Hey guys! So, first things first, I'd like to apologize for my lack of warning about how OOC Percy would be last chapter. I will try to alert you before I spring something like that on you again. Also, another late update! I'm on a roll! Hopefully spring break will allow me to pick up the writing pace a bit. And, as always, read, enjoy, and review... and cut to disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I will never be Rick Riordan, so I will never own PJO or HOO.

A Price to Pay

"No! Brother!" A shriek cut through the tense, dust-filled air. The throne room was filled with a deafening silence in the aftermath of such an explosion as the Olympians' heads swiveled around to stare at Aphrodite's tear-streaked face. A look of agony was splayed across her features, clashing unpleasantly with her flawless visage.

"Yes! Sister!" As the silence became suffocating, a voice suddenly called from amid the slowly settling smog in the middle of the room.

Heads snapped in the opposite direction as a silhouette was gradually revealed. Glowing red eyes were the first distinguishable feature as they peered calmly, yet amusedly at the goddess of love, "I see you finally realized your relation to me. What gave it away? My charming good looks or my impeccable sense of style?"

Artemis scoffed from her throne, drawing a lopsided grin from Perseus. Aphrodite shot the two a scathing glare, wiped away a few stray tears, and answered haughtily, "In your dreams, Perseus. Your power signature simply resembles Father Ouranos'. I noticed when you blocked Lord Zeus' attack. But this new relationship changes nothing; I still hate you! You represent everything I do not care for, and thus are my enemy."

Perseus's grin turned mocking as he pointed out with a wink, "Oh, but those tears tell a different story."

Aphrodite's cheeks flushed, whether in anger or embarrassment Perseus couldn't decide. She huffed and turned away, leaving Perseus to smirk victoriously. Suddenly, an outraged yell came from behind Perseus, but the god rolled his eyes and, with a snap of his fingers, the yell was cut off. He stepped aside, and an enraged Zeus came barreling harmlessly past, his Master Bolt having been snapped in half.

Perseus goading laugh resonated around the room, and he drew his own sword with a challenging jerk of the head. Zeus took a threatening step forward, materializing a spear in his hands.

"Enough!"

Hera barged between the two, emanating the furious aura of a woman scorned. She shot her unfaithful husband a death glare, "Sit back down, Zeus! You have no right to make any decisions without a majority from the council! Be glad Perseus blocked your bolt, since it saved Hermes a trip down to Tartarus to retrieve a wrongfully imprisoned god! We will now have a vote."

The council of gods had never seen Hera act so assertively before, so no one was brave enough to object, even if they wanted to.

"Those in favor of sending Perseus to Tartarus?" Hera declared. Only Ares and Zeus raised their hands, but a disgusted look from Hera forced both their hands back down.

"Those opposed?" The rest of the council besides Dionysus raised their hands.

"Those abstaining from vote?" Dionysus' hand lifted lazily into the air.

"The council has spoken. Perseus will not be sentenced to Tartarus! Does anyone have anything else to add?"

Unsurprisingly, Athena stepped forward, "Yes, even though we are not punishing Lord Perseus for his loss of control, we must keep watch on him, to help him control his powers and to ensure his loyalty to Olympus. It would be disastrous if he were to turn against us in any way."

Perseus scowled and cleared his throat, "I have already been forced to swear loyalty to you Olympians, and as the god of loyalty, I find it impossible to go back on my word."

"I have full faith in your ability to keep your word; however, it is the problem of you being incapable of controlling your powers that worries me."

"I do not need a babysitter!" Perseus' frown deepened as he stared defiantly into the goddess' stormy gray eyes, but he sighed in defeat as he realized the truth in the goddess' words, "Then who is to 'watch' me?"

"I, personally, cannot with my duties to Father," Athena shook her head, her calculating eyes scanning the room for any volunteers. Nobody spoke.

After a moment, the goddess of wisdom spoke again, "Why not you, Artemis? You are sensible and appear to know Perseus better than the rest of us."

"Me?" Artemis gawked incredulously, "He is a male! I am not all that against having Perseus stay with the Hunt, but my hunters will eat him alive!"

Zeus slammed his fist on his armrest, "I will not have that creature living with you! Why are you so accepting of him?"

Artemis turned a cold gaze upon her father, "Because he was more of a friend and parent than you ever were."

Zeus' jaw clenched and he gritted out through his teeth, "He hurt you! And you will show me the respect that I deserve, girl!"

"Hold your tongue, Zeus! You are in enough trouble as it is!" Hera snapped irritably before grabbing her husband's ear and flashing out, no doubt to give him the tongue lashing of his life. Perseus did not pity the old fool.

Turning his attention back to the topic at hand, Perseus spoke up, "Lady Artemis, I would forever be grateful if you were to accept me as a… pupil, per say, and companion to your Hunt. I swear on the Styx to not be a burden upon you."

"I…" Artemis hesitated, looking conflicted and unsure of the whole situation.

"Please, Milady," Perseus smirked as he watched the corner of goddess' mouth twitch slightly, "Though I am much older than all of you, I have been unable to learn all I can about my powers because of my isolated lifestyle and the Fates' selective instruction. It would benefit me greatly, and I can also teach the Hunt the art of swordsmanship, if that may aid you in any way."

Artemis' brow furrowed as she tried futilely to think of an excuse before finally admitting defeat and nodding. She gave Perseus a hard stare and said, "Might as well get it over with. Come to the forest outside Priam's city. If you can find us, you are worthy of joining the Hunt," and flashing out.

Perseus grinned, "Challenge accepted," before he too disappeared in a flash of red.

An hour of Perseus' immortal life had disintegrated into sniffing out the Hunt. Perseus had searched everywhere in the woods, but to no avail. He was purely incapable of locating the moon goddess' band of merry maidens.

The will to continue was just about to vanish completely when the blue-eyed god's divine hearing registered a slight commotion a short way west of his position. Mustering up some dregs of courage and subduing his exhaustion, Perseus headed out toward the noise.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight he would stumble upon at the hunters' camp.

Utter chaos had descended upon the girls in the form of a monster attack. A pack of gigantic canines, hellhounds, had cornered some younger huntresses at one end of camp, while a horde of much stronger adversaries had surrounded the older, more experienced girls. Even Artemis began looking irritated as she chopped through the seemingly endless army of monsters with her hunting knives.

Silent as his sacred animal the tiger, Perseus drew his sword and unstrapped his sheath, falling upon his prey fluidly, completely in his element. Covertly delivering several well-placed slashes in rapid succession, Perseus sliced through a good fraction of the monsters without attracting any attention, but it wasn't enough. Attempting to conceal your presence and kill things at the same time was an extremely difficult combination.

Finally, Perseus decided that he had to risk distracting the hunters if he were ever to have a chance at destroying those monsters. Drawing on his powers, Perseus tuned a wave of destructive force to explode around him and decimate only the monsters. A red ring rippled outward, and the monsters fell, being reduced to golden dust within moments. The hunters went on high alert as they scanned the area for the source of the power and laid eyes on Perseus.

"Who are you, boy?" One of them, a dark-haired girl with the air of a Persian princess, asked disdainfully, as though the word 'boy' were the worst insult one could receive.

"Nice to meet you as well," Perseus muttered, "And I am no boy, to answer your question."

"That answered nothing!" the huntress spat, "Now tell us who you really are."

"Do you know the myth of Perseus?" the god inquired.

"Of course! But that has no bearing in this conversation," was the harsh reply.

"Oh, but it does. So tell me, what do you know about him?"

"He was a demigod son of Zeus who slew Medusa," another huntress stated bluntly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Perseus scoffed, "No, the other one, that Perseus' namesake!"

"The god of hatred, then. And of destruction. Nothing to be proud of," the princess-like girl sneered.

Perseus forced himself to swallow a snappy comeback, "And his appearance?"

A child Athena by the looks of it piped up, "Perseus is a very reclusive god, so very few have documented his appearance."

They speak of me as if I am an animal to be observed, Perseus thought bitterly, "What do they know of his features?"

The Athenian girl scanned Perseus suspiciously, "Why do you want to know?"

"Simply curious, is all."

"There is no need to be curious," a new voice suddenly entered the conversation, "god of death-black hair, god of blood-red eyes, the end of man, Lord Perseus, for it is of yourself that you are asking."

Perseus smirked and bowed low to the newcomer, "At last, a huntress uncovers my identity, despite a less-than-fair notion of my arrival." He glanced up from his genuflecting position straight into the disapproving silver eyes of Artemis herself.

"You are much different than you were yesterday," the moon goddess stated, "I cannot say this changed personality is particularly appealing."

Perseus straightened out and laughed happily, much more freely than he had done in centuries, "I have finally released much of mankind's hatred from the last 1000 years! A personality change is to be expected."

Artemis smiled fondly at the god, but quickly became emotionless again once she realized what she was doing, "I tire of this pointless chatter. Hunters, I have an announcement. Lord Perseus will be staying with us for an indefinite amount of time, as decreed by the gods. Please treat him with respect, do not harm him, etc. You know the drill, girls. Just treat him like you do Apollo."

The statement was met by a cacophony of groans and complaints, but a scowl from Artemis shut them up. Then, redirecting a glare on Perseus, Artemis demanded in a no-nonsense attitude, "Flirt with my hunters, hurt them, do anything to them, and you will wish you were never born."

"Understood, Milady!" Perseus saluted smartly and smiled at the hunters, "A pleasure to meet you. I am Perseus…"

The hostility on the hunters' faces was enough to stop him in his tracks. Finally, the Persian princess-like girl sneered derisively, "I thought we had reached that conclusion already." The other hunters either laughed outright or had enough kindness to try smothering the laughter behind their hands as they slowly dispersed around the trampled campsite.

At last, it was only Perseus and Artemis. "I must apologize for that. Zoe is not the most… accepting of men, no matter if they're human or divine."

"I see. She must have had quite the bad experience with males for her to hate them so much," Perseus mused, wincing as the familiar flow of hatred accompanying a good amount of pain suddenly washed over his core.

Artemis looked over at him sadly, "It seems like hatred replaces quickly in the world."

With a sigh, Perseus nodded, "Unfortunately. And I am to bottle it all up until my next grand blow-up, hopefully far into the future."

"That's not right. Most gods do not contain their powers. You would not need to suffer if you simply allowed the hatred to cycle naturally back to the earth." The moon goddess said with a frown.

"I cannot allow that," Perseus objected quietly, directing his gaze to the darkening sky. At Artemis' questioning silence, he continued, "Have you ever met Hypnos? Nike? Any wielder of an emotional or metaphysical state will exhibit this. Take Hypnos for example. He is a god who maintains the continuous cycle of sleep energy, using the technique you suggested to me. But there is a side effect."

"Which is?"

"Those around you will be able to feel the effects of your domain. That is why those who are near Hypnos feel drowsy. It's because he continuously exudes sleep."

"So if you were to channel your powers like that, everything around you would be destroyed?" Artemis asked, intrigued by this new information.

"Not exactly," Perseus answered pensively, "Since destruction is not a metaphysical state or emotion, that aspect of my powers does not apply to this situation."

Glancing over at Artemis, he saw her completely bemused expression and elaborated, "The explosion of destructive powers is a result of the bottled hatred combining with my powers of destruction. You could say it represents the extent of the physical and psychological damage I am capable of inflicting if my powers are left unchecked."

"That makes sense," Artemis admitted, "So, if you took my previous advice, everybody around you would feel hatred?"

"Correct, correct!" Perseus grinned, "Forcing negative emotions into people is not the greatest way to start a conversation, so I believe not letting any of my power out and dealing with the individual repercussion is better than unleashing something awful upon the whole of mankind with no consequence for myself."

Artemis lifted her gaze to meet Perseus' bright sea blue eyes. Not for the first time did she find herself thinking just how beautiful those twin sapphire irises truly were. Shaking herself out of those forbidden waters, Artemis spoke, "You are unusual, as I have said before. I have met no one with quite as much loyalty and selflessness to match your own."

Perseus blushed, but smiled, "Thank you for your kind words, Lady Artemis."

"What have I said about the 'Lady' business, Lord Perseus?"

"The same thing I have said about the 'Lord' business, Lady Artemis," Perseus grinned lopsidedly as he ran his fingers through his midnight locks.

Artemis rolled her eyes, "Well, back to the subject of your powers. It seems I have nothing to teach you; rather, it is you teaching me. Why did you agree to have me 'instruct' you on something you already know?"

"So I could get the chance to learn something I do not know," Perseus answered simply.

"You will need to elaborate. It seems that the Fates' vague ways of speech have rubbed off on you."

"Archery."

"Archery? Are you saying that the great and ancient Lord Perseus does not know how to wield a bow and arrows?" Artemis teased good-naturedly.

Perseus scowled and argued defensively, "It was always something I never got the hang of. And was the 'ancient' comment really necessary?"

"You are the first god," Artemis pointed out.

"Yes, but going by that logic, Aphrodite would be ancient as well, since she was born mere minutes after I was formed. Besides, I only have about 500 years on you. If you compare that in respect to immortality, it is hardly a large gap at all." Perseus insisted.

Artemis looked thoughtful, "I guess you have a point."

"Of course I do!" Perseus puffed out his chest and faked an arrogant grin, causing the goddess next to him to roll her eyes once more.

"It is about time for dinner, and I need to check my hunters for injuries. I suggest you head to camp as well. After all, you are the one cooking for us tonight as reward for saving us." Artemis began walking toward the cluster of tents.

"What? Wait! Artemis! How does that make any sense! Hold on!" Perseus balked, caught completely off guard by the goddess' quick change of attitude, watching dejectedly as Artemis sauntered off toward the tents.

"Ancient powers are awakening, Perseus…" Clotho's voice echoed mystically.

"Ones you are destined to fight…" Atropos continued.

"Beware, my boy, it will be no easy task…" The voice of Lachesis boomed eerily.

"But you will be ready, you must. For the fate of the world is in your hands…"

The three intermingled voices trailed off vaguely into the ethereal, misty landscape, leaving Perseus to call after them, confused, curious, and sufficiently frightened, "But, Clotho! Atropos! Lachesis! Wait, please! What are those powers? Does this have anything to do with the monster attack yesterday? I must know more!"

"You will know when the time comes. It is risky for us to even visit you here. Now, wake up!"

"Wake UP! Oh, for the love of Zeus!"

There was a sharp snap and a splash. Perseus shot up in his little cot, sopping wet, eyes darting everywhere in an attempt to locate his assailant. They finally landed on the silhouettes of Artemis along with those of two hunters.

Sputtering as water dribbled down his face from his hair, Perseus huffed indignantly, "Why did you do that?"

In an instant, hunter #1 (otherwise known as Zoe) had an arrow nocked and ready to shoot the god through. "Watch your tone, boy! You will show some respect, or you will be missing something precious to you soon enough!" The bowstring tightened more.

"Stand down, Zoe!" Artemis barked before turning back to Perseus, "Get up! It's time for archery lessons."

Taking one look at the pre-dawn sky, Perseus flopped back down and groaned, "It's not even daybreak yet!"

There was a twang and an arrow implanted itself into the cot, mere centimeters away from Perseus' head. Perseus blanched and jumped up, no longer in any kind of mood to sleep in. Artemis, meanwhile, frowned and plucked the arrow out of the bed, "Zoe, this is inexcusable!"

"Milady, it was being disrespectful."

"Zoe!" Artemis warned, but Perseus raised a hand and walked over to Zoe, drying his clothes with his powers in the process. Artemis eyed the man suspiciously, not entirely trusting him to behave either.

Perseus held Artemis' gaze and almost imperceptibly shook his head. Artemis shot him one more distrusting glance but turned to give an order to other hunter (Phoebe). He then continued to slowly advance on the unfazed lieutenant. As he neared the girl, he realized just how skittish she was feeling in the situation; there was apprehension in her eyes, and every muscle was tensed. Slowing down the closer he got, Perseus eventually came to a halt before the dark-haired girl and stared hard into her onyx eyes.

To Zoe's credit, she maintained eye contact with Perseus' tiger glare for a full minute before faltering. The slight waver in her focus was all the signaling Perseus needed as he softened his gaze. By this point, the two were almost nose-to-nose, neither showing physical signs of surrender.

Without warning, Perseus jumped back and swept low in a bow. Zoe, who had obviously not been expecting that and whose emotions were on edge the whole time, unsheathed the hunting knives at her belt and slashed blindly. There was a snick and Zoe calmed down to see that she had nicked Perseus' cheek. He was oozing golden ichor from the cut, but he maintained his position despite the condition.

Zoe shook herself from the shock of injuring an immortal and said stolidly, "I apologize, Lord Perseus. Get up and heal the wound. We do not have all day." With a decided sheathing of her knives, she left the tent without a word, motioning for Phoebe to follow her.

Artemis watched sadly as her oldest hunters strode from the tent before turning to the injured god sympathetically, "Give them time; they will come around eventually." She slowly pulled Perseus over to the bed and examined the cut. It was not fatal in the slightest, so Artemis summoned a square of ambrosia and shoved it into the god's hands. He nodded appreciatively before devouring it in a bite. The cut immediately ceased flowing with ichor, and the torn tissue was in the process of mending itself when the dulcet tones of a hunting horn sliced through the frigid morning air. Not a minute later, a young hunter poked her head in and announced hysterically, "My Lady! Lord Perseus! The Greeks are attacking the Trojans once more, and Lord Ares is accompanying them on the battlefield! We must defend Troy!"

"What stupid gods and men!" Artemis exclaimed as she drew her bow and flashed out.

Perseus abruptly thanked the hunter before he too teleported to the gates of Troy where a battle was raging furiously. Assessing the situation, Perseus concluded that the entire battle was instigated by Ares himself. The god's bloodthirsty aura was diffused throughout the Greek ranks, poisoning their minds and influencing their actions. Analyzing still farther, Perseus realized that many of the troops were in no condition to be fighting, seeing as they had just been injured in battle the day before. Gods only did this sort of thing when they bored, and witnessing the selfish deed firsthand enraged Perseus. He tossed his neutrality to the wind as he scouted the area for any sign of the wretched war god who had caused this whole mess in the first place. Suddenly, Perseus sensed a disturbance. There was no longer just the power of Ares, but also those of Hera and Aphrodite intermingling in the air, and sure enough, all three divinities were engaged in battle against the Trojans. The gods have truly entered the game. Artemis and the Hunters were doing all they could to even the playing field for the Trojans, but they were no match for three Olympians. Granted, Artemis was doing fine on her own, but the Hunters were little more than immortal demigods, and as such, they did not have the fully developed and far-reaching powers of a god. Perseus gritted his teeth in frustration at the gods' meddling.

From the corner of his eye, Perseus spotted Ares swing his broadsword with the epitome of savage glee etched upon his scarred face, Perseus refocused his gaze on the target of the sword blow, and standing directly in the danger zone was Zoe Nightshade, disarmed, afraid, and in extreme peril.

Without a second thought, Perseus teleported to the girl, right as the flash of metal began its fatal descent toward her undefended neck.