Previously:

I looked over at the Hind, which seemed to nod at me, before reaching down and lifting the bow off of the ground. As my hand connected with it, I could feel it pulsing with power and the pulsing only grew more urgent as I brought the bow closer to its master.

Right before I laid the bow down on the girl before me, silver eyes like the moon snapped open and her hand grasped her symbol of power beside mine.


I Get Throat Punched by a Goddess

Rachel rushed to my side as I groaned in pain. Ouch. If I had known that the goddess in front of me would throat punch me with her symbol of power before kicking me across the room, I never would have returned the stupid thing to her in the first place. Anyone who uses the phrase, "hits like a girl" has obviously never been hit by Artemis.

"Are you alright Percy?" Rachel asked worriedly. Instead of answering her, I groaned for another couple of seconds before attempting, keyword there, to get to my feet. After much effort and Rachel's help, I was able to address the goddess-sized elephant in the room. If Artemis looked every bit the sleeping beauty she was before regaining her symbol of power, those looks paled in comparison to her appearance now. I had to forcibly close my mouth and stop myself from staring because I'm sure that if my eyes had lingered upon her face any longer I'd either be awoken from whatever dream I'm in, or I'd join the ranks of Bugs Bunny and Peter Rabbit as a jackalope.

It seemed the post-slumber daze that had initially struck the goddess had passed because as I shook myself out of my stupor she gracefully descended the dais and approached us.

Giving Rachel and me a once over, Artemis looked past me and began speaking to Rachel. "Young maiden, what is your name?" Rachel seemed confused for some reason, before the goddess repeated herself, this time in what was immediately recognizable as English, if a little exotic. I wasn't sure how I understood what she had said the first time, but decided to chalk it up to having something to do with my ability to understand ancient Greek texts.

Not sure how to converse with a goddess, Rachel seemingly decided to play it safe and responded in kind, "My name is Rachel, Milady. Are we right in assuming you are Lady Artemis, goddess of the hunt?"

"That is correct. Did you wake me from my slumber, Rachel?" Artemis probed further, her manner of speech seemingly improving the longer we spoke.

Rachel's eyes flicked to me before she replied, "No Milady, it was Percy who returned your bow to you. Why were you asleep anyways?"

Before she could respond, A seafoam glow tinted the grass around me. As my gaze wandered, searching for the source of the light I noticed Artemis and Rachel staring at the air above me. I looked up then frantically started waving my hands above my head, stopping when they slipped through the shining trident over my head as if it was fog; small wisps floated away from the symbol before returning to their previous position. The light faded and with it the trident, leaving us speechless.

"It would appear my Uncle succeeded," Artemis mused, breaking the silence. "My father will likely hear no end of this. Not for many centuries, at least. Speaking of centuries, what year is it? I remember a flurry of activity throughout Olympus as Rome breathed its last, but then the details are foggy, including how I ended up in... Ephesus?" The goddess half-stated, half-queried.

I opened my mouth to answer but, Rachel beat me to the punch, "It's 2005, Milady. If your last memories were of Rome then you must have been asleep for almost two millennia!"

The goddess had taken everything in stride up until this point, but as Rachel described the duration of her slumber Artemis became visibly more anxious. She began looking around furiously while mumbling under her breath. I could occasionally pick out bits and pieces, "huntresses...chariot...council...Olympus...powers".

After around a minute of watching the goddess have a near mental breakdown, I cut in, annoyance in my voice, "Aren't you the goddess Artemis? Why are you so out of sorts?"

Turning to look at me with a glare that sent shivers down my spine she responded, "I am a goddess, boy, and you will address me with respect." Her gaze softened to one of worry before she continued, her volume increasing in a slow crescendo, "I have been asleep for two millennia and have no knowledge of the whereabouts of my huntresses. The only clue I have on the state of Olympus is the son of my uncle, who knows nothing of the world around him, and none of my godly powers seem to be working!" The last part was nearly shouted at me before she huffed indignantly and her sharp glare returned.

"Woah slow down. Why do you think I know nothing of the world around me? What do you mean I'm the son of your uncle? Also, you never apologized for attacking me." I blurted out, returning the glare.

"Why should I apologize to an idiotic mortal boy? Your questions confirm my accusations, you know nothing of the world of the Gods. You are the son of Poseidon, my uncle."

I was growing tired of being talked down to, but before I could land myself in hot water with the Goddess before me, Rachel interjected. "Percy, if you are the son of Poseidon then that would make you a..."

"Demigod, yes. Possibly the only one living." Artemis finished, worry returning to her face. I can't say that I appreciate the way that Artemis has been treating me, but something about her worried expression made me want to wrap her up in a hug. Somewhere in our conversation she had moved back up to the dais, and sat down beside the hind. It laid its head on her lap, and she began stroking it slowly, lost in thought.

Several seconds passed, where I kinda just stared into space, "I'm a demigod..?" I pondered. Like a rubber band snapping, the reality of the situation hit me. Vertigo and nausea struck as the world started to spin and I would have fallen if Rachel didn't wrap an arm around my waist to steady me, before helping me lower myself to the ground. I sat there for a few minutes while Rachel and Artemis discussed something, the conversation being lost to me. Slowly I returned to my senses and my attention turned back to my companions.

"Son of Poseidon. Son of Poseidon." Rachel pondered, pacing around the room, before growing excited and rushing over to me. "Prince of the seas! Percy, what did the strange poem on the door say again?" Artemis apparently took interest in this, because she looked up at me quizzically.

Taking a deep breath to finish collecting myself, I racked my brain for a few moments, remembering bits and pieces, "I think it went:

Fated companions of sea and night

Will break the curse that hides the light

Symbols of power returned at last

Revive the kings, revive the past"

Artemis perked up at this gushing into the air around her, "A prophecy! Apollo, my brother, I would kiss you if you were here!"

Silence hung in the air before she looked over at us, blushing furiously, "If you know what's good for you, you will never tell a soul of what just happened."


"So remind me exactly why we are hurtling through the air, in a reindeer-pulled sleigh, thirty-thousand feet above the ground!?" I choked out, my face a little green at the height and speed we were traveling at.

"I told you already, we have to return to Olympus. Hopefully, my uncle, your father is there and he'll be able to help me find my hunt and regain my powers." Artemis replied.

I turned to Rachel. "Is it still kidnapping if the kidnapper is the poster child for a Forever-12 advertisement?"

Artemis interposed before she could reply, "I'm not kidnapping you. I am taking you to see your father, who I'm guessing you have never met, so stop complaining. What do you mean by 'poster child' and 'Forever-12 advertisement'?"

Rachel explained a few things about Hollywood and fashion magazines to the Goddess.

"Mortals are so strange. I have never needed any more clothing than that which I am wearing. To explain my age, I can appear at whatever age I would like, but over the centuries I found that I felt most comfortable in the guise of a 12-year-old maiden, which also happens to be the average age of my huntresses."

"And she says I know nothing of the world around me," I grumbled under my breath. Artemis obviously heard me, if me doubling over in pain after being punched in the gut is any indicator.

"Watch your tongue, boy. You know nothing of me."

Rachel once again stepped in before a fight could start. "The view from up here is beautiful, Milady. I've never seen the stars so clearly!"

Smiling softly, Artemis replied to Rachel, "That it is, child. That it is. Do you know the stories of the constellations?"

"Aquarius was a servant-boy that Zeus fancied, named Ganymede. Zeus put him in the sky after his death. Ursa Major was one of Zeus' lovers and Ursa Minor was their son. When Zeus' lover birthed a child. Hera was jealous and turned his lover into a bear. Not recognizing her son, she almost killed him before Zeus intervened, and turned the son into a bear as well. After they died he honored them by placing them in the sky." Rachel explained.

"Very close, but there is always more to the story. Ursa Major was once a nymph named Kallisto," Artemis narrated, "She was one of my huntresses and my best friend. My father began to pursue her and before I could intervene, Hera turned her into a bear in her jealousy. I was unable to break the curse put upon her. She remained with my hunt until months later she ran from the camp, while my sister Athena was visiting the hunt. We followed her and found her giving birth to a young cub. Before I could strike her down in rage for breaking her oath, my sister stopped me. She explained the guilt she felt at rashly cursing Medusa and Arachne, and we decided to look more deeply into the matter."

"After reading my friend's memories we discovered that my pig of a father had continued to pursue her after she was transformed into a bear, and forced himself on her. It broke my heart that I could not let my best friend remain in my hunt, but divine oaths are binding. The best I could do was immortalize her and her son in the stars after they died."

A peaceful stillness lay over us for a few minutes after that, then I saw a cluster of stars in the sky and remembered the story behind the constellation.

"I know about one of the constellations too!" I suddenly exclaimed. "Orion was a famed hunter throughout Greece when one day he came across you and your hunt. According to the stories, you turned him away which led him to challenge you to an archery contest. If you won, he would leave Greece forever. If he won, you would allow him to be one of your hunting companions. He won and you, being intrigued by his skill at archery, started competing with him to see who could hunt the most dangerous beast. In his pride, Orion declared that he would hunt everything that walked the earth. Upon hearing this, Gaea sent a giant scorpion after Orion, and in the process of defeating this foe, Orion fell to one of your arrows. Broken-hearted, you placed him and the scorpion in the sky as a reminder of your lost love."

Looking back, I probably should've stopped my retelling of the myth when I saw Artemis stiffen at the start of the story, but for some reason, I had felt the need to prove myself to the maiden goddess. After I had finished Artemis turned towards me with venom in her eyes and a knife to my throat. "I did not love that filthy male," she hissed, "Your half-brother intrigued me at first when I saw his prowess with a bow, but he was far too arrogant for my liking," she began before sighing and lowering her blade, "Unfortunately, in my young naivety, I didn't realize that he was just like every other male until it was far too late. One day, while out on a hunt, Apollo visited me and warned me of Orion's true nature, about how he had seen a vision, and that I and one of my huntresses were in danger. I disregarded him, and that was one of the greatest mistakes I have ever made."

Rachel pulled the goddess into a loose hug and Artemis' mask of stoicism started to crack. Her eyes were teary as she relieved the events of the past. "A few days later, my father tasked me and my huntresses with finding and slaying a giant scorpion that had been terrorizing villages all over Greece. I sent Orion and one of my other huntresses out in a scouting party to find the great beast, but while they were gone the scorpion found us. Orion returned in the midst of the commotion and managed to land a fatal blow. Turning, he sent a cocksure smile my way before blood spurted from his mouth and chest. With a great shudder, the monster collapsed and its stinger was wrenched from his chest."

Artemis, full of sorrow, took a moment to compose herself and then finished her story, this time with fire and hatred burning in her eyes, "Orion was still a member of my hunt, and arguably the best mortal hunter the world had ever known. I sought to honor his skill by granting him a place in the sky alongside the mighty scorpion that felled him. The fight over, we took a headcount and noticed that the other member of the scouting party hadn't returned. We found her within an hour, beaten, bruised, and naked. Engriefed and enraged, I knelt by her side. She revealed the culprit to be your half-brother with her dying breath."


The atmosphere remained heavy for the rest of the flight. I had gotten over my sky-sickness after the first hour and spent the rest of the trip staring up at the stars and down at the sea in amazement. For a moment, I thought I had seen a glowing city under the sea, but when I tried to show Rachel it was no longer there. After what felt like forever, Artemis informed us that we were nearing Olympus, and honestly what I saw was nothing like I expected. Situated above the Empire State Building in New York, several thousand feet above the ground floated the top of a mountain as if a giant had ripped it from the ground and told it to fly.

Greek buildings of gold, silver, and marble were interspersed all the way around the mountain, with roads curving this way and that as they approached the peak. At the pinnacle stood the largest building I have ever seen, shining in the moonlight. It looked like the Parthenon, being supported by large marble pillars, but the similarities ended there. Great murals inlaid with precious metals and gemstones covered what we could see of the walls. Wide arches hung over every entrance. A large garden containing flowers of every color and trees of every kind surrounded the monumental structure, where fountains and ornate statues carved from gold and platinum were scattered seemingly at random alongside benches for quiet contemplation (or if I had to guess from how they are characterized in the myths, for the gods to sit and stare at themselves.)

Rachel's eyes glimmered with stars as she leaned against the railing of the chariot. I imagine I looked no different, but with my mouth agape as I tried to take in all of the sights. Olympus was truly a world of its own.

Artemis smirked in amusement at our reactions as she steered her chariot around the grandiose building once, and then twice, before landing in a secluded part of the gardens.

"What do you think?" She smugly asked, gesturing around the section of the gardens that obviously belonged to her. The plants here shimmered in the moonlight and the statues were either of the goddess herself or young women holding drawn bows or kneeling as if tracking an unknown quarry.

"It's... amazing." Rachel gasped out, and all I could do was bob my head in agreement.

"Come, we have much to do," Artemis commanded as she turned and started walking in the direction of the building at the peak. Rachel and I had no choice but to scramble after her or we'd be left in the dust.

"The details on these statues are so intricate! Who are they of?" Rachel questioned Artemis.

"They were carved in honor of fallen huntresses through the ages."

We made our way out of the gardens and onto some stone-paved streets in relative silence outside of Rachel's occasional question, but one thing struck me as odd as we passed through what appeared to be a marketplace. There were no vendors carting their wares, no people lining up for what was being advertised as the "Best Ambrosia on Olympus, Guaranteed", and no animals frolicking in fountains or chirping cheerfully from the rooftops. The whole place was eerily quiet.

"Where is everyone?" Rachel pondered out loud, apparently wondering the same thing. Our heads simultaneously turned to our goddess companion.

Artemis looked as confused as the two of us, but schooled her features and gave a reply, "I know not, but I have multiple thoughts, none of which is particularly encouraging. The most likely is that they fell asleep, the same as I did, and are tucked away in their homes."

"And if they aren't?" I asked.

The goddess's features hardened and her fists clenched for a moment."Let us pray that is not the case."

"Can goddesses pray?" I asked, the thought just occurring to me.

A small smile touched Artemis' lips for half a second before she turned, announcing, "We have arrived." Rachel gasped as any words I might've said caught in my throat. Towering before us stood the largest set of double doors I had ever seen. Easily the size of a small apartment complex, I couldn't help but feel insignificant and I hadn't even entered the building.

Shimmering gold and platinum formed intricate depictions of the gods performing acts of myth and legend. Six gods, The Kronides by my guess, dismembered their father in striking clarity. An older (younger?) Artemis stood with who I would assume to be her brother Apollo over the corpse of a massive serpent. A disfigured man's hammer struck a gigantic face. A beautiful, naked goddess stood in the center of a large clamshell, the only thing protecting her modesty being her arm and hand. I quickly looked away and suppressed a blush when I noticed that one. Many other stories were carved into being upon the doors, but I didn't have time to look at them, as the doors slowly began to open.

"Welcome to the Hall of the Gods" Artemis greeted, with her body turned towards us and her arms stretched wide. "If I notice anything unseemly from you, I will not hesitate to punish you, boy." Artemis threatened with the eyes of a predator. Gulping and responding with a nod, I made a mental note not to touch or do anything.

The goddess turned and strolled into the throne room. As Rachel and I followed the moon goddess inside the first thing that struck me was, once again, the sheer size of the place. Describing the space as a room doesn't do it justice. Easily the size of the Madison Square Garden, the Hall of the Gods made Grand Central Station look like a broom closet. Pillars rose on all sides, supporting a domed roof that depicted the constellations in real-time. As I viewed the different stars I thought I caught a brief glimpse of a scorpion's stinger flashing towards Orion and a bear nuzzling its cub out of the corner of my eye, but as I turned to look, the constellations restored to their statuesque splendor. In spaces between the pillars were murals even more glamorous than the ones carved into the outer walls.

Around the room stood twelve thrones arranged in the shape of a Greek omega. The thrones towered over our heads and looked to be sized for beings who were at least fifteen feet tall. Outside of their height, none of the thrones bore any resemblance to the others with each having a unique theme. One was ornately carved out of the finest woods with grape vines curled around the legs and armrests. Another was made of fine marble with holographic gemstones depicting the feathers of a peacock inlaid into the back (and looking suspiciously like the NBC logo if you ask me). All of the thrones were empty and looked washed out or dull, like the colors had been drained out of them, save for one that looked like a fisherman's chair with fishing flies hooked into a hat and a pole holder, with a trident instead of a fishing rod holstered, which I assumed to be my father's.

In the center of the thrones was a hearth, simple but elegant. The size of a bonfire, the flames were a soft orange and started soothing the anxiety I didn't even realize I was feeling. On my right, Rachel relaxed visibly and the only thought in my mind was that this place felt like home. A girl about my age, wearing a hood, with brown tresses of curly hair and eyes of flame smiled at me from within the fire. I would have called out in alarm, but she then pointed downwards, waved, and disappeared. My gaze followed her sign, and I finally noticed the man staring into the inferno with his hands clasped behind his back. I couldn't see his face, but he had dark hair like mine, bronzed skin, and wore some kind of sea blue Greek robe, a chiton if I correctly remember what Rachel had told me in the museum. Golden stitching formed wavelike patterns, trimming the garment.

We approached the man with Artemis at our head, and he turned to face us. His face was sunken with a trimmed beard the color of his locks. Eyes the color of the deep ocean met mine and his features shifted like magic. His eyes brightened and changed hues, matching the color of his chiton. A smile graced his lips and his sunken features melted away, being replaced with creases at the edge of his mouth and crow's feet at the corners of his eyes.

In front of us stood Poseidon, my father.