With the night sky with bright shining stars shimmering above, one would think it was a peaceful night. The air was cool with a slight breeze, the sound of the ocean waves beating softly against the sound could almost put a person to sleep and the safety that Camp Half-Blood offered to every demigod made the tension leave their bodies. That was the camp's mission, even still after what the Gods had ordered some weeks ago, and would still try to offer that peace of mind to its occupants. Despite this ideal setting, it couldn't be further from the truth. The sounds of horrific, blood curling screams filled the air, a bright orange glow from a fire encompassing the camp lit the entirety of the land, and the smell of burnt flesh spread throughout the flowing wind, only intensifying the fire and smell in the process.

"Medic! We need a fucking medic!"

"Oh Gods, my arm! Where's my arm!?"

"She's bleeding out! We need to cauterize the wound quickly!"

"No! Amanda, no! Don't go! Please don't leave me!"

These were the only sounds that could be heard coming from the camp along with the harsh heart stopping sound of buildings on fire collapsing onto the ground. With the fire quickly spreading and the need of wounded demigods being treated, the scene was becoming too chaotic for even the most seasoned demigod warrior to handle. Thankfully, however, Chiron had emerged from the rubble that was the big house and began to bark out orders like a true leader with years of experience would.

"Apollo cabin, grab all medical supplies and stage an area for the wounded demigods! Ares cabin along with any able-bodied demigod form a perimeter! The attackers might still be out there. The rest of you look for any wounded demigods now!" The ancient teacher yelled out as he watched the campers scramble off to fulfill the orders. Grimacing as pain shot up his knee from shrapnel embedded in it, the centaur sat down against a tree as he took in the sight around him. In all his years, he had never seen his camp be decimated to such a degree. Looking to his left where a severe head of an unidentifiable demigod lifelessly stared up at him, he felt numb at how much death and destruction this attack had caused to his home. Explosions. Bombs. That's the only conclusion he could think of as to what caused this. His ears still rung even now from them. They were quick and simultaneous and judging what buildings were now destroyed; they were placed strategically to maximize the loss of life.

"Gods." Chiron muttered as he rubbed his creased brow.

"Chiron! There you are!" He heard a voice call out to him. Looking up, he spotted the figure of Annabeth Chase, covered in blood from the waist up, running over to him.

"Annabeth! Are you-"

"The blood isn't mine. I'm still alive and kicking." She interrupted before continuing. "The border guards apparently saw a group of unknown people running off into the woods before the explosions. I think we should send a couple of search parties out there to see if we can't capture whoever did this."

Despite the significant risk of sending more demigods out there to search for an unknown number of enemies, it might be their only option to negate another attack. Agreeing with the child of Athena, the centaur ordered any able-bodied demigods to form three search parties and go out to search for the attackers. Annabeth nodded in thanks to her father figure before running off to inform her own squad that they were on the move.

Weaving through the endless crowd of anxious demigods and stepping over the countless severed limbs and wounded demigods on the ground, the daughter of Athena made her way towards her squad that was currently stationed at the pavilion. Anyone that took the time to look at her would notice just how calm she was under the pressure. The way she moved with purpose without hesitating for a single moment inspired all those around her.

"Get up! We're going after whoever did this." She ordered as she grabbed a piece of chest armor on the table before strapping it on. Her squad wordlessly followed her command as they gathered their weapons and got into formation, awaiting their next orders eagerly. Strapping a knife to her leg and a shield to her forearm, the blonde demigoddess ran out into the dark patch of woods with her group in tow.

It took no time at all before they were a mile deep into the woods, the dim moonlight and the soft orange glow of the burning camp behind them being their only source of light. The cohort of demigods were silent as they eased their way through the woods, careful to not make any sounds that could possibly alert the attackers if they were still in the woods. With squinted eyes, the group continued to trek as they looked around.

"Should we split up? Cover more ground that way." Malcolm, Annabeth's second in command, whispered to her left.

"No. We don't know the enemy's number. If we split up now, we could be at a disadvantage." She shook her head in response. Malcolm opened his mouth to respond but quickly stopped when Annabeth held up her hand, signaling the cohort to stop moving. Cocking her head, the daughter of Athena quietly listened. Something wasn't right. There wasn't any noise at all. No crickets or owls hooting could be heard at all which was strange.

SNAP!

"Raise shields!" She ordered hastily as she raised her defense to cover her torso. Immediately, she felt the harsh thuds of arrows embedding themselves into her shield. The force of it driving her heels into the dirt. Getting into formation she noticed that there were some gaps in the ranks. It seemed some of her soldiers had been too late getting their shields up in time and now reaped the consequences of their slowness.

"Ack!" She watched as a son of Ares choked on his own blood with an arrow lodged into his throat to her side. Wiping the image from her memory, the daughter of Athena ordered to tighten up the formation and have weapons ready. Looking in between the gaps of their shields, Annabeth tried her best to locate where the enemies might be, but the darkness was suffocating. They could be anywhere, but her best guess would be the trees. Thankfully, she and her cohort had practiced this situation and had mastered the correct formation to combat arrows raining down upon them.

"Annabeth, what do we do!? We're sitting ducks here." Malcolm asked as he too looked out into the woods for their attackers.

"We need light. Without it, we don't know if we should defend or retreat." She hastily answered before pulling out something from her back pocket.

"A flare gun?" Malcolm questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Always come prepared brother." She cheekily said before cocking the gun back before shooting it high into the night sky. Getting back into formation, Annabeth scanned around to see if she could spot anything but quickly stopped when her sight deadpanned on a figure standing in front of the cohort. Wearing what looked to be Greek and Roman armor with a silver mask and a sword that looked to be covered in blood, the demigods all stared in fear at what looked to be a God in front of them.

"Dear Gods!" A demigod screamed out in fear as they stared into the abyss of the mask's eyes. But that scream of fear quickly turned to a feral scream of pain as the unknown figure charged head on into their ranks.

"Brace!" Annabeth yelled but it seemed that her orders had fallen on deaf ears as her soldiers were quickly breaking formation and consequently killed. Like an angel of death, the enemy dodged and weaved through the crowd while using his sword to cut down any and all demigods that dared to try to fight back. Gritting her teeth, Annabeth got into the fight, doing her best to try to draw the attention of the attacker on her rather than her soldiers who had no chance to survive.

Raising her sword, the daughter of Athena brought it down on the attacker's shoulder, but he quickly stopped it with his own before spinning around her and back slapping her against her head. The force of the strike was inhuman, something that not even a normal demigod should have. Shaking her head, she once again charged at the man who was too busy slitting the throat of another demigod to notice her. This time her attack connected with his torso, making him stumble backwards into a tree.

"All of you fall back now!" She quickly yelled to her cohort, hoping that drawing his attention to her she could save the remaining members of her squad. Turning back to the tall, menacing figure that seemed to not even be bothered by the strike he had received, Annabeth and he began to circle one another trying to find a weak spot in their stance.

"Who are you!?" She asked, hoping to buy time but the man paid her no regard and only continued to stare at her with his empty, pitch-black eyes.

"Why'd you do this! Why'd you kill all those innocent people!"

This time she got a response.

"Innocent?" The man said with a raspy laugh. It wasn't a cheerful one filled with mirth, however. It was a laugh that sounded eerily similar to Kronos's. Something that sent shivers up her spine. It didn't help that the mask seemed to have a deranged smile plastered on its features now. With speed that shouldn't have been possible for an ordinary demigod, the man quickly charged at her, getting inside her defenses in mere milliseconds before kicking her directly into the torso and sending her flying back into a tree. Hitting it hard enough to hear her ribs crack from the pressure, Annabeth slumped to the ground, her vision strained to the point where the only thing she could see was a vague figure walking towards her.

With his sword dragging against the ground, now stained with her friend's blood, the man closed the gap before roughly picking her up by the throat. With strained breath, the daughter of Athena did her best not to show the fear she was currently feeling inside of her. If she were to die to the hands of the man, she wouldn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing fear on her features.

"D-Do it!" Annabeth gritted her teeth as she stared into the mask's…green eyes? Wait a minute!? She could recognize those eyes from anywhere. The strong, fierce glare that stared into her very soul wouldn't confuse her. After all, she had been staring into those green irises since she was twelve. But they didn't hold the familiar warmth and love she endeared so much. No. These eyes were cold, unforgiving and brutal.

But it didn't make sense! He wouldn't do this. He would never be able to kill his own friends and family! This had to be someone else! This man in front of her, covered in blood, wasn't him! This wasn't the man she loved.

"N-No…. I refuse to believe it! Who-Who are you?"

The man tilted his head, making his mask all the more terrifying. Tightening his grip on her neck, he let out a quick chuckle.

"I believe you already know the answer to that…wise girl."

And with those final words that brought despair to Annabeth's heart, the man now identified as her once beloved boyfriend headbutted her against the face, rendering her unconscious.

It was at least an hour before the daughter of Athena finally gained consciousness again. Groaning at the pain that filled her head, she slowly sat up while rubbing her head that had dried blood coating it. Opening her eyes, Annabeth was greeted by the stars that still shone bright overhead along with the moonlight that softly cascaded the entirety of the woods around her. Sadly, the light also showed her horrors she wished she never saw. At least twenty of her squad laid dead before her, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition. The blood from their open wounds coating the ground an eerily rustic color.

Getting up with the aid of her sword acting like a cane, Annabeth walked over to the pile of bodies to see if there was any chance that one might still be alive. Perhaps it was the shock playing tricks on her mind to ease the sense of failure she was feeling but she desperately needed to help someone. Anyone. They had lost too many people today and the fact that her squad was mercilessly ambushed by one man, the man she once loved, made her heart clench. Walking close to the bodies she noticed that they were all strategically placed next to one another to form some sort of message or symbol.

"Annabeth! Annabeth, where are you!" She heard a familiar voice call out from behind her. Turning around she could faintly see the bright lights of torches coming towards her direction. She didn't want them to see this. There were already too many deaths seen tonight. But despite trying to voice out her order for them to stay put, she couldn't get anything out. Instead, she could only let out a sob as she felt fresh tears roll down her face.

After some time had passed, Chiron along with reinforcements appeared from the dark woods, all carrying weapons as they prepared for a fight. Instead, they were greeted by the fearless veteran Annabeth Chase sobbing in front of piles of dead bodies, all demigods. All family.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry!" Annabeth cried out as she fell to her knees. Thankfully, Chiron was close enough to catch her in his arms as he analyzed the bodies that formed the symbol of war in front of him. It seemed there was no way of avoiding it now after tonight. Camp Half-Blood, no, all of Olympus…was now at war.

-X-

"It is done, my Lord." A sly voice spoke out, his voice echoing across the empty throne room that only had the crackling of Hestia's hearth to be his company. It wasn't until a moment later that the appearance of a great ball of lightning lit up the entirety of the dimly lit room before revealing Zeus, the king of the Gods. Bowing his head, the man knelt before the king who only glanced in acknowledgment of his presence before sitting on his throne.

"And they're none the wiser?" Zeus asked, skeptical of his ability to pull off such a daring stunt.

"Of course. I wouldn't jeopardize us to allow them to know who it truly was behind the attack. No! I made them believe it was their once savior, Perseus Jackson!" The kneeling figure crackled with glee at the chaos and deception he had caused to fall upon Camp Half-Blood. Zeus nodded his head in satisfaction. Everything was going accordingly. Now that their false flag operation has succeeded, he could now fully convince everyone that Perseus truly was an enemy of Olympus and must be dealt with immediately. Gone were the plans of preparation and orders to train the demigods. It was time for war now.

"Good. I'll let the demigods settle down for the night before arriving tomorrow morning to announce that Olympus is now officially at war with Perseus Jackson." He clenched his fist in anticipation. He could finally be able to take out the throne that was the son of Poseidon.

"What of the Gods that side with Jackson, my lord? Poseidon we all know will but what of the others? Perhaps even Artemis is on his side if what my father, Ares, says is true."

"Do not speak of things that do not concern you, Phobos! You are not part of this council and those dealings do not concern you." Zeus said with an edge, immediately making the God of fear now his head even lower.

"F-Forgive me, my lord. I did not mean to meddle in your affairs. I just wish for you to succeed in this conquest."

Zeus rolled his eyes at the obvious ass kissing but couldn't help but ponder over his grandson's words. There surely will be some Gods, both major and minor, that will side with Perseus. Some have already since it was a God who helped the son of Poseidon escape in the first place. Artemis was a different matter though. He didn't know if he could truly listen to Ares's words that Artemis had helped Jackson. The God of war had always hated her and would do anything to see her fall from grace.

"No, I will not judge my daughter until she arrives back here on Olympus from her mission in Alaska. Until then I will wait. Your father's pleas and supposed evidence be damned." Zeus said more to himself rather than to the minor God kneeling before him. Phobos gritted his teeth but held his tongue. He wanted his father to get the revenge he so desperately wanted on the Goddess of the moon, but he supposed in due time it will come. For now, however, he had to be the lap dog for the Olympians. After the war with Jackson is finished maybe he could be higher up in the food chain if all goes well.

"As you deem fit, my lord. All I ask is for you to take Ares's point of view into consideration. He wouldn't lie about this serious matter." Phobos bowed his head before disappearing in a flash, leaving Zeus contemplating on the idea that Artemis had indeed in fact betrayed him. The idea of his favorite daughter brought sadness to his heart but the burning hatred for Perseus Jackson receiving her aid overpowered that.

"Soon Perseus. I will have you chained and kneeling before me, begging for my mercy. Your life is near its end, demigod. I will personally see to that." And with that final thought to himself, the king of the Gods flashed away leaving only the crackling of the hearth to be heard throughout the otherwise silent throne room.