I've been gone for half a year. That's a long time to wait for a mickey mouse pack pack. Also for a chapter of your favorite PJO fanfiction. According to a few of you, this story is actually your favorite PJO fic, though, so... I guess I'm honored. Sorry to keep you waiting so long.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, and I never did.

Chapter 10: Percy Doesn't Act His Age

Inside the seventh and last silver tent around the bonfire of the Hunt, Percy sat across from the preteen appearing Artemis and just barely teen appearing Zoe.

"Perseus Jackson, are you surprised by my age?" Artemis asked with a slight smile.

"Not particularly, Lady Artemis. You seemed this age in the Throne Room two summers ago," Percy responded in a relaxed manner, which seemed to annoy Zoe, as she began to glare at him immediately.

"Speaking of two summers ago, the reason I wanted to speak to you was to thank you for killing that pig, Ares. We are still mocking him to this day; I have gained much amusement," Artemis said with the same light smile. It seemed that this was just about as amused as she ever got. She seemed... lonely, somehow, to Percy, but it wasn't his place to comment. All the gods seemed lonely to him. Perhaps it came with age, or perhaps with immense power.

"You are... welcome, Lady Artemis, though I didn't have much choice. I believe he would have killed me, had I not killed him," Percy responded as respectfully as he pleased.

Zoe continued to glare at Percy, seemingly out of a force of habit, who tried not to meet her eyes. It never really hit him until now that this was a full grown woman, old enough to easily be his mother's grandmother's grandmother's grandmother's grandmother's... you get the idea. Being stared down by a fourteen year old was easier to accept than a fourteen thousand year old, and he felt far more uncomfortable than the first time he met her, back when he only knew she talked strangely.

"Be that as it may, I still feel it necessary to show my gratitude," Artemis said good-naturedly.

Zoe, however, was not feeling particularly good-natured, as she said, "Mistress, is it truly necessary to show such politeness to a boy?"

The displeasure and, to a certain extent, disbelief, on Zoe's face, was clear, but Artemis did not seem particularly troubled.

"Lieutenant Nightshade, showing proper manners to the Commander of every demigod in Camp Half-Blood does not take any extra effort, and a better relationship between the Hunters and the Camp is not such a bad idea in these trying times. This demigod performed a service for which I am grateful, and so the least I can do is show my gratitude with thanks. Do not let your hate blind you. I have told you this many times. This one is not your enemy."

Zoe looked like she was going to explode with rage at the perceived injustice, but she soon regained her calm, and said, "Yes, my Lady. I understand."

Artemis nodded.

"So you see, young Perseus, you must forgive my Hunters if they are not welcoming. Not one hasn't been betrayed by your kind before, and they are not so eager to treat another with any semblance of trust."

Percy shook his head. "This is a minor matter, Lady Artemis, and one not worth making a fuss over. We must stand united if we are to defeat Grandfather."

Artemis gave her signature slight smile at the way Percy referred to Kronos, before Percy continued.

"At any rate, Lady Artemis, I haven't had a chance to inform any Olympians yet, but my spies I sent to defect have all been telling me about The Great Stirring recently, as well as how The General is 'free' once again. I'm fairly sure I know who the General is, but I was wondering if you could tell me a little about the Stirring? All I know is that it will soon bring about 'the most dangerous of all monsters.' All my sources told me the same exact thing: they aren't even trying to hide it. Which begs the question: Why?"

As it happened, he knew exactly why they weren't hiding this. Because it was a trap for Artemis. With the Moon trapped under the sky, Titan victory was practically assured. The Ophiotaurus was secondary. They knew they had no real chance to kill it and so had no true designs on the beast. If Thalia sacrificed it, it would be good, but they were supremely confident in their chances without it, and rightly so, as they had nigh effortlessly annihilated the gods even with Artemis in the fight and Atlas out of it.

Artemis's face paled, along with Zoe's. She solemnly said, "It is because I have been far too slow to see the signs. They simply assume the gods already know."

Percy looked down. A pity she didn't see the trap until it was too late.

Zoe tried to speak, but was cut off by Artemis before she got even a peep out.

"I must hunt this monster. If our enemy gets hold of it... to say it would spell doom for our cause would be a matter of fact."

Zoe seemed terrified to Percy, but was actually hiding it quite well. However, both Artemis and Percy could see right through her, so the gesture was pointless.

"We will leave right away, My Lady," announced Zoe.

"Zoe, you know I must do this alone. I will not risk you, or the rest of the Hunt. You know where I must begin. You cannot go there."

Zoe looked like she was about to cry, but her voice was determined as she said, "As you see fit, my Lady. I wish thee luck."

"Let us pray I do not need it."

True to form, Percy asked, "Who do goddesses pray to?"

Instead of ignoring him with a smile, however, this time Artemis sighed a long sigh before saying mysteriously, "There are things above the gods and the titans, Perseus Jackson. Let us pray they never get involved in our affairs."

Percy was extremely startled and very confused as to why she shared such an enormous secret all of a sudden, but assented with an, "As you wish, Lady Artemis."

Just then, a small girl with black braided hair and skin white as snow burst into the tent, yelling, "PERCY!"

Lily jumped towards Percy, who realized that this might not look great to the ancient middle schoolers, but had no choice but to catch her in a hug, though he quickly put her down.

Lily took no notice of the people besides Percy and clung to him tightly before she started to cry.

"Lily go! Other no know Lily! Other bad. Other bad bad bad tell! Percy go Lily!" (I wanna go home! No one else can hear me and I don't like them! They said really really mean things! Take me back to Camp!)

Percy gaze turned icy as he looked toward the tent door. If he had been looking at the ancient duo, he would've seen Zoe's look turn troubled, and Artemis's look turn resigned.

"What did they say, Little Sis?"

"Mmm!" she said as she shook her head 'no', and Percy's rage multiplied. If Lily was so embarrassed by what the Hunters said to her that she refused to tell him, there would be Hades to pay.

He could pretty much guess what had happened, however. The Hunters were probably badmouthing him for being born with a ding dong, and Nancy had come to his aid, likely with gusto. Phoebe and that other nameless hunter probably remembered how close Lily was to Percy, and, well, the misunderstanding was obvious, as Lily was unable to defend herself in any way. Percy assumed that the Hunters believed that both Nancy and Lily were with him in that way and were fine with it. The Hunters weren't exactly known for playing nice.

Percy didn't want to think about what Lily just went through.

Lily still crying in his arms, he turned to face Artemis.

"If you go to hunt the monster alone, the Hunters will need a place to stay. I insist you stay at my Camp. I will certainly make sure they feel as accommodated as possible. It is only polite," he offered, rage visible on his face and audible in his voice. Only his words concealed it, and not in any meaningful way.

But Artemis must have felt bad for Lily, as she assented, saying, "Yes, I was planning on having my Hunt stay in Cabin Eight. I see no reason to change plans."

Zoe, however, saw it a different way. "What!? You cannot be serious! This will only serve to make matters worse! Didn't you just get finished saying we need to be united!? This will only further divide us! We hate that place! All you will accomplish is hurting the relationship between Camp and the Hunters!"

Artemis closed her eyes.

Percy remained incensed. "I did say those things. But that was before you hurt my family. I will suffer any insult, any injury, any injustice, any humiliation, to protect my friends and my family. But you just hurt one of those I'm trying to protect. As far as I'm concerned, you are my enemy. Make no mistake, Camp Half-Blood's position on the Hunters has not changed. This is personal."

Zoe looked like she was about to retort but at that moment Lily's tiny voice came up.

"Go. Percy Lily go."

Percy closed his eyes and slowly regained his cool. He could afford to be polite with Zoe, at least. He knew Zoe. She was more mature than the others, and would have stopped them had she been there. There was no need no be so upset with her. Just her.

"So then. Miss Nightshade, I have no quarrel with you in particular, so let us be civil. Shall we travel together, or apart? I trust your Hunters will not antagonize my people further, lest they wish to risk bodily harm?" Percy asked Zoe.

"Was that a threat, Perseus Jackson?" Zoe asked icily.

"Absolutely, Miss Nightshade. I'm afraid I'm not very reasonable when it comes to my family. I'm sure if it was your young Hunter who couldn't speak a word in defence of herself when she was bullied by my campers, you would react in much the same way. And you would be perfectly justified."

Artemis finally opened her eyes.

"Enough, you two. You will settle this later. Bianca did not wish to join my Hunters after the display outside. A shame. She had much potential. That leaves only the question of how to get to camp. Luckily, or perhaps unfortunately, I have summoned a ride from my brother. Zoe, break camp, but first make sure your sisters understand just how displeasing their actions outside were. My thought projection only spoke with Bianca, as they will blindly obey my command, and will not truly think about their actions."

Percy had never heard Artemis say so much at once. However, he was busy consoling Lily, and missed most of what she had said. He knew—or assumed he knew—what she would say, anyways.

Zoe stalked out of the tent as slowly as she could, and when she was finally gone, Artemis looked at Percy and spoke.

"Perseus. I understand your anger, and I will not attempt to assuage you. But if your revenge goes too far, you will answer to me."

Percy's eyes were burning, and his ability to come back to life if he died certainly impacted his fearlessness.

"I will of course observe every rule of hospitality, Lady Artemis. It is just that I had previously planned to... entertain our guests in a new, more constructive way. But it seems it will be Capture the Flag once again. So far, Lady Artemis, your Hunters have won fifty five times in a row. I have no intention of letting them win a fifty sixth."

Artemis kept her face emotionless as she said, "As long as none are hurt when I get back, Perseus Jackson, I truly could not care less who wins a game of Capture the Flag."

Percy's face instantly started turning red as he realized he had gotten far too serious about a game of capture the flag. Why would a goddess care about something like that? Before things got too awkward, he left the tent with Lily.

As soon as he exited, he noticed the Hunters were nowhere to be found. Nancy and Thalia were sitting on separate logs by the fire, and he could tell they were seriously pissed. Grover and the Di Angelos were on a third log, but no one was talking.

"Hey, guys," Percy ventured cautiously, Lily still glued to his side, softly sniffling.

Nancy and Thalia both shot up and said, "Percy!" at the same time rather angrily, but their faces told Percy they were just upset in general.

"Is Lily okay?" Nancy asked.

Lily nodded into Percy's rib cage, and he said, "She said 'yeah, I'm okay' but it was pretty clear she was lying."

Lily couldn't communicate in any way with people who couldn't use magic. Her face showed no emotion, her body language and gestures were too blurry to understand. The words she wrote were gibberish. People could only tell she was trying to say something, but it was impossible to understand what. She relied on Percy to get her every point across.

She was evidently unhappy with how Percy handled it this time, and punched him, though he didn't really feel a thing, and didn't inform the others, either.

Thalia was next to speak.

"I can't believe you were so subservient to those bitches earlier. You knew I hated them, and for good reason! I tried to tell you they were no good, but you wouldn't listen, and now they've hurt Lily!"

Lily clenched her arms around him tighter and buried her face in his side even more. Percy was not having it.

"Shut your mouth, Thalia," he said calmly. "Lily is what matters. She got very scared when you were yelling just now. You have to remember that she just doesn't have life experience. she's never heard yelling and arguments. She won't tell me what was said or what was done, and will barely talk at all. She doesn't know what's going on, yelling more will only make things worse."

"I'm sorry, Lily," Thalia said.

Percy felt her fingers dig into him slightly for a second.

"She says 'It's okay,'" Percy relayed, before covering Lily's ears so she couldn't hear what he was about to say. "Thalia, Nancy... What in Hades happened?"

Nancy started, "Well, I think it all started when a few of the Hunters were jealous you got to talk to Artemis, since they almost never do."

Earlier, in the Hunter's Camp

"I can't believe that stupid boy gets to speak to Artemis. Why did she even want to talk to him?" said one Hunter to another.

"He's so arrogant just because he's the leader of the demigod camp. He's not that great, I could beat him," replied the other.

Nancy couldn't hear something like this without butting in, and immediately exclaimed, "No way! He's the strongest demigod ever!"

The two looked over and one said, "Why do you care? Are you in love with him? Are you his girlfriend?"

Nancy sputtered and tried to refute her, but the second Hunter jumped in, "Wait, I thought the mute was his girlfriend. They seemed real friendly when they came over here."

Nancy couldn't get a word in edgewise, as a third Hunter continued, "What, you don't think he's dating both of them?"

Soon all the Hunters but the three that they had seen first, (Zoe, Phoebe, and the other one) were all crowding around Nancy and Lily, who was next to her.

"Yeah, totally, he's a typical man. But they seem to be fine with it."

"They're both just whores."

"Common sluts."

"They're probably just with him because he's the leader of their dumb little camp."

"They're both just cheap and easy power hungry sluts."

"How lame. They make all women look bad."

At this point, even Nancy looked about ready to cry, and Lily was crying since almost the beginning, but no one could tell.

Thalia was shouting for them to stop, as were Phoebe and the other Hunter, but it was a mob at this point.

As strange as it was being called whores and sluts by 10 to 14 year olds, it was still more than Lily could take, and after several more minutes of screaming obscenities, a ripple of power spiraled out from Lily, knocking everyone off their feet, but not otherwise harming them. Lily ran into the tent that she saw Percy enter.

Immediately, the mob dispersed, and a few minutes later, Zoe came out of the tent looking like she was about to murder the next person she saw. She spoke calmly but her face was burning with rage as she gathered the Hunters and practically threw them in one of the tents.

Present time

"Basically what I expected," Percy said solemnly. "Whenever the Hunters come to Camp, we have a game of Capture the Flag. This time, we're going to annihilate them."

"Agreed," said Nancy and Thalia.

No one was really in the mood to talk, and when the Hunters came out and broke down all the tents, the atmosphere was thicker than pea soup. Lily eventually separated from Percy, but didn't move more than a couple feet away from him the entire night.

~Lines break, people take~

The Hunters attempted to annoy and otherwise infuriate Percy in any way they could, but he simply ghosted them. As in, he completely ignored their very existence. This only served to piss them off more, but he gave them no real ammunition to use against him, so they more or less gave up after a little while.

Apollo showed up and was generally a stuck up ass, but Percy noted with no small relief that Nancy showed no interest in the sun god, and Lily was in no mood to show interest in much of anything. Thalia was infatuated, like before, and almost creamed her jeans when Apollo knew her name.

Apollo gazed at Percy with a strange look in his eye. "Percy Jackson."

He looked for a few seconds, then started laughing. "When you were first brought to Camp Half-Blood, you almost poured nectar on your wound instead of drinking it. Man, that was so funny. You'd be surprised how many people think that's how it works, though."

Percy was not expecting that. Apollo kept watch over Camp Half-Blood? How else would he know what happened in the infirmary that one time?

"I'm sure I would, Lord Apollo."

"I've even written a haiku about it. A-hem."

There was a collective groan.

"Ambrosia, nectar.

You put them in your face-hole.

Not on your wounds. Fools."

Percy's eyes closed slightly. "I'll try not to be offended, Lord Apollo."

Apollo waved him off while grinning casually, but Percy suddenly felt a pressure from Apollo that he was sure no one else could feel. "No need to be so formal, commander. We might be shedding blood together in this war, after all. You were strong enough to kill Ares two whole years ago, so you can just call me Cousin Apollo."

Percy's eyes narrowed. "You flatter me, Lord Apollo, but it was a total fluke, and my father's armor protected me. It isn't even worth mentioning."

With every word, the pressure from Apollo grew greater and greater, and Percy had to restrain himself from gasping for air when he was finished and the pressure vanished. Percy believed Apollo was warning him not to get stuck up. He was reminding him how strong a true major god really is.

Apollo turned around and walked toward the sun-mobile, hiding the slight smile on his face.

While Percy believed it was a tactic to make him afraid, it was actually Apollo's test. Apollo knew something extremely bad was about to happen, and he wanted to know how strong Percy truly was. He had released pressure to a point where he knew Ares would have been in pain, and Percy had managed to keep from gasping for air. He therefor knew Percy truly was strong enough to defeat Ares in single combat. He had definitely reached the 'Hero' level. Although he was happy that his children had a fighting chance to survive the looming war, he knew that Percy needed to grow, fast. He needed to be able to defeat Ares effortlessly. To be a 'Great Hero.'

"Well, we'd better load up!" Apollo said, cheerfully.

Again, Apollo wanted Thalia to drive, and though Percy wanted to spare everyone the terror, he was pretty sure Zeus wouldn't like it much if he drove the sun. He surreptitiously buckled up, and made sure Nancy and Lily were secure on either side of him. They were still terrified, but at least they were safe. For the most part.

It ended the same way, with Thalia crashing into the lake.

As soon as the Hunters scrambled out of the bus, they wordlessly stalked towards the cabins, not wanting to interact with Percy's group in any way.

The group of seven headed towards the Big House and Percy heard Nico say to his sister, "Sis, why does it seem like we're back at Westover?"

That hurt Percy. Had he made camp not fun? True, he had pushed for a more combat oriented schedule for most cabins, but...

Without stopping, Percy told Nico, "I'm sorry you came here now. Just a few years ago, and... well, I'll be honest. War is looming. Ancient and merciless evils are awakening. Living here isn't as fun as a normal summer camp, but... You'll be safe, here. And it's still fun, just... we need to be prepared. In the summer, though, it's much more lively. Only a few of us stay here year round. Ah, here we are at the big house."

Nico seemed to think ancient and merciless evils were the best thing since McDonald's, but Bianca was totally spooked.

The meeting with Chiron was short and sweet, as the mission was a total success. When Chiron heard the Hunters were here, he was less than enthused, but told Percy to prepare for the game. Mr. D didn't care either way, about most anything.

Grover took Nico and Bianca away for orientation, and the remaining four headed to the cabins.

When they arrived, Percy let out a mighty roar that echoed through the entire camp. "CAMPERS, ASSEMBLE!"

After several minutes, most of the campers had gathered around Percy.

"You may have heard that the Hunters of Artemis are here. If not, now you have. But you may not know that this means we will have a game of Capture the Flag. Apparently, we have never won before. But not this time. We will show them what it means to capture a flag! We will show them WAR!"

The camp let out a war cry of agreement.

"Cabin Leaders, follow me. We're going to hold a strategy meeting, immediately."

Percy was followed to the Big House by Clarisse, Silena, Beckendorf, Connor and Travis, and Lee Fletcher, and obviously Thalia. Lily tagged along next to Percy who didn't mind she was coming, as she couldn't say anything unless he said it for her. Nancy wanted to come, too, but Percy said it was strictly cabin leaders. Lily would be cabin leader if there were a Hecate cabin, which was good enough for him. Nancy said it wasn't fair, but Percy said that it was, and that's why it seemed unfair. If he let her come, what was the point of calling the meeting?

Annabeth... she didn't do much in camp these days, just trained and made conspiracy theories.

After they got into the war room, Percy wasted no time explaining.

"We will absolutely demolish them," he started.

Thalia immediately countered, "How? The fact that they've won every time says something about their skill. What's your master plan, Percy?"

Clarisse shouted, "We'll crush them in a full frontal assault!"

Everyone either rolled their eyes or facepalmed.

Except for Percy. "Though that sounds ridiculous, it's actually not that bad of a strategy."

Of everyone, only Beckendorf immediately understood what Percy meant.

"Think about it. The Hunters are just that. Hunters. They attack from long range, and from stealth as well. If we can't find them, or even if we can't engage them in close combat, then the best strategy is to decrease the amount of time we spend in range of them. They'll never expect us to come at them with reckless abandon, so we'll do the opposite of what they'd expect. We'll make a phalanx, and charge."

"What about our flag, Percy?"

"Simple, I'll defend it. If we make sure they know that all of us are charging their flag, they won't be able to send out too many attackers. Normally in capture the flag, you'll have some offense, and some defense, and the sides will be relatively even. But if we make sure we force all of them into defending, well, then they won't have a chance to attack in numbers that I can't handle."

Silence.

It was a plan worthy of Athena, Percy thought to himself.

It was Connor, or maybe Travis, who spoke up. "Well, guys, we did ban him from this game for a reason."

Actually, this plan had one glaring flaw.

If the opponents also rushed the flag, they'd overwhelm Percy before the campers could come back with the flag. This was because the Hunters were much faster runners than the campers, and a phalanx has terrible mobility.

Luckily, Percy knew they wouldn't immediately rush him because he already knew their strategy. Of course, the plan would only work if the Hunters couldn't immediately change their tactics. They were too spread out for this, however, and so they couldn't immediately change strategy to rush Percy. This was why it would work.

"Remember, don't speak a word of this outside. If the Hunters find out, it's game over."

~Breaking lines, changing times~

At dinner, Percy got a real shock. He heard Lily's tiny voice ask him a question he was not prepared for.

"Lily bad?" (Am I a slut?)

Percy started to choke on his pepperoni pizza. After roughly swallowing it and coughing several times, he replied, "No! You certainly are not!"

"...Lily bad?" (Then, am I a whore?)

"Of course not, Lily!" Percy kept himself from shouting loud enough for the whole pavilion to hear.

"Other tell Lily, 'Lily bad!' Lily no know. Lily no bad Harry Potter. Percy tell Lily bad know?" (The Hunters said I was a slut and a whore, but I didn't know what that meant. I never heard those words before. Percy, what do those things mean?)

Percy was dumbfounded, but a second later, he was doubly dumbfounded. If she didn't know what the Hunters were saying, then why was she so upset by the Hunters that she started crying?

Percy wasn't sure where to begin. "Umm... well... a, um, a..." Percy lowered his voice to a whisper. "Do you know how babies are made?"

Lily nodded and whispered back, "Boy girl, love. Boy die, girl go Lily *points at Big House*." (There's a man and a woman who fall in love, then the man dies and the woman brings you to the Big House.)

Percy stared blankly at her for a second before realizing she was covering her mouth to keep from laughing. She made a joke. She was only kidding. That was indeed the story of her birth, in a way.

Percy wanted to smash his head into the table, but he settled for saying, "Be serious, Lily. Don't you want to know what those words meant?"

Lily nodded seriously, and said, "Lily know other tell other boy girl all no happy happy. All Lily know." (I overheard someone saying a guy and a girl sleep together and it feels really good. That's all I know.)

Percy thought for a second. He whispered, "Yeah, that's sort of it. A guy and a girl do something called sex, which I won't explain for now but the main thing is that it feels really good and a lot of people think you are only supposed to do it with someone you are really in love with."

Before he could continue, Lily interrupted, "Lily Percy?"

Percy blushed heavily and coughed, before explaining, "No, no, no. You're my little sister, and I'm your big bro. You only, um, sleep together, that's what people say when they mean have sex, you only sleep together with your romantic partner. Family love and romance love are very different."

"Nancy Percy?"

Percy practically had a coughing fit before saying, "I refuse to answer that. Anyways, I'll explain the words to you now. Um, so, a slut is someone who sleeps with a lot of different people without being in love with them. People tend to look down on that, I won't get into it. A whore is someone who sleeps with people for money. People also tend to look down on that, but I won't get into that either. The key reason why people like this exist is sleeping together feels really good, and people tend to want to do it a lot. Also it makes babies, but I'll let Nancy explain that one to you."

"Lily no know bad bad." (I don't understand why sluts and whores are so bad.)

"...countless centuries of systematic oppression and sexism against women. It's hard to explain. More importantly, if you didn't know what they were calling you, why did you get so upset?"

Lily looked at Percy like he was crazy. "Other tell Percy bad bad bad. Percy NO bad bad bad. Percy good, no bad. Other tell all no!" (They said really mean things about you! But you weren't any of them! You're good, not bad! They kept saying lies!)

Percy almost fell off the bench.

"Lily, haven't I told you it doesn't matter what people say about me? But... thank you. Thank you for caring about me so much, Lily. I love you, Little Sis."

Lily smiled as Percy ruffled her hair. "Lily love Big Bro!"

"Alright, now to straighten out the situation with the Hunters," Percy said as he stood up and took Lily's hand.

"NO! NO LILY FOOD, PERCY! NO, NO!" (WAIT! HOLD ON, I'M NOT FINISHED EATING YET, PERCY! HOLD ON A MINUTE!)

After telling her that they could eat more in a minute, and that three 16" pizzas were more than enough for one meal, Percy took her to the Hunters' table.

As they approached, the two Hunters that had originally started harassing Nancy and Lily both stood up.

"Lily, we're very sorry!" they shouted, seeming very apologetic.

Lily turned away, not that they understood the gesture, and said, "Thanks Percy." (Apologize to Percy.)

Percy groaned and said, "Come on, Lily, I'm not telling them that."

He didn't expect Zoe to speak up instead. "Then I will be her unbiased translator for the moment. Lily says, 'Apologize to Percy.'"

"What!? Why!?" the girls shouted.

Lily responded in an extremely childish tone, "Lily no know bad bad bad. Lily no no happy. Tell Percy bad bad bad, Percy no bad bad bad. Lily no happy tell no Percy."

Said Zoe in more or less the same tone, "Lily says, ' I don't know why slut and whore are bad. I wasn't upset. But you said mean things about Percy! Percy isn't bad at all. I am upset you were lying about Percy.'"

There was a stunned silence around the table, and most of the pavilion.

Percy spoke up, "I, on the other hand, don't care even a bit about what you said about me. I only care that you made Lily cry. Apologize to her, and we can put this behind us. Once Capture the Flag ends, anyways."

Lily wouldn't have it, however, and insisted, "No! Thanks Percy, no Lily."

"No way! You have to apologize to Percy, not to me!" Zoe translated.

The Hunters looked at each other. "We refuse. No boy deserves our apology. Just because he has you fooled now doesn't mean he won't—"

She was cut off by Percy shouting "Lily!" and grabbing Lily by the waist and spinning her away from the Hunters.

A huge bolt of lightning shot from Lily's outstretched hands and into the sky where Percy guided them to. Lily had gotten so angry she almost blasted the Hunter who was talking into next year.

Lily was kicking and screaming, trying to turn around and massacre the Hunters.

Percy hastily explained to the group behind him, "Look, you've got to understand, for the first 12 years of her life, she couldn't say a single word to anyone. I'm the only one here who can tell other people what she's trying to say. You can understand how attached to me that might make her? Look, I'll give you all one piece of advice. If you see her during Capture the Flag, run. She's not big on morality, you understand. She is, however, big on desert, and if she kills anyone, her privileges will be revoked. I doubt she'll kill you, is my point. Intentionally, anyways."

Percy dragged Lily back to the U, and managed to get her into the Poseidon cabin. As the cabin leader, he could lock it from the inside or out. Lily knew she couldn't escape and she quickly calmed down.

"I know you really care about me, Lily, but the Hunters will never be nice to a man, even one as cool as me."

"Lily know."

"That's good. Ready to get back to dinner?"

"No."

A couple minutes later, she spoke again. "Percy? Big other good Lily?" (Percy? Why was the head Hunter nice to me?"

"Head Hunter? You mean Zoe?"

"Z...Z...Zo...Zo...Zoe?"

"Yeah, you got it, Lily. But your question... Zoe isn't a bad person. She is just... abrasive, some of the time. Most of the time. She felt bad that her sisters were mean to you. She felt responsible."

"Zoe good girl?"

"Yeah, I think so. I think Zoe is a good person, for sure."

"Food."

"Okay."

~break line, fake mine~

Percy had no dreams that night, and spent most of the next dray training, though he ate breakfast and lunch with Lily and Nancy. Grover told him about Zoe's dream, and Percy didn't have much to say in return.

At dinner, Percy was focused on the Hunters' table. They looked awful. Zoe kept glancing between Chiron and Percy, and looked equally pissed at both of them. The Hunters all looked depressed.

Percy really didn't want to fight once he saw the depressed look on the Hunters' faces. It just seemed too lame to want to win at Capture the Flag when the most important person to them was in mortal danger.

"Lily, um... can you, uh... yell at Zoe that I want to talk to her? She's the only one who'll hear it. Well, maybe Mr. D will, too, but I doubt he'd care either way."

Lily nodded and yelled without looking, "ZOE! PERCY TELL ZOE!" (Zoe! Percy wants to talk to you!)

Zoe's head shot to look at Percy.

"HAPPY! GOOD TELL!" Lily continued. (He's not mad at you or anything!)

Percy looked at Zoe, then stood up and walked away. A minute later, Zoe stoop up and followed.

They walked until they were out of sight, and Percy said, "Is your Lady truly in trouble?"

Zoe was about to be outraged, but Percy didn't let her start. "Relax, nothing happens in this camp without me knowing about it. I wasn't personally spying on you or anything."

"Wherefor am I here, Jackson?" she managed to get out.

"I know you don't want to play Capture the Flag. Neither do I."

"What can be done?"

"I'm getting to it. I can probably convince Chiron to cancel it. But it'll hurt my credibility. I need something in return. I want to get in—"

Zoe's eyes flashed dangerously. "I would advise thee to be cautious, lest you seek that which cannot be given. If thou should look for more than is allowed, thou may find thyself less than whole."

Percy had to think for a few seconds to understand what she just said. "Um, look, I just want to be a part of the quest. I don't know what you thought I meant, but I wasn't seeking it or whatever."

"What quest?" Zoe was in no mood for jokes.

"To help your Lady. I assume there will be one. I know that you have not yet asked the oracle and so have received no response, but... my subconscious is yelling at me that there's gonna be a quest soon, and that I need to be on it. My subconscious has helped me a lot. I listen to it."

"Be that as it may, only Hunters will be on any quest to help my Mistress. Even if we did take campers, we would only take females." Zoe wouldn't budge.

"I guess you just really want to get crushed in Capture the Flag, don't you? If we can't come to an agreement, that's fine, but let me make you one last offer," Percy said, mysteriously.

Zoe was about to speak when Percy brought out a pen, and waved it at Zoe. "This is the most valuable thing I can offer to anyone, especially you, Zoe Nightshade."

"Perseus Jackson, thou cannot fool me. That is merely the modern equivalent of a quill. It is worth less than one bite of a cheap burger." Zoe said proudly. It seemed it was a major accomplishment that she remembered what a pen was.

"Wrong, Zoe Nightshade. This is not a pen. Nor is it what the pen holds," he said ceremoniously.

He uncapped Riptide, and the blade instantly grew to its full length.

Zoe gasped, and Percy said, "This is by far the best blade I have ever held, but it is not the blade itself I offer you. Naturally... this is the vessel of your immortal power. All I ask in return is that you let me on your quest, if you receive one. Do that, and you can regain that which was lost."

Zoe stared at the blade longingly, before slowly speaking.

"A most valuable chip, Perseus Jackson. I only wonder... if thou art strong enough to bargain with it!" she said as she lunged for the blade, but it was at her throat before she knew what was happening.

"Have we come to an arrangement, Miss Nightshade?" Percy said, blade still at her throat, staring into her volcanic eyes.

She stared into his eyes for a long time, it seemed.

"Thou hast seen countless lives fade before thy eyes, while you were powerless to stop it," Zoe came to a startling realization. "Thou art not who thou say thee are!"

Percy had to keep himself from cutting into her throat. Anaklusmos was so sharp that if he lost control for a fraction of a second, he would lop her head off.

"A dangerous accusation for one in your position. Many would not be foolish enough to throw it," Percy informed her.

But instead of pressing the attack, he took a step back and capped Riptide.

"I am Percy Jackson, son of Sally Jackson, loyal to Olympus for all time. If I lie, may the Styx strike me down where I stand," Percy said solemnly, as thunder rumbled far into the distance.

Zoe seemed somewhat flabbergasted that he was fine.

"I have offered you everything I can, Lieutenant of the Hunt," Percy said as he turned away. "If you reconsider, just forfeit the match. I will accept your resignation. If you remain unconvinced, then I will suppose it was just meant not to be."

As Percy walked back to the dining pavilion, he wondered just what had gotten into him to make him act so strangely. Why did he talk like he was so much older when he was with Zoe? And why had he offered her Riptide!? That was his secret weapon! He didn't suppose he could turn back and say he was only joking, could he?

Soon, Percy made it back to the pavilion, where no one had noticed his absence, or at least, they weren't freaking out about it. Zoe had the sense to come from the other direction when she returned, and when she did return to her table, a big discussion clearly arose. Soon, dinner was over.

Just as Percy breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn't need to give Riptide away, Zoe stood up and spoke up.

"I, Zoe Nightshade, representing The Hunters of Artemis, hereby forfeit the game!"

Percy suppressed a groan as he stood up as well.

"I, Percy Jackson, representing Camp Half-Blood, hereby accept your resignation!"

Instantly, there were deafening roars of disapproval. All of the campers wanted to win, but none of them wanted to win like this.

"Settle down!" Chiron shouted over the chaos. He stomped his hoof on the pavilion floor. "I said, 'Settle down!'"

"The campers win!" he announced, though he clearly didn't know how to feel about it.

Suddenly, the yelling stopped. Something was headed toward the pavilion. It was shrouded in a murky green mist, but as it got closer, the campers and Hunters gasped.

"This is impossible," Chiron said. "It… she has never left the attic. Never."

And yet, the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forward until she stood in the center of the pavilion. Mist curled around the feet of the heroes.

No one dared move.

I am the spirit of Delphi, the voice said. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.

The Oracle turned unmistakably toward Zoe Nightshade. Approach, Seeker, and ask.

Zoe swallowed. "What must I do to help my goddess?"

The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. There was the vague image of a mountain, and a girl standing at the barren peak. It was Artemis, but she was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks. She was kneeling, her hands raised as if to fend off an attacker, and it looked like she was in pain. The Oracle spoke:

Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,

One shall be lost in the land without rain,

The bane of Olympus shows the trail,

Campers and Hunters combined prevail,

The Titan's curse must one withstand,

And one shall suffer at a parent's hand.

Then the mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent into the mummy's mouth. The Oracle sat down on an empty bench and froze, as if she'd been waiting for dinner for the past century.

After a quarter hour or so, the cabin leaders once again lined the War room, but this time with the addition of Zoe.

Zoe opened up the discussion with, "We'll go west. The prophecy says campers and Hunters, both plural. We need at least two of each. We should go with the best of the best. Phoebe, Elfreda, and myself are the eldest Hunters. Which two art the strongest campers?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Percy spoke up. "I will skip the humility, but I think it is agreed I am the strongest camper at the moment. I would say the team of Lily and myself is our strongest duo, but I refuse to put her in this kind of danger. At least one of the members of this quest will most likely die. She only started truly living two years ago; it would be like sending a toddler. Magicians aside, the second strongest... it is probably Thalia."

Clarisse grumbled, but she knew Percy was right. Thalia was indeed the strongest besides Percy. Liliana was unbeatable in terms of support, but her match up against Thalia was awful. She wouldn't even stand a chance.

As there were no Hunters to argue with Zoe, and Zoe had previously come to an agreement with Percy, the issue of the quest team was settled without issue. The discussion otherwise went mostly the same, other than the fact that only one person was likely to die.

After Percy saved Bessie and said goodbye to Lily and Nancy, it was time to go.

So, it is done. My return is complete. That ending was incredibly weak. Have I lost my touch? Am I more or less the same? Please, let me know.

I put in a lot of Lily because she's just so cute and she isn't going on the quest, so yeah. If there wasn't as much Lily, it isn't like I would have replaced it with anything else, it would have just sucked. Trust me, I wrote this chapter several times without a lot of her in it.

That's all folks! See you in 3 or 4 years! (joke)