Decided to mess around with this story again, and I'm quite proud of the way this chapter turned out. I finally got to work and finished the plan for the story, and I'm actually excited to work on it. I have some pretty cool ideas (I think), and my millions of fans deserve to see them. Joking, of course. If you're reading this, thank you for coming back, it's been a long wait, but I hope you enjoy what is to come!

Percy

Barely making a sound, he slowly lowered his massive body to the ground, his claws gripping the edge of the overhang as he kept his glowing blue eyes fixed on the ship beneath him. It was a massive white cruise ship, maybe close to three hundred meters long, if Percy had to guess. He had been following the ship for some time, trying to hinder its progress down the East Coast as much as he could, but there were limits to what he could do alone. The figurehead seemed to stare right at him, the chained maiden seemingly reminding him of his failures. This was the Princess Andromeda, headquarters for the Titan Army, and it had become a severe problem for Percy.

Right now, the ship was docked at Charleston Harbour, probably loading up on supplies and new recruits as it prepared to keep making Percy's job difficult. Even in the dead of night, the ship was full of activity, with shadowy figures shuffling about, some loading cargo, some directing others with harsh guttural sounds. However, Percy's sight was fixed on one figure in particular. Pacing around the observation deck was a rather tall man, with a lean build and dark clothes. Mortal eyes would not have been able to discern much more than that, but Percy's vision as a wolf was many times superior to that of a human. He could see the man clearly, and it filled his heart with pain, a pain that was slowly churning itself into anger and resentment. The man was in his early twenties, with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. A deep scar ran from the bottom of his eye down to his chin, which was covered with a three-day beard. A sword was strapped to his waist, and although Percy couldn't see the blade, he knew it could kill both mortal and godly alike. Luke Castellan had definitely changed since Percy had led him and his small group to Camp Half-Blood all those years ago. His hands gripped the deck's rail as he watched his troops, a dark look in his eyes. Percy had always known Luke was angry, but he had never thought he would go as far as to turn his back on the gods. But he had, and as painful as it was, Percy could feel no pity for him now. Luke had chosen his path, and was now an enemy. Nothing more.

Percy silently watched for a while, blending in with the shadows, his senses at maximum capacity. Even from almost a kilometre away, Percy could hear the heavy breathing of the monsters, their collective heartbeats beating in his ears like a war drum. Percy had grown massive over the years, and could comfortably take on dozens of monsters at a time, but the Princess Andromeda housed almost three thousand at this point, mostly well armed and trained, and all of them bloodthirsty. Percy had watched them for weeks, leaning guard rotations and routines, registering new arrivals, and was getting increasingly worried. A frontal attack would be suicide, that much was clear. Percy would get swamped within minutes of stepping foot on the ship. The only options Percy could see were to try to breach the hull and sink it, or to infiltrate it and disable it, possibly with some sort of explosive. However, both options would require help, and that was something Percy was hard-pressed to find. For the time being, he had stuck with vigilantly watching the ship and taking out any monster that strayed too far, but it was like taking a handful of sand out of a beach. For ever group that Percy eliminated, dozens more took its place. This night alone, he had taken out four groups of scouts, each around fifteen monsters, the remains of the last group still matting Percy's black fur. Despite this, the force seemed as impenetrable as ever. He was going to need help, and he knew where to get it.

Percy got up silently, shaking out some of the monster dust on his hide. He had been watching from a stack of metal ship containers, almost twenty metres tall. He jumped down, his large front paws absorbing the impact with ease. He set off at an easy pace, sticking to the shadows in the harbour and staying vigilant for any other monsters that could be roaming around. One of the scouts had told him, after some heavy-handed questioning, that the Princess Andromeda would be docked for at least another two days, so he had some time to carry out his plan. It was considerably dangerous, and though he maintained quite a good relationship with the Hunters of Artemis, they would not react kindly to an outsider, especially a male one, walking into their camp at night. Percy would have to be tactful. He didn't want to get killed before attempting an assault on the Princess Andromeda.

He quickly left the harbour behind, and it was a relief to feel soft dirt under his paws again. Especially as a wolf, he really disliked running on hard grounds, although he had learned to tolerate it. Feeling his muscles start to warm up and untangle, Percy sped up, the trees becoming a blur in the night. Despite his size, his contact with the forest floor as he ran was as light as a feather, barely stirring up the carpet of dead leaves as he went. After the matter with the master bolt, the last year had been strangely silent, with not too much trouble for Percy to clean up. Lately, the Princess Andromeda had of course been a problem, but apart from that Percy had not seen many increases in activity, and it unnerved him. It felt like his enemies were trying to lull them into a false sense of security, but Percy refused to let his guard down. He knew war would come eventually, with the Titan Army maybe spearheaded by Kronos/Saturn himself, and the world had to be ready. He had, however, taken the time to see Annabeth, who had decided to try to live with her family in San Francisco. He remembered how happy she had been to see him, and how much older she looked, despite only being twelve. His visits to Camp Jupiter had been more frequent though, a certain daughter of Ceres always on the back of his mind. He knew he shouldn't get attached, that his line of work didn't allow for that sort of relationship, but he was fairly certain he liked Leila, he just hadn't been able to muster up the courage to tell her yet. Despite all of his strengths, communication and sentimentality had never been one of them. Sure, he knew he loved his family and his friends, but he never really knew how to tell them. Maybe the next time he saw her. Maybe then he would be brave enough.

The sounds of the harbour were now long gone, and Percy came to a stop. He plodded forward to a massive pine tree, and bowed his head to smell the base. The scent was slight, fragile and well hidden, but his abilities were beyond the skill even of the Hunters. He focused on the ground around him, and his eyes were drawn to several small signs. A dent in the dirt here, a broken twig there. Percy closed his eyes and focused, and there it was. The crackling of a small fire, and the sound of a multitude of friendly conversations. This was them, he was sure. Sending a quick prayer up to his father, Phobos, Percy arched his back and howled, pointing his muzzle at the night sky and the moon above. The sound was crisp and loud, cutting through thee summer night like a knife through water. Percy noticed the change immediately, the conversations shutting off and a shuffling of feet and unsheathing of knives.

They had heard him.

He morphed back to human, his muscles condensing and his bones and joints moving and cracking. He needed them to see he wasn't a threat. Percy extended his hand and summoned his knife, the silvery blade materialising in his outstretched hand. With a powerful movement, he thrust his blade into the ground, embedding it to the hilt. He then took a couple of steps back, looking into the dark trees ahead. They were very good at what they did, the Hunters of Artemis, but Percy's senses were unmatched. He could hear the hurried steps, as light as they were, making their way towards the sounds they had heard. He imagined small silver shapes, moving like silver blurs through the forest, bows and knives at the ready. At their head a tall, copper-skinned figure, with a silver circlet in her hair and a fierce expression, a small auburn-haired girl by her side. They would be here soon. Percy fell to one knee, bowed his head and waited, until the silence was broken by the unmistakable sound of a bow being drawn.

—

'Move a muscle, boy, and it'll be the last thing you ever do', a voice called menacingly.

Percy recognised to who it belonged: Phoebe, a huntress with a particular hatred of men. He kept his gaze on the floor and allowed them to surround him, his breathing slow and steady.

'That's not any boy, Phoebe', said another voice, stern and commanding. This was Zoë Nightshade, the lieutenant of the Hunt. 'Don't you recognise him? Look at us, Perseus. Why are you here?'

Still, Percy stayed put, his head bowed and his hands visible. He heard a knife being unsheathed, and a shuffling of footsteps, but another voice rang out in the night.

'Stop.'

The movement stopped immediately. This voice was softer and less inquisitive, and Percy could feel the sheer power in it. The absolute authority. Percy slowly looked up, rapidly taking note of the threats in front of him. Everywhere he looked, silvery parkas and arrowheads stared back at him. To the left of his vision, Phoebe stood with her bow drawn, and a particularly angry look on her face. Percy was sure she would mind letting her arrow fly. Zoë stood to Percy's right, as tall and regal as he remembered. Her eyes were narrow and she gripped her silver knife tightly, but her stance was more relaxed than Phoebe's. Directly in front of him was a smaller girl, maybe eleven, looking at Percy with an expression of intrigue and uncertainty. She had auburn hair, and her face was so beautiful Percy silently caught his breath for a second. Her skin seemed to reflect the moonlight tricking in through the forest canopy, giving her a slight glow in the dark forest night. Her silvery yellow eyes met fiery blue, and they stayed quiet for a moment.

'Perseus.' She broke the silence, taking a step towards him. 'It's been some time.'

Percy didn't detect any immediate animosity in her voice.

'It has, my lady. I apologise for the interruption.' Percy kept his voice level and strong. Not intimidating, but not trying to curl up and hide either. It was the way rank was acknowledged in the pack. You had to show respect, but you could not appear weak.

Artemis took another step forward, and reached down to grab the hilt of Percy's knife, still buried in the dirt. She pulled it out in a swift motion, examining the honed edge of the blade in the moonlight. Traces of red shone weakly along the silver, like small veins coming to the surface of the weapon.

'A fine blade, son of Lupa. I trust it has been put to good use fighting the enemies of Olympus.'

Percy let the corners of his mouth turn upwards slightly. 'It has, my lady, and it will continue to do so as long as I'm alive.'

Phoebe snorted. 'That may not be very long, boy.'

Artemis turned towards her huntress, her face slightly more stern. 'Don't mistake his show of respect for fear or intimidation, Phoebe. Underestimating an opponent is not a trait I will have you exhibit. Although a man, Perseus is a fearsome warrior, and all of you together would be hard-pressed to defeat him. He fought bravely with us against Lyacon, and has dedicated his life to the hunt. You would be unwise to antagonise him further.'

Phoebe opened her mouth to protest, but Zoë locked eyes with her, and she fell silent, slowly relaxing her bow arm until her arrow was pointed at the floor. Slowly, all the hunters around her did the same, and Artemis turned to Percy again, taking a couple more steps towards him. Percy responded by standing up, his hands still visible and empty, his brilliant blue eyes locked with the goddesses'. Artemis broke eye contact to examine the hilt of Percy's knife.

'So, Perseus.' She met his eyes again. 'Why have you come?'

'I need your help, my lady, to deal with an urgent threat to Olympus. One, I fear, I cannot deal with by myself.'

Artemis' eyes narrowed, stepping within a metre of Percy. He towered over her, but her eyes didn't show the slightest hint of intimidation. Percy felt his skin start to tingle from her aura, suddenly reminded of how truly outclassed he was. With a flick of her wrist, the goddess flipped Percy's blade in the air, catching it smoothly between her thumb and index finger, being careful not to touch the edge. She extended the hilt to him, her face warmer than it had been a moment ago.

'Accompany us to the camp, Perseus. We shall talk in my tent.'

Without another word, she spun on her heel and marched back the way they had come. Percy noticed Zoë looking at him, her dark eyes swirling in the night. She quickly broke eye contact and followed her mistress, with Phoebe right on her tail, who made sure to glare at Percy as she left. Percy stayed rooted to the floor for a moment, until someone nudged him gently from the back. He started walking forward, following the hunters through the trees. They gave him a wide berth, stealing distrustful glances at him as they walked, their hands ghosting over the hilts of their knives. Percy's own knife was still clutched tightly in his right hand, and a young huntress pointed at it with her bow.

'You're gonna have to put that away.'

She couldn't be older than ten, but you could never know with the Hunters. The girl might have been alive for millennia. Percy nodded slightly, reaching out with his mind into the hiding-place of the weapon. He never had found out where the knife went; even his father couldn't give him a straight answer. He felt with hand go cold, the familiar sensation bringing him a strange sort of comfort. He relaxed his hand, and the knife disappeared into thin air. Percy saw the huntresses' jaw drop slightly, visibly taken aback.

'She must be new', Percy thought. 'Most of them saw me do that at Mount Lassen'.

They kept walking in silence, and Percy's thought's drifted from his weapon to his father, Phobos. He hadn't seen the god in almost two years, even though he though of him nearly every day. Percy hadn't spent much time with his father in his life, but he understood how dangerous it was for him, and not for the first time he felt resentment boil up against the king of the gods. It was because of his stubbornness and insecurity that he couldn't see his family and friends, that he couldn't live a halfway normal life. Percy quickly forced these feelings down, deep down. He couldn't afford to think like that, not with a conflict looming over the horizon and so many lives depending on him. The sound of crackling embers got louder and louder, and a faint red glow slowly lit up the forest in front of them. Once they passed the threshold of the camp, Percy felt a shudder going down his spine, and the air was suddenly bit at his exposed arms. The Hunters had powerful enchantments on their camps; it would be very difficult to fight them on their home ground.

Most of the group broke off, some to stand guard, others to sit around the campfires, others disappearing inside their silver tents. Percy was led by two older-looking hunters into the heart of the camp, where an especially large tent had been set up. Two bronze braziers stood guard at the entrance, roaring with greek fire. The girls stopped and parted, one of them pointing her head at the entrance.

'They'll be waiting for you.'

Percy nodded at both of them, and to his surprise, they nodded back. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, the flames threatening to lick at his face. Using his left hand, he opened the tent flap and ducked inside. Just as he remembered, the tent was bigger than it looked from the outside, unusually so. A silver stag lay in a corner, lazily scratching the rug with one of his antlers. At the end of the tent, a large wooden table and chairs had been set up, with Zoë Nightshade sat at the head, her eyes locked on him. Artemis herself was sitting cross-legged on a pile of animal pelts, a small hedgehog on her lap. She also looked at Percy, the flames from the small fire in the middle of the room dancing in her eyes.

'Perseus, good', she said, her voice warm. 'I trust you were treated well on the way.'

Percy bowed his head slightly. 'I was, my lady. Thank you for speaking with me.'

'I voted against your execution not once, but twice, young wolf. Did you really think I would harm you without good reason?'

Percy smiled slightly at her. 'I supposed it couldn't hurt being too careful.'

Zoë nodded at him. 'You were right. Some of us are more tolerant than others, but we are always vigilant. Threats can be found everywhere these days. But you have proved yourself to be different, Percy.' She gestured to a the chair on the other side of the table. 'Sit, and tell us what you need.'

Percy crossed the tent and sat down, and started telling them about the Princess Andromeda. He talked for over an hour, detailing what he had learned of the ship, the force it carried, and the trouble they had caused for him over the last few months. He talked mostly at Zoë, with Artemis listening intently in a corner. The hedgehog had now escaped her lap, and was attempting to burrow into the stag's left eye socket. Zoë interrupted a few times with specific questions or small statements of her own, but they mostly let her talk. Percy slowly realised that even though Artemis was her patron, and all the hunters were sworn to her, the day-to-day running of the Hunt was left to Zoë.

'Artemis must really trust her', thought Percy.

When he was done, they both stayed silent for a moment, a look of worry on both their faces. Artemis spoke up first.

'This is deeply troubling. If other demigods follow the example of Luke Castellan, Olympus will lose its first line of defence.'

Zoë nodded in agreement. 'Demigods turning traitor is something that has not happened in a long time. Three thousand strong, you say?'

'Give or take. We need to do something, or Luke might decide to move from recruiting to attacking before we know it. If he lands that force at Camp Half-Blood-'

Artemis waved her hand. 'Even that traitor would not be foolish enough. Don't mistake Olympus' lack of action with blindness, Perseus. If he did, Poseidon would drag his ship, along with all his combatants, to the bottom of the ocean.'

'Then why does he do nothing?!'

Artemis' posture stiffened slightly, and she coked her head to the side. 'Careful, Perseus. Do not throw words around carelessly. Poseidon likes you, but I have seen him smite greater men for less.'

Percy took a deep breath to calm himself. 'I apologise, my lady. Still, this threat has to be dealt with! I have studied the ship for weeks, and there are plausible ways to take it down, but I need your help. Zeus would never allow demigods from Camp Half-Blood to help in this matter.'

Artemis looked at him for a moment, her expression undiscernable. The embers crackled softly the middle of the room, and the hedgehog had made its way to Percy's foot.

'No. He would not.'

'Then you see why I need you help?' Percy pleaded.

The goddess sat perfectly still, her eyes boring through Percy. 'I do. But I am afraid we cannot help you either.'

Percy generally liked Artemis, but he felt his cheeks heat up. 'My lady, I don't understand. You see the threat this force poses-'

Artemis held up her hand. 'I am aware. However, allowing events to unfold often teaches you things about your enemy, things you would not have learned otherwise.'

Percy was dumbfounded. 'You would do nothing?'

Zoë spoke up, her tone slightly confused. 'My lady, Percy may have a point. You taught me a long time a preventive attack was the best form of defence. Shouldn't we prevent this threat from worsening?'

Artemis looked at both of them with a stern expression. 'This is the prerogative of the council. The Princess Andromeda may yet be useful to us above the waves. The enemy is regrouping, planning and scheming. We will observe them, we will learn from them, yet for the time being, we will do nothing. They don't yet pose a significant enough threat to warrant an intervention.'

Percy breathed through his nose, his voice slightly raised. 'Not to Olympus, maybe, but what about the camps? The mortals? These are people with their own lives, we can't just sit back and watch as they-'

Artemis' eyes narrowed, and let her aura flare slightly. The shadows in the corners of the room seemed to grow, and Percy suddenly felt very small. 'That is enough, Perseus.' Her tone was much colder than before. 'You serve Olympus, and I hardly think the council would appreciate their orders questioned. Nor, for that fact, do I. We are done here.'

The hedgehog had stopped moving, and was now looking at Percy with its small beady eyes. The silver stag too had abandoned its quest to destroy the rug, and now only had eyes for Percy. Slowly, Percy rose from his chair, bowing stiffly to the goddess, who seemed to relax. He headed back towards the tent entrance, where the flaps were moving in the slight night breeze. Just before he left, he locked eyes with Zoë, who looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and worry. Percy ducked under the flaps, and headed back towards the treeline.

Percy climbed the last stretch of the hill, the trees having thinned a while ago. He'd walked a while from the Hunter's camp, and had decided to climb a nearby hill he'd spotted. It would be dawn soon, and he liked watching the sun come up in the morning. Despite not having slept, Percy didn't feel at all tired. It was one of his most double-edged abilities: he could go for a week without sleep if he needed, but when he finally did rest, he would sleep for a couple of days straight. He guessed full-blown gods needed sleep even less than he did. Hades, Olympians probably only slept to pass the time. Eternity was a long time to be constantly awake. Percy reached the top of the hill and sat down on the grass, his back to a large birch tree. The trees had thinned out a while back, and he could see the Atlantic Ocean from here, the sky above just starting to turn pink as Apollo warmed up the chariot. He set the back of his head on the trunk and breathed in through his nose, the smell of damp grass and earth filling his senses. His meeting with Artemis hadn't gone as planned, and he didn't believe that could be the gods' decision. The Princess Andromeda was the first step to the Titans regaining their strength, and doing nothing was the gods' first step towards losing the war. Truly, sometimes Percy thought the Olympians had grown too disconnected, too distant from the world. Even Artemis, who spent time with her hunters, didn't seem worried at all.

The footsteps were very light, almost silent, but Percy's hearing was honed almost to perfection. They stopped a few metres away from him, and Percy opened one eye.

'Zoë. What are you doing here?' He asked.

The huntress gestured to a patch of grass beside him. 'May I join you?'

Percy frowned at this. Not trying to kill him, he could believe, but a friendly conversation? He shrugged his shoulders. 'Sure.'

She sat down next to him, cross-legged as Artemis had been, following Percy's gaze towards the rising sun. It was lighter by the minute, the shadows around them folding and dissipating. Percy's human side loved the feeling of the sun on his skin, but as a wolf he was far more powerful at night. He was still enormously strong in daylight, of course, but at night he felt invincible, especially as a wolf. The sun comforted him, but also made him feel vulnerable and exposed.

'I agree with you, by the way.'

Percy turned his head slowly. 'Excuse me?'

Zoë blinked at him. 'I agree with you. Lady Artemis and the Olympians may not deem it so, but the Princess Andromeda poses a threat to everyone. Monster gatherings are always bad news, and demigods traitors are terrible news. If it were up to me, the hunters would help in taking down Castellan and his ship. Bur alas, it is not, and I trust Lady Artemis with my life. I would follow her anywhere, and have over the years learned she always has a good reason for taking the decisions she does. I'll admit, the gods can come across as unreasonable, obstinate even, but immortal beings have cause underlying their decisions.'

Percy looked at her, a shocked expression on his face. Her expression was unreadable, but Percy got the sense she was suppressing a smile. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly found out he had nothing to say. They both looked at the horizon for a while, their slow breaths in tune with the waking songbirds and sounds of the forest. The sun had just broken over the horizon, a brilliant yellow blaze slowly rising over the distant waves. Today would be a hot day. As a human, Percy enjoyed a warm day, but his thick wolf fur did not agree. Although he would not overheat, it was still stuffy and uncomfortable. He missed the snowy mornings at the Wolf House.

Suddenly, a movement in the trees below caught his eye, and he perked up. A creature broke the treeline below, walking gracefully and proudly. It was the size of an ox, with big strong hind legs and a thick muscular neck, with coarse much short fur covering its body. He had the head of a deer, with massive antlers that must have stretched out a couple of metres from base to tip. Percy had seen massive male elk, but this creature was much larger. Despite its size, it moved with a regal stride, sure-footed and confident. As it climbed up the hill, the light from the rising sun glinted off its horns. When it hit its fur, Percy watched in astonishment as the colour switched from a dark brown to a much lighter hue, the new colour spreading as the sun came in contact with it. Percy had never seen anything like it, and looked over at Zoë, who seemed just as amazed as he felt.

'Tarandos', she whispered, her voice full of wonder. 'We haven't seen a live one in centuries.'

Percy looked at her, moving slowly as to not scare the animal off. 'Do you know what it is?' he asked in a low voice.

Zoë nodded and looked at him, her eyes bright. 'In the old days, they used to populate the land of Scythia, modern day Iran. I knew they moved to America with the gods, but its been a long time since we've seen one alive. We presumed human activity had brought them to extinction, like so many other species.'

Percy looked at the animal again. Tarandos, Zoë had called it. It was truly beautiful. It kept walking up the hill, passing small trees and shrubs. Its fur changed colour as it did, adapting to whatever colours its immediate environment was made up of.

'Amazing.'

Zoë nodded. 'They truly are. It looks like she's a female. The males are quite a bit bigger, if my memory serves me well. People used to regard these as kingly gifts, and their hunt was forbidden. They were a sign of power and wealth. A very good omen indeed.'

For once Percy agreed. He wasn't one to put much stock into prophecies or omens, but this one was hard to ignore. His thoughts shifted to Grover, and his missions to find Pan and restore nature. Percy could only imagine how he would react if he saw this. Maybe there still was hope for him after all.

Maybe a bit on the slow side, but I think it was a necessary change of pace for the story. I'm trying to cover the Percy Jackson storyline from angles which were not seen in the books, and I think this chapter turned out really interesting. Also, not to sing my own praises, but I thought the last part was really beautiful. Sorry if anybody wanted more action, but rest assured, there will be plenty of that in the chapters to come. Thank you for reading, and stay posted!