was shake his head in response.

"Still not completely used to her not looking at me like I'm a month-old casserole."

Thalia laughed. "To be fair, you've made quite the impression over the past couple months. After spending so much time with you, how could we not treat you differently?"

"Even still, it's all just so surreal. I never could have imagined becoming a hunter in my entire life. If you traveled back in time and told my 16-year-old self that, he'd call you crazier than Mr. D."

"Well, get used to it. You're a hunter and I'm your lieutenant, which means I'm your superior now, Mr. Hero." Her wicked smile came into full bloom.

Percy sighed with a smile. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I had no idea! It's not like you've reminded me about it at least ten times over the past week."

"With more to come. And as the co-leader of the hunt, I order to get some rest in your old cabin since it's getting late." Percy opened his mouth to protest but Thalia effectively cut him off. "Don't you dare tell me you were thinking about sleeping in a tree or something. You need to sleep in a normal bed like a normal kid, and no one's gonna be in there anyway."

"As if there's anything 'normal' about me anymore…" Percy grumbled, but didn't raise an objection like he planned to at first. He had no reason to say no.

"Good. Artemis will probably wake you up, so be prepared for that. G'night Fish Face."

"Night, Lightning Rod."

He stayed out for a bit longer until he could faintly hear the cawing of the camp harpies. This meant that there were no campers still out and about – at least, no one that had common sense. Glancing around to make one final sweep for any bystanders, he quickly ducked into the Poseidon cabin a little way across the grounds.

He closed the door immediately, just standing there with his back up against it, taking in the view of his old home. He didn't mind his tent back at the hunt's camp, even if it was a pain and a half to set up, but this cabin…he missed it.

He walked around, satisfied to see that everything was as he left it, but saddened by the layers of dust on nearly every surface he could find.

Hold on, scratch that. Not everything was in place after all.

"My clock…" The seashell table clock that Paul had given to Percy for his 18th birthday was nowhere to be found. He checked the drawers, dressers, and under the beds to not only fail to locate the clock but see that some of his old clothes were missing as well.

"What in Hades…?" Someone had been in here and taken some of his stuff. He was completely baffled at who would commit such a weird and petty crime, until a sudden thought hit him.

"The fake Percy…oh gods." He figured that the only person who could have done this was the same guy who had ruined his camp life. He swore that when he found him, he would make him pay.

Too exhausted to put any more thought into it, Percy collapsed into his bunk, relishing in the familiar feel of his old bed. In fact, he was so comfortable, he thought he had a chance of having a dreamless sleep.

He really was an idiot for believing that.

He saw himself at Camp Jupiter. He recognized the area as the Garden of Bacchus, remembering how Reyna once told him that it was her favorite place in all of camp.

He could see why – the garden was beautiful. A canopy of grapevines that framed a view of the entire valley. It was breathtaking. Until it wasn't.

All it took was a single blink; a single instant and the field had turned into a fiery blaze. He turned in a panic to see that the fountain had been smashed to pieces. New Rome was in ruins.

"Reyna!? Jason!?" He cried out, desperate for anyone to answer him. For some semblance of a survivor.

He blinked again and found himself transported directly in the town plaza, surrounded by familiar white marble buildings. Burning. He remembered being so enthralled with the prospect of having a life here…completely unthinkable now.

Ahead of him, he saw an army of Roman soldiers. Only, there was something…off about them. They had a wild and crazed look in their eyes, as if they had gone mad.

Percy saw two figures leading them. They were obscured by the smoke of the flames, but he saw that one of them was glowing faintly. Green, maybe? The other person had something wrong with one of their legs. It seemed too rigid, he thought it could be artificial.

He was about to brave the fires and go in for a closer look when a piercing cry grabbed his attention from behind him.

"PERCY!"

He teleported again, and thankfully he was back in Camp Half-Blood, with a familiar face in front of him.

"Grover? Is that you?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's me. I didn't think I could still contact you like this, but I'm glad to see our empathy link is still intact." Grover sounded extremely relieved.

"Man, are you a sight for sore eyes," Percy said, grateful to be yanked from his previous nightmare.

"Baa-aa. Thanks. It's early in the morning right now. I'm gonna wake you up, so come see me before anyone notices. Go to the forest and ask a nymph for me. Go!"

Percy woke up in a cold sweat, his heart pounding in his chest. Before he could even think about what his dream meant, he knew he had to do as Grover asked, since he didn't have any time to waste.

Within three minutes, he threw on a pair of his old clothes (they were a little tight, but still fit nonetheless), and threw on his wolf pelt. He burst through the door and ran out, knowing that no one would see him. It was so early, the sun hadn't even risen from the sky yet.

He jogged over to the forest, entering the terrain for the first time since he went on a rage-induced rampage in his anger towards Annabeth's letter. It pained him to think about it, but the task in front of him was more important than that.

Once he was sure that no campers could see him from the campgrounds, he knocked on the closest tree. A nymph popped out, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Who in the name of –" she shut up when she noticed him. "Pl-please don't hurt me."

"Calm down, I'm not going to do anything. I just need to speak to Grover of the Council of Cloven Elders. Could you get him for me?" Percy asked politely.

The nymph blinked at his unexpected words and demeanor, and silently nodded, fading back into her tree. A few minutes later, the branches overhead began fiercely shaking and a pair of furry legs fell and hit the ground with a THUMP!

"Ow…" Grover mumbled. "I really need to stop traveling like that."

"I disagree, I think it's hilarious." Percy couldn't rid himself of his grin, taking off his wolf mask.

"Percy!" Without a moment's hesitation, the two best friends embraced for the first time in years.

"Geez man, you don't have to hold on so tight. I promise, I'm not going anywhere," Percy said with a small laugh.

Grover released him and wiped a few lingering tears from his eyes. "Baa-aa. Sorry, sorry, it's just…well it's just really good to see you again."

"Right back at you G-man. How's Juniper?"

"Oh, she's great! She just got this sweet gig restoring the – wait, we don't have time for this! I have news for you. I found something. A big something."

Percy's pulse quickened. "What is it?"

"Remember how I told you I'd ask any nymphs I found if they'd seen anything suspicious here? I got a hit. One of the nymphs had been taking care of an injured camper for over two years right here in the forest!" Grover explained, his voice rising.

"Woah, woah, calm down. What do you mean, 'an injured camper?' Who was it?"

The satyr took a breath. "She didn't know. No matter how hard she tried to remember his name, she couldn't. Like it was erased from her mind."

"That…that sounds like mist manipulation!" Percy exclaimed.

"Exactly. After around a year, another camper joined him. They lived together in the forest for a while before disappearing completely. That was well over a year ago, so they must have been here when your incident happened."

"What did they look like?"

"The one who was injured had a huge burn scar down his left side, and his right leg was missing. She said she used some magic to fashion him a prosthetic. The one who came later was covered in glowing green runes."

Percy went silent. His mind kicked into overdrive as he attempted to connect all the dots.

"You said he…he was missing a leg. Are you positive? 100% sure?" Percy asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely. Why? You think you know him?" Grover questioned, hope in his voice.

"No, I…I had a dream…" Percy could barely breathe. His dream had a kid with one leg. Lamia mentioned a glowing green boy. They were here. And it sounded like they knew how to control the mist.

It had to be them.

The walls of emotional blockage that Percy had put up over his years on the road crashed down all at once. He saw red. How could they do this? Two random kids ruined his life, and he didn't even know why. If he ever got his hands on them, he would –

"Percy!"

Grover's shout knocked him back into reality. "What? Sorry, I zoned out for a minute."

"No kidding! You looked like you wanted to kill someone, and the ground started shaking a little!"

"The ground…I did that?" Percy felt terrible for losing control like that.

"You must have realized something big…you're not the son of the Earth-shaker for nothing I guess." Grover remarked with a chuckle.

"Sorry about that, it's been so long since I've felt genuinely angry that it all kind of came flowing out at once. Listen to this."

He explained everything he had learned up until that point as well, including details on his dream and what Nico and Lamia told him.

"You're right, it sounds like the two of them were all behind this. But why? What could they possibly gain from all this?" Grover wondered aloud.

"I wish I knew. I'm gonna go let Artemis know. Nico also mentioned something about Hecate, so maybe she can put me in touch with her."

"Yeah, day's about to break, so you'd better get back. I'll keep interrogating the nature spirits to see if I can uncover anything else."

"Thanks Grover. Your support means the world to me," Percy said with sincerity.

"No biggie man, don't even sweat it," Grover replied, looking a bit proud. "I'm just glad to see you're safe and sound."

"Right back at you. I'll see you again before we leave camp."

"Good. I don't normally take sides during Capture-the-Flag, but I'll be rooting for you this time. Good luck!"

With that, they hugged again and parted ways, Grover galloping back into the recesses of the woods and Percy solemnly walking towards the cabins. The day hadn't even begun yet and he had already made so much more progress in finding out the truth than he thought he would.

All that could come later. Right now, he needed a quick nap to relax his mind. He donned his wolf pelt yet again and emerged into the camp clearing. As he walked past the nostalgic strawberry field, a voice called out to him.

"Percy Jackson."

On instinct, he turned towards the voice addressing his name on instinct. A stupid mistake. A careless one. The owner of the voice's eyes widened.

"I knew it," said Calypso.

A/N: Plot twist! Calypso knows! What will happen next? Find out in Chapter 11!

In all serious, I hope you liked it! With everything that was going on in my life, this was a struggle to write. This was also my first time delving into the point of view of my OC, Kenna, and catching up on how things were going at camp.

I also remember getting some comments that Percy's emotions were a tad toned down, so that little scene at the end with his rage should suffice. He's closing in on Octavian and Alabaster! Will he find them, or will they find him first? And what on Earth could his dream mean?

I hope I added enough to keep you all engaged. Prepare for some Capture the Flag next chapter, and as always, please review! I love reading and responding to them, and all of your thoughts and criticisms are 100% welcome! PM me any questions, and I hope you enjoyed!