Third Person POV:

BANG! SCREEEEEEEEEE!

Ethan cringed as he approached the commander's tent, hearing the sounds of energy blasts destroying pretty much everything inside, and most likely incinerating multiple minions in the process. Just yesterday, the demigod had witnessed the immortal erase a line of telkhines by merely waving his hand a random direction. Although many had made brave attempts to calm their resurrected leader down, continuous efforts quickly stopped as more came back as a pile of yellow dust.

Kronos didn't say specifically what caused his rage, but Ethan could guess. The attack on Camp Half Blood two days ago was supposed to be an easy first victory. Getting past the magical barrier, and led by the Cyclops' jailer and a drakon, Ethan could smell victory before they even erupted from the tunnel. Even if that blasted daughter of Poseidon with her crazy control over water was there, there was nothing in camp capable of taking down two Tartarus class beasts.

Of course, despite all that, they were defeated, terror flooding their very bodies as they trampled one another to return back to the safety of the Labyrinth. Both from the horrible ear-rape that came from nowhere, a sound that made Ethan feel as if his innards were decomposing. And from the frightening green demon that sprinted through their ranks, cleaving whole giants in half with barely a glance, and slicing through hordes of hellhounds in just a single stroke. Ethan shuddered at the mere memory. He remembered wondering what the hell the green comet flickering between troops was, before realizing it was an armored individual wielding a glowing green katana. The aura of fear that washed over Ethan's body when the demon turned towards him nearly made him wet himself, and when the figure dashed away to behead a giant several meters to his left, Ethan finally managed to pull himself together, and join the battle once more. He had never imagined to feel a presence that nearly if not perfectly matched the aura of his own immortal master.

And then, right before their forced retreat, Ethan witnessed the most impossible feat he'd ever seen in his life. Their army's second ace, the terrifying drakon that blotted out the sun and untouchable by every possible challenge, was soon challenged by the katana wielding demon from hell. Ethan watched, unable to move as the individual flew from the beast's tail up to its head, slashing a flaming green tower before hovering at the top, then doing something that unleashed a massive shockwave throughout the battlefield that knocked the closest fighters off their feet. And seconds later, Ethan fell on his ass when the drakon collapsed, clearly dead.

KSSSSSH! CRASH!

The dissonance of splintering wood and crumpling metal brought Ethan out of his memories of the battle, and he clambered forward, praying that he didn't step into a blast of power.

"Mi'lord?" Ethan asked tentatively, resisting the urge to step backwards when the enraged Titan turned towards him, his golden eyes of time so angry they strained Luke's sockets. As he predicted, the command tent was rather messy, though most of the furniture had been reduced to mere scorch marks on the ground.

"Ethan," The Titan's voice made the demigod shudder automatically. The Titan may look like the son of Hermes who hosted his soul, but the power inside was able to warp reality itself, and Ethan didn't look forward to being on the receiving end of it. "What are your reports of the battle?"

Ethan swallowed, then stood straight. He relayed everything he'd done, as well as what he witnessed of the battle. When he got to discussing the mysterious green warrior, Ethan found that he couldn't quite speak anymore, as the Titan's angered aura had become so palpable the air became quite suffocating.

"Our spies in camp tell me he's a son of Poseidon," Kronos growled over Ethan's silence. "Tell me, in what world does a son of Poseidon have the ability to wield Greek fire?!"

Ethan's knees crumpled as Kronos' power washed through him and out the camp. Outside, monsters resisted their instinctual urge to flee, as they were quite used to the Titan of Time's tantrums at this point.

"I don't know, mi'lord." Ethan admitted, struggling to stand once more. "Are you certain he's a son of Poseidon?"

"That's what my spies report," Kronos scowled. "Unless they're lying, which of course, would end in their death for defying me." He turned to Ethan once more. "What of our forces?"

Ethan grimaced. "As you know, both Kampê and the drakon were lost in the attack on Camp Half Blood. Following the loss of are main forces last year, we have barely enough to raid even a single tunnel in Manhattan."

Kronos grew incredibly silent, and Ethan wondered whether he should run or not. The Titan's fists clenched up slowly, as if he were imagining wringing the mysterious warrior's neck. His golden eyes glowed bright, nearly as bright as Hyperion's flame.

"I want my armies to be fully prepared by the time of the planned attack." Kronos said coldly. His scythe materialized in his hands, and Ethan backed away in fear. "Use everything within our power to find out who that warrior is. Find who has ties with, who he loves, who he trusts! Find them and kill them!" He paused, letting out a ragged breath. "And continue our attempts with allying with those against the gods. I understand Morpheus has joined us, as well as Hecate and much more. We need more if our armies keep getting annihilated by one person!"

Ethan scrambled to his feet, nodding and rolling out the tent. "Yes, mi'lord!" He tumbled out just before the Titan let out another furious yell, thanking the gods for a moment that he had survived the terrifying ordeal.

§§§§§

Percy POV:

"That blasted, yellow-bellied, son of a dried up sea slug! Damn him and his stupid voice! Perseus, you've got to help me!"

I watched the girl in front of me venting without a care in the world, trying hard not to laugh. Even after all my visits to New Rome, I wasn't quite used to experiencing the non-praetor version of Reyna, who dropped all her seriousness the moment we reached her room. As usual, the girl would rant about everything she disagreed with during whatever meeting she recently had, which included roasting Octavian sky high with a plethora of colorful vocabulary. It was quite impressive really, how she managed to make up a new way to insult the legacy of Apollo.

"Percy, are you laughing?" Reyna stopped pacing, focusing her glare on me.

I chuckled. "Look, I get it alright? Octavian is a prick, but he's exceptionally good at being a smooth talking prick."

Reyna sat down on her bed, sighing. "I know that. It pains me to know that many are clamoring for his promotion to praetorship. I can't let that happen. If he joins, I may as well step down. I have the mind of a warrior, not a talker. Our ideas wouldn't mix well. And if the past has told me anything, compromises with a corpse are more likely than one with Octavian."

I left my position against her wall to sit on her bed with her. "Hey, I know this sucks. You've had to carry this whole legion on your back, day in and day out. It's bound to get frustrating at times." I recalled her moments in the future when she defied her own legion in order to carry a statue of peace from Rome back to here, when she slayed Orion with her iron will and Athena's aid, when she helped to rally the Greeks and Romans together to beat the monsters overrunning Camp. "Even when the whole world might be against you, you always bounce back."

Reyna glanced at me curiously. "Didn't you say you come from an alternate universe?"

"Uh yeah? Why all of a sudden?"

"I assume we have a relationship in your world?" Reyna asked.

I shrugged. "We do. Though, not as... close I suppose I should say. The first time we met, I had my memories wiped and forgot that you had been one of Circe's handmaidens, which led to you burning holes in my face every time you stared at me."

Reyna smirked. "Well, that was completely your fault. My sis–" She cut off, coughed, then continued. "I was living in heaven on Circe's island and then you... er..."

I laughed. "I guess Atti did the same. Although I question, what exactly led to the burning down of the island in this universe? Cause in my world, Circe turned me into a guinea pig with a strawberry smoothie, threw me in a cage full of pirate-turned-rodents, and gave me nightmares of having to run a hamster wheel for the rest of my life. Atti's a girl, so did you guys give her a makeover or something?"

Reyna nodded. "Circe gave them completely free makeovers and invited them to stay at the island, but Atti insisted that they had a quest to finish... and well, Circe didn't appreciate them leaving without paying."

"Even though she offered it for free." I observed.

Reyna shrugged. "At the time, I thought they were insane. A paradise like Circe's island can be rarely found nowadays. What I would give for a vacation with nothing to worry about. Alas, the price of being a praetor."

I patted her on the head. "Next time I go somewhere fun, I'll be sure to invite you okay?"

Reyna made a face. "So that I can accidentally walk in on you and Zoe making out? No thank you."

I blushed. "Hey, where the heck did that come from?"

Reyna shook her head, cheeks red. "I swear to god, for a pair of supposedly forbidden lovebirds, you really don't care who sees you eating each other's faces off."

"Knock it off!"

"I saw you making out in my room before!" Reyna said incredulously. "Seriously, of all places... "

I put a hand to my forehead and winced. "Oh yeah... sorry about that."

"Sorry?!"

I lifted my head up, smirking at the enraged girl. "Can you blame us though? Your room is nice and quiet, and free of any onlookers. It's perfe–ack!"

A pillow whacked across my head with deadly accuracy, cutting me off. I raised my hand to catch the next one, eyeing Reyna with an amused glance. "So we're throwing temper tantrums now?"

"My room, my space," Reyna growled, tossing her hair back. "Understand?"

I nodded. "Alright, I'm sorry. Won't happen again, I promise. But seriously," I continued. "If you have time the next time we visit somewhere, do you want to come?"

Reyna's eyes were filled with longing, but she turned, making a pained expression. "Perhaps. But... the legion comes first."

"I understand." I stood, patting the dust off my pants and straightening my shirt. "Well, I gotta run now. Unfortunately, I didn't just come here to see you."

Reyna gave me a small smile. "Next time you come, bring food or something."

I chuckled. "Dinner at your place I think."

The praetor gave me a wave before I vaporized myself, leaving nothing but a faint scent of the sea behind.

§§§§§

Having forgotten to buy myself a premium muffin from New Rome's coffee shops, I made my way towards a familiar sidewalk cafe. A few minutes later, I was outside on a dark blue metal bench, enjoying my third grilled salmon sandwich. Sure, fish may be my father's subjects, and yeah I could talk to them. But there was no denying how good they tasted in well prepared food. I didn't think too much about how messed up that might be, because I knew my brain wouldn't be able to last long under that mental onslaught.

Once I finished the sandwiches, I cast out my senses for any familiar auras, the ability to do so much easier with my amplified godly senses. I smiled when I found my target, and made my way south of downtown, towards a plaza surrounded by smaller glass and brick buildings. After a bit more looking around, I spotted an office building to my left with a single word etched on the glass double doors.

"Amazon," I smirked. "And to think, under this very place, is a cavern of killer females running perhaps the most successful worldwide commerce company. Speaking of which, how exactly did they manage to takeover from the founder... eh, too complicated."

I double checked my appearance before opening the doors. Walking in in full armor was clearly asking for trouble, and I'd prefer if I didn't summon the whole might of the Amazons on my ass. Instead, I had my nanotech fit me in a classic black and white business suit, with a pair of Egyptian blue shades to top it off. My daggers morphed into dual silver bracelets that looped around my left and right wrists. With my finished pristine outfit, I strutted towards the doors, opened one, and stepped inside.

The inside clearly wasn't any different from how it was in the future. The lobby was like an empty fish tank: glass walls on all sides, a glossy black floor, and a few token plants to absorb the bleakness of the room. Against the back wall, a black stone staircase led up and down. In the middle of the room, already eyeing me with a piercing gaze bereft of any obvious emotion, was a familiar young woman in a black pantsuit, with long auburn hair ending at the small of her back, and wearing a security guard's earpiece on her left ear. Her smile looked friendly, but I wasn't fooled. It was the same smile Atti would give me when blackmailing me with my blue cookie rights. In other words, my guard was up, aimed particularly at the stairs behind the woman.

"How may I help you?" The woman asked, looking as if she'd rather be doing anything else besides talking to me.

I tilted my head and chuckled at her seriousness. "Well Kinzie," I said, acting as if I didn't know her already. "I'm here to discuss some terms with the Amazon company."

Kinzie seemed to relax, most likely thinking I was some mortal businessman with a slightly higher ego. "This is the main campus for Amazon," She said with forced enthusiasm. "Did you have an appointment with someone or–"

"I said," I interrupted. "I'm here to discuss terms with the Amazon... company."

"Sir, I don't understand." Kinzie said, clenching her fists beneath the desk, as if deciding whether to deck me or not.

I rolled my eyes. Damn subtlety I guess. I flared my aura and watched as Kinzie's gaze of seriousness was broken by a shard of surprise. "Kinzie," I said firmly. "I have terms I'd like to discuss... with the Amazons."

Her eyes narrowed. With more agility than a usual desk-lady could have, Kinzie leapt over her desk, an obsidian colored sword unsheathed from nowhere. I raised an eyebrow and dodged her first strike, before catching her second between my fingers. Yes, it was stupid, and could've cost me said appendages. But it felt epic. And that's what matters.

"You're not mortal." Kinzie stated, her eyes sharp. "Who are you?"

I let go of her blade and she stepped back. Seconds later, I sensed more approaching presences, and soon, the lobby filled with more young women dressed in the same black outfit, swords in hand. They surrounded me quickly, eyeing Kinzie for the next set of orders.

I raised my hands as if to surrender, and nodded to Kinzie. "I'm just here to talk."

Kinzie huffed. "Why?"

I shook my head. "It concerns the future wellbeing of many people, which is all I can say at the moment."

"Fine," Kinzie glowered at me. "First rule: Males don't speak without permission. Second rule: Trespassing on our territory is punishable by death. You'll get your discussion alright. It's outcome will decide your fate."

I shrugged. "Lead on then, Kinzie."

"And don't call me that."

"So what should I call you?"

"Mistress." Kinzie gave me a sly smirk.

My eyes widened in surprise. "Hell no. That title is reserved for only one person, and it's not you."

Kinzie tossed her hair back uncaringly. "Whatever. I don't have to listen to you anyways." She turned her attention to the other amazons. "Let us escort our guest to the queen. She'll decide what to do with this... brute." Then she sauntered off.

"Damn," I muttered. "Feisty."

§§§§§

I didn't have any visible weapons they could take from me, and so the Amazons simply locked my hands in anti-god handcuffs before promptly marching me down into their underground facility. Just when the stairs began to test my patience, we emerged in a gargantuan cavern capable of fitting at least ten high school campuses, sports fields and all. Stark fluorescent lights glowed along the rock ceiling. Conveyor belts wound through the room like waterslides, carrying boxes in every direction. Aisles of metal shelves stretched out forever, stacked high with crates of merchandise. Cranes hummed and robotic arms whirred, folding cardboard boxes, packing shipments, and taking things on and off the belts. Some of the shelves were so tall they were only accessible by ladders and catwalks, which ran across the ceiling like theater scaffolding.

More black suited Amazons patrolled the area, walking atop the catwalks to oversee work progress. Various men in orange jumpsuits and iron collars drove forklifts responsible for the transport of pallets from one side of the room to the other. Even though I'd seen this before, the sheer size of this operation beneath the entire world's notice was still impressive.

"Impressed, male?" Kinzie must've turned back and assumed my look of appreciation as one of awe. "You admire our base of operations?"

I chuckled. "Nothing I haven't seen before. Plus, it's expected of a multinational commerce company to have a powerful engine running it."

Kinzie smirked smugly. "Indeed. It took many years and most of our fortune to build. Now, we're finally turning it into profit. The mortals don't realize they are funding the Amazon kingdom. Soon, we'll be richer than any mortal nation. Then, when the weak mortals depend on us for everything, the revolution will begin!"

I facepalmed as best as I could with shackled wrists. "First off, plenty of mortals literally live off of online shopping, and Amazon just happens to be the best way to do it. So... I suppose your revolution or whatever has already begun. Plus, what could you possibly do? Cancel free shipping?"

One of the guards aimed to slam the hilt of her sword into my gut but I merely blocked it with my arm. The other guards tensed up as if I was going to retaliate further.

"You see, this is the problem," Kinzie rolled her eyes. "It's males like you who have ruined the mortal world. The only harmonious society is one run by women. We are stronger, wiser–"

"Kinda sexist but okay," I interrupted, dodging a swing from the guard behind me.

"Ugh," Kinzie growled. "What did I say about males talking?"

"Starting to get ticked off huh?" I dodged another swing. "And for the love of the gods, why do you keep trying to hit me?"

Kinzie glared at me but motioned for the guards to stand down. "Enough. Let us continue, the queen is waiting."

"Finally," I murmured, then shut my mouth fast when Kinzie gave me the well-known FU sign behind her back. We made our way through another set of double glass doors, crossed a few lanes of forklift traffic, navigated a maze of conveyor belts, and ducked under a row of robotic arms taping up boxes. All around us were the various bits of merchandise people had ordered and bought: books, electronics, clothes, baby diapers, the usual goods. Of course, since the Amazons were running this, there were various would've-been-illegal-items too, including a flaming war chariot, bundles of spears, and what looked like a stack of armored leggings.

A few seconds later, we entered a smaller cavern that looked like a combination between a loading zone and a throne room. The walls were line with metal shelves six stories high, decorated with war banners, painted shields, and the stuffed heads of dragons, hydras, giant lions, and wild boars. Standing guard along either side were dozens of forklifts modified for war. An iron-collared male drove each machine, and Amazon warrior stood on a platform in back, manning a giant mounted crossbow. The prongs of each forklift had been sharpened into oversized sword blades.

The shelves in this room were stacked with cages containing live animals. There were black mastiffs with strangely docile gazes, giant eagles, a lion-eagle hybrid that must've been a gryphon, and a red ant the size of a compact car.

"Damn, that ant must've been hit with a supercharged Pym Particle disk," I observed. "How'd it get that big?"

Dude, what the hell is this place? I looked up, and watched as a brown coated pegasus was zipped past me by a forklift. I was just trying to graze peacefully, dammit!

I shook my head, sighing. Poor guy. I would release him, but right now, I was trying really hard to make an alliance, and pissing off the Amazons' delivery system was probably not the best play to make. Also, that would draw suspicion as how exactly I could communicate with the pegasus in the first place, and I'd rather save my identity to be revealed at a later date.

My attention was drawn to the end of the warehouse where a dais had been constructed from pallets of books: stacks of vampire novels, walls of James Patterson thrillers, and a throne made from about a thousand copies of something called The Five Habits of Highly Aggressive Women that I don't think I noticed before. Probably because last time, I was straining to keep my sarcastic thoughts to myself, because everything I opened my mouth, a sword came my way.

Unlike last time, most likely because of the absence of Otrera, the small group of Amazonians at the throne weren't arguing with Queen Hylla. Most likely updating the queen about the daily exports and progress of the company, hopefully meaning she was going to be less hostile.

Overall, Hylla didn't look much different from when I met her in my timeline. Besides the fact that she was obviously younger, the woman was still lithe and lean as a tiger. She wore a black leather jumpsuit and black boots. As all queens of Amazon have done before her, a belt made of interlocking golden links decorated her waist, with patterns of the labyrinth traced on the links. She was just... an older Reyna, though perhaps a little more threatening.

When Hylla saw the group escorting me approach, her eyebrows scrunched together as she waved the Amazons reporting to her away. She beckoned Kinzie forward, who bowed apologetically as she walked quickly up to the queen.

"My queen, I'm sorry, but this stranger... He says he'd like to talk to you." Kinzie scowled at my direction as she said the last part.

"Really now?" Hylla scanned me from head to toe, as if weighing my worth on a scale. "Who are you?"

I nodded politely. "Queen Hylla. It's nice to see you again."

"Again?" Hylla asked, casually sliding a dagger out of her belt. "Have we met before?"

It was then that I wondered how exactly I expected myself to go through this plan. That is... I didn't have one. Because Hylla had no prior connection to me in any way. Not in this timeline at least. I wasn't the one who destroyed Circe's island after all. I couldn't just, pull Hylla aside privately and tell her as much as I had Reyna, for various reasons. So I decided to shift my reasoning for being there onto someone else entirely who would surely come after my hide once she got the chance.

"Sorry, you may not remember me," I lifted my sunglasses up, giving the queen a glimpse of my sea-green eyes. "If you don't, I was told if I wanted to meet with you to come here."

"And who told you?"

"Your sister." I said before I could change my mind.

If glares could kill, I would be dead a thousand times. Well, I'm immortal, so I guess I can't die, but I'd definitely have many bullet holes through my face. Hylla stood up off her throne and stalked her way towards me, her dagger clear from her belt.

"I think you've been mistaken," Hylla looked pissed, but I wasn't sure why. "I don't have a sister. You'll regret stepping foot onto Amazonian territory recklessly."

I smirked. "You do have a sister. Her name is Reyna Avila Ram–!"

Hylla jabbed her dagger at me, clearly unafraid of the consequences and ignoring the few gasps of the Amazons beside us. Maybe they've never seen their queen so unhinged before? I dunno. She stepped back, putting a distance between us, just enough for her to attack me again if she wanted to. "I ask again, who are you?"

I sighed, scratching my head. "This went a lot better in my head. Look, if you want answers, I'm gonna need to talk to you in private."

"Out of the question." Kinzie stepped in, her sword aimed at me. "Whatever you want to say, it can't hurt to say it here."

"Actually it can," I said seriously.

Silence permeated the warehouse for a solid half minute. Finally, Hylla took a deep breath, yet her stance didn't relax. "Fine, I'll grant you a private audience with me. However, under two conditions."

I shrugged. "Hit me."

"Perhaps I will." Hylla smirked. "Anyways, Kinzie and Aminah will accompany us. And second, you remain in shackles."

I nodded. "Fair enough."

"Save the reports for after our meeting," Hylla ordered the rest of the watching Amazons. "Follow me..."

"Riptide," I provided. "You can call me Riptide."

"Riptide," Hylla said carefully. "Sounds familiar."

I shrugged again. We made our way out the warehouse and down a metal hallway, almost as if we were making our way down massive vents. A few seconds later, I was in a generic interrogation room, except the chairs on both sides of the steel table were cushioned and much nicer than those hard cold seat seen in movies. The three murderous looking women on one side, and me on the other, my hands resting on the table.

"So," Hylla began, laying her dagger point first at me. "What is so important that you must insist you speak to me in private?"

"I need you to swear on the River Styx," I said, no ounce of humor in my voice. "To not tell anyone what I will say to you in this room. Also, are we being recorded?"

"No," Aminah, the fair-skinned girl said. I didn't quite know what to make of her besides the fact that she seemed to be suppressing her aura for whatever reason, and wondered briefly how strong she was.

"Hey, the queen is over here, male," Kinzie snapped, bringing my attention away from Aminah. "Stop leering."

I sneered, but didn't bother to retort. "Well?"

Hylla shook her head. "Tell me one thing that would make me swear this oath. I don't want to be unable to reveal your crimes should you decide its safe to reveal them to us."

"Fair point," I nearly sighed but held back. "Fine, I'll swear first. I swear on the River Styx that everything I'm about to reveal to you in this very room at this moment between the four of us is going to be true." I learned wording was very important with oaths. Sure, being immortal might mean I could take less backlash from breaking an oath on the Styx, but I didn't want to find out how.

I took a deep breath. "I'm an alternate universe time-traveller."

Kinzie blinked. She glanced at Hylla, who turned to Aminah, who nodded with an expression of surprised calm, if her widening of her eyes told me anything.

"You aren't lying." Hylla said this as a statement, not a question.

I nodded, gazing at Aminah again. "Is she your... lie detector of sorts?"

Aminah stared back unblinkingly. "I suppose. You could say so." Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, carrying not even an air of hostility Hylla and Kinzie's voices held.

"Huh," I said. "Anyhow, I suppose with the oath and–"

"Aminah"

"Aminah here, there shouldn't be any reason why you don't believe me." I finished.

"So what if you are what you say," Hylla said. "What does it have to do with us? Or my sister for that matter of fact?"

"You know that Reyna leads the Romans as their praetor," I jumped straight in, noting Hylla's reaction. "I also bet you know about the war brewing on both shores of the country."

"Against the Titan's forces yes."

"Would it hurt for you to form an alliance with the Romans?" I asked.

Hylla stared at me carefully. "Why?"

"It's safe to say that with both you and Rey have the west coast of the country under control. However, I believe that the combined strength of both groups would improve our chances in future battles against stronger enemies."

"You're a time-traveller are you not?" Kinzie noticed. "Thus, there must be a reason why you're approaching us out of the blue. Is it this future battle you're suggesting?"

I gave her a firm nod. "There are a few things I cannot say aloud, even with the oath." I gestured up above us. "Plans and ideas that will mess up the ones up above a bit."

"Were we allied before?" Hylla asked.

"Uh..." I gave a small smile. "Yes, we were. Albeit under far different circumstances, but yes."

"And how did that happen?"

"Um, Kinzie disarmed me, kicked my friend across the floor, and brought us to you. You promptly ignored me and my friend, threw us in jail, and it wasn't until my female questmate came to some sort of agreement with you and a superfast cursing horse that we somehow escaped." I said rather quickly.

"Huh." Kinzie summed up. "I disarmed you? How?"

I chuckled. "You were faster and better at the time. I also wasn't as jacked."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"How am I doing, Aminah?" I tilted my head at the girl. "Did I do well?"

Aminah also rolled her eyes but gave me a small grin. "Flying colors, Riptide."

"Ugh," Kinzie groaned. "This is an interrogation session you two. Flirt somewhere else."

"One more thing," Hylla said. "You said you've met me before. Am I right to assume you mean in your other timeline?"

I smiled uneasily. "Ah yes. That."

"He's nervous," Aminah pointed out.

"Shut it," I growled but the girl merely giggled.

"So, how did it happen?" Hylla continued. "And I know it wasn't through Reyna."

"Do you remember a girl named Atalanta Jackson, Hylla?"

"Yes." Her voice became cold. "What about?"

"Don't freak out please," I said, taking off my shades. "But when I said, alternate universe time-traveller, I meant..."

"Are you serious–?!"

"I am Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, at your service." I introduced myself. "If Atalanta had been born a guy."

"YOU!"

"There it is, let it out."

"My queen, what is going on?!"

"ISTG, JACKSON!"

SLAP!

"I deserved that," I grumbled, holding a block of icy water up to my face. "Damn, Hylla your slaps hurt."

"I would rather gut you like the fish that you are, if you prefer that," Hylla's eyes glowed with anger, thought most of it was thankfully not directed towards me.

"Fair enough." I said. "Although, please don't do the same to my sister if she every comes visit."

"Sister?"

"Atalanta. The family tree is too complicated if we think any farther, so we're just siblings."

"And you can't go back to your world or whatever?"

"I don't know how," I admitted. "I was tossed from my world to this one without warning, and now... I'm far too involved to go back."

Hylla sat back, staring at me carefully. "We will talk more about all this later. For now, I'll agree to making attempts with Reyna to ally with the Romans. And, perhaps don't make fun of my Amazons the next time you visit."

"Yes ma'am," I mock saluted.

"Today has been insightful." Hylla said, making her way out the room. "I have duties to take care of, otherwise I'd talk longer. Kinzie, Aminah?"

"I'll stay behind, my queen," Aminah said.

Hylla widened her eyes but said nothing. Kinzie glared at me and said, "If you do anything improper to her, I'm going to find you, alt universe traveller or not, chain you to a wall, rip off your limbs and beat your stupid head with the." Then she glanced at Aminah and winked. "Have fun girl." Then she left.

"Wow, really feeling the love," I muttered, about to stand up, when a gentle weight on my legs made me remain seated. I looked up and blinked as calmly as I could when I realized Aminah had made her way up to me, her hands trailing from my thighs up to my shoulders until she was sat atop me. At some point my shackles had been magically removed.

"Aminah, I have a girlfriend," I said bluntly.

"I know."

"Okay that's–wait what?" I asked her.

"Zoë. That's her name right?" Aminah giggled at my dumbfounded expression. "You hold such a deep and passionate love for her."

"Yes." I stated, blushing. "How do you know?"

"And another," Aminah continued, her soft voice having yet to change in tone. "Not as much, but someone who you also have love for."

"Um no?"

"Artemis." Aminah sighed. "How dare you, Perseus, fall in love with the virgin goddess of the moon?"

"I don't!" I denied, only for the Amazon to laugh gently. "I–"

"Don't worry, I won't make fun," Aminah got off my lap, and I sucked in a deep breath. "You may try to hide secrets like these in the deep recesses of your mind, but I can see them."

"Definitely not creepy at all." I muttered.

"I'm sorry if it seems I'm trying to antagonize you," Aminah apologized. "But I was simply too interested about your aura that I couldn't help but observe you as much as you have been observing me."

I took that chance to regain some footing. "I was curious as to why you were suppressing your aura." I said. "I mean, I'm doing it too, but that's for obvious reasons."

"Understandable," Aminah nodded. "Shall we show each other now?"

I closed my eyes and released my power, causing Aminah to squeal in surprise. She smiled and released hers as well, and I found that while it wasn't nearly as strong as mine, it was definitely on par with a few of the Olympians themselves.

"Beautiful," Aminah gasped, her hands reaching out as if she could feel my aura. "Perseus Jackson, you have such an extraordinary aura."

"Tell me about it," I said, genuinely curious. "What do you see?"

"Undying loyalty," She began. "Deep love for your girlfriends, past and present. Your despairing grief. Your haunting terrors. Your courage and will to survive, to surpass those who could not even think of accomplishing the things you've taken on. You," She turned and smiled, excitement piercing through her soft voice for the first time. "Are quite the incredible immortal demigod, Percy."

"Damn." I summed up. "No offense, but who the heck are you?"

"I am Aminah," the girl said cheekily. "Nice to meet you."

I facepalmed and suppressed my aura once more. "Alright then."

Aminah smirked. "If you want to find out who I am, it's going to take a lot more than just a simple interrogation session to get me to spill my secrets. After all, who's the one who can read auras here?"

"You can read auras?"

Aminah clapped her hand over her mouth, though she was smiling. "Oops, that's all you'll get from me. Although, if perhaps I get to join that harem of yours in the making, maybe we can work something out."

"Harem?!"

"Are you not going to confess your love for Artemis?"

"I don't–"

"But you do!" Aminah's smile disappeared, replaced with a stern look. "I can see that you do, however many times you deny the truth."

I sighed. "Look, I don't even know when it happened. And with all that's been going on, I'm not sure how to react to such a thing myself. Like you said, how dare I... with a virgin moon goddess?"

Aminah gave me a sad smile. "I don't know your exact moment in which you fell for her, but seeing your relationship with her and Zoë proves to me that perhaps your feelings will be reciprocated. And don't deny it immediately," She caught my expression. "You would've said the same for Zoë too, would you not?"

I stared up at the girl before me, whose eyes stared back unblinkingly. "I think you aren't just some lie detector."

Aminah laughed. "No Percy, I'm not."

I stood, trying to calm the tension within me. "I should go now."

Aminah nodded apologetically. "Yes, it's best."

I glanced at her one final time, too many questions in my mind. Then I shook my head and dematerialized, leaving the Amazon complex without a trace that I had even been there in the first place.

§§§§§

Atalanta POV:

"Hang on, run that back by me again. She's what?" I couldn't believe my ears.

"You heard me," Zoë said hotly. "She admitted to having feelings for my boyfriend."

I stared at the huntress with an air of hesitancy. When I asked her to talk to me about girl problems, I hadn't expected to find myself in a teenage love triangle involving my brother, and two goddesses. Both goddesses who had never had a proper boyfriend in their lives. What was I supposed to do?

"So, can you help me?" Zoë asked pleadingly.

I sighed. The things I do for you Percy... godammit.

A/N: Hello y'all! Happy New Year from this story!

I know what's going on. All those Pertemis shippers finally getting their part in the story. I told you, it was coming, you just had to be patient. A lot of you have given me good ideas on how to proceed with the Pertemis/Perzoe relationship, and I appreciate those comments regarding so.

Anyways, I hope you all had a good break. I definitely did, and am excited to get back to writing. Thanks for the reviews, thanks for your patience. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you next time.

As for Aminah, well, we'll get to her a lot more in the future. R&R, thanks again.

Peace out, you legends.

~ Zayden Shade