A/N

Hey everybody. Welcome to the latest chapter of this story. Thank you so much for reading and being patient, college is being the bane of my existence with how teacher schedule essays. But you're not here for that, you're here for a story. But first a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: PJO and HOO belong to Rick Riordan. All I own are some characters and a plot of this story. Similar names are completely coincidental.

Now onto the chapter.

Legion Camp

"Are you sure its okay to do this?" Percy asked holding three letters.

"Percy, your parents are worried sick about." Hestia said with a smile. Hades was still discussing with Andromeda but he had agreed with her prior that it would be good for Percy to at least tell his parents that's he alive and somewhere safe. Percy was one of the few who had the luxury of being able to write to someone back home. Everyone who cared for him knew he was alive, they just didn't know where he was. Others weren't so lucky. It took a quite a few tries but several hours later, Percy now had three letters written out and ready to be sent, something Hestia didn't fail to notice. "Do you mind if I ask who the third letter is for?" Percy rubbed the back of the neck with an almost nervous chuckle.

"It's actually for Thalia, Lady Hestia. I saw her when the Hunt was chasing us a few days ago and I realized that she's probably worried since I kinda disappeared without much of a trace when I came here. I don't want her to think I'm dead and just want to let her know I'm okay." Percy said with a awkward smile. "Is that selfish of me? I can get rid of it if I'm not allowed to send it." Hestia could only giggle at her nephew nervousness.

"No, it's perfectly alright. I think it's rather sweet actually. Lady Artemis has expressed how worried her lieutenant has been about you so this should help ease her mind, even if only just a little." Percy's smile only brightened at the permission.

"Thank you, Lady Hestia." Percy said with a bow.

"Percy, I've told you before you don't need to bow or use formal titles with me." Hestia said with a smile. "Now go on and send your letters while I go check on my brother." Percy just nodded with a smile and walked off to go do as he was told. Hestia smiled as she watched him leave before wandering back to the meeting room where Hades and the others were in. As she approached, she could hear them still discussing the matters of the secret war they waged.

"Is this report accurate?" She heard Andromeda ask.

"As accurate as it can be." Hunter replied. "The Trojans are planning something with those vases. Whatever is inside of them can only be trouble for us or one of the camps."

"Agreed. I want you to find them and put an end to whatever they're planning." Andromeda said before looking back at the Roman Legates in the room who were looking over reports. "JT, Romulus, Remus, you three have been strangely quiet. Any news to report?" The three Legates looked at each other before JT spoke up.

"We were going through some reports we got from our contacts in New Rome and we think there's be a situation but the Senate is slow to act." JT started to explain. "Recently, Camp Jupiter has sent out multiple patrols and expeditions outside of their boarders in order to lessen the recently large number of monsters that have been seen in the area. From what we understand, they're normally able to clear out the monsters with ease. However, we seen multiple reports talking about the entire patrol groups being wiped out with no survivors. Majority of Senate has chalked this up to them being overwhelmed in battle with the monsters but there are some who think there's some kind of foul play involved. The wounds don't match either."

Andromeda and Hades looked at each other and they watched as Hades' long hair shortened, his robes became a suit as he shifted into Pluto.

"He's correct. The souls of dozens of legionnaires have entered my realm within the last couple months." Pluto said. "They spoke of being ambushed after their mission was complete by men clad in bronze." Pluto shifted back into Hades, who just scowled. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to do, switch back and forth between one form another.

"Looks like your onto something. Alright JT, these are your people. How do you want to do this?" Andromeda asked. JT took a moment to think as he looked over the map they had on the table.

"It's only an assumption but it's likely these attacks are being done by the Trojans. If they're picking off legionnaires, then they might be hoping to weaken New Rome's defenses before making a move against them." JT said rubbing his chin.

"Why they would take up arms against New Rome? The Romans descend from the survivor of Troy." Romulus asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to appeal to our common heritage?"

"No, the ones who lead them must know that too much time has passed for that argument to win over the Senate and convince any them to go to war against the Greeks. Plus the actions of the sons of Neptune and Jupiter have strengthened the ties between the two camps. The best they would get from that is a promise of neutrality and even that would be a long shot." Remus said leaning on the table. "Besides, even with how likely it is, we don't know for sure if it is the Trojans. We need more information before we start planning a counter."

"My thoughts exactly. Remus, you and I will be heading west with the Seventh and Ninth. Keep your legion somewhere safe but capable of providing assistance to New Rome should the situation demand it. The Ninth will investigate the situation there and do what we can to relieve Camp Jupiter without them discovering us."

"James, if I may interrupt." Hestia said as she felt her form shift as she consulted the Romans. "The original site of Camp Jupiter remains relatively unoccupied and Camp Jupiter hasn't sent an expedition there since they left. If your legion can secure the location, Remus, it'll serve as a fitting base. I may even be able to provide addition protection should my temple there be restored."

"I can think of no greater honor than restoring your temple, milady." Remus said with a bow before turning JT. "You can count on the Seventh Legion to secure the camp and reestablish all the shires and temples there. Even after we're gone, the site can still act as a safe haven for wandering demigods and legacies."

"Thank you, Lady Vesta. This will go a long way into providing a safe place for traveling Romans and Greeks." JT said with a smile. "Romulus, you and the Fourteenth will remain here and guard the camp. Should something happen to us, you're in charge of what remains of our legions and Roman citizens here."

"As you command." Romulus said with a salute. JT put a hand on his shoulder, seeing Romulus a bit tense.

"I'll be fine, my friend. You have done well in watching over me but our people here need you more. Should trouble arise and my legion unable to handle it, we will retreat back to your brother." JT said with easy smile that quelled the Legate's internal fears. It also help that his legion also recently saw an increase in members, adding a few cohorts to JT's battered legion.

"Thank you, my liege." Romulus said with a eased smiled. He knew he could trust his brother to watch over their charge in his stead.

"Commander, we'll be ready to march at dawn. Whatever the situation may be, we'll solve it." JT said to Andromeda.

"Thank you, JT. As for the rest of you, this meeting is adjourn. Good luck and may the gods watch over you." Andromeda said. He watched everyone start filing out of the room, some of them talking to one another as they walked out, all of them bowing to the two immortal beings in the room as they left. Once they left, only he, Hunter, Hestia, and Hades remained.

"It's always a pleasure seeing you work, nephew." Hades said. "However, I must return to the underworld. Thanatos says he might he know how the souls escaped and Persephone wants to talk to my son and I."

"Of course, Lord Hades. I'll let inform you should once we make any kind of development." Andromeda said with a smile. Hades nodded and disappeared in a veil shadows. "Lady Hestia, how are you this fine evening? I've haven't had the chance to talk to you recently."

"Nor I you, nephew." Hestia said with a smile. She cared deeply for her family and their children but at Camp Half-Blood, no one talks to her there and few even notice her presence. Here, her nephews always made time to talk to her and see how she was doing. "I'm doing well. My family is whole, my nephews make time to talk to me, and hope remains strong both in camp and on Olympus. What else can I ask for?" Hestia said and pinched Andromeda's check. "And what have I said about being formal with me?"

"My apologies, Aunt Hestia." Andromeda chuckled and Hunter stifled a chuckle of his own as Andromeda tried to shoo away the offending fingers. "And we'll always find time to talk to you. Isn't that right, Hunter?"

"Of course. You're always so kind to us, talking to you is the least we can do for you." Hunter said as he slipped on his helmet to hopefully avoid having his cheeks pinched.

"Well after erecting that lovely shrine for me and the sacrifices everyone here offers to me, I'd think you've done enough." Hestia smiled. "You've all been so kind when you don't you need to be."

"It's our pleasure, Aunt Hestia." Hunter said with a smile. "However, I must be off. I have inform the troops."

"Still not one for having your cheeks pinched, I see." Hestia teased causing Andromeda to laugh and Hunter to chuckle.

"No can't say I am but if your still here after you're done talking to Andromeda then I'll be happy to talk more then." Hunter said as he started for the exit. "Oh and Andromeda, after where done with our mission, my company and I will move west to support the Romans in relieving New Rome."

"I'll keep that in mind. Good luck, cousin." With that, Hunter left the room and Andromeda sighed. "You know I'm starting to understand how Warrior feels. I can't wait until I can use my own name again."

"The confusion it will cause will be amusing without a doubt." Hestia said. "How is your wife?"

"She's well, or at least as well as she can, all things considering. She misses me greatly and I her. I long for when I can see her in person again." Andromeda said with a sad smile. She was his whole reason for being there. He was promised Elysium for the both of them should things turn out well and he keeps true to her.

"My brother will keep his word. He's never been one go back on it."

"I know, milady." Andromeda said. From there Andromeda and Hestia talked on, going from different topics including events of the past and presents and the status of the camps. It would be awhile before duty called Andromeda elsewhere and Hestia went to find Hunter. By the time she had finished talking with Andromeda, it was already late evening and sky darkening and the moon starting its rise.

After a few pleasant distractions by the soldiers on the way, she found Hunter sitting on the shore of the lake the camp bordered. Approaching him silently, she watch as he stared up at the moon and the stars, tracing the constellation with his eyes.

"It's a beautiful night, don't you think, Aunt Hestia?" Hunter asked without looking back. "Clear sky, full moon, gentle breeze. Couldn't ask for a better evening."

"Selene always had one of the most beautiful domains. Artemis has done well to bring honor to her in her work as the goddess of the moon." Hestia said as she seated herself next to Hunter. Hunter only hummed in agreement in response. The two remained silent for a few minutes just staring at the stars and moon until Hunter finally broke it.

"How is she?" Hunter suddenly asked causing Hestia to look at him. "Artemis, I mean?" Hestia could only offer him a sad smile.

"She is well all things considered." Hestia answered, looking down. "Yet despite this, there is a persisting sadness deep within her. She looks up at the stars with longing and speaks words meant for only them and those who live among them." Hestia sighed. "She's worried though. Some of the stars have lost some of their shine. She is fears they will go out forever and she will be left in the sky without one of her longest companions" Hunter didn't need to be told which ones. He already knew which constellation they belonged to but hearing this brought pain to his heart. Hestia looked over at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "She misses you, more than I can say, Hunter."

Hunter could only nodded, not trust his voice to not betray him. He knew exactly how she felt. Since his revival, he witnessed her raise the moon almost every night and had seen her among her Hunt in her adult form from afar on multiple occasion while making sure they hadn't picked up on their trail. He looked down at the helmet in his hands and took a deep breath before wiping away the small tears that had begun to form in his eyes before setting it in the sand.

"Thank you, Aunt Hestia. Words...do not come close to expressing how much I miss her." Hunter said as he looked up at the sky. "I hope one day I'll be able to reveal myself to you instead of looking at you from afar, milady." He spoke the last part quietly to the moon but Hestia heard him all the same.

"I hope so too, nephew. I hope so too." Hestia as she went back to gazing at the night sky.

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Hunters of Artemis Camp, Nighttime, a week later

The Hunters of Artemis had set up camp in the woods for the day. Since their last "encounter" with the mysterious group, they've been quick to immediately depart when they catch wind on new groups of monsters, hoping to finally catch up with them. However, there seem to have been little sign of them for the past week after they left Camp Half-Blood. None of their hunts were taken and still no sign of whatever created the ash they kept finding previously. There was the possibility that they could have gone into hiding after their close encounter but none of the hunters wanted that to be the case since it mean they couldn't be the ones to catch them.

"Alright girls, settle in for the night. Artemis will meet back up with us some time tomorrow once she's done with her business on Olympus so we're gonna take a break here until she's back." Thalia said as the hunters began setting up their tents or started eating. "If you need me, I'll be in my tent." The hunters gave her varying noises of acknowledgement as she walked away.

Entering her tent, she dropped her quiver and undid her jacket, happy to have the extra weight and heat off of her. Cracking her neck, she looked around her tent for things that needed to be done when her eyes fell on a picture she kept on her table. In it was the image her, Percy, and Annabeth smiling. It had been taken when she and the Hunters had visited camp once. The Hunt won yet another game of Capture the Flag and her and Percy got into another fight soon after over a stupid thing but in the end they happily wrapped their arms around one another and smiled for the picture.

She let out a sigh and remember when things were easier and simpler. Now Percy was missing, Annabeth is too focused in school after transferring to New Rome University, and she was chasing down a mysterious group of people who might look like they've just walked out of Medieval Times if that one guy was anything to go off of. She didn't think her life could get anymore ridiculous yet there you go. As she let the memories play, her thoughts was interrupted when someone called her name outside.

"Thalia!" The person outside called. Walking over she opened her tent for the person, revealing a young girl, one of Demeter's children and one of the newest members to the Hunt.

"What's up? Did something happen?" Thalia asked as the girl walked in.

"No but we forgot to tell you something came for you while we were at camp." The girl said a little embarrassed, a sentence Thalia wasn't expecting to hear. "We thought it was one of the pranks that you and the older girls warned us about since it was left on the stairs in front of the cabin. It had your name written on it and a boy wrote it."

"Oh? How do you know that?"

"We asked someone who walked by and they said they recognized hand writing but we didn't trust them since it was one of the Hermes kids. I think his name was Connor? He did pale a little bit when he saw it and try to question me about it but we ignored him and ran back into the cabin to get away from him. He kept yelling at us to give it you until some of the other girls chased him off." The girl said going off on small tangent. Thalia remembered getting told about how Connor had been yelling at a few of the younger members of the hunt and the older ones hunters almost turned him into a pincushion but if this was what it was about, then she should be thanking him for at least trying.

"Focus. Did he say who the letter was from?"

"Yeah. I think he mentioned the name Percy." The girl said tapping her chin. Thalia's smile dropped and eyes widen at the mention of this.

"Where is it?" Thalia suddenly said, grabbing the girl by both shoulders, causing her to jump a bit. "Where's the letter?"

"In our tent but what if it's a prank?"

"Trust me, Stoll knows better than to try pranking me about something like this. Now go get me the letter." Thalia said as nicely as she could as she pushed the girl out of the tent. Internally, her mind was going through all the things should do to Stoll if this was a prank. She impatiently waited for the girl to return. The couple of minutes it took to get it felt like hours to Thalia. However, the girl returned, letter in hand and a confused look on her face. Thalia quickly took the letter off her hands and shooed the girl away, only confusing the girl more as she tried asking who Percy was and why a boy was sending her letters but getting no answers as the tent was closed and sealed immediately.

Closing her tent, she put the letter on her table and looked at it as if doubting its existence.

'It has to be from him. That's definitely his penmanship and only Riptide uses that type of ink.' She thought to herself as she read her name written in ancient Greek on the front, taking a moment to mentally note that his penmanship had improved and was more eligible. The letter was definitely meant for her but why was it suddenly showing up now? And who put it there? Did Percy manage to sneak back into camp just deliver it on their doorstep? 'No, this is Percy we're talking about. He's as stealthy as the Minotaur. The hunters would have noticed him and so would have the other campers.' Shaking her head, she mentally scolded herself for stalling.

Picking it up with a bit of hesitation, Thalia carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter inside, her lips forming into a thin line as she took in a deep breath when she saw the contents.

'Thalia,

Hey Pinecone Face, if you're reading this then it means my letter managed to reach you. Obviously but you never know with mail these days. If you're not Thalia, who are you and why are you reading someone else's mail? This is a crime, you know.

Anyway Thalia, I'm writing to you to let you know that I'm alive and I'm safe. As safe as I can be that is. I know its been awhile and I've been gone for a long time but I'm doing some pretty important things. Not the best excuse, I know, but it's pretty hard to explain at the moment.

I don't even know where I would begin explaining the things I've been up to. I've been all over the country, met so many new and interesting people, helped as many people as I could, and fought more monsters and battles than I'd like to admit. It's been crazy the past couple months. Things have been hectic for me.

I hope everything is going alright for you. I've seen you and the Hunt a few times also while flying on the back of Blackjack. I remember watching you alone kill countless monsters with your spear and shield and fire a lightning bolt through a dozen more monsters (you also almost zapped us out of the air when you called the lightning down so thanks for that, lightning bug). You guys are scary when you work and since I'm not the most well liked with the hunt so I figured keeping my distance was the safer option. I also wasn't going to just randomly show up again after several months and risk getting fried.

But I'll admit, you looked really cool while I watched you fight, like an all powerful pissed off goddess tearing through anything that stood in your way or tried to harm your friends and family. You really are something amazing. However, it also made me realize how much I missed you. How much I missed everyone. I can't wait to see you and everyone again. I just hope it's soon.

I know this letter isn't much but I really am sorry for making you worry. I'll explain everything when I can. See you soon.

Your Kelp Head,

Percy

P.S. I also sent a letter to my mom and dad so you don't have to worry about having to give the letter to anyone else to show I'm still alive. This one is just for you.'

Thalia was never one for crying and it normally took quite a bit to make her do so but here she was, tears blurring the edge of her vision as she laughed. She was happy that he was alive and safe, that he had taken the time to write her a letter, that he hadn't changed since she thought she lost him again. However, behind that happiness was frustration and anger. Frustrated in herself that she didn't notice him all those times he was nearby, that she had no way to get into contact with him, angry that he didn't approached them at all to talk to her and waited this long to get a message out to her. She knew the Hunt didn't have the best reputation when it came to men, even with someone like Percy, but she would have done everything in her power to protect him and she was sure Artemis won't let anything happen to him.

As the variety of emotions had run their course in her body, she let out a sigh as she laid down to rest, letter still in hand and her mind settled on being content that Percy was okay and was probably safe. Rereading it a couple more time, she soon drifted off to sleep with the biggest smile she's had in awhile.

'You better stay safe, Percy, because next time I see you, you're in for the biggest shock of your life.' It was Thalia's last thought before finally entering the realms of Hypnos and Morpheus.

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Near the Hunters of Artemis camp, Nighttime

A group of lightly armored soldiers made their way closer to Hunter camp carrying covered vases lead by Dolon, a Trojan scout. When he last lived, he faithfully served Hector, the prince of Troy, in a mission similar to this one until he was captured and killed by one of the Greek heroes. Now he serves again for Troy's second chance but this time, unlike the fickle gods they served before, whose favor comes and goes like the tides, Troy has found favor in the what remained of the Titans who have promised them revenge for what the Greeks did to their beloved city all those centuries ago and against the gods that abandoned them to their fate. However, if Troy wished to succeed, they must eliminate the pesky hunters that believe to be decimating their numbers.

Not far from the Trojan encampment, Kebriones waited with Palmys, one of Troy's many officers, in his chariot. He once shared his chariot with his half-brother, Hector, before being killed by Achilles' follower, Patroclus. As an illegitimate son of Priam, life was not the easiest for Kebriones but the war with Achaeans was his chance to prove himself to his father only to be killed. Now his father was gone and like many Trojans, death had made him bitter but he took comfort in the fact that he would be able to take his revenge against the Greeks soon enough, even if it was only against Artemis' little cult.

"How long until Dolon completes his mission?" Palmys asked.

"Soon enough. Lelantos goes with them and will assure they are unseen. The children of the witch have done well with their creation. By the time we march, the hunters will either be unconscious or too weak to fight back. They'll be easy targets for forces and by midday, the Hunt will be no more." Kebriones said with grin. 'Soon, no one will be able to deny my worth.'

A/N

And that's a wrap. Thank you so much for reading. Did you know they have a Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter summer camp here in Brooklyn. I forgot they existed for a bit but then remember when I realized that I should probably look for work over the summer. Thought I'd share that for anyone interested.

Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? Like it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? Let me know with a comment/review or shoot me a PM if that's more your style.

Thanks again and as always, have a great day.