Part 2. File 1.

Camp Half-Blood was, unsurprisingly, strangely named, and was a strangely run and managed summer camp.

It was beyond strange, and it was beyond special.

I was sent there when I was only ten; because both of my parents went there when they were young. Camp Half-Blood was the most prestigious boot camp, and it was meant for the top children in the United States of America.

When I first arrived, we took an intelligence test and a physical test to decide which cabin we would be placed in. Each cabin had their own trait that was encouraged and focused upon, each contending to every individual talent that a child held. They were categorized by numbers. There were the first three cabins; most commonly called the Big Three, and only the best of the best would be housed there. I wasn't in one of the Big Three like my father was. I wasn't quite good enough physically for that, and I certainly wasn't smart enough for Cabin Six, which was about as prestigious and impressive to be a part of as being as part of one of the Big Three.

The next thing that was special only to Camp Half-Blood was rankings. The rankings went as follows: Olympians, Titans, God (refers to gods that are not Olympians), and Demi-God. Almost everyone would be a demi-god, but many strived just to be a god. The top three rankings were the best of them all, and would have special privileges and were almost immune to all of the rules. The Olympians were only awarded to two out of hundreds of gods, titans, and demi-gods every generation. Only two.

I am an Olympian.

My dad was proud of me, and my brother. My brother was rewarded with the ultimate honor that ran in our family, with the exception of my titan mother Leto, and he decided to stay at camp. I prayed that he was okay. If anyone had survived this attack, it was Camp Half-Blood, with its super soldiers and cutting edge technology. I hadn't realized how upset I was that Apollo had left until then; and I felt my hands grip the wheel even tighter. My first task, though, was not my nostalgia, but rather to reach the bridge to cross over to Long Island. I needed to reach that island, and even if I had to sprint across that bridge on foot, I would make it across.

"Dad," I said, "We need to get to the bridge, or…" I trailed off, feeling nervous. We'd probably have to get out, undoubtedly. There would probably be too many abandoned cars in the way for us to drive across. I felt a wave of fear at the realization that there would be Rotters all the way up and down the bridge. How the hell could we get across?

"Prepare yourself," Zeus said, clutching his rifle. I nodded and slammed my foot on the gas pedal. I weaved through all of the stopped cars, they were all empty. Many of them had bashed in windows and crumpled, dented doors. Some were beeping loudly and others were sounding an annoying siren. I knew the way to the bridge, but it was harder to navigate with all of the cars around. "Damn it," I cursed through gritted teeth.

The way to the bridge from Manhattan was completely blocked with cars and debris. "Damn it!" I yelled, and hit the steering wheel in anger. Zeus get out of the car, and I followed suit.

The outside was an absolute disaster. Car alarms were going off, the air smelled like smoke, and people were still screaming. I squeezed my eyes shut. I hated hearing them scream, desperate to live. I looked around me, scanning the area. I was confused to see that there wasn't anyone nearby. All I could see was smoke, cars, and buildings. No one was there. I started sprinting down the street, climbing atop cars that were completely blocking the way. Zeus followed suit, not at all slowed down by age. When he was in Camp Half-Blood, he was the top camper. He still was, and no one had ever broken any of his records.

I then saw another Rotter, moaning and groaning. It saw me, and began to sprint at me. I heard a gunshot, and it fell down. I drew my bow, and searched the area for any more. For a few minutes all we could hear was our labored breaths. After I confirmed there were no more, we kept moving. I could see the bridge from where I was, but it appeared hazy from all of the smoke.

I raced past car after car, thinking about how this had all started. I wondered if the whole world had been effected, or if it was just our hemisphere. I doubted it was just our hemisphere, though I didn't know why. I thought about what I was going to actually do when we reached Camp. Just hiding out there was unsustainable, even with the strawberry fields they used for profits. Supplies would eventually run out.

I hoped the kids in Cabin Six had figured all of it out, or at least had started working on a solution. If anyone could figure any of this mess out, it'd be them. The least intelligent member of Cabin Six was no doubt at least twenty IQ points ahead of the smartest member of the CDC. Or maybe…

I shook my head, refusing to believe where my train of thought might've gone. Zeus was starting to gain ground on me and I shook my head before surging forward. I drew my bow and shot a Rotter coming dangerously close to us. It fell down with a sickening thump, and I heard a gunshot not too far behind me. I knew it was Zeus making sure it was dead. I reached behind me and grabbed another arrow, and then breathed. I nocked the arrow. Breathe. I aimed. I felt tears gather in my eyes when I saw the Rotter I was going to shoot was a small girl no older than five. I felt my maternal instincts take over. I wanted to comfort her, I wanted to cry for her. Such an innocent girl…

She growled ferociously and tackled me. I had taken too long.

I struggled with the little girl as we tumbled across the ground. It didn't help that I was still crying; my thoughts were crowded with thoughts of sympathy, confusion, and survival instinct. The emotions fought for supremacy. I yelled in pain as she scratched my cheek, and I struggled to keep her face as far away from me as possible. She couldn't bite me. Or it'd all be over. The little girl made a crowing sound and lurched forward. I swiped for my knife from my pocket and cried out as I threw it at her. In a last attempt to save herself she used all of her strength, scratching a long wound onto my ribs.

A guttural cry emerged from the girl's throat and she tumbled off of me, completely lifeless.

I screamed in agony, the tears falling down my cheeks without any discretion. I forgot the pain that was throbbing on my midsection. "I'm sorry," I whispered to her, "I'm so, so sorry." I cradled her in my arms, rocking her back and forth. What if this girl's mother was alive? I wish I'd known her name. I was sobbing still when I felt a hard hand fall on my back. I flinched, thinking it was another Rotter for a split second. "Artemis," Zeus said. I looked up at him. His eyes were so clear, and were so blue. He nodded to me and I got up, placing the girl onto the street.

I rubbed my eyes, and started running again.

File 2

It was almost nighttime by the time we reached the bridge. We used the last remaining daylight to find it; since the bridge usually illuminated the dark nights, but after the Rotter invasion, it was pitch black. We drew our weapons, prepared to shoot on sight. No doubt there'd be a huge concentration of Rotters at the bridge.

"Good lord," I said, when I saw what was going on at the bridge's entrance. There were "demi-gods" [I will refer to the rank of demi-gods as demi-gods. They're not actually demi-gods.] all up and down the bridge, talking in monotone voices into their walkie-talkies. They circled in high concentrations at the bridge's entrance. Each one had a weapon particular to their tastes, some had rifles strapped to their backs, some had bows. Others carried knives in their belt, while others still carried handguns. They looked deadly.

I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Code 5!" I yelled on the top of my lungs. One of the first things you learned in camp were the codes. There were well over a hundred. A code 5 meant—

"Percy, we have someone over here with a Code 5. We need medical assistance right away," a girl brought a walkie-talkie to her mouth. "Requesting Will Solace, please."

"Right. He'll be out there in five minutes. Make sure to give them emergency aid if necessary," a grainy male voice replied through the small radio speaker.

The girl nodded and started sprinting towards me. It was then I started making out details about her. She had long dark brown hair and eyes, and a slender frame. She was wearing a thick dark gray coat over her thin body, and dark green cargo pants. She placed the walkie-talkie into her pant pocket. She saw my gray tank top was soaked with blood around my middle. I was bent over, supporting myself with an elbow. The girl pointed a gun at me. "Who are you?" She took a step forward. She then gestured to my wound. "Rotter bite?"

I shook my head, closing my eyes. The wound was throbbing rhythmically, and getting worse with each beat, and with each second. "No. She scratched me. It's—"

The girl nodded and instructed me to lift up my shirt. The movement was unexpectedly painful. I hissed at the stab of pain and looked down at my wound. My breath began to quicken when I saw how much it had worsened, and the sharp breaths hurt with every inhale. "My name is Zoë," the girl said, taking a small bottle of alcohol out of her pocket. I stared at it with apprehension.

"Artemis," I said, feeling my knees go weak. Zeus looked at me with worried eyes. Zoe instructed me to sit down, and I did. She opened her bottle of alcohol. Everything after that seemed to be in slow motion. She tilted the bottle, and the liquid fell liberally on the gash.

I screamed in blind pain.

I felt tears falling down my face, but I was far too focused on my abdomen to care about that. It felt like I was on fire. I thrashed about, wailing as white hot agony engulfed my whole body. I heard voices, but it just hurt.

"Some of the disease—"

"The alcohol must've—"

"She's lucky—"

I hissed when I felt cold, calloused fingers touch my cheek. Someone was hushing me. "A-AH!" I cried out when I felt something cold on my burning flesh. The conflicting sensations overloaded my already overworked nerves.

"Will, I need some painkillers, right now."

"Yes, Percy."

Percy was the one on the walkie-talkie, wasn't he? I heard Zoë's voice. "She'll live, Jackson."

"Looks like it'll scar," Percy answered back. I felt something cold sliver down my abdomen. "She's a former camper?"

"She did call a Code 5. She clearly knew what she was talking about. 'Said her name's Artemis."

"Yes, I know her. She's a current Olympian, like her brother. Go get him, please." I reasoned that Percy knew my name because every demi-god planning to become a titan or a god had to know all of the Olympians. I didn't remember a Percy when I was still at Camp, though.

"I will."

I heard someone running away and groaned. The burning was still present but whatever the cold thing was, it was helping. "What happened to her?"

"A zombie attacked her," Zeus answered him, "She tackled her to the ground and starting scratching her. The zombie didn't bite."

"An Olympian wouldn't allow themselves to get tackled by one of those things," Percy remarked.

"The zombie was only a child," Zeus defended me.

Percy chose to never comment on Zeus's defense. "She'll survive," his voice was firm, "She'll survive."

"Of course she will," Zeus replied harshly, "It was only a flesh wound."

"Zeus, correct? I've learned about you. Your daughter," I heard a shuffling of feet, and the cold was on me again. It felt like water, but a little thicker. "Was partially effected by the bacteria, we believe. The Rotter scratched her, giving her a more mild form of the bacteria as opposed to if the Rotter bit her. The bacteria was eating at her flesh, Zeus, and if we hadn't gotten to her in time, she probably would've become one of them. Do you think that normal wounds, when applied with alcohol, would leaving her squirming and thrashing around on the ground and screaming bloody murder?"

I groaned, not willing to go unnoticed anymore. There was more feet shuffling, coming close to me. Strong arms lifted me from where I was laying down, and brought me close to a warm chest. My carrier smelled of pine trees and the ocean. His warmth seemed to envelope me and comforted my taut and stressed nerves. "What Cabin is she?" a deep voice was close to my ear, and I could feel a vibration in his chest that accompanied every word.

"I can carry her."

"No," my carrier replied sharply, and I felt him take a sharp breath. "I'm going to heal her myself."

"You're no Cabin 7 child."

"Haven't you already seen what I can do? I can heal better than any Cabin 7 member can."

"I—she's in Cabin 8."

"She should be okay in the morning," my carrier pivoted on his foot and turned around completely. I guessed his back was facing Zeus.

"What Cabin are you in, boy?"

"Cabin Three."

Cabin Three? He was in one of the big three cabins?

"Percy!" It was Will, I guessed. He was running towards him with something that rattled loudly with each step. "I have the painkillers you asked for."

"Thanks," Percy said, and took the bottle. My legs were left unsupported for the shortest second, but it left my abdomen in pain. My face screwed up from it and I groaned. "Sorry," Percy whispered, held me again, and started to walk. Every slight jolt made me whine in pain, and each time Percy held me tighter and whispered to me, telling me where we were.

The first time he said, "The Half-Blood Hill."

The worst time, when Percy had to jump from what I guessed was a high rock, jostled my whole body, and made me whimper in the pain. "The Big House," he brought me closer. I finally knew what he was doing.

"Cabin One," Percy proclaimed, and he began a very light, smooth jog. It surprisingly didn't hurt at all.

"We'll stop at my Cabin and wait for your brother there, okay?"

"Ugh," was all I could muster.

Percy laughed, his chest bumping against me lightly. He opened the door to Cabin Three, and walked in. He had to angle himself to make sure I didn't hit the doorframe. He set me down on a soft bed. I heard the rattling and he brought careful fingers to my lips. "Open," he ordered firmly. I obeyed, and he dropped two pills into my mouth. He brought the bottle of pills back into a pocket, and then the cold was on my wound. The throbbing was slowly numbing away, with whatever he was doing.

"What," I croaked, and coughed as if that would fix the hoarseness in my throat, "Wh-What is that?"

"What is what?"

"It's not water, is it?"

"It is," Percy said. "I just…did something to it."

"Will the pain ever go away?"

"Eventually," he replied shortly.

"It hurts," I moaned.

"I know," Percy said softly, "I'm trying."

His hands were closer then, hovering close over my skin, and the water became thicker and colder, caressing my wounds. I moaned and arched my back upwards, wanting to come closer to the source of my relief subconsciously.

"Better?"

"Yes," my voice trembled.

The door opened with a bang. "You know, someone'd think you guys were having sex if not for what's going on."

I could imagine Percy's fierce scowl even though I'd never seen him. "Shut up, Apollo."

"I'm just saying!"

"Your sister is in pain, and you're joking about—"

"Alright, alright, stop being such a termagant." I could accurately picture Apollo rolling his eyes. Something was set on the floor near me, probably his medical case.

"Look, Apollo's a grown up now. He's using adult words." Percy gasped, feigning shock.

"Shut the fuck up Jackson, I'm focusing."

"Bullshit, you're not even looking her way," Percy remarked, and shifted his weight to a different side. "If you want, I can do your job for you."

"You're ridiculous," Apollo said, and started rummaging through his things. He approached me. "You can open your eyes now, Artemis."

I slowly opened my eyes for the first time since the alcohol hit my wound. I saw my brother above me. His blonde hair was still neatly gelled even with all that's going on. I wanted to roll my eyes. Of course. His blue eyes were tired, and there were bags under them too. He must've been tired as the head of Cabin 7. Next to him was Percy.

He was hot.

As I said earlier, I wasn't into boys. Never once did I ever say a guy was hot.

His midnight-raven black hair was tousled. Percy had a strong jaw and high cheekbones. He had a chiseled nose and lips. Percy's eyes were my favorite feature of them all; a soft ocean green with little flecks of gold and dark blue swirling in the irises. He was looking down at me, still scowling, probably from his encounter with my brother. His expression eased when he saw that I was fully awake.

"Alright, let's see that wound," Apollo said, and I whimpered, shying away from him. The sharp sensation of a knife stabbing me with every move was acute, and lifting my shirt again would make it feel like glass shattered on my ribcage. "Did you give her painkillers, Percy?"

"Yeah," Percy said, taking a white bottle of pills out of his pocket. "I can use my ability again."

"Thanks," Apollo nodded, and stepped away from me. What I saw next made my mouth hang open in shock. Percy seemed to manipulate the water that was in a large bowl next to me and, not touching the water, gestured it to my stomach. The water began to glow and I felt it harden a little tiny bit on my skin. Percy bit his lip, and his eyebrows knit together in intense concentration. I exhaled as the pain slowly went away.

"Keep it there," Apollo instructed and pulled out some bandages. He then pulled out another bottle of alcohol.

I looked up at Percy in utter terror, even though I didn't know him, I begged him with my eyes to help me. Don't let him do this to me.

Percy chewed on his lip a little harder. "Apollo," he said, and the water on my stomach glowed even brighter, the pain was almost gone now. "Is that going to…hurt her?"

"It shouldn't hurt as much. Zoë had the cheap stuff. Not only that, but she should have less bacteria and germs all around that area," Apollo answered, unscrewing the bottle's lid. I smelled the alcohol's fumes that burned my nostrils. "Percy, hold her down."

"What?!" I practically shrieked. "If it isn't going to hurt, why is he keeping me down?!"

Apollo shushed me and took out a few cotton balls. "You might experience pressure pain. I'm not just going to carelessly pour this all over your abdomen. You'd probably move a lot without Perce here."

Percy looked down at me with such an intense stare I had to blush and look away. He gently wrapped his hands around my wrists and pinned them down. When I turned back to where he was, my breath caught when I realized how close he was to me. Our chests were about two inches apart. I was sure he didn't need to be so close. My own silver eyes met his ocean green ones. Percy soon had a lopsided smirk on his face.

"Why are you guys acting like I'm not seeing this?" Apollo asked, groaning in annoyance and pouring the alcohol onto the cotton ball with skilled hands. "Aren't you and Annabeth a thing?"

"We were," Percy hissed, and I felt his hold on me tighten a little. I fidgeted to let him know it was uncomfortable, and he eased his hold. "Sorry," he mumbled. I nodded, and lifted my limp hand to hold his wrist. He gave me a confused look, and my eyes shot down to where Apollo was ready with a cotton ball to show him my reason. Percy nodded and slipped one of his hands into mine. I knew that it'd been less than an hour since I'd met him but I trusted him and had it been someone else in his position I would've done the same thing anyway. His large, warm, and calloused hand engulfed my own.

I felt the cotton swab fall onto my flesh and I grit my teeth. Apollo began to move it around and it felt like a dull, but prominent pain. It felt like someone had placed a one-hundred pound weight on my stomach, but only where the cotton ball touched. I squeezed Percy's hand hard as Apollo got into the deepest part of the gash. It stung, but considerably less than when Zoë had done it. It just hurt where he used the swab. "Almost done, sis," Apollo announced, and I heard him rummage around in his case. "Here we are," he said, and cut some bandages and gauze.

He placed some antibacterial cream on the skin surrounding the gash and then instructed Percy to lift me up. He nodded and placed a hand under my neck and gently lifted me up. Apollo muttered his apologies as my breathing became labored. He bandaged me, which was thankfully pretty fast. Apollo gave me some sleeping pills and asked Percy to leave.

He obliged, and left me and my brother alone.

"Get some rest, sis. You've had a really long day, I'd imagine."

"Why is Percy able to do…that…?" I thought about how he was able to control the water without actually coming in contact with it.

"Percy's special. He hasn't told anyone why he's able to do that, he just can and no one questions it. He's a great asset to the medical team," Apollo answered, packing up his things.

"Mom's dead."

Apollo nodded. "I know. I passed by dad on the way here. He told me what happened. I'm sorry, Artemis."

"I just…want to sleep," I said, even though the truth was, I didn't want that day to end, despite all of the horrible things that had happened.

Because it was still a day I had spent with my mother.

Author's Note: I thought I'd given up on this, but I realized it's potential, so I thought why not. This one's going to be pretty long, I anticipate.

I'll warn you right away that while this is hardcore Pertemis, there will be periods when they won't see each other. But! The Pertemis will occur in ways you won't expect, even when they aren't together ;). After that first initial period they'll be together for the rest of the story.

OOC Artemis! Then again, she's OOC in every Pertemis story.

I hope that Percy and Apollo were aright though.

ALSO! IMPORTANT! We're in the beginning of the story, so your vote counts cos not that many review! So review your answer!

-Should I make Artemis tsundere (at first hostile and then warms up later) like she is in all of the other stories, or should I make her a little more open to Percy? I could do either one, depending on what you want. I think the first one is overused but it's more in character for Artemis. The second might be a little more fresh but it's less traditional to who she is. But the second and first one have the same amount of potential Pertemis so it's all up to you.

Signing out.