All rights still belong to Rick Riordan, last time I checked.

Chapter 2: 3:14 Every Night

Suddenly my senses began tingling. I noticed every single detail

around me- the dripping sound from a rum bottle, the smell of burning lanterns, the stare of the strix owl sitting on the crow's nest, the cold lapping of waves against the ship, and the hum of the wind. It was like my mind was trying to warn me of danger.

The Cyclopes below had not caught my scent yet, although how they could miss a daughter of Zeus was beyond my comprehension. One of them was young, a little taller than me. The other was older, almost as big as 4 barrels and as tall as the ceiling.

"Are they true, the rumors?" questioned the young Cyclops. His voice was deep. "That they're children of primordials?"

"Aye," the other one replied, in a gruff voice. "The children of the Earth and the Pit. Mortal and monster."

"And the promises of peace?"

"Earth whispered that she made a mistake, helping the child overthrow his father. All it did was add to the chaos. She vowed that this time will be different."

"Why are we risking our necks Uncle? What reason do we have to fight in their war?"

"Our war, my naive nephew," the uncle corrected. He looked down at his nephew with disappointment. "What's about to happen changes everything. Haven't you felt it? The short-lived spring? The dying cattle? The cunningness of the very waters we sail in? The fight brews strong." He took a pause. "The end of the Bronze Age is nigh. The Big Ones promised a place of power in their reign to everyone who fights."

"What makes them so different from the gods?" the nephew asked again.

"What's with the pointy questions all of a sudden?" the older Cyclops ordered, annoyed.

"Nothing uncle. I just want to know what I'm getting into."

The older Cyclops looked at him suspiciously before answering.

"The truth is in your heart nephew. None will tell you this but as your uncle- we hate the gods. The only reason we worship any of them is because we fear worse. But now, we need not. Haven't I told you this before?"

"I must've forgotten."

"Keep your head in the right direction," the uncle commanded. "All the wild Cyclopes have been called upon. Word will get out to the forges on Olympus and Atlantis. Our kind will not sit still while there is a chance to make things right."

A few moments of silence passed. None of them spoke a word. My heart was beating faster.

"Yes, uncle. Sorry for bothering you." the young Cyclops said sincerely, looking at his uncle. "You should rest."

But the other Cyclops had fallen asleep already. The nephew sighed.

"As for you," he continued, looking straight up at me. A chill went down my spine. "Have you heard enough?"

I stood up like I had been zapped by lightning. I was panicked, I didn't have any Celestial Bronze weapons with me, and my only knife was in my bag down in the brig. The Cyclops was coming for me and I was doomed. I heard him come up the stairs, his footsteps echoed in my head. My feet were frozen.

"Well niece," I heard his voice, deep and gruff. "Don't get any ideas you. I don't mean you any harm."

Niece? I thought. Who would-

From the hole in the floor, emerged a man in a dark green robe. He had jet black, unruly hair and glowing emerald eyes. He looked at me and smiled.

"Poseidon," I breathed. "You scared me to death, Uncle."

"That was the general idea," he replied. He walked towards me and wrapped me in a hug. I usually didn't feel comfortable like this, but I was glad he had come to visit. "I am sorry, I couldn't attend the vote."

"It's alright," I said, letting go. "The vote was four to seven."

The Cyclops below yawned loudly.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go talk somewhere else before Tyron wakes up and remembers he doesn't have a nephew."

Line Break

We went to the captain's wheel and ducked behind a line of barrels. Apparently, the older Cyclops had a cold nose, the reason why he wasn't able to smell my presence.

"I'm afraid I don't have much time, now that I've revealed myself," Poseidon said. "So listen to me carefully."

"Pearl and Stillwater are in chaos. My council reports small factions of insurgents forming in the cities. Triton tells me not to worry about such things happening in Atlantis, but I know better. And there's the matter of the stolen chariot."

"Do you know where it is?" I questioned him.

"I sense its presence in Crete," he replied. "So for now you are heading in the right direction. It's vital that you find it. With the moon chariot in the enemy's hand, they have some monopoly over my domain."

I nodded. "The enemy, you called them the Big Ones. What can you tell me about them?"

Poseidon shook his head. "Not much than what I already have, I'm afraid. Brother's laws. Although I have a feeling you'll find out very soon."

"I see. How are things on Olympus?"

"Apollo's distraught. He wanted to aid you, but Zeus threatened him with the same fate as yours. Athena was disappointed but agreed that if anyone could recover the chariot, it'd be you. Demeter said something about Zeus not caring for any of his daughters, which ticked him off. Hera said nothing."

"Sounds…unlike Hera," I observed. "What happened to the hag that threatened my mother to leave forever or she'd turn me and Apollo into half-bloods?"

"My sister may hold a selfish grudge against you, but she knows what's good for the family," replied Poseidon. "And this probably didn't agree with her."

"I can't tell if you're joking or not."

Poseidon ignored my words. "On to other matters. You are heeding Old Tobias' advice, yes?"

I clenched my teeth. He had probably been waiting for this. "Yes, I'm seeking out your son.

"Ah, I find some humor in this," Poseidon chuckled. "Zeus' favorite man-hating daughter, seeking out the help of a man. Made it worth all those long hours of sitting and chatting with Tyron."

"Can he be trusted? Your son?"

"That is not for me to decide," he said, his expression turning solemn. "But I'll tell you this. He has had a rough past with our world, so he may not be willing to aid you. I'm not even sure he'll humor you if he learns who you are."

"Gee, uncle. I feel so motivated. Thank you for all the warm words."

"You don't understand Artemis," Poseidon muttered, shaking his head in…dismay? "He's…different. And for the longest time, I avoided him because of it. The last time we conversed, he left without saying a word. He's living in exile, a life disconnected from the sea. He has not called upon his powers in years."

I could sense some guilt in him. It wasn't like Poseidon to ignore his demigod children.

"Whatever it is, I'll deal with it," I told him. He looked at me and I saw sorrow in his green eyes.

"When you find him, remind him of my apology," he pleaded. "Tell him that should he ever need me, I'll be there for him."

Damn, what is this? A god showing so much love for a mortal?

"I will."

"Then I take my leave here" Poseidon declared.

"Oh no, you don't!" boomed a voice behind us. My eyes widened. Poseidon didn't look so surprised.

"I will kill both of you and sacrifice your heads to the Gigantes," Tyron bellowed. He held a celestial bronze cutlass in his hand. "I will be welcomed as a hero!"

Poseidon's trident materialized in his hands. Tyron's eyes widened.

"It cannot be" he whimpered.

"You have disappointed me, Tyron," Poseidon said simply. "Triton really admired your handicraft."

"Please Lord Poseidon," Tyron pleaded. "Please, forgive me."

He fell to his knees and tried to touch Poseidon's feet. I moved away from both of them.

"Look up at me" Poseidon ordered.

The Cyclops obeyed. I saw Tyron's face change from guilt, to surprise and to anger. A loud humming sound filled my ears. I immediately closed my eyes, realizing what was happening.

"Good luck Artemis" I heard Poseidon's voice say.

"MAY A HUNDRED CURSES BEFALL OLYMPUS!" Tyron bellowed. "HAIL THE GIGAN-"

He never finished his sentence. When I opened my eyes, I was covered in gold dust. And where Tyron had stood moments before, lay his cutlass.

Hello world, ne0l here. I think I'm a tad bit late. This chapter is something like 1428 words long, and somehow very uninteresting and not even mythologically accurate (which this story won't be, just in case you're wondering), but I promise you it still plays a considerable part in the plot. Also if anyone saw the fiasco with the HTML tags during the first chapter, I sincerely apologize. I was nervous that it would go wrong (and it did) but in the end, I figured it out. What else, I have exams at the end of next month so I might not be able to write much. Expect no more than two updates for now. Also, I got like 89 visitors, so thank you for reading my story! Until next time, peace!

3:14 Every Night by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

P.S. Yes Guest reviewer, this is an origin story about Artemis :) Thanks for reading my story!