Review and Response time fellows.

NiHaR Op: "Hey just wanted to point out that alaska is the land beyond vida so Artemis shouldn't be here tho I get that she is protecting the hind. Nikandreos op af."

Response: Thanks for reminding me. But I'm going to bend the rules a little in this fic, so if that bothers anyone, sorry. And yeah, Nikandreos is OP.

thesuperone342: "Damn bro. Awesome chapter and amazing backstory for Nikandreos. Also, like that other reviewer said, Artemis shouldn't be in Alaska due to those reasons. Unless you have a specific reason for her being there? Anyway, good chapter as always, I'm off to finish my chapter tonight. Look for it in a couple of hours."

PS. Don't listen to people saying Matt is too strong. He's going to have to get a lot stronger if he wants to catch up with Zane or god forbid, Malachi.

Response: Glad you liked the Nikandreos part. And yeah, I remember the Alaska thing, but I'm tweaking the rules a bit. Right now, Matt's not strong enough, but believe me, in the final battle of this first book, you'll see some impressive crap. Also in the second book, I plan on really bringing it, so expect that.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes Of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

15. We Talk To The Hunting Goddess

The first thought that came to my head when I saw Artemis. Why does she look like a thirteen year old?

"This is the average age of my maidens. I can appear however I want, but I prefer this." She told me.

Crap, I had said that out loud, or she read my mind. I couldn't tell, I was so thunderstruck from being in the presence of the moon goddess.

I immediately kneeled a little, "Forgive me Lady Artemis, for uh...throwing my spear at you."

She tossed it back to me, "No harm done, it was an accident. Although I encourage you not to do it again."

The Hunters now had all of their aim at Talon, who was glaring at the goddess and pointing his gun at her face.

I whispered urgently at him, "Dude, put your gun down!"

A hunter shouted, "Give me the word my lady, I'll drop him!"

Artemis held up a hand, "Calm yourself. He is understandably angry."

Talon cocked the hammer back, "You're damn right. You tried to kill me when I was a baby. And you helped kill my dad."

Artemis shook her head, to my surprise, she wasn't very shocked to find out Nikandreos had a kid. "I figured it was true, that he had a child. Yes...those were times when we were ah...not at our best. But you must understand, a child of that man, it worried us."

Talon seethed, not lowering his gun. I mean, if the gods had tried to kill me as a baby, and I met one, I would be pissed too, but now was not the time, we needed to find the Cerynian Hind.

Talon instead growled and lowered his gun, cocking the hammer back into neutral position. "I thought gods and goddesses couldn't come to Alaska, or was that just a rumor?"

I didn't know what he was talking about, why would deities have boundary lines?

Artemis nodded, "Indeed, you are correct. But it is not that we can't, it is that we shouldn't. If we leave the states, our powers weaken, and risk running into...other beings from completely different spectrums. The reason I took the risk is because I am chasing a former creature I used to care for, the Cerynian Hind."

I lifted my head up, "We're looking for it too, it's part of the quest I'm on."

The goddess looked confused, "A quest, to catch my deer?"

"Oh um, no. It's a small part of the quest, the big part is...well, it would take a while, can we talk somewhere else perhaps?" The cold air was getting to me, and I kinda wanted to go back to the truck.

Artemis winced, "That would be ideal. Being in this place...feels uncomfortable, my powers are practically useless. Your friend with the firearm could probably kill me, had he pulled the trigger."

Talon lit up and pointed the gun at her again.

Before I could stop him, the girl that looked a little like Harper stepped forward, "Don't even think about it."

The two glared at each other, Artemis only calmly told the girl, "No, Thalia. We must be civil, especially in these times."

Wait a second.

"Thalia?" I said, "I know you, Nico mentioned you."

She turned to me, wide eyed, "Nico? How do you know him?"

"I kind of go to Camp Half Blood. Uh, I also know Percy and Annabeth."

Her eyes really widened at that, and she grinned, "Really?! Where are they? Are they with you guys?"

"Yeah, there a little ways from here, we're in a truck."

Artemis motioned for us to lead the way, "Then that is where we will go, and then we should travel to Washington before we converse. I don't think I can stand another minute in this place."

We made our way back in silence, Talon and I leading the Hunters and the goddess.

I was a little nervous. All of these Hunters watching our every move, or Talon's every move. They had seemingly decided I wasn't going to dare attack the goddess, but Talon...well it was free shooting for him.

Artemis kept her eyes forward the whole time. She actually radiated power, she had a true goddesses beauty. It wasn't like what I imagined Aphrodite to be like, all dolled up and dressed to perfection, but more of a natural beauty that she just had, no effort needed, kind of like Harper.

Woah there, Romeo.

I swear, if I have one more stupid thought about that crap, I'm gonna throw myself at Malachi the next time I see him and let him just kill me. I tried to tell her how I felt earlier, but no, we had to get interrupted, as always. I think it's the gods or the universe trying to let me know, Nice try, but It ain't happening kid.

I groaned and shook my head, trudging through the damp ground and light snow. Deciding to keep my mind off of things.

We finally made it back to the truck. Percy, Annabeth and Harper were sitting outside, huddled up and clad in blankets.

Thalia saw them and immediately broke into a run, Percy and Annabeth noticed too, their faces lighting up. There was a big three way hug, and Harper just sat there awkwardly.

We made it to them, The three old friends catching up and talking about stuff I wasn't paying attention to. Something about a girl named Reyna came up, asking where she was, and Thalia said she was busy or something, I wasn't really listening, I was more focused on Harper.

"You good?" I asked.

She looked up, teeth chattering, "Never better, freezing my ass off though."

I chuckled, and sat next to her. She immediately pressed against me for warmth, causing me to let off some blush heat.

After the three demigods were done greeting each other, Artemis walked forward, and regarded Percy. It was insane, like two old friends greeting each other.

She even smiled, "Hello, Percy. You've grown quite tall since we last met. And Annabeth, still as wise as your mother?"

Annabeth blushed a little and shook the goddess's hand. I couldn't believe my eyes, these two...there was definitely no joke about the crap they've done. Getting a compliment from a literal maiden goddess, had to be proof.

"Did they tell you about the quest?" Annabeth asked Artemis.

"No, we have yet to discuss the details. I would like to travel to the nearest state before doing so, my powers are dimmed here."

Percy nodded, "Yeah, the whole Alaska thing."

"Indeed. If it isn't too much trouble."

"Of course not. This truck can make it there in no time, but can the Hunters? No disrespect intended." I said.

Thalia smirked, "Oh, we can make it alright."

Artemis nodded, "You need not worry about our speed, Son of Strength. We will meet you there, in Bellingham, that is close enough to the Canadian border."

Talon stood up, "Woah woah, we're here in the place where that deer is supposed to be, and you all want to back track, just to talk to a goddess?"

"She can give us information, Talon. Not even mentioning it's her deer we're chasing in the first place." Annabeth pointed out.

Talon looked like he wanted to protest, but he just groaned and told us to get in the truck. We told the Hunters we would see them soon, and they took off in a glinting light.

We got in, Talon cranked the engine, backed up, and made his way out of the woods slowly. The rest of the group sat in their usual spots, and just as I was about to take a seat on the couch, my vision went blurry, and all I saw was white.

I was immediately torn from my body, sent a million miles away, soaring in the air. I had no idea what had happened, but I could no longer feel my physical body in the truck, I was now lighter, had way better eyesight, and...fur?

No, it was feathers. I had feathers and I was flying through the air at an extreme speed over the blue ocean, an island in the distance. It wasn't the Cursed Island if that's what you're thinking, this one was smaller, and seemed to have a few Ancient Greek ruins just laying about.

I autonomously picked up speed and zoomed to the island. My eyesight was insane. It was like everything had been magnified times two hundred. I could see the fish in the sea, the insects in the air, the tiniest fly, everything. And I could certainly see the hulking figure sitting at the shore of the mound of sand.

As I got closer, his body appeared better. He was at least seven feet tall, if not more. He was shirtless, albeit his steel wrist armor and bear fur wrapped around his neck. His lower body was clad in what appeared to be bear fur or some kind of predator's hide again, only around his waist. He had on sandals, like he actually lived in Ancient Greece. His skin was tan, he had a medium length beard and hair, both of them a dark brown color...like mine.

I landed in front of him, surprised at how big I was. I was actually almost as big as this huge guy. Me an...eagle. I was pretty sure I was an eagle, and I knew that eagles were big, but this guy made bikers and bodybuilders look like pencils.

Next to him sat a huge celestial bronze club with a wooden handle. It was worn, and seemed to have been in a thousand battles.

He noticed me, smirking and huffing. "Interesting way of showing him to me, Kyros, but all the same, thank you."

I didn't know what this dude was talking about, but he was talking to me, because he looked directly into the eagle's eyes.

"I know you can hear me, boy. I am Hercules, your father."

My heart somehow raced, I had never seen or met my father before, and here he was, just sitting on his island like Percy had said. This was surreal, what was he going to say to me?

"I just want to tell you something. I want to tell you that...you're pathetic."

Wait, what?

Hercules continued, "I mean really, if it were me, that puny surfer boy would be crushed by now, along with that dirtbag Ouranos."

Hold up. The first time I see my father, and he is aware that he is talking to me...he calls me pathetic and tells me I'm weak? I mean, I should be angry, but to be honest...he was right. I had only really done any damage to Malachi once, and that was with the red aura, him off guard, and not even at full power. I was weak, especially compared to him.

"Granted, you've never had proper training, because me...I required special training from the old centaur. You and I...we're different, we have to use our anger to our advantage. And no offense kid, you suck at that."

Gee, thanks dad.

He raised a beefy hand, "You need to control your rage, let it work for you. Your rage is like a river rapid, out of whack and moving too fast. It needs to be a dam. Condensed, holding a full load, but ready to release whenever. That's what you should have."

I wanted to reply so bad, but I couldn't. I wanted to ask...how do I become like that?

He seemed to be wondering the same thing. "I wish you could be helped. Especially before you confront the bastard on the island, but it's impossible. You're best bet is to be as quick as possible, and not fight if you can help it."

I had so many questions, but I could feel this eagle connection thing fading, I was losing sight of my father.

He noticed, "Ah crap, just remember, let your rage work for you!-"

I was cut off.

A new scene displayed before me, I was back on the Cursed Island, at the top of a large sandy hill. Malachi's back was turned to me, his hands at work on something, like they were holding a basketball.

The Big Four came up the hill. The Cloaked man in front, Cherry, Axel, and Grayson following. They got up and noticed Malachi, who was still busy looking at whatever he was holding.

They stopped, a little frightful. I couldn't blame them.

The Cloaked Man had no such fear however, as he stepped forward. His face was covered by the black hood, the cloth enveloping his body, a long sword strapped to his back. He looked like a sith lord.

"I heard about what happened, they got away didn't they?"

Malachi growled and smashed whatever he was holding onto something solid. He turned around, revealing what it was, and the sight horrified me. If I could throw up, I would.

Beside Malachi, stood a sharp wooden pike, and on the top of it, sat Jack Colter's decapitated head. Dried blood covered the shaft, the gunslinger's eyes had been ripped out.

The other's eyes widened a little. Even the Cloaked Man seemed shocked.

"Y-you killed the old demigod? When you could've been chasing them?" He said incredulously.

Malachi looked enraged, I had never seen him this angry before. He shook, fists clenched, the very air twisting around him. No, this was Ouranos. I absolutely have to make that distinction now, because Talon knows there's someone inside there that's good, and I believe him.

"He distracted me. Allowing them to escape. Those filthy bastards, they keep getting away from my grip. But I have promised myself, that when they arrive here-"

"They won't!" The Cloaked Man yelled, "They won't get that far!"

"DON'T INTERRUPT ME!" Ouranos yelled back with much more volume and power, shaking the hill that they stood on from the shout.

He exhaled loudly. Damn, he was really mad.

He stepped toward the Man in the Cloak until they were face to face. The Man was an inch taller, at about six foot two, Malachi's body being taller than me, probably six foot one, but the height difference meant nothing, I knew that one wrong move and Ouranos would prepare another pike for the figure in front of him.

"Your plan was for them to get here. The girl and the boy, so that they could join us. I have a new plan, the girl can live, but Matthias...Is mine."

"But-"

Ouranos made Malachi's eyes flash a bright light, "The boy is mine to kill once he arrives. None of you will get in the way."

They looked like they wanted to protest, but thought better of it.

The god killer nodded, and then disappeared in a bright bolt of lightning, a thunderous boom following.

I woke up.

I was on my back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, my head on something soft. Which was weird, I don't remember there being a pillow on this thing.

That was until I leaned my head back further, to see a familiar face over me, looking ahead, it was Harper. She had her chin on her fist lazily, and judging from where my head was...I was on her lap.

You guys want to buy some butterflies? The farm is having a sale.

I immediately blushed crimson, my head was directly on her thigh, soft and comfortable. Had she put me there? Or had I just fell on her and she just decided to leave it like that?

I didn't want to leave this spot, it was perfect. I wished that I could go to sleep here, but remain completely aware that it was Harper's leg that I was resting on.

Sadly though, the vision had ruined the mood.

I softly said, "Hey."

She looked down at me, and for a second everything was normal, then when that second passed, she yelped and practically dove off the couch.

I sat up quickly, yep that had gone well.

She was now on the floor, looking at me wide eyed, her ears red.

"Hey! Um, you're awake. That's good, I didn't expect you to get up so soon..."

I tried to calm her by changing the subject, "How long was I out?"

"Um...about ten minutes."

I sighed, "Are we almost there yet?"

"Yeah, um, Talon put it in hyperdrive through Canada, nearly hitting a house, but that was a few minutes ago. We should be arriving any second."

"Bellingham, right? Isn't that in Washington state?"

She shrugged, "I think so, I'm not good with geography."

I chuckled, "Same here. That's why I hope Annabeth is good with navigation, otherwise we'll never make it to the Island." My face darkened at that, remembering Colter's head on a pike, courtesy of Malachi.

Harper noticed, "What's wrong? Did you have a vision?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

I hesitated for some reason, I just didn't want to talk about it right now, "I'll tell you later."

She looked at me with concern, but ended up nodding. An awkward silence ensued, me not sure of what to say, hoping that this truck would stop soon so I could get away from this embarrassing moment.

She scratched her neck nervously and wouldn't look at me, "Um, I'm sorry about that...There weren't any pillows...so I figured..." She trailed off.

I sat there stupidly, until finally my brain activated, telling me to say something.

"Oh, it's no problem. It was uh...actually comfortable."

She looked up, "What?"

"Your uh...the um, position, the um...it was comfortable, I didn't mind it." Idiot. I couldn't even finish a sentence properly.

She sat there, about to respond, when I felt the truck stop. The brakes creaked and a hissing noise sounded as the rear door opened.

Harper and I quickly hopped out, relieved to escape that awkward exchange.

The others came out shortly after us, we were parked in a campground near the edge of the forest, just thirty feet from the highway, Artemis and the Hunters were already there, a campfire set up. The wolves lay nearly asleep on the ground next to the girls, who had taken cross legged positions on what appeared to be fur blankets, mats, or whatever they were. It was like a little camp, the area oozed coziness and power, a calmness. Being out of Alaska, Artemis' power was on display. Any nearby animal flocked to her. Squirrels, rabbits, even some regular deer nuzzled up to her.

Talon concentrated and after a few seconds, flipped a bunch of coins on the ground, they morphed into five dollar store lawn chairs, sitting ten feet parallel to the Hunters.

I looked at him, "Lawn chairs?"

He shrugged, "What? Easy to create."

We sat down, a silence following, none of us sure to begin, nobody sure on who should start talking first. Most of us assumed the goddess.

She noticed the attention, and looked at me, "Very well then, Matt. Explain this quest, take your time."

So I did, surprisingly easy and keeping it to the point with good detail. I knew the quest like the back of my hand by now, and explaining it sure was easier than completing it. I talked about Hera, the Cursed Island, the monsters we've chased, Ouranos, the Big Four, and of course, Malachi. I left out the most recent part about Jack Colter, because Talon was sitting right there, and I didn't think now was the best time to confirm his master's death. Artemis listened the whole time, staring at me with those piercing yet gentle eyes, not missing a beat. The Hunters paid attention as well, a few times wincing and gasping at some of the details, most of which involved Ouranos's power, and his self titled "god killer" persona.

Once I was done, the Hunter's looked uneasy, Artemis was deep in thought.

Thalia tried to speak first, "My Lady, this...is not good."

Talon snorted, "Stating the obvious."

Artemis shook her head, "That explains some of the missing pieces. I had wondered...no, this makes sense. Hera gave you the quest as a way for you to save her, placing the death curse on you as motivation."

My eyes widened, "So the death curse is still on me?"

She nodded grimly, "Her methods are extreme. Yes, it is still on you, child. She put it on you to make sure she would be rescued."

I gritted my teeth, she was basically holding me hostage. You either rescue me, or die!

"As for these monsters..." the goddess continued, "The Cretan Bull is definitely not that large normally. It makes sense...this lines up perfectly with the problem I've had with the Hind."

One of the Hunters leaned forward, "Are you sure we should tell them?"

Thalia turned, "These guys are trustworthy. They told us their information, we can do the same."

Artemis nodded, "Indeed. What I was going to say is that the Hind has been acting...wild lately. I have kept watch over it for centuries, keeping it contained in countryside's and forests where it can graze, but never get out of reach. It always remained calm, never harmed anything. Until recently...it went mad, escaping it's boundaries, causing chaos in nature, throwing things out of balance."

"Why are these animals acting like this?" I asked.

"Ouranos' doing. If I had to guess, he manipulated these animals to cause as much chaos as possible under his order. That is why Hera sent you to stop them and free them of their bondage."

I felt a chill roll through me. It all made sense now, why I kept hearing a voice tell me not to kill the animals, but spare them, and free them. It's because they were under Ouranos' control! Hera sent me after them, to free them! It was like I had discovered the world's secrets. Granted, they sort of alluded to that in one of my earlier visions, but hearing it confirmed to me by a goddess certainly helped.

"So does that mean Cerberus is under control too?"

"I do not know. But if Hera included him, then it is safe to say so. That is your next task after the Hind, correct?"

I nodded.

"And this...Malachi. I had a feeling not long ago that an old beast, the oldest beast had risen from the depths again. A beast that I hunted alongside my brethren eons ago, and then in the second Titan War, imprisoned at the bottom of the Earth. Typhon."

Just saying the name seemed to give an overwhelming loom of death.

"But I saw him in the visions. Malachi, or uh, Ouranos, turned into Typhon. I don't know how, but he did, and defeated Hera like it was nothing!"

"I believe you. Although I wish it weren't true. The Father Of All Monsters is one of the most powerful beings in history. One on one, only the Primordials, and Zeus, at their full power could defeat him. Not even the rest of us Olympians could do it unless banded together."

"But how? How does a half blood just transform into one of the most powerful beings in existence?" I asked, extremely confused.

She shook her head, just as confused. "I do not know. But the fact remains that this boy can morph into that Beast, and has power over air and lightning. He defeated Hera, and is holding her captive, correct?"

"Yes."

She lowered her head, seemingly trying to make a decision, "You children are not going to that Island."

"But Lady Artemis-" Annabeth started.

The Moon goddess raised her hand in silence, "I cannot allow it. If what you say is true, none of us stand a chance...myself included. I will not let you die at the hands of this Malachi, possessed by Ouranos, whatever he may be. No, you children may free the Hind, you have my permission on that, and you should end your quest by freeing the Underworld Guardian, but nothing past that. You are to return to Camp and let the Olympians handle the boy you speak of."

"I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but we are supposed to go to the island, I have to face him!" I protested.

"There is no shame in loss, Matt. You should not feel forced to confront this Malachi simply because you lost to him."

I was stunned, she had kind of hit it on the needle. "I-It's not like that! Okay, it's a part of it, but I was given the quest! I need to be the one to free Hera!"

She gave me a firm look, "I understand the need to prove yourself. But you should be proud, you have already accomplished great feats. This one...I'm sorry to say, is beyond you. My brother and I shall confront this boy in your stead. We prove a far harder challenge."

I sat there, bewildered. Her words echoing in my mind. This one...I'm sorry to say, is beyond you. Malachi is beyond me. Ouranos is beyond me.

I knew she was right, I wanted to yell, to resist as much as possible, but I knew it was pointless. The goddess was right, I stood no chance against him, and I never would. I should just be proud of what I had already done, and call it a day after freeing Cerberus.

I lowered my head, "Okay, Lady Artemis. We won't go to the Island."

She looked at me sympathetically, "I am sorry boy, but it is for the best."

Talon looked like he wanted to tell her off on my behalf, which I silently appreciated, but I motioned with my head to just let it go. He softened and looked at the ground. The others were looking at me, trying to gauge my disappointment, I tried to remain as indifferent as possible.

I should be relieved, not disappointed. I didn't have to face that monster again, I could take care of the Hind and Cerberus, and be free of this quest, letting beings far more powerful than me take care of the Hera rescue part. But I wasn't happy, I wanted to be strong, I wanted to prove myself. I wanted to beat him at least once, and free Hera myself, seeing this quest all the way through.

But I wouldn't.

I decided to focus on the Hind. I put on a forced look of determination, "Okay, we should get moving after the Hind."

Artemis nodded, "Very well, but be aware. The deer is extremely fast, and if looked at directly, can entrap you."

Harper deadpanned, "Entrap us how?"

"I do not know. The effect does not work on deities, but mortals, it is very dangerous. I have heard that it shows you your own death, I have heard other accounts of it showing your deepest desire fulfilled. I don't know which is true, but I advise you not to look at it directly."

Great, a super fast deer that we couldn't even look at, this was going to be fun.

She put her hands together, "I would send your fastest. Here, take this net, it is what I have used many times to catch game. When you have freed it, the net will disappear and return to me." She pulled her hands apart, and a large silver net materialized in thin air. It kept going for a few seconds, until it was big enough to catch a legion of fish with. She handed it to me and I tied it around my waist, it fitted well enough, not falling off immediately.

Percy said to me, "Should we all go?"

Artemis shook her head, "Too many people that aren't Hunters will scare it. I would send either one or two. Preferably whoever is the fastest."

Harper got up, "Guess that's me then. Give me the net." She reached for it around my waist, trying to untie it.

I jumped back, afraid her hand would brush up against something private. I tried to sound calm, "I don't think just one of us should go. If this thing is in Alaska, who the hell knows what's out there. No, I'm fast too, I'll go with you."

She raised her eyebrows, "You sure you can keep up? And it's cold out there. You didn't look so comfortable back at the truck half an hour ago."

"Look who's talking. You were practically a caterpillar with all those blankets!" I retorted teasingly.

She rolled her eyes, "Fine, keep the net, we'll go together. I hope you can throw the thing."

I tightened it around my waist, "You just worry about yourself."

The rest of the group was snickering at our banter, I tried not to feel embarrassed at the sudden attention. I groaned and said, "What about you guys?"

Percy shrugged, "Guess we'll stay here by the Campfire."

"Sorry, Percy. But we must leave at once. I have to prepare for a battle with the Beast I thought imprisoned, and let my idiot sibling Apollo know. This is where we say farewell."

"So you guys will need the truck then, for warmth." I pointed out.

Annabeth knit her eyebrows, "But how will you guys get back to Alaska?"

Harper and I looked at each other, the thoughts entering our mind simultaneously. We had mischief on our faces.

"Race?" I proposed.

She smirked, "I like the way you think, Shark Boy. You're on."

And with that, we took off.

I lost the race.

The first few minutes we zoomed around, dodging, weaving, and mostly going in a straight line at crazy speeds. She wasn't going all out, and I was. I was using full strength in my legs, but sensing her aura, she was using maybe three fourths of her speed, and I had internally groaned. At around mile one hundred, we both got pretty tired and stopped for a break. We took about five to ten minutes out of the way before starting again. We ran the rest of the way, her slightly in front of me at all times, occasionally looking back and sticking her tongue out at me.

After what seemed like forever, we made it back to where we once were, it was now dusk, a day after we had encountered Artemis. Time was ticking.

We huffed and panted, she pulled out two small squares of ambrosia, we both put it down quickly, our bodies filling with restored energy.

After a moment, she said, "Beat ya."

"Shut up."

She laughed, and we began the search.

It was night time first of all, the moon barely a sliver in the dark sky, making it impossible for anyone to track anything at this time. But only if they were going by eyesight, and not aura sensing. I wasn't looking for tracks or anything, I was searching for the deer's aura, Harper sticking behind me.

We trudged through the damp ground and light snow, a couple of times nearly tripping over badly placed stumps and me sensing a regular deer and creating a false alarm.

This went on for a solid fifteen minutes, it was like we were actually hunting. I now realized how boring it must be, if this was anything like it.

We turned tree corners, felt our way through the dark, if we grabbed a branch in front of us, we ducked, if we heard rushing water below us, we jumped, and if were met with a hole, we avoided it.

After yet another few minutes of absolutely nothing, Harper spoke up, her voice echoing through the quiet woods, "So what was your vison about?"

"What?"

"Your vision on the truck. You said you would tell me later."

I had forgotten about that, thank the gods, but now it was back again. The horrifying image of Colter...it would be with me for a long time.

"I was on the Island. I saw...Ouranos as Malachi, he had Colter's head...on a pike."

I could practically feel her grimace, "Gods. Poor Talon."

"I'll tell him. Just not now."

"I understand."

We walked some more, in silence, the occasional crunching of snow being the only icebreaker.

"Anything else?" She asked.

I decided to tell her. Not sure if It was a good thing. "I...I saw my father."

She was behind me, so I couldn't read her face, but I heard her say softly, "Good or bad?"

She didn't say, that's great! or I'm so happy for you! It would have sounded fake. She knew that I was unsure of how to feel about my dad now, and that I had been secretly hoping he was helping me throughout the quest.

"Decent, I guess. He said...that I was weak. And that if I had the proper training, if I learned to control my rage...that I could stand up to Malachi."

"You're not weak." She muttered.

"It was unreal. My father, the first time I ever saw him...and he tells me the cold hard truth. I am weak, I'm not strong enough to even stand in front of Malachi. Father said if it were him, the god killer would be destroyed by now. I don't know about that...but I know he would do a lot better than me." I suddenly felt frustrated. Frustrated at everything. At being pushed aside, told that I was too weak to go face Malachi on the Island, that Artemis and Apollo would take care of it instead. I kicked a mound of snow from the ground.

"I'm worthless. Can't even protect anyone from that stupid lightning bastard." It came out as a muttering growl.

But Harper heard it. Next thing I knew, she was spinning me around to face her, and I felt a hard smack come across my face. She'd slapped me.

I felt nothing, of course. But that fact that she had done it, shocked me just like if I could feel the pain of it.

"I know you didn't feel that, but you needed it." She said firmly, "Hercules doesn't know what he's talking about."

I wouldn't meet her eyes, "Yeah he does. When have I been able to do anything? I'm not strong!"

She grabbed the sides of my shoulders and squeezed them continuously, like the grip of a boa constrictor keeping me in place, forcing me to look at her. We were so close now, her nose six inches from mine, her breath hitting my lips in a pattern. It sent a tingle down my spine, how piercing her eyes were at this range, especially the good one.

"You aren't weak." She shook my shoulders gently, but her tight grip didn't loosen, "You hear me? Who defeated those cyclops in the arena? Who took down the Hydra? The Cretan Bull? Who saved us from those three demigods in Texas?" Finally, her grip softened to a feathery hold, almost caressingly. I stared into her eyes, once conveying firmness and anger, now conveyed soft tenderness...and something warm. She was looking at me with...admiration? I couldn't quite place it, but either way, it was so intense that I blushed, without even knowing why.

"But most importantly, who actually gave a shit about me? Enough to listen to my sob story, to literally watch all of my memories and not turn their back or call me a monster. You...you stayed by my side, Matt."

She was so sincere. Every word had passion into it, even I could tell that much. She was speaking from the heart right now, and I was frozen, completely speechless.

Harper moved her hands from my shoulders to my face, cupping my cheeks gently, gazing into my eyes with a soft twinkling in hers.

"You did all those things, Shark Boy. You're the most amazing hero-no, person I've ever met. You're ten times stronger than Malachi, you know why? Because you're selfless, you do what's right, and you don't give up. You have a heart. So don't you dare say that you're weak in front of me, ever again. Because I know that's not true."

Then she did the thing that surprised me the most on this quest, blowing every other twist out of the water.

She kissed me.

I'm not talking about a peck on the cheek or anything like that. No. She pulled my face to hers and pressed her soft lips to mine, one of her hands snaking its way to the back of my head to grab onto my hair. I reacted stiffly, my eyes widening, able to see that she'd closed hers.

I should've been in heaven or melted right through my body. But all I felt was shock, and utter surprise at the fact that she was actually kissing me. Harper...kissing me, for this long. It just didn't compute. My brain shut off, my body malfunctioned, I didn't know my name, I didn't know anything. I was so surprised and at a loss of what to do, I didn't even notice the voice screaming at me in my head, saying, KISS HER BACK!

But by the time my slow brain registered what was going on, she'd already pulled away. Our lips made a soft smacking sound, the kind that you hear in movies and TV. Huh, didn't know that was a real thing.

She kept her hands on me, and backed away with the cutest smile on her face, a blush on her cheeks, like she expected me to mirror the reaction. But like the biggest fool in the universe, I must've not. I probably looked like a fish out of water, and she noticed, mistaking it for disgust.

Because her face changed immediately. The smile fell, and now she looked guilty.

No, no, no! I had to save this, somehow! Maybe...pass it off as being a sucky kisser, or something!

I tried to get out a million things. Including, you have no idea how long I've wanted that, baby. Another was, YES! Another was, Sorry, I suck at this, can we try one more time?

You get the idea.

But it was too late. She was already reacting with wide eyes and stutters, "Oh gods, I'm officially an idiot, aren't I? Oh man...I'm sorry, th-that was-"

Finally, I'd conjured the ability to speak again. "Oh, uh, no, no, it's fine. Um, really, I just-"

I was interrupted when I felt a strong aura. An aura once calm, but filled with such anger and poison, it was like a beautiful sculpture had been tainted, a perfect nature spot pissed on and used as party sites. This was the Hind. It had the strong calm aura, but was mixed with Ouranos' fear and manipulation. We had to act now. The kiss could be addressed later, to my disappointment.

"Harper. The Hind, it's close, I feel it."

She snapped out of her embarrassed state, "Really? Where?"

I looked around futilely, trying to spot a golden outline of a deer, but to no avail.

I cursed under my breath, "Follow me, I'll track it by it's aura. Remember, keep your head down! We have to remember Artemis' warning."

She nodded, and I concentrated on the Hind's aura. I closed my eyes, feeling the surroundings, the nature, the streams, until finally landing on a powerful aura.

I opened my eyes quickly, "Got it! After me!"

I took off, head down slightly, Harper zooming behind me. We weren't' going too fast, just quick enough to locate the deer. Once we found it, then we would pick up speed.

After a moment of running, and feeling the aura getting closer, closer, closer, and...

There it was.

I looked at the ground, Harper doing the same, and we saw a golden glow on the white snow, it shone like a large bonfire in the night, the Hind was twenty feet from us, and I could feel it's eyes, waiting to see what we would do.

"It's watching us. I'm gonna take off this net slowly and hand it to you. Once you have it, I'll distract it, and you throw the net at it."

She nodded, I reached for the knot on my waist. Just as my fingers made contact with the material, I saw the golden glow move and disappear from the ground, it had ran.

"Dammit! We need to chase it, come on!" I whisper yelled.

We ran after it, trying to locate it, but it was extremely fast. I was barely keeping up with my sensory. What I felt was the aura darting around in all kinds of patterns. Straight, zig zag, jumping in the air, going through bushes. This thing was good at evading, but we somehow kept up, not making any progress on catching it though.

I finally undid the knot on my waist and yanked off the belt, gauging the aura, I finally caught it, throwing the net slightly in front of it, I waited.

Nothing. I felt the aura zoom by and not stop, meaning my throw had missed.

I cursed myself and looked up to see darkness, the aura fading away in the distance. We had missed our chance.

"Crap" I growled angrily, walking over to where the net lay and picking it up. It wasn't even wet or damp, which was good, I hated the feeling of wet rope.

The aura had left my line of sensory, meaning the Hind had probably already put miles of distance between us. Great, this officially sucked.

"How are we supposed to catch something we can't look at?" Harper asked to no one in particular.

I didn't respond, I just shook my head. This was proving to be difficult. For once, I couldn't use my strength to take down the animal, I had to use speed and wits instead. Which I had a little of the first one, and none of the second one.

"I mean, what even happens if you look at it?" She asked.

"You heard Artemis. Visions of death, your deepest desires, that kind of stuff."

"But is there proof?"

"Well...no. She said that there had been accounts of-"

"Those could just be stupid myths meant to scare people. To keep them away from the Hind so they don't kill it."

I snorted, "How would they kill it? I don't think even that Cherry girl could catch this freaking thing."

She looked in the distance, face full of determination, "I'm going to catch it. Hand me the net."

I looked at her incredulously, "Wait a second, you're actually going to look at it?"

"Yeah, we aren't doing so well right now...time to see if her warning is valid."

I wanted to protest, but it was really our only shot. I didn't want anything to happen to her though. At that thought, I suddenly remembered the kiss, and my face got hot.

"Harper...about the kiss..."

She didn't move her eyes from the forest, "I get it, Matt. It was a mistake."

"What? I never said-" But before I could finish, she had taken off after the Hind.

My shoulders slumped a little. What would I have even said? My feelings were clear, I knew what I wanted. And what I wanted was to tell her that the kiss was the best part about this quest, and that I wanted to do it again and again, but how would I get the words out? I did just fine thinking it, but saying it? I sucked at that.

I snapped out of it and ran after her.

After a minute I caught up, ten feet behind her running form. I knew there was no stopping her, if this was her plan, I was going along with it. I whistled at her, she turned her head, and I tossed the net to her.

She caught it and turned back around, no smile, no nod, nothing.

Yeah, the rest of this quest was gonna be awkward if I didn't fix things.

We ran and ran, her looking around desperately while I tried to sense the Hind's aura. No success.

That was until I immediately felt a rush run over me. The aura appeared out of nowhere, and I caught it just in time, turning my head to the ground below me, I tried to warn Harper to do the same.

"Harper, down!"

"No!" She shouted back.

I saw her rear the net back and prepare to throw it, when the golden glow appeared near her front, she stopped and stared at it.

I grimaced. Crap, the rumors were true, she was caught in the trance.

She dropped the net, her eyes wide, full of disbelief.

"L-Levi?" She said, reaching out to touch the deer, who was apparently showing her a vision of her brother, safe and sound, back home.

Okay, so it showed you your deepest desire fulfilled, at least it was better than a vision of your own death.

The vision was fake, but she didn't know that right now. I had to grab the net and catch the deer while it was luring Harper, and then snap her out of it.

She had her hand outstretched, as if trying to grab her brother's hand. She walked towards the deer, I saw the glow move back at her advance, literally luring her to...somewhere. Olympus only knows.

"Levi, it's me. Y-you're finally home." She had tears of joy in her eyes, a wide smile on her face. The sight was painful to see, I couldn't imagine her reaction when finding out is wasn't real.

I had to catch that deer. I kept my head low, sneaking through the snow and dirt towards the net, waiting momentarily for them to move, and once they did, I rolled as quietly as I could at the net. Once I got up, I grabbed it and held it firmly in a throwing position. I could throw it far enough from here, I just had to worry about accuracy.

All of that left me when the deer took off down the hill.

Harper's face morphed into confusion, "Levi, wait!" She ran after the deer.

"Crap. This is just great." I muttered. I got up and took off after them, not sensing the stump that was below me, I tripped and tumbled down the hill, looking like a doofus. Once I rolled thirty feet and stopped at the bottom, my clothes soaked and covered in snow, I hit the ground in frustration, causing it to rumble and crack, sending a shockwave towards a nearby tree. The tree creaked and shook from the shockwave, eventually leaning hard toward the left. After a moment, the tree fell, leaving a loud CRACK! sound in the forest.

I winced, I hadn't meant that. If Grover knew, he would kill me.

Then, a miniature lightbulb went off in my head.

I could use the trees to trap the Hind.

It was the best idea I had come up with. If I could use strength and clap my hands together, a bunch of trees would fall, trapping the Hind and allowing me a moment to catch it. I had finally thought with my head instead of my biceps, I was kind of proud of myself. I shouldn't get carried away though, it hadn't worked yet.

I hefted the net, and searched for two auras. After a moment, I caught them. They were moving fairly quickly a few hundred feet from here.

I took off in that direction, setting the net on my back like how Santa Claus used to hold his bag in the stories. I saw the golden glow faintly on the ground, growing closer and brighter. Once it got so bright I couldn't stand it, I set the net down quickly, put a good amount of strength in my hands, and clapped.

Sorry about this Grover, I thought.

The shockwave erupted across the forest, cracking the ground and uprooting dirt, and large rocks were thrown and demolished, dozens of trees big and small collapsed around the deer, I had hoped. I had also hoped that none of them would fall on Harper, since she wasn't aware and couldn't dodge.

After all of the noise and chaos, the shockwave died, and I felt two auras standing one place. One desperate to find an escape.

I took my chance, leapt toward the aura, and threw the net at it.

I heard a loud primal groan, like an elk or something, and then the aura fell to the ground, tied up. I had caught it.

First things first, I had to free this deer, who knows how long the net would last, and maybe this thing could break out of it. I didn't want to risk it, so I immediately made my way to it, following the glow until it became so bright I thought I was staring into the sun.

I reached out and made contact with it, touching it's warm neck. It's fur was soft, like the most delicate fabric in the world.

"Be free." I told it.

The malevolent aura vanished, I only felt the calm and peaceful energy remain. After I said those words, I felt the Hind's head nuzzle my hand, and then fade in a glimmer. Not dead, but free of Ouranos' grip.

I sighed in relief, then remembered Harper. I got up and looked for her, to find her standing there, shaking, eyes wide.

I went to her, "You okay?"

She was zoned out, her eyes watery, "L-Levi, he was just...how did?..."

"It was the deer's trick...I'm sorry Harper."

She looked at me in disbelief, then she scowled, "Right, of course. You...were right. Stupid me, I shouldn't have looked at it."

"Hey, it wasn't your-"

I was interrupted by the roaring of a truck coming through the forest. I turned and recognized it, it was our truck. I guess we had been out here a while for them to come to us.

Talon parked it, not shutting the engine off, and poked his head out the window. "Did you get it? It's been a long time!"

I shouted back, "Uh yeah, we got it! Did you find an entrance to the Underworld nearby?"

He shook his head, "You guys should get in. We need to go back to Bellingham."

Going back and forth wasn't on the top of my bucket list.

It wasn't too much of a drag, because Talon put the thing in hyperdrive and we were there within fifteen minutes, but it still made me frustrated. Why did we have to go to a whole other state just to talk?

We made it back to our previous camping spot, Artemis and the Hunters were now gone.

The truck stopped and turned off, I heard doors closing, Percy and Annabeth came to our end of the truck, breaking the insanely awkward silence between me and Harper. Seriously, we hadn't even spoke the whole ride. I was trying to think of what to say, to tell her that I liked her and that the kiss was awesome, I was just to shocked and stupid to reciprocate. But I couldn't find the right words.

We opened the rear door and regrouped outside, the air slightly warmer than Alaska.

I started off, "So, directions to the Underworld?"

Percy put in, "There's one spot in New York, and the only other I know of is in Hollywood. We're pretty far from both, and Talon says the hyperdrive has a limit."

The assassin nodded, "I can't spam the thing. The fuel this truck uses is rare and expensive, we're about out of hyperdrive juice, so wherever you enter the Underworld, it better be close. And I'm talking like this state close."

"Why are we in such a rush? Artemis said that we aren't going to the island. Cerberus is our last obstacle." I said that bitterly, because I was.

Annabeth shook her head, "But remember that Ouranos is manipulating these creatures. If he's manipulating Cerberus...that could cause some serious chaos, we do need to move quick."

"Okay, well then how do we find a closer entrance? Is there one?"

Talon shrugged, "We don't know. But these two have a friend that do, a son of Hades."

The black haired boy immediately clicked in my head, "Nico?"

Percy nodded, "If there's anyone that knows another entrance it's him."

"But how will we contact him?" Harper asked, leaning forward.

Annabeth pulled out a golden drachma, "Iris messaging."

"Iris messaging? What's that" I had no idea what it was. I knew who Iris was, the goddess of the rainbow, not cell phone calls.

"It's a good way of contacting demigods." Annabeth explained, "All you need is a small rainbow, throw the drachma in it, and you can talk to pretty much anybody."

Okay, that was pretty cool. How come I had never heard of this?

Harper knit her eyebrows, "How are you gonna make a rainbow?"

Percy got up, and concentrated. Suddenly, a nearby stream burst in the air and a line of water came toward us. Percy made a motion with his hand and the water began to spray, positioning the flow in the ray of sunlight, a small rainbow emerged from it. Annabeth immediately tossed the drachma at it and said, "Nico Di Angelo, Camp Half-Blood."

The rainbow shimmered and after a moment, formed into a projector like thing, displaying sure enough, Camp Half Blood. Nico was talking to Chiron about something. I could hear what sounded like construction in the background.

"Hey, Nico, can you hear me?" Percy said toward the display.

Both Nico and Chiron turned, surprised, they rushed over until they seemed to be a few feet from us. Chiron looked at Percy, "Percy? Is that you?"

"Yeah, Chiron. We're Iris messaging you."

"Ah, well it is good to see you all! How is the quest going?"

I spoke up, "It's going good Chiron, we just took care of the Cerynian Hind."

"Very good. It is good to see you all in one piece-wait, who is that?" He was asking about Talon.

The assassin stepped forward, "Sup, Chiron. I'm Talon. Big fan of yours by the way."

The centaur nodded, "Oh, well...I appreciate that."

The construction noise was getting louder. I had to ask, "What's going on in the background?"

Nico looked back, then turned and lightly smiled, "Oh, we're building you-"

A voice behind him shouted, "WAIT! Don't tell him!"

Harper's younger half-brother Aiden emerged from behind them. His dark hair had grown a little, he was wearing a black t-shirt with tight dark colored jeans, sneakers below that. On his waist sat a belt. His left side held a hammer, and his right held his sword.

Harper got up and looked at the display, "Aiden?"

Aiden walked over and squeezed in between Chiron and Nico, waving at us, "Hey sis. And hey Matt! I'm keeping things in line here, just like you told me!"

I couldn't help but smile. The kid had a lot of heart, and he was no doubt loyal. He had a lot of potential, I had no doubt he would be just as strong as his half-sister one day.

"That's good man. Killing plenty of unfriendly monsters?"

Chiron looked at Aiden with pride, and ruffled the boy's hair, "Actually, Aiden here defeated a Laestrygonian not three days after you all left. He saved the Camp."

Harper grinned, "That's awesome, Aiden!"

He blushed and scratched his neck nervously, "Ah, it was nothing. Just doing my job."

I pointed at the hammer on his belt, "What you building?"

His eyes widened and he tried to cover it up, but Nico only groaned, "Just tell him. It'll give him something to look forward to."

Aiden hesitated, but finally nodded and said cheerfully, "We're building you your own cabin!"

I was shocked, "Me?"

He nodded happily, "Yeah bro. Leo's here at camp, he and some of the other Hephaestus bunch are building it right now! We're almost done! When you get back it should be ready."

I felt my heart heat up, warmth spread through my body. Wow, they were building me...my own cabin? It was awesome. It was like I belonged there...they had accepted me.

Percy and Annabeth perked up, "Leo's there?"

Nico nodded, "Yeah. You guys will have to say hello when you get back. He doesn't want any disturbances right now for some reason."

They laughed. I was still touched by the fact that I was getting my very own cabin.

Chiron patted Aiden on the shoulder, "We felt you deserved a cabin, but Aiden was the one that really put the idea forward. I gave permission, and we started the day after you left."

I was speechless, "Wow...thanks guys, it really means a lot."

Aiden gave a thumbs up, "Hey, you deserve it man!" Then he looked back, hearing someone calling him. "I gotta get back to it, see you guys after your quest. And good luck!" He jogged off into the distance.

Chiron chuckled and said, "I have a class to teach, can you handle things here, Nico?"

The Son of Hades nodded, "Sure, Chiron."

The old centaur waved at us, "Good luck on the rest of your journey. May the gods be with you!" And with that, he clopped out of sight.

After a few seconds of silence, Nico's face turned serious, "So, what did you guys need?"

"An entrance to the Underworld near Washington State. Do you know of one?" I said rather quickly.

He thought for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. A couple of times he looked like he wanted to say something, then decided against it.

Finally, he decided, "Well, it would be a place of death. Perhaps an old war site? Somewhere a lot of people died in the past, there should be an entrance. Although you might have to dig or search a little to find it."

Digging would be no problem for me, but where would it be?

Talon solved that, "There's an old fort not too far from here. Some soldiers probably died there a long time ago, would that do it?"

Nico looked unsure, "Maybe, it depends on how many died. But if that's your best shot, I'd take it."

I nodded, "Old fort, got it. Thanks Nico."

Talon poked me on the shoulder, "Uh, hello?"

I rolled my eyes, "You too Talon."

He nodded, then huffed. As if to say, what does it take to get respect around here?

The Iris message was losing it's signal, we said goodbye to Nico and it disappeared completely. All of us sat there, processing this new information.

Talon threw his hands up, "Alright slowpokes, come on! I know where the old fort is, get in the truck!"

"I thought you said it was out of gas." Percy pointed out.

Talon stuck up his index finger and shook it, "Oh no. I said we were out of hyperdrive juice, but we got regular gas. The fort ain't that far, we can make it in an hour or so."

An hour? Oh no, that's another hour of being in the same room as Harper, the awkward silence would be defeaning. I hated that. I hated that it was like that now, and that I was too dumb to just say how I felt, but I just couldn't find the right thing to say, I was afraid I would screw it up. But I couldn't take it, I needed to fix this, somehow.

We all got into the truck, Talon started the engine, and we pulled out onto the highway.

Our next stop, the Underworld. I could feel my nerves spiking, my hands fiddling, I was going to face Cerberus, the three headed guardian of the Underworld. I had no idea what was going to happen, or how Hades would react to us fighting his pet, or how I would even beat it. This monster was on another level from what we had faced so far.

I suddenly felt a looming dread come over me, a feeling of an ominous death. I couldn't place it, or understand what was happening, but I somehow knew that something was about to go horribly wrong. Whether it be our battle in the Underworld, or the battle on the Cursed Island with the twin gods and Malachi, I wasn't sure.

But I knew right then, that someone was going to die.

(000)

There you have it, the Underworld is the next stop! Matt and Harper finally kissed, although it didn't exactly go as planned, my boy is still as dense and nervous as ever, will things be fixed between them? The will they won't they game continues!

Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time.