Hey Guys! Its Zi back again and I am honestly overwhelmed by the support you guys have shown me for this fic. This chapter was edited by Darkgamer08. He helped me a lot with stuff and ideas. He has some really good works, including the story 'The Son Of Thor'. I highly suggest you check his profile out. Also I am going to put up a poll on my profile regarding the pairing of this fic. Please do check it out. Let's get on to the story!

Disclaimer: I do NOT OWN Percy Jackson Series or Heroes of Olympus Series. If I did, Percy would be an Olympian and married to Artemis with triplets on the way.

Caution: Use of swear words and rated T just to be safe.

PS: If you find any grammar mistakes or corrections please let me know. English is my second language, so I may tend to make some mistakes. This is also my first time writing anything other than exams and assignments so please do leave suggestions to improve my writing style.

Enjoy

"Life tried to crush him, but only succeeded in making a diamond."

-John Green.

Chapter 1

Rays of mellow sunlight filtered through the verdurous canopy, penetrating through the leaves and casting an unearthly greenish golden luminescence over the ground. There stood a young man, his arm extended, drawing back the thin string and placing the arrow with level to his ear. His mechanical eye zoomed in onto the target. The man grasped the arrow end tightly within his fist and aligned the arrow directly to his eyesight. He marked the target with his thumb and positioned the pointed head touching his thumb. His muscular arms flexed as he stretched back the string and took aim. He calculated the wind speed and the weight of the arrow so that external forces wouldn't affect its destination. The man released the arrow and watched as the arrow hit the deer in its leg.

Orion wiped his forehead and grinned. Another prey down. He walked forward to where the deer was laying injured and took his knife to make quick work of it. Orion began humming softly as he started skinning the dead deer. He prided himself as one of the best hunters the world had ever seen.

What he didn't know was that The Hunter was now about to be hunted.

Orion was unstringing his bow when a bright flash of light interrupted the cool serenity of the forest. Orion grinned ferally as the scent of jasmine invaded his nostrils. He quickly turned around just as the light died out.

There stood a beautiful young maiden. Orion licked his lips, as he stared at her with unbridled lust. Her sleek auburn hair, which went till her shoulders, were flushed in sunlight. Her silver eyes glowed with excitement and happiness but one could also see a hint of remorse hidden deep within those orbs. She had an hourglass figure that women would die for. She was Artemis, the tenth Olympian and the Goddess of the moon, wild animals, chastity, childbirth and the patron of the hunt

Orion's ogling was cut off by Artemis's voice. She exclaimed, "I am finally free from that bastard, my dear Orion. I got my marriage annulled. Now we can be together forever."

If either of them were paying attention to their surroundings instead of being too overjoyed by the news, they could have heard a soft audible gasp. So much for being the best hunter.

Orion was over the moon. He had finally got free of that stupid godly brother of his. If that fool hadn't interrupted with his plans, he could have had his way with Artemis a long time ago.

"Wonderful." Orion grinned as he attacked Artemis's lips with his own. He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. Artemis was confused to why Orion was behaving so aggressively but she still kissed him back. A clicking sound made it to her ears but she paid it no heed. Orion suddenly pushed her back to the ground.

"Wha-" Artemis started when suddenly she felt her hands to be restrained. She was locked up into power suppressing handcuffs. She was shocked. "Who did-" Her thoughts were interrupted by a nasty laugh. She turned to see Orion grinning at her, his eyes running up and down her body in a manner that disgusted her.

"Orion, what are you doing?" Artemis asked fearfully.

"You know Artemis, I have always wanted to have you. But that stupid husband of yours was getting in my ways foiling my plans. You were always in his shadows. But now that the fucker is gone, I can enjoy you all by myself. To my heart's content."

Pure horror made its way onto Artemis's face. She tried to move but the handcuffs made it almost impossible to do so.

"What happened Artemis? Aren't you happy that you got rid of your husband? Didn't you hate him for what he did? Oh wait. Before I take your virginity, I have a confession to make. My half-brother was innocent. That's right, Artemis. It was me who killed that girl and it's gonna pale in comparison with what I am about to do to you..." Orion said hovering over her, fumbling with his armour straps.

Tears began to leak out of Artemis's eyes at this point. She closed her eyes hoping that someone could come and rescue her.

Suddenly she heard a thunk sound. She opened her eyes to see Orion on his knees with a turquoise-coloured trident sticking out of his chest.

She started looking around hoping to see Poseidon or Perseus even. But she was completely surprised by the face that greeted her.

There stood the ambassador of the Seas and second Born to Poseidon and Amphitrite, Triton. His muscular chest was bare as he stood with his hands outstretched. The trident lifted up along with Orion's body as it zoomed right to Triton's hand. He kicked at Orion's bloody body and heaved the trident off his chest.

"That's for my big brother, you asshole." He said as he plunged the trident deep into his neck.

The hunter was dead within moments.

Triton turned his sharp gaze at the fallen goddess. He said, "My elder brother was always protective of you. He didn't trust Orion so he asked me to keep an eye on him. But he did trust you Artemis. And you broke that trust. I have known about your dates and kisses but I didn't say anything to Percy because I knew it would break him. And now seeing that you dishonoured a maiden's life, used her death selfishly for you to escape from my brother to the arms of this murderer, I was half tempted to let Orion finish the deed and then kill him. But Percy wouldn't like it. After all you did to him, he wouldn't want this for you. I always wanted to kill that bastard. He was a mistake made by my father, he admitted it himself. This is my warning, Artemis. Stay away from my brother. He will find someone better than you. I don't want you interfering in his life again. This is the warning of the Ambassador of the Seas.

Triton vanished in green light and Artemis was left behind to pick up the broken pieces of her life.

She knew she had made a horrible mistake. A mistake that she couldn't rectify. She had betrayed the most loyal man for a lying asshole. And to make it worse, her lover was also her ex-husband's half-brother.

She sat there with her head in between her arms as she bawled her eyes out.

Because that was the only thing she could do at this point.

A scar of bright light hung in the pitch black sky. A storm of arrows was buzzing and fizzing through the sky. Swords clanked and clashed as men were blubbering and choking while the battleground got slimy with blood and guts. The ground was tarnished with entrails and a sickly odour emanated from it. A man lay there in the center of the battlefield. Two arrows were lodged into his chest, right below his heart. His broken armour, which was laying beside him was flashing and twinkling like a bright star, but it had no use anymore. The man was bleeding profusely as he coughed and spat out blood. Anyone could see that he was barely fighting death.

But they also knew that death was inevitable. It could be delayed or even fought against, but it always prevailed.

A woman made her way across the battlefield, trying to get to him. Words couldn't describe her beauty as it would do her no justice. What was a gorgeous women like her doing in a gruesome battlefield? In answer, she fought and killed men, firing her arrows with utmost precision, making sure that the projectiles pierced the skulls of her enemies. Gallons worth of blood soaked her face, but she paid it no heed. She ran towards him and kneeled beside him. Laying his head in her lap, the woman started to heal him, trying to save him while cupping his face.

The dying man's sea-green eyes bore into her eyes and he croaked out, "Why Artemis, Why? Why did you do it?"

All signatures of life left his eyes as his head slumped down and his heart stopped beating. The woman, now identified as Artemis, let go of his face and screamed loudly in pure anguish.

"Milady, Milady!" A voice resonated through her head. Artemis' eyes snapped open and she looked around frantically. She was on her bed in her tent, safe and sound. A figure was hovering over her. The female appeared to be tall and graceful. She had beautiful onyx eyes, a slightly upturned nose, copper colored skin and dark hair that gave her the impression of a beautiful Persian princess. She appeared to look indifferent but Artemis could sense a hint of worry hidden in her eyes. This was Zoë Nightshade, Loyal lieutenant of Artemis for over 2000 years.

"Art thou okay, Milady?" Zoë asked her.

Artemis sighed sadly. Ever since that meeting, things hadn't been the same anymore. The gods moved along with the heart of the West. America was now the heart of the Western flame. Humans had advanced highly. Civilizations were razed to ground and a new era rose from the ashes. Things hadn't been the same for her anymore too. She had lost her family, almost got raped, got threatened and much more. It was safe to say that her life was shit. Even after all these years, her relationship with the hunt was strained.

The hunt. Only one of the few good things in her life. Given to her by the very man whom she had betrayed. It was a wedding gift to her from…Perseus. Even the mere mention of his name was enough to bring tears to her eyes. It had been about two millennia since she had last seen him. He had disappeared after that meeting. Ever since that, she often had nightmares that left her in tears. She had been scared to approach him after Triton's warning. When she finally gathered her courage and had gone to see him, he was nowhere to be found. Finally she cornered her brother who straight up refused to even acknowledge her. Finally she got it out of her brother that Perseus had left and he even gave her the same warning that Triton had given her. You could call it a warning, in a vaguely insulting way.

"I am fine, Zoë. Just a nightmare." She waved her hand, dismissing her. Zoë bowed and walked back to the tent flap. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and walked away.

Walked away, Artemis thought. A lot of people had been doing that to her. They walked away from her, away from her life. Artemis couldn't hold back anymore. She sniffled quietly, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Tears welled up from deep inside her soul and coursed down her cheeks. The tears split over and flowed down her face like a flooded dam. Finally after a few minutes if crying, she was able to calm herself. Yet, her heart was still sobbing as she was reminded of that day again and again.

Her life. All that she dreamed of. Her Future. All ruined in a week. The older hunters barely talked to her unless for official purposes. Even when they did, they spoke stoically, not letting out any emotions. Artemis couldn't blame them. Perseus was the one who rescued them all and brought them together. For Her.

It was after this that Artemis had acknowledged all that Perseus had done for her. She made him do chores in the most demeaning ways as possible. He did them. Most Olympians wouldn't even hesitate before insulting her if she treated them that way. He tried to make her happy at all times. He cared for her, treated her well. It was when Artemis realized what she had lost.

She had lost her twin Brother. She had lost her father, her friends. Her relationship with the hunters. Her place in Olympus. All for a bastard who was currently being subjected to the worst tortures that the Fields of Punishment had.

But what was worse was that Artemis missed him. The man whom she had hated before. The man whose heart she had broken. Nay, cracked to pieces. The very man who still loved her after all she had done to him. It just took 2 years for Artemis to realize her greatest folly.

She had lost her love.

She had lost the man that loved her like no other. The man that was always there for her. She had lost the man that was perfect for her.

Artemis recollected a few words from her father's speech during her wedding. 'Perfect for each other'. Even her father could see that. Only she didn't. And when she finally did, it was too late.

She missed his smiles. His goofy attempts to make her laugh. She missed his loving and caring attitude. But most importantly, she missed his presence in her life.

Dreaming about coal, she had lost the diamond.

And she hated herself for it. If only she could have seen it sooner, she would have had a loving husband by her side.

Now after all these years, she held little to no hope of getting him back. She just wished that she could make amends and ask for his forgiveness. Maybe even try this all again. Oh the irony… 2000 years ago, she was trying her best to annul the marriage between her and Percy. Now she wanted to be loved by the same man. What were the odds of that happening? The best she could hope for was his forgiveness.

Tears of pain ran down her cheeks as the sound of wailing and suffering echoed throughout the night.

A hooded figure walked through the busy streets of Time Square. The man walked with pace and elegancy. A combination seen in few. He was 6 foot 2 inch and had a muscular, lean body. He wore a black hoodie with the words 'Manners. Maketh. Man.' written across its back. His eyes were covered with dark shades which had gold markings along the sides. He walked with confidence and had a dangerous aura around him. The man stopped and looked up at the Empire State Building. A true wonder made by man. He wouldn't have thought in his wildest imagination that mankind would have progressed so much in two thousand years.

But what many didn't notice was the golden aura that circled above the Empire State Building. The man smirked as he let down the hood. Raven black hair covered his forehead. He swept them back and took off his shades. Deep green eyes focused on the building as he grinned and exclaimed gleefully,

"I am back HOMEEE."

A/N: So that's it for the first chapter guys. Hope you all enjoyed it. Plus just clearing up something. That Nightmare did not happen in the story. It's just in Artemis's consciousness so that's why he bled red color, because it represents her fear of him leaving her forever, rejecting her when he returns. So that's it. Feel free to review if you guys have any questions and I will do my best to answer them. Byee!

Zi