Chapter 19, here we go! I've been enjoying the last few chapters, and have got pretty sick plans for this story in the future (those plans are up to and including a possible sequel going all the way to Blood of Olympus and beyond). However, focusing on the right now, this chapter is pretty cool. I hope you have a good read, shoot me a review if you enjoyed or have any suggestions!

December 2007

Percy

The scent was stronger than ever now, putrid and ever present in Percy's nostrils, like someone had been dangling a trash can under his nose all day. Percy had slowed down to a walk; he had decided he would scout the area before confronting his target. Younger Percy would have charged in head-first, but in the last few years he'd learned the power of caution. Although it was definitely outmatched, manticores were still no laughing matter. An error in judgement could be very, very painful, and Percy wasn't exactly eager to experience manticore venom again. Winter was in full swing, and the forests in Maine were packed to the brim with snow. For the mortals, he guessed it would have been very cold, but under his shaggy wolf coat, Percy was perfectly warm. He thought the forest was unusually quiet, but shook his head and trotted forward, determined to not let his thoughts distract him. He could sense not only the manticore, but hundreds of mortals ahead, their combined heartbeats booming like a set of war drums in Percy's ears. He knew this part of the forest belonged to a sort of boarding military academy, and Percy guessed the manticore would be hiding amongst the children, quite possibly as a teacher. It was a smart move; people would hesitate to attack if there were innocent children around, and he could always take some as hostages if there was no other option.

'I need to be smart', thought Percy. He didn't want anybody to get hurt on his account.

Suddenly, Percy stopped dead in his tracks, nose pointed towards the sky and his left paw in the air. A new scent was in the air. He estimated he was still about ten miles from the school, but there was no mistaking it. Demigods, and not just one. He caught slight whiffs of salt, but the smells were too mixed together to make out their parentage. What was clear, however, was that this group were no pushover. Their smell was strong, any tracker worth their salt would have already picked up on them. No Roman in their right mind would come this far east, which meant they most likely came up from Camp Half-Blood.

'Could they be after the manticore?'

Percy considered this for a second, then pushed the idea aside. No offence to the Greek camp, but there was no chance they could have found the monster before he did. They could be here on unrelated business, and the manticore's presence was simply an unfortunate coincidence. Whatever they were planning, Percy hoped they could help him keep everybody safe, or at the very least sty out of harm's way. He'd actually been on his way to camp from the north, but he'd decided he could spare a few hours to hunt down the manticore. When the threat was dealt with, Percy was going straight to Camp Half-Blood. It had been far too long, almost three years, since he'd seen anyone from the Greek camp. He'd heard rumours, of course, mostly concerning the heroics of Annabeth and the young son of Poseidon, as well as the betrayal of Luke Castellan. The most recent one, however, had been weighing heavily on Percy's mind and conscience for a while. When he had first been told, he'd refused to believe it until he saw her with his own eyes. Percy had only known Thalia a few days, but she had given her life to save her friends, and anyone with the courage and strength to do something like that was worthy of all the respect he could give. That's why, when Hermes had told him about the Golden Fleece and Thalia's resurrection, it had taken every bit of willpower and sense of duty not to dart off at once to see for himself. Instead, he had stayed, working through his never-ending lists of targets, but he had put this off long enough. It was time to go back.

Percy picked up the pace a little bit, settling into a comfortable jog. For a human, this speed would be unattainable for most, but Percy could probably hold this pace for a few days if he wanted to. A few months ago, he'd tracked a pack of elusive cynocephali non-stop for two days, until the exhausted monsters had no choice but to turn and face him. Needless to say, they didn't last much longer after that. Despite his constant efforts to slow them down, monsters kept getting bolder and bolder, kept gathering in bigger and bigger numbers. Percy had spoken to Apollo a week ago, and he'd told him his sister's Hunt had tracked and slaughtered hundreds if not thousands in the past month, yet in hadn't seem to even make a dent in their numbers or their enthusiasm to come out of hiding. Something was spurring them, giving them confidence and purpose. Percy's pleads to attack the Princess Andromeda had again been dismissed, this time by Zeus, who apparently thought he could be better used elsewhere. The gods were getting lazy and complacent, too sure of their own power and strength. Percy feared they were due for a wake-up call soon, and it wouldn't be pretty.

The scent shifted. The manticore was moving eastward, with what Percy assumed were a group of the demigods. Either they had captured the monster, or it had taken them hostage. Whatever was happening, Percy had be there, and he had to be there now. He broke into a full sprint, the trees a faint blur as he sped by. He reached out with his mind, and could feel fear, desperate courage, hopeful anticipation. The half-bloods had most likely been apprehended by the monster, but Percy felt they still had a few friends coming to their rescue. They always seemed to have friends to help them, but Percy wasn't about to wait around for them to try their luck with a manticore. Chiron would never forgive him if he let one of his students get impaled. Even as he tried to block it, the sneaky suspicion that the demigods might not be the manticore's hostages made its way into Percy's head. In the last few years, demigods had been seen to change sides, to give in to Kronos' manipulations and swear allegiance to him.

'It's not impossible', mused Percy, but then struck the tough from his mind.

If they were enemy agents, they would get what they deserved, but he had to make sure. He was almost there now; the manticore's stench was getting more and more intense by the second. They must have been three hundred metres away from him, no more. Finally, four figures appeared in front of him. A man was leading three smaller figures through the trees, a girl and two boys. Percy a strong smell of rot and earth filled him, as well as salty water. These were powerful half-bloods. Percy let out a low growl and sprung forward towards the man, who was undoubtedly the manticore in its mortal disguise. He slammed into the monster at full speed, sending him flying sideways around ten metres, where he slammed to a stop against a thick tree trunk, splinters flying everywhere. Percy growled at him, and then noticed a slight yelp to his side. The three demigods stared at him with wide eyes full of a mixture of hope and absolute terror. Percy guessed they were waiting to see if he would attack them as well.

Two of the half-bloods, the girl and the smaller of the boys, were clearly siblings, and if Percy had to guess, were children of Hades. They both had pale skin and black hair, the boy more so than his sister. He was considerably shorter than her, and clutched her side like his life depended on it. The other demigod stood a few metres away from them, and Percy recognised him instantly. He looked so much like a young Poseidon it hurt. The same black hair, sea-green eyes, even his stance looked similar. He was clearly older than the two children of Hades, probably fourteen or fifteen. If he had to guess, the girl was around twelve and her brother nine or ten. They didn't look ready to fight, not in the slightest.

'Stay behind me', he told them as non-menacingly as he could. 'I'll deal with him, then make sure you reach the camp alive.'

The daughter of Hades nodded, but her mouth seemed sealed shut. Her brother just stared at him, eyes wide and lip quivering. The son of Poseidon looked doubtful, but he met Percy's eyes and nodded. Satisfied, Percy turned to the downed monster, who had just managed to get back on its feet, the ruins of the tree trunk all around him. The demigods shuffled together and got behind Percy, and he bared his teeth at the manticore. One of its eyes was brown and the other blue, but they both shone with the same amount of malice. Percy saw a flicker of movement behind the monster and reacted instinctively, darting to the side and slicing the incoming projectiles out of the air. His paw hissed with the venom, but he grit his teeth and blocked the pain, instead charging at the manticore. The monster did the same, its arm transforming into that of a massive lion and swiping at him. Percy ducked, returning the swipe and catching the monster flush on the side of the head. He took care to hit him with his pads and not the claws. He had some questions that needed answering. The manticore was knocked back several metres, dazed and confused. It looked at Percy and let out a roar of frustration, which started off in a human voice, but ended with a very distinct primal and guttural noise. In an instant, the monster transformed into its real form. His body had morphed into that of a gigantic golden lion, almost matching Percy in height. From its rear sprouted a scorpion-like tail. Percy could see the spikes jutting out from the sides, each glistening with venom. The monster roared again and charged, but it was outmatched. For its huge size, it could match Percy's strength, and was completely outclassed when it came to speed. Percy ducked under its strike and barrelled into its exposed midsection like a bull, driving it back into a tree, which shook with the force of the impact. The manticore roared and bit down on Percy's hide, but the teeth didn't go more than a few inches in before they broke. Still, Percy could feel blood trickling down his side. With a snarl, he bit down on the base of the tail, making sure not to bite the spikes, and with one fluid motion, ripped it clean off. The manticore shrieked in pain, a torrent of blood pouring from the massive wound. Percy tossed the wriggling appendage away, and pinned down the fallen monster with his paw on its chest.

'ZEUS!'

Before Percy could speak, a group burst from the trees, and the sky thundered. The lightning bolt hit him in the middle of the back, the electricity travelling up and down his spine. Percy was thrown off the dying manticore, and let out a thunderous roar of pain. The monster started sliding away from him, and Percy got back up, fur smoking and eyes glinting with a murderous light. He turned towards his new enemy, and the growl died in his throat. The face of Medusa, in all her legendary hideousness, started back at her from the middle of his opponents' shield. Thalia's blue eyes sparkled with electricity, and her spear was pointed right at him. Standing to her side was a very familiar satyr, hooves cluttering nervously but still determined to protect his friends. Grover's horns had gotten longer, his beard wispier, but otherwise looked exactly the same. Standing at the son of Poseidon's side, and staring at him in shock, was Annabeth. She was much taller than the last time he'd seen her, but the stormy grey eyes were the same. The son of Poseidon looked like a carbon copy of his father, and Annabeth resembled her mother to almost a similar degree, as fierce and as beautiful.

For a moment, nobody moved. Percy's gaze flickered from demigod to demigod to satyr, finally landing on the daughter of Zeus, who was still pointing her spear straight at him.

'Hello, Thalia', he rumbled, dipping his head slightly. 'Weird way of saying hi, but I'm glad to see you.'

Percy saw Thalia's face go slack. Her eyes lost their intensity, and the point of her spear quivered slightly.

'Wait, Thals, you know this thing?' The son of Poseidon interjected. 'Person?'

The daughter of Hades pointed at the manticore, which managed to slide against the side of a tree and prop itself up. Her voice quivered slightly, but she stepped protectively in front of her bother. 'It… he ripped Dr Thorn's tail off. Threw it right over there!'

Percy turned his eyes to Annabeth. 'It's been a long time, but I hope you still recognise me. I did get you to camp, after all.'

Annabeth's face broke into a tentative smile, and Thalia hung her shield on her back. Grover let out a loud bleat, then covered his mouth with his hand. 'Dude' Thalia shook her head. 'I thought I might have had to kill you for a second.'

Percy laughed, then started to shrink. His claws and fur retracted, bones creaking with the familiar feeling. A moment later, he stood in front of the demigods, still taller than any of them, but human. The son of Hades' jaw dropped right to the floor.

'What? How-how did you just do that? You were just-'

He stepped forward, but his sister pulled him back. 'Don't get any closer, Nico', she whispered.

Percy put his hands up. 'I'm here to help you. I swear on the River Styx.'

Annabeth stepped forward, her grey eyes stormy. 'As glad as I am to see you, you could have given us a call. Its been three years, Percy! Did it not occur to you to drop by? Say hi? Give us any indication that you're still alive?!'

Her voice got louder as the sentence went on, and Percy stepped back and put his hands up in apology. 'I know, I know, and I'm sorry. But for what it's worth, I'm here now, Annabeth.'

She looked like she was about to say something else, but the son of Poseidon put his hand on her arm. 'Give it a rest. He helped us.'

The daughter of Athena looked at the son of Poseidon, then back at Percy. Holding her chin up and eyes fiery, she stepped back. Even though Percy could see her shoulders relax slightly, he knew this wasn't over. He would have to win her back.

The son of Poseidon put a tentative hand out. 'Thanks for the help. Alex Jackson.'

Percy shook his hand, taking care not to squeeze too hard and break any bones. 'Percy. I've heard good things about you, Alex. I've heard a lot about you. You look like your dad.'

Alex looked at him in shock, and sputtered slightly before answering. 'I-I've also heard about you. I wasn't really sure you were real.'

Percy chuckled, then looked over at Thalia, who still had her spear in her hand. 'After we deal with him', She pointed at the downed manticore. 'we have a lot of catching up to do.'

Before Percy could answer, a sliver arrow whistled from the trees, embedding itself into the manticore's shoulder. It groaned in pain, but Percy guessed it really couldn't feel much anymore. He'd lost a lot of blood. Percy would be surprised of he lasted more than a couple of minutes. The hunters of Artemis streamed out of the woods, and Percy supressed a smile. Leading them, Zoë looked as formidable as ever.

'The Hunters!' Cried Annabeth.

Next to Percy, Thalia muttered, 'Oh, wonderful.'

Zoë stepped forward and drew her bow, eyes fixed on the manticore. 'Permission to kill, my lady?'

The manticore wailed. 'This isn't fair! Direct Interference! It's against the Ancient Laws!'

'Not so', another voice said from behind Zoë. Even in the form of a small girl, Artemis exuded utter confidence and power. Her eyes drilled a hole in the monster. 'The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast.' She turned to Zoë. 'Zoë, permission granted.'

The manticore snarled at them. 'If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!'

He lunged at Alex, and Percy positioned himself to intercept. However, before he did, Annabeth charged at the monster.

'Get back, half-blood!' Yelled Zoë from behind them. 'Get out of the line of fire!'

Annabeth drove her knife into the manticore's back, and it howled in pain. It flailed around in circles, trying to shake Annabeth off, who was holding on for dear life.

'Fire!' Zoë ordered.

'No!' Alex screamed.

The Hunters let their arrows fly. One hit the monster in the neck, another in the chest, but it managed to stay on his feet. It turned and ran, Annabeth still on its back. Percy transformed in a second and leapt after him, but even while injured, the manticore could run. It raced through the trees, reaching the edge of a cliff. Hundreds of metres below, Percy could hear the waves crashing crashing against the rocks.

'This is not the end! You will all pay!'

Percy realised what was about to happen, and lunged forward, but before he could do anything the manticore turned and jumped. Percy skid to a stop at the edge of the cliff, his claws gripping the rocky side as he watched them fall. He heard Alex call out for Annabeth, but there was nothing they could do. Percy shifted back, turning around to face the incoming Hunters. Zoë stepped forward, looking at Percy with a grim expression. Over the years, they had developed a sort of friendship. Percy trusted her, more so than other less tolerant members of her Hunt.

She nodded at him. 'Percy.' He nodded back, keeping his distance but smiling politely. Zoë turned to Thalia, and her expression turned sour. 'You.'

'Zoë Nightshade', said Thalia with distaste. 'Perfect timing, as usual.'

Zoë didn't reply, instead scanning the rest of the group. 'Four half-bloods and a satyr, my lady.'

Artemis nodded, stepping to Zoë side. 'Yes, some of Chiron's campers, I see.' She turned to Percy, giving him a small smile. 'It's good you were here, Perseus. These demigods probably owe you their lives.'

'Annabeth!' Alex interrupted. 'You have to let us save her!'

Artemis turned towards him, her face sad. 'I'm sorry boy, but your friend is beyond help. Besides, you're hardly in any condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs.'

Alex tried to run to the cliff's edge anyway, but a couple of the hunters held him back.

'Let me go!' He protested. 'Who do you think you are?'

Percy raised his eyebrows in surprise. This son of Poseidon was bold, even for demigod standards. Zoë stepped forward, and Percy full expected her to smack him in the face, but Artemis stopped her before she could.

'No. I sense no disrespect, Zoë. He is simply distraught. He does not understand.' Artemis stepped forward and looked Alex in the eyes. In the cold light of the winter moon, she seemed to shine with silvery light. 'I am Artemis. Goddess of the Hunt.'

Artemis and Zoë started exchanging words with the demigods, and Percy drifted back into the the shadows of the trees. They would undoubtedly break the news to the children of Hades of their parentage, and probably discuss Annabeth's fate and anything the manticore might have said that would aid in her rescue. Percy was interested, of course, but he didn't feel like he needed to be part of the conversation. In his head, the mission was clear: Annabeth needed to be rescued, and he would help in any way he could. Despite their time apart, Percy considered her somewhat of a little sister, and Hades would freeze over before he let anybody hurt her. He also needed to talk to Thalia, but he decided he would wait until her mood subsided. Between Annabeth and Zoë presence, with which she seemed to have some sort of history, the daughter of Zeus was on the verge of shooting lightning from her eyes. When she cooled off, Percy would talk to her.

Keeping an ear in the conversation, he walked all the way to the edge of the cliff, politely nodding to the hunters along the way. As far as males go, the Hunters were as respectful as could be expected. Most offered a curt nod back, others simply turned away. A few shot small smiles, even a wave or two before disappearing into their tents. Percy had found that, especially in his line of work, the more conflict he was able to avoid, the better. He could hear the Hades children ask about their parents, and about 'Dr Thorn', which must have been the manticore's cover name in the school. It was never easy, having your world torn from under you, but something told Percy these children were tougher than they looked. As long as they looked after each other, they would be fine.

'They'll have to be', thought Percy morbidly. 'It's not like they have much of a choice.'

A few feet away from the cliff, Percy summoned his knife. As it always did under the light of the moon, the silver gleamed unnaturally, the razor-sharp edge seeming to grin at Percy, begging him to use it. Ever since his trip to Cairo, Percy felt that, as weird as it was, his knife was different. He could really explain it, but it felt as if something had awoken inside the weapon, something that had been dormant all this time. Percy closed his eyes, sending two quick prayers, one to his mother and another to his father. He asked for guidance and wisdom, and strength to do what was right, but most of all, he asked them to be safe. Percy knew they were immortal gods, but he still felt it necessary to express the sentiment. With the world changing as it was, something told him they would need it.

His eyes still closed, his mind took him back to Egypt, and the man he'd met on his trip. He tried to hang on to the faces of his parents, but they only seemed to dissolve faster. They were replaced by images of the pyramids, of the bronze men, Julius' cold expression. In the last month, Percy had tried, more so than usual, to overwhelm himself with work, but his mind kept going back to Julius Kane. Thinking back, the whole experience felt surreal, but it really had happened. Percy had tried to reach him though Iris messages, but every time they had failed. This wasn't supposed to happen, and Percy had a sneaky suspicion something else was a play here, some sort of interference. Somebody didn't want him reaching out to Julius.

'Further knowledge will do more harm than good, I think'.

Percy agreed with Julius more and more. He had stepped into a foreign world, opened a rift between two civilisations, and somebody had noticed. They were working overtime trying to close it, but Percy didn't know if they would be able to. He also didn't know what the consequences would be if their two worlds met again. Truth be told, Percy didn't know much of anything these days.

He opened his hand and let his knife vanish, then turned around to watch the campers. Even lost in thought, Percy had been following the conversation, and saw Bianca follow Artemis and Zoë deeper into the Hunters' camp. He feared a recruitment pitch was incoming, and he hoped Bianca would be strong enough to resist, selfless enough to think to her brother. The Hunters were an attractive option for many young women, but Percy had detected a very strong emotional bond between the two siblings. If Bianca were to leave… Percy didn't know how Nico would handle that. Possibly not very well. Grover led the boy into the woods, the pair talking about hit points and armour ratings and a variety of things Percy didn't really understand. Alex and Thalia were left alone, and after exchanging some harsh words, the daughter of Zeus stormed off, leaving Alex alone and angry. Percy felt the emotions coming off the boy in waves. He was angry, but more so at himself than the manticore or the Hunters, or even Thalia. He blamed himself for Annabeth. He should have saved her, he should have seen what was about to happen. It was all too familiar to him, and Percy wouldn't be surprised if Alex blamed himself for everything and anything unfortunate that happened to the people around him. Feeling responsibility like that was good; it showed you cared, but it could also destroy you.

Percy approached the son of Poseidon silently, stopping a few metres shy of him and clearing his throat. Alex swivelled around, his posture defensive as soon as he registered who had approached him. The waves had picked up, their booming against the cliffs getting louder and louder.

'It's not your fault, man', Percy told him. 'I know you don't want to hear this right now, but it isn't. Annabeth made a choice. She attacked that manticore to protect you, to protect her friends. Being angry at her heroics if more selfish than anything else.'

Alex's eyes widened, but Percy met them, sending a very clear warning. This was not the time nor the place for an outburst. 'I-' he began. 'I should have done something. I could have saved her, I know I could have. Now she's d-'

'She's not.'

Alex narrowed his eyes. 'What?'

'Annabeth isn't dead. They went over the cliff, but never hit the water. I would have heard it, you would have sensed it. I can't explain it, but they just vanished, taken away somewhere else. For now, Annabeth is a prisoner of the enemy.'

Alex looked down at the snow, dejected and helpless. Percy stepped forward and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

'Hey, look at me.' Alex raised his head, his sea-green eyes meeting Percy's blue and red. 'I'm going to find her, Alex. I hope you help me.'

Alex nodded, his expression now showing stubborn determination. 'We'll find her. Chiron will order a quest, I know he will.'

Percy nodded in approval, and just as he was about to say something else, he noticed Grover and Nico over Alex's shoulder, coming back from their walk.

'Hey, you two', he greeted them. 'Nice walk?'

Grover bleated, drawing a slight smile from Alex. Nico, on the other hand, opened with a barrage of questions that made the manticore's spikes seem harmless.

'Dude, that was amazing! You just destroyed Dr Thorn earlier, and he was a manticore! I don't have your card, but you must have like 40,000 attack pow-'

'Nico, calm down', said Alex, his eyes shining with amusement. 'One question at a time, man.'

'Um, right. Are you a god? My father is.'

Percy was shocked, for a moment, but regained his composure. 'No, no I'm not. My father is a god. Phobos, son of Ares. If you go to camp, you'll learn about him.'

Nico's eyes lit up. 'I know who Phobos is! I have his figurine!'

He then started taking from his backpack an assortment of figurines and playing cards, laying them out on the grass. From what Percy gathered, the game was called Mythomagic, and it essentially encapsulated the Greek mythical world in a game of cards. It didn't seem particularly interesting to Percy, but the way Nico talked about it, it was hard not to pay attention.

'The Minotaur should not even be close to the Lydian drakon', Percy interjected. 'Speaking from experience, the drakon was way tougher to kill.'

Nico's eyes almost popped out of his skull, drawing a small laugh from Percy.

'NO WAY!'

Nico, kept rambling, but Percy noticed a strange smell that drew his attention. It was something he hadn't smelled for a long time. It wasn't very common, and notoriously difficult to detect, but looking at Grover and Alex, he was sure.

'You two have an empathy link'.

Nico stopped his rambling and looked at him, confused. Alex and Grover both looked at Percy, not sure of what to say. Alex broke out of the trance first, nodding his head slowly.

'Yeah, we do. We have for a few years, just in case one of us gets hurt or in trouble. It's come in handy a few times. Can you- Can you smell it or something?'

Percy nodded. 'My senses are much better as a wolf, but as a human I'm still good. It's faint, but it's there. You must know each other really well.'

Grover opened his mouth to reply, but a voice rang out from behind them.

'Alex Jackson.'

The group turned around to see Zoë Nightshade, her expression calmer than it had been before, but still steely.

'Come with me. Lady Artemis wishes to speak with you.' Alex nodded and started to follow. Zoë looked at Percy, her expression softer. 'You too, Percy. Come on.'

The inside of Artemis' tent looked exactly the same as last time, down to the animals roaming the carpet and the position of the chairs. Artemis sat cross-legged on the floor, with Bianca next to her. Behind them, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. Zoë sat at the goddesses' right, and at Artemis' instruction, Alex took a seat on the floor in front of the trio. He looked distinctly uncomfortable, most likely because of the look Zoë was giving him. Percy sometimes forgot that, even though they were on good terms, she still found men generally distasteful. Percy walked over to a chair in the corner and sat down. Artemis nodded at him, and he nodded back respectfully.

The goddess asked Alex about what the manticore had told them, and Percy listened intently. He told them about somebody called the General, and Percy saw Zoë's face pale at the name. He then revealed the manticore had told them the Great Stirring had begun, when old monsters and enemies of Olympus would begin to awaken. Percy had noticed this, but it was good to hear someone else say it. Maybe it would spur the gods into action. Alex stopped speaking, and Artemis stroked her bow thoughtfully.

'I feared this was the answer.'

'The scent, my lady?' Zoë asked.

'Yes.'

Percy wandered what scent she was talking about. The only thing he had sensed nearby was the manticore. However, Artemis was the Goddess of the Hunt, and her senses surpassed even Percy's, so there could have been something he'd missed.

'Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia', Artemis murmured. 'Prey so old I have nearly forgotten.'

Percy didn't try to intrude, but the goddess must have not cared enough to block her emotions. He caught a slight scent of uncertainty and stress, maybe even fear. Not for herself, but for others,. Most likely her hunters, quite possibly her family on Olympus. Whatever monsters she was thinking about, if they were powerful enough to scare the goddess of the Hunt, they were bad news for Percy.

'Am I interrupting anything?'

Every head in the tent snapped around to the voice. As soon as Percy realised who it belonged to, he felt his heart drop right into his stomach. He'd known this day would come, but he pushed it into the back of his mind, childishly hoping that if he never thought about it, it would never happen, but now it was here. The goddess looked exactly the same as Percy remembered her. A young, maybe thirty, hispanic woman, undeniably beautiful. She wore a tight leather jacket and black camo pants, with steel-tipped combat boots to complete the look. Percy remembered the sound when she walked, and wandered how nobody had heard her approach the tent. Or, for that matter, how in Hades she had gotten into the camp in the first place. Her swirling eyes were completely red, the lighter and darker hues attempting to mix together, but never really managing it.

It a flash, Zoë had an arrow nocked and her bow drawn, aimed right between the goddesses' eyes. She flashed a smile and tentatively raised her hands, shooting a small nod at Artemis.

'Can you tell this feisty little one who I am? I doubt Zeus would take it lightly if she hurt his favourite companion.'

Artemis stood up, glaring at the goddess with pure hatred in her eyes. 'I don't take the threatening of my hunters lightly either, you miserable, pathetic excuse for a deity. Tell us why you are here and leave, before my patience runs out.'

She turned to Zoë slightly, and put her hand in front of her weapon. 'Put down your bow, Zoë.' The huntress did, her face showing a puzzled expression. 'This is Bia, daughter of Pallas and Styx, sister of Nike and Kratos.'

'Goddess of violence and anger', muttered Percy.

Bia turned towards him and purred, her face breaking into a huge grin. 'You have a good memory, Percy. You know why I'm here, don't you?'

I'm going to leave it there, I didn't want to make the chapter too long. I got this one out in a reasonable time, and I'm pretty happy with out it turned out. Some of the dialogue was lifted verbatim from Titan's Curse (I hope you guys noticed it), so I guess I have to say I don't own anything from this chapter apart from my characters and my story. All praises and all credit goes to Uncle Rick.

From this point on, the story will be very intertwined with the main Percy Jackson storyline, with a few exceptions and bumps along the way. Tell me what you thought about this one. Thank you for reading, I hope I can get Chapter 20 out soon!