Hey guys! Hows it going? I hope you're all doing awesome! :) Lets see, where was I going with this...? Oh yeah! I'm sorry about the "Lercy" typo last chapter! I accidentally write their ship name, I guess. Even if I don't ship it or even read their fanfiction... Sorry, no offense to anyone if that's offensive. Anyways, it was supposed to say Percy. My finger must've slipped when typing the P. Because on a small IPod touch screen, the P is close to the L. Sorry about that typo! Secondly, I can't say what that scream was yet. ;) It's a surprise for later. But let's just say that Percy didn't hear it because that's when Luke was swearing loudly. Ok? Everyone still slightly confused? Great. ;) I own nothing but please enjoy this chapter!

Zoë's POV

The door I crouched behind was flung open, Percy standing there in its place. He had a sword in his hands, a common and boring bronze one.

Percy's POV

My eyes scanned the area, looking for an intruder. Instead, they rested on a figure crouched on the floor, clutching a silver platter to her chest.

"Zoë?" I lowered my sword slightly, unsure if it was just a trick. After being stuck and tortured in Tartarus for twenty years, the wariness doesn't just go away after your first home cooked meal back in civilization.

She he tried to clear her throat and appear casual, even though I caught her kneeling outside my bedroom door eavesdropping on a private conversation. "Oh, hello, Perseus."

I stared down at her. She didn't make a move to stand up. Probably because she would slice her own head open on my sword if she attempted to straighten up.

"What are you doing, Zoë?" I asked in confusion and slight anger. I couldn't let my anger control me. I wouldn't let it. I couldn't.

Zoë coughed softly. "I heard a scream coming from the direction of your room. I thought you were in danger, so I rushed over from the door to my room to make sure you were okay."

"Why didn't you knock?"

"If you were being attacked by ninjas, I didn't want to scare them all away before I too could beat them up."

I stared at her for a second. She stared back. Finally, I lowered the sword and extended my hand for her to take. She took it and hopped to her feet.

Standing eye-to-eye (or more like eyes-to-chin, as I was slightly taller than her), I frowned down at Zoë. There was a flaw in her story. "I didn't hear a scream."

"Well, I did. Why else would I be crouched at your door?" She remarked, begining to get upset by my lack of belief in her.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed, starting to feel my blood pumping faster and my heart pounding. Oh no, oh no. Yet I heard myself keep speaking, adding to the argument. "Maybe you just wanted to lurk behind my door like a sneaky, untrusting, manipulative bitch!"

WHAT?! I didn't mean to say that! This isn't me talking! I would never say that! Especially not to her! Never to her!

Zoë either didn't hear my inner frustrations, or she chose to ignore them. Her eyes widened, tears gathering at the rims, before she quickly blinked them away. Then her beautiful dark eyes narrowed on my in anger.

"You know I wouldn't do that!" She yelled, getting really in-my-face about the whole thing. "Maybe you'd do that because that's just the kind of selfish, egotistical, jackass man you are!" She spat the word 'man' out like it was the worst possible insult in the history of mankind. And knowing the ex-huntress, it probably was.

I wanted to just put my hands up in surrender and apologize. My hands did move, but to shove Zoë instead of surrender. She gasped, taking a step backwards before taking two towards me.

"You... You..." She struggled to spit out a word. Every time she said "you", she'd poke me in the chest, hard.

I smirked, egging her on. "I what?" I asked innocently.

She exploded. "You fucking bastard!" She screamed. "I hate you! I wish you died in Tartarus!"

Her words physically wounded me. I felt like I was punched in a gut. By Thor's hammer. I stumbled backwards a bit, back into my room. My face must've shown my shock and hurt, because Zoë's face softened every so slightly as she began to realize what she just said.

"Perseus, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Save it," I cut her off coldly. I regained my footing and stood in front of her. My eyes blazed with anger. "I'm just a stupid male. A waste of space. Why waste your apologies too?"

My heart and my head were hurting. I couldn't get Zoë's words out of my head. "I hate you! I wish you died in Tartarus!" I couldn't believe I had a crush on her. I couldn't believe I loved her.

My blood was rushing faster than it had any time before. My heart was pumping. I knew I was either about to have a heart attack, or something bad was going to happen. I didn't care.

"I hate you!"

Suddenly, the hallway was ablaze with blue fire. My pumping blood slowed down ever so slightly, to the level it was at before Zoë's cruel words. Anger still made my mind clouded. I stood in the doorway to my room, blocking access for anyone to enter. Including Zoë, whose back was practically against the flames.

Once the fire started, Zoë tried to push past me and get into my room. There was no chance shed be able to get to her own. "Perseus! Perseus, I'm sorry! Please, please let me in!"

Behind me, Luke was yelling. He alternated between cussing loudly, asking me what had just happened, and telling me to let Zoë in before she died.

My eyes kept staring into the blue flames, watching them blaze in the middle of the hallway. I couldn't move my body. All I could do was keep staring into the flames, the hypnotizing, paralyzing flames.

Distantly, I felt Luke grab my shoulder and pull me out of the way. Zoë rushed inside after me, her face red from the exposure to the fire. She was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Her beautiful skin was marred by a streak of soot on her cheek.

I heard Luke vaguely ask her if she was okay. I saw her dark hair bob up and down twice, signaling that she's fine. Then she collapsed in a heap on the ground, not even making it onto my bed or anything.

My eyes returned to the blue flames, briefly catching a glimpse of a panicked Luke trying to revive Zoë. It was my fault that she was exposed to those flames. My fault that she coukdnt get inside. My fault that she fainted on the hard floor. My fault.

All because I possess the Black Heart.

And I can still hurt her with it. The anger was more than present in me, flowing in my veins and clouding all logic. All I knew was that I had to leave in order to make everyone was safe.

I bolted into the blue flames.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luke try to run after me until he realized I was heading for the raging fire. Instead, he stood behind in the doorway, screaming bloody murder and telling me not to jump into the fire or else I'll die. I honestly didn't care; if it kept everyone safe, I would be more than happy.

When I reached the flames, however, they parted like they were the Red Sea and i was Moses. Luke noticed this and tried to run after me again, but as soon as I passed, the flames closed back up. Luke had to return to his original spot in the doorway, still yelling bloody murder. I sprinted away down the hall, not once looking back.

Finally, I found a door that led outside. I burst through it, not noticing that the flames didn't follow.

I found myself standing on a large balcony. It was covered with trees and bushes and plants of all kinds, sprinkled with benches and chairs. There was a fountain in the middle, water twinkling merrily. The sky was darkening, already a good amount of stars dusting the night sky.

Energy beginning to wane from my mad escape, I threw my body down on one of the stone benches. My back slouched, my head in my hands, I started to sob.

Soft footprints behind me and a gentle voice alerted me to another presence on the garden-like balcony. "Perseus? Or do you prefer Raven?"