Thank you guys so much for the great reviews on the last chapter and I feel really bad for leaving you on such a cliff-hanger. To dogbiscuit1967, yes the lines of Athena and Poseidon would have been Percy and Annabeth but because Athena started to work for Erebus and meddled with fate, it all changed. Anyways, I got a beta! He's a good friend of mine who knows even more about Greek and Roman mythology than I do. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter, don't forget to review, follow, and favorite! The more of those I see the better my days are.

All rights and royalties belong to Mr. Rick Riordan. He created it all and I'm just playing with the opportunities he gave me.

Chapter 5: Bravery or Stupidity

Zeus P.O.V

What just happened? To be honest, I was still too in shock to try and understand what I bore witness to. My own daughter, a traitor? Hera had to nudge me because I was still just staring at the point at where Erebus had taken Athena and disappeared. I'm at a loss for words; this is just too much for a leader, for a father, to bear all at once. To find out that his daughter was a traitor was one thing but to find out that she wanted to eliminate everyone, especially me, was something that stung a little too close to the heart. I had to stay strong... For now at least. I needed to keep the order in the room.

"Olympians," I said to the gods and Percy in a dreary tone. Who would be happy after finding out that their own child wanted them eradicated from existence? "It is with great displeasure that I veto the chair of Athena. She is no longer worthy to call herself a goddess, let alone an Olympian for her treasonous actions. What was once great and mighty succumbed to the greed and lust of power that was woven into her mind." I raised my lightning bolt and sent the power at it that would wipe clean and remove the throne.

What happened next could only be described as fate working in mysterious ways. Where the greyish throne once stood was a white and blank throne as if looking for its new owner.

"Husband, what is the meaning of this?" Hera said in a confused tone that made me ponder the exact same thing. What should have happened was the throne sink back into the ground and all the other thrones move closer together. But to stay blank, almost beckoning a new god, it baffled the entire crowd.

"I have no idea how this could have happened. Something is wrong here but I fear that we do not have much time to deal with it. We have to discuss what just happened." Thankfully, everyone agreed with me and the matter with the blank throne had been put on the back-burner for the time being.

"Brother, this will be the third great war in the span of the last decade. Why must everything be thrown at us at once?" Demeter said which surprised the most of us seeing as she is always quiet in these types of meetings.

"Apollo, what can you tell us? Is there anything that can be worth note about this?" I asked my son with pleading looks in my eyes, hoping that some good would come out of this.

"Well from what I can see, this war will be the war that defines the western civilization once and for all. This war will make the second Titan and Giant wars pale in consideration. This is the first full out Primordial war. I shudder to think tha... Tha..." Apollo was cut off when he started to look ill and crumbled to his knees. It was only when Percy ran over to him that we all recovered from our shock of seeing the sun god fall.

"Apollo! Are you alright?! Speak to us!" Percy yelled while trying to help the fallen god. He took a step back however when Apollo started to look like he was about to make his breakfast see the light of day again but what came out of his mouth wasn't cereal but was green smoke.

"Darkness like no other hangs like a blade

Attraction be found or else they shall fade

To cement the love that they both do hide

Admit it upon the peak of the ride

To guard, to love, to endlessly not part

Heroes return to fortify their hearts"

After Apollo spoke, he collapsed unconscious like we had seen him do only ever once before. After speaking a prophecy, he normally had the power to reach his throne and draw upon the power of his domains. Ares got up and put him back in his throne but nothing was happening and all of us were growing concerned. He recovered soon after being put in his throne and the meeting could then resume. We repeated the prophecy to him and we started to work on deciphering it seeing as it could be something extremely relevant to our recent development. It was normally Athena that is the big force in helping to decipher but we no longer have her insight on these scenarios.

"Well if you ask me, it sounds like this could have a connection to a prophecy spoken long ago that was never completed," stated Hera, and for a moment, I had no clue on what she was talking about.

"No, you can't mean..." Apollo said looking nervous and scared.

"Which prophecy are you talking about?" I asked in surrender.

"I do believe that they are referring to the prophecy given when Apollo and I first arrived here," Artemis said and I realized that there was a connection between the two. However, I thought that I better put it to a poll on what everyone else thought.

"Olympians, what do you believe to be the case-" I started but was interrupted by Percy.

"Pardon me but I'm not the age that you all are and I have no idea what prophecy you are talking about. Can someone please fill me in?" He said in a tone that was more confused than angry about anything.

"Apollo, please repeat the first prophecy you gave for young Percy here," I said motioning to Percy.

He looked bothered slightly but continued anyways:

"A pull as old as earth and sky

The moon and sea shall always thrive

Natural attraction is the key

For all the people on Earth to see

For when united, the pair will stand

Hope ensue while they are hand in hand"

"So, what can we piece together from the two prophecies?" Poseidon asked and we all just sat there pondering for what seemed like hours but was mere moments. It was Artemis that spoke up first and had the first sound idea that I had heard all day.

"From what we gathered in the past, it would have been Selene that the prophecy was about due to the fact that she was the moon goddess. However she faded long ago and now.." she dropped off sounding less and less sure and more scared as she went on.

"Percy, it's not that we don't like you and trust you but can you please leave for a while so we can discuss this? It is never good when demigods hear the discussion of prophecies for they try to interpret the meaning based off of what we say and not their own intuition," I asked with a grim expression because I'm sure that I knew where Artemis was going and would rather have just the gods present.

"Sure I guess..." he said uncertainly but he left anyways. It seemed that the moment that he left, all of us let out a collective sigh. I'm certain we are all on the same page.

"Go on daughter. What was it that you were going to say before you were reminded that Perseus was still present?" I continued hoping that this could be over soon. After all, there is only so much that one can handle in a single day.

"I believe that the prophecy speaks of either me and a connection to the sea or one of my hunters and the connection. However, since it says specifically the moon, I believe it's about me," Artemis said while blushing a crimson that would rival the lipstick Aphrodite wears when she's looking for Ares. Everyone looked solemn because they were thinking the exact same thing but I felt a great amount of pity for Artemis. To have to give up something that she stood for since she was born was no light matter.

"Daughter, if there were some way that I could get you out of this prophecy, I would but for one, the ancient laws forbid me from trying to tamper with this. Also, I fear that there would be even greater repercussions that would follow such as the destruction of us all. I offer you the choice: will you tell the mystery person what you know and how you are going to go about this or are you going to see how this progresses on your own terms?" I said hoping that she would pick the second option. That way she can control things how she wants and not by the other person.

"I pick the second option, not because it was a choice but because it was my intention to let things go at my own pace and not that of the other person and let us not beat around the bush. I'm sure that we all know that the person that I'm 'fated' to be with is Percy," Artemis said with such finality in her voice that I wasn't certain that she was completely opposed to the situation. If there was one male I would chose for my daughter, it would be Perseus even though he is a son of Poseidon.

"Do you want me to bring him back in now?" I asked, not sure if she wanted him here or not at the moment.

"I have an idea how this might be able to work and for me to see if he and I are compatible," Artemis said with a little fear in her voice as she spoke.

"Well daughter, tell us the plan," I said and she launched into her explanation.

Percy P.O.V

'I wonder what could be taking so long,' I thought to myself, 'what could be taking so long for them to discuss? I mean sure this is involving two prophecies that could be considered great prophecies but weren't the gods supposed to be able to communicate really fast and silently. Why did they want me out of the room?

I decided to take a stroll around Olympus and really see it for all it was worth seeing as the only times I'm ever here is when the gods are either voting to kill me or not or there is a massive problem that needs solving. I have to admit to myself that as I walked down the streets designed by Annabeth that she really did have a flair for architect and an eye for decorating. I stopped at a little place that I thought to be a café and ordered myself a large coffee, while holding back surprise that the gods had such places up here. I thought they just summoned whatever they wanted and it just appeared to them. I guess I was wrong there. Just as I was about to take a sip of my coffee, I was teleported back to the throne room and I ended up spilling all over myself much to the amusement of all the Olympians present.

"Sorry about that Percy," my father said as he focused his power on the stain on my shirt and willed it back into my cup. "We have come up with a solution to the problem but it is one that we are wary of going through with. Its mostly because we know who you are and we aren't sure that you would be entirely on board with this."

"What can be that bad?" I said clearly clueless to the situation as I sipped my now full coffee.

"Well its not as simple. You would have to remain at this post for as long as it's required and you would have to go on your own free will. The drawback is that you will pretty much be automatically hated. We just want what's best for you so we understand if you say no.." says my father not looking me in the eye.

"Just tell me father," I say becoming more wary of what they could possibly offer me. "What can possibly be as bad as what you are working this out to be?"

"Trust me Percy. If I could avoid you doing this, I would but seeing as we are faced with this war, it is the best option we have," he says looking solemn and starting to look really old and scared. Whatever it is that the Olympians want me to do must be really dangerous and has a high possibility of me not making it out of the situation in one piece. I was starting to get really worried now.

"What is it?" I say looking at him but he could not face me out of shame for some reason.

"It's to join me and my hunters, kind of like our protector of sorts but we do not need a protector in my opinion. We are just fine but apparently everyone else thinks that we need extra help," says Artemis and I drop my coffee. So that is what is so bad. There is no way I am ever going to live if I sign up for life in the hunt.

"Pardon me Lady Artemis but when I asked to die, I wanted to just be blasted with power and cease to exist; not be used as the punching bag/arrow target for the hunt. Granted I would be of more use that way but that was not my ideal way to go." I say but none of them look at me with even the slightest bit of mirth in their eyes. Apparently I was being a little too dark and that didn't work. "Look I'm sorry but I didn't want to live after what she did to me."

"We understand that Percy but that it's a little too soon for those kind of jokes. Please don't ever say something like that ever again. I don't know how I wou... I mean how we would ever manage to win this war," Artemis said trying to cover something up. I'll drop it for now but I'm not sure what it means.

"Ok then," I say uncertainly, "what does joining the hunt really entail? If I need to do this for the good of Olympus I will but I don't see why any girl cannot do what you are going to be asking me to do."

"Well your job would essentially be someone to look after the camp and make sure that all the chores are done. I have many new recruits and they all need to be trained."

"So I would basically be the maid of the hunt?" I start sounding down. This is not the kind of life I had intended to live if I were to live in the hunt. I thought I would be honing my skills and preparing myself for war, not making food and arrows for the girls. "Thanks but no thanks. After a brief debate, I decided I do not want to end up the proverbial bitch to a bunch of girls who would just want to kill me anyways."

"Language Percy!" Artemis raises her voice at me. Well excuse me if I didn't want to have to service the hunt like a maid. "It would be your job to make sure that we are in perfect form. We need someone in the hunt to make sure that we can perform to our optimal efficiency. Someone who we know won't flirt with us just because we are girls and you are a boy. We want someone who we can depend on to help us should the need ever arise which I doubt will ever happen but nonetheless, we would appreciate your help. And in return, I will help train you for the war against Erebus. We will work on stealth, endurance, and even though I'm told you have dismal skills, we will work on your skills with a bow. Don't worry, it will be far away from everyone else; I've heard the stories from Chiron."

She sounded so sincere and nice in making hell sound like a place where I could actually help. But I saw through it and still wanted to help her. She really made it sound like it would be of help to them all if I were to join. Damn those gorgeous silver eyes. Oh how they made me want to make her happy. Wait what was I going on about? She is Artemis! She's the MAIDEN goddess. I can't be having these types of thoughts about her or else I'm seriously going to end up as a jackalope. Oh I'm so going to Hades for what I'm about to say.

"You sold me. I'm in."

And there is the chapter! I'm sooooo sorry it took me so long to write this. It only took a bout of pneumonia recently to make me have the time to write... That and the fact that school is out for summer! I'd say get your hopes up for a summer of this pertemis but I can't guarantee anything because I'm being told I need to get a job and get a driver's license but I'll do my damndest to try and not make you guys wait so long for the next chapter. Until then,

Scribe, Out.