[A/N] And thusly the remastered version continues, so let's keep right on going…

Perspective rules are as follows:

-A- Armani's perspective

-3- Third Person

Shadows of the Hunt

Chapter 7: Primal

-3-

"A-Ares?" Aphrodite stammered as Artemis stood, half crouched, growling angrily at the love goddess.

A mound of rubble exploded as the war god pulled himself free and began striding cautiously across the courtyard.

"Do you know how she was born?" Artemis suddenly asked Ares in a low tone, not turning about.

Ares froze. "What?"

"Aphrodite. You know how she was born, don't you?"

He frowned. "Yeah. From sea foam and Uranus'…you know…severed bits."

Artemis cocked her head, teeth still bared. "Very good. Now, unless you want to find yourself siring all your future half-bloods in the same fashion, I would suggest you don't take another step closer."

It took a moment for Ares to grasp the threat. He slowly took a step backwards, which was the smartest thing he'd done all day.

-3-

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked.

Athena inclined her head. "I believe Artemis just threatened to castrate Ares if he attempts to get involved."

"Annabeth!" Nico shouted as he ran up to the group, skidding to a stop beside her. His eyes suddenly widened as he noticed the goddess.

"Ah, Mister Di Angelo, I was wondering when you'd chose to join us," Athena said, still focused on her clipboard.

"Is that-?" Nico asked.

Annabeth nodded. "Nico, this is my mother."

"Shh, children, let's watch the proceedings."

"Mom, do you know what's going on? Do you know what's happening to Artemis?"

She inclined her head. "Of course I do, dear, now let's see what happens."

-3-

Artemis spared Armani a pained glance, and then turned back to Aphrodite. "You wouldn't dare," the love goddess said in what was little more than a whimper.

The twelve-year-old goddess snarled and smashed her palms into the ground. The two streams of light trailing from her aura shot out to the left and right. Aphrodite didn't have time to blink before they slammed into her from both sides like a huge glowing vice, lifting her up into the air between them.

Artemis pushed herself up and began closing her hands together. As her palms closed, the huge tails tightened around the love goddess, whose mouth was open in a soundless scream as the energy pulsed around her. The sound of straining bones filled the air.

-3-

"What are those things? And what's up with that light?" Nico breathed in shock, staring at the glowing tail-like appendages.

Athena was busy sketching Artemis on her clipboard, but paused to answer. "They're a manifestation."

"Of what?" Aren asked desperately. Everything in her was telling her she should be doing more than watching.

"What do you know about Artemis? Or, should I say, what do you know about Armani and Artemis?"

"Mother and son?" Nico offered.

She nodded. "Precisely; the goddess of childbirth and her eternal child. You see, I saw something when I looked into his mind back at Olympus. There was something in him that I don't believe even he knew about, and I doubt Artemis knew either."

Annabeth frowned. "Something in him?"

"That's right. There's a bond between the two of them. Artemis is the goddess of childbirth; she is the source of the maternal bond between mother and child that exists within nature. And now she has her own bond, only it's more than the metaphorical one that normally exists between parent and child. Because she is a goddess, hers is metaphysical."

Nico's face screwed up into a frown. "Meta-what?"

Annabeth sighed. "It means it's sort of…mystical."

Athena rolled her eyes. "Mystical? Oh, save me…anyway, the bond was most likely created when Artemis completed Armani's birth and acknowledged his existence. From there on in it became an almost physical thing. And when Aphrodite invaded his mind, she flooded his heart with lust, trying to force him to forget everything that's important to him besides the feelings she was creating."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "She attacked the bond…"

Athena smiled. "Very astute, Annabeth. Yes, when Aphrodite used her power, not only did she infect him with feelings that were so alien to him that they were painful, she also began to dissolve the bond that existed between him and Artemis. That light, Mister Di Angelo, is the manifestation of that bond lashing out to defend itself, using Artemis as a medium." The wisdom goddess laughed ironically. "You see, Aphrodite, in her arrogance, has inadvertently stumbled into the domain of the power that governs the creation of life itself…and it's fighting back to force her out."

Nico just stared at the enraged goddess. "But why's she so… growly? I mean, Artemis is usually so, like, composed and cool."

Athena's smile quirked up slightly. "You mean her feral attitude? Well, Artemis is also the goddess of the wild, and there is nothing more ancient, primal and wild than the instinct that drives a mother to defend her child. At the moment she's transcended anger, she's beyond rage; she's in a domain of pure instinct. And she will destroy anyone and anything that gets in her path. The Goddess of the Wild…has gone wild."

Clarisse spoke up next. "I'm not exactly following any of this, but are you saying Artemis has gone all mama bear on Aphrodite?"

Athena sighed. "That would be a gross oversimplification, but I suppose it's the general idea."

"You said this was what you were waiting for; you mean you knew this was going to happen?" Annabeth asked.

Athena nodded. "It was inevitable. Aphrodite was bound to attempt to subvert Armani sooner or later, and it was only Aphrodite who could provoke this reaction. This was an aspect of Artemis that could only awaken once she had a child of her own; it was an aspect that, because of her vow to remain a maiden, should never have awoken. We're looking at an impossible thing; the force of creation itself. I doubt even Zeus himself would dare step in her path while she's in her current form."

"But Armani's life has been in danger before, why has this not happened until now?" Aren had to ask, having barely overcome her shock over her Mistress' appearance.

"That's different. It's part of nature for life to be endangered. Aphrodite's attack was different; she attacked both Armani and Artemis on a very fundamental level. She triggered this reaction herself."

"Why doesn't Aphrodite fight back?" Annabeth asked.

"She's probably trying, but love isn't that old of a force. What we're looking at here is old and ancient, something Aphrodite couldn't understand…which is why she inadvertently stumbled into Artemis' domain after centuries of successfully taunting her while Artemis could do nothing in return. Now, reactions?" she asked, turning to the group, pen poised on her clipboard.

"What?" Annabeth asked with a frown.

"Come now, dear, this is a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon even for an immortal! I must get witness notes and impressions. Ms. Aren?"

Aren just stared at the feral Artemis. "She's terrifying, but still so…beautiful and dazzling"

Athena nodded. "Interesting reactions from the Huntress. Nico?"

Nico gulped. "Sorry, I'm stuck on terrifying. But what's up with Armani? Shouldn't he just be all love-struck or something?"

Athena looked almost solemn for a second. "You don't understand. Armani is a child of Artemis, the goddess whose very existence is based around the pure and the innocent. Armani shares these traits, which is why he's almost equally clueless about love. Aphrodite violated his mind and forced him to experience feelings he simply doesn't understand. And the bond within him is equally important as a child of the goddess of childbirth. It's not just his mind Aphrodite violated, she actually attacked his soul."

"Will he be all right?"

"Perhaps, it all depends on Artemis. But I digress—what are your thoughts, Annabeth?"

Annabeth had just opened her mouth to respond when Artemis suddenly whipped the prone Aphrodite up into the air and smashed her in the chest with one of the streams. She repeated the motion until she was battering the love goddess with lightning-fast strikes while Aphrodite struggled weakly in midair. Artemis herself hadn't budged; she just stood with blazing silver eyes as her aura decimated her opponent for her.

Her right tail curved up and smashed the goddess into the asphalt below.

"M-mother? What's going to happen? I mean, Artemis can't actually kill Aphrodite, can she?"

Athena inclined her head. "Whereas it is impossible for an Olympian to truly be killed, as that would mean the absolute destruction of the part of the natural order they represent, they can have their personal freedoms and personified forms permanently damaged. Just look at what happened to Kronos when he was dissected by his own scythe, or what happened to Hephaestus when Hera threw him from Olympus."

One of the glowing tendrils bent down and plucked up the goddess by the throat. Her dress was torn and she was dripping golden blood. Tears were running down her face, but due to the pressure around her neck she couldn't so much as choke out a sob.

"-thena!" she managed to choke out as Artemis lowered the pressure a tad. "Athena!" she shouted more clearly.

"Hmm?" Athena glanced up from her clipboard and leaned over the rail. "Problem, Aphrodite?"

"Don't be pedantic!" she snapped, "You can't let her do this to- acck!" she was cut off as Artemis extended her fist and closed it. The light around Aphrodite's throat tightened. "-elp me!" was all she got out before the other tail slammed into her abdomen and enveloped it tightly.

Artemis glanced suddenly up at the battle goddess, and a third tendril rose up from her back, hanging warningly in the air.

Athena gingerly stepped back from the railing. "My apologies, Aphrodite," she began, staring at the tendril, "but as the goddess of battle, I must choose which battles are in my interest, and this is not amongst them. Best of luck, though." Aphrodite's reply was little more than a distraught choking wail.

"GET OUT!" Artemis suddenly growled.

Aphrodite's eyes widened, and Artemis allowed her to speak. "I…don't… understand!"

"You are in my domain! You will leave, or I swear to Zeus that I will grind you into dust! Let my son go!" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Now."

Aphrodite did nothing for a moment, and then narrowed her eyes at the fallen half-blood. A second later, the film of red light covering his body faded.

Artemis glanced down at her son, then back up at the goddess. Slowly the tendril around her opponent's neck withdrew, followed by the other. Both retracted into the shimmering, flame-like aura, before this, too, faded. Her eyes returned to their normal silvery-yellow.

Aphrodite collapsed into a sobbing heap as soon as she hit the ground.

Artemis strode coolly towards her and stopped, staring down at the battered goddess. Aphrodite glared indignantly up at her, eyes stained with golden tears. "I swear, Artemis, next time you-" she didn't get to finish her threat, due to the fact that Artemis' hand shot down and clamped itself around her throat. She dragged her up, bringing them face to face and forcing the love goddess to meet her gaze.

She spoke in unemotional tone laced with terrifying certainty. "If there is a next time, Aphrodite, then I swear to you, on the River Styx itself, I will rend your essence asunder with such brutality that what's left will be so hideous and unrecognizable that in terms of beauty, Hephaestus will look like a veritable Adonis in comparison to you." She said this in a civil, conversational voice that was so chilling new tears formed in the goddess of love's eyes. "Do we have an understanding?"

She nodded mutely and Artemis tossed her back to the ground like a discarded towel.

She strode back to Armani and crouched down beside him. Cradling his head to her chest with one hand, she turned her gaze to Ares, who flinched slightly as she made eye contact. "Get that…" she spat, stabbing her free hand at the fallen goddess, "…Out of my sight."

Ares carefully strode forwards, not taking his eyes of Artemis as she followed him with her piercing gaze. He gave her a wide birth as he passed, and once he had collected the cowering Aphrodite in his arms, he wasted no time in reverting to his immortal form and disappearing with his lover.

As the form in her arm stirred, Artemis brought the other arm around and held him gently to her chest.

It was over.

Athena clicked her pen closed and tucked her clipboard under her arm. "Well! I think that concludes my little study, it has been most informative. You may wish to attend to Armani and Artemis now."

"But mother! Do you know what's going on? Do you know where the Hunters are?"

She seemed to ponder this. "Hmm…I have an idea, but you know the rules, my dear. I cannot interfere directly. I wouldn't worry; I have faith in you Annabeth. You'll figure it out soon enough." She patted her daughter's blonde curls and strolled away. There was flash of light, and then she was gone, leaving the children to pick up the pieces.

-A-

So cold…

It had become so cold, and silent, like I had fallen into a numb limbo I couldn't climb out of. Then there was…a feeling, something warm enveloping me like a blanket and dragging me out of my solitary darkness.

Is someone there?

Then I heard it clearly; the song was back. I could feel nature flooding in around me, the sounds of the wild singing to me; the most wonderful song in all of creation. The darkness was abating; something was pulling me back up to the surface. The terrifying emptiness was being filled. The burning feelings in my heart were being extinguished, replaced by the eternally cool calm I normally felt.

Those weren't my feelings.

Something wonderful and reassuring had surrounded me. The abject terror was dying, being replaced by indescribable relief.

As I opened my eyes, I found myself wrapped in the warm embrace of another. It felt like the safest place in all of creation. The contrast, after the terror I had just felt, was so great that I knew I was crying as another arm wrapped around me and held me tighter. I was so tired…I simply fell asleep like that, wrapped in that warm embrace with tears on my face.

Thank you, mother…

-A-

My sleep was calm and soothing. That was, of course, until it was invaded by a dream…

The image cleared and I saw a man, crouched over, wearing what appeared to be a tattered silk suit. I noticed suddenly that his back and arms had a few arrows in them, as if someone had been taking pot-shots at him. Gold blood ran from the wounds.

A god?

He was straining, as if holding something up. I focused. For a moment, it looked like he was holding up a dark marble ceiling, but then I realized that it seemed to extend forever.

What is that?

There was a storm brewing in that darkness. Lightning crackled. Wind wailed. Collapsed black marble columns and rubble were strewn about. The large man's eyes appeared to be looking right at me as he bore his burden. However, somehow I got the feeling that it wasn't me he was seeing. Suddenly he snarled with rage, "Is it not enough that I am forced to bear this burden for all eternity again? Now you return to torment me, too! You wretched girl!" I sincerely hoped it wasn't me he was seeing. Iris was bad enough. "I swear I will make you pay for this!" His rage seemed to explode in my face. "YOU WILL PAY!" he bellowed with such anger I was jerked right out of my sleep and bolted upright with a gasp of fear, cold sweat running down my back.

-A-

Threat assessment!

"W-What? Where is-?" My instincts screamed as I glanced about in startled shock, my eyes flicking wildly about the room. I realized I was lying in a bed, in the same Motel from earlier. Suddenly I felt a hand press on my chest reassuringly. I glanced to the side and was shocked to find Aren, looking at me with what looked like genuine concern in her green eyes. I stared at her for a second in confusion as a strange, tingling shock seemed to surge through me. I glanced around. The light was dim; it must've been evening by now.

"It's all right. Aphrodite is gone; you're safe now."

"Aphro…but…what happened?" I asked, glancing around. The echoes of that sickening fear were still surging through me. I was still shaking. My eyes were still wet with tears, and I dried them on my sleeve.

"It was Lady Artemis; she saved you from Aphrodite."

"Mother…" I breathed.

"Yes?" a gentle voice spoke up, and I turned my head to find Artemis standing in the shadows, a warm smile on her face.

I just stared at her for a moment before choking out one word, my voice thick with emotion. "Thanks."

She just nodded slightly.

"What happened?" I felt I had to ask.

Annabeth responded from her place on the other bed. Clarisse was leaning against what was left of the door frame, and Nico was in the darker shadows in the opposite corner of the room. "Lady Artemis saved you. She…convinced Aphrodite that it would be in her best interests to leave you alone in future. How do you feel?"

I stared down at my chest. I could still feel echoes of the pain. "I'm fine…"

"Liar," Clarisse said. "But if you need some more counseling you know where to come."

I smiled sadly. "I'm not sure I could survive another one of your little lessons, but thanks."

"Will you really be all right?" Aren asked. She was sitting oddly close to a boy for someone who's repulsed by them.

"Yeah. It might take a bit of time to get over the emotional trauma, but I'll be okay. There are more important things to worry about right now than how much love hurts."

"You have been cleansed of those emotions, and Aphrodite will never attempt such a thing again. Your heart will heal," My mother spoke up.

I nodded. I had been emotional for far longer than I should have been, given how desperate the current situation was. "Of course. But the situation has changed."

Nico stepped out of his dark niche. "What's up?" he asked, and I noticed Aren tense. I sensed animosity and I realized her revulsion to boys seemed to only have abated around me.

This could cause problems.

I had no idea what my instinct meant, but I put the possible future conflicts out of my head. There was a more important issue at hand. "I just had a dream."

I instantly saw everyone's attention pique up. "A dream?" Annabeth asked, stepping forwards. "As in, an omen? Or another blue monkey?"

I focused on my memory of the dream. "It was as clear as the one with Hades. But I'd never seen the god in this one before."

My mother spoke up this time. "A god? Can you be sure?"

"He had gold blood, so I had to guess he was."

"Bleeding? Was he in a fight or something?" Clarisse asked.

Annabeth sighed. "Perhaps you'd best just describe it to us. Don't leave anything out; not a single detail."

So I didn't; I explained it down to the last sound and sight, right down to the feelings I had along with it.

They all fell silent as they dwelled on the words.

"I don't get it," Clarisse admitted after a moment.

"So…some god someone's hit with arrows?" Nico said. "Sorry, I've got nothing."

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked after a moment.

I frowned. "About what?"

"The ceiling; you said it seemed to stretch off forever, and he was holding it," Annabeth said, suspicion in her voice.

"You don't think it's-" Aren said, sounding more scared than I'd ever heard her.

I noticed my mother nod. "It wasn't a ceiling that stretched off into eternity, Armani. It was the sky."

My eyes widened in realization. "The sky? Being held up by…" I paused as the old tale came back to mind. "It wasn't a god, was it?"

Annabeth answered, her tone deadly serious. "No, it wasn't a god…it was a Titan."

I breathed out the name. "Atlas…but how does that help? It doesn't tell us anything!"

"No," My mother objected. "It tells us everything."

I frowned and Annabeth spoke up. "Collapsed black marble pillars… A shattered palace."

Aren spoke next. "The palace of the Titans."

I glanced around. I was obviously out of the loop here. "Wait, since when did the Titans have a palace?"

My mother answered, "They have always had one; it was blasted to pieces in the first war, and reformed during the uprising, but it has collapsed again…or, you could say, shattered. As far as I know, in that place only one thing remains standing: Atlas, forever tasked with holding up the sky."

Annabeth spoke again. "We journey west, first to the Desert of the Meadows, then further west to the Shattered Palace."

My mother clarified. "To the fallen palace of the Titans…we have to go to San Francisco."

-A-

I walked out of the room and glanced down at the ruins of the motel. "Sweet Zeus! What in Hades happened here?"

Nico strode out beside me. "You know how we said your mom had a little falling-out with Aphrodite? Ah…it might not have been quite as little as you assumed."

Half the motel had been leveled, and there were gaping holes in some of the buildings. "They were fighting?"

Annabeth glanced cautiously at my mother. "No, it wasn't much of a fight."

"I was merely reprimanding Aphrodite appropriately for stepping out of line," she said simply as she strode past us.

There were several nervous glances that told me that my mother hadn't been as impartial with the goddess of love as she was implying.

"Still," I began, following after her. "It's the manager I feel sorry for."

My mother glanced over her shoulder. "That filthy wretch? Why ever would you?"

I cocked my head. "Well…it's just…his insurance isn't going to fix this."

Nico frowned. "Why's that?"

"Acts of god aren't covered."

Annabeth groaned and rolled her eyes. "Well, at least your sense of humor is back to normal."

I wasn't joking, though…

-A-

I found the manager unconscious and sprawled out over the desk; obviously, Aphrodite hadn't wanted interference from anyone. I stopped only to swipe Apollo's Amex card and add another hundred thousand to the bill. It was only polite to pay for the damages, after all.

I printed a copy of the transaction receipt and stuck it to the side of the unconscious manager's face. "I hope that softens the blow."

"If you are quite finished with this pointless display of compassion, may we go?" My mother sighed impatiently.

"Hey, we broke it, we bought it…although, technically, you broke it."

"Forgive me for not weeping with guilt," she muttered sarcastically as she strode to her chariot.

We all climbed aboard, but I noticed Aren staring daggers at Nico. "W-what?" he asked nervously. He was several inches taller than the blonde girl and significantly better muscled, but she had an oddly imposing presence for someone of her stature.

"I do not approve of a boy aboard the mistress' chariot."

I sighed drearily.

Here we go…

"Hey!" Nico objected, and I realized he had stabbed a finger at me. "He's a boy!"

"He is not!"

Oh for pity's sake, not this again!

"Yes, Aren, actually, I am. And kindly don't make me prove it." I swear, I was this far from actually doing so.

"He's different!" Aren retorted, "He was born of Lady Artemis herself; we see him as her immaculate child before anything else!"

I rubbed my brow. I had a feeling they'd start asking me to take sides soon. I leaned towards my mother as she got her chariot moving. "Can you, you know, do something about this? I'd rather they at least fall into mutual silent disdain as opposed to attempting to throw each other to their deaths."

"No," she said simply.

"B-but—"

"I want you to deal with the situation. Nico is your friend, and Aren has founded beliefs that I will not order her to change. I would like to see you mediate between them yourself."

I considered arguing, but remembered the futility of disputing a point with a god who was convinced they were right. Also, I had seen the devastation my mother could cause when she was angry, and I wasn't sure just how calm she was right now. I knew I was still shaken by the situation.

Nico was looking anywhere but at Aren. Obviously, his guilt prevented him from meeting her disapproving glare. I didn't blame him; I'd been on the receiving end of the Hunter's scorn, and it was quite an ugly feeling. They had a way of convincing you with their stares that you were an inferior form of life. But I didn't think a battle of the sexes was the way to clear this up. "Aren, Nico, that's enough!"

"It's his fault, though!" she hissed angrily at me.

"He made a mistake, and now he's trying to make amends. I want you to be big enough to allow him to try and do that."

She gritted her teeth angrily; obviously she was desperate to take a swing at him. "All right…one chance, boy. I'm giving you one chance to prove yourself to me."

That's more than she gave me; I suppose that's as good as he's ever going to get.

I smiled. "Good, now kiss and make up." I was met by two pairs of disbelieving eyes. "Just kidding! Just kidding, Aren, jeez, don't look at me like that…"

I suddenly noticed something that made me smile happily at the little Huntress.

She blinked as she noticed me staring. "W-what?"

"Your nose."

She seemed to blush slightly. "What about it?"

"It's fixed, I just noticed," I said. I had, after all, broken it with Apollo's condo door at one point in the past.

She rubbed a ringer on the bridge of her nose. "Y-yeah, ambrosia sure can work wonders."

I nodded. "Just as well. It is one of your more appealing features. "

Where the heck did that come from?

I shuffled back up to my mother again. "You…umm…sure you got all the Aphrodite out of me?" I muttered.

She inclined her head. "Quite sure, there may be lingering effects, but I unfortunately cannot say. You handled that quite well, by the way."

"Yeah, well, Aren showed great restraint, considering she hates boys and this one was indirectly responsible for the Hunters disappearing."

"As a matter of fact, once she found out the truth, she tried to break his neck while you were unconscious. She was quite difficult to restrain."

I sighed. "Hasn't changed that much, then."

A small smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "As I said, she is stubborn in her beliefs." She paused, as if pondering something. "If I might ask…just out of curiosity, you understand…who was it you first laid eyes on after awakening?"

I frowned and thought back. "…Aren, why?"

"Did she meet your eyes?"

I raised an eyebrow. "…Yes, why?"

I noticed my mother frown slightly. "No reason…probably a lingering effect."

I glanced back at the Huntress, who still had a faint blush on her cheeks. She really did have a cute nose, I had to say.

Cute? What do you mean cute? Since when have we ever thought anything was cute?

I shook my head sharply to clear it.

Gods, this could be problematic.

I forced myself to focus on more important matters. "How long until we arrive?"

"I cannot risk resuming our previous speeds, especially as we approach the coast. The tides would become far too erratic. We should arrive in about thirty minutes, however."

I nodded; I hoped we could get this matter resolved before the day was out. I noticed that my mother was glancing upwards again. "I still cannot see them…"

I looked up and frowned. "See what?"

"The stars…it's too early, and with demigods and a mortal with me I cannot risk going too high into the stratosphere to get a better look."

"Why? Is it important?"

"I pray it is not," she replied ambiguously after a moment.

I left her to focus on flying in silence from there on, and I turned back to the group. They were no longer glaring at one another, but rather sitting in a most uncomfortable silence.

Like the calm before a storm…

-A-

A storm was indeed raging above San Francisco as we arrived. Angry thunderclouds rumbled, illuminating the darkness with the occasional flash of white light.

"Ominous," I muttered.

"Yeah, Zeus must be ticked at something," Clarisse added as she clenched her spear. I assumed it was her version of a comfort thing.

"The palace of the Titans remains surrounded in Mist, I see. It will be easier to access directly from the air."

I stared at the remnants of the structure. It was pretty much all rubble now. Obviously the gods had given the place a proper pounding. It appeared little more than randomly strewn fragments of dark marble from my current vantage point.

"Anyone else getting a really bad feeling?" Nico said as he leaned out next to me.

"You think the Hunters are captive down there?" Annabeth asked. She sounded dubious, and I shared her concern. Something was wrong.

"You think it's another trap?" Clarisse asked.

Artemis inclined her head. "Oh most certainly so, but unfortunately we won't know what it is until it's sprung. I would suggest you all be on your guard."

"I hate this place," Aren said as she drew her hunting dagger.

"Oh, bad memories?" I asked.

She nodded. "Lady Artemis was captive here once, and…we lost someone here, too."

I sighed. "Then let's just get your sisters and leave. I have a very, very bad feeling about this place." I summoned my bow and several arrows; it didn't hurt to be prepared. I hooked the weapon over my shoulder and unsheathed my sword as we landed. The others also drew their weapons. Annabeth had her own dagger free and Nico's Stygian iron sword was looking as menacing as ever. Clarisse's spear seemed to crackle with excitement. Then we touched down in the remains of the shattered palace.

-A-

My mother led the way, her own bow drawn as we spread out through the rubble in the darkness.

"Tactical nightmare," Annabeth mumbled, and she was right. There had to be a hundred nooks and crannies an attacker could lunge out from. Heck, there could be an army hidden in the various shadows and we wouldn't know. The only real light was the occasional bolt of lightning illuminating the skies.

Speaking of the sky… "Hey, kid!" a voice suddenly shouted and I swung about, arrow aimed. It was the man from my dream, with a deceptively kind smile plastered on his face. I noticed idly that he had a few more arrows sticking out from his back. My mother had appeared beside a pillar, but was out of his line of sight. Aren approached but I waved her back. "Psst! Over here!" the man said.

I approached the Titan cautiously. "Ah…hey there," I said conversationally.

He smiled a wide, toothy smile. "Hi there, kid, lovely day, isn't it?" I glanced up at the thunderclouds above.

Don't tell me he's going to try and…oh, might as well let him go through the motions.

I inclined my head. "It is somewhat picturesque in a macabre sort of way."

He laughed. "Sure is. Say, kid…I don't suppose you could give me a hand with this thing, could you?" he asked in a perfectly nonchalant way.

I hummed in thought. "Hmm…I dunno. I don't have my lifting belt, and that thing looks awfully heavy."

He tried to laugh it off. "Oh, come on, just for a sec. I just need a quick hand."

" I dunno…"

"Aw, come on, it's not that bad."

I nodded. "All right, I just have one question first."

He grinned. "Sure!"

I sighed. "How dumb was Hercules, really?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. I mean, in terms of cunning villainy this guy was hardly Hannibal Lecter.

His smile melted instantly and his face screwed up into a pout. "Yeah, well, folks were a lot simpler back in the day. What'ya want?" he asked glumly and went back to focusing on his task.

I hummed thoughtfully. "So, you're Atlas, then?"

His eyes moved impatiently back to me. "Yeah, who wants to know?"

My mother moved out from her concealment and Atlas groaned angrily. "Oh, great…Here for some payback, are you, Artemis?"

My mother raised an eyebrow. "I cannot deny I find some pleasure in seeing you like this."

He sighed. "Jeez, what'd I ever do to deserve this?" he groaned.

My mother's other eyebrow went up at that.

Atlas glanced away. "Oh, right…that."

Aren stepped forwards, her eyes full of undisguised loathing for the Titan. "I've glanced about but I can't seem to find any sign of them."

Atlas scoffed. "What's the matter, Artemis? Lost your reindeer?"

I could tell it took a great amount restraint on my mother's part not to start torturing the Titan; I doubt she wanted that load dropped into her arms. "Be silent, Atlas" she mumbled, and began scouring the area.

I leaned in cautiously and yanked an arrow free of the Titan's shoulder. "HEY!" he roared.

I ignored him as I wiped the golden fluid from the arrowhead. "It looks like one of the Hunter's arrows," I said, showing it to my mother.

She eyed it critically. "Yes, except it seems to have lost its sheen... I've never seen one in this condition before."

"I've looked all around," Nico said as he walked up. "There's no sign of the Hunters, the place is totally deserted."

Then why do I get the feeling I'm being watched?

A flash of lightning illuminated the area, and for a second I thought I caught sight of something crouched like a gargoyle on a collapsed wall. But after the next flash it was gone.

Annabeth and Clarisse approached from the other direction. "I've had a scout around, there doesn't seem to be another living thing here. Has anyone else seen any sign of the Hunters?"

"I have!" We all blinked and swung around. The words had come from Atlas.

"What did you say?" I asked cautiously.

"I've seen your Hunters. All of them! Dragged through here out cold in a big pile, thought they were dead at first. Saw them with my own two eyes."

Aren lurched forwards, probably to try and wring more information out of the Titan, but I grabbed her shoulder and she stopped dead. "Yeah? And why should we believe you?"

His face melted into a mask of utter rage. "Why? WHY? LOOK AT ME!" I stared at him and could only assume he meant the arrows embedded in his body. "WHY AM I GOING TO TELL YOU? SPITE!I don't even CARE about you taking this thing from me! I'll tell you just as payback!"

Something told me I should listen to the irate Titan. "All right, Atlas, you have my attention. Where are the Hunters?"

He groaned. "Think, you stupid half-blood! Where in this filthymortal city would you take someone you wanted to keep securely prisoner?"

I only had to ponder his words for a second before realization dawned. I swung around to look over San Francisco, or to be more precise, at a small island out in the bay.

Everyone else was staring, too. "Alcatraz," Nico breathed.

Suddenly there was another flash of lightning and I froze dead. I swiftly cleared my mind to hide my thoughts from my mother, and was very careful not to make a single defensive move.

Oh, no…

"Mother, time to go."

She nodded and immediately turned to leave.

"Nico and I will follow in a moment."

She paused. "Why?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"There's just something I need to check out, just to make sure we haven't overlooked anything. Don't worry, Nico can shadow travel us over once we're done. But you need to get over there as soon as possible. We don't know how long the Hunters have left."

She hesitated; she knew I was hiding something, but she also knew she had no time to lose.

"Very well … Aren, stay with them, please."

She nodded. "Of course, Lady Artemis."

"Annabeth, Clarisse, come with me."

"Right," Annabeth said, staring at me cautiously.

Clarisse just smirked and hoisted her spear. "All right, let's go save the day!"

I paused and waited until my mother had disappeared completely from sight before I did anything. My eyes were darting right and left.

"Armani, what's wrong?" Nico asked. "Why aren't we going with Artemis?"

"Shh!" I hissed. "I don't like being shot in the back while walking away, that's why!"

Aren walked up slowly. "What do you mean," she whispered. "What's going on?"

"Nobody move," I said, frozen to the spot. I muttered quietly under my breath, "There's somebody else here"

Aren took the revelation in stoic silence, but Nico swung into a defensive stance, his eyes flicking around madly. Aren had moved in front of me.

Everything went oddly silent for a moment before the peace was shattered.

"Look out!" Nico shouted as a grey arrow shot out of the shadows. How he moved so fast I don't know, but he got in its path before it could impale Aren through the heart. It struck his shoulder with a sickening thunk and sent him crashing to the earth.

"Nico!" I shouted as he reached for the arrow, gasping in pain. "Aren! Help him!"

"Right!"

I unshouldered my bow with lightning speed and nocked an arrow as another shot flew out of the shadows. I aimed for a split second and shot the bolt out of the air with my own arrow. The fact that the attacker had ignored the others now that they were on the ground told me I was the intended target. A furious rage welled up inside of me.

"Who's the filthy coward who would shoot through an innocent maiden to get to me?" I bellowed into the shadows.

A smooth, demure voice spoke up from somewhere above me. "She was in my line of fire. I may have missed my intended quarry, but striking down thy comrade was truly an unforeseen bonus."

I heard Aren give an involuntary gasp at the voice.

I glanced up, altering my aim as I saw her in the dim light. The dull glinting of the silver circlet on her head was easily visible now.

She was standing poised on top of one of the few standing columns, bow drawn and aimed right into my face. Her long black braid rippled in the wind as she glared down at me with proud, oddly dull black eyes, like Stygian iron.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Aren's eyes widen in shock and dawning realization. They seemed to suddenly fill with tears. "Oh gods, no…" she moaned.

I saw Nico staring up with both shock and fear in his eyes. I didn't need clarification as to who it was. Ever since I had seen her out of the corner of my eye, I had known who it was. After all, I had seen her before— once before, in the vision of the night of my birth Apollo had shown to me. But hers was the sort of face one does not forget.

"Zoë Nightshade…"

[A/N] I'll catch you in Chapter 8: Pride