I finally made a discord server, the link is on my profile! I hope you join, and I'll see you there!

Today's recs are 'Silver Screen' by herecomesthepun (have I already mentioned this? it's literally my favorite fanfic ever), 'To Allies Old and New' by CommanderDuck14, and 'Chains of his Past', by LostHouse (this fic has me as an OC, y'all better check it out.)

I hope you enjoy this chappie!

I was not in a good shape.

Blood poured out of my gut in spurts, coloring my sea-green shirt violet, a broken right ulna was bent at comically hideous angles presumably befell while I'd swung Riptide at Maegara, and there lay a bullet stuck in my right palm.

However, the injury which caused the most pain had to be the Stygian Iron dagger embedded in my chest.

It hurt.

That was the only way I could describe the absolute agony of the Stygian Iron blade buried hilt-deep between my ribs. My chest felt like it was dunked in scalding oil while being spit-roasted.

If this did not culminate in anything, I could at least admit that this increased my appreciation of the deity, the one whom I called annoying.

Dear reader, never would I ever take Nyx for granted again.

It was common knowledge that the metal of the Underworld would prove a void to any unfortunate soul who touched it, absorbing the spirit into itself, bit by bit. The only reason my soul hadn't been sucked into the metal was because of Night's blessing.

Unfortunately, the blessing didn't provide immunity from the gut-wrenching pain. I could feel the essence of the blade trying to fight against the restraints, attempting to absorb my soul despite the blessings.

If I wasn't already in shock from these injuries, then what happened would definitely take the icing off the cake.

As I prepared to die with some dignity, perhaps a few dramatic last words including but not limited to, 'I'm sorry I failed you, O' great Lady Chaos,' the pain stopped.

Like the receding tides of Ungava bay, the burning ceased as a soothing calmness washed over my body. I did not move from my spot, mainly because I couldn't, but also because I thought I was dead.

Perhaps, I confused the lack of pain with my own numbness, but the agonizing inferno that had built up in my bosom faded into a dull throb.

And then, unlike the great heroes of old, I fainted.

If for some outlandish reason, anyone was to ever ask me how it felt to fight as a wolf, who also seemed to be my alter-ego, while I had a dagger stuck into my chest and fur on fire, I'd primarily be confused upon how their minds worked.

Secondarily, I'd say pretty awesome.

It also felt very, very strange.

It was as if I was aware of everything that was happening around me yet completely helpless to stop or control it. My younger self would've compared it to a cryo-sleep of sorts. I'd actually compare it to a trance.

My vision was tinted with orange and black, as the flames swirled in and out of my view. I could hear the sounds of battle, yet, they seem muffled and unclear as I saw myself dance in and out of shadows with impeccable grace. Snarls and growls filled the room, emanating from not only my larynx but also Alecto and Hades' throats.

In the back of my mind, I was definitely worried about my over-zealous wolf form. While I was certainly winning the battle, the last thing I wanted to do was get overconfident. Moreover, I was pretty sure that I was being allowed by Hades to use the shadows as freely as I did. Be it because of his curiosity, shock, or intrigue, but he was giving me little to no resistance in the possession of the umbrae. That worried me.

Soon, the dead returned to their prior state under the aggression of Skia until only Alecto left. Silent footfalls of my paws gave the remaining Fury no indication of the clandestine attack as I leaped above the monster from a shadow and swiped at it, watching satisfactorily as it burst into dust.

A deep rumble of victory echoed from my throat as I howled in triumph.

However, all things good with Percy Jackson always come to an end as my eye caught Hades' furious form. The Fates decided I was having way too good of a time to let that slide.

Hades roared, an inhumane sound rumbling through the cavern. His eyes turned a shade darker, if it was even possible, looking almost...red. (Yes, I know red is lighter than black, but just bear with me)

Within a blink of an eye, I found myself thrown across the Throne room, grunting painfully as I collided with the wall. Not providing me any time to recoup, a dark beam of energy struck my fur as I was thrown again, this time to the opposite wall.

Dark blood matted my fur as I desperately tried to get my hammering heart under control. I hopelessly attempted to push down Skia to have control once more so I could, maybe, talk it out with Hades. If worst came to worst, I could mention Nico and Bianca to stun him for a moment and then try to reason with him.

However, the wolf was having none of it. The dumb canine was getting more and more careless in our attacks against Hades. I could feel his anger growing, not that it was going to culminate into anything, as the prideful side of the wolf snarled at the conjectured defeat.

Hades continued his onslaught relentlessly. Beam after beam of miasmic energy shot from his hands as I tried to elude them repeatedly. A beam struck the column, a hair's length from me, as the tall structure crumbled to pieces. The earth rumbled under me, no doubt resonating with the god's anger.

I could faintly see Hades shouting something, however, the sounds were lost in the thump of my own heartbeat. He snarled and readied his bident once again.

What was going on with him?

I have no idea how everything went this wrong. I mean, I don't remember Hades being this short-tempered. I'm pretty sure I had annoyed him way more the last time I was here and, yet, he had refrained from smiting me then.

I knew my luck at dodging his attacks would run out soon. The only reason I had remained alive this long was because of Skia, and ironically the reason I was going to get killed would also be him.

Never had I known wolves to be prideful creatures, but then again, I generally never have the knowledge of the majority of the things associated with my life, so I can't really blame myself for not knowing this particular, random matter. Perhaps wolves are prideful animals, and I don't know about the fact, or Chaos gave me a defective doggo. (knowing her, it was probably the latter one)

Hades' every successful attack ended in the growing anger of Skia, whose pride seemed to get hurt at every one of the god's little 'victories'.

Skia snarled savagely as a beam struck our fur, singeing it slightly. I winced at the burning sensation rendered by the miasmic energy. It was certainly a lot less painful than the Stygian Iron wound, but it still hurt nonetheless. However, I couldn't focus on the pain for long, as I felt losing the little control I had over my wolf form.

I gasped against the strain on my mind as my body started to rip out of my control. It was as if someone was pulling me out of my own skin whilst asserting their control over my precious body. My mind felt like it was being pulled apart by two pointy skewers while pushed out of my cranium simultaneously.

It wasn't unlike the time I was possessed by Eidolons, and yet at the same time, it was somehow completely different from that experience. (it had defintely hurt a lot less then)

The little mobility and tinted vision I had started ebbing away, haze clouding my senses. I could feel the hatred radiating off Skia in waves, choking the air in a noxious cloud of shadows. The faint sound of paws scraping against the floor provided the only indication of Skia's movement.

In the back of my mind, I was certainly worried about how easily Skia had taken control of me. Whether it was because of my varying degrees of injuries or his rage that had fueled the outcome, but it did scare me how easily I could be subdued in my own body.

If Skia could pull something like this whilst I was with my mother or my friends- I winced at the thought.

Blood roared in my ears, and my eyes dimmed further until only specks and dots of multicolored lights were visible.

Under the haze of pain, I could make out the crouched position of the tumultuous wolf as it jumped towards the god, who roared, raising his weapon, and swung.

For a second, I could feel the wind whipping across my face until an agonizing bout of pain erupted across my abdomen, and I became weightless.

The blunt force of the bident threw Skia, and by extension me, straight into a wall around ten meters away from the furious god. My ribs throbbed excruciatingly as if they were being knitted by red-hot needles inside my chest cavity.

I grunted as my canine body met the ground with a thump.

A feeling of deja vu crept along my neck as I glimpsed Hades walking towards me in triumph, none too differently as he had done ten minutes ago. His eyes glittered darkly, a sick, manic gin spreading across his face.

A wave of agony washed over me as the pain I was feeling from my 'fight' (if you could even call it that) all crashed over my body at once. The wound from the stygian iron dagger burned like it was being peppered by salt and my broken bones, among a hundred other wounds, pulsated erratically.

How had he beaten me that easily?

I wanted to scream my throat raw, yet, I couldn't find it in me to even open my mouth. Whether these effects were from Hades' magic or his proximity or just the adrenaline wearing off, I couldn't tell.

And for the second time in the day, I felt my eyes going heavy as I began to succumb to sleep from the sensory overload of the excruciating pain. (yes, I know, quite embarrassing)

Even in my addled, sluggish state, I could see the orange glow of the Underworld dip drastically as a cold wind swept through Erebos. I shivered instinctively, not sure if the change in the atmosphere was because of Hades or my state of deliriousness.

The last I noticed were the shadows swirling in the distance and a torrent of a powerful aura crashing over me accompanied by an unmistakable bellow of, "HADES!"

And then I was grasped firmly into the realm of Hypnos...again.

A slap to the face woke me up.

No, I'm not even exaggerating about the action, a literal hard slap to the face woke me up. A sharp breath rang through the room...wherever I was, as my lungs allowed the normal passage of air amongst some minor discomforts. My eyes felt like lead ballasts, weighing down my eyelashes as I tried and failed to open my eyes.

"Don't strain yourself, nephew," a gruff voice called out. "You took quite a heavy beating there."

My pulse quickened as I recognized the speaker. Hades.

Fuck.

My hands moved wildly as I struggled to get up and away from my uncle. My hands slipped over the floor, reaching rashly to find a ragged surface to grip and stand up. A pained cry left my lips as my weight fell upon my broken arm. A hand reached out to support me, as I flinched away from contact, breathing heavily.

"Shh, Percy," the person said soothingly, their voice familiar. "You're safe now. Just relax and breathe slowly."

Even in my state of panic and frenzy, I recognized the voice. It was the same voice that had kept me awake at night since my arrival at camp, as it narrated idiotic jokes and argued with their mother relentlessly, giving me migraines upon migraines and making me an insomniac to beat all insomniacs. The same voice with whom I had come to associate the word 'annoying'.

"Nyx?" I croaked. "Is that you?"

"Yes, demigod."

I frowned at her formal tone. "What are you doing here?" I asked confusedly before hastily continuing. "No offense, of course."

Nyx giggled. "Saving your butt, obviously," she answered, the usual humor and snark creeping back in her tone. "I leave you alone for a day and you get beat up by your uncle? Tch, I'm disappointed in you, Perseus. I'd bet on you to remain relatively unscathed until your second quest. My mother was not so confident. It seems she was correct."

The comment would've definitely hurt if I wasn't so proficient in grasping her jokeful tone (Though, I was a little miffed that they'd bet on me like I was some kind of gamble). I just huffed out a raspy laugh. "Well, what can I say, I aim to please."

Nyx hummed and I felt her hand rest on my brows. A warm feeling crept along my spine, opposite to my navel, and traveled upwards, seemingly healing my injuries as it went. I sighed in contentment as my bones started to mend and tissues re-knit. If I had any energy left, I would've healed myself but, alas, the Fates were cruel hags.

Her hand drifted over my eyes as they pulsed with energy. The swelling over them receded, and I was able to blink slightly. Slowly cracking my eyes open, I fluttered them to adjust to the lighting of the room. My vision cleared as twin quasars greeted me. I blinked.

Nyx waved a hand, and a piece of shadow tore off from the wall and passed over Hades's eyes. I watched in bewilderment as the elder god sneezed once and then crumpled onto the ground, seemingly knocked out cold.

"Uh," I said, peering at my uncle. "Will he be okay?"

"Are you better?" Nyx asked, ignoring my question. "I patched you up the best I could, but you'll still have to be careful with that Stygian Iron wound. It has been infected with the essence of the Underworld, and I can only do so much to heal it before my talents run out."

"Talents?" I asked, disoriented. "But you're not a healing deity."

Nyx nodded. "Indeed. And that is solely the reason I cannot heal the wound on your chest. The poison and the blade had run too deep for me to effectively purge them. It was only because of your connection to my domain, I was just able to fully dismiss the essence of Erebos, and yet the wound refused to mend. It will be painful, I cannot lie, but it is in no danger of being fatal. I'm sorry for that."

I blinked, her words settling in slowly.

"Sorry?" I said, bewildered. "Nyx, you saved my life. There is no need for you to apologize. In fact, it should be me who should apologize for undermining you."

It was Nyx's turn to blink. "It really isn't necessary-"

"No," I stated firmly, shaking my head. This was one time I couldn't stop. "It is necessary. This has been long coming. I genuinely don't know what I've been thinking all this time, but my stance towards you has been horrible. I've severely taken you for granted, even after everything you've done for Artemis and me. I've regarded you as nothing but annoying past these weeks and I can only apologize for that. I haven't been thankful enough for your gifts that have saved my life so many times. You've been nothing but helpful and supportive. Even now, when you've had absolutely no obligation to heal me, you've done so, as with convincing Charon. I am really sorry for how I've acted, and I hope you can forgive me," I spoke fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.

Nyx stared at me with her mouth pulled into a small 'o'.

I held my head down, unsure of what to say. I could see Nyx open and then close her mouth from the corner of my eyes, as her voice failed her for once. I remained silent.

"I never really considered that," Nyx finally admitted, still looking slightly surprised. "I don't know if you've noticed but I'm a Protogonos," she began slowly. "An elder one at that. Even I can admit that we, protogenoi, have massive egos."

A snort escaped my lips before I hastily covered my mouth in apology.

Fortunately, Nyx did not look offended, instead, she shook her head and continued, "As I was saying, we have huge egos. We have been alive since the dawn of time, and we've seen civilizations rise and fall. I do not seem to sound arrogant, but we, are in fact, all-powerful. As long as our domains exist, we will. Which is basically forever. You're one of the only mortals who has seen us. Even certain Olympians have never had the fortune of meeting us, just heard whispers about us. I won't lie and say that I chose you for this quest. I was very much against the idea of selecting the demigod who had insulted me in my own domain, and escaped with nothing but his wits."

"Sorry about that," I said awkwardly. "I was just, you know, trying to stay alive."

"I know," Nyx said simply.

It was still jarring to see her act, like, well that. Every one of her moments interacting with me had constituted some form of jokeful action and her chipper personality. Seeing her act all formal and primordial-y bothered me more than I would admit.

"What I mean to say is," Nyx continued. "I do not tolerate genuine disrespect. If that was your intention, I would've smited you long before today, consequences to the Universe be damned."

My throat felt dry.

"But," she said drily, "that was not the case with you."

My back straightened. "Huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "I am older than time, Percy. Contrary to popular belief, immortality is not as fun as it seems. It is exhausting. The chipper and foolish personality that you see is just a front. A way to...keep things interesting, shall I say. Immortality without change becomes horrifyingly monotonous. There is a reason we celebrate the idiotic traditions of the mortals in the Void. It gives us a sense of purpose. I believe my son had put it rightly, 'Don't let my mother's childish personality fool you, she's still the eldest and the most powerful protogenos,'" she finished with a wry smile.

I was at a loss for words.

My face felt hot in embarrassment.

I realized I had been completely stupid to not think about the drastic change in Nyx's attitude between the first time and the second time I'd met her. There always was a voice in the back of my mind that gnawed at my memory who had these suspicions, yet, I'd never paid it mind. I couldn't believe how I had made a complete twit of myself in thinking that Nyx and Chaos were actually like what they acted before me.

This also made me feel worse than I had before. The little digs I had made at her, accompanied with the power I had taken for granted, smeared their fair share of guilt, too.

I swallowed and turned away. "I am sorry," I said quietly. "I hope you can go back to acting like what you were before. It was certainly a lot more approaching than what you're going for right now," I muttered.

Nyx snorted, her hand covering her mouth. "You need not be this wary of me, Percy."

"How can I not when you're using that tone?"

"What tone, demigod?" Nyx asked, her eyes glinting mischievously. "As far as I can recall, never have I once jested with you."

"Don't say jested," I grumbled without thinking. "That is Artemis' favorite word and I refuse to let you snatch it away from her."

Nyx threw her head back and laughed. I blushed, "Wait- I didn't mean it like that. I wasn't-"

"Sure you didn't, Percy," Nyx said, giggling. "Artemis just happened to be in your mind, correct?"

"Yeah," I agreed, before pausing. "Wait, that sounds wrong-"

"Oh, look at the time!" she said, glancing at her empty wrist. "I'm running late for our Halloween party so we'll have to go about our matters just a teensy bit faster," she said, winking.

I blinked. Even after our, ahem, heart-to-heart, I genuinely couldn't figure her random bouts of...weirdness. I wouldn't lie, it was a bit endearing to watch.

My eyes caught the passed-out form of Hades and I shuddered. Whatever Hades was like in my timeline, it was not what he had been today. He might have been apathetic towards me, yet, he was never this cruel. The way he had just attempted to kill me made me shiver. There was never an ounce of doubt or hesitation in his posture when he had plunged the cursed knife into my torso. He just seemed...maniacal.

"Nyx," I whispered, shifting uncomfortably. "What happened to him? He was so-" I trailed off, struggling to find a suitable word.

"Cruel?" Nyx offered, not taking her eyes off his sprawled-out form. "Manic? Tumultuous?"

"Yeah."

She grimaced. "It would be better if I woke him up first."

My eyes widened. "No! Wait, why did Skia take control of me so easily?" I asked, grabbing her hand. "Was it because of me? Was I too weak? Did Chaos deliberately-" I stopped abruptly. There was no way this question should've left my lips.

But what if Chaos meant to give me the crazed form? Who knew about her purity and her want to save the world? For all I knew, she could've been on the plan with some deity all along and aiding them to destroy the earth-

"Percy!"

I breathed sharply. "What was that?" I asked shakily, glancing at my shivering arms. "Why did I think that?"

Nyx winced. "It's because of the same reason I was able to heal you despite the Ancient Laws," she admitted, her eyes flitting nervously around the room. "And why Hades and Skia lost control over themselves."

I swallowed thickly. "What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath as if the answer scared her.

"Another Protogenos is responsible for it."

Silver eyes peered curiously at the sight in front of her, her face showing a combination of interest and mild disgust.

"She's so fluffy and cuddly!"

Artemis blinked in bewilderment, her face morphing to a slightly repulsed one, "What is going on here?"

"Tis has been like for one hour, Milady."

Artemis turned away from the scene playing out in front of her and met the onyx eyes of her lieutenant in disbelief. "An hour?" she asked in awe, before glancing at the scene and back to the daughter of Atlas. "I applaud you upon your resilience, Zoe. Lesser mortals have crumbled where you have stood steadfast."

Zoe preened.

"It was certainly challenging, Milady," she said sagely. "The thought of abandoning them was far too tempting. Pheobe succumbed to defeat within the first quarter."

"I can imagine," Artemis muttered, before taking a deep breath as if psyching herself up.

Her eyes swept across the scape before her and her mind went back to her conversation with Aurora, a daughter of Aphrodite. It surprised many that a daughter of the love goddess had found a home within the ranks of Artemis the chaste, her mother's top rival, and led many to believe that she would disregard her oath the first chance she'd get, but Artemis could not disagree more. She trusted her hunter and knew that she was one of her most loyal and promising handmaidens.

However, looking at the scene before her, Artemis wondered if trusting Aurora in this particular matter was the best course of action. A high-pitched squeal rang out and Artemis cringed reflexively. No, it definitely wasn't.

Artemis had certainly been wary when the hunter had come up to her and request an audience with the Cerynian Hind, her sacred animal, completely out of the blue. That was the first time in her life a hunter had asked for such a thing, and as such, Artemishad been rightly confused. In fact, she was so startled, her lips moved against her will, and she inadvisedly agreed to the request.

("Lady Artemis!"

"Yes, my dear?"

"I want you to summon your sacred hind so I can play with her."

"Uh...okay?

"Great, thanks! You're the best, Milady, I love you!"

"Aurora, wait! No, don't run- stop laughing!")

Which brought her to her source of plight.

Apparently, 'I can play with her' also meant, 'I will call every young hunter and they can play dress-up with the sacred Hind of Artemis Agrotera'. It turned out, Aurora had not only requested the Hind for herself but so that the younglings could play with her, her reason being, "I wanted to become Sophie's favorite because everyone knows Zoe is overrated."

Artemis shook her head in exasperation. The daughter of Aphrodite would surely be the death of her.

"Please, Milady, help me!"

Artemis blinked, startled by the sound amongst her inner musings. She squinted at Niea, who seemed to have spoken in her mind. (Yes, she's a goddess' sacred, sentient animal, of course, she's far more intelligent than her deer-y brethren)

"Yes?"

"Milady, I cannot stand this anymore!"

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?!" Niea bucked indignantly. "Milady, look at me!"

Artemis rolled her eyes. Of course, her Hind would be the snarky one in this situation.

"C'mon," Artemis tried. "It isn't that bad."

"It isn't that bad?! Lady Artemis I have ribbons wrapped around my horns! Ribbons! And these devil-spawns have woven a braid from my tail-hair! My smooth, beautiful tail hair!"

"Don't call my hunters devil-spawns."

"The next thing they'll do is wrap me in wrapping paper and mail me to your misfit brother!"

"No need to be over-dramatic," Artemis said, preening internally at Niea's choice of words for her brother. "It isn't nearly as bad as you're making it out to be."

"I've taught her well," Artemis added as an after-thought, pleased, forgetting that Niea could hear her.

"No, you have not," Niea returned, "Everyone knows of the hatred you harbor against your brother. It seems only fitting that I share your trait."

Artemis frowned. "I do not hate my brother."

"Yes, and I'm a chipmunk."

"Niea," Artemis warned.

While she certainly tolerated Niea's quips more than what she would've with any other animal, she was a goddess, and she drew a line at outright disrespect. Lesser animals would've been smited long since the start of the conversation.

"I'm sorry, Milady, but it is true," Niea bowed her head before bucking indignantly as she jerked forward. "Gah! Why do hair clips exist! Milady, save me!"

The rest of her pleas went unheard as Artemis halted over, Niea's voice ringing in her ears.

It wasn't like she actually hated her brother, right? Sure, she hated what he represented in men, and she would often harshly rebuke him over his ways, but that was just harmless sibling fun, right? Okay, maybe she didn't particularly admire him, but it wasn't as if she hated him, either. She just...intensely disliked him.

Moreover, it was always Apollo's fault when she'd lose her temper with him.

"Milady, please cease this torture!"

Artemis sighed, grumbling to the Fates over why she ended up with a melodramatic, snippy sacred animal and not someone like Athena.

"Okay, girls," Artemis called.

Five pairs of eyes turned to her in sync and blinked together creepily. Artemis heard Niea huff a huge sigh of relief. She gulped in anticipation of the inevitable meltdown.

"Now, I know you guys love playing with Nemia, and I hope you're having fun," she said, pausing briefly, as if contemplating her next words. "But-"

"Yes!" Sophie, a ten-year-old daughter of Demeter, squealed enthusiastically before Artemis could continue. "She is so cute! I mean, you can probably tell me to bury my face in her fur for the rest of my life, and I wouldn't even protest because it's so soft! I did not know that your sacred animal would be this adorable, Lady Artemis. Well, mainly because her name is, like, so intimidating. Cerynian Hind honestly sounds like a name for a pretentious make-up catalog, no offense to this peach right here. But I'm so glad Aurora made up her a new nickname and such a cute one at that, it suits her," she gushed, her eyes wide and pleading. "Can we play with her a little longer? Please, Lady Artemis?"

"Uh," Artemis said.

"I promise it'll only be another half-hour!"

Zoe coughed in the back, suspiciously sounding like she was holding back laughter. Artemis turned and glared at her indignantly only to get an innocent stare in return.

"Girls," Artemis started uncomfortably. "I'm afraid we have to leave for a fresh journey in an hour. The only way we would reach our next campsite before daybreak is if we begin our travels before noon. I apologize, but we still have to prepare for our journey, and we simply do not have any more time to...play with Niea."

"Please, Lady Artemis?" Sophie pleads, her eyes wide and earnest. "Can we have a little longer? Only half an hour, Milady. We haven't had this much fun in weeks. I love shooting bows and hunting monsters, too, but this is so different from our everyday lives. Please?"

Artemis swallowed, determined not to look at the five sets of puppy-dog eyes going at full force in front of her. Unfortunately, her plan went out of the window when her eye caught the sight of Sophie's quivering pout, and she sighed heavily.

"Fine," she relented, suppressing a smile when the young hunters all cheered. "No more than a half-hour."

"What?!" came the indignant screech of one golden-horned deer. "A half-hour?! Milady, I don't know if I can survive-"

"Uh-huh," Artemis interrupted Niea's mental charade and grinned conspiratorily. "Have fun girls. Don't forget the fuzzy socks for Niea's hooves."

Zoe snickered as Sophie grinned toothily and nodded enthusiastically. "Of course!"

"No! Milady, how could you?"

Artemis turned to Zoe. "Will you please keep a watch on them, Zoe? I have some work to do."

"Of course, Milady," Zoe said, bowing shortly.

Artemis withheld a smirk at the wails of the Hind behind her as she started walking towards her tent. Various hunters greeted her as she gracefully moved towards the common area. A silver tent with light green accents came into view as Artemis ducked beneath the flaps and entered the shelter.

Her eyes swept across her tent as she looked for a suitable place to collect her thoughts.

While she was mostly acclimated to the past, she still wasn't completely beyond her journey. She was still half in disbelief over the fact that some of her closest hunters were not dead and sometimes it became too much for her- because holy crap they were actually alive and in front of her and then it would take every fiber in her body to not just give them a huge hug and sob her heart out.

She couldn't thank Chaos and Nyx enough for the second chance. It felt really strange to her as a goddess, thanking and praying to someone, even if that someone was the creator of everything, who could wipe each and every trace of hers with a single thought. But she could admit that she'd surely lay down her pride to guarantee her hunters' safety.

As she sat down on her chair and took a deep breath, a voice outside called, "Lady Artemis! Permission to enter?"

She groaned in annoyance at the disruption of her precious peace. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she sighed, "Permission granted."

The flaps of the tent flew open, and a pair of kaleidoscopic eyes greeted Artemis.

"You're getting soft," is the first thing that Aurora commented, leaning against the wall, smirking.

"You don't get to say that," Artemis said, pointing at her. "It's because of you that we're in this mess."

"Oh, really," Aurora drawled, "And who was it that 'acquiesced' to my request? I don't remember forcing you to make a choice."

"I was simply taken aback by the question," Artemis protested. "You used my fatigue against me."

"Oh pish posh, Milady, admit it, you're going soft."

"That's enough," Artemis said pointedly. "I am still your patron goddess and, I only tolerate quips up to a limit."

"Eh, I know you're amused by my attitude, so I'm pretty sure you're lying. I bet it's a nice change of pace after Zoe's ye Olde English thing."

"I hate that you're right."

"Milady," Aurora spread her arms wide in faux-cockiness. "I'm always right."

Artemis raised her eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe I'm right ninety percent of the time," Aurora corrected, "Which is still an awful lot."

"I sense lies."

"Whatever," Aurora sniffed, crossing her arms. "You're mean."

Artemis sighed and rubbed her temples. "Aurora," she said tiredly.

Aurora's eyes softened, seeing the genuine weariness over her patron's countenance. While she was extremely fond of the exchanges between herself and Artemis, she cared about her patron a lot more than she showed. Her mind recalled the events of the previous days, and how exhausted Artemis had looked since the start of the month. She sighed, remembering how many times Zoe had tried to persuade Artemis to take a break, but the goddess had remained foolishly infallible. Sometimes, her lady was too stubborn for her own good.

"Okay, I'm sorry," she said, twisting a ring on her index finger. "I came here to tell you that we may have a new recruit in about ten minutes. The wolves came across a stray maiden wandering these parts of the woods a couple of minutes ago. A daughter of some minor goddess I don't know about."

Artemis frowned and motioned her to go on.

A maiden, this deep in the forests? That was certainly...strange.

"We brought her in the camp and asked her questions. She said she was escaping from a couple of hellhounds and Cyclops and had run away from foster. She also said her mother guided her to us."

Artemis narrowed her eyes. It was no secret that numerous minor goddesses of the Greek pantheon disliked her because of her status as an Olympian, and her hunters by extension. So, to hear a minor goddess guiding a potential recruit to her was certainly questionable, especially during the Titan Lord's rising.

"Did you get her name?" Artemis questioned. "Or parentage?"

"Both," Aurora answered, looking nervous. "Her name is Melanie Mavros. And she claims to be a daughter of Invidia."

The plot thickens! Any guesses as to who the mystery primordial is? Or who the mystery roman demigod is?

I'm sure everyone is confused about how Nyx was acting but I hope her words shed some 'light' on the matter. Percy being Percy, feels slightly guilty over a seemingly small matter, even after Nyx says it's all in good fun.

Anyone, who's confused about the addition of 'Aurora'... don't be. This OC is literally going to be in most of my fics. I honestly feel children of Aphrodite aren't given enough rep in PJO (not HoO, of course), so Aurora is going to change that. She is mentioned in Acceptance, has a large role in DoM, and is probably going to appear quite a few times in this fic. I hope y'all don't mind.

Also, sorry for everyone who thought this would be the Ares-Percy fight. It's not, in case it needed to be said :p

'Aight, I don't know if y'all have noticed, but I've started yet another fic. It is a mini-book of dark!Percy/Athena one-shots. I hope you give them a read and tell me your thoughts.

Answering some reviews now, (pls review, your reviews are the only things keeping me going lol) ~

Exodus12345: First of all, thanks for reviewing and reading! I can agree with you, that yes, Percy can probably take on an army if he was against some monsters. However, these are spartoi with guns. The last time Percy had defeated an army of them was in TLO, when he had the curse of Achilles. He doesn't right now. Second, he has to remain anonymous. If he uses his powers from the primordial, he's gonna be discovered (which will create a whole lot of problems as you'll see in the coming chapters). In retrospect that doesn't work out, because Skia takes over him. Now, on the question of being defeated easily by Hades. I hope this chapter answered your questions. He certainly would've given more fight against the god if the mystery primordial wasn't involved. I hope these clear the doubts, though, if you have them, please review or dm me and I'll see if I can change something :)

Synergy: Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed the fic!

LostHouse: hehe, hey boo. I'm glad you enjoyed the story, and thank you for the compliments! Thank you so much for the OC, too. I'm tempted to make a cheesy joke about the 'yours truly' but I'll spare you ;)

SneakyRacoon10: I'm gonna be honest with you, I pulled that out of my ass. My countries educational system is very different from the US, so I will actually research on it and change that lol.

MSKN: I cannot tell ya how proud I am. I'm honestly baffled that you started writing your story because my fic inspired you. That's seriously amazing for me. I'm really sorry, I haven't checked it out yet, coz, y'know school, but you best believe that I'm gonna leave a review when I finally do. Thank you!

OkBoomer147: And you're amazing!

Screamcounter: Yeah, he's gonna have to do better lol. Let's see if he succeeds.

Mark Andrew: Not a lot of readers remembered it lol. Honestly, I almost forgot too.

yesse: Yeah, but I don't think threatening someone over their kids is Percy's style. Moreover, he saw how impetuous Hades was. I mean, mentioning his kids, whom he's hidden in complete secrecy because they're in danger of being killed, would surely be a bad idea seeing Hades didn't trust him one but then. I know many fics do this but I honestly think it would get Percy killed even faster in this fic. I hope it makes sense lol.

CommanderDuck14: I honestly could not tell you. I googled 'Italian ww2 guns' and this was what came up. But for the sake of it, let's go with the second one :)

KitKathy520: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! I hope this chapter answers your questions. The suggestion with Hades' memory being erased is certainly a shout, but you'll have to see it in the next chapter for sure ;) Thanks for reviewing, theyna buddy :p

DeadDredd: Thanks! No, they're more focused on the quest, right now. Plus, I've gone with the trope where Zeus is bound by ancient laws to peep into Hades' domain without permission. Is that sensible? Or should come up with something more believable?

MisguidedPenguin: No problem!

Thank you for reading everyone, and I'll see you guys next time. Please join the discord!

Byeeee