AN: So, before you guys mention it, you might see a slightly different writing style between chapters. While mostly just formatting, there are a few less than subtle differences in actual writing and dialogue. I try to keep it consistent, but at the same time, I am always trying to improve my writing and constantly experimenting with it. So if you were to read an early chapter and compare it to recent chapters, you might see a startling difference in writing style or formatting. So, I thought that I would explain this to those who have picked up on that. With that out of the way, sit back and enjoy the chapter. :)
(Iowa, Percy POV)
I spent two more days recovering from my wounds, during which Madeline never left the tent. While I was awake, Madeline staved off the boredom with conversation and games, taking my mind off the pain. She worked to keep me comfortable the whole time, and when I drifted into Morpheus' arms, I would awake to find her snuggled up next to me, snoring softly, leaving a smile on my face.
I tried to stand on the sixth day, and relief washed over me when I didn't crumple to the ground. My reaction was nowhere near as ecstatic as Madeline's, however. She bubbled with excitement as she giddily dragged me out of the tent.
The first rays of sunshine to hit us in over five days bathed us in a warm glow, and I almost forgot about the pain I had endured these last couple of days. Madeline and I stood in front of the tent, adjusting to the brightness of the light. The sun was setting, and the forest around us was vibrant, steeped in the rusty gold colors of the sunset.
The hunters were bustling about, as usual, when one of them plowed right into me in her hurry. We tumbled to the ground, entangling each other in our flailing limbs. Pain erupted from my left arm as the small gash that remained tore open. I groaned, feeling the slick blood stain my shirt. The stacks of wood she had been carrying scattered, causing an awful racket as they rolled into each other. The commotion drew the attention of everyone in the camp.
When I came to my senses, I blushed and noticed that I was on top of the huntress. I recognized her as Naomi, the white-haired huntress that, for some reason, didn't share in the blind hatred of all males that her sisters carried. That said, I doubt she would be amused at our current situation. She cursed foully, bringing her eyes up to meet mine. They widened as she realized the position we were in.
Her face turned scarlet, and she put both her hands on my chest and threw me off her. Of course, with my luck, I landed roughly on my injured arm. A fresh wave of pain shot up my arm, eliciting a groan from my lips. She got up, dusting her pants off, before turning to me, scowling. I half-expected her to shoot me with an arrow right then and there, but her face softened upon noticing the dark red splotch below my shoulder, and she tentatively extended a hand to me. I grabbed it with my uninjured hand, and she hauled me to my feet with a strength that belied her lithe form.
"Sorry... Um, let me get this out of your way," she said softly, bending over to pick up the scattered wood.
"Here, let me help," I muttered, kneeling on the ground, helping to collect the logs. As I did, I felt the eyes of every Hunter on me. After a few painfully awkward seconds, the wood was all back in Naomi's arms.
"Thanks," she mumbled, hurrying past me to the supplies tent. I stood alone, still the subject of the camp's attention. Madeline had scooted several feet back to distance herself from me, not wanting to miss the scene splayed out before her. I looked at her and saw her holding in a laugh, amusement shining through her eyes. Not meeting her mirthful gaze, I walked right past her to Artemis' tent.
"Coulda helped, you know," I muttered as I walked past her, slightly annoyed. Madeline chuckled dryly. With a few strides, she caught up to me, her eyes still shining.
"And ruin whatever that was? Never," she responded, sweeping her hand at where the whole incident occurred.
I shook my head, trying to appear angry, but a small smile tugged at my lips. Madeline saw it and playfully pushed me.
"You know you can't stay mad at me, so do yourself a favor and don't even try."
I tried proving her wrong by adopting a stern face but failed miserably when a smile crept through not two seconds later. I rolled my eyes at her triumphant face. I stopped in front of Artemis' large silver tent and crossed my arms as her grin faltered, and she stopped several feet away, casting a wary glance at the tent.
"What's the matter? Aren't you gonna follow me," I taunted.
"What's the matter? Aren't you gonna follow me," she mocked.
"Classy," I chuckled.
She replied by scrunching up her face and poking her tongue out. Then, in a huff turned around and marched to her tent, probably heading straight for her bed.
I walked into Artemis' tent, a smile still lingering on my face. Upon entering, I noticed nothing had changed since the last time I had been here. Artemis herself sat cross-legged beside the fire in the middle of the tent, her silver eyes boring into mine, her long black hair flowing silkily down her back. A passive expression lay on her face as she waited for me. My breath hitched when I took in her calm beauty.
She narrowed her eyes, almost as if reading my mind. I frantically searched my memory, trying to think about anything else. Unfortunately, I thought about the encounter with Naomi and blushed, my eyes drifting to the floor.
She decided to speak up and relieve me of my embarrassment. "Took you long enough. The camp hasn't moved these last six days because of you." Artemis stretched her hands out behind her and leaned on them. She bore her eyes into me, an unreadable look masking her thoughts.
My face started to heat up at her words. "I'm sorry, I-"
"I jest Perseus," she chuckled quietly, and the sound set butterflies off in my stomach. "If not for you, things might have gone very differently in that battle. You have more than earned my respect... Among other things."
She looked down after that last part, an almost unnoticeable red tint flashing on her cheeks. My pulse quickened, though, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why.
The silver-eyed goddess cleared her throat, composing herself, and locked eyes with me once more. "Anyways, I'm sure you know why I asked for your presence."
"The trident." my head bobbed up and down. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the reason behind this meeting.
"Indeed. What do you know of it, if anything? Although I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak, it seems suspicious that this weapon started appearing shortly after Pontus and all the other Primordials. Something that powerful has to belong to a Primordial and borrowing their power is never a good idea."
I nodded as she voiced the same concerns that I had formed not too long ago.
"I know. It unnerves me every time I see it."
"Can you summon it on command? I want to examine it."
"If only," I chuckled hollowly. "It seems to come randomly. It isn't even like it pops out when my life is in danger. It only shows up when I'm in the heat of battle and get so focused I sort of blackout. When Madeline was in trouble, I don't exactly remember what happened or how I got across the field, but the next thing I knew, I was at her side, killing the manticore that had her pinned down. All I remember is the feeling that I would lose Madeline if I didn't do something." Her gaze softened slightly after that revelation. She seemed to accept my explanation until her gaze met mine once more. Her eyes narrowed, and her face scrunched up suddenly. I gulped, heat rising to my cheeks as she continued to scrutinize me.
"You're hiding something. Spill it, and don't lie to me, boy," she growled, baring her teeth. She brought to mind a feral animal just waiting to pounce on its poor prey. And I was that poor prey. I scratched the back of my head sheepishly, not meeting her withering gaze.
"Well... When I tried looking for some sort of connection in my mind, I saw this statue deep underwater. It had glowing blue eyes and... terrified the crap out of me, to be honest." I gulped again.
"And you didn't think to mention this to me? Do I need to school you in common sense as well as archery?" She exclaimed incredulously. I looked at her like a deer in headlights, not sure of what to say. Her gaze softened once more, and she sighed as her shoulders slumped a little. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I admit, I haven't done enough to warrant your trust when it comes to things like this, but nonetheless, this is huge; keeping it to yourself was a mistake. Percy, even the smallest of mistakes could cost us this war. You've seen for yourself just how outmatched we are." She started off looking me in the eyes but cast her eyes down as she exposed her fears, her voice dwindling to barely above a whisper.
I inhaled, unable to look at her. I should have told her. Contrary to what she believed, I trusted her more than almost anyone. Like me, she would do anything for her friends, even if it meant sacrificing herself.
"I'm going to find that statue," I blurted out, causing her head to snap up. She studied me intently for a moment, an unreadable expression covering her face.
"I think I can find it. I don't know how exactly, but I can feel it. It's like there's this thread connecting us, and I can follow it. And that's what I'm going to do. I need to get to the bottom of this. Whatever it is, it seems to be on our side." I breathed out as I let out everything I had been mulling over these last two days while I was on bed rest.
She stood up abruptly and walked over to me, her silver eyes searching mine. She stopped a few inches from my face, so close I could smell freshly crushed pine needles. She tentatively placed her hand on my shoulder, her eyes carrying an unusual warmth.
"This is not something you should undertake alone. I'll come with you." Her words melted me to my spot as a warm feeling shot through my chest, and all I could do was stare at the goddess, completely dumbfounded. "Besides, if I don't, knowing your luck, you'll find yourself surrounded by Hydrocines and get captured. Then who would I have to blame for when things go wrong?" She flashed me a playful smirk when she finished.
She quickly retracted her hand and turned around, walking over to the other side of the tent.
"And anyway, the Hunt deserves a break after that last battle. Everyone's on edge, and a little break at Camp Half-Blood would do wonders. Though they might be getting tired of the camp as well, seeing as we just left not too long ago. But no place is as safe as camp, not with Pontus' army scattered all over the country." She babbled on, although it seemed to me she was trying to convince herself more than me.
I walked over to where she stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, spinning her around to face me. She relented easier than I expected, and one look at her downcast face told me why. Artemis was unnerved. I could tell she was worried about her hunters. She was so used to being in control that she didn't know what to do when her hunters faced a threat she couldn't scare off. I've never seen her so vulnerable, and it rattled me. I wanted her to rip my hand off, to glare daggers at me, to turn me into a jackrabbit for daring to touch her. But she did none of that. She shivered almost imperceptibly before turning her unsure eyes to me.
"Percy... I'm going with you. I need to be there when you find this statue. I need to see it for myself. I need some hope that we can win this war. That for once, my hunters can escape the destruction that always follows Olympus."
Before I could respond, she steeled her eyes and composed herself, eradicating all traces of vulnerability, leaving nothing but the familiar cold-hearted huntress face. Clearing her throat, she stepped sideways and walked past me.
She stopped at the entrance to the tent. "Perseus," she said over her shoulder, her voice steely. "It would not be wise to repeat the words said in this tent to anyone," she warned before leaving the tent, her chilly voice sending shivers up my spine.
"That's more like the Artemis I know," I sighed, talking to no one in particular. I waited in the tent awhile before leaving, not wanting to run into Artemis so soon after she almost threatened to kill me if that warning was anything to go by.
After I left Artemis' tent, I made a beeline for Madeline's tent. I opened the flap and saw my sister splayed across her sleeping mat. She had a peaceful expression on her face, one that made it hard to wake her, but I needed to explain where I was going.
Sighing, I knelt down and softly shook her shoulder. She groaned and turned over. I shook her again, more forcefully this time, and was rewarded for my efforts when her eyes opened slightly. She scoured her surroundings and groaned once more when she spotted me.
"Percy, I literally just fell asleep. It had better be important."
I chuckled at her words but felt a little guilty, seeing as how she was so in need of proper sleep because of me.
"I'll let you get back to sleep, but I just wanted you to know that I'm leaving the Hunt for a little while."
Her half-lidded eyes flew open, and she sat up quickly, almost hitting me in the face. She looked at me with a mix of anger and betrayal.
"What do you mean you're leaving the Hunt? Says who? You can't leave unless Artemis says you can," she huffed, crossing her arms.
"I already talked to her about it. Listen, I-"
"So what? You think you can leave just because you talked to Artemis? You haven't spoken to me. And there's no point in trying. No. You can't leave."
I stared at her with my jaw on the floor. I felt like I was eight again and had just gotten scolded by my mom.
"Madeline, listen. I'm going to find that statue and get to the bottom of this trident business." As I looked into her eyes, I saw them water. "I need to know where this power comes from. I need it because... I-" She interrupted me by crushing me in a tight hug.
"I know." She pulled back to look at me, her hands gripping my shoulders. We looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever until she sighed shakily and shook her head. "I know you have to go. And I know what you're gonna say. That I need to stay with the Hunt, that I'm safer here. And I know you won't budge no matter what I say, so I'll save us both that pain. Just promise me you'll return to me no matter what. You're the only true family I have, and I won't lose you to some stupid statue. Promise me." She finished, her eyes brimming with tears.
I nodded, unable to do anything more than that without risking looking like a blubbering idiot. I enveloped her once more, and we sat there for a brief few seconds before the flap on the tent was thrown open. Naomi stood at the entrance, eyes wide upon realizing she had interrupted us.
"S-sorry... but Lady Artemis has summoned you." She stammered, her unusual whitish-silver eyes staring into mine. I gave her a look, and she nodded sympathetically, understanding the unspoken message. She quickly turned to leave and closed the flap behind her.
After a few more minutes, I got up and left, promising Madeline I would see her soon. I trudged over to where Artemis was standing, in the middle of the camp, and picked up on her closing words.
"-And that's why I don't want to hear any complaining. Return to camp, and be nice to the campers. You all saw not too recently just what we're dealing with. Now, start packing up. You leave tonight."
No sooner was she done than she turned her attention to me and beckoned me to follow. She led me through the tree line of the clearing and showed no sign of slowing down.
"Lady Artemis, where are we going?" I demanded after tripping on a root for the second time. She snickered and continued without giving me an answer.
Finally, after another five minutes of walking through dense forest, Artemis stopped next to an unassuming tree. She turned around and casually leaned against the wider-than-average trunk.
My eyes traveled up her supple body and rested on her eye-catching lips. She cleared her throat, and my gaze immediately flew to her silver eyes, my face heating up in embarrassment.
"If you're done ogling me," she drawled, a warning look flashing in her eyes, "Then I can explain why I brought us here." She paused, looking intently into my eyes. I managed to hold her gaze for less than a minute before I started fidgeting. She seemed to be staring into my very soul. It was a relief when finally she broke the silence.
"If we're to do this, then we must be secretive. If Olympus doesn't know where we are going, then neither will Pontus. Or anyone else, for that matter. That means we'll have to walk there, no flashing or shadow traveling. I've given Phoebe all my instructions, so we are to leave now. You said goodbye to Madeline, I hope?" She asked, pulling herself off the tree.
I nodded as a dark expression flitted across my face. I did not like leaving Madeline alone, but at the very least, she would be with both the hunters and the campers. There was no place safer for her.
"Good, now come, I'll shield us from prying eyes, and you lead the way.
A week after we started our trek towards the west coast, Artemis and I were just about done with life. We had to have killed over 200 ice monsters and over a dozen Hydrocines. Luckily, none of the Hydrocines we came across were nearly as powerful as the one that had left me bedridden for a week.
We had just set up camp when we heard a now all-too-familiar grating, one that sounded a lot like someone rubbing two massive ice cubes together. I looked at Artemis and rolled my eyes. She sighed in exhaustion. The tree line exploded as several ice-hounds burst out and encircled us, crystal-clear water dripping from their open maws. I took out my Oceanic Silver blade and groaned as my overly sore arms burned with the effort. One look at Artemis told me she was in similar shape. I could tell we wouldn't be able to take much more of this.
I bounded over to the nearest Ice-hound and thrust my blade in its eye before it could react. I pivoted and cut the throat of one that had jumped up at me and turned around to face a third as two big splashes of water hit the ground behind me. The third didn't last long either, and I turned to face Artemis only to find her with her arms crossed, a playful smirk on her lips.
"You're getting too slow, Perseus. Maybe I'm better off without your dead weight," she mocked as I chuckled.
"I might be getting slow, but you're getting careless," I retorted as I threw my blade at the head of an Ice-hound that had been creeping up behind her.
She turned her head around to see the blob of water hit the ground before she smiled at me and responded with a hint of amusement. "Touché."
Once the adrenaline of the battle wore off, my legs instantly began screaming and shaking. I shook my head as I made my way to my tent and plopped down. Hopefully, those were just stragglers and not a scouting party because I seriously doubted if I could get through another fight without proper rest.
"Don't worry. I'll take first watch," Artemis chuckled.
"Words can't describe how much I love you right now," I groaned as exhaustion hit me like a brick, and I passed out.
(Colorado, Artemis POV)
My body trembled as I sat down beside the small fire we had set up just before the Ice-hounds had attacked. I looked up at the quiet night sky and sighed as my mind turned to Pontus for the millionth time this week.
Even with all the soldiers we had killed, I doubt we even made a dent in his army. With his troops scattered all over the country, most demigods and the rest of Olympus' allies are stuck wherever they are, and trying to move would be suicide. No doubt he plans to weaken Camp Half-Blood while he amasses an army big enough for a frontal assault. Luckily, my hunters can still move around, but they have to be careful not to run into a large troop. Pontus will have a much harder time destroying it with the Hunters at the camp than he did with Camp Jupiter, but it's certainly not out of his reach. We need to find a way to stop him before he recovers all his power, and we're running out of time and ideas to do so. At this point, my hope of making it out of this war alive rests with Percy and his trident. Olympus may rule the world, but it turns out that's because no one else bothered to challenge us. Now that they have, we finally get to see just how powerful our enemies are. Or how weak we are.
I looked at the tent to my right and thought of the person sleeping inside. Somehow this weak, half-mortal boy carries Olympus' best hope of surviving on his shoulders. 'No,' I thought, 'He's a man whose thoughts are constantly and only of his friends and family. Self-preservation is an idea completely foreign to his mind. The fact that he still stands and fights beside me when even I, one of the most powerful Olympic goddesses, am close to complete exhaustion only serves as a testament to his willpower and strength.' I smiled as an odd feeling of warmth washed over me, a strange blend of camaraderie, admiration, and some other unknown emotion.
I had been lost in my thoughts for hours when movement from Percy's tent snapped me out of it. He crawled out from his tent and stumbled over to where I sat by the fire.
"Ugh," He groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "I feel so heavy. I definitely needed that nap."
I chuckled at how severe of a bedhead he had after only a few hours of sleep. He looked at me with a pout and raised an eyebrow. "You look like you've been asleep for a decade," I answered, still chuckling.
"I feel like it," he said. An awkward silence enveloped us, and we just stared at the crackling fire. I was tongue-tied, and for the immortal life of me, I couldn't make any sense of it. When it came to Percy, I constantly found myself wondering what to say to him. My eyes rested on his, and he chuckled. "Never in a million years would I have imagined me camping with Artemis, herself."
"Yea, but let's be honest, that's not the strangest thing to happen these past few months," I retorted with a laugh.
"True, but it still kinda weirds me out. A part of me is preparing to live out the rest of my life as a jackrabbit," He chuckled.
I smirked and raised my eyebrow suggestively. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that until this war is over."
A flash of nervousness showed in his eyes before he composed himself. "I'm gonna chalk that up to a joke and not think about it any further."
I laughed at that. "That's probably a good idea."
He gazed up at the descending moon and gave me a pointed look. I rolled my eyes and got up with a sigh. "Fine, but wake me in three hours. I'm serious, no longer than three hours." I plopped into my makeshift tent and let darkness embrace me.
My eyes snapped open at the rustle a few feet from me. In a flash, I had a dagger in my hands and at the throat of the intruder.
"Goddamn, Artemis, you said to wake you in three hours!" Percy exclaimed, trying not to move as the silver blade was millimeters from cutting him.
I suddenly realized how close our faces were, our breaths mingling together. I dropped the blade to my side and backed away. "S-sorry, just reflexes," I stammered as an unusual heat crept to my face.
"Right," Percy chuckled nervously, rubbing his throat. "Anyways, let's get a move on. I can feel the pull getting stronger." He slipped on his backpack and started walking. I caught up to him in a few seconds, and we resumed our trek to the Pacific.
After some time, the forest ended, and we found ourselves onto the side of a winding two-lane road in the middle of nowhere. We walked down the road for hours without a single sign of life.
After another few hours, our peaceful and quiet trek was interrupted by the sound of an oncoming car. Percy smirked, eyes flashing.
"I know of a quick way to travel," he said, then proceeded to stick his thumb out to the side of the road. It wasn't long before an old, rusty red F-150 appeared, and just as I expected, it showed no signs of stopping. As I turned back to face Percy, I felt his arms snake around my waist and suddenly found myself right in front of the oncoming pickup truck, which released a screech as the driver slammed on the brakes. After it came to a stop, the driver flew out of the car, his face beet red.
"What in the hell are you doing, you fucking idjit! I almost kil-Oh... um, are you ok, miss?" The driver was an older man dressed in a hunter's vest with a worn, brown trucker's hat hiding his no doubt balding head. As soon as the rage was no longer clouding his eyes, he took a good look at me and got a lot calmer.
"Of course, she's not ok! You almost killed her!" Percy yelled. The man turned his head to glare at Percy, but his eyes kept shifting back to me every few seconds.
"R-right, sorry, I must'a been distracted. What're you doin out all this way alone, anyways? Let me take you to the nearest town, miss," he said as he placed his hand on my back and led me to the passenger seat. My skin crawled at the touch, but one look from Percy told me he'd prefer the non-violent approach.
Upon noticing Percy walking over to the rear seat, the driver let out a sigh. "Right, you're comin' too. Well, 'urry up and don't make too much noise back there," he said with a glare as he launched himself into the driver's seat. He gave me a sly smile that revealed his horribly rotten teeth and made no effort to conceal what his eyes were looking at. Just before I was going to crush his boorish face in, I saw Percy shake his head vehemently from the corner of my eye. Fighting my murderous instinct, I snapped my fingers, and the driver slumped against the wheel. Soft snoring began emanating from his dirty mouth instantly. After dumping the snoring imbecile in the back seat, we were traveling towards our destination in a much more convenient way.
(Pacific Ocean, California, Percy POV)
After another week of traveling, this time without encountering any ice monsters, we finally arrived at the Pacific Ocean. I turned to Artemis and swallowed hard. "This is it—time to uncover the source of the trident."
As I waded into the water, feeling the extraordinary rush of power that accompanies stepping into the largest ocean in the world, I felt Artemis put her hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her and saw uncertainty in her silver eyes.
"No matter what happens down there, come back. We... I need you." She said nothing else, but the look in her eyes haunted me long after I had submerged into the water. I honestly couldn't believe the relationship I had with her. Never before had I been able to call an Olympian a friend. Even with my father, there was always a vast divide between us, like we could never be on the same level. But with Artemis, I felt like she saw me as an equal, a true friend. And there was no way in Hades I wouldn't come back to her and Madeline.
'I will come back. For Artemis and Madeline, my friends at camp, and all my friends who died in the pointless wars between the immortals. I will come back and end this war for Annabeth, Clarisse, Bianca, Reyna, Thalia, wherever she is, and all the others who have laid down their lives to save the rest of us.
As I was zipping through the ocean, I felt the water start to get warmer and warmer, and after another few minutes, it was downright hot. The connection between me and the statue was more potent than ever, and it almost seemed to physically pull me towards it as I shot through the water at breakneck speed. The pull of the statue was so strong it started to hurt.
All of a sudden, I lost all control of myself and stopped dead in my tracks. My connection to the ocean was almost completely severed. I was barely able to breathe. For the first time in a very long while, I felt my clothes get wet, and I sank straight to the bottom. The pressure was also starting to affect me as my vision got hazy and my head started to pound. When I finally reached the ocean floor, I noticed a small cave from which the water seemed to froth. I waded toward it, and just before I entered, A wave of power hit me so hard it knocked me on my ass. Struggling to get up, I crawled into the opening and felt the water get even hotter.
After a laborious trek into the cave, I finally found what I was looking for. A massive statue of a long-bearded man holding a trident embedded sideways into the cave floor stared back at me. My mind was so foggy at this point I couldn't even remember if I had seen that trident in my vision before. All I could do was stare as the statue's eyes began glowing a dark blue, and the whole underwater cavern shook. The statue itself seemed to vibrate as waves of power started emanating from it. The words etched into the trident began glowing dark blue as well, and the stone around it began to crumble away, revealing the very same trident I have used several times already.
As I kneeled there, before the majestic and terrifying sight of whoever or whatever the statue was, a loud boom echoed throughout my mind, rattling my brain.
"Perseus Jackson. At long last do we meet."