Dreams are curious things. To many, they could be considered as a random amalgamation of experiences and memories. Others, especially in the case of demigods, might consider them to be more intentional: critical insight into the past, present, or future bestowed by a divine mind. They could even be, perhaps, direct messages from one consciousness to another. Whichever one got was at least in part subject to the whims of Morpheus – the god of dreams. And, upon awakening, what one would choose to do with their slumbering visions was up to them.

For years, Ivan didn't have the luxury of variety when it came to his dreams. He didn't know whether Morpheus had a hand in it or not, but it was almost always the same scene playing in his mind whenever he got the chance to rest. Ivan had been reminded of a time when he was happy; genuinely happy. Of course, even then life had been hard, but he had been optimistic, with joys and triumphs to look forward to. But naturally, on the summit of every mountain there was also the inevitable decline, and he had relived the moments in which his life had been shattered.

Such was the case this time.

Ivan woke up in a cold sweat and immediately sat up. His heart pounded violently in his ribcage, threatening to burst free from its confines. He was panting hard, with sparse tears flowing from the corners of his eyes. It wasn't often that the same dream could have this effect on him. Sometimes he was merely an observer, an onlooker to the events of his past. At other instances, he was an active participant, in which case senses and emotions returned more rapidly and vividly.

He remembered where he was. He pulled one knee to his chest and let the other hand over the side of the stone boundary around the brazier in the dining pavilion. The fire had died down to a low burn, with thin flakes of fire breaking off and rising into the night-time air, only to be whisked away by the winter wind. Hestia was still there, tending the small flame. She regarded him with a sad look of pity and worry. Lily had been stirred as well by his sudden arousal. The wolf worryingly whimpered and gently nudged his chest and face.

"It's alright girl, I'm fine." Ivan said.

And this was true. Tragic as his recollections may have been, they were a thing of the past. Ivan had no illusions of what past and present were. It never did take him very long to compose himself.

"Are you alright, my child?" Hestia inquired. "More dreams?"

Ivan nodded. "Yeah, the same one."

When he thought back on them though, the dreams had fragmented like broken glass shards in his mind. He obviously knew of the event which they retold, but the dream itself was already fading. Emotions, however, were harder to dispose of. Happiness and peace had been among them, though the prevailing forces were of pain, anguish, loss, resignment and despair.

He looked up towards the night sky. It was one of his favourite views, and often went some ways to soothe his soul. However, tonight, something strange caught his attention. The deep blue-black canvas was free of clouds, which revealed the abundantly speckled stars that glistened like infinite celestial dots. The moon was partially obscured, affording it an ovular shape. Though, none of these were anomalous. What was odd was its colour, which caused Ivan to narrow his eyes in suspicion. While it should have been a pearlescent, ethereal and brilliant white, the moon now looked to be a dirty and monotonous grey, as if its light were struggling to penetrate a heavy cloud cover despite the skies being cloudless.

"My lady, does that look odd to you?" Ivan asked, gesturing to the moon.

Hestia glanced up. "So, you have noticed it to. It has been like that for an hour or so."

"Something's wrong, my lady. I can't imagine Artemis would let her chariot dim."

It was around 3:00 am, gauging by the position of the moon. Ivan looked around. The lights of the Big House were on. Even though he was relatively far away, he could see silhouettes outlined in the distance.

"Go back to sleep, girl." Ivan said to Lily, before getting up and making his way to the Big House.

As he drew closer, he could here commotion and agitated voiced. The hundred-eyed giant, Argus, stood in the doorway with his arms folded, barring the entryway. In front of him stood a frantic Zoe Nightshade. It was odd to see, given how composed and reserved she usually was around those who weren't Hunters. Grover crouched hidden in some bushes to the side, watching the situation.

What the… Ivan thought. A curious sight indeed.

"Where's Chiron? This is urgent! I need to speak with him!" Zoe argued.

Argus gave no reply. There was supposedly, an eye on his tongue, which would have made for an odd appearance, and might've explain his silence. Zoe continued with her demands, eventually prompting Chiron to emerge from the sleeping quarters into view in his full centaur form, sleepily rubbing his eyes. Ivan stayed where he was, some distance away.

"Miss Nightshade, what seems to be the matter?" Despite having been asleep only a short time before, Chiron still managed to adopt a professional tone.

"Lady Artemis is in trouble. I am taking the Hunters to aide her." Zoe asserted.

"Now, now, Zoe," Chiron cautioned. "Are you sure she is in trouble? What led you to that conclusion?"

"Look to the sky, Chiron! The moon is dying! And the dream I had…" Zoe trailed off, not meeting his eyes, and instead looking down and to the side, disturbed. She then seemed to muster up the characteristic, stubborn determination she was prone to and looked up into his time-wisened eyes. "You must allow us to depart for her."

"I'm sorry, Zoe, but I cannot allow that." Chiron said, shaking his head. "If I recall correctly, Lady Artemis herself asked Percy to escort you here–"

Zoe snorted. "Just because the boy escorted us here does not mean that we cannot leave."

"In any case," Chiron continued, "You are our guest, and you are under our protection. I cannot, in good conscience, let you leave and have some misfortune befall you and your companions."

"The Hunters do not need your protection!"

Chiron sighed, pinching his nose bridge. "Even if what you say is true, Zoe, and Artemis is indeed in trouble; what do you intend to do about that?"

"The Hunters and I will come to her aid, of course."

"Has Lady Artemis herself ordered you to come?"

"No! And that is exactly the problem: how are we to get orders from Artemis if she herself is lost!?" Rather than fear, her voice carried tones of desperation and frustration.

"Lost? This is from your dream?"

Zoe nodded. "The General has captured her. We must organise ourselves and leave at once."

"Well, if the General has her, then that is all the more reason for you to stay."

"But—"

"Miss Nightshade, if it is indeed the same General we are both thinking of, then by allowing you to leave, I would be sending you and your Hunters to your doom. Think about it: your goddess was overcome. What then, can you and the Hunters do?

"If indeed Artemis has gone missing, then it is likely that some of the Olympians will notice her absence, if they haven't already. They will issue a divine decree to find her, or the Oracle will spout a prophecy. This is how things have always been; we should proceed with caution and not be rash."

Zoe huffed, clearly frustrated that she hadn't been able to convince Chiron. "If Artemis is not rescued by the Winter Solstice, then the gods lose another year of war preparations against the titans."

She turned to walk off. In the distance, she could see a figure mostly obscured by shadow, yet with a recognisable face.

"You…!" She exclaimed, surprised.

Ivan opened his mouth to speak but she quickly stormed off, back towards Cabin Eight.

Ivan turned to watch her go. At the same time, he caught Grover vanishing from sight as well.

"It seems I came back at an eventful time." Ivan said to Chiron his back still facing him.

Another sigh escaped Chiron's lips. Ivan began to traverse the path toe the Big House and climbed its steps.

"You know, despite her harsh assertiveness, she's probably right; the moon doesn't have the same lustre it once had."

They stood side-by-side now, overlooking the camp. Clearly disturbed, Chiron could only mutter softly. "Yes. But what else can we do, besides wait? We do not even know where she is."

"But we do know who has her." Ivan countered. "This… General. Do we know where he is? If we could find him, then we could find her."

Chiron shook his head. "The General is… was, bound. Trapped, you might say. If he has captured her, then that means he is free. His last known location might give us an idea as to where he might be, but I will not risk Artemis' Hunters on anything that vague."

A moment of silence passed between them.

"I could go." Ivan said. "You wouldn't be losing anything much. I could move quickly and quietly."

Chiron looked at him, somewhat pained. "You would leave? Again?"

"Out of necessity, Chiron." Ivan insisted. "But it was only a suggestion."

That last part seemed to relieve Chiron, if only slightly.

"Who is the General, by the way?"

His question was only met with silence.

"Chiron?" Ivan turned towards him. "What are you not telling me?"

It took Chiron a moment to reply. "It is late, Ivan. This is, perhaps, a conversation for another time."

A not-so-subtle conclusion to their present discussion.

"If you say so, Chiron."

\ \ \

Breakfast the next morning went on as usual. Most people remained oblivious to the happenings of the early morning hours and the commotion that occurred. Grover and Percy sat at the Poseidon table. If Ivan had to guess, he'd guess that Grover was catching Percy up on the events that had unfolded at the Big House.

The Hunters, seated at Artemis' table, looked miserable. Zoe had likely informed them of her dream and Chiron's reluctance to let them leave. They sat with scowls, which made their youthful faces look a few years older. Some even seemed to have been crying, as evidenced by their red and swollen eyes. No doubt they resented the fact that they were being forced to stay and play capture the flag with the campers while their goddess was in turmoil.

Again, Ivan sat by the brazier with Hestia, Lily curled up by his side. He explained the conversation that took place at the Big House.

"This is troubling, Ivan…" She said, after he had finished. "Artemis is not the most powerful Olympians, but she is certainly among the most capable. Her capture, if true, does not bode well."

"Is it true that Artemis is a main contributor to wartime preparations?" Ivan asked.

Hestia nodded her confirmation. "The Olympians overall have grown complacent; only Artemis and Athena appeared to remain vigilant. I fear that this will spell their eventual downfall.

"Athena is the mind, and Artemis is the knife. Working in unison, they accomplished much and gathered a lot of information for the council. If Artemis is the first piece to fall in this new war, then the gods are certainly in dire straits. Whether this is indeed the case, I do not know.

"I agree with Chiron though, Ivan; you should stay, at least for now."

"Mmm. Don't worry; I'm not about to rush into anything. I'd have no idea where I'd go anyway."

Lily raised her head and gently nudged Hestia's chest. Puppy dog eyes were unexpected on a wolf of her size, but somehow Lily managed to pull it off.

"Watch your manners, Lily." Ivan warned.

Hestia gave a soft chuckle, her mood lightening slightly. "It's alright, Ivan. I don't mind; she is quite sweet." As she finished saying this, she summoned a leg of ham for Lily, who gently took it from her hands.

"She's just sweet because she knows you'll give her food." He said. He tried to appear disappointed, but he couldn't stop the soft smile that sprung to his lips.

"Anyway, it seems she's in good hands, and at least she won't bother me. Could you keep an eye on her, my lady? I have a few things I need to do today."

"It would be my pleasure." Hestia said, smiling.

His departure came just as the last campers were leaving the dining pavilion. One of the things he intended to start was Nico's training. The boy would eventually start on his journey to becoming like the heroes in his game that he liked so much.

He found Nico on his way to Arts & Crafts and took him instead to the Arena. Chiron did say that the facilities were open to him, and he planned to make use of that offer. Given that weapons classes weren't scheduled, perhaps he could teach the boy a thing or two before they came back. At least that way he wouldn't be starting from ground zero and he might be more on a level with other regular, seasoned campers.

Upon arrival to the arena, they saw Percy and Thalia already in the middle of an aggressive sparring session. Aggressive was the way Ivan would describe the combat, but he knew from the glint in their eyes that there was no animosity, just competitiveness. Annabeth was seated in the elevated viewing gallery, watching the fight. Even though there was plenty of room in the arena, Ivan had wanted this first session to be a private one. So, it was either come back another time, or do something else.

Ivan decided on the latter. He walked into the viewing gallery and approached Annabeth.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Ivan asked.

Annabeth sat up, startled. She seemed a little bit distracted. When she finally registered the question a second later, she simply nodded.

Taking his seat, Ivan turned to Nico. "Alright, Nico. Here's your first lesson: you're going to watch those two down there fight. I want you to look closely at each of them are doing. Let's see if you pick up on anything."

"Wait, so I'm not going to be training today?" He asked, somewhat disappointedly.

"This is training." Ivan corrected. "You're training your observational and analytical skillset."

"But why aren't I training with you? You're better than they are, right?"

This caught Annabeth's attention.

"… perhaps. But Percy and Thalia are still decent fighters. And lessons can come from anywhere. Trust me; you might like what you see. You still need to decide on a combat style, after all."

Nico didn't seem to buy it, but he relented. "Alright then. Can I at least get a bit closer to see?"

Ivan nodded, which prompted Nico to leave their row of seating and stand up against the wall.

Ivan himself was watching the duel progress. They perform a lot better fighting each other than they do fighting together, he thought. They fought with wooden weapons to imitate their preferred fighting styles; Percy held a wooden sword and shield, whilst Thalia wielded a wooden spear and shield combo.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" Ivan asked Annabeth, cutting through the sound of wood striking wood.

Again, Annabeth was brought back to reality. "Oh, uh… I'm putting you on defence… if that's alright… I figured that there's only one of you and you're like, our best fighter now, so it'd make sense to put you there…"

"Fair enough."

The conversation stopped dead in its tracks. Sometimes Ivan could be blunt, which had that effect.

"Are you alright? You seem out of it." He asked her.

"I'm fine." She said, a little too quickly.

Not looking at her, he replied, "You may be smart, or wise, but you're a bad liar. Thinking about joining the Hunters, are we?"

She blushed slightly at this. "How did you know?"

He shrugged. "Just guessing. You seem to be more sympathetic to the Hunters than Thalia, at least; I've seen the way she looks at them. And your body language and facial expressions make you look like you have a big decision ahead of you."

"Maybe we just have different pasts and experiences with them." She defended. "And; besides, I could be thinking about any number of things."

He paused for a moment and let her comment hang in the air. "Their brochure is also jutting out from your pocket."

She looked down and sure enough, there it was. Folded, but still visible to an attentive eye.

"All this time and they still haven't changed their design. An odd recruitment tactic too I guess, but…"

Annabeth took the pamphlet from her pocket and unfolded it. She held it low, lest it catch the eye of her companions down in the arena.

"I don't know, it's just…" she sighed. "I was thinking about it, and I thought about what you said to Bianca too. And Nico. It's… I'm still weighing up the decision; it's a lot to think about."

"Mmm thinking's good." Ivan nodded.

"What do you think about it?"

He sat back up and turned to face her. "Doesn't this just fly right in the face of what I said? About uninfluenced, individual choice?"

She took a moment to consider her answer. "Well, no. First of all, I'm not your sister, so your comments won't have as much sway over me. Secondly, I'm not asking you to tell me what I should or shouldn't do; just to give your thoughts and observations."

He scrunched his face slightly. "Subtle word manoeuvring… but fair enough. You really are your mother's daughter."

Sitting upright, he looked back to where Percy and Thalia were fighting.

"Well, I'd say you already know the pros of being a Hunter. You were, after all, the one to point them out to Percy. And the fact that you're asking that question, it's as if you want someone to give you a reason not to join.

"You already have a reason too; that's why you're hesitating. It's either you don't know or you're unwilling to articulate it, and so you want someone to say it to you, to make sure it's not just in your head.

"And that other reason really is simple: Percy might be hurt." He finished.

"What are you saying? Why would he be hurt? You mean to say… he likes me?" She was blushing now.

Another shrug. "Maybe. Likes; loves; either or. You seem to feel the same way about him too. You might not realise it yet and maybe it's not at that point right now, but it'll get there."

"You sound so sure; how do you know?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

Ivan paused for a moment before he responded. "I've seen the look you had before. It's not a look of weakness, it's… vulnerability; desperation. There's something you don't want to forfeit or give up."

Annabeth slowly nodded, taking it all in. She felt more at peace now, and she knew what she'd do now.

"You know," she began, "you're not what I expected."

"Oh?" this piqued Ivan's interest.

"Yeah. You put up this weird exterior. Based on your bearing and the way you handle yourself, I thought you'd be more brash and cold to strangers. But you aren't which is kinda surprising."

He shrugged again. "You're not entirely wrong."

\ \ \

As always, capture the flag was held after dinner that evening. This evening brought something relatively special with it: an opportunity to face off against a longstanding adversary. Though none of the Campers had ever faced the Hunters in combat before, the rivalry between Camp Half-Blood and the Hunters was seemingly passed down through the generations of heroes. The Hunters on the other hand varied in age, and so it was likely that at least a few of them would have experience fighting the campers before. Zoe Nightshade would be one of them.

The Campers aggregated at the foot of Zeus' fist in the West Wood around a kneeling Annabeth. The night was cold, but that would change once the fighting started. In the clearing, the stars were too far away to provide any sort of lighting, and the moon was still a depressing dull and dim grey. Aside from the solitary torch that Annabeth had posted by her side, there was no other illumination. The rationale was that individual torches would be more hinderance than help; the light would notify the Hunters of their positions in the night and limit visibility to what was lit.

The attendees all donned full bronze armour in the Greek fashion. Nico too, wore the standard issue Camp-Half-Blood bronze breastplate that was oversized and weighed him down. But for one as unexperienced as he, some protection would be better than none. His helmet too, was large for his head, requiring him to tilt it back at the chin to peak through its eye slits. When he spoke, his voice rebounded off the metal walls of his helmet and eventually rang into the winter air.

Ivan was also geared up in his own armour. Equipped he had a brown-black leather vest, with spare, silvery, vine-like mist designs that were pearlescent and shimmering, depending on how they caught the light. His leather bracers and grieves, which he wore on top of his conventional tapered black jeans and black shoes, mimicked this design. Aside from the bracers his arms were exposed, revealing burn marks that consumed his upper left arm. Though less defensive than bronze, leather was lighter allowed for greater mobility and dexterity, which were traits he personally valued more than protection.

On the ground, Annabeth had drawn a map of the woods, and was gesturing to it as she explained her plan. She drew new elements to fit her oration.

"We're gonna be stretched pretty thin tonight since there aren't a lot of us." She began. "Keep your eyes peeled for any activity. Give it another few minutes and your eyes will adjust to the darkness.

"As you would've seen, our flag is posted atop Zeus' fist. I don't expect getting to it to pose much trouble for the Hunters, but hopefully the need to scale it will buy us some time.

"Beckendorf: take your guys, as well as Ares and Aphrodite cabins to the river. We want to be dispersed enough so we have enough eyes and ears. But concentrated in the centre since that's the shortest distance to the river boundary. Travis and Connor: you two will be in charge of defence towards the extremities; we can't let them sneak around us."

Looking up, her explanation was met with nods of acknowledgement, and a thumbs up from Beckendorf.

"Alright. Thalia, Percy and I will go for the flag. From where we are, Thalia will head north-northeast until she hits the river, from which she crosses into the East Wood. Percy will take east-northeast and do the same thing. Since I've got my cap, I'll go invisible and beeline it down the middle. Once you two get across and get about midway through East Wood, you'll pincer towards me, letting us find the flag if I don't find it immediately.

"That just leaves Ivan and Nico, who will be defending our flag. Do you think you can handle it?"

Ivan nodded.

"Good. Now, that just leaves some general points: Hunters are expert ranged combatants, but don't underestimate their close-quarter capabilities. Also, they're experts at traversing the woods, so don't just look on your own plane; you have to make sure they're not passing overhead too.

"Don't announce your position, either. Obviously yell if you need help, but no battle cries before you've started fighting; you'll just point out where we are and they'll avoid us, or they'll catch us by surprise. We want to draw them out into an unavoidable confrontation where they can't evade us. Especially at the river.

"This'll be tough; everyone needs to bring their A-game, alright?"

More nods.

"Okay, put 'em in." The Campers drew their weapons and pointed them all towards the centre of a makeshift circle.

"Let's win this, yeah? 1- 2- 3- Campers." It was quiet, and a bit anti-climactic, but that was the best they could do if they didn't want to let the Hunters know where they were. Everyone broke off into their smaller teams.

Ivan stayed where he was with crossed arms. He considered the odd trio a little bit in front of him. They're both of the Big Three, Ivan thought about Thalia and Percy. It's a wonder they're not at each other's throats. If Annabeth weren't here, they'd probably both be vying for leadership. But since she is here, everyone defers to her.

Ivan and Nico were stationed three metres away from the flag while the others did whatever they did to mentally prepare themselves. The moments that followed were tense; still; silent. The anticipation built up and could be severed like a knife cutting through a taut thread. Everyone awaited the horn that would signify the beginning of the match.

"So, what did you learn from watching Percy and Thalia today?" Ivan asked Nico.

Nico shrugged. "They were both pretty cool. And fast. I think I wanna pick up the sword too." He said, hefting his blade up with both hands.

"Anything about the way they were fighting?"

Nico thought for a moment, lowering the tip of his sword. "Well… they seemed pretty evenly matched. I don't think they were holding back, but they just kept going back and forth."

Ivan nodded. "Good. When you're fighting against an opponent of similar skill, there's going to be a mutual give and take, an ebb and flow. Sometimes, you'll put yourself on the back foot to see if your opponent will open their guard, which you can exploit. But be aware that they might be doing the same to you."

"What happens if I'm better than my opponent? Or they're better than me?"

"That compromise is still there, but it's just harder to notice, and harder to engage in. The undisciplined types will rush and immediately try to overwhelm their enemy with reckless attacks, and the meek fighter will only defend and slowly be chipped away at. Of course, there's a lot more to it than that, but it's good you picked up on what you did."

Nico nodded determinedly. "Do you think I'll get to do anything tonight?"

"You probably won't want to." Ivan chuckled. "The Hunter that comes through those trees is a brilliant fighter, I bet. Just watch how we engage, hmm?"

"Yes, sir."

At least, that's what Ivan was expecting. As the lieutenant of the Hunters, Zoe was probably the most formidable combatant of all of them. As such, she'd likely be taking point to retrieve the flag. And given how new she was, Ivan wasn't expecting Bianca to be making an appearance anywhere near where they were.

I wonder where Alice will be this game, Ivan thought.

Just then, a loud horn sounded through the clearing. The game had begun.

\ \ \

At the start signal, the first line of campers silently rushed to their designated areas, treading on light feet. A minute or so passed before Annabeth nodded to Percy and Thalia, and the three of them wordlessly headed to their routes.

It wasn't long before the sounds of conflict could be heard. At first, it started as the barely perceivable woosh! of a loosed arrow. Then, it became the clanging of metal on metal. Then, the grunts and yells of active combat. Though it sounded nothing like the persistent fire of heavy machine artillery, the sensory information nonetheless reminded Ivan of war.

The area around Zeus' fist was uneventful until Zoe emerged from the forest into the clearing, with Bianca on her tail.

Ivan raised his eyebrow at this. I guess I was wrong; looks like she had the same idea I did.

"I know what you're thinking, boy." Zoe said. "Bianca is here to watch and learn. As is her brother, it appears."

Ignoring the weak insult, Ivan replied, "It didn't take you long to find us."

She snorted in derision. "56 games with the Campers, and for half of those games Zeus' fist held the flag."

"Does anyone else know we're here?"

"All the Hunters know. But they will not come."

Ivan smiled to himself. "Good. I don't want any interruptions."

He drew a glass vial from his pocket, its contents a venomous liquid green. Casually, he threw it against a small boulder to his side; one of many that formed a perimeter around the clearing. Upon contact the glass shattered, and a blazing fire rapidly erupted at the point of impact. Flames spread and formed a circle, enclosing the four of them in. The fires formed a wall metre high, making it difficult for anyone to enter or leave the makeshift arena.

Bianca's eyes darted nervously between Ivan and Zoe. She had only seen Ivan fight once, against the manticore, but she had never seen Zoe. Nico on the other hand, held a look of intrigue and excitement. Both gave Ivan and Zoe plenty of room to combat.

For a moment, everyone was still. Then, Zoe drew her bow and fired three arrows in one draw. In the blink of an eye, Ivan summoned his scutum to block the projectiles, before discarding it to the side. It wasn't useful for agile conflict, but the rectangular shape gave good body coverage for stationary blocking.

Again, Zoe drew and fired in rapid succession. This time, Ivan ran forward and dodged them, weaving in between the arrows with skill. The arrows left trails in the air in their wake.

Jumping in the air, he summoned two obsidian daggers: one in an ice-pick grip and one in a hammer grip. He descended upon Zoe with a punch-like strike aimed at her head. Swords would have given him more reach and power, but for a Hunter like Zoe, who could close any gap in an instant, swords would have meant his downfall.

She evaded this and dropped her bow.

Ivan kept the pressure up, throwing a few more stab-like strikes. She dodged all of these before pulling out two knives of her own.

While Ivan was extended from his attack, Zoe retaliated with her own offensive assault. Ivan flipped his knives, reversing their grips and went for a stab to the abdomen. It was deflected and returned with a stab to the head.

He jumped back and kicked the extended hand up, averting its trajectory. With the same leg, he sent a powerful sidekick to her chest, which caused her to stumble backwards some way and had the intended effect of creating some distance between them. Though Zoe was fast and had centuries of experience fighting, she still fell short in terms of strength compared to Ivan.

Another moment of stillness before the two rushed each other again, almost as if both were operating on the same trigger. As he had described to Nico, Ivan was in the ebb and flow of battle. Granted that it was explosive and charged, but the fight swung both ways in any case. Both he and Zoe moved, defended, evaded, and struck with elegant mastery. Sparks flew at the clashing of their blades.

An unintended consequence of their impassioned conflict was that the world around them had died. There was nothing. There was no winter night, no fires blazing a short distance away. Even the game had been forgotten. He defended nothing. She hunted nothing. All that was left was this duel. They were opponents. And yet, they were partners, partners in a beautiful yet destructive dance. They spun and jumped and flipped and swept in a deadly whirl of blades. Lethal strikes that would kill if landed could only be thrown because the two knew the other person could accommodate and respond in kind. She slashed his leather vest leaving a long and deep gash and he severed her quiver from her back.

Amid the fighting, both had lost a knife each. Zoe went for a stab. Ivan used this opportunity to disarm her, leaving her empty-handed. Thinking her exposed, Ivan quickly lunged forward and flipped his blade to reverse the grip. She landed a well-placed kick that required perfect timing and perfect accuracy. This caused Ivan to falter, and the result was a black dagger sent flying from his hand. Ivan continued his forward momentum with his other hand in a closed fist.

Now the two of them were bare-handed. It was fascinating; even without their weapons they were still both their own deadly force. Without their weapons, which had constraints in strikes and blocks imposed by the weapons' designs, that they were now free to fight unhinged.

The fight ended when Zoe went for a front-kick and Ivan side-stepped and caught it. Now, Zoe would've been able to recover this if Ivan went for a low sweep; she could flip backwards and give him a boot to the jaw. Unfortunately, Ivan instead didn't go for a sweep; instead, he landed a well-placed sidekick with the blade of his foot to the back of her knee; it was more direct and quicker. The bluntness of it caught her off-guard after what felt like an eternity of grace. She fell backwards and landed on the floor. She was already short on breath, but the impact with the ground forced whatever air was left in her to escape from her lungs. Ivan himself was panting heavily.

With the battle over, the world around them returned. Cheering could be heard from the river. The Campers emerged victorious, carrying Percy, Annabeth and Thalia on their shoulders. Annabeth proudly and triumphantly waved the Hunters' blue flag overhead. The Hunters followed suit, grumbling in dissatisfaction. Their defeat didn't help matters when they were already worried about the safety of their matron goddess.

Ivan smiled exhaustedly after regaining a bit of his breath and extended a hand to help Zoe up. She swatted this away and rose to her feet by herself. The flames around them had died down substantially, enough for one to step over them.

Chiron galloped into the clearing and loudly announced, "The Campers win, putting an end to the Hunters' 56-game dominion!"

More cheering was heard in response. Ivan smiled and went to retrieve his weapons. Before Zoe could do the same, Bianca came up to her and offered them with outstretched hands, a consoling smile adorning her face.

While he knelt to pick up his discarded dagger, he noticed something stir in the forest. At first, they looked like fireflies; a pair of them. They were quite large, based on their size despite their distance away from the group. And they flew in formation. And they were green. His eyes widened in surprise to connect them to the shuffling silhouette, stumbling eerily toward them.

"June…" he soundlessly whispered.

"Miss Nightshade, I believe someone is here for you." Ivan said, still taken aback.

Zoe looked up and held a gasp. The other campers and Hunters weren't as subtle, their surprise abundantly audible.

"How… how is this… she has never left the attic…" Chiron said in astonishment.

June– no– the Oracle continued to stumble forward in a possessed shuffle. When it came to a halt, it looked into his eyes and pain filled his throat. It was the kind of pain that preceded a bout of tears, and yet no tears came. Seeing the body of someone he once knew now lifeless and inhuman, to witness them being controlled like a puppet or mannequin was disturbing.

With a crooked head the Oracle turned to Zoe, who was standing beside Ivan. In a croaky voice she uttered, "Approach, Seeker, and ask."

Swallowing a gulp, Zoe knelt, her eyes to the floor. "What must I do to help my goddess?" Only when she had finished her question did she raise her eyes.

The Oracle's mummified jaw creaked open suddenly and violently, letting green mist spill from the opening. It pooled at its feet and assembled itself in space to reveal Artemis slumped back against a wall, her head drooping. She looked scuffed up and severely injured, even by immortal standards. It was hard to tell from a monochromatic projection, but there looked to be ichor seeping from her wounds and pooling where she sat. Over her loomed a domineering figure. All that could be seen of this second person were his broad shoulders and the collar of a suit blazer. To his right stood another man, though his face was obscured and shadowed.

Ominous words followed the vivid imagery:

"Seven go west to the goddess in chains,
Bound and beaten, strength soon wanes,
Baren lands bring forth one's end,
Arising free, left condemned,
Campers and Hunters combined contest,
Buried secrets unearthed and confessed,
The Titan's Curse to be endured,
Unrest to grow as reunions assured,
Save or sacrifice: both burdens to bear,
On mountain summits: war declared."

The mist dissipated and the Oracle took a seat on one of the lower boulders of Zeus' fist. The green glow subsided, leaving the lifeless June behind, like she had always been seated there.

Everyone was in shock. Ivan was the first one to make a move. He walked forward and looked down at her sadly, before picking her up bridal style.

Starting for his walk back to the Big House, he spoke to Chiron, "That's probably enough for one evening," and went on his way.

"Alright, everyone," Chiron called out. "Back to your cabins! We will speak more of this tomorrow."

Gotta say out of everything this chapter, I'm probably the proudest of the battle sequence between Ivan and Zoe, as well as the prophecy (not saying either are great but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). Went through a few renditions of the prophecy but decided on this as the final version. What do you think? Finally, something to pick up the pace after a few slow chapters, eh?

Sorry I took so long; aside from work and studies, I was finishing off another readthrough of my favourite book trilogy and started on Norwegian Wood again. After this I'll probably get back into PJO, and finally finish HOO. And there's even Trials of Apollo now? RR really has been busy since I've been out of it.

In any case, hope you all enjoyed.

Review~~~