A/N: I like this story so far, a lot. It seems to be the first story I'll stick with for over 20k, so be ready for that, and if I don't get this to 20k, I'll likely continue it in a different book.

Percy sat in front of a silver cabin with a frown on his face. It was the Artemis cabin, and he sat there for at least an hour everyday since the monster attack a little over a week ago.

Why? Because the monster attack was the last time anyone had seen the huntress of Artemis leave her cabin, and it was starting to worry Percy. After every meal he would take a small portion of food and place it inside her cabin.

He didn't see her when he went in there, but since that cabin was made for when Artemis came to camp, there was a room in the back for her that he assumed Zoë was staying in. He wouldn't think she was in there at all if not for the fact that every time he brought a new plate of food in there, the old one was empty.

As he sat there he couldn't help but think it was all his fault. He was the one that made her feel like she wasn't welcome, and he hadn't even been in the camp for a full day yet. Heck, when he said those things, he only knew one campers name.

He got up and slowly made his way towards the cabin

Knock, Knock

"Zoë, it's Percy." He stood there for at least a minute before letting out a disappointed sigh. Same as always. He knocks, identifies himself, and then nothing happens. "I'm coming in, so don't attack me.

He highly doubted he would even see her, but better safe than sorry… right?

The floorboard creaked loudly in the silent cabin as Percy stepped inside. "You remember what I said yesterday, when I brought you dinner?" No response.

"I'm sure you do. I told you I would come back into that room if you hadn't left the cabin by breakfast today. Well, I'm bringing you breakfast, and I haven't seen you out of this cabin, so I'm coming back."

Percy slowly opened her door and immediately had a shoe thrown at his head. "Holy shit are you violent." He started to open the door again, and swiftly caught the pillow thrown at him. "For real? Even if that had hit me, it wouldn't have hurt."

Percy heard a groan and looked over at the bed in the corner.

He couldn't help but let the gasp escape his mouth. "Zoë… when was the last time the sun saw your skin?" Percy looked her over again and almost wrinkled his noise in disgust.

She was pale… like, deathly pale; and her hair was a rat's nest. Along with all of that, her eyes were bleary, bloodshot, and he could smell her from across the room.

"You're getting a shower, and then we're going to do something… anything to get you out of this nasty cabin." Zoë looked at Percy and glared. "There's nothing to do at this stupid camp."

Percy gave her a lopsided grin and opened her closet, picking out an outfit. "Who said we were staying at the camp?" Zoë slowly let a grin on her face before jumping out of bed and getting ready for whatever Percy had in store for her.

-DB-

"That's seven for me, and only four for you. Is the mighty lieutenant losing her touch?" There was a growl and suddenly the last three monsters sprouted arrows from there foreheads.

Percy groaned and kicked the dissolving monster dust. "I told you we should have attacked a group that had an odd number." There was a rustle in the leaves above him, and soon Zoë dropped down next to him.

"Doesn't matter, I won. I had the coolest takedown." Percy turned to her incredulously. "You had the best takedown? What about when I dove inside the drakons mouth and uncapped my sword, stabbing it in the head?" Zoë shrugged her shoulders and started collecting her arrows.

"I guess it was cool, but come on… three monsters in one shot, how can it get cooler than that?" Percy turned and started mumbling about prideful hunters. "What was that Percy?" He turned and stared defiantly at her.

"You heard me you prideful huntress. You're just too stubborn to admit that I'm cooler. It's a classic case of the awesome Apollo, me, and the lame Artemis, you." Zoë's eyes flashed with anger, and soon arrows were raining down on the son of Zeus; although his powers were working, he decided to annoy her further by dodging them himself.

"Calm down Zoë, it was just a joke. Although Apollo is coo-" Percy was cut off by an arrow piercing his shoulder.

He stared at it in shock, and Zoë did that same. "Ow." Barely did he finish, before he fell to the ground unconscious. "Oh my gods… Percy!"

Zoë ran forward to him and tried ripping the arrow out before noticing a note on the arrow. "No male insults me like that. The arrow will dissolve within an hour, and he'll wake up soon, but I would recommend not trying to remove it from him… took Hecate a while to make a potion that could penetrate the power field keeping arrows from hitting him."

Zoë finished reading the leader aloud and smirked; it was just like her mistress to go through that much trouble to hurt a male.

"Ughh, what happened?" Percy slowly sat up and winced in pain. "Why is there a fucking arrow in my arm!" He reached over to pull the arrow out, but Zoë's hand shot out and stopped him.

"Artemis didn't take to kindly to being called lame by a male, so she used a potion Hecate whipped up a while ago to actually be able to hit you. Don't worry though, the arrow will dissolve within the next hour and you'll be fine."

Percy groaned and laid back onto the ground. "Why does everyone hate me?" Zoë sat down next to him with a smile on her face. "Why do you always try to piss people off?" Percy shrugged and turned to look at her.

"I really can't answer that. I'm like that by nature. The only person who I didn't try to piss off was my mom, and that was because she scared me more than anything." Percy was about to continue when he heard Zoë chuckling softly next to him.

He propped himself up and his elbow so that he was facing her and frowned. "What? What's so funny?" Zoë continued laughing before responding. "You just pissed off an Olympian goddess, and then you tell me you don't piss off your mom because you're scared of her."

Percy started to smile but then laid back down looking depressed. "Was scared of her. My stepfather killed her when I was five." Zoë looked down at Percy guiltily. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that… you never told me she-"

Percy cut her off by jumping up and sticking out a hand for her to grab. "Come on. We need to get back to camp before people start to wonder where we are." Zoë groaned, but grabbed his hand.

"Can't we stay here for the night?" Percy looked like he was trying to decide if it was a good idea when Zoë grabbed his forearm. "Please." Percy sighed before nodding his head. "Just tonight, and when we go back you have to come out of your cabin at least two hours everyday."

Zoë smiled and started walking around, picking up firewood. "As long as you take me out of camp as often as possible, than I'm ok with that." Percy smiled and started helping her pick up firewood.

"I'm going on a quest when we get back." Zoë turned towards Percy with shock on her face.

"What's the quest, and you do know I'm going with." Percy's expression turned pained when the arrow started to dissolve from his arm. Then he laid down his firewood and sat next to the pile they had collected.

"You can't. Zeus knows I'm his kid, and he wants me to go on some spectacular quest before he claims me. Of course the only thing he could think of was stealing an apple from a garden, something that's already been done by my brother, Hercules."

As he was talking Zoë sat down next to him, and towards the end he felt her go rigid. "Hercules didn't do that by himself. I gave him a sword to do it, and I told him how to defeat Ladon… then I helped by putting my pet to sleep when he started to lose."

Zoë reached up into her hair and pulled out a hairclip; something Percy noticed was always in her hair. She opened up his hand and gently placed it in his hand. "Hercules was not fit to wield my mothers blade… but I think I have found someone who is."

Percy looked down at the hairclip and realized it must be enchanted. "Good thing it's in this form, because my hair was getting really long, but I didn't feel like cutting it."

As soon as he finished it turned into a hair band, causing Percy's smile to grow. "Awesome! Now I cant finally put my hair in a little ponytail in the back!" Zoë shook her head, and subconsciously laid her head on Percy's shoulder.

"I think you could totally pull off that look, but if you start to grow it out to a girly ponytail, I'll sneak into your cabin at night and give you a buzz cut." Percy nodded and put his hair up with the hair band.

"I'm assuming I just imagine it in my hand, and the sword will appear?" Zoë nodded before realizing her head was on his shoulder, but seeing as he wasn't objecting, she decided not to mention it.

"Yes, and the hair band will stay in unless you take it out, but it will change from bronze to black whenever you use your sword. Also, it will return to the hair band when you lose it." Percy let out an indignant cry, "don't you mean if I lose it?" Zoë smiled, although he couldn't see it. "No, you're a male, so when you lose it, it will return as long as your hair band is on.

Percy huffed and laid back onto the ground, Zoë's head falling onto his chest as he did so. Zoë was about to move when she heard him snoring softly. She hated to admit it, but she actually enjoyed the rhythmatic rise and fall of his chest, and decided she could sleep on his chest, but only for one night.

"Only for one night." Zoë repeated it to herself out loud as she slowly drifted off to sleep, unaware Percy was fully intending to stay up all night in case something tried to attack them.

-TD-

Annabeth stormed into the big house with worry on her face. "Chiron! Zoë and Percy still haven't returned. Nobody has seen them since Percy took Zoë breakfast yesterday morning."

Chiron wheeled his way out of a room in the back with a tired expression on his face, as if he had stayed up all night. "Yes… Yes… just go make a search party, I'm sure their fine."

Annabeth turned to leave when a voice at the door stopped her. "Can we be apart of the search party? Who's missing?" Chiron and Annabeth whipped their heads towards the door and saw a smirking Percy and Zoë standing there.

Annabeth stormed up to Percy and gave him a strong uppercut to the chin. "What the fuck is wrong with you!? You go missing for a full day and then come back and act is if nothing happened; that's not ok!"

Percy rubbed his chin, but the smile never left his face. "Sorry Captain Chase, I'll make sure to report to you before I leave station." Annabeth let out s cry of frustration before storming out of the big house, leaving Percy standing there confused.

"I didn't even mean to piss her off that time." Zoë shook her head and quietly left to go to the archery range, leaving Percy and Chiron alone.

"Percy… it's time for you to go. Zeus said he didn't want you to bring anything along besides a weapon, something about making it more spectacular for your claiming."

As Chiron turned to leave, Percy stopped him by grabbing the arm of his chair. "Can the gods hear us right now?" Chiron looked at Percy confused. "I don't know, my boy. I guess they could be listening, but I don't see why they-"

Percy growled and gripped his chair tighter, cutting his sentence off. "Can. They. Hear. Us?" Chiron sighed and shook his head. "It's a well guarded secret, but they can't hear inside the big house, some stuff just needs to stay private."

Percy smiled and stood up, letting go of Chiron's chair. "I'm taking two extra apples. I know Zeus will ask for the one that I was supposed to take, but he wouldn't expect me to take extra ones. He thinks I'm to scared of him to disobey."

Chiron's eyes widened and he ushered Percy further into the cabin. "That's not wise Percy. Why would you even need extra apples?" Percy sat down in a chair so that he was eye level with him and began his explanation.

By the time he finished Chiron nodded his head with a smirk. "Ok Percy, I would be more careful with that issue than with the quest you need to leave for." Percy took the hint and started walking towards the door of the big house before stopping.

"I'll be back within a week. If I'm not back, then burn a shroud for me." Chiron didn't even have time to reply, because as soon as he finished a bolt of lightning came crashing down on Percy, and when it disappeared, he was gone.

"That, is a powerful demigod." Chiron got out of his wheelchair and stretched, getting ready for the no doubt, long day ahead of him.

A/N: Next chapter really starts getting into the story, this first few have just been getting it started, and building the characters, now the story really starts.