The Legend of the Son of Poseidon

by HPfanfictioner66

Percy Jackson was having a perfectly normal day until he started hearing a voice in his head. Turns out the voice belonged to a god. Follow Percy's Journey as the god trains and aids him through his journey to become the Greatest demigod to walk on Earth and save the Western Civilization. Powerful Percy! Powerful enemies! Epic fights! Pertemis romance!

13. The Queen and the Huntresses

Ch. 13 The Queen and the Huntresses

(Time Skip: Four Months After End of Summer)

The sound of clanging weapons rang throughout the arena of Olympus as I battled Athena and Ares in a 2V1 battle. I dual wielded my swords and was wearing a light armor I had picked from the Camp armory before leaving along with the warrior's crown. On the other hand, Ares and Athena were only wearing breast plates and vambraces as protection as they fought with their own set of weapons. Athena was using a spear and a standard circular shield while Ares was currently using a double-sided axe.

Now, you did ask: 'Where did Athena come from in your deal with Ares?' Or, 'Why the hell was I fighting such an impossible-to-win battle?'

The answer is sort off complicated.

Since the end of the Summer, I had been coming to Olympus every Saturday from morning and stayed there till about evening. In the morning I had combat lessons with Ares till Lunch time and after that, I spent time with Aunt Hestia in her Palace. I had made this schedule with her after I had informed her of my talk with Athena and the deal with Ares.

Training with Ares was very different than training with Alexander to say atleast. Ares was a slavedriver. He rarely gave breaks. Most demigods would have quitted within a couple of sessions and, this was Percy's seventeenth session with Ares. Ares also had a habit of fighting with myriad weapons during a single fight. He switched weapons quite frequently while discarding the previous ones. And by discarding, I mean throwing the weapon at the enemy. He threw every weapon he wished. Throwing around daggers and spears was okay... but, Ares even threw swords and scythes! The first time he had literally thrown a fucking claymore sword at me, and it had left Alexander cursing for nearly fifteen minutes in my head.

But, that move would have taken most opponents by surprise and worked. It was only due to my highly enhanced and trained instincts that I had just rolled under the sword and continued to fight.

As for the Goddess of Wisdom, she had seen Ares and I fighting in the Arena a month and half ago. The spar she had seen was the one in which I had defeated Ares and successfully disarmed him.

To say that she had been impressed was an understatement. She had applauded me and told that I was an excellent warrior. Ares had grumbled that I had cheated by throwing sand in his face, but Athena had only replied that I was using my own surroundings to my advantage which Ares had failed to do. This started an argument between them which somehow ended in her saying that she would join in from the following week to show Ares how it was done.

In the next session, I had my first spar with Athena... which ended in less than four minutes with me lying on the floor. I was holding my own perfectly till our weapons had entered a deadlock and before I could break it, Athena had went to headbutt me and next I knew, I was on the floor having felt no impact on my head.

She had apparently feinted a headbutt and ended up swiping my legs from underneath me... somehow.

Even Alexander wasn't sure how she had done that or even, what she had exactly done at that time.

After I had requested her to teach it to me, she had first started teaching me how to counter the move before moving on to teaching me the move itself... which I still hadn't learnt properly. Even Alexander was still to master that move. It was complicated and effective as hell.

But, our following spars had went loads better for me as I lasted around eight to twelve minutes in each one of them. I was yet to defeat the Athena though. The best I had done was draw blood... Ichor to be exact. But, now I could defeat Ares in a completely fair fight given that I fought extremely carefully.

Two sessions ago, Athena had a brilliant brain wave to train me in something that I had never done before: Fighting against impossible odds. Like Ares and Athena versus me alone in combat.

She had said, "Not every fight would be fair for you. You never know when you need to fight more than a single enemy who is better than you in skills and power Perseus. And we aren't going to kill you! This is just training. And imagine, if you manage to hold your own against two war deities, what you'd do against a single enemy who fights you. You would become a demon on the battle field especially with the powers from Hestia and your father thrown in."

So, here I was now, fighting the two gods single-handedly. I ducked under Ares's sword before narrowly dodging Athena's spear on pure instinct and attacking them back. My sword met Ares and we were in a deadlock as Athena jabbed her spear at me, which I batted away with the riptide before breaking the deadlock and spinning around as my storm-rider turned to a Trident which swung in a wide arc towards Athena and she jumped back to dodge it as I used the riptide in my left hand to swipe at Ares which he blocked.

I jumped as Ares tried to swipe at my legs and in mid jump I kicked Athena. She predictably brought forth her shield to block the kick but, I used it as a spring board, soaring towards Ares and hitting his nose with my sword hilt and landed behind him in a roll before getting back to my feet and turned just as Ares sword came towards me and I blocked it before trying to stab him with the other sword.

He evaded and our fight continued.

I was unfortunately not allowed to use my powers in this fight and it ended with me being disarmed two and a half-minutes later.

I sat down on the Arena floor and caught my breath as the two gods panted.

"Six minutes thirty nine seconds. And not a single injury while you drew Ares's blood. Not bad kid." Athena praised. Ares just shot her a glare as he cleaned his nose bleed with Nectar.

"You aren't going all out like our one on one spars." I grunted.

"Obviously. If we go all out in a two on one spar then you're going to loose hands down Perseus and you would not improve. We are teaching you. This is not a competition child. This is practice. And let me make one thing absolutely clear. The fact that to spar with you one to one, we've to go all out in our mortal limits is a big achievement for any demigod. I don't think even Achilles or Heracles could've done that at your age. And you are still growing. Also, you weren't even using your powers child. Of course we weren't enhancing ourselves either by pumping godly energy but, that is besides the point as your powers would have outpowered our enhancement in mortal form atleast."

The ancient laws were always clear on one thing: Gods, Titans or even Primordials could only fight a hero in their mortal forms. They couldn't use their divinity while fighting even when they were around the demigods. It was done to level the odds between mortals and divine beings. The best they did was giving themselves unlimited stamina, better speed and faster healing using their divine energies. That was why the divine beings still had a huge advantage even in their mortal forms though as compared to demigods. Only the most powerful and/or the most skilled were capable of defeating these gods and titans in a fair fight even in mortal forms.

"Come on Punk. Get up. We're now moving on to trident practice." Ares said and I got up, summoning my trident back into my hands.

---

Two hours later, I found myself massaging my sore muscles as I drank a glass of chilled nectar in Hestia's palace.

"Mom's inviting you to dinner if you can come tomorrow." I told as she took a seat in front of me. My mother had been insisting on Hestia coming for dinner to our home since Hestia had visited for my birthday but had left after having a glass of coke. She had taken nothing else.

Hestia smiled at me. "Tell her that I can not make it Percy. I have the hearth to tend to and my absence would immediately be noticed in Olympus. I would love to come over to have dinner someday to taste Sally's cooking. But, even you know that leaving Olympus for prolonged period especially with the Titan's rising and my brother in charge is a recipe for a potential disaster. If anything goes wrong... my brother would blow a fuse."

I snickered at the pun. Even Hestia smirked at me.

"So, how is your mastery over your fire powers coming on?" Hestia asked after a few moments of silence. I concentrated hard and a ball of Greek fire, the size of a golf ball appeared in my hand and I threw it in the fire which was cackling merrily.

"Not bad my champion."

"What is the limit of this fire power. Like... what all can I do besides throwing fireballs?" I questioned.

"That depends. Once in the titan war, I used my fire powers to wipe out an whole battalion of monsters in the blink of an eye by creating a huge blast of fire. I can create fire whips or a wall of fire made both of Greek fire or normal fire depending on my need. I can also create fire guardians, but that is more dramatic than useful to be honest. The main concept is controlling the fire and shaping it to your will."

"Fire guardians?"

Hestia waved her hand and a donkey made of pure fire appeared and trotted around the room before coming near me. I petted it, unafraid of burning myself. Being the champion of Hestia made me completely resistant to fire... even the Greek fire.

"You would need to concentrate a lot to maintain it and a fire ball or fire-whip is loads more practical in battle as it requires less concentration and power to use. But, it is an excellent exercise to learn how to control the fire. Try it."

I concentrated and tried to create a horse out of fire- normal fire. It took a few dozen tries before I could create a perfect sized horse. Hestia clapped in approval before instructing me to make it run around. That took a few more tries but I got that down too but, the horse was not moving normally. It was gliding while its body remained stiff.

"Percy, you're just moving your creation. You need to animate it. That is the real deal." Hestia said. I tried to do it, but failed.

I tried again.

And again."

"It is alright Percy. You'll take some time to perfect this. You're shaping fire perfectly now... atleast normal fire that is. Making the fire obey your will and the Greek fire is the main deal in my powers. You'll get it down soon. Don't fret my champion." Hestia said.

A couple of hours later, I left the palace to go back home. I had decided to run all the way, just for running practice. I walked down the beautiful city of Olympus. It somehow even looked more beautiful in the evening than it did in the mornings. I had started exploring the city more since I had started my sessions with Ares and Athena. After every session I explored a new part of the city of Olympus. Even Alexander liked the exploring.

So, I took a new turn that I had never taken before. After walking for a few minutes, I realized that this part of the city wasn't as populated as the main street or the main location. Of course, nymphs and other nature spirits roamed around but, it was pretty deserted for someone who lived in New York.

Some of the houses were on sale. And several houses were being built.

#It is probably a new city block being constructed. The workers would've gone home by now.#

Apparently in Olympus, even Cyclopes had labor rights. Fixed working hours, days and holidays off, minimum wage laws etc. They did all the construction work in here. The most interesting thing I saw was an Alley of forges. A dozen Forges had been constructed in a row, all of which looked similar to the forge at the camp but was bigger.

#Preparations for war. Under the guise of building a new city block, Zeus commissioned the manufacture of more weapons and new forges. I am willing to bet that some of the houses made here would be able to house a small army when needed.#

'Seriously?'

#Yeah. Hephaestus has his forges located all around the western world and a small one on Olympus. But, he makes his own projects there as he pleases and not all are weapons. He does make weapons but, they aren't enough in number to go to war unless an exclusive order has been placed. That is what Zeus is doing. He is giving Hephaestus forges to mass manufacture weapons for the coming war. And any army could be housed here properly. I suspect that even hospitals and all would be made.#

During my talk with Alexander, I didn't notice that I had arrived in a completely deserted street till I heard a feminine voice shouting.

"LET GO OF ME YOU BASTARD! I SHOULD'VE KILLED YOU IN-"

"SHUT UP BITCH. I AM HERE TO FINALLY TAKE MY REVENGE. AND LOOKED AT YOU. THE ALL POWERFUL GODDESS IN CHAINS... HELPLESS." A gruff voice shouted back and laughed uproariously.

"HELP! HELP!" The female cried loudly. It was a smart move. Noise is a criminal's greatest enemy. But unfortunately, only I was in the vicinity to hear her.

The male voice just laughed as I hurried towards the source of the voice stealthily. "And who is going to come? There is no one around. And no gods would be able to hear you. Not even my father, the almighty Zeus. Now, I don't want to hear your voice." There were muffled screams from the female as she was presumably gagged. I broke into a run. Thankfully my shoes were enchanted to make my footsteps silent.

"Now, I have my revenge for everything you did to me bitch. I am going to send you to Tartarus after I have my fun. My Lord would award me greatly for this." The gruff voice said evilly.

As I arrived I saw the lady lying on the ground, bound in golden chains as a hulking man advanced towards her menacingly. The man had a club which was raised.

"Hey you!" I called. "Fight someone who can fight back you coward!"

The man turned. He was a tall hulking man with a deep tan and electric blue eyes but he appeared no older than twenty-five. He wielded a huge club which looked like a massive baseball bat made of mahogany with a leather grip studded with celestial Bronze.

#Heracles.# Alexander half-growled.

"Kid, whoever the hell you are, this is none of your business. Now, shoo." He said.

I narrowed my eyes. "I am afraid I can not let you kill a lady for fun or for your master."

"This is beyond you demigod. This is my revenge against this bitch who ruined my life. Against Olympus. See, I will let you leave. I have a soft spot for heroes. You haven't seen anything. Leave quietly." He said commandingly.

From behind him, the lady gave me a pleading look. She had tears in her eyes and her face was badly bruised. Ichor dripped down her face. With a start I realized who she was: Hera, the Queen of Olympus.

And Hera had fucked Heracles's life when he was a demigod... according to the myths atleast.

#Try the diplomatic approach first Percy. Heracles is a good fighter. You could take him but it won't be easy. Tell him to walk away. And you can not kill him. Zeus would kill you for killing his greatest demigod son before you could open your mouth to explain yourself.#

"I am sorry, but I can not leave a Lady like that to your mercy. My mother taught me better than that. I am not leaving. I ask you to peacefully walk away." I said firmly, heeding to Alexander's words

Heracles gave a deep booming laugh. "What are you gonna do kid if I don't? Fight me?" He mocked.

I just raised an eyebrow and the storm rider appeared in my hands in sword form.

"I am trying to solve this without violence but, if you insist I am not backing away."

"Do you know who I am kid? I am the greatest demigod to walk on Earth! I have slain monsters with my bare hands! I am a god and the greatest hero Olympus has ever seen."

"Then why are you turning against Olympus? See, I understand that Hera messed up with your life as you're her husband's bastard child and a sign of his unfaithfulness but, that is no reason to join the Titans and kill her. Don't walk on this path Herakles. I understand your pain but that is no reason to commit treason." I said.

"You understand nothing," Heracles said coldly. "My first family: dead. My life wasted on ridiculous quests. My second wife dead, after being tricked into poisoning me and leaving me to a painful demise. And my compensation? I got to become a minor god. Immortal, so I can never forget my pain. Stuck here as a gatekeeper, a doorman, a…a butler for the Olympians guarding the ancient lands. No, you don't understand. The Titans offer me much more demigod. And I can finally have the revenge I wanted for centuries. Let me have my revenge. Leave before I have to kill you young demigod. You have a life ahead of you. This is your last chance before I smash you to clear my path to get revenge."

I felt a little sad for the guy but I couldn't let him do what he wished to do. So I shook my head. "I can not let you do that. Free the queen Heracles. Or I will have to make you do it by force."

"So be it." Heracles growled and charged. But, I was ready. I dodged his club and punched him straight in the gut with the Earthquake fist. He went flying and crashed into the wall. I immediately went to Hera and removed her gag before I tried to cut through the chains. Tried being the key word. My sword just bounced off those chains.

"You can't cut those chains young her. You need the key to open these chains. He has the key. You need to knock him out and take the key. Don't kill him. We- LOOK OUT!" Hera shouted.

My senses tingled and I dove out of the way as a club smashed the place where I was standing milliseconds ago.

"So, the so called greatest hero needs to attack a 12 year old from behind to win eh? You're a pathetic excuse for a hero and a god Herakles." I taunted as Heracles summoned his club back.

The god roared and charged at me, swinging his club at my head. I just ducked under the club and attacked back. He parried my strike with his club and tried to smash me again but I just leaned out of the way before engaging him again.

We continued battling for several minutes without any of us landing a hit. I parried each of his blow with my sword or trident. I sidestepped a blow which would've smashed my head and swiped with the intent to cut off his hand. Heracles jumped back from the coming blow but I converted my sword to the trident form at the last moment and scored three deep gashes on his abdomen.

He roared in rage, releasing a shockwave around him and I went flying.

In an insane feat of acrobatics, I summersaulted and landed on my feet without even stumbling. I smirked and flipped Heracles the bird. Heracles roared in rage again before charging with his club raised high.

I did the first thing that came to my mind— I threw a fireball straight at his face. He stumbled back and screamed in pain as his face was burnt but, I showed him no mercy as I jumped high and kicked him straight on the face using my earth-shaker powers.

Heracles went flying again and skidded on the unforgiving floor. I closed the distance and kneeled on his chest before smashing the hilt of my sword on his head like I had done with Ares for taking the helm. Heracles was instantly knocked out.

"In his pockets. Search his pockets for the key." Hera said and I searched his pant pockets and found a golden key.

"Yes. Yes. Free me please." She pleaded.

#Do it fast. The more she stays bound, the worse it will become for her.# Alexander said and I nodded. I freed Hera by removing her chains and the Queen of Olympus curled up in a ball as tears streamed down her face. She started sobbing.

I threw the chains aside and did the first thing that came in my mind: I hugged her.

She stiffened but I murmured comfortingly in her ear. "Shhh... it is alright aunt Hera. You're safe. You're safe aunt Hera." I even spread the aura of the Hearth, in order to comfort her.

"He-he was going to ra-rape me," She sobbed melting into my embrace. "Then he was going to beat me up before finally killing me. Thank you. Thank you. You saved me."

It was a little baffling to see the queen of Olympus like this. I had always imagined her as a regal lady who stood tall and proud.

#We don't know what Heracles said to her before we arrived. And she is suffering from the after-effects of her power being cut off. Those were the chains that Hephaestus bound Hera in. Those chains are one of a kind. They cut your divine powers off in instead of restricting them. Her power was completely cut off from her and she was rendered almost-mortal for the time. If it happens to a god, their emotions go haywire due to it. She will calm down in a few minutes... hopefully, once her powers settle.#

It took ten minutes for her to calm down. My shirt was wet by her tears but I didn't mind. I got up and helped Hera to her feet.

Hera sniffed and snapped her fingers restoring herself to her usual state. She looked at me with a soft smile. "Thank you young hero. Thank you for saving me from such a fate. I never imagined..." She trailed off. She still was suffering from the after-effects but it had been reduced enough for her to behave coherently.

"You've thanked me enough Queen Hera."

"Shhh... call me aunt Hera. I... I liked you calling me aunt." She said softly.

"Aunt Hera, you have thanked me enough. You don't-" My senses tingled and I lunged at the Queen of Olympus and tackled her to the ground as a huge bolt of lightning went flying above us and destroyed the wall behind us.

I turned and saw that Heracles had shakily gotten to his feet, his injuries healing rapidly.

#Kronos is using his time power to fasten his healing.#

I jumped to my feet and summoned my Trident with a thought.

"I am going to kill you now boy. You messed with the wrong god." Heracles growled

"I remember someone saying that before... oh wait. That was you!" I sassed.

Heracles's eyes burned with hatred but before he could do anything, he was hit with a golden beam of light and he went flying.

Next to me, Hera was standing with her Lotus staff out which was glowing with power. She then tapped the staff on the ground and the chains which Heracles had bound her in, flew towards Heracles himself and bound him tightly.

"What will you do with him?" I asked.

"We will see. First we need to get out of here. I am flashing you." She said and grabbed my shoulder. I closed my eyes but nothing happened.

"What the-" I heard Hera saying. I opened my eyes and saw we were in the same spot.

"Umm... what happened?"

"There is a powerful barrier around here. No gods can flash in or flash out. No prayers would be heard or no mental connections established. This isn't the work of Alcaeus." Hera replied before shooting a beam of energy straight up. The beam of energy was blocked in mid way as a dome like structure flared around us.

#Alcaeus is Heracles's real name before he came to be known as Heracles and later Hercules during the roman era.# Alexander explained

"This is the work of someone well versed in sorcery." Hera muttered as she waved her staff again.

"Hecate?" I asked

"There are many divine beings who are skilled in sorcery Perseus. Hecate does hold the domain of sorcery but anyone with divine blood can learn it including all demigods. Many divine beings could've erected such a barrier. Hecate is just the best sorceress amongst them. Even Atlantis has some very skilled sorcerers if you don't know."

"I didn't." I replied honestly. Hera just nodded and snapped her fingers. Heracles began levitating off the ground.

"So you're saying that this isn't Hecate's work?" I asked after a few moments as we began walking towards the main part of Olympus.

"I am saying that you shouldn't go about pointing fingers at people without proof child. It can turn perilous for you if you don't exercise caution. I can understand why you're jumpy. Ares... my son, got turned into my father's puppet despite being as powerful as he is. Wars- A war is on the horizon child. I know you can not trust anyone absolutely. But, you can not go pointing fingers either especially without proof. Even we gods can't." Hera replied.

"There is something else bothering you too Aunt Hera." I said cautiously. She had said wars before correcting herself.

"I have many things on my mind child. The coming titan war is the biggest of them though. Dark days are ahead of Olympus. And as much as I loathe to admit it, we need you heroes on every turn... especially you Perseus Jackson. Today you have done me a great service and showed me that why demigods are called heroes. I still shudder to think what would've happened if you hadn't come to my aid and rescued me." She completed with a light shudder.

I just waved her off.

"I have to take this one to the council now. We will meet again soon." She said.

"Do you wish for me to accompany you aunt Hera?"

"No, we just passed the edge of the barrier. I will flash him to the throne room. But, thank you for offering assistance. Close your eyes now young hero." I did and Hera flashed out with Heracles before my world turned upside down.

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the lobby of the empire estate building. Hera had teleported me too. I sighed and just walked out of the lobby and hailed a cab to my home instead of running all the way. I decided that I had enough excitement for one day.

---

The following week, I once again found myself walking in the city of Olympus towards the Arena for my next session with the two gods. I pushed the massive doors open and entered the huge Arena which was bigger than the central park. It was 9.55 AM. I was five minutes early and neither Athena nor Ares were present. There was a nymph sitting in a corner of the Arena and made note of me entering the Arena. I just nodded at her and slung my backpack off my shoulders before beginning my warm up exercises.

I was in middle of stretching when the massive doors opened and Athena entered the Arena followed by Hera and Hestia.

I immediately stopped my exercise and walked towards them. "Lady Athena, Aunt Hestia, Quee— Aunt Hera." I greeted.

"Good morning Percy." Hestia greeted back while the other two goddesses nodded at me.

"Good morning. Umm... not to be rude or anything but, what are you and Aunt Hera doing here?"

"I wished to thank you for saving me last week from Alcaeus."

"You already thanked me that day Aunt Hera. Several times if I remember correctly." I said dryly.

"Not verbally young hero. I wished to repay you. I know this doesn't compare to what you did for me that day but, it is a small token of my gratitude." She said taking out a long-narrow velvet case from her robes.

"You don't have to give me anything Aunt Hera. I didn't do it for a reward ma'am. I did it because it was the right thing to do." I said sharply.

"I know Perseus. But, as I said, this is a token of my gratitude." Hera said softly. "I want to give this to you. As I said last time, you are going to be very important in the coming years for Olympus. You would be at the center of things. This gift will help you in your journey." Saying so, she opened the velvet box. Inside was a platinum chain link necklace... the type men wear.

It was clearly something Magical.

"Perseus, you slayed Echidna, right? Can you give me the claws you got as the spoil of war? And then I would need a few drops of your blood." Hera said. I raised my eyebrows questioningly.

Echidna's claws were an invaluable sacrificial item that I was saving for the future in case I ever needed it.

"Listen to her Percy. All will be explained in time." Hestia said. I nodded albeit reluctantly and handed Hera the ten claws which were made of pure, unbreakable celestial bronze. Hera took the chain out and held it in one hand while holding the claws in the other hand. They glowed golden and eight of the ten claws vanished.

"Three drops of your blood on these claws and three on the necklace please." Hera said holding them out. I nodded and flipped open the Balisong knife and made a cut on my thumb before giving the six drops of blood that were required. I stepped back and Hestia took my place, standing in front of Hera and joining hands.

Their hands glowed again and Hestia stepped back.

#Percy, they are doing some serious divine enchantments on whatever it is. You're in for one hell of a gift Percy.#

'It is not needed! I just did what is right Alexander.'

#You've to accept it Percy. And you deserve it regardless of what you feel about it.#

Hera stepped forward with the necklace and put in on my neck. I instantly felt myself being connected to it. My torso glowed and suddenly an armor enveloped me. My hands had Vambraces on.

The armor fit me almost like a second skin. It hardly weighted anything but I could tell that it was a heavy duty armor... and yet it was like the water- able to take the shape of the container and move with it... or in this case, the wearer of the armor ensuring complete flexibility. It had a deep connection to the sea and a connection to the Hearth as well.

Around my waist were ten sheathed throwing knives.

Hestia conjured a mirror for me as I started looking at the armor to get a better view of it.

The armor was a piece of art. It looked like it was made of steel and had designs on it with gold and bronze. It looked stylish and awesome with all those armor plates and the design running at the center. (AN: Think of Thor's armor in MCU in metallic grey with gold and bronze designs) Also, it emphasized my muscular figure The ten handles of the throwing knife looked like a belt around my waist. My vambraces fitted well with the outfit. The top of the vambrace, for some reason, extended to cover a part of the back of my hand too but when I moved my hands it didn't restrict my movements.

"This armor is made of an alloy of adamantine and Atlantean steel reinforced with celestial bronze and imperial gold. It is a heavy-duty armor which is enchanted to fit anyone who wears it and to not restrict the movements of the wearer or slow them down." Athena said. "This armor was originally designed by me and forged with the help of Poseidon by the cyclopes in Atlantis. I had thought of combining water's fluid nature with the armor to give it complete flexibility with... but, it did not work out for me properly because I had no connection to the sea. And Poseidon already had an armor forged by the elder cyclopes, so he didn't need it. The armor strengthens its durability when in or near water too." She explained.

"A few days ago, Queen Hera came to me asking about you and your fighting style. I knew that you needed an armor and suggested her about the armor you're currently wearing. So she went and took it out of the Olympus's armory and tinkered with it a bit along with aunt Hestia. I don't know what have they done exactly beyond the fact that they concealed it in a necklace form and added the vambraces." Athena finished before gesturing to the goddesses in question.

"Yes... the armor, beyond being completely unrestrictive, has the added throwing knives as you can see. Four are made of celestial bronze, two of adamantine, two of Atlantean steal, two of imperial gold and two of Olympian silver. Ten are at your waist and two celestial bronze ones are on your shoulder blades. Once you throw them, they will return to their sheathe in a few moments. Also, this armor will fasten your healing by a bit due to the power of the hearth. Only a little, mind you, but it will be enough to stabilize most injuries till medical help arrives." Hera said.

That was cool. Seriously cool.

"The armor will be nearly impenetrable by normal weapons when you're at the sea. If the armor is damaged, you just have to put it in boiling water and it will repair itself. Those are the main abilities of the armor and yes, it is insulated against electric attacks and heat to a certain level too. It won't stop a huge bolt of lightning but smaller bolts would be easily stopped... oh and yeah, the armor can be concealed in the form of the necklace as you saw and will appear when you will it or tap the necklace twice. And the chain can be now moved or removed only by you so you don't need to worry about an enemy using the chain to strangle you."

"Wise." Athena said in agreement. Hera shot her a look which likely said, 'Kid, I am older than you. You may be the goddess of wisdom but I am the Queen. What else did you expect?'

"The vambraces on the other hand are insulated too and have a concealed weapon in addition. Clench your fist and will to bring out the weapon." Hestia said.

I held my hand in front of me and did as Hestia had instructed. From the part covering the back of my hand, claws sprung out... Echidna's unbreakable claws made of pure celestial bronze and half feet in length. It looked like Wolverine from the Marvel comics.

"Whoa. Cool." I said. The three goddesses smiled at me.

#Hera has pulled out all stops to give you this. This was meant to be an armor for an Olympian god. And she gave it to you as a gift. Of course, saving her from such a horrid fate does make you eligible for such a gift and her favor. She will support you when you need it Perseus. So will Athena. I think this is the first time that Olympus has come together to support a single hero. Perseus, Theseus and Heracles were favored by a couple of gods but not at the level you are. You're favored by Athena, Ares, Hera and Hades Percy. Of course, Hestia and your father come in the equation without saying.# Alexander said.

"I am glad you like it Perseus." Hera said with a relieved smile which had a hint of smugness in it. "The armor will grow with you so you don't need to worry about outgrowing it."

"Yes, yes I loved it. But, are you sure that—"

"—you deserve such an armor? Yes I am sure Perseus. This armor will serve you well and protect you in battles. Practice in it and get used to the feeling. I will take my leave now as you've training to do with Athena. Stay safe young Hero." Hera said and walked out of the Arena.

"I will meet you in my palace Percy when you come for lunch. Take care. Bye!" Hestia said and dissolved in a flash of flames.

I turned to see Athena looking at me with her usual calculative-stormy gray eyes.

"The hothead can't make it today. He has got some work to do. It is just two of us for today." Athena said and I nodded. "So, you start your pushups and talk to me. Oh, and keep the armor on for now."

I nodded and started the pushups as Athena conjured a chair and sat near me before snapping her fingers.

#Privacy barrier.#

"So Perseus, how are things at the camp?" She asked.

"Good. I visited three weeks ago and stayed a night. Mr. D is still the same grumpy man. Chiron is Chiron- the same as always. The campers are a few. Two from Ares cabin, three in Demeter, Malcom in your cabin, Apollo has four campers while Hermes has eight and the Hephaestus cabin has three and four in Aphrodite. The rest have gone home or perhaps..." I trailed off not wishing to say that they had joined Kronos.

Athena nodded in understanding.

"Has my daughter contacted you?"

"She did write me a letter saying that things are mending with her family but Luke's betrayal has hit her hard."

Athena nodded sadly. "And what about the Demeter's kid you rescued? You talk about her so much."

"Ah, Liza... she is not adjusting very well to the camp. She has no kids of her age and she misses her dad. I IM her every other day but, still she is struggling to adjust."

"Hmmm... There is nothing I can do about that. On another note, do you have any intel about who could be a spy in the camp Perseus?"

"None. As we are speaking about the enemy, What happened to Heracles? You must've got something from the pathetic excuse of a hero." I said.

Athena winced and her eyes turned stormier. "We couldn't. When my father came to know of what he did... He was furious and straight away used his master bolt on him before we could question him. He got an earful from several gods that day for doing that but, the fact remains that Heracles is no more."

"He... faded?" I asked cautiously.

"No. But, he may fade soon considering that his powers were cut off when his mortal form disintegrated. If he can make it... it will take a few centuries for him to reform in Tartarus and then he has to journey back to the mortal realm."

"Damn. So we didn't get anything by capturing him due to your father's temper."

"Yeah... but don't let him hear you say that. He has already heard a lot from the council and me in particular." Athena said with a grin.

I just chuckled and started the pull ups.

"Perseus... I wanted to ask you to start training the campers. Atleast give them basic lessons and take a few under your wing... those whom you would trust or have enough confidence that they would follow you in battle."

"You mean that I should select a few and give them special attention and training."

"Yes. You are capable to lead a war but you still need people who would lead the smaller troops. You cannot be everywhere."

#See, even Athena is comparing you to the General and that is why she expects you to lead the war.#

"Respectfully lady Athena, I would say that there are only two fighters currently in the camp whom I would trust to lead to lead a group in a war and they are Annabeth and Clarisse. To simply put it, no one else is capable enough to do so except for them. What do you expect me to do?"

"Take them under your wing. Start training with them. Two are good to start. And let us be honest here. You would lead about a hundred or so fighters. How many subordinates would you need? Around 5 or six at the maximum Perseus."

She had a point... as always. So I just nodded and got up before dusting my hands. I had just performed crunches with my new armor on. It was a little weird to do it in armor but, I hardly felt the difference. The armor was so flexible.

"What do we do now? Sword, trident, all-out fight... which one?" I asked.

"All out fight. But, no powers to be used." Athena said as her own armor, helmet, spear and Aegis appeared on her.

"You never permit the usage of powers." I said willing the storm rider in my hand in sword form and the helm appeared on my head.

"I am teaching you combat Perseus. Not how to use your powers in combat. We will cover that soon after you are sufficiently proficient in combat. Or else you will start relying on your powers than skills."

"And you don't want to loose your winning streak against me." I added cheekily.

Athena just rolled her eyes in amusement before charging at me and we engaged in a fight.

---

"Come on Clarisse. You can do better than that!" I shouted at the girl in front of me as she jumped to her feet with her new electric spear that I had gifted her after I had returned from my quest.

I had found the electric spear in the loot I made from Lotus Hotel and Casino. Actually, there were a dozen electric spears out of which I had given one to Clarisse as an apology for breaking her spear in the capture of the flag game. The loot actually had some very interesting things: Electric spears, boomerang knives, missile launchers (with Greek fire missiles), Greek fire hand-Grenades, collapsible Bows, sonic arrows, fart arrows, smoke arrows, guns and rifles of all types in both mortal and the demigod variety, fire whips, several vials of Greek fire, War hammers, Axes, crossbows, bullet and arrow proof vests, standard shields, and some other standard weapons like swords, spears, daggers, knives etc.

Out of these, I had only taken a Handgun (with unlimited celestial bronze bullets) for me, and donated a majority of the standard weapons to the camp and given an electric spear to Clarisse.

After that, Clarisse had been much more civil in our interactions. I wouldn't go as far as calling her a good friend but, she was atleast above the level of an acquaintance.

I was yet to use the handgun outside practice though. It wasn't of much use against monsters though beyond the weaker variety. If he did a headshot, he could kill lesser monsters like harpies, cyclopes, dracaena etc. Nothing fancy though. It was just for emergency for now and the fact that I felt that it was cool.

Currently, I was in Camp Half Blood. It was my second day back here and I was staying for three more days before returning home on Christmas eve. I had vacation in school and had decided to spend the first five days at the camp and the rest with my mom at home.

I disarmed Clarisse with ease before holding my riptide at her neck.

"I yield." Clarisse said with a sigh before stepping back.

"You are projecting your moves Clarisse. Don't do that. Try to be more discreet. And use both end of the spears." She nodded and compiled as I started teaching her how it was done.

"Hey you! Wake Up!" A voice called.

I immediately shot up from my bed and my storm rider appeared in my hands. I looked around the room I was sleeping in and saw that a merman with two tails was floating in the air.

#Triton. What the fuck does he want at 3.30 AM in the morning?# Alexander groaned in my head.

"So you're up. Good." Triton muttered

"Brother." I greeted. "Not that I am not pleased to see you but, why are you calling me at this ungodly hour of the morning?" I asked politely even though that was not how I felt.

"Father has some work for you. Meet me on the beach at 7.00 AM sharp brat. And be ready." With that, Triton swiped his hand through the message, disconnecting it.

'What the hell does he want from me?' I groaned in my head.

#Your father does. He probably has a task for you. Triton is just acting as a messenger for Poseidon. He is the messenger of the sea after all along with his domains as the god of water vessels, mermen and depths.#

'Yeah... right. What does he mean by being ready?'

#Probably telling you to come dress appropriately for a fight.#

'If Triton attacks me, I will be pissed.'

#He won't. Unless he wishes Poseidon to punish him and bear his rage, he won't attack you. Sleep Percy. Don't worry. I am with you.#

'Alright. Wake me up at 6.30.'

#What do you think I am? An alarm clock?#

'Just the god of time dear. Now lemme sleep.' I said cheekily and went to sleep.

At five minutes to seven, I found myself on the beach, watching the sunrise and breathing in the scent of the ocean. It was a refreshing experience. I would be totally at ease here but, Triton was about to come.

I was already wearing my armor which shined as the sun rose. My trident was in my hand as I waited for my half brother to arrive.

At 7 AM sharp, the waves rose and swirled before a man exited the water. He was wearing a Hawaii shirt with coconut patterns and khaki colored cargo pants. In his had was a trident with a conch shell hanging from it. His symbol of power.

"Brother."

He looked at me with a neutral expression. "Jackson. Father has a task for you. Lady Artemis has called an favor from him. You need to go and meet her near the Lake named Solitude in East-Tawas city near the Tawas bay. She needs help with something. Take this letter and I have your ride." Triton said handing me the letter and whistling loudly. A few seconds later, I could see a figure coming from the sky towards us.

"What does she want?" I asked accepting the letter.

"She will tell you that herself. Don't mess this up brat. Father has put his trust in you to fulfil a favor on behalf of house Poseidon. And yes, I have another task for you. Take this and give it to Atlanta, my daughter. She is a hunter under Artemis. Tell her that it is a gift from me." He said handing me a hair pin as a Pegasus landed in front of me. "He will take you to the place the hunt is camping. I wish you luck. Do not disappoint me or be turned into a jackalope." Triton snickered and disappeared in sea mist.

'Well... he was a talkative person' I sighed.

#Don't worry about him Percy. he was always a grumpy guy. But, you should get going. Artemis will not like it if you're late because you stood thinking about your fate. And don't worry. She won't do anything to you unless you do something. And even if she does it, what am I here for? But, get going.#

---

Two and a half hours later I arrived near the hunter encampment. Flying on a Pegasus was a new experience and so was eating breakfast while flying. The Pegasus dropped me a mile away from the encampment saying that he didn't wish to be shot at by the hunters and told me to whistle once my work was over and he would arrive to pick me up.

I gave him a donut and walked ahead towards the Hunters' camp.

My armor appeared on my Torso and the Vambraces on my arms. I took out the letter and held it in my left hand as I walked in the direction of the camp I had seen from the air. I was on guard for flying arrows from the virgin man-hating ladies and traps the huntresses had laid in the area.

I was walking with confident steps towards the hunt. I hadn't taken out my riptide or the storm-rider yet. I didn't wish to appear hostile.

I walked around a bear trap and continued walking ahead till I saw an arrow heading in my direction. My senses didn't tingle, indicating that the arrow wasn't going to hit me.

The silver arrow did indeed land a couple of feet ahead of me and embedded itself in the ground. I raised my hands showing that I was unarmed.

Immediately four girls in silver parkas moved from the trees and stood in front of me with their arrows pointed straight at my neck.

"What do you want boy?" A girl spat.

"I am here on behalf of Lord Poseidon, my father. I have a letter from him. I wish to meet Lady Artemis." I said calmly, unfazed by the arrows being pointed in my direction. "If you'd be so kind to take me to her or atleast inform her that I am here... it did be a great help."

The four huntresses shared a look before one of them stepped forward and extended her hand. "Give the letter here boy." She said.

I handed her the letter and she took it to the camp as I waited there leaning against a tree. None of the three girls lowered their bows in the meantime and kept their bows pointed at me.

Five minutes later, the girl who had gone with the letter returned followed by two other girls. One was a tall and graceful girl with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess. She looked about fifteen or sixteen.

The other one looked my age. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was so beautiful it made me catch my breath, but her expression was emotionless. She was undoubtably the most beautiful girl I had seen in my life. She moved like a princess and a predator at the same time.

#Artemis. The goddess of the moon, hunt, maidens, wildlife, archery and childbirth. And I see you got a crush on her. But, gather yourself. I am protecting your mind from being read but not if you blush.#

I stood up straight as she walked towards me. I bowed before looking straight into her silver eyes.

"Lady Artemis. Percy Jackson at your service." I greeted

"Percy Jackson. I see your father did indeed choose you. And you came." Artemis said. Her tone was soft and yet, commanding. She demanded respect.

"What task do you have for me Lady Artemis?" I asked respectfully.

"You do not know?" Artemis asked.

"All my information about the reason for coming here included an 10 second long Iris message at 3 AM in the morning telling me to meet Triton on the beach at 7 AM followed by my grumpy half brother telling me that you called a favor from my father and the location where you were. He gave me the letter and a Pegasus with another task to give his daughter Atlanta this hair pin." I said showing her the hair pin.

Artemis looked at the girl who had gone to inform her that I had come. Suddenly a hologram of a conch shell appeared above her head. Triton had just claimed her.

She looked at Artemis.

"Atlanta the daughter of the messenger of the sea and the god of water vessels, mermen and depths. Accept his gift to you."

She stepped forward and accepted the hairpin.

"What is this?" She asked cautiously taking the hairpin from me.

"I don't know exactly but, if I had to guess then I would say that it is a weapon." I replied. She nodded and went back to where she was standing.

I turned to the goddess in front of me who was looking at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"The task you have for me... ma'am." I added at the last moment. It did feel weird to call a beautiful girl who was my age, ma'am.

"Come with me Percy Jackson. I will instruct you what you've to do." She said before turning on her heel and marching back to the camp. I followed her to the camp the hunters were staying in. I could feel about a score of girls around the camp with my senses not including Artemis. There were fifteen large tents, all of silver silk, curved in a crescent around one side of a bonfire. A tent among them had the plus sign on it like those in hospitals. One had chimneys with smoke rising from it. Some had names written on them.

Also, There were wolves circling the camp.

Some of the girls shot me suspicious looks but did nothing as I followed Artemis and the Persian princess. They led me to the last tent, which looked no different from the others except it had Artemis's symbol on both sides of the tent.

The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. The goddess sat down on the floor.

Behind the goddess, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and several others I didn't recognize. I figured an animal rights activist would've had a heart attack looking at all those rare skins, but since Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, she could replenish whatever she shot. I thought she had another animal pelt lying next to her where she had sat down, and then I realized it was a live animal—a deer with glittering fur and silver horns It laid its head on Artemis's lap and rested on it.

"Is that your sacred hind?" I asked. The deer raised its head to acknowledge me as Artemis nodded.

"She is cute." I said awkwardly, not wanting to offend the deer.

A flicker of a smile played across Artemis's lips. "Join us, Percy Jackson," the goddess said.

I sat across from her on the tent floor. The goddess studied me, which made me uncomfortable.

"Are you surprised by my age?" she asked.

"Not exactly. When I first saw Aunt Hestia, she was in her eight year old form. I actually thought she was a kid in the camp who was tending to the Hearth before she told me who she was."

She nodded. "You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis said. "It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp…" She looked at the girl wearing the tiara. "Which one was it Zoe?"

"That boy in Colorado," Zoe said. "You turned him into a jackalope."

"Ah, yes." Artemis nodded, satisfied. "I enjoy making jackalopes."

I showed no reaction. She was trying to intimidate me but I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

#She won't touch you unless she wishes for her hunt to be drowned or burned. You fall under the protection of both Poseidon and Hestia directly. While Hera, Hades, Athena and Ares favor you. You're very important for Olympus. She wouldn't dare to lay a hand on you unless you do something.#

I gave Alexander a mental nod and just waited for Artemis to continue with a neutral expression on my face.

"...At any rate, I called a favor from Poseidon. We are currently hunting a sea monster which is currently in the Tawas Bay."

"You want me to kill it?" I finally asked breaking my brief silence.

"No. What would be the use of the hunt if you kill the monster?" She questioned back.

"Fair enough. Then what do you wish me to do? Control the water to subdue the monster?"

"Not exactly. The monster is hiding in the depths of the ocean. I want you to draw it to the shore where we can kill it."

"You wish me to be a bait?" I asked cautiously.

"No. A bait is helpless. You will be armed. And in your home turf. So you aren't a bait." Artemis said but I could see the amusement in her beautiful silver doe eyes.

"Well, which sea monster am I to bring to you Lady Artemis?"

"I am afraid that if I tell you its name, you may back out." She stated.

I raised my eyebrows and waited.

She sighed before looking at me straight in the eye and said, "The Cetus Aethionius. Your namesake slew it with several other of his companions."

#Perseus killed that one using Medusa's head to stun it and using a hell lot of ballista and Greek fire to blow it to pieces. He had the help of a crew of people with him while doing so.# Alexander supplied a little unhelpfully as I already remembered it.

"I sacrificed Medusa's head to Lord Hades... if that is what you want."

"No. I am sure my huntresses are capable enough to kill it if you bring it to the shore and help us out a little by controlling the water to keep it controlled a little. Medusa's head would have been a great help if you hadn't slain it months ago. Now the head won't have its power any longer even if you had it. But, your job is to bring the Cetus Aethionius to the shore by any means possible so that we can kill it."

#You can use ice spikes. You will be in water and have no shortage of energy or the water needed to create the ice. The task will become much more easier with you channeling you power through the storm rider. But, since Artemis wants to kill it, you need to make sure that the injury is to subdue it rather than kill it. Subdue it in water and than push it with the tide till you arrive at the shore. #

I had combined my powers from my dad and Hestia to freeze water and give it shape a few months ago. After a few tries, I had successfully shot a blunt ice spike from my trident. Since then, I had spent time in mastering the art of cyrokinesis. I could now shoot ice spikes at will and make chains of ice and ice weapons out of water. They weren't that durable but worked well enough.

'Alright.'

"Okay. I would request you and your huntresses to stand atleast seventy or so yards away from the water till I bring the Cetus to the shore properly."

"Why?" The girl who looked like a Persian princess named Zoe asked. She was sitting cross legged to the right of Artemis, signifying that she was Artemis's right hand woman. Her lieutenant.

"Because I don't think you all would appreciate being doused by the sea water due to the tide that would come with it. Unless a huntress is a direct descendant of a sea deity, I would advise you to stand seventy to eighty yards away from the ocean and shoot only once the monster is outside the water. The monster in question is like a 100 meters long and as wide as two school buses put together. A lot of water is going to come out with it when I bring it to the shore and it will hinder your opening attack if you're too close."

"Fair enough." Artemis agreed and I nodded.

"When do you plan to attack?"

"We will leave in a few minutes. Zoe, notify everyone that we're breaking camp soon." The girl in question nodded and ran out of the tent leaving me and the goddess alone.

"So, Percy, I have heard a lot about you in the past few months." Artemis said conversationally.

"All good things I hope." I said with a smile.

"Is it true that you defeated Echidna and the Chimera at the St. Louis arch?"

"Yes it is." I said with a sigh. Just how many people were going to ask me that?

#Perhaps every single god you will meet. A twelve-year old killing the mother of monsters in battle is no small deal Perseus. Echidna can survive direct hits from gods and their symbols of power. You punched her about two dozen times before you snapped her neck. Believe it or not, you had put enough power in them to level the whole of New York itself.#

"How did you do it? Last time it was the hunt who killed her and it took several hits from my godly bow to kill her." Artemis said gesturing to a pelt that had been displayed in the center with claws hung next to it.

They were the same as I had.

"I punched her to death using my Earth-shaker powers. I crushed her skull and broke her neck." I said, as I made claws sprout from the left vambrace.

Artemis's hand immediately went to her waist before she realized what I was showing her. She extended her hand and touched a claw before nodding.

"Nice use of the claws." She commented.

"This is a gift from Queen Hera... it was her idea... probably. Not mine. This armor and these vambraces are a gift from her."

"For saving her from the scum, Heracles?"

"Yes."

I felt someone approach the entrance of the and looked there. The lieutenant, Zoe poked her head in and said, "Milady, the girls are ready. At your command we shall break camp."

Artemis gave her a nod before turning to me. "Come Percy. Let us go outside. We will leave once the girls pack up."

I stood up from the floor and followed Artemis outside where several girls in silver parkas were rushing around, packing things up. I watched in awe as within minutes, there was no trace that they had camped here save the bonfire which had just been extinguished. In less than five minutes, the girls had packed up and were ready to move.

"They all have several decades of practice doing this." Artemis said beside me as if reading my mind. "We can pack up or set up a camp in one and a half minute if needed. Today they are doing it at a much more sedate pace."

"That is impressive." I praised and Artemis beamed.

"My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. I train them myself once they swear loyalty to me. They also become immortal… unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."

"The oath of maidenhood?"

"Yes. To foreswear romantic love forever," Artemis said. "To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally. Of course, I let them leave and free them of their oath if they inform me of their wishes before violating the oath... I don't take a broken oath lightly under any circumstances." She added.

"Whom all do you recruit? Because those two are nature spirits." I said pointing at two girls who were standing to a side with their backpacks at their feet.

"How do you know that?" Artemis asked sharply.

"I can feel it. They feel different than Half-bloods. Growing up... I was always extra aware of my surroundings. I can tell where people in a room are without looking into the said room... Even now I can tell that a girl, who is a half-blood, is perched on that tree with her arrow pointed straight at my head." I said gesturing to a tree at my 7'o'clock without looking in that direction.

The goddess' eyes widened before she shouted "WAIT NO!"

The girl on the tree had released the arrow which shot at me with an impressive speed which was much faster than the arrows the Apollo kids shot at the camp. But, I just caught the arrow with my left hand inches before it hit my head while still looking straight at Artemis's face.

I could see the shock and rage in her eyes. Shock at me effortlessly catching the arrow without even looking and rage at the girl who had shot at me.

"PHOEBE! GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" Artemis shouted looking at the tree where her huntress was perched. The girl immediately jumped down the tree and hurried to where we were standing before kneeling.

"Why did you shoot!?" Artemis questioned her huntress, anger evident in her tone. All the hunters had gathered to witness what was happening. Some were shooting filthy looks at me as if had done a great crime by being a guy.

The girl, Phoebe, said nothing and just gulped.

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "So you weren't thinking before acting... again. You have the duty of cleaning the wolf pen for the next two weeks as punishment. We do not harm guests unless provoked, regardless of their gender. You ought to remember that." She chastised her huntress before turning to me. "I apologize on behalf of Phoebe. Her actions were out of line. We do not attack guests unless necessary."

#You shouldn't hold it against them. Some of these girls have very horrid experiences with the male race especially those who lived in the older times.# Alexander told me. #And you do not need the goddess of the hunt as your enemy by offending her in any way. And you know how Ares's children are.#

"No need Lady Artemis." I said. "I do not hold it against you or even her. I understand that many of your huntresses may not have the best experiences with men... So, no need to apologize. And, for a matter of fact, I know how hot-headed the children of Ares can be." I added.

Artemis once again narrowed her eyes. "How did you know that Phoebe is a daughter of Ares? As far as I know, there is no way you can feel that. Even we gods can't."

"The family resemblance of children of Ares can always be seen Lady Artemis." I replied with a roll of my eyes and the goddess nodded in understanding after a few moments.

"Phoebe, go and stand in with Zoe." Artemis said commandingly.

Phoebe nodded as I held up her arrow. She narrowed her eyes and snatched the arrow out of my hands before going to stand with Zoe, who was at the back end of the ranks the huntress had formed.

"Huntresses! Today we are going to the Tawas bay to hunt the Cetus Aethionius. Percy here," She said gesturing to me, "was send by Lord Poseidon to help us in drawing out the Cetus to the shore as it currently resides deep in the ocean. We leave in exactly thirty seconds. Buckle up Huntresses!" Artemis commanded.

Artemis adjusted her own parka and tightened the laces on her Nike shoes.

"How are we going to reach the Tawas bay? It is still morning and your moon chariot won't work." I asked.

Artemis smirked. "We will run the way. I hope you can keep up with us and not get lost in the forest boy."

"Your concern is appreciated Lady Artemis but do not worry. I won't get lost and I am sure that I would be able to keep up."

"My huntresses run really very fast. The forests are our home while you are completely new to this as you live in a city. Don't be overconfident boy. You would regret your words."

#Show her what you can do. Don't back down. She is a huntress. She will take it as weakness Percy.#

I just crinkled my neck in response showing that I accepted her challenge.

"Very well. You are running with me in the front. If you fall behind, we aren't waiting for you." She said.

"No problem ma'am."

"Huntresses, on the count of three, we will run full speed towards the Tawas bay. Let us see if the boy can keep up." Artemis said with a smirk and a few huntresses snickered.

Well, time to show them the power of Percy Jackson.

"Three... two... one..." Artemis said before blowing a horn. We all started running. I nearly fell back before picking up speed to keep up with Artemis. The huntresses were running at about 50 miles an hour through the flora around without stopping. They ran by pumping divine energy in their legs like I did while running at high speeds. Artemis had trained her huntresses brilliantly. I could completely see why The Hunters of Artemis were Olympus's most efficient and important force.

They moved in complete harmony while barely making a noise. My movements were silent only due to the enchanted shoes I was wearing.

In a minute, I was running comfortably through the undergrowth without stumbling a single bit and keeping up with Artemis. The goddess in question kept shooting glances at me to see if I was slowing down. I could see that she was a bit shocked and impressed that I could actually keep up. A few seconds later, she started taking turns and changing the path instead of running in a straight direction.

The huntresses didn't look surprised to see this though. Either they had planned this for me or it was some sort of deception trick they followed to cover their tracks.

#It is the latter Percy. Artemis, contrary to popular belief, doesn't hate men. Just is wary and distrustful of them more than normal females. She doesn't convert men into animals unless they are misbehaving or have done something wrong. If the offense is not that big, the conversion takes place only for a few hours or days before it reverses itself. She is just labeled as a man-hater because she punishes men for offenses against women while no one else does that exclusively. Yes, some of her Hunters do hate men due to past experiences with them especially some of those from the older times.#

But, the turns were turning boring. So, I started humming a song which I had heard somewhere during my quest just to pass time. Now, I was not the best singer or hummer around but, I did play guitar very well.

To my great surprise, Artemis shot me a smile (or was it a smirk) and started humming with me.

Of course she appreciated music. She was the sister of the god of music. And she had a melodious voice... unlike me.

---

Five minutes later, we reached near the sea and Artemis blew a horn, signaling the huntresses to stop.

"Gather around. Okay. Percy, you go and bring the Cetus to the shore. We will be 70 yards away from the ocean as you asked. As soon as you arrive, we will also move forward before beginning our work. You try to keep the beast subdued the best you can and make sure that you aren't in the direct line of fire. If you die by coming in the line of fire and Poseidon retaliates, I will resurrect you just to kill you properly. Am I understood?"

I just nodded, despite knowing very well that except for Artemis and Apollo, no archer could shoot normal arrows with enough power to penetrate my armor especially when I was in water.

I hurried towards the ocean and swam deeper into the turf, immediately going under the water

#Ask the sea creatures for direction.#

'I know. But to get anything concrete I need to go a little deeper.'

I swam for nearly three nautical miles, asking for directions from fishes and other sea creatures before I arrived at the place near where the Cetus was residing. I was more than one mile under the surface. The pressure was exactly 2354 pounds per square inch here. A normal demigod would have been crushed under the pressure but for me, it hardly even mattered.

Then, I saw the Cetus, which was sleeping. It looked almost like the myths described except some ten times more scarier. It had thick scales and its head was a cross between a snake and a dragon. It was about 110 yards long and as thick as a bus and an eighteen wheeler put together. The most scary part were the spikes on its neck and tail end.

#How do you plan to gain it attention?#

'Poke it in the eye?'

#It won't damage the eye but would be enough to wake it up. Use an ice spike though. Prepare yourself before you do it.#

I nodded and positioned myself properly to hit and run. The storm-rider appeared in my hands in trident form and the warrior's helm appeared on my head as I positioned myself.

I took aim and shot an ice-spike as big and thick as my leg at the Cetus's left eye. The Cetus immediately reared up and grunted loudly releasing a lot of bubbles or air. It opened its big, bright yellow eyes and saw the first thing in its eyeline: Me.

It roared in anger and raised itself before lunging forward to gobble me up. But, I was faster. I shot straight up towards the surface of the ocean as the Cetus crashed into a underwater cliff, destroying the top part of the structure. It roared in pain before rearing up and following me straight towards the surface. I started shooting more spikes of varying sizes behind me without looking behind.

I broke through the surface and immediately willed a huge wave to carry me towards the shore. The Cetus broke out of the surface as I moved a safe distance away and turned to face it, my senses guiding my path towards the shore.

The Cetus shook itself flinging water in every direction. It towered at 30 meters above the water surface as compared to my barely 10 meters height above the surface with the wave included. I saw it had a few ice-spikes embedded in its body. It roared at me again as I shot a dozen spikes at the Cetus's body out of which eight broke to pieces as it hit the monster's scales. The rest missed due to its erratic movements.

#Aim for the chinks in its hide and its eye!# Alexander yelled in my head.

I did as he said and shot a spike as big as two baseball bats straight at a the little exposed flesh I could see and its eyes. The one aimed at the torso hit true and the Cetus roared in pain. The two aimed at its eyes shattered as the Cetus turned its head sideways and the spikes hit the scales though.

The Cetus lunged at me but I effortlessly dodged the strike before firing a few more spikes at the Cetus's Torso and eyes. Two spikes hit the torso but the monster hardly flinched. The monster instantly lunged at me giving me a little time to dodge. So, I used the wave to launch myself straight up in the air before landing on its head by channeling the Earth-shaker power in my legs. I immediately jumped back into the sea, using a huge wave to move myself as the Cetus swayed a bit and shook itself before roaring at me.

I conjured the biggest ball made of Greek fire in my hands as I could, which was the size of a soccer ball, before launching it straight on the Cetus's ugly face and I started propelling myself straight towards the shore instead of attacking the Sea Monster as it roared in pain. It followed me without stopping, hell bent on killing me now that I had pissed it off completely.

I thanked the gods that I was in the sea because, if I wasn't, I would've been the Cetus's Lunch by now. But, I also realized that I needed to do something more to daze it enough for those girls to kill it easily. Or else, they might be overwhelmed due to the sheer size and speed of the Cetus.

Perseus the original, had needed some thirty people with a lot of fire power to slay it.

I had a goddess and some twenty world class archers with me. And no proper firepower handy enough to blow it to pieces. I seriously doubted that the gun I had would even qualify as a pinprick for the Cetus. My Greek fire hardly had any effect on it. Same for my Earth-shaker powers. A double-legged kick powerful enough to level the whole of Tawas and surrounding areas had hardly fazed it. Its scales may as well be made of Titanium. I needed something huge... Now, I had only had one power left to use on the Cetus.

I concentrated and huge storm clouds started gathering in the sky. Winds started blowing faster.

I threw several fire balls made of normal fire at the Cetus to distract it. I was about one Nautical mile away from the shore. I would reach the shore in one minute tops.

#Wait for forty to forty-five seconds before hitting him with the bolt of lightning. The momentum will carry it forward to the shore if it is near enough. Summoning the lightning takes a lot out of you. The sea will help a bit though with the energy and so will I. Start gathering the lightning. About thirty seconds to go. Hit it on my mark.#

I started putting distance between myself and the Cetus as it followed me, utterly pissed off.

When the Cetus was about 150 yards away from the shore, Alexander gave the signal and I released the lightning which immediately impacted the Cetus's head which was forty meters above the water and the tallest object in the vicinity.

It worked as the Cetus completely lost it's balance and fell forward, its momentum carrying it towards the shore before It crashed on the hard ground with a huge wave of sea water crashing onto the beach.

The hunters started closing in as I made three huge, thick chains of ice to trap the Cetus, restricting its movement especially its head. The Cetus was dazed as the Huntresses started raining down arrows on it.

The thing was, the arrows were glowing silver as they soared towards the trapped sea monster. And, the hunters shot about two or three arrows in a second. Their speed was mind boggling.

Their goddess was another thing in herself. She looked even more beautiful as she shot arrows at the speed of a machine gun. Artemis shot 10 Arrows at the Cetus in a single second and each of the arrow found the flesh of the Cetus. Deadly and beautiful.

#Those are the arrows blessed by Artemis for the hunt. They are made for hunting monsters and have much more effect on monsters and animals than normal arrows. And, stop crushing on Artemis Percy and help her out.#

'Shut up.' I grumbled in my head before setting my trident on fire and plunged it in the Cetus's flesh just as Artemis put her bow aside and drew her knives which too were glowing with silver light.

Five minutes later, the Cetus breathed its last and burst into monster dust. I stumbled back and had to use my trident to stabilize myself. Alexander started feeding me energy to keep me up and prevent me from passing out.

The girls on the other hand cheered and regrouped together. The tent with the red plus sign was set up within seconds and whoever had sustained a injury of some sort was treated while the others cleaned up and picked the spoils.

Artemis, after inquiring for her hunters' health came to me.

"Thank you Percy for your help. Zoe, the spoils please." She said and the girl with the tiara came forward with huge scales, a skull and several spikes in her hands. She must have good strength and balance to hold those things single-handedly.

"Choose whatever you want from these spoils. You've as much as a claim to these as we do." Artemis said gesturing to the pile.

I took two smaller pieces of scales from the pile and two spikes and a tooth. I set a small fire on the ground and threw the tooth in the fire.

"To Artemis." I intoned. Then I put the first piece of scales and sacrificed it to Hera and a spike to Poseidon, Hestia, Ares and Athena in one.

At the end, I put a piece of the scales and a two feet long spike in my bag.

Artemis nodded before smiling at me. "Thank you for your help Percy... You may leave now."

"Um... Lady Artemis, I have a few questions about the hunt before I leave... Like do you give these girls a family... right?"

Artemis looked at Zoe who was standing beside her. "Yes. The hunt is a family in its own. We call each other sisters." Zoe answered.

"And you let any maiden join?"

"Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals—" Zoe said but Artemis interrupted her.

"But, I do tend to avoid mortal girls from joining because they aren't as... enhanced as half-bloods and nature spirits due to the lack of divine blood. It greatly pains to see when one of my huntress falls in battle... I weave a protection spell on them instead to save them when they're in danger. Why are you asking this Percy? Do you wish to join? I can always convert you to a girl and let you join. You have the makings of a great hunter. You just have to be female to join which I can do with a snap of my fingers."

Beside her, Zoe got an interested gleam in her eyes on the prospect of welcoming a new huntress that too one as skilled as himself. It wasn't new for Artemis to convert males into females and let them join the hunt. Sipriotes was an example. He had seen Artemis bathing by mistake and begged for her forgiveness and even offered his services to her to compensate for the mistake. Artemis gave him the same offer and turned him into a female and let Sipriotes join the hunt.

"I appreciate the offer very much and will keep it in mind for the future Lady Artemis. But unfortunately, as of now, I have no desire to join the hunt."

"Shame. You have the makings of a great huntress. I propose that you should try to feel the female form once before you decide. If you say no, I will turn you back. You have my word."

"Lady Artemis... while I have no doubt I would make a radiant, beautiful girl, I am not inquiring this for myself but rather for someone I consider as my sister."

"And who is that Percy?"

"Her name's Liza Cooper. She's a daughter of Demeter and is six years old... almost seven now. She lost her dad a few months ago and on his death bed he told her about what she was. I found her surrounded by a few monsters and rescued her on my way back to the camp after delivering your dad's bolt." Thunder rumbled in the sky at that mention.

Drama queen.

"Was she ever... abused? Is that why you wish for her to join the hunt?" Artemis asked.

"No. The reason I am asking is because she isn't adjusting well to the camp. She has no one of her age as she is too young and most of the year rounders are in their mid teens being twice her age. I am not always around because I am staying with my mother. She is lonely at the camp. Today I saw your hunt... I thought that if she joins the hunt then she may find a place to belong. The problem is that she is only six years old."

"I don't have a problem. She just won't receive the immortality part of the blessing till she turns about thirteen. It is done to ensure that she has a proper body structure to handle weapons and hunt monsters. If she agrees, I will let her join the hunt."

"Nice, I can bring her here if you—"

"Come, I will flash both of us to the camp. We will talk with her. If she agrees, I will take her from there straight to my hunt."

"Alright." I agreed. "No problem."

"Excellent. Take your bag Percy. Zoe, you're in charge till I return, hopefully with a new sister." She ordered.

"Yes Artemis. We will set a temporary camp near here till you return." Zoe replied before taking the spoils and rushing to where the girls were gathered.

Artemis turned back to me. "Are you ready? Hold my hand and close your eyes."

"W-what?" I sputtered.

"I am going to flash us to the camp. And no, I am not turning you to a jackelope because you hold my hand on my command." She added with an amused smirk.

I gingerly took her hand which she held tightly and closed my eyes just before I felt my body being reduced to atoms and being reformed in an instant. I kept myself from puking and opened my eyes and saw that we were at the hill-top near Thalia Grace's pine tree.

I let go of Artemis's hand and stepped into the camp borders with her.

"Welcome to camp half-blood Lady Artemis." I said dramatically.

There were only a few Satyrs around at this time of the day. I could see a couple of campers near the Forge and the archery range but that was it. Chiron and Mr. D were nowhere to be seen. Mr. D was probably sleeping.

"Thank you. Just lead me to the girl you're talking about. I do not want to attract attention."

I nodded and led her to the Demeter cabin and knocked on the door which was designed with engravings of plant and in the center was Demeter's symbol.

The door opened and I saw a sleepy Liza come out before she saw me.

"BIG BROTHER!" She shouted and hugged me. "Where were you? Chiron said you were called. You didn't tell me you were going."

"I was called for a little task. I am back now. And as for why I didn't tell you... you were asleep kid." I said ruffling her head.

She scowled cutely and slapped my hand away before.

"Um... Liza, let me introduce you to Lady Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Wilderness, Archery ,Moon, Maidens and Childbirth."

Liza immediately bowed to her.

"No need to bow young maiden. I am here to give you an offer on the request of Percy here." Artemis said before launching into an explanation for the hunt. Liza heard everything carefully before looking at me for guidance.

I patted her head. "You have to decide it Liza. If you join the hunt, you will get a family and new friends. Here you don't have anyone with you."

"But I will have to leave you big brother." She said, her eyes tearing up.

"Hey... I will IM you like I already do. I will even send blue-cookies with Hermes mail!" I said, trying to cheer her up.

"Promise?"

"Promise kid." I said, spreading the Hearth's aura to reassure her.

She looked at Artemis and nodded.

"Excellent. Pack your things young one. I will wait for you here." Artemis said and Liza nodded and ran to get whatever little she had, majority of which was a gift from me.

I turned to Artemis. "Take care of her Lady Artemis."

"I will." She said looking in my eyes with a promise.

I just nodded and we waited for Liza.

Soon, with the last hug, Artemis left with Liza for her hunt leaving me behind on camp half-blood.

#She will be safe and happy Percy. She will find a family.# Alexander reassured as I turned back to go to my cabin.

I just nodded and went back to my cabin.

---

SethBooker408: No, Athena won't give Percy a brain-child.

AlphaFlash: The pairing is Pertemis. I am not changing that. Sorry.

.

Next chapter will be the Sea of Monsters arc.

I hope you all liked the Armor and vambraces part... I always found it a little irritating that Percy had nothing special save the riptide despite doing so much for the gods. Also, he only relied on his sword and didn't use other weapons. Here in my story, he is already using a sword, throwing knives, dagger, and most importantly a trident.

The fight with the Cetus was to show a fight with Percy using his powers rather than battle skills. And of course, to introduce Artemis.

Liza will have a little more role post the Titan's curse arc.

.

Stay Happy! Stay safe! Keep smiling! Keep reading!

HPfanfictioner66