So, after far too long I can finally give those few remaining readers a real new chapter. I am really sorry for the long hiatus, but there had been many reasons why it took me this long to continue the story. The biggest reason would be that I had a severe case of writer's block and some issues with depression and all that dark bullshit... It was really hard to motivate myself these past few months and the dwindling number of readers and followers for the story had not helped either. I will try to update a bit more frequently from now on but I can't make promises.

Okay, for now, have fun with the new chapter. See it as an early Christmas present...

Apollo and Asteria followed Themis silently, as the Titaness lead them deeper into the winding tunnels beneath the ruined temple. Her daughters, the Horae, walked behind them and at every moment Apollo was sure that he could feel he burning gazes of Dike and Eunomia. Only the presence of their other sister, Eirene, would seem to stay their hands. But Apollo couldn't bring himself to care for their petty grudge against him. His mind was too focused on whatever Themis had in store for him. His purpose here was only to find Ariadne.

But as they ventured further into Themis' sanctuary, he couldn't ignore the dark and foreboding feeling that seeped into his mind. Asteria seemed unperturbed, as she followed her aunt. Unlike him, she seemed to trust Themis. But when Apollo looked at this woman, he mostly saw his father's consort, not an ally.

Soon enough they had reached a large chamber, below the temple. The room was bare. Neither furniture nor any ornaments could be seen. Only a few torches that shed just enough light to allow them to see that nothing was hidden in the corners.

"Why are we here?" Apollo asked, quite impatient.

"Apollo," Asteria chided her nephew, "All in due time."

"Time is just about the only we do not have," Apollo replied. For all the countless eons he had lived, he had arrived at a point where time was an issue. Not because of his own mortality, but the mortal danger his daughter was in now.

"Your fear for the daughter of sun and moon is justified," Themis began, "She is now in the hands of one who would not harm her."

"Eos likely serves Kronos. She has attacked my sister as well. She has killed Artemis' hunters and kidnapped my daughter. Who knows what they will do to her!"

"Eos is but a misguided child. She is not the one you should fear. The daughter of sun and moon is still a mortal shell, bereft of her rightful inheritance. She may just as well burn in the light of her captor unless her blood frees her from the lands of the sun."

"Now I see why my kids hate the oracle so much," Apollo sighed.

He had to wonder what Themis tried to tell him with this. He knew that Ariadne was not immortal. By all means, she should have been born as a goddess. But by the time their daughter had been born, Selene had lost all of her powers and Ariadne had inherited none of her mother's former strength… It was why he had given her to Artemis after Selene's passing, to buy himself the time needed to find a way to give his daughter what should have been rightfully hers, to begin with. The chance that she was really mortal was too big to ignore...

"You are not making this any easier for us, Themis," Asteria said, as she watched Apollo. "But I guess this all we can get."

"The Oracle is always ambiguous, Asteria. There is no certainty in the future and the prophecies always tend to change the future of those involved. Though I have to admit, that someone else is meddling with the flow of time as we speak. Things have happened that should never have been. I do hope that the queen knows what powers she is about to unleash with her ambitious plan," Themis replied calmly. The Titaness adopted a worried look and turned away from the group, "Kronos' return is imminent, child, and with him, we will see the end of an era. But it is not possible to tell whose era will come to an end."

"The queen has only one goal and you know it," Asteria told her, "We only try to preserve what little is left of our world before it is too late. The world has become unhinged and neither Kronos nor Zeus will do what is necessary to prevent the bleak future that awaits us."

Apollo could see how passionate his aunt was about Rhea's plans. He himself had fallen for the Titan queen's machinations, but somehow he was sure that Asteria and Lelantos had not been tricked into joining the queen. So either they knew more than they let on or else…

"I understand, child," Themis told her with a sigh.

"Then help us," Asteria pleaded, "Not just in finding Selene's daughter and legacy, but help us restore the Golden Age, as it was meant to be."

"I cannot, as you should very well know, child," The answer came swift and with a hint of finality, "I have to remain impartial. I am not allowed to play favorites, that is not the purpose of justice."

Asteria looked dejected for a moment but said nothing else. This was the only answer they should have expected from Themis and they couldn't even fault her for it. Apollo was glad that she had helped at least a little with finding Ariadne, but the Titaness would not take sides.

"But where my powers end, others can help in my stead. Be it through their service or their death," Themis continued. She looked towards her daughters, who stood a few feet away from her, huddled together in a small group so they could talk in hushed voices without disturbing their mother. "Eirene!"

"Yes, mother!"

"Gather you, sisters. My fate is no longer yours," Themis told her daughter, "Go to Queen Rhea's side and aid her as you have aided me. She will find your service invaluable, I'm sure."

"As you wish, mother," Eirene replied obediently. The Horae of peace was the calmest of the three and pacified her belligerent sisters with her mere presence. Even now Dike would have argued against her mother's decisions, but instead, she followed Eirene's lead and bowed deeply before all three Horae left the room swiftly. Their task was clear and they still had several other sisters to gather before they would make their way to Othrys.

"Thank you, honored aunt," Asteria said, as she bowed before Themis herself. "I shall treat them as if they were my own flesh and blood."

Themis ignored Asteria entirely, instead, she swept past her and approached Apollo once more. She cupped his cheeks gently between her hands and looked directly into his eyes. They remained like this for some long moments. Apollo wasn't sure what Themis was thinking about at that moment, but to him, her skin felt cold and her eyes were quite disturbing to look at, as they stared so intently into his own. It made him feel like a foolish young boy who was about to get chided for some folly or another...

"You have been a pawn in a greater game yourself," she sighed, "You have been since the day you were born, all those years ago. I remember that time well. Your mother and her struggle to bring you into this world, despite Hera's attempts to prevent it. Even then you had not been the master of your own fate. But the true face of the mastermind remains clouded even to me. Walk tall, Apollo, even as a pawn you play a pivotal role. Your daughter and your champion depend on you." Then she let go of him and walked away. She said no more before she disappeared into the darkness of the underground tunnels.

"What was that all about?" Apollo asked, still perplexed the way Themis had acted.

Asteria looked rather somber for a moment before she forced a smile back onto her lips. "Themis has always been… cryptic. But we got what we came for. Not the clearest answer, but one we can work with, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'm not so sure," he sighed. "But we should return now. Grandmother might know the answers to this riddle," he mused.

"Yes, the queen might know."

Thalia watched in silence, as the other demigods in their group began to erect their camp for the night. How they thought it would be a good idea to sleep out in the wilderness of New Mexico's vast plains, when there were much safer hostels less than an hour away. She didn't really like the outdoors. Too many monsters just waiting for a chance to attack. She had not forgotten her failed attempt to escape the monster horde her uncle had sicced on her. How could she, when to her these events were only weeks ago, not years like they had been for everyone else? But as it seems, Jackson and his lapdogs had some unnatural fervor for outdoor camping.

For some time her eyes followed Percy. In the weeks after she had woken up again, this boy had quickly become the bane of her existence. Everyone was fighting, the demigod camp and Olympus were in an uproar and by the looks of it, they had not even hit rock bottom yet. All because of this boy. Just watching him strut around, giving orders and acting as if he is some sort of god himself. As a daughter of Zeus the other demigods were looking up to her for guidance and though she had been mortified by the idea to take on such a responsibility, she was left with little choice in the matter. Someone had to stop Jackson and by the looks of it, only another child of the Big Three would be able to bring him down.

But even the hunters seemed to follow his lead for crying out loud. Zoe Nightshade, another person on Thalia's shit list, showed little reason to believe that she was the right-hand woman of a man-hating goddess. Instead, she seemed all buddy buddy with Jackson and even deferred to him on most occasions. It just showed how dangerous Jackson had truly become and by now she wouldn't even be surprised, had he been the one to abduct the goddess Artemis in the first place. Some wicked form of treachery and deals with dark powers would surely allow even him to trap a goddess...

The only ones not doing his bidding are her and Malcolm. Oh how she wished that Annabeth was with them right now, she would know a way to knock that boy of his pedestal. But Annabeth was gone, captured by the enemy and now it looked like she was a prisoner of the same guy that has the goddess Artemis in his clutches. She could only hope that he friend would survive for long enough

"Stare any harder and everyone will believe that you have the hots for him, prissy," Clarisse said, as she sat down next to Zeus' daughter.

Thalia looked as if she had tasted something foul, and looked at the other girl aghast, "That's disgusting." She wanted to puke just thinking about it.

"Just saying," Clarisse shrugged before she took a flask from a nearby backpack and took a swig. "He isn't that good-looking, but he has his moments. You surely wouldn't be the first to fall for him. Gods know I had to knock some sense into the heads of more than one of my sisters."

"How can you even trust that traitor?"

"Might makes right, or so my father says," Clarisse replied. "And I really don't like those lying Athena' bastards."

Thalia's temper flared as she heard this. She knew well enough that Clarisse held Annabeth and her siblings in contempt for some reason, but so far she had not demanded to know the reason why. Yet no matter the reason, Annabeth had been one of her oldest and most loyal friends, before and after she had been turned into a tree and she wouldn't let anyone badmouth her.

"Just what is your damn problem!" Thalia spat in anger.

"My problem?" Clarisse asked, equally incensed by Thalia's tone, "My problem is that I have to listen to you whining and moaning about traitors and all this shit when then ones who betrayed us in the sea of monsters had been Annabeth and her asshole brother. The only reason why I stayed with the camp was to protect my idiot siblings who seem to have the combined intelligence of a bunny on steroids, not to watch you divide us even more than we already are thanks to your old man."

After her rant, Clarisse stormed off. On the way she grabbed her brother, Sherman, and dragged him away from the camp. Thalia had not expected such an outburst at first, but the more she thought about the more she realized that unlike many other demigods at CampHald-blood, the daughter of Ares had always been the most obstinate and pushy. But she wondered what exactly Clarisse had meant when she accused Annabeth of treason… The only other person she could ask would be Malcolm, but Annabeth's brother had obviously heard the commotion and was nowhere to be seen.

Percy had no idea what the commotion had been about, but when it comes to Zeus or most of his offspring, he didn't care unless their quarrels pose a threat to him or those close. But by the looks of it, Thalia's issues had been solely with Clarisse at the moment.

"That insufferable girl. We would have reached our goal by now, had we just ditched her somewhere," Zoe sighed.

She had just returned from a short scouting trip, only to witness yet another insignificant moment of Thalia Grace and the destructive temper of Zeus and his progeny. There was no look of contempt on her face. At least not in the same way Percy made his feelings clear. She had gotten better at keeping her feelings in check. Percy was sure that he was the reason for that. He had irritated her so often in the last few years, he had caused so many quarrels with her, that she had inevitably gotten better at tuning out the annoying behavior of those around her.

"I'm more concerned about what Clarisse will do to Sherman," Percy replied. He knew all too well how vicious the daughter of Ares could be in a spar, especially when she is angry. "Poor sod. But have you seen anything out there?"

"Nothing. The whole area is quiet," Zoe replied, "Too quiet. I have Susan and Lyra continue the search, but I doubt that they will find much. Something has scared all life away from our camp, but I doubt that our enemies will show themselves so soon."

"I don't know. I can't describe it, but I have this odd feeling that this will be one of those nights..."

"Those nights?" she asked.

"No moon, no light, no sounds. Almost as if the darkness itself is about to snatch us," Percy said.

"You are worried that Bianca will make another attempt?"

"I couldn't fault her for trying. And I am so tempted to just let her go and try her luck against Thalia," Percy groaned, "But it wouldn't be worth it."

"I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, but why would I try to fight her?"

Percy almost jumped in surprise, when Bianca suddenly appeared from the darkness near him. This was certainly a very unnerving skill of hers. To appear from the shadows and disappear just as quickly, without a sound… he wasn't sure whether he was creeped out or envious.

"What are you doing here?" Zoe demanded to know, immediately expecting another attack. "I don't know how you survived last time, but I won't fail again."

"I am not here to fight," Bianca said, as she raised her hands in mock surrender. "I need to talk to my cousin. Alone."

"Which one? Me or the amazingly short tempered pinecone over there?" Percy asked. "On the other hand, I doubt that you would talk to Thalia… you are here to kill her, aren't you?"

"Why would I try to kill her?" Bianca asked, visibly confused by this.

Percy was at loss for words at first. Either Bianca was the best actress he had ever met or she suddenly suffered from severe case of amnesia. He really couldn't be sure. But she was definitely not the same girl he had first met in Las Vegas. Her stint in the Underworld had changed her and he had no idea how much.

"Percy, she is trying to trick us. We should warn the others in case the Cerberus is waiting for another chance to attack," Zoe warned.

"Well," Bianca began. She shuffled a bit, as if she was nervous for some reason, "Fluffy is never far away from me. But he wouldn't attack unless provoked."

"Last time you attacked us… well and Fluffy was with you," Percy told her. This all was truly strange… and he wasn't even commenting on the name she had given the Cerberus. That was just another brand of insanity that he really did not want to hear about.

"I… I know. It is part of why I'm here today. I just wanted to apologize for that..."

"Really?" Percy's confusion only grew with each passing moment.

"Don't trust her, Percy. Each word she spits out is a lie," Zoe warned him, "This entire story is too bizarre."

"Bianca, you don't really make much sense. I mean it is good that you want to apologize and all, but last time you were kind of… well crazy. You fought against us to kill Zeus' little darling,"

"I do remember fighting against you and this hunter, but I don't remember why..." Bianca explained, "But Master Thanatos demanded that I make up for my blunder and come here."

"To apologize," Percy asked, just to clarify. "For something that you don't even remember."

"I remember fighting, but I don't remember why..." she sounded dismayed by this and deep down Percy was sure that she was telling the truth. But the only explanation for this would be that Thanatos or her father had done something to

her that had erased her memory. But why would they do that?

"On my father's orders, I am here to help you free the goddess Artemis," Bianca continued, this time with much more conviction.

"Really?"

"Yes, Percy. I am here to help… if you let me."

"Why would you do that? If this is just another trick to get a chance at killing Thalia, then you can just leave now because we are not buying it," Zoe growled. She had her bow in hand and an arrow nocked, just in case.

"Wait, Zoe. I don't think she is lying. She really doesn't remember why she came," Percy interjected. He, too, was cautious. He had more than enough reason to mistrust just about everyone who wasn't part of small group of friends or a child of Apollo. And Bianca had attacked him before. But as he looked at her now, he couldn't help himself but believe that her reasons for being here were truly the orders to help with this insane quest.

Zoe, however, wasn't convinced. "This is a trick. She will try to kill Thalia as soon as she gets the chance."

"Why would I want to kill this girl?" Bianca asked, still confused about the whole situation.

"You really forgot about that?" Percy asked in disbelief. "Her father is Zeus. Remember the big angry dude with the lightning rod and the extremely short fuse?"

"Yes..."

"Your dad may be his brother, but they don't really like each other. My dad and Zeus don't get along either. And we poor sods have to suffer the consequences of their bickering."

"And that is why I should kill Zeus' daughter, my cousin?" Bianca asked.

"NO!" Percy almost shouted, "No killing. Thalia might be the most annoying and self-centered asshole I have met in a long time and believe me, I have met a lot of them, but we mustn't kill her or let her die or her old man will go on a rampage of epic proportions."

"This doesn't even make sense..." Bianca lamented.

Percy chuckled and shook his head in dismay, "Tell me about it. But the last time we met, you fought against us because you wanted to kill Thalia. I don't know what has happened to you or why you don't remember anything of this, but no matter what, don't kill the annoying leprechaun."

"Leprechaun?" Zoe snorted with laughter.

Percy was speechless again, only this time because he had never before seen Zoe snort. Despite the gravity of their situation, he had finally managed to elicit some sort of positive reaction from her and even if it was only for a brief moment, he quite likes to see a smiling Zoe for once.

"Alright, I am really confused right now and I am not sure whether this is a good or bad idea, but you can stay," Percy said. "But we will keep a close eye on you."

"More than one. Betray us and I will find a way to end you," Zoe growled, as she looked darkly at Bianca.

Percy sighed, as he saw the brief smile completely vanish from the huntress' face. "We should probably hit the hay. It is a bit of a hike to the next town and we need to get back to the real civilization if we want to make the final push towards our goal."

"Why are you even out here?" Bianca asked, "I was surprised when my master told me you are here..."

Percy was about to answer, but a dark look and a warning from Zoe stopped him, "Not one word about this, Percy."

"Right..." he agreed. What else could he do but keep silently unless he had a wish to give Zoe some new reasons to turn him into a pin cushion. So he said nothing and all three remained silent.

The only sounds that could be heard were those of the campfire they had lit and the muttering of the other demigods in their group. In the not so far distance, they could also he the sounds of battle, likely Clarisse's attempt to vent her frustration by breaking her brother's nose… as if Sherman had need of that, with that crooked potato in his face…

But suddenly the calm of the night was shattered by a loud scream. Zoe was immediately on high alert, as she had clearly recognized the voice.

"Zoe!" One of the two hunters came running, her bow in her hand. "Monsters. A whole lot of monsters are coming. They got Susan!"

"Not one night of peace," Percy cursed, "To arms, we are under attack."

Before the others could fully grasp what was happening, the monsters were already upon them. All kinds of monsters, all sizes, and colors, all teeth and claws Percy had seen so far. And among them were others he not seen before.

"This had to be one those nights," Percy cursed before he drew his sword and ran towards the monsters. The blade of his sword was gleaming, as Helios' flames danced around the weapon.

He cut through the first few smaller monsters with relative ease, before he faced the first of the most dangerous foes. He chuckled when he realized that it was the Minotaur, his dear old friend.

"Briefs! Long time no see," Percy chuckled. The monster had obviously not forgotten their last encounter… or the ones before that. "Sadly I don't have time to play with you today. So just do your thing and burst into dust." He jumped to the side to avoid the monster's angry attack before he rammed his sword into the exposed back. A loud roar was all the Minotaur managed before it was sent back to Tartarus for another few years.

"Is this normal?" Bianca asked, as she suddenly appeared next to him, scaring the crap out of Percy once more.

"Will you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?" she asked in confusion, as she killed a hellhound that got awfully clingy.

"This shadow thing," Percy replied in indignation, "I'm just trying to kill some monsters and then you appear from literally nowhere!"

"It's who I am, what I am," she replied defensively.

"Stop babbling, start killing things!" Clarisse yelled, as she ran past Percy and rammed her spear into the next best monster she could get her hands on. Her brother followed hot on her heels, to finish the beast off.

Percy got a moment to catch his breath, as the monsters were not nearly dumb enough to throw themselves onto his blade. Instead, the enemies searched for easier pickings, which they believed to find in his companions. He saw Kayla struggling slightly before Thalia Grace attacked the monsters as if she was in a beserker rage. He couldn't see Malcolm anywhere, but on the other hand, he wouldn't even be sorry to see him become the chewing toy of some monster.

"There is no end to this," Bianca moaned. "Just where do they get all these monsters."

"Tartarus, Kronos is down there getting chummy with all kinds of nasty things… I really hope that is not a family thing. Incest and insanity are bad enough for the favorite family pastimes," Percy said, as he rejoined the fight. "Bianca now would be a really great time for Fluffy to come out and play."

The daughter of Hades, grinned before she disappeared into the shadows. For a moment Percy wasn't sure whether she had heard him or just made a run for it after seeing that they were in a very difficult situation. But then the Cerberus burst from the shadows and crashed into the waves of monsters.

As Percy and Bianca did their utmost to thrash just about any monster they could find, Zoe, Kayla and the last of Zoe's hunters had joined up slightly behind the frontline, to thin out the enemies ranks with as many arrows they could unleash upon the monsters.

"Is that the Cerberus?" Kayla asked in shock, as they saw Percy fight side by side with one of the most frightening monsters the Greek Mythology had to offer.

"Cut the chatter, we need to get rid of those monsters before they overrun Percy and the others. Just try not to hit the Cerberus for now. We will see why that beast is here once we are done with the rest," Zoe ordered sternly.

Truth be told, she was still not sure whose side Bianca was really on, but at least at the moment she was fighting on the same side as Percy. That wouldn't mean that she hadn't a very special arrow just for Bianca, should she decide to attack them again.

"Zoe! Watch out," Lyra, Zoe's last remaining sister from the Hunt, screamed before she pushed her lieutenant out of the way.

It took Zoe a moment to regain her wits and pull herself up from the ground. Lyra had fallen onto her, so she had to shove the other girl off first. But to her shock, Lyra wasn't moving. She wasn't breathing. She was dead, with one black arrow stuck in her back.

"What a waste. Just why do they show the likes of you such loyalty?"

Zoe's eyes quickly found the owner of the voice. The familiar face of another sister from the Hunt… no, a former sister. One of the fallen, who had disappeared without a trace.

"Deianira! You dare to murder one of your sisters?"

"I didn't hate Lyra. I always pitied her and her blind loyalty to you and your mistress. For her to die for you… it hurts to watch such ill placed self-sacrifice. You and your mistress are the only ones I want to see dead."

"Zoe, who..." Kayla began, but Zoe cut her off.

"This is no fight for you, Kayla. Run, help the others. I have one sister to avenge and one to punish," Zoe ordered.

Kayla hesitated for a moment, her eyes moving from Zoe to Deianira and back before she turned around and ran towards Percy and the others. "I'll go and get help."

"She won't get the chance," Deianira said with a dark chuckle.

Zoe expected the former huntress to raise her bow and shoot at Kayla, but instead she took something from a satchel she had strapped to her belt and pushed it into the ground before her.

"You know, Zoe, your mistress is nothing but a hate filled slaver. But the alternatives are not much better," Deianira said, her voice filled with bitterness, "But for every sacrifice, we get something in return. I'm not proud of what I had to do for this, but it certainly is my favorite plaything now."

Zoe wasn't sure what Deianira was talking about, but she raised her bow and aimed at the girl, ready to strike her down. But suddenly her attention shifted towards the ground before the girl and the monsters that suddenly grew like plants from whatever Deianira had planted. Five skeleton warriors, fully dressed in greek armor. Zoe wasted no time and started shooting at them, but to her horror, her arrows had no effect on these skeletons at all.

"Don't waste your time. Nothing can stop my Spartoi," Deianira said. She cackled darkly, before she gave the five monsters her first order, "Nightshade is mine. Go and crush the others."

Zoe tried hard to remember whether she had seen these monsters before, but she couldn't remember them. But she couldn't follow the five warriors, as they stormed with unnatural speed towards Percy's group. Deianira made sure that she would be in Zoe's way.

"We still have a lot of unfinished business, Zoe," Deianira spat.

"You are insane. You betrayed the hunt. You murdered one of your sisters and work with the enemies of Olympus!"

"No, Zoe. For the first time in over a century, I am free. I have chosen my own path and pay the price for my own decisions. Don't think I have forgotten that it had been you who brought me to that slaver you call your mistress," Deianira spat.

"I saved you!"

"You should have let me die with my family. I should have died on the burning streets of Chicago with them, instead, you came and saved me. Only me!" Deianira's anger exploded and she attacked Zoe. "You left my family to burn. My mother, my father… my little brother!" She shot one black arrow after another at Zoe, forcing her to seek cover to escape the barrage before she could start any real attack of her own.

"I remember that day. How could I not..."

She had been there to pick up one of Ares' daughters. A girl who had lived alone on the streets, who had been abandoned by her mother's family. Lady Artemis had heard about the girl from Ares when the god of war had been piss drunk and moaning about how week his latest offspring was. But the girl was already dead when she found her. Consumed by the flaming hell that had been the city of Chicago. But instead of the demigod she had come for, she had found one other survivor, a frail girl that they had later named Deianira when she had refused to speak about herself. In all her years with the hunt, the events of that day had been among the most grueling… a nightmare she could never fully shake off.

"Spare me your lies. How many girls have you captured for your mistress? Hundreds? Thousands? How many of them had been forced into the goddess' service without ever asking? How many of them have been sacrificed for her selfish delusions? Answer me," Deianira yelled.

"All we did was meant to save your life, Deianira. You would have died without the blessing of Lady Artemis," Zoe replied.

Just the amount of anger… no, the utter hatred in Deianira's voice, it was surprising. The girl had taken well to the life of a Hunter, even though she had been human before. She had been calm, the silent and collected type. A pillar of support for those around her, especially those who had suffered before entering the hunt. Zoe would have never expected that there was such fury hidden by her calm mask.

"You should have left me to die. You had no qualms to leave my brother in that blazing hell. I may have forgotten much in those long years since then. My family's home, the faces of my parents, even my own name, all lost to time. But I still remember his feeble pleading. He was alive and had to watch as I was saved and he was left behind to burn. But then again, he was just a boy and you and your mistress have made it clear that their lives mean nothing to you."

Deianira obviously needed a moment to reign in her raging feelings. Zoe used this moment of weakness to counter attack. She let go of her bow and pulled out her hunting knives instead. Deianira had obviously expected a ranged attack and was thrown off balance.

"All we have done was help you," Zoe told the girl, as she tried to subdue her former sister.

"You only help yourself," Deianira growled, "We already punished the goddess for enslaving us, but when I bring your corpse to her she will truly break. You are after all the only one she ever saw as her daughter… at least until Ariadne came along."

"So you want to kill her, too?"

"Ariadne is like me, free. She was saved from being forced into Artemis' service. And I owe her for giving me the courage to leave as well. If there is anyone I would ever consider a sister, it would be her."

By then they were both locked in close combat, trying to cut each other down. They rest of the world around them seemed far away and unimportant. All they could focus on was each other. It actually surprised Zoe just how well Deianira was able to keep up with her. It was obvious that Atlas had given Deianira more than just the monsters to make her more useful to him. Zoe could only wonder what else her father had done… and what he had demanded to get in return…

However, Deianira suddenly pushed away from Zoe and increased the distance between them.

"What a waste," Deianira scoffed, "So much for the undefeatable Spartoi."

Zoe didn't know what Deianira was talking about until she turned and looked towards where Percy and the others were fighting. It was just that moment that she could see the last of the skeletal warriors erupt into flames after he had been hit by Bianca's sword.

"Just what is that girl?" Deianira wondered, "There shouldn't have been a daughter of Hades here… and no Cerberus. I should have known that the General had none of those..."

"Give up, Deianira, you cannot win here," Zoe demanded.

But Deianira laughed at her, "You win this round, but it is a Pyrrhic victory." Then she turned around to flee.

Zoe grabbed her bow, ready to stop the girl when another pack of Hellhounds appeared from the dark night to attack her. She growled in anger when she had to let Deianira escape, so she could take out the monsters instead. Percy had been right, this was one of those nights…

"Enyo is really having fun tonight," Eris remarked, as she sat next to Ares at the bar. "I haven't seen her smile this ferociously in centuries. It is wonderful."

"Good, so that bloody woman will stop bitching for some time," Ares growled. "Let's see how long her daughter will last."

He grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the counter and took a long swig before he offered the bottle to Eris. She took it from him and drank just as much as he had.

"Leave it to the humans to make great alcohol. All our kin know in their golden city is wine, wine, and more wine. And their parties are shit," Eris said, "Maybe I should bring them another apple, to liven things up."

"Ha, I would even pay to see that," Ares commented, "Now look at that. Enyo's little blighter actually landed a hit." It really came as a surprise, especially that the girl had managed to draw blood. A small trail of golden ichor ran down from Enyo's nose, where Phoebe had hit her.

"It's easy to see the relation, they are both unhealthily violent and angry," Eris looked thoughtful for a moment, before she added, "Though, I am curious why Enyo never mentioned that she had a demigod daughter."

"She never liked being a mother. Our mother is shit, so why try and fail," Ares said before he took the bottle from Eris and downed the rest in one gulp. "Guess she can't run away from her motherly duties now. But what a waste that her daughter has to be one of Artemis little bastards."

"Yes, a pity," Eris agreed, "This girl would have been a marvelous addition to our little group. Your sons would have loved to have a cousin around that doesn't take their shit."

Ares laughed loudly, as he imagined the possibility.

"Uhm… hello? Are you too drunk already?"

Ares scowled, as he looked at the person that had dared to interrupt him. To his ire, he saw that it was the other Hunter, some frail little girl that surely wouldn't be able to survive half a minute in a one on one fight with him. Damn… he actually missed Jackson. Beating the boy to a bloody pulp had been the most fun he has had in the last two or three centuries. No matter what he did, the boy always got back up.

"What can we do for you, my dear," Eris asked sweetly.

"Is this yours?" the girl showed him a sword and much to Ares surprise, it was really his. "If not, I've got the others as well. Pick whichever you want," His eyes widened, even more, when he saw that she had somehow gotten her hands on the sword of Phobos and Deimos as well.

"Are you by any chance one of Hermes children?"

"Sorry, but no. My mom is Hecate," the girl told him. There was even some pride in her voice as she mentioned her mother. "So, is this yours?"

Ares grabbed his sword and swung it a bit, just to see whether it was the real deal and not just one of the nasty magic tricks Hecate and her children are so very fond of. But it turned out to be really his sword. The very sword Enyo had stolen from him after she had lost that bet when they watched Percy's TV show.

"It is mine," he admitted, "Fine, I'll talk once those two run out of steam."

"That might take a while," Eris commented idly before she ordered more drinks from the bartender. "Sit down, girl. And tell me your name."

"My name is Naomi," the girl said cautiously, as she sat down on the barstool right between Ares and Eris. It was obvious that she was more cautious than before, now that she was seated between two gods who could end her with as much as a flip of their fingers.

"Good," Eris said, as she took one of the glasses and offered it to Naomi, "Now, drink."

"I am really sure that I shouldn't drink alcohol..."

"Pah, has Artemis even kept you away from that small mercy? What a cruel existence," Ares groused.

"He is right, you should be old enough by now to do whatever you want. And Artemis isn't here, so trying something new shouldn't hurt," Eris told her, smirking widely, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I really shouldn't..."

"Nonsense. Surely you wouldn't wish to insult your hosts by denying such a simple request," Eris pressed on. And much to her satisfaction, Naomi did take the glass. But she only looked at the golden colored liquid with great suspicion.

"It's not poisoned. We don't do that here in our bar," Ares growled. "Booze, women and brawls, just the way we like it." His declaration was followed by a boisterous laugh before he ignored the glasses and took the new bottle to drink from it. "Get this over with, Enyo, I'm getting bored." Then he turned towards Naomi, "And you drink already."

Naomi didn't really have much of a choice at that moment. Not unless she wished to piss off Ares and who could tell just what kind of trouble that would bring. So she sniffed at the drink before she took a sip. But Ares still wasn't satisfied. The moment the glass touched her lips, the god grabbed her hand and forced her to drink the whole glass in one go. She had to cough, as the unfamiliar liquid burned in her throat.

"Oh, isn't she adorable. The last demigod we had here fell off his chair, but she is all strong and stubborn, trying to act unaffected," Eris gushed, "Maybe we should keep her. I really want to keep her."

"And listen to Artemis' bitching about stealing another one of her girls? I don't think so," Ares retorted.

"As if he Hunt has a future," Eris said with an exaggerate eye roll. "Half of them are dead, the rest has sided with that delightful son of Poseidon. The old grumpy man will never allow them to return to Artemis after this. So her loss our gain I would say."

Naomi would surely have objected, had she been in the right state of mind to listen. But for a girl that had stopped aging at the age of fifteen, that had never had alcohol before, Ares' favorite Whiskey had proven to be too much. But that didn't stop Eris from grabbing the girl and pulling her close.

"Hecate's children had always been the most fun to have around. All this power and such mischievous minds. We are gonna have so much fun," the goddess cooed. "We really need to renegotiate the terms of our assistance, don't you agree, Ares?"

"Pah, whatever," the god replied simply. "It's not like I have the answers they seek. But Jackson sure knows how to pick the most entertaining companions. Such a shame that my father wants him dead..."

A/N: Okay, that is all for today.

So Apollo is slowly finding more and more clues about Ariadne and Eos and Rhea gets new followers with each passing day. Soon they will no longer be able to hide that they are the third faction behind the scenes. With Olympus (Zeus), Othrys (Rhea) and Kronos' Titan forces, we will see a far different conflict soon.

And of course, we had two characters who had been favorites of my readers in the past. Bianca, our resident Harbinger of the Underworld, who seems to suffer from selective memory loss and Deianira, Atlas' new right-hand-woman and former huntress of Artemis.

Especially Deianira will play a far greater role in this story. Luke and his cronies are not on the frontlines this time and they will mostly fight Thalia and her friends, Deianira and other more powerful foes will hunt for Percy and those of his faction.

Okay. I will try to have a new chapter in January if my muse does not make a run for it. But I can already say that next chapter will show new scenes with Ariadne and Eos, as well as some trouble for Triton... so until next time then...