Percy emerged from the marble throne room, standing straighter than he ever had before. Nico was the first to confront him after his immortalization, "Hey Perce. Are you taller than you were?"
The newest immortal looked at the son of Hades, and had to look further down than he usually would. "You bet he is!" The god of the sun appeared seemingly out of nowhere, wrapping one tanned arm around Percy's shoulder. "He's an immortal now! Not a god, mind you, but you're the next best thing."
The son of Poseidon turned to Apollo, trying to shrug the archer's arm off of his shoulder without the son of Zeus noticing, "Do I get any other perks because of my new condition?"
Apollo put on a thoughtful face, "Hmm… Well, you get taller, faster, stronger, better looking, you bleed ichor now, you can teleport, but like, instead of doing it like gods do, you travel through moisture in the air… I think that's it. Oh! You also have increased control over the powers that you had before. Basically, you can do even cooler water stuff more often."
Percy grinned thoughtfully, nodding slowly as he imagined the capabilities. "Oh Pe-ercy!" A feminine voice singsonged. Aphrodite sashayed through, "I need to talk to you in my room." She said, poking her index finger into his chest as she enunciated 'you'.
Without waiting for a response, the love goddess sauntered off, making sure to put an extra sway into her hips as she did so. Apollo laughed, clapping Percy on the back, making the son of Poseidon wince slightly. "There's one more perk; girls."
Percy groaned, trudging along to follow the goddess of beauty to her room. He arrived at her door, knocking three times. The son of the sea god waited several seconds, but received no answer. He looked around, making sure no one was watching him, before opening her door and entering the room.
The first thing that Percy noticed was that this room was very pink, almost inducing a reflexive gag from the son of Poseidon. The male navigated his way throughout the room, making sure not to touch anything before sitting down in the nearest chair, which just so happened to be a loveseat.
Aphrodite re-entered the room from the hallway, no longer dressed in the violet dress she had adorned outside. Instead, she was wearing an incredibly skimpy pink bikini. "I'm so glad you decided to join me. And you even chose my favorite seat."
She sashayed over to the loveseat, laying herself across Percy's lap. Just seconds after sitting down, she began to rub herself on the former mortal. The son of Poseidon immediately became uncomfortable, attempting to rise from the chair.
Aphrodite gripped Percy's shoulders, overpowering him and forcing the male to remain planted in the seat. "Don't even try, honey. You might be an immortal, but I'm an Olympian," she reasoned, putting extra emphasis on the last word.
Percy gave up his efforts, pleasing Aphrodite, and the goddess draped her arms around his shoulders, laying her cheek on his chest. As she got comfortable, the Olympian even began purring, akin to the noise a cat would make. The son of Poseidon cleared his throat loudly, "WELL," he began loudly, clearly still very uncomfortable in the hypothetical position she'd placed him in, "you invited me in here because you needed something from me, correct?"
Aphrodite opened her eyes, sending a momentary glare at the other immortal in the room, then sat up, "I was enjoying that." She pouted. Percy gave her a look, and she sighed. "I have a daughter that will be traveling to the Grand Canyon today, accompanied by two other demigods. One is a son of Hephaestus, my old sweetheart, and I haven't placed the other yet. I would greatly appreciate it, and even possibly reward you," Aphrodite stared at Percy's lips, making the underlying meaning of the last phrase clear, "if you would locate these three and bring them to wherever the rest of your demigod friends will be staying from now on."
The son of Poseidon nodded, "If that's all, then am I free to leave?"
The goddess of love mulled over his question, then ducked in quickly to kiss Percy on the cheek. She hopped off of his lap, "There's more of that coming when you get back." She pulled the son of Poseidon hurriedly off of her love seat, rushing him to the door and shoving him into one of Olympus's walkways.
Percy absentmindedly rubbed the spot on his cheek where she kissed him, turning right into a punch. The newest immortal fell to the ground, rolling over once into a crouched position. He spit blood out of his mouth, grinning as he saw ichor instead, before looking up, staring into the fiery eyes of the war god. "Resorting to sucker punches, Ares? I didn't think you were that afraid of me."
The Olympian ignored him, "You think just cause you're immortal now means you can get with my girl? I'm about to teach you a lesson, runt."
Percy stood to his full height, grinning even wider when he realized he and Ares were the same height. "I'm not sure you're much good for teaching."
The war god roared in anger, swinging a wild fist at the son of Poseidon. The former demigod ducked under the blow, spinning on a dime and decking Ares right in his jaw. The god stumbled back a few feet as a result of the strike. He spat, shaking off the pain and charging at Percy. The war god lowered his shoulder, attempting to tackle the son of Poseidon. The newest Olympian performed a matador-like movement, jumping out of harm's way in the last second. Ares did not realize Percy had moved, continuing to charge until he crashed into a pillar, collapsing it on top of himself and knocking himself unconscious.
Percy took a moment to admire his handiwork as he caught his breath. As he began to leave, an idea popped into his head, and he changed course, going to search for a pen and paper. Once he had found his desired objects, he scribbled down a note, laying it on top of the wreckage, before dashing off.
Several minutes later, Aphrodite answered a knock on her door. "What?" She demanded.
Athena stood at her door, along with a crowd of Olympus's other residents, looking at the wreck that Ares lay in. "There's a letter for you."
The love goddess sighed, coming out of the doorway to see what had happened. Her lover lay unconscious in a pile of rubble (which she assumed used to be a pillar), a piece of paper covering his face. She picked up the parchment and began to read aloud.
To Aphrodite,
Keep a tighter leash on your pet.
Signed, Percy
As Jason approached the watchtower, flanked by Leo and Piper, he groaned. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Leo slapped his friend on the back, attempting to be encouraging, "Aw Jason! Quit being such a worry wart. It's gonna be fine. We're just gonna go up top in that big tower-thingy, and look down on the great divide. What, are ya scared of heights or something?"
The blonde looked down, shaking his head slowly, "Nah. I just don't feel like if we go up there, we won't get down for a long while."
Piper reached around Jason's back, flicking Leo's ear, before wrapping both of her arms around one of her boyfriend's. "Don't worry Jason," she began softly, "I'll be right beside you the entire way."
The Hispanic boy rubbed his ear, grumbling under his breath. "Yeah, buddy. Kaleidoscope and I'll be stuck to you like gum on a shoe."
Jason attempted a smile, trying to reassure his friends that he was feeling better. "You're right, guys. I'm sure it'll be fine."
When the trio made it to the entrance of the tower, multiple groups of students had already been loaded into the elevators. The three got onto the elevator as the last set to go up, alone except for Coach Hedge. "Hey cupcakes. Excited to see the canyon?"
Piper looked up. She felt like the man didn't like her very much, but she smiled at him politely, "Yes sir."
Hedge seemed to be insulted by her words. "That's Coach to you, cupcake."
A ding rang out as the elevator doors opened, revealing a large open room, with no furniture to be found. There were windows where walls should be, making it much easier to observe the canyon.
Several minutes later, students were filtered into the elevator, and taken back to the buses. The trio were the last on the floor, along with Coach Hedge, and a group of strangers and their cat. Leo noticed this, "Hey! Do they allow pets in here?"
The largest female in the party stepped forward, "Leo Valdez. We have been observing you."
"Uh, cool. Yeah. That's not disconcerting or creepy at all," The Hispanic boy spoke, slowly backing away from them.
As Leo backed away, the cat grew larger, "Uh, guys?" Leo exclaimed, "That's a lion!"
Jason and Piper spun around, and the humans in the group transformed into winged beasts. Coach Hedge began unbuttoning his pants, and Piper screamed, "This is definitely NOT the time to get naked!"
The man ignored her, shedding his pants and revealing a pair of very hairy legs, "Those're harpies, cupcake. You'll need me for this one."
As he finished his sentence, the elevators dinged once again, this time revealing one passenger. A raven-haired man dressed in dark jeans and a t-shirt stepped out of the lift, brandishing a bronze sword. "Huh. I've already given away one Nemean Lion pelt."
Hedge seemed to recognize the stranger. "I didn't need you, cupcake. I could handle these punks on my own."
The lion seemed to grow agitated by the lack of action, and rushed towards Jason. The quadruplet of harpies followed its lead, two headed for Leo and one each for the coach and Piper. The four retreated, but the monsters kept advancing. The lion lunged, connecting with Jason and sending them both crashing through the window. The others, besides the newest addition to the floor, were pressed against the window, also falling as it broke. The only one not falling roared in anger, "GODS DAMNIT!"
'This is it.' Leo thought as he fell. 'I've survived so much, but ultimately, gravity got the best of me.' He descended face down, staring at the ground as the earth became closer. The Hispanic half-blood was suddenly jerked upward, and he twisted around, seeing the dark-haired stranger from the elevator gripping him by his shirt.
Leo looked back down, and saw water rushing upward towards the two of them, "What the hell?" He screamed.
The stranger and Leo reached the ground, their descent slowed greatly by the water cushion. The man looked up, and growled. The brunette glanced up after his reaction, and was greeted by a strange sight. Jason floated above the ground, holding Piper in his arms. To make things more interesting, Coach Hedge was clinging onto the blonde's ankle with both hands.
"ZEUS YOU SLUT!" The stranger screamed at the sky. Jason slowly sank lower and lower, finally touching the ground.
"Are the bird-women gone?" He asked, looking around suspiciously, letting go of Piper as he did so.
The stranger shoved Leo away from him, the said Hispanic soaked from the water, "Probably. They most likely thought none of us would survive the fall. I'd be more worried about that, though." He warned, pointing at the Nemean Lion.
"Is it dead?" Piper asked as the five of them approached the monster.
Once her question was voiced, the animal cocked its head upwards, growling as it saw them. It slowly stood to its feet, somewhat wobbly once it was finally upright. The dark-haired man waved his hand at them, gesturing for them to get back, "Run."
The lion lunged, but the stranger was faster, leaping out of the way. The lion connected with the ground, causing a plume of dried dirt to rise into the air, shading their battle. The man swung his sword at the beast's maw. As his weapon connected, the lion bit down, ripping the sword out of the stranger's hands and throwing it away.
As the sword clattered away, the man's eyes widened, "Shit."
The lion crouched down, preparing to pounce on the dark-haired male. An arrow broke the beast's concentration, bouncing off of the back of its neck. Everyone looked in the direction it was fired from, including the lion, and saw a group of girls, none older than twenty-four, approaching, each of them clad in various shades of green. "Need some help, Kelphead?"
The man she was talking to just growled, turning back to the lion. The beast chomped at him, and he sprung into the air, flipping over the monstrosity. He sped toward his sword, grabbing it up, whirling back toward the lion.
"I'll finish the job this time." He said, running straight for the lion.
The green-clad women made their way over the four that had been watching the fight. A girl with short, spiky black hair approached Piper, "Thalia Grace. Lieutenant of Artemis." She spoke, extending a fist.
The brunette widened her eyes at the girl's last name, before cautiously touching Thalia's fist with her own. She looked back at the fight, "Is he gonna be alright?"
Thalia looked surprised by the question, as if the idea of the man not winning hadn't even crossed her mind. "Percy? He'll be fine. Something about being invulnerable that just doesn't let you die."
The man, now known to Piper as Percy, feigned at the the top of the lion's head. The motion had the desired effect, causing the beast to open its mouth wide. Percy stabbed down into the monster's throat. However, as he did so, the lion bit down, lodging its teeth firmly in his shoulder.
They both collapsed after this, neither making a movement from their places on the ground. Jason was the first to realize the dire situation, "He's not moving."
Thalia's eyes widened, and she raced toward the motionless body, "Percy!" She screamed, falling to her knees by his side. "Annabeth will never forgive me if I let you die!" She pried the deceased lion's maw open, wincing as she saw the amount of blood around the wound.
Artemis arrived beside her, dragging the lion's body away from Percy. Thalia rolled him over, and the downed man rasped, "Wa-water."
The lieutenant looked pleadingly at the goddess, and Artemis nodded, snapping her fingers and summoning a large bottle of water. Thalia quickly opened the contained, dousing the wound with the liquid.
By that point, the hunters and the other four had arrived behind the duo helping the wounded man. As the water was absorbed by Percy, the rest of them (other than Artemis and Thalia), marveled at how his wounds healed themselves at such a quick rate.
When his injuries were gone, Thalia slumped, letting out a long sigh, "Oh thank Olympus."
Percy woke in darkness, a thin slit of light the only thing he could see. He groaned loudly, slowly sitting upright and swinging his feet off the side of the cot he lay in. He stood up, gaining his bearings, then began to walk toward the light. As he emerged from the tent, Thalia was the first person to acknowledge the immortal's presence.
She stormed towards him, shoving him in the chest forcefully, "What the hell was that bullshit?"
Percy was barely affected by the push, the only reaction he showed was reaching up and rubbing his bite wound. "Later." He grunted, marching toward the auburn haired goddess.
Artemis turned to face the son of Poseidon, "Perseus. I am glad to see you conscious after the wounds you suffered at the hands of the Nemean Lion."
The son of the sea god was in no mood for pleasantries, however. "Your father and I need to have a chat."
The goddess of the hunt was offended by the boy's tone, and she crossed her arms. As the hunters and other demigods drew near to the duo, she responded. "Would you care to tell me what you need to talk to Lord Zeus about?"
Percy shot a glare her way, turning and looking for someone. "Jason, I need you for a quick second."
The blonde boy in question looked at Piper, who shrugged in response. Swallowing hard, Jason made his way over to the raven-haired man. "What's up?"
Percy ignored his question, instead simply laying a hand on the younger demigod's shoulder. The son of Poseidon used his newfound immortal powers to teleport into the air, just above the tree line. He let go of Jason, allowing the blonde to fall on his own.
Percy reached the ground before Jason, slowing his fall by creating water to stop himself. He pointed upwards at the younger boy. "Superman, up there, is your half-brother."
Artemis sighed, walking away from the son of Poseidon as she pinched the bridge of her nose, and muttered a few unintelligible comments about 'unfaithful male pigs.' "Ignoring my father's blatant unchaste behavior, I seem to have missed the moment when you gained the ability to teleport."
This time it was Percy's chance to sigh. "It's not exactly a fairytale kind of story."
Phoebe, another hunter, interjected into their conversation, "You seem to have come out on the better side of things."
The son of Poseidon sent a fiery glare her way, and the huntress shrunk back into the crowd. "Don't presume to know what I've been through, hunter." He hissed, his voice thick with lightly veiled venom.
Artemis grew nearly two feet, shifting from her usual twelve year-old form to a twenty-four year-old. She put one hand in the center of Percy's chest, shoving him. He flew back, crashing into a tree and slumping over. "I have housed you in my camp because of your friendships with my former and current lieutenants, but if you insult one of my hunters ever again, and you will make an enemy of me."
The son of Poseidon stared up at her, a murderous gleam to his eye. "Maybe if your hunters were there when we were massacred, I would show more respect for them." His voice was steely calm, and it was just loud enough for the nearest hunters and Artemis to hear.
"What are you talking about?" Thalia asked, her hands crackling with electricity as her anger grew.
"A few days ago, the camp was attacked. It was a slaughter. We weren't ready for it, and we lost too many before I managed to fight them off." Percy recounted, staring at the ground as his voice quivered.
"How did you run them off?" Artemis questioned, intently listening to his story.
"I summoned a hurricane. There was only one survivor from their army. He was stronger than any demigod I've ever seen." Percy looked up for the first time during his tale, gazing straight into Thalia's eyes. "He vanished in a flash of lightning."
Artemis contemplated his words, "And how does that lead to you losing the curse of Achilles?"
The son of Poseidon's eyes darted over to the goddess's silver ones, "Nico di Angelo lead the survivors from the battle to Olympus. I asked for the power to ensure no demigods were massacred this way ever again, so the present Olympians decided to make me an immortal."
Thalia stomped toward Percy threateningly, her hands still electrified, and growled, "You allowed this to happen? How do you think Annabeth is going to feel when she dies, and you're still this age?"
The immortal stood to his full height, charging at the daughter of Zeus and grabbing her by the collar of her shirt, "If you ever mention that name to me again," he hissed, at a voice level that only Thalia, Artemis, and Percy could hear, "then Artemis is going to need a new lieutenant."
Tears began welling up in Thalia's eyes as they widened in recognition. Instead of retaliating, she just squeezed Percy tightly in a hug. "I'm sorry. So, so sorry."
Piper sat down on the bank of the lake, staring out at the reflection of the stars on the water. "Couldn't sleep?"
The daughter of Aphrodite twisted her torso, as to gain a look at the speaker. When she saw it was Percy, she sighed, relieved, and then turned back to the water. "Something like that. You?"
The son of Poseidon sat down, not touching shoulders with the girl, but sitting near her. "I haven't slept well since I was twelve years old." He stared at the sky, and Piper followed his gaze.
She saw a depiction of a female wielding a dagger. The girl saw a lone tear silently slide down his cheek, and attempted to change the subject. "Have you ever met my mom?"
Percy looked back toward her, smiling sadly. He swallowed once, "Yeah." The son of Poseidon sounded choked up, as most people do when they have been crying. "I saw her for the first time when I was twelve, on the summer solstice. She's a good-looking woman, and you kind of look like her. I spoke to her for the first time when I was fourteen. She told me that she would make my love life hell. She kept her promise, but you don't care about those details. She's the one who asked me to come find you three."
Piper listened quietly, observing Percy's face as he spoke. The immortal was good looking, his face looking as if it was chiseled out of marble. "Are all demigods' lives as hard as yours?"
The son of the sea god absorbed her questioning, mulling it over. "Not usually. I was an unlucky one. I'm the son of Poseidon, one of the big three. Monsters are more inclined to sense my presence over most other demigods. I think if you want to ask someone about a hard life, though, you should go talk to Thalia. She's a child of the king of Olympus, after all. Monsters have been after her forever. She's been turned into a tree before, which is more than I can say."
Piper just allowed the man to ramble on, letting him relieve some of that mourning through speaking. He stopped talking, holding a hand up to make sure Piper didn't speak either. The daughter of Aphrodite realized he was listening for something.
He pulled his feet out of the water, moving into a crouched position. He reached to his thigh, pulling a small dagger out of a sheath. "Here." He whispered, handing the handle of the weapon to the girl. "Go back to camp and bring Artemis back. If anything attacks you, use this."
Percy stood up to his full height as Piper ran off, shouting out to an enemy he hadn't seen yet. "I know you're here!"
A body fell out of the woods, flopping to the ground limply, and Percy's eyes focused onto it. He growled as he realized it was Nico di Angelo. "I'm sorry, P-Percy." The boy rasped, falling unconscious.
A man strolled out of the woods after the son of Hades, and this time Percy realized it was the opponent he fought at Camp Half-Blood. "You'll pay for this." The immortal snarled, his hands clenching at his sides in rage.
His enemy raised his hands in a 'I mean you no harm' gesture, "The hell spawn is very much alive, and I merely brought him as assurance for my personal safety. Now that the preliminary warning is out of the way, I don't believe we have been formally introduced. You are Perseus Jackson, son of Sally Jackson and Poseidon, and newly promoted immortal." He spoke with an annoyingly jolly tone, and glanced at Nico as he mentioned the immortal tidbit. "Congratulations, by the way. Your friend over there was more than happy to volunteer new information once a few ribs were broken."
Percy growled at his words, clenching his fists tighter, creating crescent shaped imprints in his palms, and grinded his teeth together. "I am Victor Ogletree, not an immortal, but stronger than any of you demigods."
The son of Poseidon put on a calm facade, attempting to not be hostile as to make sure no further harm would come to the last living di Angelo, "I noticed you didn't mention your heritage."
The other man laughed loudly, "I see the scouting reports I've received underestimated your skills of perception."
Percy scowled once again. "I'm only perceptive around people I don't trust."
He laughed again, this time bending over slightly and putting his hands on his knees, "That's a good one. Do you heroes rehearse your lines in the mirror?" The immortal's scowl deepened, and Victor grew serious once more. "Zeus isn't my father, if you're wondering. That lightning trick is easy if you know minor magic."
"Move away from the boy." A voice commanded. Artemis shifted out of the woods, her bow trained on the man.
Victor paid no attention to the goddess, instead focusing on Percy, "I expected so much more from you, oh savior of Olympus. I cannot believe you would sink so low as to sic your dog on me." Artemis snarled at his words, pulling her bowstring back further. "What? Do you prefer wolf?"
She loosed an arrow at the man's head. "Now, as I was saying," he tilted his head to the right, allowing the projectile to fly harmlessly into the forest, "I really don't think it's necessary for you and I to be enemies, Percy."
"You should've thought of that before you killed her." The son of the sea god's voice was venomous in nature, and the onlooking hunters flinched at his tone.
Thalia stepped forward, her hands electrified once more. "This is him?" She demanded, the electricity increasing in intensity as her voice grew louder.
Victor winced, "Ooh. Is this a bad time? I can come back later, if you want."
Thalia screamed in anger, throwing a ball of electricity at the man. He grinned as the voltage flew at him, stopping it by raising one hand in front of the sphere of energy, seconds before the attack would have struck him. "Is that really how the storied 'Hunters of Artemis' treat their guests?"
Percy's voice grew colder, and more venomous still, "Leave. Now. Without the boy. And never, ever come back."
As he had done when he arrived, Victor raised his hands in a non threatening gesture, "Fine. If that is what you want, then so be it." The man turned to walk into the forest, but before he entered the wooded area, he looked over his shoulder at the son of Poseidon. "Oh, and Percy," he said, grinning maliciously from ear to ear, "leave flowers on her grave for me."
"Dinner!" Thalia called, walking ahead of Percy as he toted along the buck she had killed.
"I don't see why you couldn't bring the deer." The son of Poseidon whined, his shoulders starting to ache under the dead mammal's weight.
Thalia grinned at an angle which the immortal couldn't see, exaggeratedly sighing and shaking her head, as if she was disappointed by his complaint. "Percy, we've been through this. You watched while I killed the deer, so I'll watch while you carry the deer."
Artemis smirked at the display from the two cousins, their bickering reminding her of herself and Apollo. "Bring the carcass over here," she told the son of the sea god.
He dropped the deer at her feet, and she scowled at his impolite treatment of a creature from her domain. "Gently, next time, boy."
He spun to face her once more, "Lady Artemis, with all due respect, the animal is dead. I don't think it felt that."
She walked up to him, "Regardless, Perseus," she elongated his real name, trying to irritate the boy, "when a goddess asks something of you, you don't argue with her. Or do you just want Aphrodite to like you?"
Percy paled, realizing this situation could spiral out of control faster than he had anticipated, "I apologize if I have offended you, o goddess of the hunt." He bowed, somewhat mockingly, but Artemis simply dismissed him with an unamused glare.
She snapped her fingers, preparing the deer for consumption. She sat down on one of the wooden logs surrounding the fire, and Percy subconsciously scooted away from her. The goddess of the hunt made a snickering noise, "Scared, Perseus?"
The son of Poseidon scowled, taking a large bite out of the meat on his plate. "No. 'S just that being a jackalope has never quite made it onto my bucket list."
Artemis smirked at his words, and somewhat at how viciously the male ate his food. "I have no intention of turning you into a jackalope, boy. Despite what you may think, you are one of my more favored demigods."
Percy heard some commotion coming from near the tents where the demigods were stationed. "Speaking of demigods…" He discarded his plate, standing to his full height and stalking over to the noise.
Phoebe stood very close to Piper, and the son of Poseidon felt like the older girl was trying to be intimidating. "Don't be as stupid as your mother, girl. No good can come from the boy you feel such attachment to. It is in your best interest to join the hunt."
The younger half-blood clenched her fists by her side in response to the verbal jab directed at her parent, standing on the tips of her toes to get right in Phoebe's face, "What part of 'no' don't you understand?"
The hunter just sneered, placing one hand in between Piper's collarbones. She shoved the girl lightly, but the daughter of Aphrodite was so lightweight that the push knocked her to the ground. "Don't do something you will regret later, wench."
Phoebe began advancing on the downed half-blood. Suddenly, there was a blur of movement, and the hunter collided with a figure, knocking her to the ground, mirroring Piper. Percy seethed down at the eldest huntress of Artemis. "I don't like it when people hit defenseless women."
Phoebe recovered from her brief shock at bumping into something, sloppily scurrying to her feet. As Artemis observed the display from behind the trees and out of sight, she mentally berated her huntress for performing an action so clumsily. "This is not of your concern, boy."
"Actually, her mother personally requested I escort the three demigods under my protection, so this most certainly is my concern, Phoebe." He spat her name with matching, if not greater, disdain than the huntress spoke with.
The girl slowly snaked her hand to the sheath at her waist where she kept her hunting knives, hoping the son of Poseidon wouldn't notice. "If you even attempt to stab me with that toothpick, I will break every bone in your arm."
Phoebe paled, not sure if Percy was bluffing with his threat or not. "Phoebe, go tend to the fire." Artemis gracefully slid into the area, appearing out of the woods as if she had just arrived. The huntress sent one more glare at the son of Poseidon, before bowing to the goddess and leaving.
Artemis helped Piper to her feet, dismissing the girl and turning to Percy. "Do not threaten my huntresses, boy."
The son of the sea god's nostrils flared, "She threatened my friend. And besides, if I hadn't stepped in, she would have injured Piper, and I very much think that Aphrodite wouldn't appreciate that very much."
"I am fully capable of handling the wrath of Aphrodite. What I cannot have is huntresses that despise me for housing a male in my camp. So, in order for you to stay in my camp, you must try to be cordial with my girls." She explained, trying to put her words simply for the man.
Percy inhaled deeply, planning his response, "I can easily do that. However, if they choose to be hostile toward the half-bloods I have promised to protect, then they are going to have a problem with on their hands."
The goddess of the hunt clenched her fists, deeply hoping that the son of Poseidon would stop arguing with her, "I will speak with my hunters about it, but I am trusting you to hold up your part of the agreement."
Percy nodded stiffly, "If you can do that, I'll try to be easier to get along with."
"That's all I'm asking of you." Artemis turned on her heel and walked away, leaving the son of the sea god alone in the small clearing.
Thalia stood in the middle of the field, accompanied by Percy and two other huntresses. "She told us that she sensed monsters this way." The daughter of Zeus informed the others, pointing in the direction she was talking about.
"Wait." Percy spoke, holding a hand out in front of Thalia to stop her from moving forward anymore. "They're close."
Diana scowled, "Why should we believe anything you say, boy?" She spat at Percy, advancing toward the woods.
The male frowned at her words, motioning for her to get back from the trees. "Because the last time I checked, I am the only one with the ability to sense monsters out of us four."
Serena came to her fellow huntress's aid, retorting immediately, "That still doesn't mean we should trust you, or any of your statements."
Thalia was beginning to get irritated by the girls' constant antagonizing of her friend, "You should trust him because I do! I am your lieutenant, which means I am in command of this mission, which means when he says to stay back, and I stay back, you should too!"
The two hunters meekly muttered a "Yes Thalia," before retreating back toward the two children of the big three.
A chuckle came from the forest, attracting the attention of all four half-bloods. "It iss sso deeply amusssing to watch you bicker."
A single dracanae emerged from the wooded area, "I believe this is what you humansss call an ambush."
A small battalion of monsters, Percy believed there were close to fifty in the area, walked into the clearing, surrounding the demigods. Realizing the odds, the son of Poseidon sprung into action, flinging Riptide at a cyclops and impaling the weapon into its forehead.
"You three, run and get Artemis! I'll hold them off until then!" Percy commanded, summoning water to create a blade of ice.
The two other huntresses acquiesced to his orders, racing through the gap the cyclops had previously filled in. Thalia, however, stood her ground, moving so she and Percy would be standing back to back. "I'm not leaving you here."
The son of Poseidon grimaced. "It's not exactly the best odds in the world."
The lieutenant of Artemis smirked, springing Aegis to life, "Yeah. They should've brought more monsters."
The army charged, their weapons raised as they converged on the two half-bloods. The first monster to reach Percy was an empousai, who attempted to grab him by the shoulders. As soon as the monster's hands connected, the son of Poseidon kicked out with his left leg, striking the creature in the knee. It fell on all fours, and Percy flipped his sword into an icepick gripped, stabbing down through the back of its neck.
Behind him, Thalia was holding her own impressively, as well. Many of the monsters were reluctant to approach her, wary of the depiction of Medusa on her shield, so she blasted a path straight through them with her electricity powers. A cyclops approached her, a large club in its hands.
It swung down on the girl, but it just glanced off of Aegis, knocking the monster off balance. She stabbed through its foot with her spear, the creature let out a roar of agony. Thalia used her shield as a weapon this time, striking the beast in the face as it bent over to address the spear. After she had done this, she ripped the spear out of the cyclops's appendage and driving it through its torso.
By this point, Riptide had returned to Percy. He held the sword in an icepick grip, stabbing it straight into the ground. This caused a miniature earthquake to occur, flooring many of the monsters in his view. He let out a yell, summoning a blast of lightning from the sky and decimating the downed creatures.
A hellhound flew at him, and the son of Poseidon slashed upwards with his blade, cleaving the beast's face in two. A cry of pain came from behind Percy, and he whirled around. The son of the sea god was greeted with a terrible image.
A dracanae, the same one that had initially emerged from the forest, stood there, a long, thin knife in its hands. The knife appeared to be coated in poison. Below her, Thalia lay, her face contorted due to the pain she was in. Near her shoulder, the dark green of her apparel was stained red by blood. "STOP!" Percy yelled. He felt a rush in his stomach, and all of the monsters were frozen where they stood.
He dropped to the ground next to the daughter of Zeus, summoning water and healing her wounds. He took nearly three minutes, drawing all of the poison out of her body. The monsters remained frozen, unable to move as the son of Poseidon controlled the water flowing through their bloodstream.
Percy rose to his full height, glaring bloody murder at the dracanae that had wounded Thalia. The girl remained on the ground, unconscious, and no longer in pain. The son of Poseidon stole the dagger from the monster, twisting it around in his hands and observing the blade.
"I assume you know what that poison is, correct?" His voice was eerily calm, and he showed no emotion in his facial features.
"Y-yes." The dracanae gasped out, grimacing as she imagined what he would do.
"And what does it do?" Percy questioned, raising his voice slightly as he visibly grew angrier.
"The poison is not designed to kill. It is designed to cause great pain to the victim. It sends them into a long lasting coma, where the only thing they can feel is that poison, causing them immense pain." The monster rambled on, its fear growing as it stared at the son of Poseidon's expression.
The half-blood glanced down at his friend, taking in her features to make sure she felt none of the discomfort caused by the venom. "And you were sent by Victor?" He asked, not looking up from Thalia.
"That is correct." The dracanae was slightly less worried, realizing the demigod was no longer focused on it.
"Send him my regards." He spoke calmly, seemingly no longer angry about the actions. He crouched down, next to the daughter of Zeus.
Suddenly, the hand holding the knife darted upwards, sending the blade under the monster's ribcage. The creature collapsed, its face twisting in agony as the poison made its way through the dracanae's body.
Percy released the knife, picking up Thalia's body. Before leaving the clearing, he glanced back at the remaining monsters, making sure they were all listening intently to what he had to say. "If you follow us, a worse fate awaits each and every one of you." He walked into the forest, toward Artemis's camp.
Once he was out of their sight, he teleported to the campsite, trudging into the infirmary and laying Thalia on one of the cots. Curious glances followed the two of them as he did so, but Percy ignored them all, focused on making sure the daughter of Zeus recovered peacefully.
As he left the tent, Leo approached him, worry clearly on his face. "Is she gonna be okay?"
The son of Poseidon temporarily addressed him, "Yeah. She just needs a while to rest. Thalia's tough; she won't let a scratch like that hold her down."
Artemis advanced on the two half-bloods, clearly not happy with the occurrences of late. "What happened?" She demanded, in no mood for pleasantries.
Percy turned towards her, a scowl on his face. "She was stabbed. The blade was poisoned. I don't know what the poison was. It wasn't made to kill, just to inflict pain. Regardless, I drained the poison from her blood, so she shouldn't be feeling any of that. Give her a day to recover and she should be fine."
The goddess frowned. "I shouldn't have sent you four to scout ahead. Diana and Serena are back, but they're spooked. They aren't used to close quarters combat."
"You're right." Percy said, not going to lie and try to reassure the Olympian. "You shouldn't have sent us ahead. There were too many of them for us to fight. We weren't prepared, and we had no knowledge of what enemy we were facing. However, don't blame the girls for that. They're not suited for melee. It should've been a reconnaissance mission, and I tried to turn it into a fight. If they'll let me, I'll try to train them on fighting up close. I've already got to help the other three."
Artemis smiled at Percy's words, glad that the boy was trying to help, rather than be contradictory or antagonistic. "That would be nice. Thank you for your assistance, Perseus."
I tried to make this close to 8000 words, but I ran out of material and I wanted to update it for the readers. Uh, suggestions are welcome, actually, they're requested, and yeah. Have a nice January
LTS