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The room is quiet, no one says anything and no one really knows what to say.
Poseidon continues to stare at nothing his cheeks still bright red from his screaming and tantrum, he doesn't know what else to say and he wants to be angry, he really does but he can't find the energy, he can't even find the energy to cry so he sits in silence and refuses to look at anyone.
Artemis is still on her throne and she is watching her brother with careful eyes as he stares blankly at the floor, she is the only one watching him no one else dares to look at him while he searches.
She watches him again and again as he shakes his head in confusion and grunts in annoyance as he comes back empty handed, again and again.
Finally he looks up and Artemis swears he is going to cry, to break down in tears.
"I can't see them."
The words seem to echo in the room and the huntress doesn't know if that is because of the empty feeling in the room or it is just in her head, just her imagination as one of her fears come true.
She doesn't cry but.
She is stronger than this and she refuses to cry.
"Look again." She hears herself say but it is like she is in another room listening in because she doesn't sound like herself, she sounds like a monotonous robot.
One of Hephaestus' faulty experiments.
But she knows he is looking again, the light in the room dims slightly as he zones in as he searches his forethought looking for some kind of clue as to where they could be.
She hears a sob and it takes her a moment to realise it is coming from her brother.
"I'm sorry, but I can't." He is gripping his head in pain and she wants to snap at him to tell him the pain he is feeling could not be worse to what Percy is suffering from.
But she doesn't she holds her tongue because the lights have dimmed again and he is searching still.
"We won't be able to find them until they want to be found."
Artemis looks over at her sister and frowns, she knows it is the truth, of course it is, but that doesn't mean Artemis wants her brother to stop looking and that doesn't mean Apollo stops looking.
"We need to find them." Zeus says, his voice is soft and yet everyone looks towards him as if he had all the answers, but he doesn't, no one does.
The room delves further into silence and they are all silent.
"I told you that you shouldn't have agreed to him joining the hunt." Artemis says across the room she is talking to Zeus but her words reach everyone.
"It's not your fault." Hermes replies from across the room, his phone on silent for the first time in a decade.
But it is it's her fault he is gone. Her fault he was taken.
If she had gone with him though, would things have turned out differently? Would he be okay? Would he be sitting across from her at her camp talking discussing battle plans? Or would he be asking her about her day while they sat under the moonlight?
She doubted that.
But that didn't mean that somewhere deep down inside her she didn't wish for it.
"I just want my son back." Poseidon whispers and everyone looks at him they all hated losing a child sadly it happened all the time.
"We will find him, brother." Hera says patting him on the back, he is quiet thought they all are.
The silence lasts for a week until they go back to normal business.
But even then they are more quiet than usual.
The huntresses go back to life as normal, but they know not to disturb their leader.
Thalia visits her often and they sit in the tent talking about their next campsite, and so what is along the way they talk about where Percy might be and if he is okay.
They don't talk about what he may be doing because they don't want to know, they do know enough from what they hear along the grapevine.
They hear things that are enough to send shivers down their spines.
Of what he does to his enemies and how he belongs to them and they will never get him back.
Thalia cried when she heard it.
She refused to tell Annabeth or anyone else when she saw them and when they asked whether they knew anything.
She just puts on a brave smile and tells them that they don't know anything, they don't ask anymore.
Artemis visit's Poseidon one day, her face a void of emotion and when he asks she tells him, he cries and half of Seattle gets whipped out in an earthquake.
She stays with him that day and she promises that she will find him he thanks her and when she leaves she can't help but collapse to the ground, but still she refuses to cry.
Thalia finds her later and wordlessly helps her up.
"Is she okay?" Phoebe asks once Thalia comes back, they all know how important Percy was, they aren't stupid.
Thalia looks back to the tent where she had placed Artemis moments ago.
"I don't know. It's been a hard couple of months." She mutters rubbing her eyes.
Phoebe nods her head wordlessly and orders the huntresses to pack up camp; they listen without a second word although their faces speak thousands.
"Where to next?"
"Chicago." She fiddles with her hands and moves around on the spot. "We have word he might be there along with Gaea."
Phoebe nods her head and looks back.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she pulls her friend further away from camp until they are standing beside a tree not too far from camp but out of ear shot. "I mean from what we have heard, he isn't exactly the same Percy he was before."
Thalia glares at her. "We need to help him." she says, it's a warning and Phoebe knows it.
"No I mean, shouldn't we ask for help or something?" she says dejectedly.
"Artemis doesn't want to ask for help." Thalia says, even she thinks it is a stupid idea.
"But we need it, we need help, there are hundreds of monsters, a couple of gods, a primordial and a Hero/god gone deranged."
"Do not speak of Percy like that!" Thalia hissed, Phoebe eased up and watched as Thalia began to pace.
"You know what he has done, what he is doing. I hate to say this but he is not the same." Thalia stops and glares at Phoebe. "Thalia, you need to convince her, tell her that we are going to need help."
Thalia knew she was right but like Hades she was going to admit it.
"He isn't going to see us and remember who he was before this and switch sides. You heard of the magic Gaea can do, she has him under lock and key and I doubt just seeing someone he recognises will fix him." Phoebe continued.
"I just want my friend back." She mutters her head slumped towards her chest.
"We all want him back." Thalia looks back up with a confused expression; no one else wanted him back. "We all miss our cleaner." Phoebe smiles and Thalia can't help but smile back.
"I will see what I can do." Thalia says and Phoebe nods her head gratefully.
"Thank you."
"No." Artemis mutters as she watches the flames of her hearth.
"But my lady, we may need back up." Thalia begs Artemis looks back up at her with a warning flash that the huntress obeys.
"No, this is my fault and I will go in by myself."
Thalia freezes and looks at the goddess, this is suicide, even if she is a goddess, once Gaea gets a hold of her she will never leave and the Olympians need her.
"My Lady-"
"Leave Thalia, I leave tomorrow." She looks back at the huntress with stern eyes. "You must not tell anyone where I am going, you must keep them out and away from this tent while I search the city."
Thalia is quiet for a moment watching her leader, speechless. "Wh-What will I tell them?"
Artemis looks back down at the flames and she is quiet for a moment and Thalia desperately wants to know what she is thinking.
"Tell them I am ill."
"My Lady, I beg you not to go."
"Thalia." The goddess looks up from the flames and stares at the huntress. "I said. Leave."
Thalia listens and leaves the tent in anger, she spends an hour shooting arrows at trees, but the next day she sticks to her word and no one enters the tent.
Artemis returns that night, she is sitting in the tent when Artemis checks.
"Did you find them?"
She shakes her head.
This continues for a week, and Thalia almost doesn't ask one night but she shakes her head and when she arrives to the tent one night and she asks the question she is surprised to see the goddess bob her head in reply.
Thalia doesn't know if she should be happy or scared.
She sticks with the latter.