The Cradle of Olympus

by Rohan Rodrigues

Taking place for a brief period in Ancient Greece and beyond, at a time when the Olympian council of Gods haven't reached their full potential yet, an unknown entity has made it's presence known. What will it's connection be to Olympus, and the greater Greek pantheon as well? Arc I is complete, continuing on with Arc II.

48. Chapter 48

Authors Note: Goddamn, at least this was like, half the time period of last time? Maybe the next upload will be in another half of half…eh, who knows. But guess what, it's going to be the two-year anniversary soon, and I got a chapter for you guys for that! And trust me, this chapter is worth it for a two-year anniversary ;)

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Chapter 48: An unseen reunion

"…Ο Μόρος."

Nyx opened her eyes, the glowing blue orbs flashing and dimming spontaneously. She got off her throne and waked forward, the arai hanging off the roof watching the primordial's step with trepidation.

"What is he planning to accomplish this time." Nyx murmured. "The last time I felt any appearance, was when Chronos and Ananke…"

"Eris, Geras!" Nyx bellowed out. "Nightfall!"

The air in front of Nyx shimmered as both Eris and Geras appeared, both of them looking slightly confused.

"You called for us mother?" Eris prompted.

"I have felt the presence of a child of mine who I haven't heard from in quite a long time."

Eris raised an eyebrow. "You talked to Perseus like last week."

Nyx's eyes flashed harshly. "I am not referring to Lykofós. I am referring to the personification of doom, my son Moros."

"And why should that be of our concern?" Geras grumbled. "Because he resurfaced? You should be happy then mother."

Nyx frowned. "Not in these circumstances. Do you remember when was the last time Moros made any contact?"

The two deities had looks of slight confusion as they thought over Nyx's words, only to realize the implication.

"We don't…"

"Exactly." Nyx said with a sigh. "Because the last time my son made as much as a visit was when he tried to assist the abstract primordials against their war with Chaos. He was safe, I knew that, but this much activity from him…and that to where Lykofós is now currently..."

Eris's eyes widened. "He's with Perseus?!"

"Along with the child of prophecy too…" Nyx muttered. "Is it wise to trust him with her wellbeing."

Eris blinked with surprise. "I believe so, I mean, he took her out of a troubled home life, kept her out of any kind of dangers-"

"Most of the time." Geras croaked out. "But I'll give him the benefit of doubt, he does seem to care for her."

"Them being together possesses a challenge as well." Nyx warned. "A forbidden being that can seal multiple beings more than once, and the child of prophecy that has the fate of the Olympians within her palms. A duo like that…if the titans get a hold of that, or worse, enemies like Gaia. And Moros."

"Gaia seems to be asleep still." Eris said with a nervous chuckle. "But the others though…"

"What are you proposing to do." Geras asked. "And are we to be utilized as well?"

"I would like you two to visit the shadow realm." Nyx said after a while. "And see if you can find any Nexus points."

"Nexus points?" Geras questioned. "The realm does not possess a primordial conscious though."

"But it's still something that has existed since the dawn of me and my siblings. And that was where I just sensed Moros. And if my suspicions are correct, something else lies within it as well."

"And what about Perseus?" Eris asked.

"I would like to stress that for the time being, I do not want to see any contact between him and any children of the night. Not until we have resolved what needs to be found in the shadow realm, and not until I have a talk with him as well."

"As you wish."

The two gods stepped back into the shadows and disappeared, leaving Nyx alone with her thoughts. A few moments later, she snapped her fingers and two arai descended from the ceiling and hovered in front of her, awaiting her instructions.

"Prepare the gate to the void. There's much to be done…" Nyx commanded, her face slowly darkening as she felt daylight breaking in the surface world.

---

Four months later

"Stupid confederate shades, can't even let me buy something from the gift shop peacefully." Percy grumbled as he sullenly exited a museum in the middle of the night, while police were behind him scrambling inside, as if they were trying to find someone.

"And so what if I wasn't even buying anything, I can't examine an artifact with Athena's crest on it for an extended period of time or not." Percy thought as he walked down the road, turning up at the Mills House, Charleston, where he and Thalia were currently staying. After taking a brief walk around the hotel, Percy then entered his room to find Thalia still up, a sleepy look on her face as she stared at the running television.

"Thalia?" Percy prompted, making her slightly jump. "I thought I left you asleep?"

"Didn't want to sleep." Thalia muttered, clutching her blanket tightly.

"Oh bug…" Percy sighed, sitting down next to her. "Nightmares again?"

Thalia slowly nodded, making Percy slightly wince. He pulled her towards, slowly brushing her hair. "Was it the same one as last time?"

"Kinda…it was a bit different." Thalia mumbled, shaking her head. "But I've always had weird dreams-"

"But not nightmares like these. You know you can always talk to me about them."

Thalia remained silent as she fidgeted with the blanket. "I saw…them again. And her, all of them reaching out for me. But this time, this time I thought I saw Jason, and he was just lying there with the monsters. Turning into them-"

Thalia let out a shuddering sigh as she fell back into the bed, only to get up again. "I don't want to go back to seep."

"I know; I know…" Percy murmured. "You want me to stay with you?"

Thalia heisted, but then slowly nodded. A few minutes later, she spoke again, her voice ladled with sleepiness. "There was something else…I think someone was watching me. Through the window..."

Thalia didn't elaborate after that as she fell into slumber, leaving Percy confused and alert with what he just heard. He knew that after the whole fiasco with Gello and Moros, he had definitely burned through most of the death mist that was able to conceal him and Thalia. Monsters had started to show up, not directly to them, but in their immediate area at least to try and sniff out Thalia's scent. And the braver one's his.

The next morning arrived with Percy and Thalia heading towards the Charleston city market. For some strange reason, Percy found himself sniffling as if had caught some kind of allergic reaction, but that wasn't all. The air in Charleston was different this time, more…godly in a sense. It was as if something new had descended here overnight, and Percy was pretty sure it was not him. On the way, they passed the same museum which Percy visited last night, which was still swarming with cop cars and curios tourists wondering what had happened.

"So you did go to see those ghosts again from yesterday!" Thalia exclaimed, while Percy shushed her.

"Not really. I wasn't trying to talk to them honestly." Percy whispered. "And they're shades, there's a difference."

"I thought that one ghost liked you." Thalia asked, smirking slightly. "What did you do to cause that?"

Percy sighed. "He only liked me because he thought I was named after that confederate general with the same last name. But then I ruined it by telling him my favorite city in the country was New York. Called me a 'Rotten Yankee' too."

"Must be an avid baseball fan if he attacked and called you that." Thalia chirped.

Percy chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I guess we can go with that…"

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"Nothing bug, nothing at all." Percy said, guiding her through the streets of Charleston. The two landed in the city a couple of days ago, and after hearing it was a major location of the civil war which Percy was curious about, the two decided to stay here for a good few days. Percy had burned through just about every museum and monument the city had to offer, while Thalia burned through every gift shop, music, and apparel stores they came across.

"Market hall for breakfast again? I could really use some pastries." Percy asked as they crossed the street. He then felt Thalia linger behind him, and turned around to find her staring at the museum, a look of recognition and confusion flashing across her face. Percy tugged her ahead, managing to get her off the road as soon as the light turned red.

"Okay, what's up?" Percy asked, trying to see if something was out of place at the museum entrance, only to find nothing.

"Um…" Thalia said, a curious look on her face. "I'm still not sure about this myself, but I think I saw something weird back there."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "No kidding, you looked spaced out. What was it?"

Thalia nodded slowly. "It looked like…a goat."

Percy just blinked slowly. "Back up, you saw a goat over there?" he incredulously asked. "Could be someone's pet goat, or a loose one. Really bug, you stopped in the middle of the road-"

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Percy, it was inside the entrance of a museum. And it was glowing gold and all! I could tell because it was underneath a shadow. Not to mention, I got a weird feeling when I made eye contact with it…"

"A glowing…goat…" Percy muttered, the realization slowly dawning on him. "Well, there have been more monster attacks…and signs from other beings in places I have now visited…there are not a lot of goat creatures though so…"

"Percy?"

"Hmm? Oh, we're here." Percy exclaimed, heading straight into the bustling market. "Tell you what, we can go eat in a café. I could really use a shot right now." Percy muttered, glancing around.

"Are we being followed." Thalia asked, echoing out Percy's thoughts. "Is it the-"

"Don't think about the goat." Percy said, grabbing Thalia's hand and dragged her behind a pillar. "Think of what you want for breakfast, and…Orlando! We'll go to Orlando!"

"I thought we were going to Charlotte…"

"Or Charlotte, anything works for now." Percy muttered as he glanced around, hoping to not see any glowing barnyard animals. "Maybe you saw the chimera, I could deal with that-"

"Chimera?!" Thalia squeaked out. "Do I have to fight one now?"

"Oh don't worry, you'll do great against it." Percy muttered, patting her head. "Just stay close for now…"

Percy then led Thalia deep into the market until they came across a café that was densely populated. Taking his chance with that, he ordered a croissant and coffee with three espresso shots on the side and plopped down at the far end of the café, while Thalia looked at him with an unimpressed look.

"You're hiding." She simply said.

Percy sighed. "I should be asking you to do that honestly."

"What are we hiding from?" Thalia then asked, reaching out for a croissant.

"Someone that probably doesn't want to do us any harm." Percy sniffed, making Thalia confused. "At least I hope it is who I think it is."

"Someone, or thing, has come to Charleston bug. I don't know if it's because of me or due to another reason, but whatever it is, I don't wish to be tangled with it. Not after…last time."

Thalia had a pained look on her face but nodded. "So what do we do now?"

"Nothing, we just lay low. Though…I hate to ask you of this…" Percy muttered as he stared out of a nearby window. The other side of the market was visible from where he was, only occupied by a bunch of hawkers selling trinkets.

"Thalia, here's ten. By something, but come back fast." Percy said, stuffing a couple of notes in Thalia's palm.

"Huh?"

"Just humor me bug. Don't worry, not going to leave you out of my sight."

Thalia stared at him and then the money, slowly walking towards the exit of the café. Percy shuffled in his seat as he watched Thalia, the braces tucked inside his jacket sleeves ready to be utilized. As he sipped his drink, he mulled over if there would be any appearances, but with his death mist somewhat scattered, he wouldn't fault that goat to track Thalia down after so long. Or Eris, she could have had led her here, which wasn't out of the blue now that Percy thought about it. He did ask her to help in tracking that creature down, but that was before Percy knew what he was going to do with Thalia. Before Dawson, before thinking he can't get attached to someone new in his current situation, but here he was now essentially taking care of Thalia and being more or less a parental figure for her. That last part was his wishful thinking though, unsure of it too. And at best, she probably viewed him as a friend which he was fine with. And speaking of Eris, he hadn't heard from her ever since Los Angeles. The same with Geras, or anyone really from when he awoke. His only interaction he got from his world was technically Thalia and the one stray monster here and there. He wasn't even sure if Nyx was still watching over him during those cloudless nights.

"I'm sorry, is someone sitting here? It's just that this place is really crowded, though I wonder why such a handsome man such as yourself will be sitting all alone, hehehe."

Percy glanced up at the speaker, and almost spilled his coffee as he fumbled with his cup, while trying to mentally slap himself for getting distracted. He knew he should be checking in on Thalia, but he instead found himself staring at the woman in front of him. If he wasn't distracted before, then the biggest distraction of all time had just presented itself. And not because it was a very attractive woman, but because of the aura that she was radiating, the familiar way she carried herself around men which Percy immediately recognized, and her actual features which only those closest to her can view. He knew this woman; she was an annoying but missed part of his life for crying out loud.

It was Aphrodite.

"Well…?" the goddess of love trailed out, raising an eyebrow when Percy didn't respond. "Someone is sitting here right? Oh I should have known…" Aphrodite let out a sigh, until her eyes lit up. "Unless you're shy…oh don't worry honey, I promise I just want a seat. Though I don't mind keeping someone like you company…wait…"

"I-" Percy rasped out, a hundred percent sure the Fates were messing with him right this instant. He wished for contact, but not like this!

It was only now that Aphrodite had got a clear look at Percy's face. She wasn't sure herself, but millennia of not seeing the face in person made her doubt what she was seeing in front of her severely. But she was sure, she knew she was sure. It had to be him, even though he was supposed to be dead.

"Aphrodite?" Percy finally spoke after a prolonged silence, his eyes glowing.

"Uh-huh."

"That is really you right?"

"Uh-huh."

"So…you probably think that I had faded."

"Uh-huh."

"But I haven't. It's me, Perseus."

That snapped Aphrodite out of her trance, who then immediately threw her tray on the table and grabbed Percy's face, pinching and stretching out his cheek while her breathing got more and more heavier.

"Hair…scars…fuck your eyes…holy sea-"

"Aph-" Percy choked out.

"You're- YOU'RE-!"

An ear piercing scream echoed throughout the entire market hall as Aphrodite lunged for Percy, grabbing him tightly. Before they hit the wall though, the two of them flashed away in a brilliant white light, with only the scent of roses lingering at the place where Percy was.

A few minutes later, Thalia returned back to the café, a slightly annoyed look on her face as she approached Percy's table.

"They said I needed an adult to buy anything, I- Percy?" Thalia said, a cold feeling running down her body on seeing the table empty, and food haphazardly placed. "Maybe he went to the washroom…"

Ten minutes later of sitting alone and garnering stares later, Thalia was now sure something was up. She left the café in a hurry and roamed around the market hall, her canister out to be used.

"Sorry, excuse me." She called out as she navigated through the bustling crowds. "Ow, oh sorry." She muttered as she bumped into a girl wearing a silver jacket, who stared back at her with slight confusion.

"Come on, where could you be…" Thalia muttered, closing her eyes. "Percy! Where are you?!"

Thalia groaned internally when she didn't get any response. Oblivious to her, someone was approaching her slowly from behind.

"Are thou alright-"

Thalia jumped when she felt someone place her hand on her shoulder, and receded her electricity back as she aimed her canister at the persons face. Said person's eyes widened on seeing the can as she fell back, her hand reaching for her belt.

"Calm down child, I only want to help." The person shouted, slight irritation flashing across her face. Thalia narrowed her eyes, until she realized it was the same girl she bumped into from before. The one with the silver jacket.

'You want to help me?" Thalia incredulously asked.

The girl shrugged. "Thou looked lost, I'm guessing thee are searching for someone. Maybe thy parent."

"I'm not really lost." Thalia mumbled. "And why would you want to help me?"

"It's something I do occasionally." The girl said with a shrug. "Milady may get disappointed if I don't help a young maiden or child in need here and there."

The girl ignored Thalia's indignant look and approached her. "Besides, I'm not the one who's armed. I'm surprised thy parent taught thee how to use this at thy age."

Thalia slightly smiled. "Yeah, he sure did."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "He? A male, now that's interesting. Are you searching for him then?"

Thalia nodded, making the girl sigh. "But thy father still loses you…come with me child, I'll help thee out. And thou can always use the spray if I do something."

"That is true." Thalia muttered, tilting her head. "Why are you wearing a tiara?"

The girl smirked. "It is a secret, child. Oh, and my name is Zoë. Thou will be safe with me."

---

Percy landed on solid ground, while Aphrodite was still on top of him, clutching him tightly as if he would disappear again. He let out a groan as he tried to push the goddess away, but she didn't budge, making him sigh. Then a chuckle escaped his lips, prompting Aphrodite to look at him with slight confusion. Percy's chuckles then evolved into laughter as he lied back flat on the ground on seeing Aphrodite's expression.

"Okay." Aphrodite giggled. "I think we're both going to happy cry now, huh."

"Gods…it is you." Percy whispered. "After so long, someone finally found me."

"So long? That so long better not be two millennia Perseus or you are so dead." Aphrodite growled.

"Perseus huh? Man, now that's a name I haven't been addressed too in a while now."

"Wait…what?" Aphrodite asked, snorting. "The Perseus I know would glare at someone or roll them off into oblivion for calling him something other than his given name. Unless, you're not-"

Aphrodite frowned and then pushed Percy back, quickly getting up. "Wait, what's happening. You died, faded, whatever is supposed to happen to us immortals which even I'm not sure too. I, we, saw you take down Gaia, then that tree thing came up, then a temple was built, Zeus declared you deceased, Artemis went into severe- Artemis! Does she know, does anyone else know, am I the last person to-"

"Wait, no, no, no. I'm getting distracted!" Aphrodite cried out, clutching her head. "You…you can't be, but yet here you stand…"

"Aphrodite, look I-" Percy began then sighed. "Okay, I can definitely see this as being super confusing, but you know it's me. I know you recognized me the moment you saw me, heck, you literally gravitated towards me in that café!"

"No, no that's impossible! I would have sensed you, I know I would have as soon as I arrived there. I can't even sense you fully now, it's faint, but it's not you… . It's not you…you're not him, you're an imposter…you have to be-"

"Aphrodite…" Percy muttered, letting out a sigh. "Your nickname from Pontus was Frothy, mine was Kelpie. We even referred to him as Grandpa P if you remember. We had quite a lot of adventures down at his palace, and with the other gods like Apollo, Hermes, Hecate. And Artemis, you helped me and even her when it came to the both of us. You even helped me in some degree with prime resources, though most of that credit goes to Hecate still."

"Hey! I helped with ailment stones, and, and, and…Artemis!" Aphrodite huffed out, and then blinked. "Oh…Ohhh."

Percy raised an eyebrow when Aphrodite began to scramble around, muttering to herself and waving her hands about. She then fell to the ground and grabbed a handful of what looked like sand and shoved it into her mouth, chewing it slowly.

Percy's eyes widened. "You still eat that?!

"It's my stress food, give me a break." Aphrodite cried out, tears slowly coming out of her eyes. "Shit…my faded brother is just standing there, and I'm over here…eating dirt."

"Do you at least believe it's me now." Percy asked. "Look, I may have been told explicitly to try to avoid not just you, but all the other gods or anyone from the Greek world. But nothing was said about them finding or coming across me, and you're literally the first person I know who found me! In the mortal world that is."

"I still don't know what to make of this." Aphrodite muttered, slightly glaring at Percy. "You were gone Perseus, I can't stress that enough and it wrecked all of us. And now you are here, looking older but barely any different than the image in my head."

"Well there is one slight difference." Percy muttered, rubbing his left arm. "Wait, older?"

"Oh no, I don't want any wisecracks from you mister!" Aphrodite yelled, jabbing her finger on Percy's chest. "You bloody bastard, you have a lot of explaining to do as to how you're here, why you aren't dead, why you're so weak if I couldn't sense you properly, and-"

"Jeez Aph, I'll tell you." Percy huffed, glancing around. "And what about you, where did you take us, some kind of desolate beach?"

Aphrodite frowned. "I'm not sure where I wanted to go either. I just know you were in my mind, so I guess I took us to a place that had significance…oh I see now. Wait. You actually don't know where we are?"

"No?"

"Seriously? I mean, it's no longer covered by shadows, so I thought maybe now…"

Percy took a long look around the area where he was in, slowly taking in the ruined beach, the dried out vegetation, and over at the distance, what looked like the ruins of an ancient Greek city. Percy then got up and almost fell down again as he felt a slight power surge creeping up in him, a familiar but old power that he only felt when he was in-

"Skiagis, Percy!" Aphrodite cried out, shaking her head in disappointment. "I guess two millennia does that to you."

"What- what happened to it?" Percy stuttered, taking a shaky step forward. "What happened to everyone?"

Aphrodite sighed, rubbing Percy's back soothingly. "A lot to be honest. I'm not the best person to ask this though, but a lot happened over here. Good things, and bad things."

"I can see the latter." Percy growled out. "What happened Aphrodite."

The goddess frowned. "A war? Some war, maybe two."

"Aphrodite…"

"I'm not good with history, ask Athena!" Aphrodite complained, crossing her arms. "I should have taken you to Cannes, we could have had such fun there."

Percy then frowned. "What were you doing in Charleston of all places anyway?"

"That's mine and Ares's city." Aphrodite replied with a shrug. "Other than the tea and food, it was mine and Ares's first date in the United States after us Olympians and the Greek world shifted there in around 1860, where the flame of the West decided to burn. Oh, and it was gorgeous Percy, we had this party on a rooftop balcony. It was the night Fort Sumter was first attacked if I recall."

Percy's eyes slowly widened. "You're…you're not talking about the first fight of the American civil war are you?"

"Oh, such a lovely night. Everyone in their new uniforms, even Ares, he looked so dazzling. And the dresses! I was a bit giddy back then, but I remember when the bursts of light erupted from the harbor, which of course gave all the men an excuse to hold their ladies tight-"

"Aphrodite.' Percy muttered, pinching his nose. "You're talking about the night of when the bloodiest war began on American soil…"

"Ares looked ecstatic though…" Aphrodite mumbled. "Anyway, what were you doing in Charleston, just passing by or…?"

"No, I've been staying there for a couple of days with…with…" Percy said, slowly trailing off as a horrible realization entered his mind. "Fuck."

"Huh?"

"YOU HAVE TO TAKE ME BACK!" Percy cried out, grabbing Aphrodite's shoulders. "Charleston, you need to take me back now!"

"Percy-calm-down!" Aphrodite shouted as Percy began to swing her back and forth, desperation in his eyes. "What's the rush-"

"I forgot my kid in a coffee shop damn it, don't tell me to calm down!" Percy yelled. "Flash us there now!"

"…My Kid?!" Aphrodite whisper shouted, her mouth agape. "You…ha-have a…oh my Fates you have a child?! She yelled. "Is that why you were hiding, because you had a child…who's not Artemis's-!"

"Aphrodite get me- NO! She's not, I don't have- just get me back there!"

"You explain yourself right now Perseus!"

"Oh bloody hell…I can't flash because of certain reasons." Percy growled out, forming a dagger. "Don't mess with me and take me there right now!"

"Are you threatening me?!" Aphrodite screeched.

"Oh for crying out loud, something is back in Charleston that I sensed and have a bad feeling about-"

"Oh, you felt that thing too?"

"…APHRODITE!"

---

After a scuffle later, the two gods immediately flashed back into the bustling market hall, just outside the café Percy was at earlier. The god ran to the glass pane and pressed his face against it, trying to see if Thalia was at least in, but she wasn't.

"Aww, our table got occupied. And our foods gone." Aphrodite mumbled, mimicking Percy.

'No, no, she's not here." Percy muttered, turning around. "She's not with the hawkers…why did I tell her to go outside?! I'm so stupid!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure there's a lost and found in this place where she will be." Aphrodite replied gently.

Percy's right eye twitched. "She's not some bloody object! Besides, I should be mad at you, you took me away and made me lose her!" he barked.

"I think you've become crankier since coming back." Aphrodite sniffed.

"Shush, let me try to concentrate." Percy huffed. "Let's just hope the death mist won't dissipate."

"The death what?"

Percy mentally shut himself from the outside world, trying to sense if anyone nearby, most likely Thalia, would utter his name. Eight seconds later, he heard her.

"Okay, I think I got her." Percy announced, turning to Aphrodite. "What about you?"

Aphrodite blinked. "Hmm?"

"I mean; I'm going to go look for her. But I don't think it's wise if you come with me." Percy replied. "It'll be dangerous, for her that is-"

"You're kidding right." Aphrodite, chuckling harshly. "After two millennia of uncertainty and acceptance, you have the nerve to be alive and well. And now, you're trying to dissuade me from…whatever it is you're dealing with? Tough luck Percy, because I'm tailing you from now until I get your full story out. And don't think you're off the hook after that, because there are way more people you have to answer too sooner or later."

Percy clenched his teeth. "I get where you're coming from Aphrodite but, this time, don't follow me. I don't want you near me for today at least, until I have sorted this new predicament you brought on me. Gods, and I thought I would be happy to see one of you, but now that's it's leading to this…"

"Oh sure!" Aphrodite cried. "Throw away the bumbling bitch who only cares about ruining people's lives and causing throes of wars huh?!"

"I didn't say that!" Percy said with surprise. "I- oh…wait, she's… in a bit of trouble." Percy murmured, giving Aphrodite analyzing look. "…I'm going to be risking a lot. I hope you don't make me regret it."

Aphrodite's face softened. "Look, I don't understand what's happening."

"Remember those words. Just abide that." Percy repeated, summoning his sword. "Okay follow me."

"Wha- which words?!"

Percy then sprang behind, picking up speed as he dodged through passerby's and tourists littered along the path. He then turned at the other end of the first block of the market and stepped outside spotting a small commotion on the road. Percy then dissolved into a shadow and appeared on the roof of the market building, with a clearer look at what was happening down below. Thalia was standing in the middle of the road, trying to push away a bird that seemed to be attacking her. Percy also noticed some pedestrians clutching their faces with bloodied hands.

"What in the world…" Percy muttered, bringing his sword back. Seeing that Thalia wasn't going to use any of her weapons to dissuade the bird, which on closer inspection was a falcon, Percy took his bow out and shot an arrow at the falcon, but was surprised to see it momentarily slow down, and then clatter to the ground.

"Okay…" Percy mumbled. He then jumped off the roof and for some reason, felt some kind of obstruction

"Coming through!" Percy yelled, eliciting some yells from the crowd of mortals as he landed next to Thalia. The falcon screeched loudly on seeing Percy, before making a move upwards.

"Hey Thalia, long time no see." Percy said, sheepishly grinning when Thalia stared back at him open mouth.

"Where were you?!" Thalia demanded, punching Percy's leg. "Do you know how worried and scared I was? I thought something happened to you!"

"I should be asking you those things to be honest." Percy replied. "I did leave you behind…"

"You left me?!" Thalia shouted. "I thought something else got, how did you even find me?"

"Well, you're not that far off. A little birdie told me where you were."

"SKREEE!"

Percy and Thalia glanced up to find the falcon hovering high in the sky, only to swoop down towards them.

"It better not be that birdie." Thalia muttered.

"Oh no, it was you only bug." Percy assured, forming a shield. He then struck the bird with it as soon as it came in range, sending the flacon back.

"It's still going?" Percy thought out loud, on seeing that the bird was still flying about. "What did you do to piss it off?"

"I don't know! I was trying to find you with this other girl, but then I thought I saw the goat again-"

"What?!"

"So I tried to follow it and came outside when a lot of those birds started to attack us. I think that girl I was had something to do with it because she said something like "Not again." And told me to stay here while she ran off, and the birds followed her. But this one stayed, and began attacking me. Some people tried to help but it just scratched their faces instead."

"I think that falcon did more than just scratching." Percy replied, flexing his arm. "That is no regular falcon, my arrow didn't even get a chance to strike it before it fell."

"So now what?" Thalia asked.

"Do the lightning, like what we practiced." Percy replied.

"Are you sure? What about the mortals?"

"They probably already think this is some circus performance gone wrong. A little bit of light show won't hurt them."

"Okay." Thalia replied, bringing out her spear. She then leapt forward and struck the spear into the ground. Bursts of electricity sprang from the ground and spread everywhere, striking down the falcon and other things as well.

"I thought so." Percy muttered on seeing the falcon disintegrate into golden dust. "But from where?"

"Thalia, are you okay though?" Percy asked kneeling down, brushing away stray feathers that caught in her clothes.

"Just some scratches." She mumbled, looking away. "Why did you leave me?"

Percy sighed. "I promise; I didn't mean to. You know I would never do that to you, even on purpose. I got taken away by this person I knew a long time back, it's all okay now."

"So…this is the child?" Aphrodite asked loudly, making Percy jump.

"Speak of the devil…and don't shout." Percy hissed, pulling Thalia closer. "So you saw her, are you happy now?"

Aphrodite sniffed. "Looks nothing like you thankfully, but still so familiar…"

"Um, Percy?" Thalia asked, looking wary. "Who is she?"

"Thalia, meet Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Aph, this is Thalia." Percy introduced.

"Did she cause all this?" Aphrodite asked, noticing the scorch marks around. "Quite powerful isn't she, for a demigod her age."

Percy clenched his teeth. "And?"

Aphrodite shrugged. "And nothing. She's powerful, what more am I supposed to say. Guess her parentage?"

Before Percy could answer, a shout from above caught his attention.

"Thalia!"

Percy immediately turned around, wondering who this person was that knew Thalia's name. And as soon as he saw said person, he definitely knew that the Fates were messing with him today.

For standing in front of him with her bow out was the huntress Zoë, her face slowly turning pale as an expressionless façade took over her. But Percy could see it in her eyes, anger, shock, disbelief and hopefulness flashed on them. A strangled gasp then escaped her lips as her legs buckled, prompting Percy to move, only to find a quivering bow pointed at his face.

"Who are thee, who dare wears the face of him." She growled out, her knuckles turning white by clenching the bow tightly.

"Percy what's going on?" Thalia asked worriedly.

Zoë's eyes widened. "Step away from him child! He's an enemy! A monster, maybe even-"

"The first time we met, you ratted out to Atlas that I came to the garden for the golden apples." Percy blurted out. "Since you were Atlas's 'favorite', but only the two of us really knew what happened later on. Then of course, you got a bit mad when I momentarily jolted Ladon from his sleep, and when I started coming to the garden more often."

A heavy silence fell among them, with only the bustling shouts of the surrounding mortals filling the air. Zoë was breathing heavily now, her eyes watering up as she took a wobbly step forward.

"No, no thou shouldn't know this." She whispered, a series of soft gasps escaping her lips. "Only milady, and…and…"

"We of course grew closer after that." Percy continued gently, taking a tepid step forward. "You and your sisters taught me Ladon's song. I helped you with the garden. And then, Heracles..."

Zoë's breathing hitched, not meeting Percy's gaze at all as she stayed in her place. Percy continued to approach the hunter, his arms out in a placating manner. "I'm not going to comment on that out here, because I have an inkling on your feelings towards that incident."

"…Thou always were worried about my feelings." Zoë whispered. "A bit annoying when thee were a stranger back then."

"I grew up learning to be like that." Percy replied with a chuckle, a pensive look on his face. "Zoë."

"Yes?"

"It is me." Percy replied, kneeling down in front of her. "I know this is difficult trying to understand this, but you have to trust me. Just like you trusted me with your sword, and when I knew you deserved a second chance away from your father after that incident. I need you to trust me on this… Zoë."

"You…you…" Zoë stuttered, shutting her eyes tightly. She then fell limp, placing her head on Percy's shoulder as she silently wept, while the former gently brought her to an embrace.

"You were gone for so long, why?"

"I know; it wasn't my choice."

"Styx, it truly is you."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Milady is going to slaughter you."

"Artemis? Oh, I'm counting on it."

"Um, excuse me?" Thalia piped up, looking quite confused and slightly annoyed. "Other than the mortals and cop cars about to show up here, what the hell is going on?!"

"Language Thalia." Percy murmured, bringing Zoë to her feet. "You alright to walk about?"

Zoë nodded. "Okay. Back to the hotel then it is." Percy decided as he took in Zoë and Aphrodite staring at him. "I think I need more than an espresso shot this time."

---

"Oh my, the Mills House Percy? I didn't know you could be so fancy." Aphrodite purred as she jumped on the bed, letting out a content sigh.

Percy mumbled something as he fell on the couch, slowly massaging his head. Thalia just stood in the middle awkwardly as she stared at the new guests, while Zoë was staring out of the window with a glazed look on her face, as if she was still processing what was happening right now.

"I think you broke that hunter Percy." Aphrodite remarked.

Zoë shook her head and wiped her eyes, shooting a withering glare at the goddess. "And I just realized thou are here too." She replied with a slight sneer. "Why are thou in Perseus's company?"

"Why did you have such a meltdown over seeing Percy alive and well?" Aphrodite pointed out. "As far as I recall, you barely knew him."

Zoë frowned. "I know Perseus enough!"

"Please. I'm his loving sister. And you?"

'I'm- I…" Zoë stuttered, looking a bit embarrassed and lost. She then let out a frustrated cry.

"Aphrodite, lay off her." Percy stated

"Fine, I'll forget her. But you." Aphrodite remarked, staring intently at Thalia. "Who are you supposed to be…"

"Aphrodite, don't interrogate her." Percy warned, pinching his nostrils tightly. "This is a lot to take in."

"A lot?!" Zoë shouted. "Perseus, thou are here. Alive and breathing, not faded like the gods decreed thee were. Where ever were thee for all these centuries, were thee imprisoned? Lost?"

"Those are some good questions." Aphrodite muttered.

"I'm sorry Zoë, but I don't want to reveal about my whereabouts just yet." Percy replied after a brief pause. "But I will tell you this. I was in a sense, imprisoned. By who, I'm not sure. And I have only just returned like last December, so it hasn't even been half a year. Aphrodite over here was the first real contact I had with the Olympians I lost so long ago."

"And this child?" Zoë asked, looking slightly hurt. "Why is she with thee?"

"Thalia, is a demigod who I met in remarkable circumstances." Percy answered, making sure to choose his words carefully. "She didn't have a great home life, so I offered to help her and join me on whatever crazy adventures I did. And she agreed."

"Yep!" Thalia replied brightly.

"Okay…" Aphrodite said, frowning slightly. "But why not send her to camp-"

"Or the hunt." Zoë interjected.

"-And why does she look so damn familiar?"

"Dam." Thalia murmured with a giggle.

"I was told to not make contact with anyone from our world, which is why I didn't waltz into Olympus the first chance I got. Or find Artemis directly." Percy sighed heavily. "But nothing was said of the opposite, so I…waited."

Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. "So your definition of waiting was prancing around the U.S. hoping that you would unknowingly run into one of us like now? Percy, you could have just stuck to New York, I literally shop in Fifth Avenue every other week."

"Well…I was mostly trying to find places where the hunters would have made camp at." Percy replied bashfully. "So far, I only came to used spots."

"We visited like six so far." Thalia said tiredly.

Zoë's eyes slowly widened. "Milady wondered if someone was using our camping spots. She found the one in Sandia Crest a bit disrupted."

"I've been there!" Percy said excitedly, a realization slowly dawning upon him. "Wait, if you're here, does that mean-!"

"I'm afraid not." Zoë replied with a sad smile. "I parted with Milady and the hunters back in Columbia…for an assignment. They are most likely heading north, to Francis Marion."

"Francis Marion and Sumter. I see." Percy murmured. "Maybe this time, I should try to…"

"Oh no, You're not going anywhere with Artemis because I'm sure she'll be glued to you for the next few centuries once she finds you. And I want some quality time with you, so- ahh!"

Aphrodite let out a strangled cry on seeing Zoë bring out a dagger and rested the tip on her neck.

"You are not going to seduce Perseus away from milady." she growled out.

"Not that kind of quality time you wrench!" Aphrodite shouted.

"Enough!" Percy yelled, making them all jump. "I can't think like this." He muttered angrily, going out of the room.

"Look what you did, you drove him out." Aphrodite said with a glare. "That's all you hunters ever do, isn't it?"

Zoë didn't answer, looking away.

"And where do you think you're going?" Aphrodite asked Thalia, who was reaching for the door.

"Looking for Percy?" she said, as if it was obvious.

Aphrodite snorted. "Please, and what good will you do? Stay behind demigod, I'll handle this."

---

Percy soon found himself outside the hotel, still lost in his thoughts. He never really imagined how reunions would go if he ever met anyone, but so far, it was starting to get hectic.

"You know, while I should leave you alone for now, I still don't trust what is happening is actually, you know, happening." Aphrodite called out, shimmering in front of Percy.

"You aren't going to let me go now, are you?" Percy remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope. Walk with me." Aphrodite simply said, slight charmspeak laced in her voice. Percy shrugged, knowing that while the charmspeak wouldn't work on him, Aphrodite's insistent bugging will. The two were enveloped with silence as they walked down the road, soon turning up at Murray Boulevard where Aphrodite briefly stopped, a slight look of concentration on her face.

"Let's see. Mhm… yep. That should do it." She muttered, a small but mischievous grin on her face. She then turned around to face Percy, looking curious.

"So, what's the deal with that demigod? And honestly Perseus, don't fib because I have my suspicions, and you know I'm good with sleuthing juicy details. It's going to come to me, and I know you don't want it to blow up for the rest of the gods."

"I suppose not…" Perseus warily replied. "But before that, Aphrodite, what do you think of the great prophecy?"

Aphrodite's eyes widened. "You know about that? I'm a bit surprised, but at least you're in the loop. Well, it's dangerous for sure. Some of the lines are a bit strange to interpret, the amount of times Zeus demanded explanations from Apollo and the Fates. As for the prophecy child…"

Percy held his breath.

"I'm neutral towards it. I don't really care what happens, though I think if it helps Olympus, then that would be nice."

Percy internally sighed with relief.

"Why are you suddenly asking about the prophecy?" Aphrodite prompted, looking slightly suspicious. "Is there something that you wanted to know? You know you made me answer my question with a question, don't think I didn't catch that!"

"I know, I know." Percy mumbled, resting against the railing. "I need to trust you on this though."

Aphrodite blinked with surprise. "You want to trust me with something?!"

"Yes. Because I will make you swear it on the river Styx." Percy replied seriously. "There is no other way to tell you, that is if you really want to know."

Aphrodite's mouth was agape. "The Styx?! You don't even have the water with you…do you?"

"I have my ways." Percy replied, though what he said was more or less a white lie. "I need absolute trust, and I'm sorry Aphrodite but I can't get that with you."

Aphrodite bit her lip, looking quite disappointed. "That…may be true. But that was some millennia ago!" she whined.

"I doubt we gods change drastically at all over time." Percy pointed out.

"Still, you should have a little faith in me." She sullenly replied.

"Not for this."

"You seem quite protective of the kid though." Aphrodite stated, holding up a finger. "And don't give me that 'remarkable circumstances' line, anyone can see right through that."

'I'm not saying anything, so her safety won't be compromised." Percy replied angrily.

"Please, this is me we're talking about-"

"Exactly, you the biggest gossip monger of all of Olympus. And yeah, an Olympian! A figure from our world, I can't risk that!"

"Who is she?" Aphrodite asked, her eyes narrowing. "Because I'm starting to have an inkling Perseus. And I'm always never wrong."

Percy gritted his teeth. "She's a demigod I found a while ago. That's all I'm going to say, the rest about her shouldn't be known, it's for her own safety which I'm not going to throw away like last time-"

Percy shouted the last words and then sighed, slowly calming himself. Aphrodite watched on with bated breath, waiting to see if anything else would be said. But none came out.

"Hmm, you're unusually protective of her. Were you always like this?" Aphrodite wondered out loud.

"After what we've been through, I don't blame myself." Percy muttered. "Or is too much? To be like this?"

Aphrodite shrugged. "I don't know; I have no clue what you two went through at all."

Percy had a thoughtful look on his face. "What if I told you about it?"

Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. "Now that, I'll be down to listen."

Percy stared at Aphrodite with trepidation, and then sighed, launching into a brief explanation of his time in Dawson. Aphrodite listened with rapt attention, and Percy could tell she was actually listening, reacting to just as he thought she would.

"You came across that daimon again? Whoa…Artemis would not be happy to hear about that." Aphrodite muttered. "And another primordial…wow, that day must have been something. But what of that mortal who was with you?"

"I had to erase and alter that mortal's memories, it was the only way to keep him sane and quiet." Percy mumbled.

"You know what I wanted to do after the altercation with Moros? I wanted to run away and leave Thalia behind, somewhere where she could be safe. I could have easily done something like that, maybe even take her to that camp like you mentioned. But I didn't, I didn't want to do that to her. I promised to be with her, and I didn't want to be the next adult who let her down. So, I decided to be selfish. I decided to let her be in my company. I can protect her, I'm not just an Olympian god, I'm a tetrekar too, whether I like it or not. I'm not going to abandon her after this long, not like…"

"Her parents?" Aphrodite pressed. "Percy, most demigods don't have a great home life anyway, so this isn't anything special."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean most demigods? Are you saying not much has been improved since ancient times?"

Aphrodite shrugged. "There wasn't much we could do anyway. Ancient laws and all."

"So I heard." Percy grumbled. Aphrodite sighed in response, deciding to drop the conversation for now. After all, she just got Percy back, and wouldn't want to push him further away so soon.

"Huh, we reached a pier." Percy commented, glancing around. Aphrodite hummed in acknowledgement as she stared out to the sea, like she was trying to search for someone. Her eyes then lit up as she released an excited squeal and ran to the edge of the pier, with Percy just behind her.

"What's happened?" Percy asked.

"Oh Percyyy." Aphrodite giggled. "Guess what?"

"Hm?" Percy hummed, raising an eyebrow.

"May I reintroduce you to my darling companion…" Aphrodite replied, showing her hands cupped together. "Sebastianos!"

"No way!" Percy muttered in awe, a grin breaking across his face as his eyes laid upon the familiar bright red crab. The crab clicked its pincers happily as it bounced up and down on Aphrodite's palm, before it sent a clicking and shaking motion at Aphrodite, as if he was scolding her.

"He would have been confused if I introduced you with that name." Aphrodite chided.

"What name?"

"Sebastianos goes by Sebastian now. Only because Hermes's snakes changed their names to 'fit with the times', and this little one didn't want to be left behind."

"Sebastian…like from that one mermaid movie?"

"Oh no, no. Mine came first and inspired, end of story." Aphrodite harrumphed.

"Ah, okay." Percy replied, glancing down to find the tiny crab pointing and clicking its pincers at him in quick succession, like it was in a hurry to say something.

"He's asking where were you all these years. It didn't like consoling- what do you mean I was a pain to comfort?!"

"Long story buddy, really long story." Percy chuckled. "When did he regenerate?"

"A few decades after the Trojan war. Really, that long it took you. Styx, that demigod really did a beating on you." Aphrodite murmured, stroking the shell soothingly.

"That's great to hear Sebastian- yeah, that. You know, I just realized, what about Umbra. How is she doing, is she still around?"

"Hmm, oh yes." Aphrodite hummed, nodding to what Sebastian was saying. "Umbra is may not still be around, not that she really disintegrated or anything like that. She was last seen near the Arctic circle after the Isle war, sort of became a local myth in those parts. But that was like a hundred years ago so…"

"Isle war? Wait, so you're not sure if she's still alive…"

"Yep, not sure. You can still call her up here as you always do, maybe she'll answer." Aphrodite replied.

"I see." Percy muttered, tilting his head. "…Umbra? Can you hear me; I hope you do? Well, it's me, Percy. Or Perseus. You probably have forgotten about me, I mean, I kind of did. Which I'm sorry for! So…yeah. I'm in Charleston, in the US. So…find me?"

"Um, I think we should go." Percy coughed awkwardly after a while, heading away from the pier.

"No response?" Aphrodite prompted.

"I don't know for sure." Percy replied honestly. "Besides, we've been out for a while. Those two would be wondering what we're up to."

"Ahh, those two. Well, I wouldn't worry much about the hunter." Aphrodite said with a shrug. "You know what would make you feel better? A nice evening out with your favorite sister!"

"You're my only sister." Percy said, shaking his head. "And don't try to change the subject from Zoë, what did you do now?"

"Nothing! Geez, have some faith in me." Aphrodite forlornly replied.

"Which you know I don't." he replied with a grin.

"Ouch! You've become very mean over the years."

The two reached the hotel again, and found Zoë pacing around the lobby, muttering to herself. Her eyes lit up when she noticed Percy, but she then schooled her expression to neutral a second later.

"You're back, I see thou are not mad anymore." She replied.

Percy looked abashed. "I wasn't mad at you or anyone else, that was for certain. Just, there was a lot going on that I couldn't handle. I'm sorry for walking out."

"Well, now I know I can see to count on thee returning then." Zoë replied with a chuckle.

"Oh sure, sure, whatever you say. How's Thalia?"

"Fine, I left her in the room."

"I see. Can I ask you to keep an eye on her though, if I'm not around that is? I don't know, but after that fiasco with those falcons, I have a feeling there's something here at play."

Zoë frowned slightly. "I have my own deed to fulfill in this city Perseus, I don't think I can be of any prolonged help."

"Does it have something to do with those falcons?" Percy asked worriedly. "Thalia did mention that wasn't the first time you encountered them. Does it have something to do with what you're dealing with?"

Zoë had a thoughtful look on his face. "I doubt it; he would never use animals at all…"

"He?" Percy asked puzzled.

"It is not important." Zoë then said, with a hint of finality in her tone. "I need to be off for a while, I will most likely return by midnight. Don't follow me either Perseus, I don't want any external factor affecting my hunt."

"Hunt? What are you hunting?" Percy asked with surprise.

"Just someone for Lady Artemis." Zoë said cryptically, shouldering her bow.

"Okay…" Percy said as he watched Zoë exit the hotel. "I feel like I should know about this, but I can't recall what exactly."

"Well, at least she'll be out of our hair for a while." Aphrodite said brightly. "What? You can catch up with her later!" Aphrodite placated on seeing Percy's withering glare.

"I'm going to check on Thalia, do what you want to do." Percy replied, stepping away. He soon reached his room and opened the door, finding Thalia pressed against the window.

"Oh thank the gods it's you." Thalia said with a sigh. "I don't think Zoë likes me."

"Really, that's strange. She may be confused I think. I don't blame her; I haven't been exactly honest with my reason for why I've been avoiding everyone. I do hope to clear everything up."

"Yeah, I had a feeling she wanted to ask me things too. I just pretended to be really tired."

"Haha, So, what do you want to do for the day? I got the whole evening to do stuff before Aphrodite drags me to wherever she wants to go."

"She seems strange. And quite clingy." Thalia commented.

Percy smirked. "Well that's one way to put it. You want to continue your practice rounds in the tent?"

"Yeah!" Thalia said excitedly, grabbing her can. Percy reached into his coat and took out a square piece of cloth, placing it on the ground. the cloth then expanded to a tent, which Thalia immediately dashed inside of. Percy followed her inside and into the newly added training room, where Thalia was already setting up some dummies.

"Alright, so first things first…"

---

It was late in the evening when Percy and Thalia exited the tent and entered back in the room. To Percy's no surprise, he found Aphrodite hogging the bathroom, with a variety of small bottles littered around the counter that were never there before.

"Ah, you've returned." The goddess of love remarked. "So what do you think?"

"Of what?"

"Me silly. Look at me." Aphrodite said, swinging her hair back.

"Yeah. I'm looking." Percy replied with a deadpan voice.

"…Seriously?" Aphrodite said dumbfounded. "Did you ever compliment Artemis before a date on how she looks?"

"Of course but…why is your face all colored in?"

Aphrodite sighed. "Why do I even try."

"And are you taller?" Percy noted skeptically.

"Heels." Aphrodite said simply, lifting a foot up.

"For what? To reach a high shelf?"

"Oh, come on we'll be late." Aphrodite said, patting down her dress and rushing out of the washroom. "To reach a high shelf?" Percy echoed cheekily.

Aphrodite whirled around. "Also, I just noticed. You are not dressed mister."

Percy slowly paled "Wait, how dressed am I supposed to be? It's not a black tie event right?"

"Well no, but a t-shirt and jeans. And all sweaty?"

"Um, I do have a dress shirt…"

"Then wear it, go, go. Hurry, and don't forget to clean up."

Percy gulped and then immediately rushed inside, leaving a grinning Aphrodite and a slightly amused Thalia behind.

The two gods were soon walking in the street, heading for whatever Aphrodite had planned.

"So, where are you taking me tonight?" Percy prompted, adjusting his blazer.

"Don't worry, we're sticking to Charleston only because of the kid. Though while I would love to take you to Cannes, we can kind of make do with the food. There's this lovely French restaurant I always wanted to try out here. Have you had ever French cuisine before?"

Percy briefly paused. "Pastries and croissants don't count right?"

Aphrodite grinned. "Then it is decided!"

"This would be interesting." Percy noted, frowning slightly. "You look older than usual; did you age yourself up?"

Aphrodite hummed in confirmation, glancing at Percy. She did look older than usual Percy noticed. While she always remained in her early twenties, this time she definitely looked like she was a decade older, in her early thirties instead.

"Well…I have to match my date, don't I." she replied with a grin.

"This is not a date." Percy exclaimed slightly, and then frowned. "Wait, what do you mean 'match'?"

The two soon arrived at the restaurant. The server brought them to a table at a far end, which was already set with a couple of bottles of wine, and a platter of cheese.

"I got us a perfect spot, an outdoor private area. In case you're paranoid or anything like that." Aphrodite stated. "And don't worry about food, or drinks. I got that all covered."

"Are you sure? I'm not exactly short of money…" Percy stated as he seated Aphrodite.

"Thank you. And yes, I have it all settled. Just my charm in place, don't worry, it's all on me." The goddess replied with a wink.

"Then I'll leave it all to you." Percy decided, taking a seat.

"Wine Percy?" Aphrodite asked, pouring him a glass.

"Yes, thank you." Percy replied taking the glass. "Isn't this the beverage which the god Dionysus created?"

"Yep, and what a hit it has been since then." Aphrodite replied, swirling her glass. "Do what I do, it'll help."

The two then fell into comfortable silence, as they listened to the distant sounds of the waves lapping on the shore.

"So, what has happened with you over the years? And I mean just you, I don't want to know anything about the other Olympians yet." Percy asked.

"Well that's something, maybe you'll open up to me too?" Aphrodite prodded. "But honestly, I'm fine. I'm taking a bit of a break from the dating mortals scene you know."

Percy's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, you've been dating mortals. In fact, almost all the gods have. How did that even happen? But now what will you be doing then instead?"

"Just focusing on Ares." Aphrodite replied brightly.

"Ahh…" Percy sweat dropped. "Though what brought that on? Being with mortals?"

Aphrodite sighed heavily. "I don't know honestly. It's been so long I don't even remember the actual reason. I think it had something to do with the gods more or less ostracizing me after the Trojan war? Yeah, I think I've started having demigod children around that time."

"Huh. I did hear you had a major part in that." Percy said carefully.

Aphrodite waved him off. "I don't care about all that, what happened, happened. I offered what I could, Paris chose me, and everything that transpired all boiled down to love, didn't it?"

Percy stared sympathetically at Aphrodite

"What's been your favorite era so far?" Percy asked, hoping to change the conversation.

Aphrodite blinked. "My…favorite era? Oh wow, I- I think that would be the very early nineteenth century? There's a name for it, but oh that period! So much happened during that time in Europe, it was lovely. Do you have a time period?"

Percy shrugged. "Can't say for sure since I've never experienced them all. But the classical period does sound pretty cool."

Aphrodite chuckled. "I quite agree; it is a classic. I'm surprised it's not the dark ages for you though."

Percy snorted. "Oh please, how much of a cliché do you think I am? And the name does not even make sense, the only reason I could see it being called the dark ages is because there were just too many knights."

Aphrodite blinked. "Did you…just make a dad joke?"

Percy looked confused. "A what joke?"

"Nothing, nothing… . Just…observed something." Aphrodite said mysteriously, though the cheeky grin said otherwise. "So, my turn. How did you end up defeating the very primordial we're dining on in the first place?"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "The big shots huh." He said with a sigh. "Well, if you must know, with this." He stated, rolling up his sleeve to reveal the tetreja symbol, and his greyed arm. Aphrodite stared open mouthed at it, only snapping out of it after Percy covered it up again.

"I thought something was up when I saw your brace entirely covering it, but I don't remember it being that bad." She whispered, staring at Perseus. "What happened?"

"I sealed Gaia." Percy said simply. "I sealed her, and was basically fine after that. But I guess repercussions had to take place because someone or something wasn't happy with what happened and trapped me in some kind of void, a separate world. After that, I don't remember anything, just distant flashes of my life and all, I literally felt no passage of time at all. That is, until I suddenly woke up in Tartarus, with my mind heavily muddled and compressed. It took the combined effort of the Morai and Pontus to get me back to my sense, and even then I was mostly out of it."

"Damn…" Aphrodite whispered.

"After that, I was whisked away to meet Nyx in her realm. And it was there that my true parentage was finally revealed. Why I am, who I am, and what it means to be a tetrekar. A forbidden being."

"You mentioned that term before." Aphrodite noted. "Is that what you are?"

Percy shrugged. "Half of it to be to be exact. I have blue blood in me supposedly."

"Wow, to think that now we actually have answers…" Aphrodite muttered. "Would have been nice if we knew all that some two millennia ago. But what is it?"

"I only plan to elaborate once everyone is in the same room." Percy said gesturing around. "Preferably the throne room because I'm not keen on repeating myself."

"Well, let's just hope old crackles doesn't blow a fuse on what you have to reveal huh." Aphrodite snickered, raising her glass.

"I'll drink to that." Percy replied, clinking his glass with hers. The two continued their evening in the same manner, with Aphrodite commenting on the food, and Percy reacting to it.

"But these are snails!" Percy said excitedly, picking up a piece.

"Escargot." Aphrodite replied simply.

"But you're eating it!"

"Well, I have had worse things before…"

"You know; I've actually had fun tonight. It wasn't that bad."

"See? Your sister can be fun to hang out with too." Aphrodite chirped out.

"Alright, you made your point." Percy grinned, shaking his head playfully. "Don't tell Thalia this, but there's only so much you can do to entertain yourself with a nine-year-old in tow. I've actually missed hanging out with my fellow gods."

"Aww, you're making me blush. And don't worry, I won't tell your kid your deep dark secret."

Percy rolled his eyes. "She's not my kid Frothy."

"Whatever you say Kelpie."

After their dinner, the two left and began to walk around the block. It was a cloudy night, but Percy could still make out the moon behind the clouds, shining brightly even in its half phase.

"Feeling withdrawn from your lover, hmm?" Aphrodite mused out loud on noticing Percy's gaze.

Percy didn't answer, and instead, tilted his head to the side. "Is it just me or are the cloud patterns looking off?"

"Eh?" Aphrodite blurted, staring at Percy as if he just grew an extra head. "What the hell does cloud patterns have to do with anything?!"

"I don't know, night sky visibility is pretty good in Charleston, it's strange that it's like this. Except for those bunch of stars, absolutely nothing.

"Your brain is so hay wired, either you were always like this, or being trapped in a box short-circuited you." Aphrodite muttered.

"Oi!"

The gods found themselves once again at the promenade, which was now littered with tourists. Aphrodite immediately gravitated towards an ice cream stall, with Percy slowly trailing behind when he spotted a lone falcon perched on the railing, staring down at him. The strangest thing was, none of the other mortals seemed to notice the bird at all.

"Is it just me, or is it bigger than they usually are?" Percy muttered to himself

Percy suddenly felt air change around him. And that quite literally, as a cold breeze blew past Perseus, making him slightly tensed up. The falcon didn't even budge to the sudden change in the surroundings, and continued to gaze at Percy with its piercing stare. Percy then flexed his fingers slowly as he continued to stare down at the bird, waiting for the aerial predator to make its next move. He then felt another shift, a physical one. For a split second, he thought he was floating, and then suddenly, he felt something unnatural treading through his domain. Something that was moving within the shadows, but unlike the shadow beasts that moved through them. It was like a breeze, just barely brushing past, but enough to leave him on alert.

"Percy! There's an aquarium nearby, maybe we can sneak into-"

"Aphrodite stop right there." Percy commanded, raising his hand. Aphrodite immediately stilled so as to not disturb Percy, while she too began to sense her surroundings.

"There is a spike." She announced with surprise, confirming Percy's assessment. "And that too with us here?"

But before they could react further, it disappeared. Whatever Percy thought he could sense immediately faded away, as if it never existed. Percy clenched his teeth with slight frustration as he whirled around towards where the falcon was, only to find it missing from its spot, presumably long flown away.

"Huh, what was that?" Aphrodite said aloud, echoing Percy's thoughts. "That felt so weird, as if it never existed. But we did sense it, right?"

"We did, I'm sure of it." Percy reaffirmed. "But where though…"

Percy's eyes then widened as he felt a static buzz enter his mind. "Thalia." He whispered. Aphrodite immediately understood and grabbed Percy's hand, flashing the two of them just outside the hotel.

"Aphrodite!" Percy exclaimed, watching as small wisps of death mist escaped from his skin. "Warn me before doing that!"

The goddess held her arms in surrender. "Sorry, I didn't realize. What was that though, mist?"

"Tell you later." Percy replied. He was about to enter when he heard the sound of something zipping coming from behind him. He glanced back to find Zoë land on the ground, a surprised look on her face.

'What are thee doing down here?" Zoë mouthed carefully, her hand reaching for her quiver.

"We came here because…it came here. Didn't it?" Percy said telepathically.

Zoë gave a hesitant nod, looking quite worried. Percy bit back a curse as he slipped into a shadow, checking briefly if whatever he was sensing was hiding here, but there was no response. He then emerged out into his hotel room to find Thalia on top of the bed with her spear out, looking shocked as a burst of electricity hurled itself at Percy, who took it unharmed.

"Oh thank the stars." Percy said with a relieved sigh as Thalia slumped down, reaching for Percy. "I got you bug, are you okay."

"Yeah, you came as soon as the protection went down." Thalia breathed out.

"As soon as…" Percy thought. A few moments later, both Aphrodite and Zoë flashed into the room, relieved expressions settling in them.

"Is the child unharmed?" Zoë asked.

"Don't worry, she is." Percy replied, sighing with relief.

"The protection came down Aphrodite, and I wasn't the one that triggered it." Percy told her. "Whatever broke it, it was here for a split second before it too disappeared when I appeared."

Aphrodite frowned. "Your protection barrier was taken down…well that gives us some idea on what kind of being we're dealing with."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "It does?"

Aphrodite slowly nodded. "I did learn under the goddess of magic; no way Hecate will let me go unlearned. So for something like that to be broken… we're dealing with quite a powerful entity."

Percy slowly paled, his mind racing with who could have had caught wind of Thalia, enough to literally appear in the same room as her. He began pacing around, muttering to himself as he tried to create a mental list of all the possible deities who could show up here. He knew he should have tried harder to get more death mist from Eris or someone from Nyx or Akhyls.

Aphrodite sighed. "Percy, calm down before you wear down the carpet."

"Perseus." Zoë began. "I know thou are worried about the safety of the demigod, but she's safe. I don't know how that vile creature made it up here, but thee likely sent him away."

"How sure are you that it was him specifically Zoë?" Percy asked defiantly.

Zoë's gaze did not waver from Percy's, but the latter could see the doubt and frustration creeping up on her. He hadn't talked to the hunter properly ever since they met back at the marketplace, and Percy knew there was a lot of things that need to be spoken off. But with his focus on Thalia and Aphrodite's constant butt-ins, he never did get the chance. But he was going to rectify that.

"I'm going to the terrace." Zoë muttered softly, brushing past Percy as he was about to speak up. He watched silently as she left the room, not giving him a chance to speak.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Well, so much for her being any help. Now that everything is fine, why don't we go check-"

"I need to speak with Zoë. Alone if you don't mind." Percy stiffly replied.

The god exited the room, but not before giving Thalia another onceover. He took his time to find the staircase leading to the terrace, and after a while went ahead. On coming out, Percy found the huntress sitting at the edge, overlooking the street below. She looked like she was sharpening something, and on closer inspecting, it was her arrows against a whetstone. Her hunters jacket laid to the side, which Percy noticed did not bear the symbol of the twilight moon.

"It was removed after Arius and the rest of the males left the hunt." Zoë spoke up on noticing Percy's gaze. "As much as us older ones didn't want to; it didn't represent what we stood for anymore. But Lady Artemis did allow us to keep the old blue cloaks."

"Too much silver if you ask me." Percy sniffed. Zoë cracked a small smile. "I do quite agree actually. Don't tell milady though."

"May I?" Percy asked, gesturing to the spot next to Zoë. The hunter looked a bit hesitant but then nodded, patting the spot in return.

"Thanks." Percy replied sitting down. "Speaking of Arius, I heard he disappeared sometime after the gods moved to Germany. Do you or Artemis have any idea, or…?"

"No, we didn't get any contact from him after that." Zoë said, looking a bit shocked. "I'm surprised thou knows this."

"I had to know, after I've been away for so long." Percy answered. "Why wouldn't I want to know what happened to you all?"

Zoë didn't answer

Percy sighed. "So, what's up with the tiara? Last I checked, you weren't some royal princess."

Zoë snorted. "No, I'm not unfortunately. This circlet is to signify me being the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. We don't wear the black cloak anymore."

Percy's eyes widened. "You're the new lieutenant? Zoë congratulations!" he said with a grin. "I'm happy to see that you exceled enough in the hunt to have that title bestowed on you, I'm actually quite proud."

Zoë looked away in embarrassment, a light shade of pink forming around her cheeks. "Oh hush Perseus, thou are teasing."

"I'm not, I meant it. Of course, I maybe expected Phoebe or Celyn to have taken up that mantle, after Arius that is since he left along with the other boys…"

Zoë nodded. "Milady did offer them the role, but they refused it. In the end, it really came to just me, Atlana, and Britomartis who were fit enough for the title. And as thee can see..."

"That is great. Oh, how are they, the hunters?"

"They're well, that is the ones you remember. Britomartis became a goddess due to her netting skills. Phoebe and Celyn are still thriving, and have missed you terribly too. There are like ten of us, including me, that are a part of the hunters right now."

"Just ten?" Percy asked with surprise.

"Some join us, some leave us. It has always been like this Perseus." Zoë said with a shrug.

"Well, all I know is that Phoebe and Celyn are going to probably keep me suspended from a tree once I meet them." Percy said with a chuckle.

"Not before Lady Artemis throws thee to her dogs." Zoë said with a smirk, but then frowned and shrunk away again, which Percy noticed.

"Okay, what's going on."

Zoë blinked. "What do thou mean?"

"Come on Zoë, don't think I've noticed. You've been trying to pull away when you clearly don't want to, as well as trying to avoid me. Not to mention you're behaving a bit skittish."

"I have not." Zoë defended. "I know my place and boundaries; I've been only abiding them."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "What boundaries?"

"I'm a hunter Percy, the lieutenant. We aren't like how we were back in Greece, times have changed. And I have too, I'm not that same helpless nymph you met in the garden. I detest heroes and men, because they have either let me down, or have left me. I'm literally considered a man-hater by those silly campers, and they're not wrong."

"And then there's you, I don't even know what it is. From thy end, thou still think we are close like how we were back in the garden, but the problem is no time has passed for thee. But it has for me, those memories have become sad but accepted for me. I did feel sadness for what we could have had, but I convinced myself it was never to be. But here thou are again, alive, well. And maybe, just maybe I thought it might be the same again. But then I saw thou with the child, Thalia, and that love goddess. And I realized, there's no point in me. Thou have thy loved ones, thou are happy and content. There's no point in finding what was lost for so long. And that only solidified when I saw how thee were with them…"

Percy stayed silent, taking in what Zoë was saying. "You took the name Nightshade." He then said.

Zoë's eyes widened. "How do thee know that?!" she demanded.

"Why did you take up that specific name?" Percy asked.

"It's just a name."

"A name associated with me. Don't think I just randomly know about this Zoë." Percy gently replied.

"…Because you were the first person who believed in me." Zoë whispered. "All my life was spent in the garden. Everything revolved around the garden. But then you came in asking for apples and things actually changed. I met a person who was interested in just me, not me and my sisters collectively as the Hesperides, just me. You defended me from my brute of a father, humored me with my menial tasks, and even entertained my pathetic sword skills. And when I committed the single biggest mistake of my life, you and Artemis came in to give me a new life I shouldn't have deserved. Being in the hunt made my individuality clearer and better, I became my own person and it was all because of you. Why shouldn't I honor the one man who did so much for me, and had to be so wrongfully taken from this world as well?"

She was crying now, looking away from Percy as she wiped her tears.

"Zoë, look at me."

"Zoë -" Percy said, patiently waiting for her to glance at him. "Look, I do agree that I felt no passage of time, but that didn't make me think everything would remain the same. Things would have had to change, but I'm sorry I didn't realize they were that drastic from your end. And I'm also sorry that I was brushing you aside and maybe being a bit hard on you when it came to Thalia's safety. She's been my responsibility for quite a while now, but that doesn't mean I didn't want anything to do with you. I was hoping we could have reconnected, but I guess your doubts and my stress got in the way huh."

Percy chuckled, when something popped up in his mind. "Wait… Zoë, you didn't by chance have a crush on me…right?"

Silence followed after what Percy said, and it only grew longer as Percy wondered if he touched a nerve. That was until he heard stifling laughter coming from the hunter, who was trying to control herself.

"Gods- Perseus- you- !" Zoë then gasped out, dissolving into a laughing fit as she leant back. "Thou are mad if thee though I would fall for thee!"

"Oh thank the Fates." Percy breathed out. "But come on, I wasn't sure, especially after that talk."

"No, no, I never did." Zoë giggled. "I knew thee and Artemis were very much in love, especially with thou constantly raving about her, and how milady was when thee fad- disappeared. I would have detested myself to come in between that."

"Then what I was too you, if you don't mind me asking."

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Thou were a close and dear friend. Maybe like an annoying brother too…"

"Annoying?!"

"Please, you wouldn't stop hounding and keeping checks on me and my sisters. Always clueless and wanting to know if we were safe and all."

"You had that dirt eater of a father next door and I was annoying? I'm wounded." Percy said dramatically, clutching his chest.

"Still a character." Zoë Zoe sniffed, a smile gracing her lips. "Though now thou seem more fatherly. Maybe it's because of the child, thy form reflects it too."

"Huh?" Percy blinked in surprise. "Even you're saying that…I don't get it." He muttered, feeling his face.

"So, what now? I will respect your decision if you want to keep your distance from me. Or…"

"Or…" Zoë repeated.

"We can be how we were back then. Maybe it won't be the same, but we can more or less start anew then if that is alright. I mean, we did kind of had almost a century of interactions to build off of."

Zoë had a thoughtful look on her face. "After all these years, I'm still glad one thing about thee have not changed. And that is thou are still odd Perseus, but in a good way. It may take some time though; I haven't been in a company of a man for a long time. But I think we'll get there."

"Then it is settled, your royal highness." Percy said with a grin, dramatically bowing down.

Zoe frowned. "Don't refer to me like that."

"I'm sorry, but you look too much like a princess now to not make a joke on. Especially with your tiara and dialect, you talk like from you're from the middle ages" Percy laughed out.

"This daft language changes constantly, how can one keep up?!" Zoë complained.

Percy continued to laugh while Zoë just rolled her eyes. But whatever wall there was seemed to have been slowly broken down.

"How is going though, hunting Orion?"

Zoë stiffened on hearing the name, but then slowly relaxed. "Not that great at all. While I don't usually find him, this time I can't get any indication of Orion roaming the city. Usually I can find his tracks well enough, but this time…"

"How do you know when to go out hunting for Orion though?" Percy asked.

Zoë glanced up at the sky. "His constellation. It acts as a signal for when the giant is active in the mortal world. Wherever those stars shine the brightest, he is there."

"So you were led here."

Zoë nodded. "Arrived last night, but so far, no luck at all. Even though the stars are the same as the night before."

Percy glanced at the sky too, soon locating the constellation. For now, only Orion's belt seemed to be the most visible to Percy, which didn't sit right with him. The heavy cloud cover still prevailed in the sky, leaving not much visible. Except for…

"Zoë, you are not thinking that just because tonight you can see a part of Orion's constellation clearly, that it is likely he's out roaming about in Charleston?" Percy slowly asked,

Zoë looked confused. "What do thee mean?"

"I'm saying, that this much cloud cover is quite unnatural in this place. but not only that, the only stars that are visible are only Orion's. and they aren't even shining bright, they are just dim. And I've done a lot of stargazing with Artemis to actually know that.

"But, that means…impossible." Zoë whispered, a heavy frown on her face. "Perseus, what thee are insinuating is preposterous. Orion has to be here, the stars led me here. I couldn't have missed a place!"

"Or you were meant to be led here, by whoever it was that wanted you here." Percy noted, frowning slightly. "When did you say you arrived here?"

"Last night."

"Last night…and today morning was when I felt that presence." Percy said slowly. "You were attacked by those falcons too, remember? You said that he, which I'm guessing is Orion, would never use them."

"That is correct. After his forest massacre, no wild creature has ever abided his words, making it impossible for Orion to control them. And his own pride wouldn't allow it either."

"So you were led here by someone, thinking it was Orion. But it wasn't him, but then who…"

"But why me?" Zoë asked. "Why would someone bring me out here-"

"-Where I am." Percy whispered. "I came here before you."

Zoë frowned. "This person…could it be a friend or foe?"

"Too early to decide. They could either be related to those falcons, or not."

"Who could be out for us then, and why bring us together?"

"I don't know…" Percy said frustrated. "Well I had like a few months of relative peace. About time that got taken away huh."

"Thou had peace? Well thou weren't in company of those immature gods I presume, so that may be why?" Zoë joked.

Percy snorted. "Oh believe me, I'm already dreading those days. Now, shall we go back in? I think it will be best to mull over this tomorrow, maybe we'll find some answers."

"Or our answers will present themselves to us." Zoë pointed out. "I'm not sure which one I prefer."

"Whichever one has us prepared then." Percy decided. Zoë nodded in response. "Perseus?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad thou returned. I did genuinely miss thee." Zoë said, smiling softly. She then stretched her arms out like she was about to give a hug, but then quickly brought them back down, looking a bit embarrassed.

"I'm glad too." Percy replied gently. "Come on, let's go back before Aphrodite rudely barges in."

"I shouldn't-"

"Nonsense. Besides, I don't find it wise being on your own when there's an unknown enemy out in the wild. Better to be safe than sorry."

"I suppose…" Zoë muttered, shouldering her bow. "Then just for tonight."

"Very well then."

---

The hours went by as Percy was heavily engrossed in reading his book, while he fidgeted with his case that contained his arrows. He momentarily glanced up to check on the occupants in his room. Aphrodite was sprawled on the bed, covered to the brim with a multitude of pillows. Set up on the side was his camping tent, which he decided to put up for Thalia and Zoë so they could have a proper sleeping arrangement. Though he could tell none of them were sleeping, with the light still on. And with Thalia resting by his side.

"Why are you still up?" Thalia asked, shifting in her place.

"I'm trying to find something." Percy explained. "You don't have to stay up with me you know."

"Not tired." She simply said, narrowing her eyes. "A Greek mythology book? Isn't that a bit ironic?"

"Don't laugh." Percy muttered, looking a bit embarrassed. "I wasn't there for all the events you know, like Troy, titans. There's no one to properly ask on what I can find."

"Um…" Thalia pointed at Aphrodite.

Percy smirked. "No offense to her, but she's not really the first person I would go for a history lesson. And I can't ask Zoë, because the reason I'm going through this is so I can find a specific person who could have tried to attack us just previously.

"Oh…did you find anything?"

"Nope." Percy sighed, closing the book. "I can't find anything that could match whatever descriptions I can think off. Honestly infuriating."

"Are you okay?" Thalia suddenly asked. "It's just that, you've been more and more jumpy since today."

"Jumpy huh. Well, I guess I have been on edge." Percy said with a sigh, pushing his hair back. "A lot has happened though; I guess yesterday was too much for me to take all in once. But I'll be fine bug, you don't need to worry about me."

"Maybe I should once in a while." Thalia replied, tapping his forehead. "You're not exactly smart to take care of yourself."

Percy blinked. "Oh really missy? I'll drag you to bed now if you don't pipe down."

"How rude." Thalia pouted, crossing her arms. "I'm only helping."

"Besides, I don't think Zoë would like me in there." She murmured.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "I heard that. What's up?"

Thalia squirmed a bit. "She's a bit strange? And she talks weird. …Who is she to you?"

Percy sweat dropped. "So many questions…"

"Only one!" Thalia exclaimed. "You don't really talk much about your friends because you get sad, and now you look even sadder."

Percy hummed. "Sorry, I'm just reminiscing. And thinking, I guess. But about Zoë, she was a good friend from back them. I used to look out for her and all, introduced her to the hunt. But things changed from her end over the years, so that may have made things a bit awkward. But we talked it out, so we are good. She's been brought up differently, then lived most of her life different to that. She wasn't exactly born in this century you know."

Thalia looked confused. "Wait, how old is she…"

"Not important. But don't worry about Zoë, she's a good person. She just seems, a bit unapproachable in the beginning now I guess, but I can see she's not like that."

"Okay. You two seemed close." Thalia muttered.

Percy smirked. "You're not jealous now, are you?"

Thalia's eyes widened. "No, of course not. It's just, weird with those two when it was just us, you know?"

Percy nodded slowly. "I see, that's fair. Now, you should really go to sleep, we might have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Fineeee." Thalia muttered, shuffling close to Percy. "Can I stay here?"

"Of course bug. Now sleep, before I sell all your toys."

"Hehehe, okay."

The next morning, Percy and Thalia once again returned to the marketplace, this time accompanied with Aphrodite and Zoë. The goddess of love unabashedly posed at any male they passed, winking and blowing kisses at them as they stared at her gob smacked, while Zoë slowly trailed behind, glaring at them all. Percy was in the lead as he browsed through the various café's and diners, while Thalia was perched on his shoulders.

"Oh, that place has pancakes!" Thalia said, directing Percy's head towards a stall.

"Sweet dishes for breakfast again? No, I think we could go for something else. Like eggs, and sausages."

Thalia pouted. "But I haven't had pancakes for a while…"

"You know, Percy over here makes killer pancakes. Learnt it from his mother I believe." Aphrodite said from behind, putting on her sunglasses.

Zoë perked up. "The black currant pancakes? I never had those…"

"Oh, I've had them!" Thalia chirped brightly. "They are the best."

"Thou had them?" Zoë asked, frowning slightly. "I see…"

"Mhm. Percy always cooks sometimes, but he can't resist a cheeseburger from a diner." Thalia replied with a grin.

"Hey, that was supposed to be our secret." Percy said, tickling Thalia's sides, which made her laugh out loud.

Zoë was silent for a while until she began to quicken her pace, till she was walking alongside Percy and Thalia. "So Thalia, is thy preferred choice of weapon the spear?"

"Yep! Percy thought me how to use it. He even taught me archery."

"Well…I learnt swordplay from him." Zoë replied, looking a bit proud.

"Oh, I'm not that good with a sword." Thalia muttered.

"Don't fret about it bug, the spear is an equally great weapon too. And when you pair it with a shield for added protection, you would be skewering monsters in no time." Percy replied.

"How long have thee known Perseus for?" Zoë then asked the girl.

"Um, I think…four months?" Thalia replied.

Zoë slightly smirked. "I have known him for about a hundred years. Though he disappeared after that timeframe regretfully."

Thalia tilted her head to the side. "Oh, so you are an old lady."

"Old?!"

"Now Thalia, be nice." Percy said, glancing at Zoë. "Are you trying to compete with a nine-year-old?" he asked telepathically.

Zoë blinked. "What?"

"Zoë. Don't fight with a nine-year-old." Percy said, raising a pointed eyebrow. Zoë just glared in response, quickening her pace to be in the lead.

"Now, I'm no 'parent' parent, but even I know what I just saw." Aphrodite said, creeping up next to Percy's ear.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Percy questioned.

Aphrodite just pushed her sunglasses down and winked at him, before skipping ahead to a stall that was selling jewelry.

"What did she say?" Thalia asked.

"I genuinely have no idea either." Percy said with a sigh.

The morning today Percy noted was surprisingly dull. While yesterday was bright and sunny, today was grey and dreary, with dark clouds slowly taking over the sky. It didn't look like it was going to rain, but it didn't look like the clouds were going to lift up either.

As for the group, they opted to sit outside for breakfast, with all of them going for a traditional southern American breakfast. Nothing seemed out of the blue as they watched people and vehicles pass by, but everyone was on alert for something was amiss in the city.

"Sure lots of birds flying above." Aphrodite pointed out.

"The weather is quite strange today." Zoë said, a slight shiver running through her. "Surprisingly quite cold for this time of the year."

"Something weird is happening." Thalia noted, moving her hand about. "In the air."

Percy looked interested while Aphrodite looked confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Something's happening with the air." Thalia simply replied as small sparks flew out of her hand.

"You can feel the air change, of course it makes sense." Percy said. "And the fact that you're reacting to it-"

"I'm sorry, but did I just see sparks fly out of here?! Don't act all nonchalant now Perseus, is this demigod who I think it is?" Aphrodite exclaimed, glaring at Percy.

"Huh?" Percy and Thalia said together. "Aphrodite, I told you to drop that topic, there's more important things to-"

Thalia suddenly sat up straight, her gaze directed towards where the coast was. A few moments later, Zoë stood up too and walked a bit ahead, peering at the distance.

"Perseus, thou should see this." The hunter called out. The group approached where Zoë was and noticed a thin layer of mist appearing around them. It seemed to be originating from where the sea was.

"Cool air mixing with warm air over water..." Percy thought as he began to run ahead, ignoring the shouts from the others. He soon reached the promenade, and saw what he realized to be true. Bellows of fog were originating from the sea like thick blankets, and enveloping the streets in opaque white. Mortals around him were just realizing what was happening as they slowly started to scramble around, trying to find shelter indoors.

"You know you could just flash there instead of leaving us behind with your athletics." Aphrodite huffed as she, Thalia and Zoë shimmered behind Percy. "Wait, you'll still be leaving us behind…"

"I haven't done that in a while, can't blame me for forgetting." Percy replied. "I think we're going to face whatever is after us. Can't say I'm looking forward to it, usually these things aren't going to end well at least."

"For them right." Aphrodite said.

Percy remained quiet.

"For them right?"

"Anyway, Aph, are you up for fighting?"

"Um…I haven't participated in a fight since…the gigantomachy? So I don't think I'll be that bad." The goddess replied brightly.

Percy just stared at her before shaking his head. "You'll manage I think. Alright, so far it seems this being is after Thalia and Zoë, so it would be better to have them split up with one us gods so our power won't deter said being. Thalia stays with me; Zoë you go with-"

"Oh no, I am not accompanying that goddess." Zoe growled out, jutting a thumb at an offended looking Aphrodite. "I would rather go solo."

"You may be capable for that, but I don't want to take any chances with this Zoë." Percy stated. "And-"

"Well if miss perfect is being a bi…baby like she actually is about this." Aphrodite said, glancing at Thalia. "Then let the kid come with me, and the huntress can accompany you instead Percy."

All three looked at Percy, who in turn wasn't sure what to do. While he wasn't entirely opposed to Aphrodite's proposal, he didn't want to leave Thalia out of his sight, and especially not have her in Aphrodite's watch currently. She was this close to guessing Thalia's parentage, and knew that sooner rather than later, Aphrodite will find out and it would be total pandemonium thereafter.

"Perseus, the fog is only spreading further, we have to act now." Zoë said. "Look, I understand thy are worrying for Thalia's safety, let her be with you. I can manage on my own-"

Percy shook his head. "No." he said defiantly, rubbing his forehead. "…Bloody Styx…fine! Thalia, you go with Aphrodite. I know, I don't want this either but I can at least rest a bit easy if the two of you are protected properly. You know I will come back for you."

Thalia nodded. "Always?"

"Always. You have my blessings, stay safe bug." Percy whispered, kissing the top of her head. "Go skewer some monsters for me."

Thalia smiled faintly. "You got it."

"Aphrodite." Percy said out, staring straight at her. "Φύλαξέ την στο μέγιστο"

Aphrodite looked like she about to say something but then sobered up, giving a single nod to Percy. "Come on dear, I know a good place we can hide."

The two flashed away, leaving Percy and Zoë behind. Percy was about to turn around when he noticed a figure standing under a street lamp. He could only make out the silhouette because of the fog, but the shape was quite distinct to place. It was that of an animal, more towards a goat. And just like Thalia had mentioned before, Percy could just make out the faint outline of a golden glow surrounding it.

"Perseus?"

Percy blinked and as soon as he opened his eyes, the figure disappeared. It was as if there was no trace of hat he saw ever there.

"Perseus!"

"Yeah, sorry." Percy said quickly, glancing at Zoë. "I thought I…never mind."

"Did thou see something?" Zoë prompted.

"I don't think so. Probably just a stray." Percy said reassuringly."

"Very well." Zoë replied, though she didn't look that convinced. "Now, what should we do?"

"First things first, we look for high ground. Scope out the entire city, see which spots are heavy with fog. There's a good chance our prey is hiding within them. Form a tactical plan based on our surroundings, we should use them as an advantage that will help corner our target. And then, we engage with them."

"Conscious or unconscious?"

"Hunter thoughts huh, nice. But definitely conscious, though I'll let a few blows passed on. But we should do this as soon as possible."

"Of course. And…Perseus?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for staying." Zoë said, a small but shy smile on her face.

"I would never leave a hunter behind. And I especially don't plan on leaving you behind again." Percy promised, the shadows around slowly wrapping around him. They then disintegrated, leaving the twilight god in his combat attire.

Zoë hid a smirk. "Too much black if I do say so myself."

"Just one of my natural colors." Percy replied, taking out his helmet. "I'm using this to conceal my identity. Just to be on the safe side for now." He said on seeing Zoë's questioning gaze.

She nodded in response. "Clever, seems like you haven't lost your touch. Well then Lord Perseus, lead the way."

---

Charleston was being slowly enveloped in darkness. And not just by the fog, but the gradual darkening of the sky as well. It was barely afternoon and it already looked like it was around dusk. There was a low rumbling echoing through the sky, and if Percy didn't know any better, he would have thought Zeus was mad at something. But that wasn't the case today.

Percy grabbed on to the roof on to the steeple of St. Matthews church, taking in the roads and streets from the highest possible point he could find. He could still hear the growing sounds of traffic and confused shouts of the mortals as the buildings and houses soon lit up, slowly illuminating the city. He glanced towards the Francis Marion hotel where Zoë was, perched on the roof, and analyzing the view in front of her.

She then signaled to Percy, and pointed towards the garden square in front of her. Percy understood, and nodded in response. The square seemed to have a high concentration of coverage, which almost seemed impossible. Without some kind of godly interference of course.

"It could be a trap." Percy communicated telepathically.

"Perhaps. But our target could be moving, we should be going through every possible spot we could find and lure it out." Zoë replied, readying her bow.

"Steady now, we don't want the target luring us out instead." Percy replied. He then let go of the steeple and slowly descended down, his arm braces shifting within his hands, waiting to be transformed. The god gently touched the ground, his surroundings being as still as they can be. Except for the fog and lack of mortals, nothing seemed to be out of place here. He then signaled for Zoë to join him, which she did a few moments later.

"What did thou find?" she asked.

"Nothing…yet. Get ready, I'm going to be clearing this area out so get ready." Percy answered, forming a claymore. He then summoned some shadow wisps and began spreading them around, trying to clear away the fog, but it didn't seem to be working, even when he tried to push the fog away, it still wouldn't move. It was as if it was frozen in place.

"Okay, this is going to be a bit difficult than expected." Percy replied, resting the claymore over his shoulder. "Shall we move out of here?"

Zoë didn't reply, her gaze instead directed at a canopy of trees. Percy focused there too, wondering if he had missed something earlier. It was then that he could make out a faint glisten of eyes peering at him. Multiple eyes.

Before Percy could do anything, Zoë stepped forward and let an arrow loose, which headed straight for a tree in the center. Neither were sure where or what it hit, but it triggered a response. A deafening series of bird sounds began to erupt from where Zoë shot her arrow, and it only grew around them as the fog thickened. Percy was sure that if it weren't for his godly sight, he wouldn't even be able to see his hand. Or the bird that was heading straight for his face.

"Duck!" Percy shouted as he bent down, easily evading the sharp talons of the falcon.

"Ow! These are not ducks Perseus!" Zoë shouted, rubbing her shoulder as she crouched down.

"No, not that duck Zoë." Percy sighed, gripping his weapon in preparation. He saw a couple of more falcons headed their way and got up, swinging the claymore in a loop to strike the birds.

"Never thought I would be hunting down falcons." Zoë muttered on noticing the disintegrating birds. "We keep them sometimes for our hunts."

"That's the hunting life princess, not for the faint hearted." Percy stated, glancing around. There were more cries and screeches echoing around the garden as Percy could hear loud rustles from the trees. And on closer inspection, it was now that Percy realized that the trees were filled to the brim with the falcons, all of them bigger than their average size, and talons that looked sharper than newly forged knife. And they were all preparing to attack.

"Zoë, under me now!" Percy quickly shouted as he formed two shields from his braces and kept them out. The falcons launched themselves like projectiles on to him and Zoë, with no indication of stopping their assault. Percy could see that his shields weren't enough to slow the attack down, and instead broke them into smaller projectiles as well, and launched them at the preying birds. He then let out a yell as he punched the ground, causing an earthen wall to erupt around him and Zoë, soon circling and enclosing them from their attackers.

"That was the worst!" Zoë coughed out shaking her head. "What do they even want?!"

"I know we can't remain like this." Percy muttered as he felt thudding noises from outside. "Those dumb birds aren't going to stop trying to bash their way in, and I don't know how long I can keep trying to kill them blindly with the spikes I made."

"Can't thou blast them or something with whatever godly thing thee can do? Like hellfire?" Zoë asked.

"I'm trying to keep that at a minimum." Percy muttered. "Though I guess there's no point in it now…"

Percy slowly trailed off, the hairs on his body raising to full alert. "…Perseus?" Zoë whispered her eyes slowly widening, the god also realizing that she could feel it too. And in just the blink of an eye, Percy felt himself flying out of his enclosure which easily crumbled, and then soon landed on a hard surface again. Percy then heard another crash and a low grown emanating next to him, which was definitely from Zoë.

"πεθάνει σε ένα χαντάκι." Zoë muttered.

"I hope that wasn't directed at me." Percy coughed out, wincing slightly. "That blast felt familiar…"

"Really?! That is thy response Perseus?!" Zoë exclaimed.

"Hey, that's a start!" Percy reassured, and then flinched. "Ow…my helm…" he muttered, slowly removing the helmet which was damaged from the behind. "Now I just got to remember which enemy was stupid enough to try that on me, and then-"

"Perseus wait." Zoë suddenly said seriously. "Remain quiet."

Percy was about to open his mouth when he suddenly felt a change in the air, the same change he felt when he was at the promenade with Aphrodite. Zoë had a look of recognition on her face too, as if she could not just feel, but recognize the presence too."

"It's the same from last night, when I was by myself…" she muttered, a look of certainty but slight horror on her face. "It can't be though…it's impossible."

"You know who this?" Percy asked with surprise.

"Not who…but what. After being with… Atlas for so long, I can recognize a titan anywhere. And this…"

"It's a titan?" Percy finished, exhaling deeply. "I can't say I'm surprised, I… I actually don't know what to say."

Zoë inhaled sharply. "Perseus, don't thou realize the meaning of this? There could be a titan on the loose, either peaceful or otherwise."

"Well not the first time I've come across a titan since coming back." Percy said with a sigh, before he realized what he said. Zoë just stared at him, also wondering if she heard him correctly.

"Anyway." Percy said quickly, getting up from the small crater that was created from the impact. It seemed that he and Zoë had crashed into a set of stairs. "We need to be even more alert now. Titans are not someone to be trifled with, even the peaceful ones. Trust me on that." He told Zoë, helping her to her feet.

"Maybe explain that, I don't believe you mentioned that you have met another titan after returning from your imprisonment." Zoë grumbled.

A gust of wind blew across the two, and just as quickly as it passed, the two heard it. A low but rumbling laughter, that traveled with the wind, giving an echoing effect to the area. Percy immediately summoned his attached swords, while Zoe drew her bow. The soft laughter continued, decreasing in frequency until it was quiet once again. Eerily quiet. No humane sounds, and no falcon sounds either.

"Watch my back." Percy muttered as pieces from the earth floated in front of him. He tried to reach out to the shadows to gauge where the possible titan could be hiding, but he wasn't getting anything. The darkened surroundings rendered his shadows almost useless, unless the figure wasn't in direct contact with any. Which was almost impossible, for the hovering ability most immortals had, wasn't that prolonged.

"Perseus, what do we do now?" Zoë whispered.

"I'm thinking…" Percy mumbled, his eyes spotting a fountain at the distance. "I just had a thought, can you give me Anaklusmos for a minute? I might be able to try something."

"…"

"Zoë?" Percy asked, glancing back. Even with the fog rolling everywhere, Percy could see that Zoë was considerably pale, her hands also slightly trembling. Percy had never seen her like that.

"Zoë? Is something wrong?" Percy prompted.

"I…I-" Zoë whispered, letting out a shuddering gasp. Before Percy could ask further, a huge gust of wind erupted towards them, surprisingly almost sending them back. The winds only began to speed up, making Percy squint. This shouldn't be possible, the speed at which the winds are travelling were much higher than they are naturally inclined. A mortal would have died, an immortal like him and Zoë? He wasn't quite sure how long he could remain like this, for even Zoë was struggling behind him.

"Perseus…cannot…let…go." Zoë spoke out, her words struggling to come out. Percy cursed silently, if it wasn't the wind, then it was definitely the heavy impact one would face if the inevitably let go. And Percy was not going to let that happen.

Percy then struck the ground deeper with his sword, and shadow tendrils erupted out from the crevice. They then enveloped around Zoë and Percy, and after making sure they were protected securely, Percy let go. He actually felt himself move across the sky, and only a few moments later, crashed into something. The impact was big as expected, with Percy struggling to hold the cage but he just managed. Zoë was clutching her arm tightly as she tried not to writhe in pain or alert Percy, but failed in both.

"Holy Styx! Zoë, your arm." Percy gasped, kneeling down next her. He gingerly held her broken arm in his hands, making her flinch. He then closed his eye, concentrating on healing the wound.

"I have ambrosia, it's fine." Zoë muttered, wincing slightly.

"Nonsense. Besides, my healing powers would be more effective because of your mortality." Percy replied, slightly frowning. "Why did you freeze up when I mentioned Anaklusmos?"

Zoë didn't respond. A soft chuckle suddenly rang around them, diminishing in volume as it passed through. Percy growled as he got up, shadow tendrils sprouting from the ground while he brandished his swords."

"Alright, enough games! Come out where you're hiding!" Percy yelled.

Silence echoed through the streets.

"Perseus, our hunt is smart enough to not engage with us directly." Zoë replied, slowly getting up. "It's not some feral monster."

"I know, but I just want to be done with this person." Percy muttered.

"But where's the fun in that godling?"

Percy swung his blade towards where the voice came from, a voice he felt next to his ear. He did it so quickly, he almost nicked Zoë's ear from where she was standing.

"Perseus, aphòdeuma!" Zoë shouted.

"I heard it!" Percy announced, trailing off when he saw Zoë's angry, but confused expression. "You didn't hear it?"

"Only if I wish too…"

Zoë jumped in her spot, nocking an arrow on her bow as tried to find the source of the voice. Percy wondered what alerted Zoë when he realized the possibility and readied himself too.

"It could be anywhere, watching us…" Percy muttered. "Anything you caught with the voice?"

"Too soft to distinguish anything." Zoë replied.

The wind then began to blow heavily against the two, and Percy could barely make out the words being spoken along with the wind

"Whhhhhhoooooo could you be, godling?" the voice spoke up again, as soft as before. "I won't be surprised if I don't know you though, with the amount of gods that emerged after I decided to leave the mortal world, and join my brethren in the great pit."

"A-ha!" Percy shouted excitedly. "So it is a titan!"

"What a confident statement. I hope it holds true for you." The voice whispered. The fog began to get thicker again, and Percy flinched when he felt it touching his now exposed face. It felt as if like someone was actually touching him.

"You don't look like anyone I would know." The voice sighed. "But you, huntress…I can recognize a child of Atlas beneath those eyes."

Zoë flinched when she heard what the voice said, gripping her bow tightly.

"A sore subject I see…after all, you are a hunter." The voice said, almost scoffing when he said 'hunter'. "A hunter of Artemis. I don't know what is more hilarious when I first came here, Leto's child running around with an amateur hunting group, or a banished Hesperide being the lieutenant of the same group. It is almost pitiful."

"You're treading a dangerous territory right now titan." Percy said calmly. "I suggest you think before your next act."

"My next act…" the voice mused. "Ahh…maybe I know what to do now."

Percy prepared himself for what was about to come, when he noticed distant rumbling coming from afar. He could tell they weren't coming from the sky, but was instead closer to the ground. and judging from the brief flashes of light, he probably knew who was causing it.

"It seems that the child has made it simple enough for me. Not that I would have any difficulty in finding her." the voice said, this time clearer than before. It was the voice of a male, with a smooth but soft tone. "Farewell godling and hunter, I have more pressing matters to attend to. But fret not, my feathered companions would be delighted to tear you apart, if you will allow them that is."

And with no indication, the voice faded, leaving behind the fog to thin out, and a flock of birds ready to strike.

---

"Okay, first things first, we need a place to hide." Aphrodite said in a matter of fact voice. "I would propose to go back to the hotel room, but this person already knows that place. So I suggest the Hibernian Hall, it's a beautiful wedding venue from the 19th century, and its built like an ancient Greek building so it's all the more special to me."

Thalia frowned. "Isn't there a building like that just next to the hotel?"

"Is there?" Aphrodite asked, tapping her chin. "I never noticed."

Thalia sighed as she hung back next to Aphrodite, trying to squint through the copious amounts of fog that seemed to have plagued the city. There were mortals running around the street, trying to make sense of their situation. Thalia let out a cough as she felt her throat tighten, the chilly air making it hard for her to relax.

"What's wrong with you?" Aphrodite asked, noticing Thalia's continuous coughs. "Are you sick now?"

"I don't know." Thalia sniffled.

Aphrodite hummed. "Maybe it's the fog? I wouldn't know, with me being me. Here." the goddess said, removing a shawl from her handbag. She knelt down and wrapped it around Thalia, making sure there was enough to cover the face. "Bring this up to your mouth and nose, maybe breathing in the fog might help.

Thalia shivered in place but nodded, tilting her head to the side when she noticed Aphrodite was staring at her intently.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I never noticed, but your eyes." Aphrodite whispered. "So blue…but they weren't so stormy now. They were bright, almost…electric."

"Um…" Thalia hesitantly said. "We should be going now…?"

Aphrodite blinked. "Yes, we should. Come on."

Aphrodite got up and moved forward, while Thalia slowly trailed behind, still feeling the cold cover her. And the certain chilly feeling when she glanced at the sky, which only began when the fog started to emerge out of the water.

Thalia was still staring at the sky when she crashed into an old lady, who was covered from the head down with a very heavy cloak. "Oh my, are you alright there dear?" the old woman asked kindly.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Thalia said, cursing herself for not paying attention. She could hear Aphrodite's shout of her voice from ahead, and the peering gaze of the old woman.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you." Thalia said as she got up, squinting slightly to make out the woman's face, and her cloak that was covered with…feathers?

"Why are you all alone child?" the woman asked, a strange glint in her eyes. "Are you perhaps lost?"

"There you are Thalia, try to keep up please or else Percy will blame me only." Aphrodite grumbled, only just noticing the old woman. "What's a harpy like you doing over you?" she asked with a sneer.

Thalia's eyes widened. "A what?"

The old woman furrowed her eyebrows. "Now that's not a nice thing to call a lady."

Yeah?" Aphrodite replied, looking quite bored. "I'm a goddess, I can call you ugly lot whatever I want."

Thalia looked confused until the old woman let out a shrill cry. Her body shifted as she revealed two large wings in place of arms. In fact, her entire body from the face down resembled that of a bird like an eagle or vulture, with brown plumage and sharp talons. Before the harpy could do anything however, Aphrodite merely snapped her fingers, which sent the harpy hurtling up in the air and disappear behind the fog.

"Now that was cool." Thalia admitted.

"Aww, thank you. Now, don't fall back again." Aphrodite tutted, waving a finger.

Suddenly, loud screeches were heard coming from above, prompting Thalia and Aphrodite to look up. They could just make out the shape of a large winged creature accompanied by smaller shapes, diving straight for them.

"Oh these things don't know when to quit huh.' Aphrodite said with a groan.

"Surround the goddess, and snatch the child. Let none escape!"

"Aren't you going to do anything?" Thalia shouted as she brought out her spear.

"I don't know what to do! I don't even remember being in a fight at all." Aphrodite grumbled, trying to swat the birds away. "Ugh, my manicure is going to get ruined."

Thalia rolled her eyes and ducked down, bringing the spear up to pierce through a falcon. She then held the spear like a bat and proceeded to smack a bird mid-air, sending it straight to a wall.

"Don't you have any weapon?!" Thalia asked incredulously.

"Ugh…I have Dior?" the goddess said unsure.

"What's- never mind just help me." Thalia exclaimed, bringing the spear down.

"Oh no, I'm not going to be taking any orders from a damn demigod…" Aphrodite grumbled, while she watched Thalia pierce through the falcons. "I should pull Percy or Ares later for some training again…"

"Hey!" Thalia cried out, wincing in pain as she felt a scratch against her cheek.

Aphrodite merely shrugged. "I'm a goddess, we aren't supposed to interfere in demigod battles."

"Percy would help you know." Thalia shouted.

"Of course Percy would help, it's him. He always had a bit of free jurisdiction when it came to these matters. And with the rules more changed, I have no intention of treading them, especially if there's nothing in for me."

"You promised Percy that you would keep me safe!"

"Oh hush, I will." Aphrodite muttered with a roll of her eyes. "You're doing fine n your own, I'll only jump in if you really need it."

"Erre es korakas!"

Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. "I'm a crow?"

"No, I said 'Go to the crows!'"

Aphrodite tutted. "No, I don't believe you said that besides, where can you see any crows here? There only falcons!"

"Ahh!" Thalia cried out, as a falcon grabbed her by the hair. Thalia then suddenly felt a surge of power flow through her. The sky above her rumbled as a thunderbolt struck down upon her, killing the falcon upon her and other neighboring ones as well. Her spear began to crackle with energy as she glared up at the remaining falcons that were perched on top of the street lamps and buildings. The harpy from before was glaring at her evilly, slowly licking its lips.

"This is a powerful one. Fret not, seize her!" she shouted.

Thalia clenched her fists hard as she felt lightning spark around her. She could feel the droplets within the fog slowly conducting electricity around her, and tried to think of a way to use that to her advantage. She then reached out, and the street lamps around her began to glow erratically. They then suddenly began to break and spark out, the electricity seeping through the fog, which helped in charging it. Thalia then let out a cry as she stretched her arms out, sending volts of lightning in every direction. They hit the harpy square on the chest, and while most managed to strike the falcons down, many of them were uncontrollable, and spurred erratically elsewhere as they struck other objects.

It was a bit of a struggle, but Thalia finally managed to depower her lightning, after which she immediately felt dizzy. She stumbled to the ground, and glanced up tiredly to find a flabbergasted Aphrodite, staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"You…that…it…how- Y-You are the child of Zeus!" she shouted.

"Am I? There could be other thunder gods." Thalia muttered with a groan.

Aphrodite let out a shuddering gasp. "This explains everything. You, Percy being protective- Holy Styx no wonder he was acting so weird. You are the child of the prophecy, of course he would want the tool of Olympus to be unharmed."

Thalia frowned. "I don't think that was on his mind…"

Before Aphrodite could reply, the fog began to thicken again considerably. Aphrodite looked slightly serious for once as she assessed the situation, wondering what was going to be at play this time. Thalia also tried to stand up, but she was still weak after her exertion, prompting her to rely heavily on her spear.

The shadows suddenly warped next to them, and Percy and Zoë emerged out of them, looking quite frazzled surprisingly. Percy sighed with relief when he saw Thalia, but frowned when he saw she was struggling to stand.

"What happened?" Percy asked, holding Thalia close. "You look tired, and feverish.

"It is quite cold." Thalia agreed with a shiver.

Percy glared at Aphrodite.

"What?! I gave her a shawl." The goddess protested. "What else do you want, ambrosia?"

"Never needed it before, don't need it now."

Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. "Huh, really? Daughter of Zeus is too god for godly food?"

"I don't have a white dove personally delivering- wait what?!"

"Daughter of who?!"

"What's ambrosia?"

"Oh not this again." Percy groaned. "Zoë, see to it that the titan doesn't approach us, Thalia hold still while I heal you, Aphrodite…"

"Oh I know; you can answer me by what are you doing with the child of the prophecy?!"

"Can't you drop that topic for one minute?!"

"Percy?"

The god stopped talking when he heard Thalia's panicked tone, and looked down at her to see that she was floating off the ground, and gradually moving up. Percy was stupefied for a few seconds before he snapped out of it, jumping up to grab the demigod, only to feel something punch him down to the ground. he didn't know if he was hallucinating, but he could definitely make out a dark shadow from where the punch came from, moving through the fog and being next to Thalia.

"Percy!" Thalia shouted, shutting her eyes tightly as she tried not to panic. Percy cursed himself as he remembered Thalia's phobia, and tried to think of a way to get her down. In a desperate move, he formed a hookshot with his brace and shot it at Thalia, but the line froze mid-way, and then fell to the ground.

"Such a pitiful attempt, is that all you have godling?" the titans voice mused out loud, making Percy and the others jump. "This child is dangerous as I was told, it seems like my father was right to listen to that woman."

"But she also mentioned to watch out for her protector, the god who thrives in the shadows. At first I thought it would be Hades, but she called you a phantom. Tell me, Perseus, what kind of phantom are you?"

"One you will not see coming." Percy warned.

The titan laughed boastfully. "Now isn't that ironic! Because I'm not seeing that from you at all. But as for me…"

"I am, the unseen."

Percy felt the titan's presence disappear, and watched as Thalia was dragged off through the sky. Percy let out a roar as he once again tried to reach up for Thalia, only to be pushed down. Using the next best thing, he disappeared into the shadows and came back out again on the roof of a building, and then began his run on top of the rooftops once he located Thalia. He tried shooting some arrows to see if he could gauge a reaction from the titan if he was supposedly near Thalia, but he got nothing. It seemed to be the same situation, where nothing aerial of note seemed to work. And it must be due to the titan at play.

Percy then stretched his arm out and summoned a pile of rocks around him, hoping to use them to his advantage. He then began to jump on the still floating rocks, hoping that would give him a window of opportunity to strike, but that too failed as the fog began to surround him. He then felt the screeches of falcons next to him, and was soon met with an aerial assault from all sides, hindering him down. Feeling frustrated, Percy then let out a burst of hellfire from his body, which surprisingly dissipated some of the fog around him as well as the falcons. Taking the chance, he then began to hover off the ground and threw himself forward, heading straight towards Thalia. He instinctively created a ring of hellfire with his hand and launched it towards Thalia, breathing a sigh of relief on seeing her pass harmlessly through the center. As he expected, the fog around her disappeared. And not expected, Thalia began to fall down.

"I got you bug!" Percy called out as he swooped down, stretching his arm out. He managed to catch Thalia as she was just a couple of stories high and swooped her up, making her land on his back.

"Thalia, it's okay, it's only me." Percy said as Thalia began to flail around. "Just don't let go, I'm bringing you down now."

Percy quickly descended to the ground as he steadied Thalia behind him, making sure she won't slip off. He landed with a light thud and leant back, allowing Thalia to land on the ground. He grinned in response, while Thalia slowly wobbled to the side, looking a bit green,

"Now that was quite fun, huh bug?"

Thalia promptly puked in response.

"Ahh…should have expected that." Percy sweat dropped as he helped Thalia. But as he was doing that he didn't notice the shadow that was behind him, moving as swiftly as possible. And Percy only just noticed it, when he felt something tread through his domain.

Knowing he had to act fast, he jumped in front of Thalia and immediately felt something pierce through his back. And a burning sensation of pain erupted inside him.

"Percy!" Thalia screamed, her eyes widening. Percy looked down to find three celestial bronze tipped arrows poking through his chest, the sight of it making him a bit dizzy.

"Huh…tis but a scratch. I've had worse." Percy mumbled as he backed away. He then felt something grab him from behind and was immediately pulled up in the air, and thrown against the side of a building. Percy swung his sword back, hoping to catch the perpetrator off-guard, but he was then dragged down to the ground. Before Percy could process anything however, a blast of energy threw him back, the same one like before. And the same kind he realized, Tethys used on him before long ago.

Percy then crash landed next to a pier, with gravel and wood splintering everywhere. Another arrow struck him at the shoulder, pinning his back down on the road. The fog around him began to form a humanoid shape, with what seemed to be the head coming closer to him.

"Did you really think you could get rid of me with those wretched flames?" the titan sneered. "I've been warned about this special flame you hold within you, and whole it looks like it'll be…difficult to avoid such a hindrance, I plan to still bring you to your knees, and send you to where my brethren are waiting for you. And then, I will finish my bounty with the child and the hunter."

Percy's eyes glowed as he struggled to get up, but the titan continued to pushed him down harder. He tried to bring out his hellfire, but his mind was too addled with pain in order to concentrate. The fog around them had begun to thin out, and Percy hoped that meant the titan may lose his power, but that didn't seem to be the case. Before Percy could try another way to escape, he heard a distant humming sound coming from somewhere. The titan didn't seem to notice anything odd, and Percy wondered if he was imagining the sound when a bright flash of light overcame them. Percy felt the weight of the titan disappear, and found himself staring at a brilliant blue energy beam, that most likely struck the titan off him. The beam then disappeared with a low hum, and Percy heard a loud splash behind him, as if something large fell into the water, he turned around, and his eyes immediately widened when he saw something break into the surface of the water.

"No…way." He murmured.

"…Bloody hell. And I actually thought I dreamt that you were communicating to me. Don't do that when I'm asleep master."

Percy let out a strangled laugh as he stared at the glowing form of umbra, the markings on its body slowly dimming as it depowered. The orca let out an exciting cru as it swam around in circles, while Percy rushed to the water to greet his old companion.

"My master is alive! Percy is alive!" Umbra cried out gleefully as it jumped in the air and landed on top of Percy. And even though he had arrow shafts still stuck inside him, the god didn't care as he hugged on to Umbra tightly. He hoped that she wouldn't have been stuck in Tartarus like Aphrodite thought, and seeing his orca again filled him with joy.

"Of course you would come in the nick of time, huh Umbra." Percy said, tickling her sides. "Who's a good girl, who is?"

"HAHAHA, I ain't some dog Percy, stop that." Umbra laughed out, descending back into the water. 'but yeah, what's up with this place, too foggy for my liking. But powerful presences here, including yours."

"Yeah, I'm not alone. I'm currently in the company of a titan." Percy replied.

"That thing I took care of? Nice, I took down a titan." Umbra said with a toothy grin.

Before Percy could reply, a sudden gust of heavy winds blew against him, making him alert. He quickly jumped on Umbra's back, at which the orca understood and began swimming away from the spot. A clouded substance bellowed out and began to give chase to Percy, with winds sweeping everywhere.

"We got company!" Percy shouted, bringing his bow forward and began shooting arrows at the cloud. He hoped he was doing something, and saw that the titan was launching arrows at him too. Both sides began to rain volley after volley of arrows at each other as they cruised through the harbor. Umbra swiftly dodged another volley of arrows this time aimed at her, while Percy quickly launched another set at the cloud. The titan tried to stop it, but Percy's arrows managed to split through the arrows, effectively harming the titan hiding within the cloud.

"We need to find a way to draw him out of that. There's got be some way to do that." Percy muttered to himself as he slowly removed an arrow shaft from his chest.

"Maybe use some wind?" Umbra prompted.

"That titan controls wind. Anything related to that is within his domain, which is irritating to say the least because that's everywhere. Dive down Umbra."

"I could try another synergy beam?" Umbra replied, before moving underwater.

"As much as I hate to say this, you were lucky with that shot. The titan didn't expect it, which means we need the element of surprise when it comes to him. And a way to anchor him to the ground."

"But first thing is the fog. It's becoming too much of a hindrance and I need to remove it as soon as possible."

"…Umbra, I need you to launch me up in the air. And then, I need you to hide out here and patrol the waters. Make sure nothing suspicious happens here, you got it?"

"But what about you? Did you think of a solution?"

"No…I just hope to wing it." Percy murmured, eyes filled with determination. "Okay Umbra, now!"

Umbra let out a cry as she hurtled herself towards the surface of the water and leapt in the air. Percy jumped from her back and propelled himself forward, hoping to garner attention to himself.

"Oh what would I give for my hellfire wings now." Percy groaned internally as a part of the fog darkened, signaling the titan was there. He then flew down, hoping he could outfly the titan with how much his hovering ability will allow. During this time, he tried to get into contact with Aphrodite as well.

"Aphrodite!"

"…Percy! Where in Tartarus are you?"

"I need some kind of help. I-" Percy said telepathically, turning around when he heard a loud screech. "Uh…I'm bringing the party to you. Where are you?"

"The Battery? I don't know I saw some big blue beam so I dragged those two here. But all we found was more damn harpies!"

"Well, about that…"

---

"What do you mean by that Lykofós Perseus?!" Aphrodite shouted mentally, while she ducked from a harpy's claws. She blew a sigh of frustration as she tried to set her hair straight, but it was all frizzed up due to the fighting.

"Oh I had it!" Aphrodite whined, smoothing out her dress. "Can't this day already end?!"

"It will if thou do something worthwhile!" Zoë shouted back, pulling Thalia back.

The goddess sniffed. "I would have showed my lovely true form if you two were not in the way."

"Oh forget it, where's Perseus?"

Aphrodite hesitated. "He's coming here. he said he's bringing something to me?"

Zoe turned back with a frown, her eyes widening with realization. "Why, why does he want to trust thee with taking care of all this? Thou are useless!"

Aphrodite's eyes hardened. "Watch your tone hunt-"

"I don't care, I've talked down other male gods before and thou are no exception! Thou call thyself an Olympian, then act like one! Show Perseus thou haven't been reduced to a bumbling fool over the years, show him the powerful goddess who fought alongside Artemis, him and others as one!"

Aphrodite bit her lip in frustration and sighed, a steely glint in her yes. She then rummaged inside her handbag, and then proudly held up a bottle of fragrance in hand and sprayed a bit next to her. She then glided gracefully around the area, spraying small puffs of perfume at where the harpies were. The harpies around the area immediately began to falter mid-air and contort as the scent hit them, while some close to the goddess began to drop dead.

Thalia blinked with surprise on seeing all this. "Is perfume that dangerous?"

Aphrodite smiled brightly. "Nope, it's just me." She said with a wink.

A loud crash was heard from afar as Percy appeared, coated with hellfire. Behind him was a swarm of airborne monsters, all of the surrounding a dark cloud swirling with energy. And they were all heading straight for where Aphrodite and the others were.

Thalia gulped heavily on seeing the sight, while Zoë clenched her teeth and readied herself. Aphrodite on the other merely smirked and began a catwalk, her hips swaying as a deep pink aura surrounded her.

"What are thou doing?" Zoë asked. "Getting all pretty?"

The goddess looked back at Zoë with a mischievous smile. "My dear, I'm always pretty."

Aphrodite then held her arm out.

"Now…will you die for me?"

A flurry of rose petals erupted from her palm, slowly turning into a horizontal tornado. Percy quickly used his hook shot and flew out of the way, giving no time for his chasers to react. Instead, they all were engulfed by a tornado of red, leaving no stragglers behind. Even the harpies from before were sucked into the vortex. No one could really see what was happening from the abundance of petals, but the strangled and horrific shrieks echoing out gave a very clear image to those watching. Aphrodite's eyes glowed pink, and she then flicked her hand, making the petals disperse everywhere. Nothing of note of any of the monsters remained, just some feathers and a heavy cloud of golden dust. And in the center of it all was a dark humanoid figure that slowly began to descend, landing on the ground with impact.

"Wow, that felt good." Aphrodite said with surprise. "I did miss doing that."

Percy emerged next to Aphrodite from a shadow, gaping at the sight in front of him. "You actually did that?"

Aphrodite giggled. "Aww, it's nothing though. Honestly, I would have preferred to see what was happening inside-"

"I don't care, that was amazing." Percy grinned, giving Aphrodite a hug. "Always knew you had it in you."

Aphrodite blushed bright red. "Um, I…uh…heh?"

Zoë grudgingly agreed. "That was impressive…"

"Yep, I'm- whoa Thalia, long time no see?" Percy joked on seeing the girl give him a bear hug.

"You got shot so shut up." Thalia said, her voice muffled.

"Uh, yeah…" Percy nervously chuckled. "Say Zoë, you still have some ambrosia on you.

"I do. But are going to now do anything about that?" she asked, pointing to the figure lying on the ground.

Percy narrowed his eyes. "Good question. Come with me."

The god formed out an attached blade, lighting it with hellfire. And while for the first time there almost no fog around, the air still felt quite heavy. Percy felt a sinking feeling as he approached the titan, and paused when saw it twitch. The titan hen moved, and slowly got up. He was dressed in traditional Greek clothes, just a simple tunic and cloak. He had a bow clutched in his arm, and Percy noticed that there were burn spots peppered around his body, most likely from the hellfire. He had sleek black hair that was pulled down to a ponytail, and when he turned, Percy almost let out a gasp. For a split second, he thought he was looking at Leto, the mother of Artemis and Apollo, but Percy could see that wasn't true. While the titan did have most of Leto's features, the black hair, grey eyes and more masculine features were the only differentiating traits. Zoë behind him had a look of recognition though, her mouth forming a silent 'o'.

"Of course…the titan of air…"

"Indeed, took you this long to recognize a relative?" the titan chuckled, peering at Percy. "You looked shocked godling."

"Just taken by surprise." Percy muttered. "You reminded me of someone."

The titan grinned. "Leto I presume?"

Percy blinked. "How did you…"

The titan openly began to laugh. "I'm not surprised that you would compare me with her. After all, I am her brother."

Percy snorted. "No, Leto did not have a brother."

The titan sighed. "Tsk, the price you pay to go underground. Leto is my older sister godling, I'm surprised she hadn't mentioned me before. I mean, I didn't even take part in the Titanomachy, what is she embarrassed of?"

"He speaks the truth Perseus." Zoe said solemnly. "He is Lelantos, the titan of air and the unseen. The brother of Leto."

"So you finally now know, right Perseus? Lelantos cooed, slinging his bow back. He reached for two knives strapped on his belt and twirled them around, assessing the god in front of him. "You gods have so quickly forgotten about your predecessors. Either you have them chained in Tartarus, or have them imprisoned here in the mortal world. There is no in-between, and now you all shall pay for that price."

Lelantos slowly began to levitate. Behind him, a cloud of fog began to form, slowly approaching the group.

"You think you can cast us aside, and assume our roles?" Lelantos cried out gleefully. "I am still, the hunter in this scenario, and I always will be. After all, I am the first hunter. You all are my little playthings, and I'll be happy to end your miseries for good. Starting with you, 'hunting' god."

"That doesn't look good." Percy muttered. "Also, what is he even talking about?"

"Do thou really want to find out Perseus?" Zoë said, tugging Perseus's arm, "We should go…Perseus?"

"No." Percy said after a moment, his eyes hardening. "If he wants this over with, then I shall gladly see to his request."

"Perseus, no." Zoë warned. "He's the unseen, think about it. He can move without being seen, allowing him to stalk his prey. He became the first hunter through those very skills."

"That's knowledgeable of you, huntress. If only you were this perceptive when I led you here to Charleston, making you think it was that upstart giant."

Zoë stilled, an angry expression on her face.

"You led Zoë here? Why would you do that if I was present?" Percy questioned.

"I needed the child you hold so dear from you as well." Lelantos said simply. "The only factor that I did not see was the goddess of love, though I'm not sure how affected this turnaround would have been with her absence…"

"What do you have against Zoë?" Percy questioned.

"It's a personal matter godling. But don't worry, I have a matter to deal with you as well. After all, the bounty I've been promised is so tantalizing…"

Percy smirked. "Tantalizing huh? Do you know what happens to that man who got punished?"

Lelantos looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you then. He never got to claim his prize." Percy replied with a grin. He launched himself at Lelantos, while behind him stone fragments began to break from the ground and follow him in the air. Lelantos was about to lunge too, but Percy quickly dropped into a shadow, but not before striking the titan with the stone fragments he brought out. Percy cruised through the plane for a few moments before jumping out on a rooftop. He descended back into the shadow again when he saw the fog thickening. He continued the game of hide and seek as he popped up around the area, while also making sure to keep an eye on the still concealed titan. He then heard a cry of surprise coming from the titan, and glanced out to see Lelantos staring at the sky with confusion, horror and anger radiating through him.

"No, why would you?! Curse you!" the titan cried as he stared at the sky. Percy saw that the fog was beginning to thin out, and that the clouds were being parted away, leaving way for multiple rays of sunlight to pass through. Percy could tell this was not some random natural phenomenon, judging from Lelantos's reaction it had to be. Divine intervention.

Percy peeked a bit through the shadow again. He could still see Lelantos hiding within the fog, but this time more visible than before. Before Percy could find a way to lure him out, he saw another figure at the distance, slowly walking towards Lelantos. The titan seemed to have notice the person as well, with the fog clearing away. Percy's eyes widened when he saw what was definitely a child walking unknowingly towards the titan, possibly lost with all the sudden confusion the city would have been going through. But he did not notice the eerily calm look that was on the child's face.

"Well, this is interesting." Lelantos breathed out, his eyes following the child's steps. "I did not expect to see you here."

Percy looked up, confused on hearing the titan's words. He looked back again to find the child slowly approaching the titan, it's face covered by a hood. The child then pulled down her hood, revealing a girl. Even though he could only see her from the back, the girl looked to be about twelve with auburn colored hair. Percy frowned as he continued watched the altercation about to take place, wondering if he should step in.

"So tell me my dear niece, who revealed my whereabouts to you. I want answers." Lelantos hissed.

Niece?

"You yourself." The girl replied. Percy could not see, but he could tell the girl was smirking. And for some reason, the calm but authoritative voice coming from the girl felt out of place. Especially the adult and familiar touch to it…

"Did you really think I wouldn't keep tabs on my hunters, especially my own lieutenant?"

Percy immediately froze, his whole body going slack.

"I realized immediately that Orion wasn't on the prowl, which meant some other forces were at play. I'm shocked and disappointed you managed to trick my hunter, but you would never be able to trick me."

"Arrogant aren't you child? Got that from your father most likely." Lelantos growled out.

"Well, he isn't going to take any pleasure in knowing that titans are making an appearance." The girl said.

Lelantos was about to say something when he paused, and slowly grinned. "Perhaps. But I'm not the only being who's not supposed to be here."

"Is that so?"

"There is a phantom in these streets. One who you were quite close with."

The girl shifted in her place. "That doesn't indicate anything."

"Does it not?" Lelantos mused. "I speak no lies. The one who you were in love with, your constant companion aside from your brother. He's here."

"Those are lies you speak."

"I assure you, he is here. Possibly in this very spot-"

"He is not and I will not go through that again!" the girl shouted, balling her fists. "Don't try to play mind games on me titan! For centuries I entertained the idea of him being alive, somewhere… . And I let that go, painfully. And only recently, just recently that old wound bled again with what transpired four months ago. It would never heal; I wouldn't let it. He wouldn't let it…"

Percy let out a strangled gasp as he tried to stay close the gap in the shadow, trying to listen in more. He had to get out, he needed to get out. But for some reason he remained still, his body too numb to move.

"If he never came back to me then, then there is no reason for him to come back to me now." The girl said softly. "And it may be for the best, the things that have happened, the things I have done. He would not want to witness that; I would rather have him be in peace. And that's why I love him, because when you love Perseus, it's like loving the stars themselves. You wish no harm to befall upon them, and I just hoped he knew that before he passed. But then again, knowing him, he would be foolish enough, sentimental enough even to stand here with me and alongside those he loves when they are facing against danger. So where is he now, he is certainly not here. He's gone, long gone now! Perseus is not here!"

"He is!" Lelantos roared, brandishing his fists. "Seems like he certainly does not care about you then niece. Fret not, I could reunite you with him if you so wish-"

Percy blinked, and saw red. He let out a guttural cry as the sky outside began to darken, catching the titan and the child's attention. Shadow tendrils began to sprout from every shadowed crevice and moved towards Lelantos. The titan shouted with frustration as he tried to fly away, but paused when he saw his legs trapped within the ground, immobilizing him. The shadow tendrils then quickly wrapped themselves around the titan, holding him down in place. In between Lelantos and the child, a large shadow began to form from the existing ones, out of which Percy bursted through, hellfire covering his entire body. Letting out a cry, he launched himself like a cannonball and struck Lelantos square in the chest, sending him flying across the road and covered with the accursed flames. Percy was panting heavily as he doused himself, wisps of death mist escaping from him as he forced himself to stare ahead, not daring to look back. The silence that came next was too loud for Percy to bear, and he almost cried with relief when he heard the voice behind him speak the one thing he was hoping for so many days.

"Perseus?"

The god in question slowly turned around, his dark eyes slowly lighting up as he took in what he was seeing. The girl was kneeling down, staring at Percy with hope and disbelief. Tears started to stream down her silvery yellow eyes, and Percy watched as the sunlight illuminated her figure, making her hair shine brightly. He never thought the sun would complement her beauty, but he never cared anyway. She was always beautiful to him.

"Hello, my love." Percy said softly, ignoring the tears he didn't realize he was shedding. "I…this seems more of a dream for me than it is to you. Actually, who am I kidding, it is more of a dream for you. And as much as I want to whisk you away, it does seem like we have a situation in hand we need to attend to. So, what do you say…Artemis…shall we?"

---

I want to cry; I finally wrote the damn scene that has been living rent free in my head for the past one year. I do hope I gave this chapter justice though, don't worry, Percy is still going to go against Lelantos, full force in the next chapter. This time accompanied by a special someone :D. But yeah, we're heading into reunion territory…yaayy! And some plot point territory of course, can't leave that hanging. Man, so much to write, why does uni have to be a pain at this moment T-T. Though I suppose final semester and all so…yeah. Which of course comes to the next update, I genuinely don't know when it will be ready. The last thing I would want to do is put up another AN, we all know how that turned out XD. So I'm just going to promise an update sooner rather than later…and that's the best I can give hopefully. Maybe I'll get a clear image later, who knows. But thank you for reading the chapter, and for sticking for like two years of my story. I may have angered some over the months because of my unofficial hiatus, but I still love and appreciate you guys nonetheless. Oh, also, also, I've updated the discord links again, because they had expired a long time ago lol. So if any of you guys want to join any of the servers, feel free to! And so, I will see you guys later. Bye!...\/