Everlasting Promises - My ending

by hector.vorng

Creds go to starblade176, purely a fanfiction of a fanfiction..

16. Chapter 16

Artemis

When Oceanus had gotten killed by Percy and Poseidon, the bonds holding the Gods, Immortals and Hunters together fell apart.

The instant her bonds crumbled, Artemis rushed forward to Percy as he fell face forward straight towards the ground. She caught him an instant before he crashed to the ground and gave a gasp of shock at just how quickly her arms and legs were drenched and coated in blood. Mortal blood.

Artemis gently flipped Percy over so that she could see his face and tenderly cradled Percy's head against the crook of her shoulder. She winced as she saw how many bruises he had, all over his face, his stomach, his legs, his arms, and… his chest. Or what remained of his chest. The right side of his chest was ripped out, and was bleeding so heavily that it was as if someone had turned on a sink connected to several gallons of blood. It was the worst wound Artemis had ever seen, and that was saying a lot, considering how many battles she'd been in.

And all because he wanted to protect her.

Tears began crawling down her face as she tenderly put a hand on his chest and tried to heal him. She was surprised when Percy's hand closed around her wrist.

"Artemis…" Percy whispered, his eyes fluttering open to stare into her own.

"Percy, stay still. I can-I can heal it." Artemis said, even though she knew it wasn't true.

Percy knew also. He gave a chuckle, or at least tried to, but instead it sounded like a choking gurgle.

"Arty, you know…as well as I do, that this is…a fatal wound." Percy gasped out, his mouth twitching just slightly.

"Percy, please, I can-" Artemis whispered quietly.

"No Artemis." Percy replied, just as quietly.

"Percy please…I'm begging you, don't leave me…" Artemis choked out.

"My time has come." Percy whispered.

"Percy…you can't. You can't just-just leave me." Artemis said, and then, even though it was not an appropriate moment, she blushed. "I mean us." She corrected quickly.

"Artemis… promise me. Promise that the campers…the surviving campers…that have been through the Titan War…" Percy faltered for a moment as he took several shallow breaths, then he continued, "They deserve immortality too. If they want it. Please. Promise me." Percy said, his grip on Artemis's wrist tightening.

"I promise." Artemis said, tears streaming down her face. She heard some more footsteps behind her and an instant later, her Hunters swarmed around her and Percy, creating a ring of protectiveness. Right behind them were the Immortal Campers.

"Hey Thalia, Frank, Tracy, Nico-o…" Percy coughed weakly and tried to form his friends and sisters' name, but couldn't as he coughed up more blood and it leaked out the corner of his mouth.

"Percy… stop. We-we know." Thalia said, crying as she used the cuff of her sleeves to wipe Percy's blood away from his mouth.

Percy's gaze flicked behind Artemis and she felt Poseidon and Hestia approach.

"Hey dad…my patron…" Percy swallowed and gasped before he spoke again, a little softer than before. "Dad…Blackjack, his friends…"Percy stopped and choked again.

"Son, I understand. I promise." Poseidon said sadly. Artemis could tell he was doing the best he could not to cry, but judging from his facial expression, it wouldn't last.

"Apollo. Please, can't you heal him? Do something? Anything?" Artemis asked her brother desperately.

"I'm sorry Artemis, but I truly cannot do anything. The Black Death damaged him too much, he is…beyond repair, so to speak." Apollo said with genuine sadness.

Artemis was about to reply when Percy called to her.

"Artemis…"Percy gasped out.

As his sight darkened, Percy knew he didn't have many seconds left. Summoning the last ounce of his strength, he pulled his wrist out from Artemis's grip and reached into his pocket. Then he reached for Artemis's hand again, pulling her close as she closed her fingers around the objects he had taken from his pocket.

Artemis bent down until her face was a centimeter away as Percy whispered, his voice being hoarse and so quiet she could barely hear it.

"I love you Artemis and I always will…even you don't. Goodbye, my lady." Percy whispered, an instant before darkness closed in on him.

"No…NO! Percy, please, it's not what I meant! Percy… please… NOO! Percy!" Artemis screamed brokenly as she desperately tried to tell Percy that she loved him, that she was willing to spend the rest of her life with him, but it was too late. His eyes had glazed over, while his grip on her hand had slackened, falling limply to the ground.

"Percy…" Artemis cried out, hugging Percy's limp body tightly to her as tears streamed down her face.

The Olympians surrounded her, with Poseidon and Hestia kneeling next to Artemis, shock and pain etched in their faces as they struggled not to cry. The rest of the Olympians stared down at Percy's broken body with shock, not knowing what to say or do.

The Campers were kneeling also, crying hard, each for their own reasons. Annabeth, because they had known each other for so long, Nico, since Percy had been the closest thing he had to a brother, caring and protecting him, even though Percy had almost beat Nico up when they had first rescued him.

Frank and Hazel because Percy had been their first true friend, Leo because he had always viewed Percy as an idol, a god-like person, Piper, since Percy had always been a close friend with her, giving her counsel when she was fighting Reyna for Jason, using his own experiences with Annabeth to help relate to her. Jason tried to hide it, but he too had tears down his cheeks. He and Percy had grown close over the knowledge that they had to bring the Greeks and Romans together, which hadn't been an easy task. Even now, the Romans and Greeks were still on uneasy terms. Even Reyna, usually hard and untouchable, was crying softly. She had once disliked Percy, hated him even, but had grown rather fond of him, admiring his courage, his bravery, his loyalty, and, to an extent, his foolishness.

However, none were crying harder than the Hunters, especially Thalia and Tracy. The Hunters in general were greatly saddened and tearful by the loss of what they saw not only as a fellow Hunter and comrade, but a brother, a family member, and the only male they would ever respect and love.

"Artemis. Give him the final honors." Poseidon said quietly, his voice sounding choked.

Artemis gently held Percy with one hand as she summoned the spell that would put him in the stars forever. Then she looked up into the night sky and saw Orion's constellation glittering in the sky. And she knew what to do.

"No." Artemis said, closing her hand on the spell, extinguishing it.

The gods froze in shock while Poseidon turned to glare at Artemis.

"No? You refuse to give him the highest honors he could have?" Poseidon asked, his voice now quivering with anger.

"Yes." Artemis said, still staring down at Percy's body.

"And may I ask why?" Poseidon said through clenched teeth.

"I will not dishonor him by putting him next to his terrible brother." Artemis said simply.

"What? Orion?" Poseidon asked, his face a mask of confusion now.

"Yes. You know what he did, Poseidon. So don't deny it. Percy does not deserve to be next to him. He deserves better. Much better." Artemis said, slowly standing up as she cradled Percy's body in her arms.

"But what?" Poseidon asked, also standing up.

Artemis snapped her fingers and summoned a stretcher. She gently put Percy on the stretcher and began wiping the blood and stains off of him.

"We will give him an unprecedented funeral. His own monument, his own temple where people can pay their respects for him, his own place on Olympus. The best we can do for him." Artemis said, wiping some blood stains from Percy's neck.

"We have never done this before-" Zeus began but was immediately cut off by Artemis.

"No demigod has ever done this much for us, Father. If you do not support it, fine. I will do it myself, to the best of my abilities, with or without your help. I owe it to him. We all do." Artemis snarled, her silver eyes flashing dangerously.

Zeus stopped, shocked that someone would dare talk to him like that.

"You are not alone Artemis. If you want to give my son the best, then I am with you. Count me in." Poseidon said, walking over to stand by Artemis's side.

"Obviously, I'm in also." Hestia whispered, also going to stand by Artemis's side.

Zeus continued to stand there, looking flabbergasted as Hades, Hermes, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Demeter and Aphrodite went to stand by Artemis.

"You know Father, sometimes; there are things where you have to relent. And I believe that this is one of them. Perseus Jackson has done us a great service, it is the least we can do to give him the best we have. I too stand by my sister's side." Athena said, walking over to join the large group of Olympians, leaving Zeus, Hera, Ares and Apollo to standing alone, looking like fools.

"Alright, fine. Artemis, you win, this time. We go rest, and everyone, be here at 8 in the morning. We will start the plans. Artemis, get a tent up for the Campers." Zeus growled, unaccustomed to losing. He gripped Hera's hand and disappeared in a flash of lightning.

Ares disappeared without another word, while Apollo stayed. The other gods gave Artemis a comforting pat on the shoulder, while Athena briefly embraced her before they teleported off. However, Hestia and Poseidon stayed behind. Artemis turned to them with a questioning look.

"I would like to stay here with his body. I loved him too." Hestia said quietly. "I believe I speak for my brother also."

Poseidon nodded dumbly as he stood by his son's side.

"He may never have been an immortal. But now, his body will be." Poseidon whispered. He raised his hand and called up a preservation spell, to halt and stop the decay and breakdown that would inevitably happen to Percy's body.

A soft green-blue light glowed in the palm of his hand, and Poseidon gently touched Percy's forehead with it. There was a quiet rushing sound as the light engulfed Percy, wiping away small stains that Artemis hadn't been able to get off, leaving Percy as clean as possible.

Poseidon turned away, choking up again. "I will be back soon. I must tell my subjects where I am." With that, he disappeared in a rush of salty, sea air.

"I will help your Hunters and the Campers set the tents." Hestia said simply, nodding at Artemis as she beckoned to the Immortals.

Each of the Hunters and Campers walked over and touched Percy another time before following Hestia.

When they had left, Artemis turned back to Percy's body. With no one around, she carefully opened her clenched fist, the hand that Percy had squeezed something into, moments before he died. She looked at the objects in her palm. There were two. One was Riptide, and the other was a plant. She recognized it as moonlace.

Tears began streaming down her face again as she carefully picked up Riptide and examined it. She knew that Percy loved his pen very much, and would never have parted with it. The fact that he had decided to give it to her was just a symbol of how much he loved and trusted her. It also heavily reminded her of Zoe Nightshade, her former Lieutenant, who was now amongst the stars. She gripped Riptide tightly. She did not deserve it. Riptide would go back to its former owner, so that Percy would never have to leave his weapon behind.

Artemis bent down and tenderly brushed Percy's hair back, wishing for any type of reaction.

"There was another reason why I didn't want to put you among the stars, my Guardian. I don't want you to leave. I just…don't. I wish you could stay with me forever, Perseus. Forgive me." Artemis said brokenly.

Knowing that she didn't have much time before Poseidon came back, she bent down and kissed Percy one last time, wishing, hoping against hope that Percy would kiss her back.

"I love you Perseus. I always will."

---

Artemis had a fitful nap. For the first time, she had dreams. And now she knew what demigods meant by nightmares. Her sleep was frequently punctuated by Percy's last words, words that tore at Artemis and filled her with guilt, words that screamed at her in her sleep.

She awoke early from a mix of nightmares and dreams, along with the idea of giving Percy the grandest and best funeral the gods could do filling her both with energy, and with deep sadness, along with a deep pain. She slowly toppled out of bed and put on her clothes, which she realized with a pang, were the ones that Percy had told Aphrodite to make for her. Her very first set.

She lovingly ran her fingers over the silvery vine and nature designs etched onto her pants. She had always denied it, but she loved this pair of pants, the design was just spectacular. She forced herself to stop thinking about it, lest she break into tears again.

Walking out of her tent, she was instantly struck and surprised that Percy's tent light was on. She frowned and turned her gaze to where Poseidon was still sitting, right next to Percy's body. Hestia was there too, both Olympians merely sitting there, gazing off into space.

Then who is in Percy's tent? Artemis thought as she walked over.

Quietly, and not without a healthy degree of nervousness, Artemis pushed Percy's tent door open. What greeted her did not shock her, but merely made her smile sadly.

All around Percy's tent, sprawled in every place, were her Hunters. They had all squeezed each other into Percy's tent. Most of her Hunters were sleeping on the floor, Diana had gotten a sleeping bag out and was currently sleeping on Percy's table, Angeline had flipped Percy's wardrobe on its side and was sleeping there. Thalia and Tracy were both lying on Percy's bed, with Phoebe's feet resting on the foot of the bed.

However, it was obvious that they were not sleeping well, nor had they fallen asleep easily. Tear stains were easily visible, while Artemis could tell that the skin around their eyes were red and raw, from all the crying and rubbing.

Artemis turned away from them, deciding to let her Hunters sleep as much as they could. She would wait for 8 o'clock to come. In the meantime, Artemis walked to a higher point and stared into the sky, still dark, as it was early morning. The moon was visible, but it was glowing dully, and had a reddish hue to it. Normally, Artemis would try to control her emotions lest the mortals create more ridiculous theories, but right now she didn't give a damn.

Artemis stared at the sky and the stars, all the while thinking about Percy. What she could've done better, what she would've changed, what she wished she had told him. She was deep in thought when someone interrupted her.

"You never know what you have lost until it's gone…" A voice said behind her.

Artemis turned around and saw Annabeth standing slightly behind her. She raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry, Lady Artemis. I did not mean to interrupt or distract you." Annabeth said, bowing her head.

Artemis bit back a retort. While she did not like the fact that Annabeth had broken her Percy's heart, Annabeth was still a maiden, and was, most of the time, very clever and knew what she was doing.

"It is alright." Artemis said, turning back to stare into the sky, watching it lighten up as morning drew closer. "But I must ask you…why? Why did you leave Percy? He is the best person there ever will be, male or female."

Annabeth sighed.

"To be honest…I do not know why…." Annabeth muttered. Then she took a deep breath.

"Actually, perhaps I do. I was…jealous and angry. I was suspicious-"

"You were suspicious of what?" Artemis asked, turning around to look in Annabeth in the eye.

"I was, well, I thought that he might have had a girlfriend at Camp Jupiter, or with someone else. I mean, he was gone for eight months, so how was I supposed to know?" Annabeth added on defensively as Artemis raised an eyebrow at her.

"That means you don't know him at all. He would never do that to anyone he…loves." Artemis said, forcing herself to continue.

Annabeth turned from Artemis, but not before she saw the hurt and pain flashing through Annabeth's gray eyes.

"I know. I should've known, but I didn't. I acted too rashly, and made too many presumptions. And when he went off for those five months without telling me, and, well, the night before he left, we didn't exactly part ways very nicely. And I got…angry. Fed up. Annoyed…" Annabeth trailed off.

Artemis however, found it weirdly interesting. More information about Percy, who, she was ashamed to admit, did not know all that much about.

"Go on." Artemis said.

"Well, I hooked up with another guy because…I wanted someone different. I wanted to be…normal. For once. No demigod life, no crazy monsters, just a normal, mortal life. And I wanted something completely opposite of what Percy was. At first, I thought I had found someone perfect for me. He was smart, he was a fast thinker, we shared the same interests, he was polite, kind, and always understood what I was trying to say. Added on to the proposal of getting to work on the Parthenon, which was always my dream, I accepted. I thought that I had finally found my goal, my perfect life. And for a while, it was."

"But then, I realized that it was the differences between me and Percy that I loved. His unpredictable nature, the mood swings, his simplicity, just…just him. He was never boring, never bland, and it was always…exciting around him. Maybe I chose the other guy that time because he was predictable. He had no mood swings, and was always the image of a perfect gentleman: Helpful, useful, and polite. But that's what made him so boring. He was always predictable, I could always tell what he was thinking, and he never had any surprises."

Artemis smiled at this. Percy was never predictable, and she enjoyed it, she relished the unpredictability of Percy Jackson, she was revitalized by it. Unfortunately, she would never have it anymore.

"With Percy, while I knew him, I could only guess at what he was thinking. I never knew for certain. He was always able to surprise him. And he's a perfect gentleman too, but in his own…way. Either way, it was too…late for me. And I knew it, although I wouldn't admit it." Annabeth finished, choking up as she thought back to how stupid she was to throw away Percy.

"I would not classify Perseus as a gentleman." Artemis said, continuing to stare into Annabeth's gray eyes.

"Why?" Annabeth asked. "He was always helpful."

"True. But gentlemen are shallow, stupid, disgusting, cheating boys who want to be a man. Politicians, so to speak. But Perseus…he was a man. A real man. A true man. He changed the Hunt in ways I would never have thought of, in unforeseeable ways…" Artemis said, turning away as she felt tears beginning to well up at the corner of her eyes.

"I know. Percy has that… flair. Charisma. That field around him, that draws you to him. It works most of the time, but not always. You have to know him for a while to understand. And when you understand, you…love him." Annabeth said, a tear already tracing its path down her cheek.

"True." Artemis said, her lips quirking slightly as a smile threatened to wash over her face. "For several months, the Hunters and I…tortured him. Not in the literal sense, but I'm sure you know. But later, I really saw that he cared, that he really was different. But my Hunters, well, they did not. But in the end, we all fell in love with him. The Hunters loved him, they adored and cared for him. Even though it was always the other way around, with Percy taking all the damage…" Artemis whispered, her voice starting to crack.

"He was always like that. That was his flaw. He cares more about his friends than he cares about himself." Annabeth said with a weak smile on her face.

"But not everyone returns the favor." Artemis said, giving Annabeth a meaningful look. Annabeth flinched and looked away. "But if Percy had that flair, that attraction, then how come the Camp abandoned him? I just cannot wrap my mind around that idea."

"Like I said, it takes time. That's why all the campers who've been with him since the Titan War or before, they love him and stand by his side. The newer ones, they didn't know Percy all that well. Just heard stories, and then we were busy fighting the Giants, so the campers never had the time to know him. Never had time to see him in action." Annabeth said, her mouth becoming a straight line.

"And so when a little brat comes over with Poseidon favoring and fawning over him, instead of Percy, the younger and stupid campers assume that the bastard is better. It is human nature you know, they're like sheep. They just follow the leader, unless they know better. That's why eventually it boiled down to two competing factions, one was the Percy Jackson faction and the other was the bastard's faction. The former one obviously contained all the veteran campers and quite a few younger ones too, because they wanted to be just like him. Others didn't believe what Percy had done, so they sided with Matthew. It was stupid. But it gave us the chance to weed out the bad campers though, so in retrospect, it was perhaps a good thing." Annabeth explained, grinning slightly.

In retrospect, I'm glad that you broke up with him. Or else I would never have come to love him, and my Hunters would never have been this united and so close like a true family. Artemis thought, but she decided not to say it out loud.

"Perhaps. Although I would prefer it if he had not gone through all the pain that he did not deserve to get." Artemis said quietly.

For a while, Annabeth and Artemis stood together in silence, watching the sun rise up, occasionally commenting about Percy but mostly mourning. Then, as the time for the meeting drew close, they silently turned around as one and walked back to the Hunter's camp. As they got closer, they heard sounds and voices.

"He's gone, Jason. I loved him too, and now he's just…just gone." Thalia was sobbing onto Jason's shoulder as they arrived. Jason was doing his best to comfort Thalia, although he seemed very put out and down also.

"I know sis. Trust me, I miss him already. He was one of my best friends too. He was, well, an inspiration." Jason said quietly as he patted Thalia on the back.

The Hunters and Campers looked up as Artemis and Annabeth walked in. Internally, Artemis flinched. All of their eyes were raw, red, and bloodshot, while many of them seemed to have permanent tear streaks on their faces.

"It's time." Was all Artemis said, nodding to where Percy's body lay on a stretcher.

Slowly, everyone stood up and followed Artemis, while Annabeth walked up to Thalia.

"Thalia…I'm really sorry for what I did to Percy. I really am. Please forgive me." Annabeth said, hesitatingly putting a hand on Thalia's shoulder.

"It's alright Annabeth. I shouldn't have slapped you. And well, since you and I go back so far, and probably because Percy being Percy has already forgiven you, I'll forgive you too Annabeth. On one condition." Thalia said, detaching herself from Jason.

"Yes?" Annabeth asked nervously.

"Don't do this to anyone else." Thalia said, pulling Annabeth into a hug.

"You won't have to worry. Because there isn't anyone else that could get within a million miles of what Percy is." Annabeth said, returning the hug.

They pulled apart just as a brilliant flash of light appeared around all of them and the rest of the Olympians appeared, as scheduled.

"Alright Artemis, this was your idea, so what do you plan to do?" Zeus grumbled.

"First of all, we do not let anyone else know. Not until everything is prepared and the funeral is ready to start." Artemis said, looking at each of the gods. They nodded in agreement.

"Second, Percy had a last wish. He wants all campers that were there at the Titan War to be made Immortal." Artemis said.

All the gods froze.

"What? Those are a lot of campers… Artemis, that is folly, you know that we do not give out immortality like that!" Zeus thundered.

Artemis's only reply was an extremely sharp stare straight into Zeus's eyes.

"That is true brother. But if Percy wishes it, then we shall grant it. If you do not, I will find a way to do it." Poseidon said, standing up from his kneeling position and glaring at Zeus.

Zeus's gaze bounced between Artemis's, Hestia's and Poseidon's powerful glare.

"Fine. Whatever." Zeus muttered under his breath.

"Thank you Father." Artemis said stiffly. She turned to Hephaestus. "Hephaestus, you will be making Percy's tomb, out of the finest material we have. On the sides, we should have an engraving of every major monster and immortal he has defeated. Including Ares."

Ares growled angrily while Hephaestus nodded, smirking slightly at Ares.

"Of course. My wife here will help me too, since she has some very good designing skills." Hephaestus said with a deep pleasure.

Artemis was about to protest when she remembered that Aphrodite was now technically a Goddess of the Forge. She also noticed that Aphrodite's eyes seemed to burn and glow slightly, thanks to Hephaestus's fire powers. She gave a short nod.

"Wait Artemis. On the cover of the tomb, we should have a plaque that states Percy's title. Don't you think so?" Athena suggested.

Artemis smiled slightly. "You know me too well, Athena. Yes, we should. A plaque of the finest and best silver we have, while the letters can be engraved in gold." Artemis said, looking at Hephaestus with a questioning look.

Hephaestus nodded. "I can do that too. What should Perseus's title be?" Hephaestus asked, summoning a pad of paper and a pencil.

"That's hard. Percy did like, everything, didn't he? I know, we can call him Percy Jackson-Omnipotent!" Leo said excitedly, before cowering down and flinching from Artemis's cold and unrelenting gaze.

"Sorry…was just trying to help…" Leo mumbled. Jason and Piper chuckled slightly as they both put an arm around Leo's shoulder.

"Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon, Champion of Hestia, Guardian of the Hunt, Savior and Hero of Olympus. Bane of monsters, Slayer of Titans, Killer of Giants, Defier of Gaea." Hestia listed off. "I think that's a good title, no?"

The gods nodded in silent agreement, while the Hunters and Campers quietly voiced their approval.

"No." Artemis said. "There is one more thing."

Zeus frowned. "What's that? Isn't that good enough?"

Artemis took a deep breath before continuing.

"Love of Artemis." Artemis whispered.

Almost everyone froze. Each of the Campers stood there with their mouths wide open, while Annabeth's eyes flared and burned with jealousy. Most of the Olympians weren't much better either, except for the fact that their mouths just moved up and down, nothing coming out.

Unsurprisingly, each of the Hunters had an "about-time-you-let-it-out" look on their faces, while Hestia, Aphrodite, and Athena had a "finally" look on their faces. Apollo on the other hand, had a defeated look on his face. The other Olympians however, were completely flabbergasted.

"W-w-wh-a-aaa…?" Poseidon stuttered out, gaping like a goldfish.

Zeus's gaze was ping-ponging between Percy's body and Artemis, who stood there, glaring defiantly at anyone who dared to even stare at her.

"T-t-t-thi-s-s…" Zeus stuttered, struggling to find his words, "Wha-wha-wha…WHAT DO YOU MEAN, LOVE OF ARTEMIS?" Zeus bellowed, finally managing to speak clearly.

"What else do you think it means?" Artemis asked coldly.

"But…but…y-yo-u-"

"It means that Artemis was in love with Percy, Father. Isn't that right, sister?" Athena said, shooting Artemis a sly glance.

"Correct." Artemis said, smiling slightly.

"I-I-I know that! But-but-your-your oath! What about your promise?" Zeus bellowed again, absolutely and completely bewildered.

"I LOVE HIM! It is my own decision Father, and I will take it up with the Fates myself, if I must! Besides that, is there a problem?" Artemis asked coolly.

"Yes, of course there is!" Zeus roared.

"Which is?" Artemis asked, cocking her heading slightly.

"Uh…um…I…" Zeus mumbled, struggling to find words.

"Just as I thought." Artemis said contemptuously.

"Well, you-YOU WERE ALWAYS MY GOOD GIRL! NOW YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH A SON OF POSEIDON!" Zeus bellowed.

"As I said Father, I make my own decisions. Now shut up and listen." Artemis snapped in a cold and harsh voice.

Zeus actually stepped backwards in shock before his face turned red with anger as he opened his mouth, ready to shout. Thankfully, Hera intervened.

"Yes husband, it's really uncharacteristic for a God of Marriage to yell and get angry, dear." Hera said, draping an arm around Zeus's shoulder.

It did the trick. Zeus immediately relaxed and pulled Hera closer to him, even smiling a bit as Hera put her head on his shoulder.

Artemis gave Hera a nod of thanks before turning to Hephaestus.

"You know the order then? You wrote everything down?" Artemis asked.

"Y-Yes." Hephaestus said, still in a state of shock.

"Good. Remember to come to me when you are done with your design, or ask me if you have a question." Artemis said. She turned to Athena. "I will need your help designing a building and a monument for him, as good as any you have ever done. I will also need your help on making a shroud." Artemis said.

Athena nodded. "Consider it done, sister."

"Wait. I think instead of only a few symbols, all of us should put our symbols on the shroud." Poseidon said, getting over his shock that Percy had fallen in love with Artemis. "He has helped each and every one of us. Even you Ares. So I believe that it is only right that we each put our symbol on his shroud, and burn it."

"That's a good idea." Artemis said, nodding her approval, "Does anyone have something else to say?"

No one objected, although Annabeth raised her hand.

"Yes?" Artemis asked.

"I would like to help design the building and the monument for Percy please." Annabeth asked nervously. While she was extremely jealous of Artemis, she still wanted to do anything to help Percy.

Artemis stared at her, pondering. While she wasn't exactly all that fond of her, Artemis had to admit that Annabeth knew Percy longer than she did, so she relented.

"Very well. You can help your mother design, but tell me what design you decide on." Artemis said.

Annabeth bowed and muttered her thanks.

"Good. Father, I will need you to clear out a large space right in front of my temple, and close to my palace. That is a requirement." Artemis said in stiff tones.

Zeus opened his mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. He looked at Hera and then back at Artemis. Reluctantly, he nodded his head.

"Thank you Father. Also, when we are finished, everyone should attend." Artemis said.

Zeus snorted. "Obviously. He's a crazy famous, and wooed upon by everyone." Zeus spat, obviously displeased that a mere demigod was more famous than he was.

"That is because he has done things that have never even been touched upon by any other." Artemis said stiffly. She turned back to everyone else.

"That should be all for now, unless some of you have something to say."

"I would like to help my dad. I really liked Percy too." Leo said timidly.

Artemis looked at Hephaestus, who nodded.

"Me too. With Father's permission, I'd like to go help pick out some jewels. The best ever." Hazel said quietly.

Hades nodded. "I will go with you. Nico too, since he needs to learn a couple things about hidden beauty."

Nico looked at his Father in shock before Hades snapped his fingers, teleporting away with both Nico and Hazel.

"Anything else?" Artemis asked.

No one spoke.

"Very well. Then dismissed for now. Any questions, take them to me please." Artemis said.

The gods nodded and most of them teleported away, with Hephaestus and Aphrodite already discussing the plans and ideas as they teleported away with Leo.

"Artemis, Annabeth, I will need you to come with me now. I already have quite a few ideas about Percy's…temple, so to speak, and his monument, and I wish for you to see them." Athena said.

Artemis nodded and turned to her Hunters.

"Do you wish to-" Artemis began but her Hunters already nodded, knowing what she would ask.

"Excuse me Lady Artemis, but I'm pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say that we would like to help with the design too." Jason said respectfully, indicating his fellow campers.

Artemis sighed quietly.

"Very well. Get over here, and we shall all teleport to Athena's palace." Artemis said as civilly as possible.

The Hunters and Campers quickly grouped together and with a single nod, Artemis and Athena snapped their fingers, teleporting them all to Athena's palace.

"This way." Athena said, leading them all through several doors before they came to a very inconspicuous looking door, which instantly led the other to think that it contained many, many great things behind it.

Athena opened the door, and they were led straight into what looked like a massive library and a command center.

It was a huge room, and an entire wall was covered with bookcases, while the other side had various maps, some had stickers on them, others moving figures, and one was extremely detailed, so detailed that you could calculate the distance between the Empire State Building and the pothole in front of it to the last picometer.

Athena walked over to a table and snapped her fingers, causing several scrolls to appear. On the scrolls were pictures of Percy in various poses, with various faces.

"So, what do you think? Just tell me what you want and I'll try to do them, or compromise and whatnot." Athena said.

"Hmmm, make Percy like he was during the Giant War? You know, a bit more serious, Riptide in one hand, Camp Half Blood shirt, and staring off into the distance?" Annabeth suggested.

"No. Guardian clothing. Dual blades, visible dagger and throwing knife belts. Keep his hair messed up, I like it that way." Artemis said.

"But Lady Artemis, I truly mean no offense, except Percy was a Camper much longer than being your Guardian and Hunter, so it would only make sense for him to be in camper clothing." Annabeth said.

"Perhaps. But there are so many campers and so many so-called 'heroes' that come from that Camp, it gets boring. It's not iconic. With Percy as a Guardian and Hunter, that's iconic. It's memorable, and it strikes an image." Artemis said firmly.

"Lady Artemis is right Annabeth. As a Guardian, it makes a statement. Looks better too." Athena said, waving her hand and creating an image on the scrolls.

"No. Percy shouldn't look like that. Give his hair a windswept image. His jacket should flair out a bit right there, and the chains are in the wrong position." Thalia said, jabbing her fingers and pointing to several locations. "And while you're at it, make it more realistic. His pants should go back a bit here, he doesn't wear his pants that low, his knife belts are in the wrong position, and he's got wing slits here and here." Thalia said, again jabbing her fingers into various places.

"Yeah, and his knife sheathes on his shoulder should be further apart. I know because I could wrap my arms around his neck without touching them. And his hair is a tiny bit longer here. His cheekbones are a bit more cut out, and don't give him a smile. He only smiles when he's around us." Tracy said, joining Thalia as she pointed to even more places.

"Yeah, and if his jacket is supposed to fly back, then his shirt shouldn't be that smooth. He's always a little rumpled back there. And here, his boots aren't that short. And here…"

Athena and Artemis shared a glance as the Hunters all poured over the scrolls, pointing and making various marks all over Athena's original design. Their look said one thing:

This is going to take a long time…

After several hours of talking, arguing, changing many, many aspects of Percy's picture, they finally managed to get Percy's image just right, by the Hunters and Campers standards. Artemis wasn't pleased that Percy had to have his dagger moved to the left a bit, but at least that allowed Percy to hold his swords with the tips pointing down towards the ground, which Artemis liked.

"Alright. All that is left now is to decide what material should be used to build Percy's statue and monument, and what his quote should be." Athena said with slight weariness.

"A quote? What do you mean, a quote?" Artemis asked.

"Well, all famous people should have a quote on their monument you know." Athena said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but Mom, the problem is, Percy isn't exactly known for being a poet or something…" Annabeth said.

It was true. Percy wasn't exactly the brightest demigod to have ever lived, and while he certainly knew how to fight and was quite intelligent, he had never said anything that truly stuck in Artemis's mind.

A silence fell over the group as they tried to think of something that would make Percy actually sound wise, instead of a fool.

"Hey…didn't Percy say a phrase after he saved you from the basilisk bite? When we were trying to find him? And you got angry, I think it was the first time you slapped him." Sasha piped up.

Artemis flushed with embarrassment. She still couldn't believe that she had treated Percy so cruelly, even after he had been accepted.

"Yes…I think it was "For some, only something or someone worth dying for makes life worth living". Yes. I'm pretty sure that's what he said." Artemis whispered quietly, her throat beginning to constrict as she thought about just how true it had turned out.

"Let me get it down…" Athena muttered, picking up a pen. "So, it's 'For some, only something or someone worth dying for makes life worth living'. Am I correct?" Athena asked.

"Yes." Artemis muttered.

"Excellent. So, what material should his statue be made of? And should it be as life like as possible, or like a god statue? Big and tall?" Athena asked.

"Godly. But his face should be as life-like as possible. Use solid marble, and if you can, use emeralds for his eyes. Color everything accordingly. Don't give him armor. As for his knives, I would prefer real knives. The sheathes and belts can be marble, but the knives must be real. His chains have to be silver also." Artemis said.

"Alright…" Athena said, beginning to regret agreeing to whatever Artemis said as she listed off a slew of things she wanted Percy's statue to be.

"That should be all." Artemis finished.

Athena nodded wearily.

"Very well. Now, what about his monument/temple?" Athena asked with a slight bit of weariness.

"I think his temple should be traditional Greek style, and maybe add in some Roman style too. The walls should be pictures of all his victories and famous battles, with every giant, every major monster, and every Titan." Annabeth said, becoming ecstatic as she snatched a scroll from Athena's hand and began scribbling.

Artemis bent over Annabeth's shoulder and looked at Annabeth's sketches, noticing the incredible amount of detail that went into her sketches.

"Yes. Like these. An excellent idea Annabeth, thank you." Artemis said.

Annabeth beamed with pride and showed it to her mother, who's eyes widened at the complexity and detail at it.

"Well…I suppose we better get started then, shall we Annabeth?" Athena said.

"Yes, of course!" Annabeth said excitedly, making some notes and already beginning to measure everything.

"Alright Artemis, we have a lot of work to do. We'll call you when we're done, or when we have more questions." Athena said, her eyes already scanning all of the various plans and blueprints that Annabeth was making.

Artemis nodded as she rounded up the Hunters and Campers, ready to leave when there was a burst of light and Hermes appeared.

"Sorry for the intrusion Athena, but Hephaestus wishes for Artemis to go to his palace for questions and designs." A very sooty looking and sweaty Hermes announced.

Artemis stretched her back and nodded.

"Very well. And I must ask, why are you so… dirty?" Artemis wondered.

"Hephaestus and Aphrodite are insisting that all of us gods that don't have anything to do help them. Especially Aphrodite…" Hermes said dreamily before he disappeared in a small flash of light.

"Boys…" Artemis sneered disparagingly. She snapped her fingers, instantly teleporting the Campers and her Hunters into Hephaestus's palace.

Hephaestus…what questions do you have?" Artemis asked before coughing. She sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose. Before, the very few times she had been here, it had a heavy metal smell. Now, it smelled like a perfume shop, filled with cologne and the disgusting smell of men's aftershave.

"What the Hades is this ridiculous smell?" Artemis exclaimed as her Hunters and the Campers struggled to maintain straight faces. Even Piper was wrinkling her nose.

"What's wrong Artemis? Smells perfectly fine here." Hephaestus boomed out.

Artemis resisted the urge to snort, since that would mean she'd inhale more of the unbearable perfume in this room. She quietly vowed to make this as fast as possible.

"Whatever. Just tell me what your problem is." Artemis growled.

"Well Arty, we've got the basic design for his tomb done, but there are quite a few details to go into. Some we'll ask Athena, but you did want to do the design, didn't you?" Aphrodite said sultrily.

Artemis's eyes flared with anger and pain.

"Don't you dare call me… A-Arty." Artemis choked out in a tone so cold that everyone flinched and shivered at it. Even Aphrodite seemed frightened.

"Alright, alright. I won't. Now, can you please tell us where you want his plaque located, how large, and what type of designs we should do? Should it be plain? Should it be simple? Or should it be flamboyant and outrageously awesome?" Aphrodite suggested.

"His plaque? Put it on the tomb cover, near the top. And his tomb shouldn't be too fancy, because Percy was never the show off type." Artemis said.

"He was never the show off type? What do you mean? He was amazing Artemis, that wonderful body of his, those fascinating eyes, his hair, and don't tell me you already forgot about how graceful and deadly he looked while wielding those-"

"I. HAVE. NOT. FORGOTTEN, APHRODITE!" Artemis screamed as tears of pain gathered at the corners of her eyes and anger rushed through her body. For a split second, she burst into her true form before she managed to get herself under control.

"OK, I'm sorry Artemis." Aphrodite whispered as the Campers and even the Hunters cowered backwards from the energy radiating from Artemis. "Also, if you're comfortable talking, we need a couple stories about Percy when he was a Guardian of your Hunt. So we can put them on the side of his tomb. It's a tradition, you know."

"Fine…what do you want to know?" Artemis growled, discreetly wiping her eyes.

"Well, explain to us what he did? How did he look doing it? His fights? His battle with Lamia? Protecting the Hunt?" Aphrodite listed off.

"You already know Aphrodite, since you've been "spying" on Percy ever since he brought Tracy." Artemis said.

"Well, um, uh," Aphrodite stuttered, looking seriously flustered, "You still had hands-on experiences, so could you please tell us?"

"I will. But later. What else do you want to know?" Artemis asked.

"The designs. How big? Do you want it to fit him perfect? Do you want wrappings? Cushioning inside the tomb, or just plain stuff? Marble? Celestial Bronze? Imperial Gold? What color should the tomb be?" Aphrodite listed off in rapid succession.

Artemis groaned.

"I have no idea. I'm not a designer, you're the designer. Why don't you do what you think is best?" Artemis wearily.

She regretted saying the words instantly. Aphrodite's eyes instantly gleamed and lit up with almost evil intent as a small smile graced her beautiful features.

"As you wish, my lady." Aphrodite whispered quietly, smirking slightly, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Artemis. "Then let's get started with the stories, shall we?" Aphrodite said in a voice that was beginning to make Artemis fell uncomfortable.

"Alright." Artemis said nervously.

"Follow me then." Aphrodite said. Then she turned to Hephaestus. "Husband dear, I think you know what I'm thinking, hm?" Aphrodite said, tapping her head.

"Of course dear." Hephaestus said, turning around to his table and beginning to jot down some notes.

"Now, come on Artemis. Your Hunters also, and the Campers, since they've probably seen a lot of things too." Aphrodite said, turning around and heading towards a door.

Artemis and the others started to follow, when another burst of light lit up the room.

"Artemis, my daughter. I need you to come here and decide on where you wish to have Percy's monument placed. I have secured and cleared out several places, and obviously it is imperative that you choose where." Zeus's voice boomed out as the light cleared to reveal Zeus and Hera standing side by side.

Artemis opened her mouth to answer when another burst of light filled the room before clearing to reveal Hermes.

"Artemis, Athena requests that you go back to her palace because she has some very important questions about Percy's statue." Hermes announced.

Artemis turned towards Hermes, ready to tell him when yet another burst of light filled the room, this time to reveal Hades.

"Artemis, I would like it if you could come down to my palace to see which jewels you would think fit Percy's tomb the best?" Hades asked.

Artemis groaned as Zeus, Hermes and Hades looked at each other with amused expressions.

This is going to take a long time… Artemis thought wearily.
_

---

"How long does it take for two gods to get a tomb over here?" Thalia asked, rather impatiently.

They were currently at the Hunters Camp, along with the Campers and Olympians, waiting for Aphrodite and Hephaestus to bring out their "masterpiece".

For one week, each and every Olympian literally worked nonstop to make the greatest funeral ever for the greatest hero to have ever lived.

Athena and Annabeth, along with a slew of workers, worked almost 24/7 to make Percy's monument and statue as perfect as ever, striving to make sure that each little detail was done, every curve was a perfect curve, every line that was supposed to be straight was as straight as straight could be, and, according to Artemis's request, as life-like as possible.

Aphrodite and Hephaestus had, after getting the information they needed, completely barred anyone from entering their house, since Aphrodite said that what she and her husband were planning was going to be "epic". All everyone knew was that the noise and movement coming from Hephaestus's palace never stopped.

Even Zeus himself was helping out, often relocating Percy's monument-to-be place to even better and better locations, and even helping Athena out with the construction of it. Poseidon pitched in too, using his water powers to smooth down the stones to the exact curve and shape Athena wanted, to give the rocks a very smooth feeling, a feeling that could not be achieved by any amount of sanding or through the use of tools.

Hades, Hazel and Nico had spent days picking out the finest jewels they could find in the depths of the Underworld, thus, Percy had the finest emeralds in the world for his eyes, and his tomb had many fabulous jewels.

Due to the amount of energy need to prepare and plan, Artemis mostly managed to keep herself together, although there were times when she would retire to her own room in her palace and break down, though it didn't stop her from striving to give Percy the best she could.

After one week of intense hard work, they had finally finished everything and were completely ready to set the grandest and best funeral into action.

"Patience, Thalia." Was all Artemis said, even though she too was impatient and she could feel that her feelings were in turmoil.

Barely had the words left her mouth when a flash of light lit up the clearing like a miniature sun.

"Oh sheesh, this is so heavy." Aphrodite's voice panted out.

The light faded to reveal both Hephaestus and Aphrodite struggling a bit to maintain their hold on Percy's tomb. Everyone's eyes widened at it as they let it down onto the ground with a thud.

Instead of being pure white like Artemis had expected, the tomb was pure, glossy black. Along the entire sides of the tomb, waves and lines of pure gold ran from front to back. The gold was shaped like waves from an ocean, along with nature designs, such as leaves and vines twining and intertwining around and around. Between the nature designs and waves, Artemis could make out little battle scenes that Percy had been in, including one she recognized as the Chimera and the Hydra.

On the cover of the tomb, a large plaque made of pure silver contained the words and phrases Artemis and Hestia had decided on, engraved in pure gold.

Perseus Jackson

Son of Poseidon, Champion of Hestia, Guardian of the Hunt.

Bane of all monsters, Slayer of Titans, Killer of Giants, Defier of Gaea.

Love of Artemis

Around the plaque were beautiful and breathtaking designs, all inspired by nature and the sea. This time, the designs were etched in pure silver, seemingly wrapping around the entire tomb, the sharp contrast of gold and silver against glossy black marble giving it an ethereal appearance. The four corners of the tomb were encased in solid platinum.

Artemis hesitantly reached over and lovingly rubbed her fingers against the words, 'Love of Artemis'. She felt tears beginning to well up again at the corner of her eyes, so she withdrew her hand, once again looking over Percy's tomb with reverence and a special pride, along with a deep pain.

"It's…well done Aphrodite and Hephaestus. Thank you." Artemis whispered quietly.

The two Olympians nodded, understanding that Artemis was unable to say more without breaking down.

"It is magnificent. You two have outdone yourselves." Poseidon said, staring at the tomb with the rest of everyone else, "Then we shall put his body in it now?"

"Yes. Athena, you have the shroud?" Artemis said.

"Right here." Annabeth said, holding it out in her arms.

Artemis reached over and took Percy's folded shroud and unfolded it. Everyone's eyes widened as Artemis unfolded it.

It rippled and flashed in the early morning sun like waves out in the sea, but what caught everyone's attention was that each of the Olympian's sign and symbol were on it. In great detail, and each was the same size, with no bias towards any god. It seemed a great shame to Artemis that they would have to burn such a masterpiece.

"Thank you Athena. And you Annabeth." Artemis whispered.

Athena nodded while Annabeth bowed. Poseidon silently picked up Percy's body while Artemis and Hestia both removed the cover to Percy's tomb. Inside, it contained opulent cushions along with more wave and nature designs, all of them etched with pure silver.

Poseidon walked over and was about to gently lay Percy's body into the tomb when an old and powerful voice cracked out.

"No."

Everyone jerked in surprise and whirled around as one. The person who had spoken was an extremely old lady, and two more old ladies accompanied her. One carried a super-sized pair of scissors which looked like pruning shears, one carried a large bag of threading, and another one was constantly knitting.

The Fates.

"What do you mean, 'No'?" Artemis asked, rather dangerously.

The other Olympians looked at Artemis nervously, since the Fates had immense power and were known to be extremely tetchy.

"We will take his body, and give him his final rites. He is more than worthy for it." The Fate who had spoken, Clotho, said in a flat voice.

"Why take so long then? Why did you not come earlier?" Artemis said, her voice strained.

"Does it matter? You can still give him a proper send off with such a grand and royal tomb. It's the gesture that counts, does it not?" Clotho replied, her voice beginning to hold a light trace of anger.

Artemis's eyes flared with anger. She didn't care whether the Fates were angry at her. She was absolutely pissed at them. How could they kill Percy? How could they separate her from him? How dare they come here and physically take her Percy away when he was already gone? She opened her mouth, ready to give a rude retort when Zeus stepped next to her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Daughter. Please. Let them have his body, it is a great honor, and we can still honor Percy with the tomb and our shroud." Zeus said, knowing that to mess with the Fates and anger them was like signing your death warrant.

Artemis glared at Zeus, then turned to stare angrily at Clotho. The old lady stared back calmly and coldly.

"Fine." Artemis spat angrily, turning away from them as tears threatened to overwhelm her.

"We will let you say your blessings. Take your time, but we will take his body." Cloth said. Without another word, the Three Fates disappeared.

Poseidon put Percy back on his stretcher with a shocked expression. This would be the last time he would ever see Percy's face again, and the last time he would ever be next to him. Percy would be gone from him…forever.

"You are the best son a father could ever have, Perseus. Words cannot express how proud I am of you, and, well, I love you son. Goodbye my son, and rest in peace." Poseidon whispered, a tear unwillingly trickling down his face.

Hermes was next. He gently laid a hand on Percy's forehead. "You were also like a son to me Perseus. Thank you for everything you've done, for me and for us. Rest in peace." Hermes said, moving off to stand by Poseidon's side, giving Poseidon a comforting clap on the shoulder.

"Well…what am I supposed to say, Perry?" Dionysus began. Artemis growled and Dionysus flinched. "OK, OK, Percy. Well, I suppose I was wrong about you. You aren't like the other heroes. Rest in peace and all that stuff." Dionysus said, walking over to stand by Hermes, not meeting Artemis's nor Poseidon's gaze.

Aphrodite went up right after Hermes. "I'll miss you Percy. I'm sure that we would've had a wonderful time together, but I guess we won't have that chance. Maybe your next life." Aphrodite said. Then she discreetly glanced backwards at Hephaestus, who was currently in a conversation with Apollo. Aphrodite bent down closer to Percy and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I love you Percy. I really do. And I would've been completely faithful to you, if only we could've gotten together. And thank you for all you have done for me, even if you didn't mean to help me. Rest in peace, Percy Jackson." Aphrodite said in a dead serious tone. She wiped her eyes and went to stand beside Hermes.

Hephaestus went up after Aphrodite, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Percy Jackson, while I think of you as an upstart, you have my respect and gratitude for everything you have achieved and accomplished. Rest in peace, young hero." Hephaestus said quietly, gently touching Percy's forehead before walking to Aphrodite's side and taking her hand.

Apollo walked up with a slightly shameful expression, nervously glancing at his sister, who glared at him angrily. He gulped as he stood in front of Percy's body.

"Um…Percy, I'd like to apologize for my earlier actions…" Apollo muttered. "They were outrageous, and I shouldn't have jumped the bandwagon. I now see that you are truly worthy of being with my sister. Forgive me, and rest in peace cousin." Apollo said quietly. He bowed his head and moved to stand next to Hephaestus.

Demeter went up rather uncertainly, which wasn't surprising, since the two had never really had any contact before, other than Demeter telling Percy that he needed cereal.

"Well young man, I really don't have anything to say. I suppose I should thank you that my daughter Persephone will now be happier in the Underworld. Rest in peace, and remember to eat cereal down there. If they offer any…" Demeter grumbled under her breath as she stood beside Apollo.

Artemis glared at Demeter but let it pass as Hades himself walked up to Percy's body.

"Percy Jackson…for perhaps the first time, I grudge and regret such a great soul entering my realm. Especially the soul of my brother. You were and are a great hero Perseus, and you truly have my gratitude and respect. Rest in peace, my young nephew." Hades said, gently touching Percy's forehead before he turned around. "Wherever you may be." Hades whispered under his breath, so quietly that no one heard him.

Hera detached herself from Zeus's side and went to stand next to Percy's body.

"Well Percy, what can I say? You are a true hero, although you certainly aren't the easiest or nicest to work with. You have my blessing, Perseus Jackson. Rest in peace." Hera said quietly before she turned around and went to stand by Hades, giving Zeus a strong look as she did so.

For maybe the third time in his life, Zeus felt nervous as everyone stared at him. Besides him, Ares twitched, while Hestia and Athena looked on with a smirk.

Zeus hesitantly walked up to Percy's body, glaring at Poseidon and Hades as he did so, since they too had barely suppressed smirks on their faces.

"Well boy… um, I guess that if it were not for you, we Olympians wouldn't probably even be standing here. I wouldn't have had my Master Bolt, we would be tearing each other apart years ago, Artemis would've been stuck under the sky, our thrones would've been smashed, and, well, uh, yeah." Zeus said, his face burning crimson as he realized he had been babbling. He hastily cleared his throat and tugged on his beard, extremely conscious of everyone smirking at him.

"So to conclude everything up… th-thank you Percy Jackson, for everything you have done for us. You have my grudging respect, so rest in peace." Zeus finished hurriedly, turning around and immediately grabbing onto Hera's hand. Poseidon and Hades couldn't help but chuckle, while Zeus glared. His glare disappeared however, as soon as Hera smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Everyone turned to stare at Ares, who gulped.

With slow, heavy, and shaking steps, Ares walked to Percy's body, feeling extremely self-conscious. He stopped and stared at Percy, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find something to say.

"Well boy, I never liked you. And I still don't. But," At this, Ares form began to shimmer and glow. When it died down, a big man in army fatigues covered in ceramic armor with a huge, massive, Gauss rifle slung over his shoulder stood beside Percy's body.

"But as a Roman, I admit that I respect you, and I will even admit that if we were in battle, I would consider and most likely listen to your orders. You are a true soldier, and all real soldiers come with a flaw. As Mars, you have my blessing, Perseus Jackson. Requiescat in pace." Mars said, bowing his head slightly as a sign of respect. He formally turned around and marched over to join the other Olympians.

Athena walked up, regret in her eyes as she stood by Percy's side.

"I was wrong about you, Percy. This is the first time I will admit that I'm wrong, but I do not harbor grudge, because you truly. I wish we could've had some time to know each other better, but we could not. You are every bit as worthy of an Olympian. Rest in peace, young hero." Athena said, touching Percy's forehead before she too turned and joined the Olympians.

Hestia went up next, staring at Percy's body with a deep sadness.

"My Champion, I have nothing to say, except that I am honored to be your patron, honored to have a Champion like you, and honored to have known and met such a great hero. Rest in peace, my dear Champion. I love you." Hestia whispered quietly, bending down and placing a light kiss on both of Percy's cheeks before turning to join the Olympians.

All eyes turned to Artemis, who glared back. "I'm going last." Artemis said simply. Everyone got the meaning, and Annabeth stepped forward, a tear already tracing a path down her cheeks.

"Percy, I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for betraying you and your trust Percy. I really am, and I wish against anything that I could take it back. But I will never forget you, never forget our times together, never forget what you did and sacrificed for me, and I will never stop loving you. Rest in peace, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said, almost choking on her words. She turned around and went to stand by her mother, who gave her a pat on the shoulder.

Thalia was right behind Annabeth, the way her eyes were scrunched up and her stiff movements indicating that she was doing her best not to cry.

"You're an idiot, Kelp Head. You're foolish and you're impulsive, you have a temper with no control. But," At this, a watery smile crossed Thalia's face, "You're also my closest friend, my dearest brother, my protector, and my hero. Love you Percy. Rest in peace." Thalia choked out as a tear slid down her cheek. She reached down and stroked Percy's cold cheeks just once before turning around and walking over to the group of Olympians to join Annabeth.

Nico followed Thalia, his black eyes a mixture of confusion, pain, and sorrow.

"Percy…you were like a brother to me too. You replaced and filled the void I had in me when Bianca left, and I'm eternally grateful to you for that. I'm sorry for the various times I've tricked and lied to you, and I hope that you will forgive me." At this, Nico's eyes flicked to his father's before his gaze returned to Percy's body. "Rest in peace. You deserve it." Nico whispered, bowing his head before he joined his father.

Slowly, the rest of the Campers and Hunters went up to Percy's body to say their final words, or confessions that they would never have dared to say in front of him. Artemis was therefore only mildly surprised when each and every one of her Hunters confessed that they had harbored a deep crush and love for him, and that Reyna had even admitted that she had fallen in love with him too. Finally, it was Artemis's turn.

With shaking steps, Artemis walked towards Percy's body, stopping right beside it. She collapsed to her knees as with one hand she held Percy's lifeless fingers, while with the other she cupped his cheek.

"Percy…I am sorry. I am sorry for the pain I have caused you, I'm sorry for treating you so harshly when you clearly deserved better, I'm…I'm sorry for everything. For rejecting you, for everything. I regret my actions, and I wish…I wish we had more time, another chance, another…anything. I am honored to have met someone as great as you, honored to have met someone as good as you, and I am deeply honored to have had you as my Guardian." Artemis stopped and swallowed hard as she wiped her eyes, summoning her courage.

"I love you Perseus Jackson, with all my heart. I am so sorry. Fo-forgive me." Artemis choked up momentarily before she forced herself to continue. "Rest in peace." She whispered, tears rolling down her face as she bent down slightly, giving Percy a kiss on the forehead.

Shakily, Artemis stood up and wiped her eyes, forcing herself to stand straight and tall as she stepped back. The instant she stepped back from Percy's body, there was a hum of power and the three Fates appeared.

"It is done then." Clotho said as she stepped forward, bending down to pick Percy's body up.

Everyone watched in dead silence as Lachesis and Atropos summoned a black shroud from thin air and wrapped Percy's body in it. They looked at each of the Gods, Hunters and Campers once, then turned to leave.

"Wait!" Artemis said, stepping forward as she reached into her pocket.

The Fates turned around, with Clotho raising an eyebrow. For normally emotionless and cold faces, that little movement meant tons.

"I…I don't deserve this. Riptide and Percy…they belong together. With each other. To the end." Artemis whispered, holding Riptide out.

Clotho nodded and Lachesis took Riptide from Artemis's hand. They turned around but stopped again, before turning back to face Artemis.

"I know you hate me and my sisters." Clotho said flatly. She handed Percy's body to Atropos and reached into her pocket. She took out a long thread, its color the exact sea-green as Percy's own eyes. Clotho continued pulling, until it finally stopped. She wound it around and around, creating a small ring out of the thread.

"We had neither part nor control over his death. He chose it himself." Clotho said, dropping the ring of thread into Artemis's hand.

With that, all Three Fates disappeared in a flash of gray-white light.

Artemis stared at the place where the Fates had stood moments ago in shock. Percy was…gone. Lost forever from her grasp. She continued staring as her brain struggled to comprehend Clotho's words.

We had neither part nor control over his death. He chose it himself.

What did that mean? What does it mean? If the Fates did not interfere, then how could he die? How- Artemis's thoughts were interrupted by Athena, who had managed to pull herself together the quickest of everyone present.

"Artemis, there will be time to mourn later. Everyone is already on Olympus, and we'll be late. They don't even know it's his funeral." Athena said.

Artemis nodded. "Very well. Then we will each take a bit of Percy's tomb. It's certainly large enough." Artemis growled under her breath. She turned to Zeus. "Father, you have your speech ready?"

"Of course. You know me better than that, daughter." Zeus responded. "Now, we really must get going."

Zeus motioned to the Olympians, Hunters and Campers. Following the instructions that Athena had planned out during their busy week, they moved into position, each of them taking up a bit of the massive tomb.

For perhaps the last time, Artemis saw Zeus take a spot that wasn't at the front. He was in the middle. Poseidon and Hestia had insisted that they take the front corners, with Artemis being in the center. Zeus had resisted furiously, but had practically caved in immediately when Artemis had lost her temper, nearly destroying several buildings that were surrounding them.

Artemis stepped between Hestia and Poseidon. Even with so many people holding the tomb up, especially with the help of gods, Artemis could still tell that it was very heavy. She vaguely wondered how Hephaestus and Aphrodite had managed to lift it and teleport it over with just the two of them holding it up when Zeus gave the mental signal to teleport.

"Demigods and Immortals, hold tight." Zeus commanded. As soon as the words left his mouth, the Olympians teleported together, greatly reducing the strain required if it had only been one god teleporting.

A second later, they arrived on Olympus, near Percy's unannounced and as of yet unknown monument and temple.

The streets were dead silent, which meant that every inhabitant on Olympus were all at Percy's monument, as per Zeus's announcement and orders.

"Father, Athena, where to? You never let the location out, how come we can't know where it is but everyone else can?" Apollo whined.

"Apollo, shut up. We're already heading that way. Or what, is it because you're too weak and can't even carry an ounce of this tomb?" Athena snapped, fixing Apollo with her piercing grey-eyed gaze.

Apollo flinched and whined like a puppy lost in the rain, but remained silent.

Silently, the Olympians, Hunters and Campers followed Athena's and Zeus's mental directions. Eventually, none of them needed the instructions, since all they had to do was use their ears, listening to the steadily increasing hum of people whispering and chatting amongst themselves. The closer they got, the louder it became, indicating that many, many people were present and many people were all wondering what the announcement was going to be, especially since it was taking place opposite of Artemis's own shrine.

As they got closer, Artemis saw a massive building opposite of her own, along with a god-like statue, both covered in a magical shroud. She immediately knew what was underneath, although she did not know what they looked like, since Athena had insisted that it be under wraps. As such, only Athena, Annabeth and a few of Athena's most trusted workers knew what it looked like.

The instant they stepped within sight, everyone, Campers, Civilians of Olympus, Sea Creatures, Nymph, Spirits, they immediately silenced, turning as one to stare in shock and awe at something that required all Fourteen Olympians, Hunters and the Immortal Campers to carry. Even though there was already a path ready for them, everyone backed up and continued staring as the Gods carried Percy's tomb to the front of Percy's temple, where a podium had been erected, obviously for Zeus's use.

In silence, and with a bit of relief, the Olympians, Campers and Hunters gently and careful lowered Percy's empty tomb to the ground as everyone watched on. Then they all stood together as Zeus stepped up to the podium, the crowd of people instantly quieting down as Zeus stood there. He looked around, clearing his throat, and began his speech.

"Loyalty, compassion, and faithfulness. Selflessness, obedience, and honor. Those are the traits and characteristics every Guardian should have. They are to show a never failing, undying and eternal loyalty to their charge, be the charge a mortal, demigod, an Immortal…or a Goddess." At this, a small buzz of murmuring arose before quieting back down as Zeus continued speaking,

"They are to be faithful in what they do, to be selfless so that they will always put their charge's orders and safety first. They are to be obedient when obedience is needed, compassionate in whatever they do, and to have a sense of honor. A Guardian is supposed to be a shield for his or her charge, to defend against all threats and danger, and aid in any way possible." Zeus said, pausing for a little bit before continuing,

"But that is what they are supposed to be. Many so-called "Guardians" pledge themselves to be a loyal and faithful protector; they "promise" to protect their charges at all costs. But many never do. They never hold their word, they would flee when their charges needed them most, abandon them in the most desperate of situations. But, as I have also learned, there are…exceptions." Zeus paused again, clearing his throat as he slowly surveyed the entire crowd, who were at once on tenterhooks and surprised, since Zeus usually gave long and boring speeches.

"Only one Guardian has ever met, filled and even exceeded the high standards that are required of a Guardian. This Guardian is a true Guardian; he was loyal to a fault, had complete faith in his mistress, and was deeply compassionate. He had a strong sense of honor, he was completely selfless, and was obedient…most of the time." Zeus said, his lips quirking upward ever-so-slightly, since Percy's "obedience" was well-known throughout the Godly World. "This Guardian is also a true hero, his skill with a blade unmatched, and his courage unsurpassed."

Zeus paused, looking down at his podium as he thought best how to phrase his next words. Meanwhile, everyone in the crowd was whispering amongst each other, all of them wondering who this Guardian was, and where in Hades was Percy Jackson? Then Zeus raised his head again, clearing his throat, whereupon everyone immediately silenced.

"A while ago, as I am sure many of the nature spirits have known," Zeus said, nodding his head towards Grover, "That there was a massive disruption in Central Park a while back. That was Hyperion escaping. Consequently, Gaea caused a disturbance in Tartarus, allowing Hyperion to free Krios. Oceanus, well, I don't know. But he probably joined up with them. And all three of them attacked Artemis, on the night of Hera's and mine wedding anniversary." Zeus paused, still unable to comprehend at what had happened. Everyone else couldn't comprehend it either, though they were more shocked at the fact that three Titans had attacked Artemis.

"Artemis would've been captured, if it were not for The Guardian. He saved her, fighting all three of them to give Artemis the time to come to us and call for aid. We went back as fast as we could, but they…trapped us. But, the Guardian fought them all. He defeated them, but…" Zeus paused, not knowing how to continue, as tension grew so thick in the air, a person could choke on it.

"He did not survive. The reason I called you all here today is to honor and mourn the death of our greatest hero and Guardian. Percy Jackson." Zeus said. Artemis braced herself for everyone's reaction.

At first, there was dead silence. Then there was an uproar, thousands of people voicing their disbelief as many stood up and looked around, as if expecting this to be a prank and that Percy would pop out of nowhere.

"NO! That's not possible! Percy CAN'T BE DEAD!" Someone yelled out of the crowd. Artemis and the Gods turned to see Travis and Connor both on their feet along with Grover, yelling, disbelief clearly etched in their faces. Many others were also on their feet, including Katie Gardener, Nyssa, the entire Athena and Aphrodite cabin, even Clovis was wide-eyed, shocked to such an extent that he wasn't even remotely sleepy.

Turning, the Gods were greeted by a massive group of women all standing up, shocked beyond belief. The Amazons. Each and every one of them were on their feet, while Hylla's mouth was opening and closing. Then she turned to face Reyna.

"Reyna! IS THIS TRUE!" Hylla screamed over the noise of many people talking at once. Even the minor gods themselves were shocked and pained, which didn't surprise Artemis at all, since it was due to Percy that they were recognized.

Reyna looked Hylla straight in the eyes, letting Hylla see the pain in them. She nodded her head just once. Hylla stepped backwards in shock, as if physically slapped, as did Kinzie, who was just dumbfounded. The other Amazons had been watching and fell silent, beyond shocked that Percy was truly dead, since they all knew that Reyna did not joke around.

Zeus raised his hand and everyone quieted down, though slowly and reluctantly.

"How did he die? How COULD he die? The War's over!" Clarisse hollered, still standing up, along with many Campers.

"The War is over. Gaea is asleep. But Gaea is powerful; a being like her does not fall immediately. And unlike the Giants or the Titans, she is cunning. She had backup plans, many of which were thwarted by Artemis and her Hunters, along with our Campers. And I am not lying, as much as I regret it…Perseus Jackson is truly dead. And…we built this monument and statue for him." Zeus said. He turned around and snapped his fingers, removing the magical shroud that covered Percy's monument.

There was a collective gasp of surprise and awe as they stared at Athena's handiwork. The other Olympians stared too, since they had never seen it, while Athena and Annabeth looked on, looking rather smug and proud of themselves. Artemis had to admit, her sister had made a true masterpiece.

Athena had proudly boasted to her that everything had been carved from a single, giant chunk of highest grade marble, because it meant that everything was together, no extra pieces to attach and disrupt the flow of movement. From what Artemis could tell, she was correct.

Percy's statue stood at about 20 feet tall, about the same as a god height. It was so artistically done, so smooth and realistic, that Artemis almost thought that it really was Percy standing there, striking a pose. If Percy had become a god, and expanded to his god-height, this is what he would've looked like. The skin on Percy's statue had the exact tan and color to what Percy's real skin color would've been, his jacket was midnight black, the end of it flaring out artistically as if a wind was blowing it backwards. The jacket was open, revealing a marble version of the shirt Aphrodite had first given him; pitch-black shirt with a faceless, bat-winged figure on the front with a small sunburst behind it, creating an aura of light around the figure. The words "GUARDIAN ANGEL" were etched in pure silver, shining brightly and emphasizing the blackness of his jacket and his pants. They glittered the silvery brightness of the various chains that Athena had put on Percy's statue.

The wind-blown look extended to his hair, as his hair had a look that indicated a wind was blowing in his face, pushing his hair back. What was the most striking thing however, were the statue's eyes and the replica Riptides.

Percy's eyes were glittery emeralds, hand-picked by Hades, Nico and Hazel themselves and approved of by Poseidon and Athena. They were the exact same sea-green color that Percy's eyes had been when he was alive, and Athena had even cut out the center of the emeralds and replaced them with obsidian, to make it even more realistic, although since Percy also had his "immortal eyes" form, it didn't really matter.

The two swords that the statue Percy held were at a relaxed position, the points pointing toward the ground, instead of the "ready" position, or the various variations that Percy had invented. Hephaestus himself had forged the replica blades, and there was no doubt in Artemis's mind that they were every bit as sharp as the real ones. However, she was quite sure that only the original Riptide was unbreakable, his other clone and these replicas could probably break, although much force and power would be needed.

The pedestal which Percy's statue stood on also caught her eye, since around the sides and base of it were silvery, leaf-and-vine designs, twining around and around. At Percy's feet, Athena had managed to make it look as if he was standing in water and the waves were washing over his feet.

Percy's temple however, practically rendered Artemis speechless. It was massive, and Artemis could barely wrap her mind around the fact that Athena had cut this out from a single piece of marble, and in such a short time. She immediately noticed that the styling was very similar to the Parthenon, which, she supposed, wasn't a bad thing.

The massive pillars that supported the triangular roof shone with an intense silvery glow. Artemis stared at in confusion, until Athena cleared it up for her.

"I covered the pillars with silver and a bit of gold. I hope you don't mind the change, but Annabeth suggested it, and I thought it was a good idea." Athena muttered to her as she continued staring at Percy's monument.

"It's…it's perfect Athena. The nature designs, combined with the sea theme, the wild animals, everything. It's perfect. Thank you Sister." Artemis said with heartfelt gratitude.

Athena dipped her head slightly, accepting the compliment.

"Don't forget that young Annabeth helped a lot too." Athena said quietly. At this Annabeth turned around and gave Artemis a weak and watery smile, tears visible in the corners of her eyes.

"Thank you for your help, Annabeth Chase." Artemis said quietly. Annabeth nodded and wiped her eyes as Zeus turned around to face the audience of awestruck and disbelieving people.

"We will be putting his…tomb to its final rest, and then we will burn his shroud. If any of you want to say any last words to him…well, you're all welcome to." Zeus said, waving his hand towards Percy's tomb and the shroud wrapped around it.

Almost immediately, every single being stood up as one, ready to touch Percy's tomb and shroud, to pay their last respects to the greatest hero and Guardian of all time.

Unsurprised, the Olympians, Hunters and the Immortal Campers lifted Percy's tomb again, ready to put it to its final rest, which was obviously inside the temple. In this part, Athena and Annabeth led the group, since none of the others had the slightest idea of what the inside of Percy's temple looked like.

Athena and Annabeth led the way, the rest following the Goddess's and her demigod daughter's lead. However, the instant Artemis and the others stepped past the impressive double doors, they stopped immediately, the magnificence of the inside of Percy's temple amazing even the Olympians themselves.

The first thing that hit Artemis was how bright it was inside. The interior shone with a fierce, silvery light combined with strong golden accents. It heavily reminded Artemis of her own shrine, where the inside was also all silver. What amazing Artemis the most was just how big the interior was. When she had looked at Percy's temple from the outside, she had been impressed, but it had never occurred to her that it was particularly big.

That all changed when she had stepped inside and gotten a good look around.

To Artemis, it had seemed as if Athena had combined ideas from the Olympian Throne Room, Artemis's own shrine and temple, and Athena's own Parthenon together. Massive pillars that were silver and golden in color held up the ceiling, which seemed so high that a god could expand to full form and have plenty of space to jump as high as he/she wanted. The ceiling was also very similar to the Olympian Throne Room, giving viewers a clear view of the sky above, which Artemis strongly suspected would show the stars and all the constellations at night.

Moving down a bit, the walls of Percy's temple were, as per Artemis's orders, massive slabs of marble, each piece engraved with various battle scenes and major events that had happened in Percy's life, the bottom of each picture had words that described the event. Artemis sharpened her vision and read a few walls.

Percy Jackson retrieving Zeus's Master Bolt.

Percy Jackson fighting Ares, the God of War.

Percy Jackson, Tyson and Annabeth Chase dueling the Hydra.

Where is Tyson anyway? And Ella? Artemis thought, but pushed it aside and continued to read.

Percy Jackson taking down Polyphemus and retrieving the Golden Fleece.

Percy Jackson taking the sky from Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. A pang ran through Artemis's heart as she was forcibly reminded of the things Percy had done for her. Holding back tears, she skipped a couple and read on.

Percy Jackson's triumph over Kronos.

Artemis turned around to look at the other side of the temple, but before she could, Athena reached over and grabbed her arm, at once stopping her from looking and shaking her mind out of the effect that Percy's amazing temple had on her.

"What?" Artemis whispered.

"You don't want to look at the other side. At least, not yet. Besides, we're blocking the doorway." Athena said, looking smug and yet worried for Artemis at the same time as she indicated to the large crowd of people waiting rather impatiently behind them.

Artemis nodded, understanding Athena's concern as Athena mentally prodded everyone else, waking each of them from their spell-like, entranced state.

"Time enough to admire Annabeth's and my work. Let's finish this." Athena said with a barely visible smirk on her face as the others shook their heads and concentrated on holding up Percy's tomb.

They moved forward, heading straight towards a place where Artemis could see there was a rectangle in the ground that was precisely cut to fit Percy's tomb shape exactly. Slowly, they lowered the tomb until it was an inch above. Then, on a unseen signal, they dropped the tomb down.

Even from such a short distance, the heavy tomb landed with a loud thud. Each of them took a step back as it landed, and each of their eyes widened. All except for Athena and Annabeth.

The reason for their surprise was because a beam of pure light shone down at a 45 degree angle on Percy's tomb. The light caused the sea-green shroud to shimmer and shine with an intense brightness, giving it an ethereal glow.

Artemis raised her head as a wave of awestruck mutterings and whispers went throughout the hall as everyone walked inside. Percy's temple hall was so large that it could easily fit everyone inside it, with plenty of room to spare. It seemed like they would continue staring for the rest of eternity, but the moment Zeus stepped forward and cleared his throat, they immediately paid attention.

Silently, and without saying a word, Zeus waved his hand in the direction of Percy's tomb. Immediately, each and every being grouped together in organized groups, ready to pay their respects.

The Olympians, Hunters and Immortal Campers shared a look.

This was going to take a long time.

---

After long hours of watching every single citizen of Olympus, Amazons, Campers, Spirits, and Minor Gods touch Percy's tomb and shroud, whisper their last words and pay their respects, they were finally ready to burn Percy's shroud, although now they were forced to burn it at night, instead of when there was still some sunlight.

Silently, Artemis walked towards Percy's tomb and turned to face Hestia, who was wiping her eyes. She nodded once and raised her hand, a torch with a blazing flame lit at the tip appearing in her hand. Slowly, she handed it to Artemis, who took it with shaking hands. Artemis touched the shroud one last time, the silky-smooth shroud feeling like liquid and cool against her shaking hands. She stared at the torch, then turned to stare at Poseidon straight in the eyes. Poseidon nodded once. Artemis turned back to Percy's shroud, and with a deep breath, she put the torch on it.

For just a second, it seemed to resist the burning, before it burst into brilliant flames, a wave of scorching heat washing over everyone. As the flames continued to eat up the magnificent shroud, the flames burned brighter and hotter, as if Percy's own powers were fueling the fires. The heat became so intense and so hot, that everyone backed up more than twenty meters, lest they get burned. Even the Olympians moved back. All but Artemis.

Artemis stayed where she was, allowing the scorching heat to wash over, welcoming it even, since it allowed her to cry and not let anyone else see, since the intensity of the heat was enough to dry her tears as they rolled down her cheeks.

Percy…why? Why choose the path of death and pain, when you could've…could've chosen a life…a life with me? But Artemis already knew the answer. She knew, because Percy would never have had shied away from his duty, never have abandoned her, never leave her hunters, and would never do anything that would hurt her, as long as he was alive. And she had repaid him by being a cruel and harsh mistress, and when he had confessed his love for her, she had repaid it by practically denying it…and breaking his heart.

Artemis bowed her head down in shame and guilt, feeling her tears and the heat of the flames on her face.

"I am so sorry, Perseus. I love you. Forgive me." Artemis whispered, forcing herself to stop her tears as the last of Percy's shroud burned up, the fire dying down.

Numbly, Artemis raised her head…and once again froze in awe.

The silky, inky and midnight blackness of Percy's tomb seemed to fit even better in the vast and bright temple. It was so black that it seemed to suck in all light; even the direct light that was shining on it seemed to get sucked in.

Whereas the green shroud gave Percy's tomb an ethereal appearance by reflecting all the light, the black tomb radiated an ethereal appearance that seemed like it was sucking in all the light and releasing it out in tiny bits, giving the tomb a mysterious aura around it.

"It is done, Father." Artemis whispered quietly. "Now, we honor his wishes."

Zeus pursed his lips, signaling his disapproval, but he nodded. Clearing his throat for an extra effect, he turned to address the entire crowd.

"Everyone, leave. You can all come back tomorrow." Zeus said in a tone that clearly meant he was going to brook no argument. "All except for the campers that had fought alongside Jackson in the Battle for Manhattan."

With some grumbling and whining, everyone filed out, although they filed out slowly as they stared at the walls. The Campers that had fought alongside Percy, such as Travis and Connor Stoll, Clarisse LaRue and the others, they stayed behind, with looks of confusion.

Zeus grumbled for a bit as he stared at them before reluctantly breaking the news to them.

"Percy had a last wish before he died. He wished that every camper who is alive and had been with him through the Titan War to be Immortal. I was forc-ah, I thought it was a good idea. So, do any of you wish it?" Zeus said as the other Olympians rolled their eyes at the way Zeus was taking credit for things he didn't do.

Almost at once, each of the campers nodded.

Zeus grumbled under his breath, but turned to the rest of the Olympians, each of whom immediately stepped forward to start the immortalization process. And while Artemis had heartily approved, she had only done so because Percy had wished it.

Throughout the process, Artemis maintained a straight face, doing everything mechanically. She thought back to the last time she had helped along this very same process. Percy was with her, he was making her laugh, she was comfortable, and yet uncomfortable with him, but Percy was still alive, still laughing, and still with her. Now, he was dead, his soul in the Underworld, his body with the Fates, and here she was, all alone.

She was so deep in thought that she barely heard Zeus's enormous thundering, his short speeches, or his terms. She didn't hear the campers' enthusiastic agreements, their answers, anything. All she heard and thought was Percy.

With a sudden jerk, Artemis brought herself back to reality, and looked around in surprise. They had already immortalized the campers that Percy had wished, and Zeus had already sent them off. She turned to her fellow Olympians, most of whom had already left.

Poseidon, Hestia, Aphrodite and Athena had stayed behind though, the latter of which gave Artemis a nod of understanding before turning back to Annabeth, who was asking her a few questions.

"Mother, where-where's Chiron? Grover? Those two wouldn't such an important event, would they? And what about Tyson and Ella?" Annabeth was asking Athena.

"They…couldn't come. They were unable to come, since Dionysus told them. Tyson and Ella, I do not know." Athena said.

"I have not told anyone yet…but I will. I expect there will be a powerful backlash, but I suppose there is nothing I can do…" Poseidon said, his voice sounding hoarse. "Excuse me." Poseidon said. He turned to Percy's tomb with put his hand on it for a second.

"Good bye Percy. I will come back every day. I promise." Poseidon whispered before fading into a sea-green mist, no doubt travelling to his palace to break the awful news.

Hestia gave Artemis a nod before she too touched Percy's tomb and disappeared.

Artemis turned to Athena and Aphrodite, who were both staring at the tomb.

"Athena, Annabeth, truly, thank you for your help. Thank you for helping me give Percy the best we could. And Aphrodite," Artemis choked slightly and gritted her teeth, "As much as it pains me to say this…thank you. And Hephaestus, wherever he is."

"You're welcome Sister." Athena said simply, while Aphrodite smirked.

"Thanking me, huh? I bet that's the last thing you would ever have imagined could happen to you." Aphrodite said smugly. "It must've taken some serious pride-swallowing."

Aphrodite continued to smirk, until she noticed Artemis's death glare. It was a glare filled with venom, and Aphrodite immediately paled.

"Um, uh, I better get going alright? Bye!" Aphrodite said hurriedly, disappearing in a puff of pink smoke.

Artemis grumbled a bit under her breath before she turned back to Athena.

"Take care of the Campers then. My Hunters and I will…go back to our own camp." Artemis said, suddenly feeling impossibly weary.

"Consider it done." Athena said. Artemis nodded and rounded her Hunters up, snapping her fingers and teleporting them all to their camp location.

With a mournful silence, Artemis and her Hunters walked the short distance to their camp, each wrapped in their own thoughts.

It feels so weird, Artemis thought, to not have Percy's hulking mass behind me. It felt uncomfortable, if made her feel insecure, and it pained her. There was not a single doubt in her mind that her Hunters felt the same, seeing how close Percy and they had become.

"I miss him, my lady." Tracy said quietly, reaching up and clutching her hand.

"I know Tracy…I know. Trust me, I do too…" Artemis replied, gripping Tracy's hands tightly.

"Is…the…the Hunt is going to go on, right?" Tracy asked hesitantly.

Artemis opened her mouth, completely ready to say "Of course!", but then she stopped. Thinking back on it, even though her Hunt had existed for a thousands of years, she could not remember the last time her Hunt had had this much fun, this much joy, this much life in it. As hard as she could, she could not seem to even remotely remember how the Hunt was without Percy. Percy had become the center, the life, the fun, the soul of the entire Hunt. And without him, it almost seemed…pointless.

"I-I…of course the Hunt will continue, but-but-I…."Artemis made a rapid decision right there and then. She needed time to get over Percy's death, to nurture her wounds and to heal them. And that would require time. She stopped walking and turned around to face her Hunters.

"Hunters…it has been a true honor to be with all of you, and we WILL continue the Hunt, but I…I think I need…I need to…"Artemis stuttered and faltered, struggling to find the right words. Fortunately for her, Thalia already had her own ideas and fully understood what Artemis was going through.

"It's alright, my lady. We, uh I, at least, understand. I…I was going to ask you for permission to go on a temporary leave for a few months…" Thalia mumbled, lowering her head to stare at the ground.

"I think that's what we all need." Phoebe said bluntly. "Um, no offence, my lady."

Artemis gave a sigh of relief. It was much easier when her Hunters actively wanted to take a break, than to tell them.

"None taken. I think it is best that we all take a break." Artemis paused for a bit and continued, "If any of you want, you can all stay at my palace. That's where I will be staying. We can pack up, rest for a bit, and then come back when we all feel like it." Artemis suggested. All of her Hunters nodded in agreement and with that, they continued walking until they reached their encampment.

As they reached their camp, each of them silently split off, automatically knowing who would pack which items up. Artemis headed straight for Percy's tent, and for a moment, stood there looking at the tent, her mind flashing back to various memories of the times when they had pranked Percy and he had come out grumpy and yet smiling.

Reaching a decision, Artemis snapped her fingers, transporting Percy's tent into her palace bedroom, so that she could be as close to it as she could. Mechanically, she packed up her own tent, along with a few others and waited for her Hunters to finish.

"My Lady! Um, a bit of trouble here!" A girl's voice she recognized as Angeline's came to her.

"What's the problem?" Artemis called out as she walked towards Angeline and the group of Hunters who were crowded around her.

"Um, well, we've packed everything up. But the Armory tent. We can't move it, we can't open it, and we can't pack it. We can't do anything with it." Angeline said, frowning at the tent with a wary look. "From the looks of it, I think only you can open it, my lady."

"Me? Really? This door should be accessible to anyone." Artemis. She stepped towards the tent and noticed that the doorknob was glowing a dim, silver light. She touched it, and with a silent hiss and a click, the door swung open gracefully.

Artemis turned around with a surprised look, while Angeline gave her a "told you so" look. With a shrug, Artemis entered the tent, her Hunters following close behind.

The instant she and her Hunters entered, they were immediately hit by an impossibly bright burst of silver light. For a moment, they were completely blinded before the light died down, allowing them to clearly see everything. In unison, they gasped in surprise.

Instead of the usual organized bundles of arrows, barrels of spare swords and daggers, there was a large table in the middle of the entire tent.

On the table were fifteen sword or dagger sheathes and fifteen small, fist-sized boxes. Above them, was one large box that spanned the entire width of the table. Each and every one of them glowed with a silver light.

As Artemis looked closer, she realized that on the boxes were her Hunter's names.

Thalia, Tracy, Phoebe, Christy, Diana, Elizabeth, Alex, Sasha, Angeline, Lisa, Laura, Kristy, Sarah, Adriana, Sophia.

Then she looked up at the large box and saw her own name.

Lady Artemis

She turned to her Hunters with a perplexed look, which they returned, equally as perplexed. Slowly, Artemis reached up to the box that contained her name and opened. The instant she touched the box, it glowed silver, and when she flipped it open, she and her Hunters were immediately hit by a wave of pure silver light. If it weren't for the fact that each of them were immortal, they would've been blinded. As the light cleared, Artemis gasped.

Lying inside the box was a bow. A bow that seemed to be made of pure silver, but upon closer examination, Artemis realized that it was actually made of wood. Hesitantly, Artemis reached over and picked it up.

There was a subtle rushing sound as she picked the bow up, both she and the bow glowing with a soft silver light. Artemis inspected it, deeply impressed at its workmanship and its artistry. Along the shaft, all the way to the tips, ornate leaf patterns twisted around, shaped so perfectly that they looked beautiful and provided a very comfortable grip for her hand.

Artemis automatically drew back the string, relishing the smoothness and the tautness of the string. The wood had just the right amount of flex to give her maximum power, and as she inspected it with her godly senses, she could sense immense power in the wood and the string, which she assumed prevented the wood from breaking and the string from going slack. Suddenly, her bow pulsed with a silver light, and an instant later, there was clattering sound. Artemis looked towards the ground and saw her original bow lying there, and she immediately knew that the new bow had replaced it, allowing her to summon and use the new one in less than a thought's breadth.

With some hesitation, Artemis looked back into the large case and found several more items. A fist-sized box, a pair of hunting knife sheathes, a quiver, and two vambraces. Gently putting the bow aside on the table, she reached in and picked up the sheathes and the quiver. She and her Hunters gasped in unison.

Out of the case and into the light, the sheathes and quiver were breathtakingly beautiful. Interestingly, the scabbards and the quiver were both made of solid metal, a metal that gleamed and sparkled with a sharp silver light. And while Artemis could see that it was definitely solid metal, the sheathes were lightweight, as light as a boiled-leather scabbard and the quiver was no heavier than one made of solid wood.

The sheathes were inlaid with gold, vine designs twisting and twining around the entire surface, while near the mouth was a small cluster of leaves. The style seemed to continue onto the dagger's cross-guard, hilt and pommel, again, the leaf-and-vine designs on the hilt were shaped just perfectly so that her hands could grip it with ease and confidence, at the same time looking breathtakingly beautiful. The same could be said for her quiver, although her quiver was shaped so that it looked like two leaves were curving around and overlapping each other, a design that Artemis immediately took to.

The same basic vine-and-leaf designs could be found, but there were also forest designs, and even a deer on the quiver, all inlaid with gold. The mouth of the quiver was covered by a locket of gold, perfectly formed to keep the arrows in an orderly way.

Taking hold of one of the scabbards, she gripped the hilt of one of her knives and withdrew it. There was a brilliant flash of silver light as she pulled it out, the dim light reflecting off of the keenest, sharpest, and most artistic blade Artemis had ever set eyes on.

Beautiful vine and nature design were etched into the blade, mostly along the blade that was closest to the hilt, but a single vine-like design flowed from the hilt all the way to the tip of the blade. What was most mysterious was the metal that the blade was made of. Artemis could tell immediately, just by looking at it, that it was far sharper than anything she could have imagined. Artemis experimentally twirled it several times around her hand, deeply impressed that the blade was so light, and yet extremely sturdy, its balance perfect.

Then she realized why the knife seemed to glitter and flow so much. Running along the length of the blade, parallel to the vine designs, were small words that continuously flowed down her blade, disappearing off the tip but only to re-emerge at the hilt and repeat the process. Watching carefully, Artemis made out the words that were written in Ancient Greek.

Artemis wields me, and I protect my wielder. I am Silverlight, and my blade means death.

Artemis's eyes widened as she read it. It was the first time she had seen any weapon with this type of inscription, an inscription that continuously flowed down her blade in a never-ending process.

Suddenly, her blades, quiver and scabbards flashed, and with a loud clanging and clattering, she looked down at the floor and saw her old knives and quiver on the ground. Immediately, Artemis knew that just like her bow, the new knives and quivers had replaced her old ones.

There were three items left in the large box. Two vambraces, and the fist-sized box. Artemis decided to check out the vambraces, leaving the small box as the last.

The instant she picked up the vambraces, she knew at once that these were no ordinary vambraces. They held immense power, and something that she recognized as a mind-control, which made her slightly nervous.

She held them up and even in the dim light, she could see every vine pattern, every decoration, and every little detail, which obviously hinted at workmanship far superior than anything she had ever seen or met.

Instead of a piece of leather and a metal plate glued on it to protect the forearm, the vambrace was actually made entirely of metal, with a luxurious and supple padding on the inside to support her arm, cushion it, and protect it by absorbing some of the impact. What made it so unique and unlike other vambraces was that the outer part of it extended a little past the elbow joint, the plate narrowing down in a soft triangular way until it narrowed into a tip. To prevent it from accidently snagging and cutting things, the tip was a small ball of metal, artistically styled so that it looked like the bud of a flower.

This meant that when she kept her hands down by her side, it would protect her elbows, and if she were to raise half of her arm up so that her upper arm and her forearm would create a 90 degree angle, she could use it as a defensive weapon, jabbing her arm backwards to injure anyone that attempted to grab her from behind. It was dangerous, and yet not lethal.

However, Artemis was curious as to why the outward facing parts of her vambrace were a bit thicker than what was common. Peering back into the box to see whether there was anything to explain it, she found a note. Picking up, she quickly read the short note:

Use your mind to connect with them.

Artemis frowned as she read it, but decided to try it out. After all, she had sensed power in the vambraces. Holding her vambraces up in front of her, she attempted to mentally connect with it. At first, nothing happened. Then a searing pain flashed through her head, causing her to close her eyes and grit her teeth together as she winced and grimaced. An instant later, it disappeared. As soon as the pain disappeared, she felt one of her vambrace move slightly, followed by a collective gasp from her Hunters. She opened her eyes, and almost gasped herself.

Sticking right out of her vambrace was a blade the length of her forearm.

Warily, Artemis raised her arm up and examined the blade that had slid out. The blade had extended from a secret slot that sat against the outward-facing part of her forearm, which meant that all she had to do was just bend her wrist downward and she could wield the blade almost like another sword without worrying about damaging her hands. She could also, thanks to the fact that the blade covered her hand, stab into something and grab with her hand, no need to worry about overhand strikes against her wrist since the blade would protect it. She would, however, have to be careful of underhand chops and digs, since from underneath, her wrist was still vulnerable.

Now that she had gotten over the shock that she now had a forearm-mounted blade, she inspected the blade itself.

The blade was made of the exact same metal as her daggers, and vambrace, which continued to mystify her. When extended, the blade was a bit wider, about the width of her wrist, which gradually narrowed into an extremely pointy and sharp tip. The blade was heavily etched with nature designs, leaves in various shapes with vines tightly intertwining around them, giving the blades an elegant and deadly look.

"It requires a new fighting style. But how do I slide it back in…" Artemis muttered, thinking of the blade sliding back in. Barely had she finished her thought than it immediately slid back in, quick and silent, not a single sound to indicate that something had changed. Experimentally, Artemis thought about her left forearm and instantly, the blade slid out. She thought again, and the blade slid right back.

"Those blades make me uneasy…they're hidden. Dangerous." Thalia said, looking at the blades with a deep wariness.

"Perhaps. But the technology and the power in these are far more advanced than anything even Athena could do." Artemis said, looking at her vambraces.

Leaving her vambraces on, she looked into the box and pulled out the last item: A fist-sized box that had her name etched onto its cover. She looked up from the box to her Hunters, who were all watching her with tense breaths.

Taking a breath, she flipped the case open. And gasped.

Sitting inside the box, on a cushion, was a ring. And it was no ordinary ring. It was a ring that reflected just the slightest bit of light, its silver band catching every photon of light and multiplying them by tenfold.

The ring was an object of exquisite beauty, a large, 20-carat…diamond? Artemis couldn't tell whether it was a diamond or not, because the jewel had a color of the purest silver with a splash of sea-green in it. The jewel literally flashed and sparkled, as if inside the jewel were a pit of endless silver flame. Surrounding the center jewel was a ring of small but the finest pearls, each of them looking like a full moon, the silver band beyond beautiful, stylized with simple leaf patterns. Artemis stared at the ring, astounded at its beauty and perfection.

"Are you…are you going to put it on, my lady?" Tracy asked quietly.

Artemis nodded. With shaking hands, Artemis plucked the ring out and lifted it up. It seemed to be a star of its own, sparkling and flashing brilliantly in the dim light. Then she put it on her ring finger.

Nothing happened as she put it on her finger. It sparkled beautifully on her finger but nothing happen. On an impulse, Artemis twisted the ring slightly, and to her surprise, the ring of pearls turned forty-five degrees. Then the ring pulsed, and Artemis felt the full force of its power for the first time: It was like a portal, the power radiating from the ring was so intense that she felt as if she were being ripped in two. Sparkling black fire roared from the ring and washed over and suddenly an intense weight and pressure fell on Artemis, so heavy and intense that it felt as if she were holding the sky again. She buckled to her knees and gasped.

Her Hunters rushed forward to help her, but before they could do anything, Artemis glowed with an intense silver light, more intense than even a supernova. A small wave of force caused her Hunters to stumble backwards, the light intense enough to blind even their immortal eyes. Then the light began to dim and fade, and Artemis stumbled to her feet.

The first thing that Artemis noticed was that she was wearing different clothing and was also wearing something a little heavier than plain cloth. Keeping her eyes closed to steady herself, she took a few deep breaths, opened her eyes and looked down. Only to almost faint at what met her eyes.

She was wearing a full suit of armor, complete with greaves, her vambraces, spaulders, and a full front and back body plate. Normally, she never wore armor, besides bracers, since armor was heavy and would just weigh her down, she preferred speed than strength. However, whatever metal this armor was made of, it was impossibly lightweight. Even though she was wearing spaulders and a full body plate, she felt like she was wearing nothing heavier than boiled leather armor. Looking down, she examined her armor.

To her great surprise, instead of wearing leather boots with metal plates attached to it, her "greaves" were actually solid metal boots, the inside of her boot sheathed and padded with the same material that her vambraces were cushioned with, causing her greave/boot to be extremely comfortable and providing her legs with a snug fit. The base of her boots contained heavy leaf designs, which thinned out the further it went up, until it ended up with two simple, curved vines that extended from the base to the tip. Her thighs were completely bare of any armor, which Artemis approved of, since it would only slow her down. Moving up, Artemis frowned slightly at the full body plate.

The armor form-fitted her perfectly, and while the area around the chest was solid metal, her midriff had interlocking plates that allowed her to bend over and turn in any direction without inhibiting her movement. The entire armor was heavily etched with nature designs, and in the center of her chest plate was a round circle that signified the moon, a bow with an arrow notched, and a deer. Artemis tried out a few basic moves and flips, folding her body more than one hundred and eighty degrees front and back, kicking her legs so that they swung up and past her ear, splits, then did some front and back flips.

Every time she did a move, she fully expected the armor to resist her movements. However, thanks to the interlocking plates and the precise positioning of the plates, her armor twisted and flexed with her body, matching each motion perfectly. This was largely due to just how light her armor was. Her armor shone and glowed with a powerful silver light, surrounding her with an aura of light. She raised her head turned to face her Hunters.

"So, what do you think?" Artemis asked.

Instantly, all of her Hunters took a step back, fear and shock visible on their faces. Artemis cocked her head to one side with a questioning look.

"What's the matter?" Artemis asked, confused. In response, Thalia pointed at her face, her hand shaking slightly.

Perplexed, Artemis summoned a full size mirror and turned to face it. Instinctively, her hand reached down to her belt and grabbed her dagger hilt.

Staring right back at her was a faceless figure with gleaming sharp eyes that reflected everything, and glowed with a hidden silver fire. With shaking hands, Artemis reached up and touched her face, expecting bone and flesh. Instead, her fingertips touched a cold and metallic surface. A mask. Artemis instantly jerked her hands backwards before reaching towards it again, slowly peeling the mask off her face. Artemis flipped the mask over and stared.

The mask was extraordinarily thin, a featureless piece of metal that had a wide gap at the bottom which left plenty of space for her mouth, and the mask even had a nose piece that stuck out and fitted Artemis perfectly. The only decoration on the mask was three vines that extended from the base and branched out, ending just short of the eyes. The forehead area was more special, instead of a solid piece of metal covering her forehead, it had branched into several lines from the temple area of the mask. It still provided excellent protection against a glancing blow, but it also looked stylish. The most striking however, were the eyes.

The eye part was actually a visor that Artemis could push up and pull down to protect her eyes. It was a singular lens that covered the entire retinal area, and slightly shaping around the nose as well, and was attached to the mask by hinges. The lens was pure silver and while it seemed to suck in all light, it also reflected everything, completely hiding her eyes.

She looked up at her Hunters and quirked a grin. Only to go back to being confused when her Hunters flinched again.

"You-you're e-eyes." Phoebe stuttered out.

Frowning, Artemis turned to her mirror and looked again, this time without the mask. And was quite shocked at what she saw.

Her eyes, instead of glowing silver like they always did, were now endless pits of roaring, dangerous and violent silver fire. Her eyes brewed and roiled, never stopping. Slowly, she slid on her mask and smiled thinly at what she saw. A visor that glowed with a silver light from within, and glittered with a silver light from the outside.

"My…my Lady, are you alright?" Thalia asked nervously as Artemis stood up. Maybe it was her armor, her mask, or maybe it was the suddenly intense power that was rolling off of her like heat waves, but Artemis seemed to tower over them all.

"Yes. Why?" Artemis asked.

"Because…because you're radiating power. So much that I don't even think the Big Three together have as much." Thalia said.

Artemis frowned and examined herself. She certainly felt more powerful, although she wasn't actually completely sure how powerful she was. And she also kept on wondering who had set this up.

"I don't know…but whoever did this, they left things for each of you. Why don't you open it and try them out?" Artemis suggested, stepping aside so her Hunters could access the boxes. Her Hunters looked at each other uncertainly.

"Um…Thalia? You first?" Phoebe said.

Thalia smirked. "Chicken much? Sure. I'll go first." Thalia said, smirking as she walked forward to stand in front of the box that had her name on it.

Slowly, she reached out and grabbed the box. And slowly, she flipped it open. Her eyes widened.

The ring that sat inside had the same silver band that Artemis's ring had, but the center jewel was a large…jewel that looked like an opal. It was pure black, darker even than Percy's tomb, and yet again, the jewel seemed to contain a hidden fire that caused the gem to flash and glow with a light that had nothing to do with the dim light they were currently standing in. A ring of sapphires surrounded the opal in a similar fashion to how the pearls had surrounded Artemis's "diamond". It was obvious to everyone that Thalia liked it, since she had taken it out of the box and was carefully examining it. With a questioning expression, she looked up at Artemis. Artemis nodded, just once. Taking a breath, Thalia put the ring on her finger and twisted it.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then her ring glowed and sucked in all light, except for the light that was shining from Artemis's armor and ring, which only seemed to glow brighter. Black fire flowed from the ring as Thalia crumpled to her knees, tears of pain flowing down her face as she struggled to breathe from the intense pressure that was squeezing her. Suddenly, Thalia began glowing silver, so bright that the Hunters had to turn away. However, Artemis could see everything, and saw how Thalia seemed to be absorbing the light. Then, as quickly as the light had come, it vanished, leaving Thalia kneeling on the floor as she took deep breaths to steady herself.

Artemis knew immediately that Thalia had changed. She had power radiating from her now, as strong as any Olympian, and as she kneeled on the ground, tendrils of lightning and electricity crackled all over her body. And she too was armor plated. Slowly, Thalia stood up, giving everyone a good look at her armor.

Thalia's armor was like Artemis's, except for the fact that Thalia's was pure black, with silver trimmings and silver designs, providing a sharp contrast between black and silver. Thalia's spaulders, greaves and vambraces were of the same basic design, although not quite as heavily adorned as Artemis's own. Slung and strapped to Thalia's back was a bow and a quiver. Compared to Artemis's bow and quiver, they were plain, with minimal decoration. However, the quiver was also shaped like two leaves curving around and overlapping each other, they merely lacked the heavier decoration that Artemis's equipment had. The biggest difference was the mask.

While Thalia's mask was also expressionless, and had the same nature designs and the same cutout for the mouth, Thalia's visor lenses were a completely different color. Artemis's lenses were a pure silver, blending perfectly with her mask. Thalia's visor was pure black in color. It was so dark, it seemed as if it was actively sucking in the light, and yet it too was reflective. Thalia reached up and pulled her mask off, revealing a pair of shockingly blue eyes that constantly crackled with electricity and seemed to be on the verge of bursting into flames. Thalia picked up her knife sheathes and attached them onto her armor before grinning.

"Well…that felt terrible. But now, I feel great." Thalia said, flipping her mask over and looking at it before wincing and turning it over again. Then she turned to Artemis. "But my lady, who…who is doing this? And why?"

"My guess is as good as yours." Artemis said, shrugging. Then she frowned. "Don't you have any forearm blades?" Artemis asked, sliding her blades in and out.

"Eh…No?" Thalia said, checking her vambraces and peeking under them. "Nope."

"So only I have them? Huh. Interesting…" Artemis said, frowning as she looked at her forearm mounted, hidden blades. She turned to the rest of her Hunters, who were staring at both of them with wide eyes. "Aren't any of you going to get your upgrades too?"

Immediately, they all stepped forward and took their boxes, examining their rings and their daggers. Almost at once, they put their rings on and turned them at the same time. This, as it turned out, wasn't exactly a good idea.

The cumulative power of fourteen Hunters activating their rings at once proved too much for the armory tent.

The fourteen rings sucked in so much light that everything around them turned pitch black, except for Artemis's armor, which glowed as brightly as ever, and Thalia's silver-trimmed armor, the trimmings still glowing. Then, the combined glow released so much light and so much power, that the tent literally blew apart, the stashes of arrows vaporizing in an instant, the entire forest lighting up brighter than a supernova for just an instant before the light died off. Surprisingly, even though Artemis and Thalia held their masks in their hands, they didn't as much as blink as they stared at the light directly.

After much gasping, and quite a bit of swearing, her Hunters stood up, each of them wearing different colored armor, with the exception of the Trio, who were clad in the same, sky-blue silver-trimmed armor. They were also the only ones with the same colored visors, since the others were varied color, such as Tracy, who had a amethyst-colored visor and Phoebe, who was clad in a blood-red armor with a matching visor.

In unison, her Hunters took their sheathes and strapped them on. As one, fourteen multicolored, light sucking and reflective visors turned and stood at attention, facing Artemis and Thalia. Both flinched slightly, since the mixture of various colored, faceless masks with the reflective visors was extremely unnerving.

As they stood there, Artemis came to realize just how much power was rolling off of them. So much, that Artemis doubted that even all the Olympians, excluding her, combined together could outweigh the amount that was rolling off her Hunters. Add Thalia, and it was a no-brainer, the Hunters were definitely more powerful. And that made Artemis uneasy, since things like these never came without side effects or catches. Most of the time, at least. And Artemis was also unsure of herself. She felt something deep inside her, something that contained many hidden abilities.

However, even after all of this, she felt tired. Weary. Worn out. She wanted to…rest.

"Alright girls. Get ready." Artemis said. Without even waiting for their confirmation, she snapped her fingers, instantly teleporting all of them, including camp equipment, right into her palace.

A second later, they all reappeared in Artemis's palace living room, which was sparsely decorated, since Artemis preferred nature and a simplistic design. Hence, throughout her palace was an ever present smell of the forest.

"OK girls, the whole palace is open to you all. Do whatever you want, and when you're all ready…we'll start the Hunt again." Artemis said, about to retire to her bedroom.

"And when you are ready too, my lady." Thalia said, giving her a knowing look as she and the rest of the Hunters nodded.

Artemis winced at Thalia's words. It was true. If she herself was not ready, the Hunt would never be ready. Giving them all a brief nod, she turned and retreated to her bedroom.

As Artemis entered her room, she immediately took off her armor by twisting the ring and then she took the ring off and examined it. The ring made her uneasy, since it contained enormous power and it was just too…perfect. Everything was flawless. The silver band glittered and reflected everything, the jewel in the center sparked and flared with its own power, and the ability to hold such a beautiful and strong armor was astounding.

Artemis continued to roll the ring around her hand for a while before she slipped it back on, pacing around the room as she wondered who could've possibly done this. The only explanation was Percy. But Percy was… dead. She had seen it with her own eyes, and the Fates had taken his body. The Fates had even confirmed it, in a roundabout way by giving her his thread and tell her that he had chosen his own path. Besides, Artemis knew that Percy did not have the skill nor the power to craft such wondrous artifacts. But who would be selfless and thoughtful enough to do so? Percy. It all revolved around Percy. Artemis grinned slightly. Even after his death, he still had a way to confound and annoy her. Artemis continued to pace around her room and ponder it when she noticed a light glinting near her bedside table. Frowning, she walked over to it. And stopped cold.

Sitting right on her bedside table was an open-topped glass case. And in the glass case was a rose. And it wasn't any rose, it was a silver rose, the petals shone pure silver, while the stem and the leaves were as green as green could be. The rose's scent was intoxicating, sweeter and purer than anything Artemis had ever smelled before, even back in the old days when the wilderness still ruled. Then Artemis noticed a small piece of paper attached to the side of the glass case. She pulled it off and read it.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Artemis gasped. "Percy…" she sat down on her bed and carefully folded the piece of paper as she frowned. Percy was dead. It could…it could be a prank by Hermes. And if it was… Artemis thought. She clenched her fists. But where did the Silver Rose come from? Artemis thought. She convinced herself that it wasn't Percy, since the handwriting didn't look like his. Even so, Artemis couldn't help but cling on to the small bit of hope that Percy might not be completely dead. But then…where is he?

"Fates curse it…Percy, are you alive or not?" Artemis snarled before she fell back onto her bed and closed her eyes, her mind in full revolt as she fell into a deep, uneasy and nightmare-laden sleep.

After the initial boost of energy in giving Percy the best she could have worn-off, the pain of his death, of seeing him brutally and painfully beaten to death rushed back with a vengeance.

---

For three months, Artemis did not leave her room, in fact, she barely left her bed, if at all. Artemis cried constantly as she thought about Percy, dreamed about him, yearned for him. She also constantly looked at her ring, which seemed to get more and more beautiful as time passed, and the silver rose. The rose was just breathtaking, the smell was impossibly intoxicating and it glowed at all times. No one managed to talk to her, even when she talked with Thalia, it was usually brief and short.

Artemis was lying on her bed, brooding and looking at the ring on her finger when Apollo walked in.

"Sister…please, you have to get up and do something. Besides, Zeus just called a meeting. It's extremely important. You have to go." Apollo said.

Artemis turned over and glared at Apollo.

"Who said you could come in?" Artemis said grumpily.

"Sis, c'mon, you know I'm the only male that can get in your palace." Apollo said, trying for a half-hearted smile. It was the wrong thing to say.

Pain flash through Artemis's eyes. "You are now…not before." Artemis grumbled, turning over to stuff her face into her pillows.

Apollo gritted his teeth. He had put up with his sister's whining for three months, obeying her every order, and now it was about time for him to be strict with her.

"Look Artemis, you have to get out of this bed right now. Percy is dead, you can't do anything about it, so just forget it and get back up. You got over Orion pretty quickly, why not this time? If I remember correctly, you got over Orion in like 24 hou-"

Artemis snapped. Three months of pain and hurt that had welled up within her suddenly burst out of her in an explosive surge. She launched herself right out of bed and slammed into Apollo, faster than the eye could blink. She pinned Apollo down to the floor easily and her hand crept towards his throat.

"PERCY. WAS. NOTHING. LIKE ORION! NOTHING! Orion was a stupid boy who had all the traits that I absolutely hate. He was a womanizer, a rapist, a lying, cheating, deceptive BASTARD! I will admit that I was foolish and stupid enough to fall for his charms and his skills, but that is IT. If he were to come here, right now, I would slaughter him like a pig. DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" Artemis screamed at her brother as she shook him like a rag doll with a strength she did not know she had.

"DO YOU?" Artemis yelled again as her hand closed on his throat. Apollo hastily nodded, although his movements soon stopped as Artemis gripped his throat with an impossibly tight grip.

"Good. Now Percy, he was a real man. He was everything a man was not, and he loved me. And I…I crushed it. I crushed his heart, and I broke it! I did, exactly what I hated!" Do you understand? I BROKE HIS HEART!"Artemis half screamed and half sobbed, lifting Apollo off his feet and beginning to throttle him with one hand, as easily as lifting a cup from the table. Apollo choked and thrashed, struggling to free himself from Artemis's grip.

"Please….sis…uurrkkk…" Apollo choked out as Artemis relentlessly tightened her grip to the point where Apollo couldn't breathe at all.

"So don't you dare dictate how I should feel." Artemis hissed venomously. With a simple flick of her wrist, she threw Apollo across her room, causing him to collide painfully against her solid stone walls.

"Artemis, please, you're being irrational! Moaning and crying over him isn't going to bring him back, the best you can do is just forget about-"

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK OF HIM AS IF HE WERE ONE OF YOUR FEMALE DATES!" Artemis screamed. The air around her crackled with energy as she slowly advanced on Apollo, who was hastily retreating.

"Get out."

"But sister, what about Zeus's-"

"I don't care! Now get out before I force you to." Artemis snarled.

"But si-"

"I said, GET. OUT!" Artemis screamed, her mind wanting to push Apollo away as far as possible. What happened shocked her as much as it shocked Apollo.

Pain suddenly exploded in her head, causing Artemis to groan and clutch her head between her hands. However, what happened to Apollo was far worse.

At the same time as Artemis felt pain explode in her head, Apollo was suddenly hit by a massive force that felt like it came from Zeus's own Master Bolt. Apollo was lifted off his feet and smashed straight through Artemis's palace walls without slowing down.

As the pain receded, Artemis wondered how she had managed to send Apollo crashing through her walls and flying into the air without touching him. She had just thought about Apollo flying backwards, and then it happened. Artemis frowned. Maybe her new powers allowed her to use her mind as an offensive weapon?

Turning, Artemis fixed her gaze on a desk and sent a mind bolt after it. Almost immediately, the desk shattered into little splinters, but with the shattering came a small twinge of pain in Artemis's head.

"Huh…so, a mental mind bolt. That's completely new…" Artemis muttered under her breath. She would have to practice it when she felt like it, and she knew that the pain would lessen the more she did it. Right now however, Artemis didn't feel like anything. Without a seconds thought, she flopped back into bed.

She had barely lay back down when another person entered her room. And it was none other than Thalia.

"My Lady. You must get out of bed. Zeus demands that every Olympian be there for the council." Thalia said quietly. Of all her Hunters, Thalia and Tracy missed Percy the most, and during those three months, Thalia had spent much of her time with Annabeth and Chiron, the former two heartbroken over the loss of Percy, while Chiron, as old as he was, was shocked and deeply hurt by the loss. Chiron had locked himself in his own study for several weeks without eating or drinking before coming out, looking ancient beyond his years, despite the fact that he was immortal. As for the satyr, Grover, he had almost killed himself before his girlfriend managed to stop him.

"No Thalia…I don't feel like it." Artemis moaned.

"My Lady, please. You have to." Thalia said quietly.

"No." Artemis said, turning over so that her back was facing Thalia. There was a slight rustle, and then Artemis literally jerked upright as a powerful electric shock coursed through her entire body. She turned to see Thalia, her hand outstretched and instead of her electric blue eyes, Thalia's eyes were endless pits of boiling blue flame. "Thalia! What was that for?"

"I'm sorry my lady. You know I'd never disrespect you. But I loved Percy. He was my closest friend. He was closer than a brother to me. And I know that Percy would not appreciate what you are doing right now." Thalia said sternly.

Artemis stopped. It was a valid point. Would Percy like what she was doing right now? Percy was not a person to slack off. He had worked dutifully and constantly to help the Hunt, and all Artemis was doing right now was just slacking off, putting the Hunt on hold. Artemis stared into Thalia's flaming eyes and came to a conclusion: She had to pick herself back up and honor Percy's memory. She could no longer slack off and waste her time.

"You're right." Artemis said, leaping off her bed. "You're right. HUNTERS!" Artemis called out as she snapped her fingers, putting on her favorite clothing, the original silver suit and pants that Percy had thought up for her. An instant later, all of her Hunters filed into her room.

"Yes, my lady?" they said in unison.

"I'm back. And now let's go to that meeting Zeus wants." Artemis said, lightly rubbing her ring for comfort.

Her Hunters let out a cheer before they noticed the massive hole in her wall.

"Um, my lady, what happened?" Tracy asked, pointing to the hole.

"Oh. Nothing. My brother wanted to, ah, test whether my walls were hard enough to protect me, so I helped him out." Artemis said simply before walking right out the door, knowing that her Hunters would follow. With some chuckling and laughing, her Hunters followed her.

They arrived at the Throne Room soon after, and as Thalia had said, Zeus had demanded that every god be there. Even the Immortal Campers were there, the old and new ones. Only Artemis's and Apollo's thrones were empty.

As they walked in, Artemis became acutely aware that practically all of the gods were staring at her and her Hunters in a confused way, while the Campers were staring in an embarrassed way. She frowned.

"Is there a problem?" She asked in a general way.

"Well…Artemis, you've been in bed for like, three months straight, and instead of looking like a mess…you look…you look…breathtaking. Even your Hunters." Athena said, frowning as she looked at them.

Artemis frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Here." Aphrodite said, a jealous look glinting in her eyes. She waved her hands and created a large mirror that allowed Artemis to see herself and her Hunters clearly.

"Oh." Was all Artemis said.

Facing them, in the mirror, was not what Artemis and her Hunters originally looked like. Now, they were vastly upgraded in looks.

Artemis's hair was silky, lush, shiny and thick, her hair gleaming a brilliant auburn color, while her lips were pure red, her skin glowing, flawless and smooth. In this form, Artemis seemed to radiate beauty, especially since her eyes sparkled like never before, or when her eyes were pits of endless silver flames. Her curves seemed more artistically curved, combining beauty, sexiness and athleticism in a perfect package. Even her Hunters had changed a lot, each of them giving off a powerful silver glow, each of their eyes sparkling.

Artemis stopped herself from looking and turned to face Zeus, who seemed to be examining them. No doubt that he had sensed the massive power increase in her and her Hunters.

"Father, what seems to be the problem? Why call us? What's wrong?" Artemis said, standing right where she was, moving over to her throne and taking a seat in it, while her Hunters took up their usual positions.

"Wait. First of all, where's Apollo? I thought he was the one that told you to come here." Zeus asked. At the same time, Poseidon flinched. Zeus turned to him. "What's the matter?"

"Umm…Let me show you." Poseidon said. Poseidon waved his hand and with a shimmering of light, opened up a portal made of water and reached in, ready to pull something out when Zeus interrupted him.

"When could you do that?" Zeus asked, a jealous look glinting in his eyes as he pointed at Poseidon's water portal.

"Huh? Oh, uh, I've been…improving my control over water, that's why." Poseidon said hastily. While Zeus gave him a suspicious look but nodded anyway, Artemis's eyes immediately turned to Poseidon's hand, or, more specifically, his ring finger. And true to Artemis's suspicions, a ring glittered on it.

So, Poseidon has one too. I wonder who else does? Artemis wondered. She would've thought more, but at that moment Poseidon pulled whatever he was pulling out of the portal. The entire room gasped while Artemis winced in embarrassment and her Hunters held back chuckles.

It was Apollo. In a very bad state.

Apollo was drenched in golden ichor, which mainly seemed to be coming from his head. Besides the blood, he was scratched in many places, and judging from the terrible angles of his limbs, he had broken many of his bones.

"Who did this. Who did this?" Zeus thundered as he glared at everyone in the room.

Artemis briefly considered not answering before she decided to answer anyway.

"I did, Father." Artemis said.

The room stilled to a deathly silence as Zeus's mouth dropped wide open, nothing but choking sounds coming out as he struggled to speak.

"B-b-b-But he's your brother! How could you do that, Artemis? I will make sure that there will be a punishment for you." Zeus growled out, his eyes flashing.

"He's a stupid boy that insulted Percy by comparing him with Orion." Artemis spat, spitting out the last word with a venomous snarl. She felt her eyes burst into flames and Zeus involuntarily flinched. Seizing her chance to escape a lecture, she continued. "Now, why did you call us here, Father? What's the matter?"

Zeus was still gaping and spluttering, so Hestia helped by offering to heal Apollo.

"Zeus, would you like me to take care of Apollo? Then you could get on with the meeting." Hestia said, winking at Artemis, who flushed.

"Yes, yes…take care of him." Zeus said distractedly.

Hestia smirked slightly as she took Apollo and gently set him on the ground, resting her hand on his forehead as she began to heal him. Artemis noticed however, that as Hestia moved to get Apollo, Hestia also had a ring on her finger. Now that she noticed it, she also noticed that Hestia seemed to radiate warmth and heat far more than before. Artemis frowned slightly. She would figure out who had given out the rings, but right now, she had to know why Zeus had called them all here.

"So, what is it, Lord Zeus?" Artemis asked again.

Zeus, who was still distracted, turned to Hades and gave him a nod, the latter whom immediately cleared his throat and started speaking,

"Well, most of you remember how Oceanus had said that 'But from the way things are looking, Gaea won't even need her last plan. I can do it right here, and right now.' But he failed. At first, we thought he was merely bluffing. But it's turned out to be true. We know what Gaea's last plan is now." Hades said.

While the others had concerned faces, Artemis grew frustrated. Her family never got to the point.

"Well? What is it? Get to the point!" Artemis snapped.

"Tartarus is open. Or at least, half open. Gaea must've persuaded Tartarus to allow most of the monsters to be freed. The good news is that all the major ones, such as Kronos and the Titans, Giants, they're still there. But there is currently a slew of lesser monsters that are about to break free of Tartarus and wreck chaos." To emphasize his point, Hades waved his hand and the air rippled as movement could be seen. In it, everyone could clearly see a massive sea of monsters advancing through the darkness. Hades waved his hand again, and like a camera, it panned a short distance to show the gates of Tartarus.

"That's how close they are to breaking through, and we must stop them." Hades said.

Zeus nodded. "This is why I called the meeting. If it were my choice, I would just go in there and blast anything and everything. Hades has, after all, given all of us permission to enter his territory this one time." At this, Hera gave him a sharp glare, and Zeus rapidly cleared his throat. "Of course, ah, reason and safety prompts me to ask my daughter for her strategies and ideas." Zeus said, quickly recovering and waving his hand at Athena.

"Yes, I have an idea." Artemis said, jumping off her throne and standing up straight. Her Hunters immediately followed suit, standing up and at attention.

"We will kill them all." Artemis said venomously. "Hunters. Suit up!"

She raised her hand and twisted her ring, her armor exploding into full form, fully protecting her in a suit of super lightweight and strong armor. It was a good time to test how strong the armor was in real battle, and this was the perfect time for her to get herself up to speed. Her Hunters followed suit, each of them twisting their ring, cladding each of them in perfect, silver armor.

Artemis reached up and flipped her visor down, giving a feral grin.

"Let's roll." With a snap of her fingers, Artemis teleported herself and her Hunters to Tartarus, leaving an extremely shocked group of people staring after her wake.

"Wherever in the whole Universe did Artemis and her Hunters get that?" Zeus screeched like a little girl. Everyone else was too shocked or stunned to answer, while Hades could only open up a window that would allow everyone to watch Artemis.

Artemis and Co. appeared right inside the Gates of Tartarus. While it was extremely smoky and dark down here, Artemis and her Hunters had no problem seeing perfectly fine. They could also see the massive sea of monsters that was slowly bearing down on them.

"Hunters…are you ready?" Artemis asked, summoning her silver bow that shone like a beacon in the darkness.

"Yes." They answered as they spread out in a single line, each of them drawing their own bows.

"Fire with everything you've got, on my mark." Artemis said. She turned her head slightly and saw each of her Hunters in the "ready" position, multiple arrows nocked and ready. She herself picked out three "heavy" arrows and grinned.

"For Percy." Artemis whispered under her breath as she eyed the advancing crowd of monsters.

And then she let loose her arrows. Almost immediately, a rain of arrows followed from her Hunters. She, along with her Hunters, continuously sent rain after rain of arrows, but then the monsters got too close. With a flourish, Artemis drew both of her knives and leaped into the battle, dual slashing and stabbing as she did so. Soon, she and her Hunters were in the fight of their lives.

After fighting for a couple of hours, Artemis was pleasantly surprised to find that her skills, instead of deteriorating slightly, were better than ever. Her body flowed and moved like silk, every move was just perfect, not wasting the slightest bit of energy in unnecessary movements. Every strike she made was perfect, precise, and deadly. Her brain automatically scanned whatever she was fighting, and she would automatically choose the path of least resistance, and yet causing the most damage.

Her twin flaming silver blades wove circles of deadly fire, and Artemis relished at how good she felt, and at how many powers and abilities she now had at her disposal.

Summoning a thin line of silver fire at the tip of her blade, she swiped sideways before thrusting the fire out. The fire flew through the air, cutting through several groups of monsters in a perfect line before dissipating. Flipping her blade, she slammed it into the ground, a wall of fire roaring to life as it destroyed every monster in a three hundred and sixty degree radius.

As Artemis took a breath, she noticed-or rather, felt- her hand grow hot. Frowning, she looked down and her eyes widened. Her hand was wreathed in a ball of pure silver…something. It wasn't fire, it wasn't liquid, it wasn't anything she had seen before. Then it hit her.

Plasma? Artemis thought. Whenever could I summon plasma? Hades, whenever could anyone summon plasma?

Experimentally, Artemis raised her hand and fired at a large group of Laistrygonian giants.

The result surprised and shocked her beyond her expectations.

A colossal explosion shook the ground as her plasma blast hit the ground. It immediately wiped out ten times the number of monsters Artemis had been aiming for, and the blast released a wall of force that caused every monster in the surrounding area to topple like dominoes. The recoil from firing the bolt was enough to send Artemis skidding backwards ten yards.

Regaining her senses, she turned and caught Thalia's gaze, who, even with the mask on, seemed to be giving her a surprised look. Then Thalia turned away and summoned a blast of lightning as powerful as Zeus's own, frying an entire squadron of monsters.

"Die, goddess!"

Artemis whirled around, instinctively raising her blades in an 'X' position, just blocking a powerful blow that would've cleaved her in two. Artemis's eyes widened as she recognized the dual bronze scimitars, with the poisonous mist rolling off it. Kampê.

"You." Artemis spat.

"Yes, me. You wear pretty armor, Goddess, but you are no Hecatonchire. You're dead." Kampê snarled.

Suddenly disengaging, Kampê knocked Artemis's daggers out of her hand and slammed the tips of both of her scimitars right at Artemis's chest plate. Instead of the excruciating pain that Artemis fully expected to feel, she just felt a strong push and heard a loud crack as she was forced several feet backwards from the force of Kampê's blow. Both she and Kampê looked down, the former in surprise while the latter was with pure shock.

Kampê's scimitars had snapped in half, the broken shards lying on the ground, while Artemis's armor was completely unscathed, not even the slightest scratch to indicate that it had just been brutally stabbed.

"You're the dead one now, Kampê." Artemis sneered.

She extended her forearm mounted blade and slammed it deep into Kampê's chest. Kampê gasped in pure surprise and pain, and Artemis smirked. Summoning a bolt of plasma, she fed it straight into her blade. With an explosive bang, Kampê flew off of Artemis's hidden blade, a massive hole in her chest as she slammed into the opposite wall before crumbling into monster dust.

"Not so bad after all…" Artemis muttered under her breath as she slid her blade back in. She stood up and surveyed the battle that was raging around her.

There were clearly a lot less monsters but there still many of them, even if they were lesser monsters. She quickly located her Hunters, who were all fighting as a group against a tide of monsters. Artemis stared at them and came upon a decision: She'd end this right here and now, no more time wasted. Transforming into a falcon, Artemis shot into the air, traveling the short distance to her Hunters before transforming back into human form, firing off a couple of blasts to clear the area.

"My Lady, are you alright? I saw you get hit." Thalia said as she casually summoned a ball of lightning in her hand and threw it at a monster. The monster screeched before dissolving into dust.

"Yes, I'm alright." Artemis said as she fired three arrows straight through the eyes of six monsters. "Hunters, brace yourselves!"

Thalia's eyes widened and she immediately relayed the order. The Hunters tightened into a group and Artemis took a breath, praying that it would work. With a yell, she revealed her true form. And she, along with her Hunters, the Olympians and the Campers that were watching, were thoroughly shocked.

Instead of a golden light of power, Artemis emitted a blinding silver light of pure destruction. The light was so intense, that the Immortal Campers had to shut their eyes from it and even the Olympians had to squint or be at risk of being blinded. However, the Hunters, even the ones who had lifted their visors, could see perfectly well.

Everything, literally everything around her, except for her Hunters ,was leveled and destroyed almost immediately. A ring of power, light and colossal force blew outwards from her as Tartarus shook from the power that Artemis was emitting. It was so powerful that soon, the walls were crumbling and the ceiling was cracking. Then, the entire place completely collapsed, crushing and sealing the gates to Tartarus under millions of tons of rock.

A split-instant later, Artemis and her Hunters appeared in the throne room, completely unscathed and looking extremely unnerving, since their visors glittered as brightly as ever before.

"Mission accomplished, Lord Zeus." Artemis said formally. "Now, do I have your permission to go and restart my Hunt?"

Zeus, along with everyone else, just gaped at Artemis, surprised that she and her group of girls could take down so many monsters without getting a scratch. Plus, the display of Artemis's powers had, although they'd never admit, had frightened them.

"I…I…of course you…" Zeus stuttered, struggling to find his words. Luckily for him, he was saved by Apollo.

Apollo, who was lying on the ground being healed by Hestia, suddenly jerked upright. His mouth dropped open and a golden light flowed from it. The light formed a vague image, which showed a golden throne, a golden room and a indistinct person who was sitting on the throne. Then a voice spoke, a voice that contained ancient power.

The Earth, the Ancients, shall rise anew,

Strengthened by End's own sinew,

The Seven, the Creator, shall answer the summons,

To save, or not to save, the Moon is in question,

One choice, shall end this world,

One choice, will save all worlds,

The Son of Poseidon shall rise from death,

To save this world from End's mighty wrath.

When it finished, the golden light disappeared, and Apollo slumped back onto the ground.

For a second, everyone just stared at Apollo with a mixture of shock. Then Artemis spoke up.

"Great. Another prophecy."

A couple hours later, Artemis walked along the beach of Camp Half-Blood, watching the waves of the ocean glitter and sparkle under the moonlight. In her hands, she held the silver rose, which only seemed to glow brighter than ever under the moonlight and its close proximity to the ocean. She breathed in deeply, taking in the smells of the ocean and the rose before she stopped walking. Right here. It was right here where she had first found love. And it was right here where Apollo had destroyed it. Artemis ground her teeth together. She was going to have words with her little brother, although she'd do her best to stop herself from physically assaulting him.

Artemis stood there and faced the ocean, continuing to brood and mourn, not moving at all, even when she heard footsteps behind her. It was Thalia.

"My Lady…um, well, I, uh, we think that you should…know about this too." Thalia mumbled as she lifted her visor. She reached into her pocket and took out her iPod and the earphones. Without preamble, Thalia put it in Artemis's hand and dashed off, looking rather embarrassed.

Artemis frowned slightly and looked at the iPod in her hand. It was set as a photo slideshow. Shrugging, she put the earphones into her ear and touched the 'Play' button. And was deeply surprised at what she saw, and heard.

Come along with me

To the butterflies and bees

We can wander through the forest

And do so as we please

It was a compilation of pictures that Thalia had taken of Percy, usually when he had done a goofy thing, or a funny thing. It provided a window into his past, giving Artemis a glimpse of what Percy had been before he had become a Guardian.

Come along with me

To a cliff under a tree

Artemis blushed as she saw the next picture. It was a picture of when Percy had been badly wounded from the basilisk attack, and Percy had been tenderly taking care of her, even feeding her. And there she was, lying on his lap and practically begging to be taken care.

All of my affections

I give them all to you

Maybe by next summer

We won't have changed our tunes

The slideshow continued, showing off quite a few pictures of Artemis cheerfully teasing Percy, torturing him, and some of them, now that she looked back on them, were embarrassingly obvious at just how the position and her movements revealed that she had taken a liking to him.

Artemis also couldn't help but listen more and more to the music that was playing in the background. It deeply moved and connected with her.

A very appropriate and apt name, considering my situation…Artemis though sadly.

She continued watching and listening, and almost dropped the iPod. The last photo was a scene that she cherished and yet was deeply ashamed of.

Thalia had somehow gotten a picture of the exact moment when her lips and Percy's met, the moon a super bright orb of light right above them.

"I…I uh, I hope you don't mind that I took that picture." A voice squeaked by her side. Artemis turned to find Thalia right beside her, beet red in the face.

Artemis smiled a true smile for the first time since Percy's death as she slung an arm over her Lieutenant's shoulder.

"It's alright, Thalia. I love it. Thank you for showing this to me." Artemis said. "Now let's go and honor your brother's memory, shall we?"
_

---

As the weeks rolled by, Artemis and her Hunters soon became some of the most dangerous beings on the planet. Their skills were sharper than ever, and they constantly trained and thought up new, faster, more efficient methods of killing their target. Combined with the unnerving, moral-reducing visor and armor, they were up to practically any task that required stealth, speed, efficiency and strength.

Artemis and her Hunters also became colder. They became colder, frostier, and less forgiving, with Artemis prone to slaughter any man she saw on sight and her Hunters to torture them. However, since Percy had always wanted to help demigods get to Camp Half-Blood, Artemis had taken up the task to help any demigod along their path to Camp Half-Blood, boy or girl, in defiance of Zeus's frustration, who constantly reminded Artemis of the Ancient Laws. Artemis however, ignored them.

The loss of Percy had them hard, but the one who suffered the most was Artemis. Not a night would pass without Artemis kneeling and remembering by Percy's bed, where she had put the silver rose. Not a day or night would pass without her remembering and mourning the day she lost her friend, her Guardian, her confidante. The day she had lost her partner, her Hunter and…

Her Love.