I woke up 10 minutes late. Don't even act surprised, or pity me, because I'll probably be turned into a jackalope, courtesy of Lady Artemis. I quickly threw on a blue t-shirt and some sweatpants, along with my Camp Halfblood necklace, and sped out of my cabin at Montauk. Lady Artemis contacted me last night and informed me that she will be at Montauk and conjure archery targets and a bow with arrows here so I don't have to go to Camp Halfblood. You may be wondering why I wasn't at my mom's place. I'll tell you why afterward. After all, I'm still in dangerous waters (pun intended).

I saw her tapping her feet and muttering something under her breath. I ran down to the shoreline.

"If you are late one more time, I won't hesitate to turn you into a jackalope!" An angry Lady Artemis screamed in my face. I blushed in embarrassment, then realized something.

"Can you swear on the Styx that you will only be teaching archery to me here until I, Poseidon, or Zeus say otherwise?" I asked her.

She eyed me warily, then swore, "I swear on the River Styx that I will only teach you archery at Montauk Beach until Zeus, Poseidon, or Percy say so."

I chuckled. "Milady, did you just call me Percy?"

Her eyes widened, then stuttered, "N-no. I called you Perseus, Perseus."

I smiled. "Whatever you say, milady."

In an attempt to change the topic, she asked, "Why did I have to swear that silly oath?"

I smirked. "Well, it's because it's my father's domain. He knows everything that goes on here. Even more now, because he knows this is where I stay. He's even more hyper-alert because this is where he met my mom. He loves this beach and it means a lot to him. So, if you harm me, I can heal myself and if I get turned into something, then I can send a prayer to Dad to change me back!"

Her mouth was wide open in shock at this. "Close your mouth, you'll catch flies." She snapped it shut, then asked, " Perseus, since when were you that smart?"

My smile dropped. "Anna- she rubbed off on me. After all, she is a daughter of Athena."

She mouthed, "Oh." We went into an awkward silence for a couple of seconds, until she broke it. "Well, let's start."

We walked towards the archery range and she positioned me at least 10 meters from the target. She gave me a bow and quiver along the way so I was prepared.

"First, position your bow." She proceeded to position it like the way Chiron showed me when I was twelve. "Then take an arrow from your quiver and notch it."

I nodded, and she continued, "When you pull back, find a place where you feel comfortable holding the arrow. This is called your anchor. Remember it, because this is where you pull back to every time you shoot,"

I tried to do what she said. I pulled back to the side of my lip and squinted down the length of the arrow.

Lady Artemis said, "Now you need to aim the shot. Look along your sight pin, and aim it right at the bullseye. Use your dominant eye to locate the target and where you are about to aim." She motioned towards my bow, so I understood that she wants me to try what she explained so far. I obeyed without question. I tried my best but I couldn't notch my arrow without letting go of the string.

I gave a frustrating sigh. Lady Artemis finally took pity on me and tried to fix my stance and fingering. She fixed the stance first, then moved her dainty and nimble fingers towards mine. (She was forced to turn into her 18-year-old form because I was way taller than her.) As she worked on my fingers, I felt a spark, a feeling I had never experienced unless you count all the times Thalia or Jason zapped me with electricity. I shivered involuntarily.

"Lady Artemis? I think this is enough for today." Her face contorted into a face of anger and was about to start yelling at me, but I ran. I went all the way to my cabin and locked the door. I wasn't aware that tears were starting to stream down my face until a teardrop fell on top of my hand. I understood that feeling now. I had felt it before. When I was with her. Annabeth. Now Ar- I mean Lady Artemis.

I groaned in frustration. I was developing feelings for her.

I quickly IMed Lady Artemis to see where she was. She was with her Hunt, telling Thalia how I blew her off. I quickly swiped through the message, but I knew she got a glimpse of my face. I mean, she's the goddess of the hunt. She has to be able to sense living beings.

I stormed out of my cabin, after unlocking the door of course. I went all the way to the shoreline, then ran into the beach. I went until I was completely under the water, then curled into a ball. I let loose a scream of anguish, pain, and mainly, fear.

I could feel the ocean building up its rage, reacting to my mood. A hurricane formed, the pressure increasing by the second as I began to sob, letting my emotions take over. I swear I heard a faint "Perseus!" Coming from the surface, but I dubbed it as my imagination.

Why are the Fates so cruel? My ex-fiancée cheated on me 2 weeks before my wedding, now I'm falling for a maiden goddess. Am I destined to never be able to have someone reciprocate my love back to me? Am I that incapable? Is this the only battle I can't win? Stupid Fates. Moreover, stupid Aphrodite.

Every word I thought built up the tides, making them reach higher and higher until they were at least 15 meters high. I could hear screaming from the beach, which puzzled me. No one was there. The scream sounded feminine, and there was only one person there.

Whoever it was must have composed themselves, and I could hear splashing as if someone was trying to fight a hurricane and a tsunami. Which is exactly what is happening right now. I heard a scream of frustration then the splashing stopped. A goddess then must've flashed out of the sea.

"Perseus! Stop this!" I looked around, trying to locate the voice. Found it. Lady Artemis.

"What do you want?" I know that I should respect her but I'm just not in the mood. Her presence itself was making my emotions rise.

"Stop this! What is wrong with you! Only Kymopoleia can make such a storm, not even Poseidon! Don't you understand? Your father can sense a disturbance in the sea. Stop before you get yourself killed!"

"Why do you even care!" I shouted. My eyes were glowing red, we were now in the middle of the hurricane so she could talk. "I'm just a filthy male right! You won't have to pay off your debt anymore! No point if I'm dead! I'm tired of being the Fates' playtoy!" I could feel the tears streaming down my face.

She gave me a scathing look. "Why do I care? Why do I care? Because Thalia would be devastated! Your mother will never see you again! This of your sister! Estelle! Your friends at camp! Your father! A warrior like you can't die a death like this! It would mean nothing. Nothing. A warrior like you should die fighting, the only honorable way to die. So, yes Perseus, I do care. And for the sake of those who care about you, snap out of it!" Her words got to me as the hurricane died down, tides settling back again. What I have just done has gotten to me, as I fainted from power drainage.

Time Skip

I woke up to see gold. Everywhere. Even the water bottle! No, not really, I was just exaggerating. A hyperbole I believe it's called. Never mind. ADHD.

"Well, I see you are awake." A voice comes from the back of the room. I turn to see Apollo leaning against the door.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." I sassed.

He gave me a look. "Don't even try to sass me, young man." I made a face.

"That sounds wrong coming from an 18-year-old."

"I'm over 4,000 years old."

"Whatever. Let me out. You owe me for saving you from those plague spirits 5 years ago when I was 18 and you were Lester."

He made a face. "Don't remind me of the early days. Ever. And besides, I just repaid you. You are in my palace after all."

An awkward silence came upon us. "Hey, Apollo? Do you get in trouble with your father for visiting camp? Isn't it against the ancient laws?" Apollo visits CHB and Camp Jupiter every available day in gratitude for their help, and since he knows what a demigod's life is like.

"No, not really. The laws are placed by him, not the Fates, so he pardoned me from them as long as I don't misuse them. I might go back to the old Apollo otherwise since I'm surrounded by arrogant gods and goddesses that don't care." He clenched his fists. "I hate it, you know. I wish I could do more, but I'm not the king of the gods. I'm not gonna overthrow Father, but I still hate the way he treats demigods."

"Can I leave?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Where do you want me to teleport you?"

"My cabin at Montauk."

Next thing you know, I'm there at said location. Only thing is, an angry goddess was waiting for me. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be turned into a jackalope. Help? Please?

One thought was running through my head. 'Run.'

I know, less words than usual. But I tried! I already started the next chapter. Does that count?

Sorry for the late update.

Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, PercyJackson'sWorstNightmare helped me write the archery scene and this chapter overall. Check out his stories! This chapter is dedicated to you. Thanks for all your beta reading!