Hey guys! Now before we get into this chapter, I know that those of you who are following the story are probably wondering: 'Mason, where the hell have you been the last couple of months?'

Well, I'll be completely honest. My heart kind of fell out of the story, and I've had a number of other things going on as well, with school and all. I simply stopped enjoying what I was writing about for a while, and with half a dozen tests and so on to hand in, it simply wasn't worth while for me.

But I'm back now, and the story will continue to be updated. On the bright side, it has given me time to really think about what's going to happen next, and I have a number of ideas for other PJO fanfics that I intend to do in the future. I am sorry for the long wait, but I promise that I will continue to update from now on, although no specific dates are set for these updates to occur.

P.s. I did some rereading of the story, and I'm going to do some editing on it after I've uploaded a few chapters. Mainly just fixing spelling and grammar, etc. Thank you.

Perseus- Dynamic duo

I watched from above, assessing the situation. The campers at half-blood had barely been able to distribute weapons before the attack. How on earth did Ares get a mass army so close to camp before being spotted? It looks like my friends are making an attempt to escape using the labyrinth.

I know that the hephaestus kids have created a device that can… map out the labyrinth, although how they did this is beyond me. In my experience, the labyrinth is an impossible maze with a deathtrap on every single corner. Tragically, this attempt at escape proves to be more in vain by the minute. The campers are all standing their ground at the labyrinth's entrance, but whenever someone leaves the line to go through, it leaves a gap in the defence. It's thanks only to the hunters of Artemis that the line hasn't been broken, but it won't last.

"So, are we going to stand here all day, or are we going to go help now?" said a familiar voice from behind me.

It was Artemis, maiden goddess of the hunt, and one of the least annoying, least life destructive Olympians out there. She seemed a little older than usual, taking a more adult form. Fitting considering the fight we have on our hands.

"Lady Artemis, long time no-"

"Does this really come across to you as the time for idle chit chat?"

"Oookay then…"

"As difficult as it is to admit, we're equals now. So no more of the 'lady Artemis' and just… just have my back down there, ok?" She was more concerned than I was. I could tell by the overall uneasiness in her stance. So I simply nodded as I pulled my knife from my boot sheath.

"Where's your sword?" she asked, and I responded by pointing down at the Chaos. She followed my finger and nodded.

"Ah, the Athena girl. It's a shame she didn't take my offer, she would have made a good hunter."

"Can't say I'm complaining," I said.

"Men. Always trying to hold women back from their fullest potential," she muttered, just loud enough for me to hear. I decided against responding to that.

I watched on for a second longer. Annabeth was taking on three foes at once. Skeletal U.S. army soldiers that were working together to take her on, using the bayonets on their rifles to keep their distance. She went for a backhand strike, but I could see how the move would play out before it even happened.

She would slash at the soldier to her left, and the soldier to her right would use the opening of her guard as the time to strike. Everything seemed to go into slow motion as I saw it play out before my eyes, before it had even happened, and in that split second I reacted.

I willed a tiny fraction of my godly power into riptide itself, and my trusty blade worked literal magic.

Annabeth's swing increased in speed tenfold, and as the sword ripped through her target, it let off a wide arc of golden energy that tore through her other two opponents, as well as dozens of surrounding enemies. Better still, the arc of godly power left seeming no effect on the demigods that were caught in it.

Unfortunately, this move had caught the eye of the traitorous war god, who began moving up the ranks towards her. Now was the time for some godly intervention.

I closed my eyes, and pictured my destination, and when I opened them again, there I was, standing on the battlefield, right in front of my girlfriend. In that instant, the fighting ceased. I felt the eyes of demigods and undead alike as I stood there, knife in hand, head to toe in armour, with Artemis at my side. Even Ares stopped at stared for a second, before a cruel smile rose on his face.

"Perseus Jackson. I'll admit, I expected you to be spending the next two hundred years in tartarus. Guess I'll just have to smash your skull in and send you down there in itty bitty pieces. Or maybe I'll be kind and just drop you straight into Chaos."

"Uh huh," I said, as I pulled the mask free from my helmet. "You have to grow a pair and fight me first; you never know, it might go better than last time."

"That was different," Ares snorted. "If it wasn't for Kronos-"

"Who found you so easily manipulatable," I butt in.

"Shut up!" The war god bellowed. Then he pulled off his jacket, followed by his bulletproof vest, which transformed into a black shield that dripped with blood, although where he hides the blood is beyond me.

He then ripped his hunting knife from the sheath on his thigh, and it quickly molded itself into his demonic long sword, with a skull shaped pommel that contained a ruby in it's mouth, and blood dripping from it's blade. I'll admit, I'm beginning to rethink my statement that looks don't matter when it comes to weapons, although the giant ruby and the blood is probably taking it too far.

I stood, awaiting Ares's assault, as I reattached my face plate. For an overpowered war god, containing the power of the most powerful weapon in existence and all the rivers of the underworld (a lot of power), he didn't appear that intimidating. He just appeared as… well, normal Ares.

In fact, he looked a bit silly standing before me with his cruise cut hair and wraparound sunglasses. At that point, I felt confident, but I had to remember that the other gods fear him now for a good reason, whatever it may be.

Here's a question; why am I and Artemis the only gods here? Where is Zeus and Dad? Where is Apollo and Athena? Hell, where's Dionysus?

So there we were, Artemis and I, staring down the ultra powerful thug before us. I pushed all other thoughts from my mind, and focused on the brute, waiting for his move.

"Don't underestimate him," Artemis counseled. "I've seen first hand what he's capable of," she said, as she touched a small scar on her forehead.

"I won't."

"We've got to use his anger against him," she continued. "When he-"

"Artemis? This isn't my first rodeo with Ares. We just have to think faster than him, which won't prove difficult."

"Yes, but… just be careful. We don't know how strong he is, nor where his strengths have improved. Oh, and he shoots lightning."

"Caution, got it."

"Just… don't try to take him alone, you're still weak."
"Weak?" I've never felt stronger. "What do you mean 'weak?'"

"I mean-" She never got to finish the sentence, because Ares gave off a mighty roar, and charged at us like a bull.

I placed all my focus back on Ares, and it was like I could see, feel… sense all that was coming.

Yet again it felt like I was watching it all play out in slow motion. I could see his muscles tense behind the shield as he loosened up his sword arm. I could feel his energy, pure aggression, as he pressed himself forward as fast as possible.

My mind worked, analyzing everything I know, all I've learned. All my training, all my skills, everything I know about Ares. Even things I would have otherwise forgotten. I suddenly remembered every tiny detail that's played out in my life that could help me in this situation.

So as he charged me like a boar, with the intent of bashing me with his shield, in the hope that he will stagger me long enough to get in the first strike, I had already pictured almost every maneuver he could initiate, as well as a counter maneuver I can use for each.

My mind had done all of this in the span of about three seconds.

I started a countdown in my head. In less than five seconds, Ares would be upon me. I shot Artemis a quick glance, and she nodded, as if she knew what I wanted to do. At the same time I raised my hand.

Two seconds.

Riptide slipped through Annabeth's fingers, and shot towards my hand even faster than I anticipated. As soon as my hand went up, it shot down again. My sword just brushed over my fingers as it headed straight for Ares.

With lightning reflexes, he raised his shield… what I wanted all along.

While riptide buried itself an inch deep into his shield, Artemis had shot off half a dozen arrows so quickly that her movements were an indescribable blur, yet every shot had hit it's mark. Ares had six arrows protruding from his right knee alone. I quickly side stepped to the right, avoiding his flailing sword, and he tumbled past me and into the dirt.

I smiled behind my helmet, confident this battle was won. I could not have been more wrong.

He quickly managed to get back onto his feet, and curled his hand around the arrow shafts bundled into his knee. In one movement he pulled the lot of them out.

Six arrows, no, six Artemis arrows, shot by literally the best archer in existence, and they had hardly pierced his skin. At least, he was having no trouble walking. Next, he ripped riptide free from his shield, and threw it at me with such speed that I almost failed to catch it.

Yea… this was going to be harder than I thought.

I gazed behind him momentarily, before focusing back on him. His undead army was holding back on his command, giving the others time to escape. I had to hold Ares off, for at least a few more minutes. Looking at the tiny patch of ichor stained into his jeans, I felt a lot less confident. He's may as well be achilles cursed.

This was going to be a tough fight, and who knows what other tricks are up his sleeve. I just needed to hold him off for a few minutes, to keep his attention off my friends whilst they tried to escape. Everything now seemed a lot harder.