Whassup everybody! I just want to say one thing. To everyone who thinks I could've done better with Thalia, I'm sorry, aight? I'm not particularly good at writing yet, nor do I have much experience. I just wanted to wrap her part of the story up, and that was the only way I could think of to do it while leaving as few loose ends as possible.
So if you didn't like it, my sincerest apologies, but I really couldn't think of a better way to do it.
Anyway, without further ado, new chapter! Enjoy!
As the hunters, plus Percy and Alex, jogged through a forest, looking for a place to camp, suddenly a dracaena and a Hyperborean giant pushed through the trees.
Percy and Alex, knowing their jobs, immediately leapt into action, both jumping and about to hurl their tridents. The hunters kept on running, not bothering to even look. They knew the boys had it covered.
Then suddenly, the dracaena's voice sounded. "Stop! Perseus Jackson, we bear a message." She yelled.
Percy and Alex landed in front of her, ready to hear her out. But they kept their bodies in defensive postures, and Oscar and Sadie snarled at the monsters. They wouldn't be letting their guard down anytime soon.
"The message is from Polybotes." The dracaena began, and immediately out of Percy's mouth came one of the loudest groans known to man.
"How is he not DEAD?!"
"He is," the dracaena said sweetly.
"Our orders were to bring you this message in case of an untimely death."
"Oh."
"So, it is about Polybotes' accomplice. It is a clue to his identity." The monster said, and her Hyperborean bodyguard mumbled, "Didn't like him."
The dracaena took a breath to continue, but was stopped by Alex. "Wait. Why would our enemy give us a clue?" The son of Poseidon asked, narrowed with suspicion.
The female monster looked at him. "He said his revenge on you two if he died would be for you to fruitlessly puzzle through this clue until you die from the one it speaks of." She said darkly, a cruel smile on her face.
"Polybotes acknowledging that he might lose? That's unusual. So what's our clue?" Percy asked, looking at the dracaena.
"Do bear in mind that once the message has been delivered, you will die for crossing paths with the hunters." Alex added, grinning. He'd never fought a Hyperborean giant before, it would prove a good learning experience.
The dracaena scoffed. "No, I won't. This Hyperborean is one of the strongest of his kind. He alone will be enough to protect the both of us." She said, adjusting her armour and gesturing to the blue giant behind her, who cracked his knuckles threateningly. He must be a strong fighter indeed, Percy noted. Most Hyperboreans just played about with stuff and acted like gullible little children.
Deadly, massive, gullible little children.
Turning back to the snake woman, Percy realised that actually, she still did look a little nervous, in spite of everything she said. And no wonder. Rumours of the deadly double team of the Poseidon brothers had probably spread to the ears of monsters everywhere.
"Anyway, so what's our clue?" Percy repeated. He wanted to get this over with.
The dracaena cleared her throat. Percy rolled his eyes. As if she hadn't worked her mouth enough already by talking for her voice to be well and truly clear by now.
"This might come as a surprise to you, seeing as we're both giants, but I really hated that I had to work with the one that is my accomplice. You see, he's mostly fine, but there is one thing I really hate about him." The dracaena said, trying to make her voice like Polybotes and failing.
Percy looked at her waiting for more. After a few moments, he realised that no more would be coming. "That's it?" He asked disbelievingly.
She nodded, and the first of Percy's rages in a long while suddenly appeared. He impaled her on his trident and threw her away, yelling angrily.
"What kind of dam clue was that?" He was quickly calmed by Oscar, who nuzzled into his hand. Percy stroked the dog, and began to walk off to catch up with Artemis. "I'll leave the Hyperborean to you." He sighed over his shoulder to Alex.
The giant got up and started stepping towards Percy to get revenge. He'd been too late to stop the demigod, but vengeance would be his.
But Alex was also pissed off at such a bad clue. So pissed off in fact, that he completely forgot he wanted to analyse the ice giant's fighting style.
Alex knew that them using ice against each other would be useless, but the giant didn't. He breathed ice on the younger demigod that had suddenly appeared in his way, and moved forward again.
Only to look down in shock as the demigod manipulated the ice, turning into shards and shooting them at him.
The giant blocked them all with his arm. Being a Hyperborean, ice wouldn't hurt him, but he'd rather not have ice in his eyes. He looked past his forearm again, and frowned. The little demigod was gone.
Suddenly, the cold being felt a burning sensation in the back of his neck. That couldn't be good.
Alex stood behind the giant, arm outstretched. He had made his trident fly up and dig its head into the base of the Hyperborean's neck, and now he was making it spin so fast that the three prongs were just blurs.
Like a hydraulic screw, it started going deeper and deeper into the giant, and the friction it was created was melting the giant as well.
Soon, the giant collapsed, a hole bored all the way through his neck. Alex and Sadie stepped over him, Alex still angrily muttering. "What type of dam clue..."
Soon, the hunters set up camp, it being dusk and all. They ate, and soon all went to sleep in their respective tents. Alex went out for guard patrol, and soon the only one left awake in the camp was Percy.
He sat and stared into the flames for a solid hour without budging an inch. He'd done it again. He'd gone into that dark rage, and he'd been doing so well at holding it back. Then it happened twice in quick succession, once against Polybotes and the other against that random dracaena. Percy sighed. Would he ever be able to get past it?
Hestia, looking down from Olympus, was about to go and comfort him, but then she saw a hunter wake up and step out of their tent for some fresh air. Hestia grinned. Yeah, she would leave him. That particular hunter would be able to comfort him just fine, she thought, chuckling.
She went off to go and find someone else to talk to, to convince that there was still hope. It was her job, after all.
Percy's head snapped up as he heard footsteps coming towards him. Monster?
Then he realised it was just his overactive battle instincts and looked back at the fire as he saw the goddess of the moon approaching him.
She sat down next to him and cuddled into his side, looking at him worriedly. "What is it, bo- Percy?" She asked him quietly.
Percy gave a little smile. "Were you seriously just about to call me boy, Moonbeam?" He replied, raising an eyebrow at her.
Artemis hit his arm playfully, both at his teasing and at the name. "Shut it. Old habits die hard. I'm still not used to this, Fish Face." She grinned.
Percy grinned back, his dark mood of a few minutes before completely forgotten. "Fish Face?!" He said with both eyebrows raised, hand over his heart in fake hurt. "At least Moonbeam sounds complimentary!"
Artemis smiled at him. "Whatever you say, Salty." She replied, kissing his cheek.
Percy would've protested against the name, but he temporarily lost brain functions when she did that.
He shook his head to get rid of the feeling, and then looked at her. "By the way, Arty," he began, recalling something he'd been meaning to ask her. "What happens to me and Alex now? We noticed you said our banishment would be lifted till we'd defeated Polybotes. But you never said what would come after. Because there has to be a catch." He said, running his hand through her hair.
Artemis winced. "I don't really want to tell you, Salty." She said. She knew the boys would find out about the council's second vote the next day, but she didn't want to tell Percy that and make his mood even darker.
Percy looked at her. "Stop calling me Salty. And if you don't tell me, I'll do something unimaginably, unspeakably horrible to you." He said, grinning.
Artemis shook her head resolutely. "But you are salty. And so is the sea. And anyway, you can't make me. What would you do to me, anyway?" She giggled. A few months ago, if someone told her she'd be giggling for a boy, she would've killed them on the spot. Now look at her.
"Fine." Percy said, smirking.
And so he tickled the moon goddess until gasping, she told him everything.
Smirking, Percy turned back to stare at the fire, digesting the information. Artemis slipped her hand into his, looking at him worriedly. "Percy? Are you okay?" She asked.
Percy nodded, suddenly wondering how the fire was still going so strong. Probably Hestia, he thought. He sent her a prayer of thanks. If not for that fire, he'd probably be freezing.
"You're not mad at us or anything?" Artemis asked bluntly, wondering what had happened.
"Nah." Percy answered. "Why would I be mad with you around?" He grinned.
Artemis rolled her eyes. "Of all boys to actually catch my eye, of course it had to be the cheesiest one out there." She said, leaning her head on his shoulder.
Percy grinned, then suddenly a thought struck him. "Arty, for a virgin, man-hating goddess, you're kinda comfortable in situations like this. You sure you've never had feelings for a guy before?" He asked.
Artemis shifted against him, looking down. "Well... Only with one other. We got about as close as you and I are now." She said.
"Who was it?"
"I don't like talking about it." Artemis said in a firm tone. Knowing he wouldn't get any more out of her on that subject no matter how hard he tried, Percy changed the subject, and they kept talking late into the night. Soon, they fell asleep against each other.
Hours later, Alex came back into the camp to switch shifts with Percy. Seeing his brother sitting sleeping with the goddess leaning against him, he grinned. He'd just guard all night. His brother deserved the rest.
He turned around to go back to the borderline, but then decided to go for a drink first instead. He jogged to the tent the hunters used as a kitchen, and ducked inside to get a cup of water.
He bumped into someone, and turning on the lights he saw Celyn looking wide eyed at him. Turns out she had woken up and wanted a glass of water, and he'd caught on her way out.
"Uhh, so I'm about to go back out on patrol," Alex said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "You want to come with?"
Celyn grinned coyly at him. "Is that a warrior's way of asking me out?" She laughed.
Alex choked on the water he'd been drinking and started stammering. Celyn laughed again and took his hand, swinging it. "Sure I'll come."
So in the morning, when Alex and Celyn came back into the camp, all the hunters saw them and grinned. Both of them blushed, but then Grace pulled them over.
"Save it! Celyn, we've been waiting for you. We've got to all do it at once!" She squealed, gesturing at something behind her.
Celyn gasped. "Oh my gods..." She said as she saw Artemis and Percy curled up together.
Without even planning it, all of the hunters squealed in unison. Even Alex joined in for the fun of it.
"SOOO CUUUUUTTTTTEEEEEE!!!"
Percy and Artemis woke up with a start, and then Percy realised what had happened and summoned Riptide. "If I catch one of you, SO HELP ME GODS...!" He roared, sprinting after hunters at random while Artemis laughed at him.
But suddenly Artemis' face went solemn. "Percy!" She called, and the demigod froze and turned towards her from where he'd been about to throw his sword at someone.
Artemis gave him a stern look, and then explained. "Council meeting. Called by Zeus, no less. Probably about what I told you last night, so you and Alex should probably come too."
The boys nodded and went over to her, Percy still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
She flashed them all up to Olympus' throne room, but as soon as they appeared, Percy was yanked away.
"YOU!"
