Percy POV:

"Lil sis!" Apollo grinned, his teeth as white as the sun's glare. "You never call, you never write! I was getting worried about you!"

Artemis groaned and attempted to turn her away, but I kept her still by grabbing her shoulder.

"Come on, Arty, give your bro a hug!" I whispered to her. "Do it and I'll stop calling you Arty."

The goddess shot me a death glare, which only made my smirk become even more annoying, then huffed, realizing that her wolf stare was ineffective against me. And much to everyone's surprise, particularly Apollo's, Artemis wrapped her brother in an awkward one handed hug that left said sun god frozen, despite the heat rolling off the car.

"There." Artemis stared at me, as if waiting for my approval.

"Good job, Moonbeam!" I grinned, giving her a thumbs up. "I knew you could do it!"

"You said you would stop calling me nicknames!" Artemis shrieked, pulling her bow and nocking an arrow. Apollo saw this and snapped out of his stupor, grabbing Artemis' arms and knocking her bow aside.

"Whoa, sis! Chill! We don't shoot demigods with our godly weapons!" The sun god's smile was panicky, not knowing that I could've survived the shot just fine.

Artemis fought furiously like a little girl, which I mean, she was a little girl, but the whole scene just looked like a big brother trying to calm his little sister down after some guy ripped her stuff animal apart. I couldn't help but burst out laughing, smacking the ground as I attempted to control myself.

"You, Riptide, are one very strange person," Atalanta sighed beside me. "How do you get away with this sort of behavior? I'm jealous."

I looked up. "I'll show you the ropes someday. It really just comes down to sarcasm."

Apollo finally got Artemis under control. He looked up and saw us finally, as well as the Hunters who looked slightly confused at how their mistress was acting in such a way. Bianca had facepalmed, and Zoe was lasering me with her gaze again.

"So, Sis? What did you call me for? You got the girls here I see. You all need some tips on archery?" Apollo asked.

Artemis visibly gritted her teeth, patting herself down. She seemed annoyed both by Apollo's and my antics, and looked as she were gonna go ham on us at any point. "Apollo, I need a favor. I'm going to do some hunting, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."

"Sure sis!" Apollo raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."

The Hunters all groaned, while Atalanta and the others just looked sort of bewildered. I facepalmed. "Oh boy, I've forgotten about that."

The sun god cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.

Green grass breaks through the snow.

Artemis pleads for my help.

I am so cool.

He stopped, waiting for an applause.

"The last line was only four syllables," Artemis said.

"Was it?" Apollo frowned, rethinking his lines.

"How about, I am so big-headed?" Artemis suggested, rolling her eyes

"No, that's six syllables." Apollo shook his head.

"Yo Mr. Solar Panel!" I called out, grabbing his attention immediately while hearing several more groans. "How about I am so awesome?"

Apollo counted the syllables in his head and grinned. "You're a genius! Haha, finally someone understands the power of the haiku!" We traded high fives and made a secret handshake, once again making our surrounding audience shake their heads in despair.

"Idiot number 1 meets idiot number 2," Artemis muttered. "It was all inevitable."

"What a moron." Atalanta deadpanned.

"How is Artemis related to him?" Zoe sighed.

Everyone else just blinked dumbfoundedly, not quite sure how else to make of the situation, given that all their leaders were just as bemused.

"Now sis, transportation for the Hunters you say? Good timing. I was about ready to roll."

"These demigods also need a ride." Artemis gestured to Atalanta's group. "As well as this moron over here."

"No problem," Apollo said cheerfully, moving up to peer more closely at us. "I met my haiku bro here, uh...what's your name?"

"I go by Riptide as of now," I replied.

"Nice." The god nodded. He stepped in front of Thalia. "Thalia right? I've heard a lot about you."

Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo."

"Zeus' girl yes? Makes you my half sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time–"

"Brother," Artemis interrupted. "You should get going."

I snickered. "Wouldn't it be funny if Thalia ever got a pine splinter?"

Thalia whirled on me and delivered a bolt into my back, making me stand up straight suddenly in pain. "Okay, too far. Got it."

Atalanta couldn't help but giggle. "Riptide, shut up if you want to live."

"Good idea."

Apollo turned his attention to Atalanta, who felt like shrinking a bit under his intense gaze.

"Atalanta Jackson?"

"Yeah, I mean... yes, sir." Atalanta said nervously.

I chuckled, remembering the strange feeling of calling a god in the form of a teen sir. I mean, I could call them by name now cause I had fancy gear, but back when I was a shrimp, I was more concerned about not getting vaporized, even by accident.

Apollo studied Atalanta for a moment, then turned away. "Well, we better load up, huh? Ride goes one way, west. You miss it, you miss it."

Nico looked at the Maserati. "Uh... Lord Apollo, that's a cool car and all, but how are we all gonna fit?"

I grinned, opening my mouth to crack an Antman joke before Artemis changed into her 18 year old form, slapping a hand over my mouth, effectively shutting me up. Thalia herself had pointed her hand in the shape of a finger gun which buzzed with warning sparks, making me highly rethink my actions. I shut my mouth and sulked, while Artemis and Thalia exchanged satisfied and evil smirks.

Apollo looked at me weirdly before turning to Nico. "Well yah, I hate to change out of sports care mode, but I suppose..." He clicked his car keys, making two beep sounds before the car transformed in a swirl of light, reappearing as Turtle Top shuttle bus usually seen in front of stadiums for teams and stuff.

"Right, everybody in." Apollo said.

Zoe ordered the Hunters to start loading. She picked up her camping pack and Apollo approached her. "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that."

Zoe recoiled, her gaze flashing murderously, though her free hand seemed to be moving towards Apollo's face, as if she were really considering my dare from earlier.

"You can do it Zoe!" I cheered, making her shove the bag into Apollo's hands and pull out her bow, instantly making me bolt from Artemis' grasp.

Apollo stood frozen again, even more so when Artemis joined the chase. He took his shades off and rubbed each lens with his shirt before putting them back on. "What the heck am I watching?"

Atalanta patted his arm as she dropped her bag into the loading zone underneath. "Don't worry too much about it. Riptide has a unique personality and strange skill that makes it easy for him to piss those two off. He's already done it like ten times now in the last couple hours."

Apollo couldn't anything but nod dumbly, and instead of continuing to flirt or talk to the Hunters, he sort of just sat behind the wheel in deep thought. He was brought out of his thoughts when Zoe and Artemis returned back to the bus, dragging my beaten body back with them.

"Zoe, make sure Riptide doesn't leave his seat the whole ride." Artemis ordered.

I chuckled weakly, my face red from running around so much. "You got me this time Moonbeam and Moonbeam Junior–ACCCKKK!"

"If he gets too annoying, gag him." Artemis continued.

"Kinky." I muttered. "Didn't know you were into that sort of thing."

"SHUT UP!" Zoe, Artemis, and Thalia strangely, yelled.

Atalanta giggled, Bianca giggled, then both burst into uncontrollable laughter. Grover and Nico were looking at each other in total confusion, probably the most lost out of everyone on the bus besides Apollo himself.

"You know, as the sun, I tend to find out a ton of things, I know all, I see all." Apollo began. "But this, this behavior from the top two members of the Hunters? Unbelievable."

I didn't speak but shot him a thumbs up, moments before Zoe strapped me into a chair in the back.

"Huh, bondage too? Y'all eternal virgins are weird." I chuckled, earning me a slap in the face, thank you Zoe.

"Thou think thee is funny?" She was two inches from breaking down and whaling on me, but I couldn't resist the temptation.

"I am funny." I replied, making the girl speechless.

"Alright, kiddos, calm down," Apollo announced from the front. "Due to slight unseen complications, the sun is running a little bit behind on schedule. So, we're going to solve this problem by installing us a proper driver. Any of y'all wanna drive the bus? And sorry Riptide, you're not allowed, since you know, haiku bros aren't doing no work today."

I groaned, knowing what was coming. "Everyone, I suggest you get those puke bags ready for whoever's gonna drive the bus."

Everyone ignored me, which I expected. The moment Artemis set off, Nico began asking Apollo whether or not the bus really was the sun or not, and Apollo went teacher mode and began telling the young boy a brief explanation, which of course, Nico didn't understand whatsoever.

"So, makes sense?" Apollo finished.

"Nope." Nico grinned, bouncing on the driver's seat. "Can I drive?"

"No, too young."

"Oo, Oo!" Grover stood up, his hand waving wildly.

"Mm... no," Apollo shook his head. "Too furry." He looked past Atalanta and stared at Thalia.

"Daughter of Zeus!" Apollo grinned. "Lord of the Sky. Perfect!"

"Oh, no." Thalia shook her head. "No thanks."

Atalanta nudged Thalia. "Come on Thals, it's perfect for you."

I put my head down to cover my laugh, remembering Thalia's ironic fear of heights. Zoe looked at me and I waved her off.

"C'mon, how old are you?" Apollo asked.

Thalia hesitated. "I-I don't know."

Apollo tapped a finger to his lips. "You're 15, almost 16. And before you ask how I know, I'm the god of the prophecy remember? I know stuff."

Atalanta turned in her chair to stare at me. "You a god of prophecy too?" She mouthed.

I shook my head and sighed. "Shut up."

My female doppelgänger giggled and turned back around.

"Anyway, that means you are old enough to drive with a learner's permit!" Apollo concluded.

"Uh..." Thalia tried to inch away, but Apollo wasn't taking no for an answer. He flipped a switch on the dashboard that flapped a sign on on the back of the bus, stating "Student Driver."

"Take it away, darling! You're gonna be a natural!" Apollo encouraged.

Clearly, he was going to eat his words soon. The moment we took off, I think the god may have heavily regretted his decision.

"Speed equals heat," He attempted to advise. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got a good altitude before you really open her up."

I glanced outside, watching the world burn beneath us. Thalia's hands were white as she clenched the wheel, and when she suddenly jerked left, half of us slammed into the windows.

"Ooooof!" Grover gasped.

"Sorry goat-boy!" Thalia grimaced, her eyes alight with fear.

"Hey Thals, you missed half a forest back there. Wanna go back and toast them?" I called out, before Zoe pulled me back down into my seat.

"Please shut up," The lieutenant leaned close to me, her eyes glittering with annoyance. "This is already bad enough. If thou stand up again, I'm gonna–"

"Castrate me, yah I know." I deadpanned. "You're gonna stab my defining male appendage and yeet it out the window, never to be seen again."

Zoe stared at me. "What is 'yeet'?"

I stared back. "How do you not... oh wait, you're kind of old. Uh... it's a verb, wait you know what a verb is right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so it's a more modern slang word for the word throw, or chuck. But it can also be used as an exclamation."

"So... if thou don't shut up, I'll yeet thee out this bus."

"Yah, you used it right. Uh... please don't throw me off the bus. Also aren't you a bit close?"

Zoe realized her position and backed off, her cheeks pinker than usual. The surrounding hunters, the younger ones especially, were giggling about the break in Zoe's usually stoic expression. The lieutenant didn't say another word and instead distracted herself by mindlessly stroking her bow.

Meanwhile, Thalia was still cooking the upper tail of the United States with excellent skill. I knew from past experience how much Thalia had actually barbecued, so I didn't actually need to look outside the window to see what was going on.

Apollo began sounding slightly worried now. Though his face didn't show it, his voice was tight. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."

Thalia took that too seriously and pitched the bus into a nosedive, making us speed towards the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles per hour, the New England coastline off to our right.

"Woohoo!" I yelled insanely, enjoying the rush.

"She's good isn't she?" Apollo grinned at me.

"YOU'RE BOTH PSYCHOS!" The whole bus yelled.

"No worries." Apollo assured, though he looked plenty worried. "She just needs to learn how to – WHOA!"

I chuckled. Thalia must have hit her finishing touch, setting a whole town's worth of roofs on fire. It's like when you fly around in Minecraft creative mode pouring buckets of lava on top of each villager's house. Except obviously, the bus isn't pouring lava.

"Pull up!" Atalanta yelped.

"There!" Apollo pointed. "Long Island dead ahead! Let's slow down dear. Dead is only an expression."

Thalia was white as she steered the bus towards camp. I briefly wondered two things in my head. What was Artemis making of this? And what about the campers watching the bus come in? They must be freaking terrified. The campers, at least.

"I'm under control." Thalia muttered repeatedly. "I'm under control."

Thousands of yards became hundreds, and hundreds became tens of yards.

"BRAKE!" Atalanta, Grover, and Annabeth screamed, making Thalia slam the pedal.

FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

The bus pitched and spun at an awkward 45 degree angle, smashing horizontally into the canoe lake, sending several frightened and surprised naiads flying straight out of the lake. One even had the gall to point the middle finger, making me break down into more laughter, as I never imagined the naiads being capable of doing that.

The bus bobbed on the lake's surface, accompanying a few well charred canoes that we were gonna need to renew.

"Well," Apollo smiled weakly, his face putting up a brave look. "That was fun! I told you she's got it. Now, let us go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"

Moments ago...

Artemis felt the weather change dramatically and stared up into the sky. What she saw horrified her. The sun was jerking around, nosediving, twisting weirdly, and shooting up like a rocket, setting the sky and the land on fire. For a moment, she was worried. Then she realized, she couldn't really do anything about it.

"Goddamn it, Apollo!" She raged. "Riptide! You and my stupid brother better not be up to any shenanigans!"

§§§§§

As everyone disembarked, I took the time to scan the entirety of the camp. Back in my world, the camp structure had been drastically different, given the Romans and Greek forces combining after the war. For one thing, we had way more cabins, a couple of extra forges for Tiber metal here and there, a temple designed by Annabeth that worshipped a different deity every day, and an expanded fighting/training ring. I myself had become a swordfighting instructor, before being enlisted as a monster hunter. It was strange to be standing back in the old camp, in the days before the Titan War, before the Giant War, before meeting the Romans and stuff. I rubbed my left upper arm nervously. I'd forgotten about the tattoo I got in New Rome for my years of service. I'll need to hide it in front of Chiron.

"Whoa, is that a climbing wall?" Nico asked.

"Yeah," Atalanta replied before I could. I shut my mouth. I wasn't supposed to know about the camp after all.

"Why is there lava pouring down it?" I asked instead.

"Little extra challenge," Atalanta said. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Chiron. Zoe, do you–?"

Zoe cut her off. "Yes, I know Chiron." She said stiffly. "Tell him we will be in Cabin 8. Hunters, follow me."

Grover offered to lead the way, Zoe turned him down, but Grover wouldn't give up. He ended up following them, missing Zoe's eye roll.

"She's cold." Atalanta said. "Riptide, what did you do to annoy her this time?"

"I didn't do anything this time!" I said. "Plus, Zoe's always like that. Cold on the outside, but warm and comfy inside."

"You're weird." Atalanta stared at me. "I'm sure you have a crush on her."

Bianca followed the Hunters, whispering something in her brother's ear that made him scowl. She left, and the son of Hades approached Atalanta and I, glancing back at Annabeth, who was smacking Thalia's back in attempt to help her retch.

"Take care, sweetheart!" Apollo called after Thalia. He winked at Atalanta. "Watch out for those prophecies, Atalanta. I'll see you soon!"

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, he gave Thalia a wicked grin, like he knew something that she didn't. "Later Thalia," he called. "Be good!" Apollo then jumped back into the bus, the vehicle morphing back into the Maserati mid jump. He blasted out of the lake, leaving the water steaming in his wake.

Nico looked really grumpy, and Atalanta put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"Who's Chiron?" He said. "I don't have his figurine."

"Our activities director," Atalanta explained. "He's well... you'll see."

"If the Hunter girls don't like him, that's good enough for me. Let's go." Nico grumbled.

We continued on towards the Big House. I wasn't as surprised by the emptiness of the camp this time. I was more nostalgic, seeing people who had been dead for years suddenly living life again. There was Charles Beckendorf, the Hephaestus legend before Leo Valdez came. Maybe this time, the two could meet up together and crank out all sorts of crazy inventions. I mean, Leo tamed the bronze dragon guardian Beckendorf had been working on and named it Festus, so I think they would become best buds.

The absence of Clarisse didn't confuse either. I knew what she was doing this time. Chiron had sent her to explore the Labyrinth, a crazy maze underneath the world that led to everywhere and anywhere, created by Daedalus himself. I shuddered. That summer hadn't been fun at all. It wasn't good for my body, or my heart.

The falling snow calmed me as I drew strength from the air, my heart still pounding after Thalia's horrendous performance. I was shocked everyone managed to keep their stomachs inside their bodies, given the tumbling we experienced. The Big House was up ahead, decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. Inside, flames crackled in the hearth. The air smelled like hot chocolate. Mr. D, or Wine King D, as one of the Demeter kids had dubbed him as after a party one night, was playing a quiet game of cards with Chiron in the parlor.

Chiron looked younger, despite his shaggier brown beard. The wars hadn't happened yet, thankfully not shaving off more years of his life. He looked brighter than the retired old man back in my world. I smiled warmly, unable to stop the feeling from resonating inside of my chest. Coming back to camp was risky, as it could help expose my true identity, but I couldn't not come here, not matter what.

Chiron smiled when he saw us. "Atalanta. Thalia! Ah, and this must be–"

"Nico di Angelo," Atalanta said. "He and his sister are half-bloods."

Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded then."

"Yep," Atalanta said. "But..."

"What's wrong?" Chiron asked.

"We brought along another passenger," Atalanta said, gesturing to me.

Chiron stared at me, his ancient eyes taking in my build, my face, and my eyes. "My goodness, you look almost like an older male carbon copy version of Atalanta here."

I grinned sheepishly. "Yah, I've been told that a lot. My name's Riptide by the way."

Chiron's gaze darkened for a split second, but was quickly hidden by a welcoming smile. "I'm Chiron, the de facto camp trainer here."

I nodded and extended my hand for a shake. "The centaur who trained the greatest heroes of all time, right?"

"Am I right to assume that you are a half-blood?" Chiron asked.

"We don't know what he is." Atalanta piped in. "He charged into our fight against the manticore with this armor suit I've never seen before, beat the manticore in two seconds, and can control snow."

"Really?"

I nodded again. "Yah, I forgot to say. I'm a son of Poseiden, which is why I can control snow. As for my suit of armor, I cannot let you know much about it I'm afraid."

Chiron's eyes widened. "A son of Poseiden? How can that be?"

"Sorry, sir, but I can't reveal that reason either." I said.

"Why not?" Dionysus popped in. "What is so secret about your armor that you cannot even show us?"

"Look, Wine Dude, you can't just go demanding knowledge from strangers even if you are an immortal. Step down from your high horse, before I knock you off of it." I scowled. My armor would protect me from his magic and abilities, and my mind was defended by an invisible magic band in my hair that Hecate herself charmed specifically to handle mental attacks. Dionysus' eyes flared dark purple as he attempted to threaten me, but I stood unfazed completely.

"Sorry, but that doesn't work on me," I chuckled humorlessly. "Don't you know it's rude to try to look into people's heads?"

"Chiron, I'm no longer in the mood to play." The man stormed off. "That brat is pissing me off."

Chiron sighed and I felt a bit bad for angering Dionysus. "Was that really necessary?"

I shrugged. "All the gods act like they are the universe's gift to the world. Regardless whether he wants to be here or not, he should treat demigods with the same level of respect as we treat them. Respect is earned, not given. Everyone knows that."

The centaur looked up at the sky. "The others may not be so indifferent about your behavior."

I nodded in understanding.

Just then, Grover came charging onto the porch, grinning like crazy. He was sporting a black eye and had red marks on his face that looked like a slap mark. "The Hunters have all moved in!"

"The Hunters huh?" Chiron glanced up. "I see that we have much to talk about. First though, Grover, could you show Nico the orientation film?"

"But...oh, right. Sure." Grover agreed.

"Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it rated G or PG? Cause Bianca's kinda strict–"

"It's PG-13." Grover explained.

"Heck yes!" Nico followed Grover into the Big House excitedly.

"Now," Chiron looked back at the girls and I. "Perhaps you can fill me in on exactly what happened."

I shook my head. "If you want to talk to them about the quest, go ahead. But any information about me has to be discussed in private."

"Why?" Atalanta asked.

"Some things are still better left alone," I found myself saying. "That, and you're in no way prepared for the stuff that I've seen and experienced."

"Fine," Atalanta pouted. "But can you tell me one day?"

I stared down at my female self from this alternate reality. I probably should tell her the truth at some point. "Yah, I'll tell you some day."

"Then, how about this," Chiron gestured. "Annabeth, why don't you take Riptide here on a tour of the camp. I'll talk to Thalia and Atalanta and wait for Nico and Grover to finish."

"Sure, Chiron." Annabeth replied. She jumped off the porch and beckoned to me, so similar to when I first came into camp. I couldn't help but observe her, the honey blonde hair and startling focused gray eyes the girl had bringing many bittersweet memories to the forefront of my mind.

"Hey, Riptide? You alright?" Annabeth asked.

"I'm fine." I assured her, realizing that I had been staring at her strangely for a couple of seconds. "It's just that... you reminded me of someone else I know."

Annabeth nodded and began pointing out the various locations in the camp. I listened with half an ear, since I already knew the layout of the camp. Instead, I focused on pushing memories of Annabeth back into the deep recesses of my mind. I had stopped dating her a long time ago. Plus, I was at least 10 years older than her in this world, thinking about the girl in such a way was inappropriate.

"Riptide, are you even listening?" Annabeth asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. Her eyes were filled with slight annoyance.

I waved her off. "Sorry, but I'm really distracted by my thoughts. Could you leave me alone for a while?"

Annabeth huffed. "Fine, just don't go in there without a weapon." She pointed to the woods. "And you know how to get back to the Big House right?"

I nodded, making the blonde girl scamper off. I sighed and headed towards the arena, which was silent, due to Clarisse's absence. I took off my backpack and folded my shirt over the top, leaving me bare-chested. I wrapped my hands in two layers of bandages before I started whaling on the punching bags in the arena, jabbing and punching the worn cloth until I blasted a hole in the leather. I didn't stop, instead just turning to another bag and proceeding to beat the shit out of that one too. Once I felt that I had warmed up enough, I grabbed the knives from my belt and began slicing and slashing with them, creating water construct dummies for me to practice on. Ever since I trained under Artemis, I had gotten fond of using hunting knives and bows, despite my lack of skill with either set of weapons beforehand. Soon, I had programmed at least 20 water construct dummies to charge at me, all programmed to fight like an angry Ares cabin, which believe me, in my world, was a group of monsters that made Titans wet themselves. I hardly touched the floor for more than a couple seconds, my legs dancing with a strange grace I only felt in the heat of battle. When I hit my fighting rhythm, I exchanged my right hand blade for my shurikens, and blindfolded myself, using my other senses alone to continue beating my training program. Half an hour passed and I was sweating buckets, which drained fast with a single thought. It was then that I realized that I had a single spectator.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my blindfold still on. I sheathed my knives and dissolved my shurikens in water droplets that returned to my bag. I walked perfectly back to my bag and grabbed the bottle of water on the side.

"I was out to clear my thoughts," Zoe replied flatly. "And I figured I'd come here to do even more so."

I made the blindfold dissolve, allowing me to see the huntress sitting on the bleacher near my pack. "You're here to let loose?"

"Yes. But I see that thou are here, so I'll come another time." Zoe said, getting up from her seat.

I grabbed her arm. She glared at me, so I let got quickly. "You want to let loose? I'm free right now. You want to spar?"

Zoe relaxed. "Are thou sure thee can handle it?"

I chuckled. "I never got to train with you as my opponent. I got plenty of fights against Thalia, and Phoebe even, but not you. And believe me, I've heard enough stories from the Hunt to know how good you are at what you do."

Zoe grinned slyly. "Prepare to get thy butt kicked, Perseus."

I turned wordlessly and gestured to the arena, vanishing my water construct dummies. I redressed my bandages on my hands. "So, what'll it be? First to 3?"

"If one disarms the other, or one yields, the match ends." Zoe stated, tying her hair into a ponytail. She checked her quiver and adjusted her belt. "Are thou going to stay shirtless?"

I nodded, grinning mischievously. "Armor and clothes restrict my movement. What, is this bod too distracting for you?"

"In thy dreams," Zoe shot back. "Prepare to lose."

"Whatever you say, night princess." I smirked, taking the basic Hunter's stance, a single knife spinning in my right hand.

Zoe's eyes narrowed as she attempted to judge what I was going to do first. I had taken the first leap, darting towards her and slashing up, making her jump backwards in surprise.

"Thou is fast." Zoe noticed, her bow nocked. She fired an arrow at my feet, which exploded into some sort of grapple. I sliced the arrow in half and shot towards the hunter again, manipulating the water in the air into a ball that I smacked her in the face with. She sputtered in surprise but smirked, recognizing my acceptance to play dirty, and fired three consecutive arrows, one of them grazing my skin. I couldn't get close enough to engage her into a knife fight, so I summoned my own bow to me and instantly fired a Tiber metal arrow that whisked past Zoe's bow arm, the weakening effects making her arm shake momentarily.

"What was that?!" She cried. I used her moment of distraction to boost myself towards her, delivering a straight into her sternum, knocking the girl backwards. She recoiled quickly, swiping at me with her dagger with which I intercepted with my own, a giddy grin dominating my face.

"Sorry, night princess," I chuckled. "You're gonna need to try a lot harder than that."

I spun behind her and raised a hunting knife, ready to bring the lieutenant down before an arrow zoomed past my face, making me jump back.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" A white haired girl about Zoe's physical appearance age, so 18, yelled out, her bow nocked with another silver arrow. "Get away from her!"

I leapt backwards and threw my hands up. "Calm down. We were just sparring!"

Zoe coughed behind me, massaging her chest. I held out a hand to help her up but another arrow was fired, making me snatch my hand away. I glared at the white haired Hunter. "Geezus christ, I'm trying to help her. What's your freaking problem?"

"Like I believe a single word you say, you filthy male!"

"Oh right," I muttered. "All Hunters hate guys. Forgot about that part."

"Shut up, Perseus," Zoe groaned, holding her head. "You're making my head spin."

"Yo, are you alright?" I asked, kneeling down and dodged the other two arrows that came my way. "Hey, stop shooting at me! I'm not going to rape her, alright?!" I was getting really frustrated with this girl, and I didn't even do anything yet.

"Perseus, I feel weak." Zoe muttered. "My arm..."

"Shit." I murmured. "Hey, hang in there for a little longer." My mind whirled. It was probably the Tiber metal that got her into this state. Though we were able to test the metal's effects on demigods, nymphs, monsters, and gods, we never got to experiment the effects of the metal on titans or half titans. Zoe's body clearly wasn't taking the quick encounter with the metal very well, showing the familiar signs of fatigue and dizziness that most younger demigods felt when exposed to the metal.

"Hey, what's your name?" I called out to the white haired hunter, who continued to look at me distastefully. "Oh come on, stop being such a dick and just tell me. I'm not going to hurt you or do whatever you think I'm going to do."

"Lydia." The girl spat out.

"See? Not that hard." I deadpanned. "Look, I'm gonna carry her on my back okay? She's in no shape to walk, not like this."

The hunter named Lydia kept her bow trained on me the whole time as I lifted Zoe onto my back, draping her arms over my shoulders and resting her head against my neck. I made the snow spin around us faster to increase air temperature, melting the ice to create a warm cloud of air.

"Alright, so uh... I'm gonna bring her to the infirmary–"

"No, bring her to Cabin 8." Lydia choked out, as if talking to me was a freaking crime.

I sighed. There was little I could use to argue, since Tiber metal wasn't supposed to exist. I made a grabbing gesture in the air and summoned my pack, which collected together my shirt, water bottle and weapons all at once. I also grabbed Zoe's weapons, at least, the bow that she had dropped.

I dunno how she managed it, but Lydia kept her bow trained on me even as we made our way to Cabin 8. When we reached the entrance, she held her arms our but kept her body six feet away from me, like I had some deadly virus.

"Give me her," Lydia growled.

I shook my head. "Um... no? Look, Zoe's out like this because of something from my world okay? I need to make sure she's alright."

"Bullshit." Lydia stated. "Besides, males aren't allowed in the Artemis cabin."

"Fine, let's ask Artemis then." I suggested.

"She's on a mission!" Lydia's face broke into panic. "Don't disturb her!"

"Then let me in," I said seriously. "I just need to make sure she's alright. Then I'll leave. I swear on the Styx."

Thunder boomed, signaling my promise. Lydia frowned, growled, and threw a mini fit. I sort of just stood there and let her stew for a couple seconds. "Now can we go in, since you don't trust the infirmary?"

Lydia thrust open the door, revealing that every Hunter was staring our direction, bows out.

"Fuck." I groaned, Zoe practically falling asleep on me. "This is gonna be painful."

Every single virgin male-hating huntress took in the scene. Their lieutenant, in a literal coma on a male's back. Said male was bare chested, and standing at their doorway.

Lydia grinned evilly. "Give me her, otherwise, you're dead."

I growled and turned on Lydia. "Look, what part of I-want-to-help-her, do you not freaking understand?! You've been hounding me with accusations since you found me, even when I promised on the Styx. What is freaking wrong with wanting to help?"

"You're male–!"

"Bullshit!" I said flatly. "Now, since you don't trust the fucking infirmary or anyone else, let me into this hellhole that I didn't ask to go into in the first place, take care of Zoe's problem, and then I'll get out of your hair. Kay?"

The girls parted and allowed me to lay Zoe on one of the beds, though their bows remained trained on me. I ignored the gasps when some of them saw the scars that sliced across my back and arms. I continued to ignore the hunters as I examined Zoe's arm, the one that my arrow had scratched. A small bit of unique fairy dust (Haha no, Leo made it to identify traces of Tiber metal ingredients) proved that Zoe indeed had a few specks of Tiber metal, which I slowly removed with my powers. Once I cleared away any Tiber metal remnants, Zoe visibly relaxed in her sleep.

"Okay," I sighed in relief. "She's alright."

"Now get out," Lydia ordered.

I raised my hands. "Okay. I keep my promises. Just calm your asses down, I'm not going to hurt you in any way."

The moment I left the cabin, I exhaled multiple times. "Goddamn biased sexist male-hating girls. Not even a thank you. Just, get out. Who do they think guys are, fucking pigs with no brains? What is Artemis teaching them?" I shook my head. I shouldn't have played so closely with Zoe. Being close to a Hunter is just asking for trouble for both parties. From now on, I'll keep my distance.

I stumbled back towards the Big House rather exhausted. Chiron saw me come in and stared at me in concern.

"Riptide, what happened to you?"

"I was sparring in the arena with Miss Nightshade," I said. "Got involved with a little scuffle between the Hunters and welp, this is how it turned out."

"Do you have time to talk?" Chiron's voice became grave, his eyes glowing as if he knew something.

"About what?" I asked.

"About you," Chiron said, gesturing to his office. "You wouldn't mind, would you?"

I shook my head. I had been wanting to tell someone everything for a while now. And if there was anyone I could wholly trust, it was Chiron, my teacher and mentor for my entire life.

"Sure Chiron, just let me shower first. Then, let's talk."

A/N:

Yo! How's everyone doing so far? I'm glad for everyone's support, seriously. If you're happy, then I'm happy. Cause you know, that's what an author's job is right? They write literature that other people enjoy reading.

In this story, I'm following the main framework of the book, that is, by chapter as the book is published. I might combine more chapters together in the future, but it really depends on the scene.

Peace out, you legends!

- Zayden Shade