"Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end."
Artemis, Goddess of the Moon, and the Hunt, strode quickly through the streets of Olympus, her heart sinking slightly at the sight of the empty pristine streets. It shouldn't be like this. Olympus, for as long as she had been alive, had been filled with life, and cheer. Now, the current crisis had caused all to hide away, wary of a war breaking out at any moment, and concerned that one of the Council would take out their frustration on any passing by. A roar of thunder echoed through the streets, and Artemis quickened her pace, not willing to risk upsetting her father any more than he already was.
Opening the doors to the throne room, she noticed that she was the last arrival. A palpable air of tension permeated the room. Two auras in particular raged against each other, their presence dominating all others. Zeus, and Poseidon. Apollo, her twin brother, and God of the Sun gave her a slight nod, his usually bright demeanour dimmed. She gave him an answering nod as she settled into her silver throne.
"Now that you have all taken time out of your busy schedules," Zeus sneered, electric blue eyes flashing to her, "we can begin."
Artemis flushed with annoyance but refused to rise to the bait. Poseidon, however, shuffled in his throne, face lined with irritation.
"This better be important, Brother." Poseidon spat, "I have better things to do than continue to listen to you whine."
A smell of ozone wafted through the air, and Zeus purpled with rage. Small arcs of electricity flickered across his skin. Artemis exchanged a nervous glance with Apollo, both concerned about what could happen. None here wanted to get on the bad side of either of the fighting Gods. Both, as much as she hated to admit it, were in a league of their own in terms of power.
"You know full well what this is about!" Zeus boomed, "To discuss your theft."
Poseidon's hand tightened on the shaft of his trident, his own eyes darkening to a stormy green. Artemis' breath caught in her throat as the Sea God's aura expanded with the scent of the ocean. As the Goddess of the Moon she had always been more susceptible to the nature of the Sea than a daughter of Zeus should probably be, but the current maelstrom that was Poseidon was tugging at her, as if drawing her into his power, and drowning her in it. Across the throne room Apollo was giving her a concerned look, his foot nervously bouncing on the ground, perhaps the only one that was aware of what Poseidon's aura was doing to her.
"I am no thief." The God of the Sea answered, his voice low and calm, like the moments before a storm.
Zeus went to respond, but a soft voice spoke up instead.
"Peace Brothers. We are all aware of the current situation, let us move to the topic we have been gathered for." Artemis looked down to see Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth poking at the central fire. Her own calming aura slowly pushing back that of the two Gods, whom both settled back in their thrones with disgruntled looks.
"Children, report." Zeus barked out.
"I have discovered nothing, Father." Athena answered primly, "Though if the bolt were to already be in another realm, it would be impossible for me to discover it." She finished with a significant look at her rival. Artemis sighed softly in annoyance, as Poseidon growled at the obvious implication. Trust Athena to try to reignite the fight purely over her dislike of Poseidon.
"I found a trail that left Olympus, but it died out just West of the city. I was unable to progress further. I did reach out to various nature spirits, and minor Gods to ask for them to keep me appraised of anything suspicious." Hermes quickly cut in with a rushed voice, perhaps in an attempt to diffuse the tension again. Zeus looked more frustrated at the lack of answers, and turned to face her.
Without needing a further prompt, Artemis answered. "My Huntresses and I tracked a power source to Lake Livingston in Texas, but it ended up being a false lead. All we found was an artifact enchanted to produce an imitation of an item of power. A deliberate ruse to mask the real trail."
Zeus grunted in displeasure, "Who could set up such a thing?"
"There are a few options. Hecate for one, and a couple other powerful magic users like Circe. Unfortunately, Hecate is protected in the Underworld, and the others would have little reason to risk Olympus' wrath." Athena answered promptly.
"Hades." Zeus growled. That was personally Artemis' opinion as well. Stealing the Master Bolt didn't seem like something Poseidon would do, but the stupid male had too much pride to convince Zeus otherwise.
"Of course, the Cyclops are another who could do it." Athena added, and Zeus' turned to face Poseidon once more with a glare.
"Artemis, give the recovered artifact to Hephaestus, and Athena, to study for further research." Hera sneered out before the two could start again. Artemis nodded in agreeance, trying to not let her disgust of Hera show.
"I detected the presence of the Master Bolt in Denver as I flew the Sun Chariot. It was only for a moment. By the time I flashed down, it was gone. Though I did find Ares there."
They all turned to face the God of War, who in Artemis' opinion looked a little nervous at the attention. Or perhaps he was just giddy from all the fighting going on. It was hard to tell with such a worthless male.
"I also tracked the weapons to Denver. It wasn't hard for someone with my abilities." Ares sneered out, and Artemis struggled not to strangle the other God for his insolence. "I nearly had it cornered when a strong presence covered it once more. It was power on the level of the Big Three. That was when Golden Boy showed up."
The room was silent for a moment as they all processed the information, Zeus continued to glower at his brother.
"It appears that we now know the culprit is one of two people." The King of the Gods announced. "We have given them until the Summer Solstice to repent for their crimes, until then it appears that further tracking of my bolt will lead nowhere."
Artemis warily glanced between the two furious brothers, both gripping the arms of their thrones with enough force to crack them.
"However, we have other avenues we can look into. The God responsible," Zeus looked at Poseidon, "would not have been capable of acting alone. They would have need of a mortal champion, likely a child of theirs."
Artemis considered the implications of either Poseidon or Hades having a child, and what it could mean for the upcoming Great Prophecy. Nothing good, that was for sure.
"Artemis," Zeus commanded, "I task you, and your Hunters, to find any mortal capable of colluding with the God responsible, and bring them to Olympus to face questioning."
"You would dare hunt mortals?" Poseidon growled.
"Why do you care, brother?" Zeus responded, "Is there one you care about?"
Poseidon surged out of his throne, his trident thudding into the ground. Artemis froze as the elder God's stormy green eyes found her own silver ones. His presence crushing into her with the force of a tidal wave.
"I am no thief, but I warn you all now. Any who harm me, and mine, in this false pursuit of justice shall face the full wrath of the sea in the war to come. Consider wisely whom you are making an unnecessary enemy out of."
The ground rumbled below their feet before the Sea God was gone in a mist of water. His aura faded with him, but Artemis could still feel those eyes pushing her into her throne. His words echoing through her head.
"Artemis, you have your orders." Zeus thundered, breaking her out of her thoughts. She lamented the situation. Stuck between a rock and a hard place. Follow her orders, and face the wrath of Poseidon. Disobey, and be punished by The King of The Gods. With a sigh, she prayed to Chaos that this would work out in the end, with the safety of her Hunters.
"I will do my duty." She declared, carefully hiding her inner turmoil behind a blank mask. With that all the Olympians left the room, as she remained sitting, contemplating the future. All she could do was to follow her orders, and hope for the best. Apollo made his way towards her, blue eyes nervously watching the other Olympians trickle out. Only once the room was empty did he speak.
"Little Sis, let me help you." He whispered, and she snarled back at him.
"I'm older than you! And what makes you think I need your help."
He looked pained, as if her words had physically struck him, and she felt a little bit of guilt before pushing it away.
"Please." He begged, "I sense something coming, something is changing. You're in the centre of it. For good or for ill. Even if what I sense is wrong, father has put you in a dangerous position. Please, I'm begging you, let me be by your side. I want to help you. I would never forgive myself if I didn't try."
The words resonated with her, and she could tell he was telling the truth. He was the God of Truth, and Prophecies. Her being his twin, she had a few minor powers in the area herself, even if not as powerful. Still, she frowned at the implication that he thought she couldn't handle herself. That she needed him to protect her.
"I don't need a boy messing up my hunt." Artemis replied, before flashing away from his sad blue eyes without a word.
A shiver wracked Percy's body, goosebumps flowing freely across his arms. He wasn't quite sure why, but he felt as if something had inexplicably changed, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
"Are you okay?" His best friend, Grover Underwood, questioned from next to him. Percy gave the other boy a small smile. Like himself, Grover was twelve years old. He had short curly brown hair, usually covered by a Rastafarian style hat, and deep brown eyes. Grover also, unfortunately, had some type of muscular dystrophy disease which led to a scrawny frame, and the need for crutches to help him walk. Add on his nervous disposition, and he was a prime candidate for being bullied. Not that Percy could talk, with his own ADHD, Dyslexia, and constant failing grades, he was just as targeted. It's what had started their friendship in the first place, a mutual need for protection, and an understanding of the cruel nature of other children.
"I'm fine," He answered, "Just nervous for the trip, these never go well for me."
They were currently on a bus for the school field trip. Their school, Yancy Academy, was a boarding school for troubled youths, children that most other schools had given up on ever becoming productive members of society. Somehow their Latin Teacher, Mr. Brunner, had convinced the principal to take them on a field trip to the museum. A chance to see real artifacts from Greece and Rome. Sadly, Percy had a habit of getting expelled after school field trips. His crimes included an exploded bus, unplanned swims with sharks, and the release of a boar into a nature park. Now that was a weird one. This was now his fifth school in six years.
Grover answered with a nervous chuckle, the sound warbling a little, "It'll be okay." Percy wondered which of them he was assuring more.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the museum, and the students filed out the bus, jostling and pushing each other around as they made their way out. Eventually, they formed a somewhat orderly queue on the footpath with their two teachers in front of them. Mr. Brunner, their Latin teacher, looked as dignified as ever. He was a middle-aged man wearing a tweed jacket, with a closely cropped grey-peppered beard. Kind brown eyes always looked up at them with pride from his wheelchair. He was, quite frankly, the best teacher Percy had ever had. He had never had a bad word to say to anyone, was unfailingly patient, and never made Percy feel lesser for all his problems. He was the one teacher that Percy strived to be better for, strived to succeed in his class.
Their other escort was the complete opposite. Mrs. Dodds had only arrived at the school a couple of months before, and since then had seemingly endeavoured to make Percy's life complete hell. She had a gaunt, pointed face, beady black eyes, and spent every lesson glaring at him as if he was demon spawn. Once, after a particularly challenging detention with her, Percy had declared the woman a monster, only for Grover to completely agree with him.
The museum tour was more interesting than Percy thought it would be. Mr Brunner had a way of bringing the stories to life, and he found himself hanging onto every word. Sadly, the other students didn't seem to agree, and were whispering to each other the whole time, making it difficult to pay attention.
"Will you shut up." He hissed as they continued, unfortunately loud enough for Mr. Brunner to overhear.
"Yes Mr. Jackson? Perhaps you may tell us what story is depicted on this pottery?" The Latin teacher questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Blushing red, and trying to ignore the snickers of his classmates, he looked closer at the aforementioned item.
"It's Artemis, Goddess of the Moon." He pointed out, feeling proud of his recognition. Mr. Brunner sighed, apparently in disappointment, much to Percy's shame.
"This pot depicts the story of Callisto. She was a Huntress of Artemis. A companion that accompanied the Goddess on her many hunts, on the condition that she kept to her vows. Vows to remain loyal to the Goddess, and to forever swear off the company of men. Zeus, the King of the Gods, lusted after Callisto, and hatched a plan to get closer to her. He disguised himself as Artemis, and lay with her, resulting in the birth of a son, Arcas. Enraged, Artemis punished Callisto by turning her into a bear. Many years later, a now grown Arcas, came across Callisto, and not knowing she was his mother, attempted to slay her. Zeus stopped him before he could. However, Artemis, felt that they could not both continue to live in peace for their crimes. Therefore, she killed both mother and son, but out of remembrance for Callisto's years of service, she placed them in the stars as Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor."
Percy felt a bit sick at the thought. That the poor girl, and her son, had been punished when her only crime was being tricked by a God.
"What does this story teach us, Mr. Jackson?" Mr. Brunner asked, but Percy couldn't think of an answer.
"I don't know, Sir." He answered.
"I see." The Latin teacher stroked his beard. "For homework, I would like you to all ponder this story, and in a few weeks, we will revisit it to discover what you have all learnt from the story. On that note, I believe it is time for lunch."
As the other students rushed out, Mr. Brunner called for Percy to stay back. He waved Grover on, who hovered by the door.
"Yes, Sir?"
"You need to learn the answers to my questions."
Percy felt a sinking feeling in his gut. He hated disappointing Mr. Brunner.
"I'm sorry."
"My class is important, Percy. You must study the stories, learn the morals, and work out how it applies to you. Only with this knowledge will you succeed." There was something in Mr. Brunner's eyes, something Percy couldn't quite identify. As if there were more weight to this conversation than Percy knew.
"I will," Percy promised, "It's just difficult."
"I know, Percy." The old teacher said, "But you must try. Come to me for any help you need, I want you to succeed. You are more capable than perhaps you could ever imagine."
Percy swallowed a lump in his throat, not quite sure how to respond to the support and faith shown that he wasn't used too much in his life.
"Thank you." He managed to choke out, before quickly heading off to join back up with Grover outside, where he found him eating an apple by the fountain. Planting himself next to his friend, they watched in silence as the other students run amok. The grey sky ominous overhead, and Percy feared it would start storming once again, as it had been for what felt like months.
"In trouble?" Grover broke the silence.
"Nah, not from Mr. Brunner. Just disappointment. I don't get why he expects so much from me sometimes."
Before Grover could reply, Nancy Bobofit, one of their classmates wandered over and dumped her sandwich in Grover's lap. She was one of the biggest bullies in their school, and enjoyed targeting them in particular with her shenanigans. It usually took all Percy had not to fight with her, but he would always imagine his mom's disappointment if she found out he was expelled for fighting a girl.
"Oops." She grinned widely, curly red hair windswept, and freckles standing out across her face. Rage soared through Percy at the sight of Grover's peanut butter and jelly-stained pants. A wave roared through him, and next thing he knew Nancy was laying on the ground, soaking wet, with a shocked expression on her face.
"Perseus Jackson." Mrs. Dodds screeched, stalking over with a victorious grin on her face as if she was waiting for this very moment.
"Did you see that?" One student whispered.
"The water..."
"How'd Jackson do that?"
"Is his real name Perseus? What a dork."
An embarrassed flush filled his cheeks. He wasn't quite sure what he had done, but he did know that he absolutely hated his full name.
"Now Honey..." Mrs. Dodds almost crooned out, sufficiently creeping him out, "You'll be coming with me."
"I..i..it was me." Grover stuttered out, "I pushed her." His chin trembled from fright, and Percy felt a strong surge of affection for his friend. The teacher absolutely terrified him, but yet he was still sticking his neck out for Percy. He couldn't ask for a better friend. Mrs. Dodds just gave a disparaging look. With great reluctance, Percy followed her back into the museum, figuring she was going to make him buy Nancy a dry shirt from the gift shop. Behind him Grover was glancing at Mr. Brunner, but the other teacher was seemingly absorbed by a book he was reading. It appeared as if Percy would just have to survive the punishment of the harsher teacher.
After a minute they found themselves alone near a display of a stele about the birth of the gods. Uncomfortable silence followed, with Mrs. Dodds still staring at him with that strange gleeful look.
"Ummm..." Percy hummed out, unsure what he was meant to do, or say, but then a growl came from the teacher, a deep rumbling one like a large dog.
"We know what you did, Perseus. Confess now and suffer less for your sins."
It was a weird way to try and guilt him into admitting fault for what he had done to Nancy, but he had worked with weirder.
"Look, I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I didn't mean too." He fumbled for the right words.
"Did you not think we would discover your crimes? That my Lord would just let you walk free after what you had done? Give it to me, and your end will be swift."
It was official, Percy had zero clue what she was talking about. A little part of him was concerned for her, thinking perhaps the teacher had forgotten to take her meds. The major part of him was just trying to work out how to diffuse the situation so he could not be alone with the crazy woman.
"I really don't know what you are talking about."
She growled once more, "I shall enjoy your eternal punishment."
Before the words could process something even stranger happened. Her eyes changed to a murky yellow, the whole eyes, her skin tightened and gained a leathery quality, before her clothes molded into her body and became large wings. She looked like a female version of Man-Bat from the DC universe.
"The Underworld will relish your death."
Percy yelped as she dived at him, a swipe of her clawed hands narrowly missing his face as he tripped backwards. Scrambling backwards, he felt his heart beating a million miles an hour. The monster in front of him grinned viciously, saliva dripping from fanged teeth like a rabid dog.
"Come, Perseus, there is no need to hide anymore. Show me the true strength of the God Thief."
"You're crazy!" Percy screamed back, finally managing to get back to his feet. With wild eyes, he desperately looked for a way to escape, but the demon that had replaced his teacher stood in front of the only entrance to the room. She dived at him once more, wings spread, casting a dark shadow over him. He tried to dodge to the side, but her wing clipped him across the face, and he was launched backwards into the wall, pain blossoming straight away. Dazed he looked up from the floor, already feeling blood start to drip down from his nose. Mrs. Dodds stood above him, cackling madly. Percy still had no clue how it came to this, but he got the feeling he was about to die.
"Percy!" He heard a shout. Rushing into the room was Grover, sweating profusely.
"Styx." His friend muttered as if it was a curse as he took in the scene.
"Run Grover!" Percy begged his friend. "Get out of here, she'll kill you." He knew he was doomed, there was no need for his best friend to die too.
"Chiron is coming, we just got to wait a minute." Grover informed him, as if Percy had any clue who Chiron was, and why it mattered. Then, in a moment that Percy could have never predicted, Grover took a running leap at the monster and landed on its back, latched on like some demented form of a piggyback. Mrs. Dodds roared in outrage, and flared her wings outward. In a show of strength, it flung Grover off her, and he slammed into the ground next to Percy.
"Owww." Grover groaned, and Percy felt thankful that he was relatively alright.
"C'mon mate, we have to get out of here." Percy stated, grabbing onto Grover's arm.
"Ugh." Grover groaned, and Percy gasped in terror. The demon teacher had pounced in their distraction, and her clawed hand was now firmly inside Grover's chest. Crimson blood flowing freely around her hand.
"Grover..." Percy whispered in stunned horror, and with a slight flash, his best friend was gone. All that remained was a small pool of blood, and strangely enough a small blue flower plant.
"Pity I won't be seeing the Satyr in the Fields." Mrs. Dodds muttered, before turning to him once more. Percy wasn't listening though, all he could think about was Grover. Rage flowed through him, the image of Grover's pierced torso firmly implanted in his mind. The longer he thought about it, the more his terror left, and his rage grew. Around him the building started shaking as if an earthquake were happening. Mrs. Dodds took a step backwards, hesitance crossing her face for the first time.
"What did you do?!" Percy demanded, getting to his feet and grabbing her by the throat. The room shook even more violently, the stele crashing to the floor from its display.
"You prove your guilt with this display." Mrs. Dodds gasped out, though she didn't regain her gleeful look.
"Argghh!" Percy screamed and felt the monster crumble to a golden dust in his hands. Quickly, blackness took his vision, and he passed out on the stone floor beneath him.
A/N: So what you all think?
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