LAST TIME

But, I couldn't deny that Annabeth's explanation made sense. It was true that lightning took the path of least resistance unless manipulated with godly powers.

So, if what Annabeth was saying was indeed the case, the bolt could potentially be manipulated by Zeus or his demigods with ease if they wanted. It could potentially be dangerous for Percy. I would need to warn him to keep it to a minimum and avoid it if facing someone with the power to manipulate lightning.

"Lady Artemis," Annabeth called, drawing my attention back to her.

"Yes?"

"I came here to ask what we should do with the bodies and the weapons?"

"Give a burial to the bodies of the demigods. Leave the mortals. They all are likely criminals or mercenaries. Collect the weapons and the trophies. And see if those canons are in working conditions or can be restored. Percy has called dibs on them already but I am sure he won't mind letting us use it till the situation is resolved or lending us a couple. Keep the guns in our armory for now. We will see if we can produce ammo for them… we likely can, considering Percy has such things." I mused.

"Yes, Lady Artemis," Annabeth said before running off.

"I will assist them and make sure everyone is alright for the next fight," Zoe said before running off as well, leaving me alone in the field as I watched everyone get to work.

I decided to sit down and regain the energy that I had used to enchant those arrows. After all, I needed to be ready for the next fight.

Ch.28 Guilt and Consolation

PERCY POV

I groaned in relief as I laid myself on a bed in the medical tent. The Ambrosia and Nectar were already working their magic, healing my muscles from the rather powerful electric shock. Perhaps it was because I was a son of Poseidon that the electricity was affecting me so badly.

#Being a son of Poseidon should not have any effect on you being hit by electricity,# Alexander said dryly. #Also, that bolt was too powerful. Had it not been for the sheer power of your storm-rider, you would have been lying unconscious right now having been knocked unconscious for days likely… or dead, considering the number of monsters that had surrounded you.#

I hummed at the information. 'Are you over exaggerating a tiny bit maybe?'

#No. Did you see what the lightning did? It eradicated around two hundred monsters and destroyed the surroundings. Rocks and the tarmac were reduced to dust. And you think I am exaggerating? Dude, even I was surprised when you summoned such a powerful lightning bolt and utilized it in such a fashion! Speaking of which… next time, before pulling such shit, consult me.#

'I was in the middle of a battle and two hundred monsters were charging at me!'

#Don't tell me that you couldn't have handled those monsters without the lightning shockwave you created.#

'It was faster and more effective.'

#And a completely stupid idea!# Alexander fumed. #Its effectiveness is not in question. Its danger to you is.#

'I am perfectly alright now,' I thought back as Liekos settled himself at the foot of my bed.

#Thanks to me. I fastened the healing speed quite a bit.#

'Thanks for that, Alexander,' I thought back.

#You're very welcome. And, next time, do not hit yourself with lightning or pull this stunt. Normal shockwaves or hit your enemy with lightning.#

'Wait, what!? It was such a cool move! And not to mention—'

#As I said before, it is not the effectiveness of the move in question but rather your health, Percy. Your body can't bear lightning like Thalia. You are not resistant or immune to it. Your body might be stronger than the other demigods and mortals but, I beg of you not to pull this one again unless absolutely necessary. I have taught you and I know you can massacre an army of monsters with nothing more than your sword in your hand.#

'Alright,' I said after a moment of hesitation. Alexander was not wrong. The move had nearly rendered me unconscious and unable to function for quite a few minutes. And that was with Ambrosia and nectar working their magic on me alongside Alexander healing me.

#Also, it is not like you don't have enough offensive abilities. Fire, water, ice, earthquakes, shockwaves, storms, and whatnot. Not to mention, the pure divine energy beams as well.#

'True.' I thought back just as the tent's flap was pushed aside and Atlanta came in, carrying her doctor's kit.

Liekos raised his head and growled, making Atlanta stop in her tracks.

"Down, boy. It is alright," I said.

The girl eyed my wolf wearily before coming to stand at my bedside.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, taking my hand and checking my pulse while keeping an eye on her wristwatch.

"Fine for now. Will be perfectly fine in a few minutes." I shrugged.

"A bit faster pulse than usual, not unexpected though," She muttered before checking my temperature by laying the back of her hand on my forehead.

"Your temperature's fine. Now, hold still," She said before laying her index finger between my eyebrows and closing her eyes. A second later, I felt a tingling sensation go through my body.

"Alright," she gasped, taking deep breaths.

"You alright?"

"Yeah… this just takes a bit of energy. I'll be fine in a minute. You keep resting. You are mostly okay, which is a bit surprising seeing what your condition was a few minutes ago, even with the ambrosia and nectar working their magic." She said before tossing me a small bar of chocolate.

"Eat that after a few minutes so your blood sugar doesn't go low and you have energy for the next fight."

"Alright doc," I saluted, making her roll her eyes before leaving the tent.

'I had no idea that the children of Apollo could do that. I knew they had an instinctive knowledge of medicine and stuff… but this…'

#If I am to guess, she is one of the more powerful children of Apollo. Apollo is one of the gods with a vast variety of domains from music to archery to healing. Each child usually inherits only one or two of them.#

'Don't tell me that they can use music as an offensive power. What are they going to do? Haiku monsters to death?' I snorted.

#Music, a magic beyond all we do here.# Alexander said serenely.

'Don't quote Dumbledore to me.'

#Alright, some children of Apollo have the ability to produce ultrasonic music that would make lower monsters around them disintegrate. They can calm a crowd, put them to sleep, instill fear and stuff by singing.#

'Really? I thought that was Pan's power!'

#Well, Apollo can do that as well… The panic you are talking about. Pan's is a bit more targeted as compared to Apollo's, which affects everyone including his allies. Pan's used to affect only the enemy. But, Apollo's is more powerful as well.#

'But we are talking of demigods…'

#I never saw them instill fear but they have done the rest.#

'Now, I am gonna pester Will and Lee the next time I see them,' I said dryly, making Alexander chuckle.

#Sure, kid. Also, I am opening and reconfiguring a bind on your Storm rider.#

'What do you mean?'

#I will be making it a bit more powerful, but opening a full-level bind might be too much at this moment. So, I will open a bind, and make a new bind, holding half the power of what the bind will release.#

'So, you are effectively opening half a bind?'

#Yes. That way, we will have a quick backup bind as well to open next time we want to.#

'What will be its effects?'

#Your attacks will be enhanced if you use your Thyella kavalaris to do it.# Alexander said, using the Greek name for my storm rider. #The attacks by it will be much more potent, especially to monsters. Usually, the unbreakability of the weapon would also be affected but, since the power was just restricted, the unbreakability won't be affected.#

'How unbreakable?' I asked. Unbreakable was not in a literal sense. With enough power, almost anything would break.

#I can't be sure but at this level, it could probably tank a mid-level, distance hit from the master bolt unless Zeus throws the master bolt itself or uses it at more than three-fourth of its power.#

'Must you compare everything to it? I have never seen the master bolt in action, dude!'

#...It could stop a hit that would potentially level Long Island. Happy?#

'And how much damage can the Masterbolt inflict at full power?'

#Full strength? If Zeus is the one who throws it, two-thirds of New York… or even maybe the whole of it will be annihilated considering the gods have prospered in power since the time of the Giant war.#

'What about my father?' I asked curiously. 'Or you?'

#Now, that depends. Zeus's destructive power can be calculated as it is more like an atom bomb. It goes ka-boom in one go. Your father's, mine, and even Hades's power are different. Hades has an army of the dead. An army whose numbers would exceed the U.S military by at least five times. Your father and I have storms. Poseidon even has tsunamis and Earthquakes along with his army in Atlantis which, while not as big as Hades, is still bigger than the whole of the U.S. military along with his council of sea gods. So… destruction will be as he wants which cannot be calculated. It will be for as long as he wants it to persist.#

'Damn… A war between the gods will end the whole mortal civilization. You all weren't kidding when describing the first quest.'

#Easily. Why do you think the gods are preferring you and Artemis to do their work, eh? Zeus can very well end an army of monsters with a single bolt without even moving from his throne. But such an act will take the war to a higher level. And it won't be without consequences. Dire consequences. So, they send you and the hunt. You might be powerful, very much so. But, if you face an enemy, a titan, the Titan is bound by the Ancient Laws and the collateral damage is limited to how much you can dish out, which, frankly is a glass of water in a bucket to what damage will be caused by two gods going all divine on each other.#

'How… bad can it be? If Zeus had fought, say… Atlas instead of me?'

#San Francisco would've been wiped off the map then. And so would be the Garden of Hesperides and Mount Tam. The whole area. Back in the first titan war, the population of mortals was nothing. Scores of miles of land were leveled even in the smallest of tussles between gods and Titans. You just leveled a stretch of more than half a mile yourself in two seconds and you aren't tired. Injured by lightning due to your foolishness, but not tired.#

'You know… this world never ceases to surprise me. I… knew gods were powerful but these numbers are baffling.'

Alexander chuckled. #Believe me, I too am surprised many times, Percy. And, even the mortal world does surprise me. The world is full of surprises. Now, let me open the bind and re-make it. Give me control.#

'Okay,' I said, before letting Alexander take over.

Alexander stretched lazily before snapping his fingers, making the storm-rider appear in front of him, floating in mid-air. He placed a hand on the hilt of the sword and boxed me out, making me unable to hear what he was saying.

A moment later, the weapon glowed and thrummed with energy before Alexander waved his hands over it, muttering something, and the glow subsided a bit before fading completely a few seconds later.

Suddenly, the voices returned.

#Here you go!# Alexander said happily.

'Why did you box me out!?'

#Because I didn't want you to hear the password and undo it yourself whenever you feel like it.#

'I won't do that!' I huffed.

#Uh-huh. No, kid. Trust me on this one. Oh, Artemis's coming. Have fun!# Saying so, he shoved me back in control of my body, nearly making me fall off the bed.

I regained my balance just as Artemis entered the tent, Thalia following her.

"How are ya feeling, kelp head?"

"Pretty decent. All healed. Even the doc gave me a clean chit of health." I shrugged.

"Good. And next time, don't pull such stunts. You might have died." Artemis chided.

"Yes, leave the lightning to me. It is mine. You use your water and fire."

"Ooh, someone's possessive," I teased, making her huff.

"You shouldn't even be able to control lightning," She grumbled, making me grin.

"I am just awesome, you know that."

"Must you say that word," Artemis sighed before laying a hand on my forehead, making a tingling sensation go through my body.

"All healed… that was fast." She said, a frown marring her beautiful face. "Nonetheless, rest a bit more. The girls are still cleaning up."

"Cleaning up?" I asked.

"The monster spoils, as well as the bodies."

"Bodies?" I asked, flinching. What had I done?

Artemis licked her lips before nodding. "Many of my girls killed the mortals and some got trampled underneath the monsters."

"And… my—"

"No, not really," She replied hastily. "To be honest, it is near impossible to say but I am pretty sure that most were killed by my hunt or got trampled."

"And those who weren't, died with the move you did," Thalia added, making me flinch violently.

Artemis turned and glared at her, making Thalia take a step back.

"Thalia, be a dear and continue seeing the clean-up," She said frostily, making Thalia nod and run out of the tent.

I paid a little heed to them as I gripped the sheets tightly, quivering with guilt. I had killed people. First, the two demigods with my missiles, and now gods knew how many mortals with my lightning strike.

Mortals and demigods weren't like monsters who reformed every few years, most with the only intent to hunt and kill demigods. Mortals were different. They had souls and once they died, they were lost forever. They didn't reform as monsters and gods did. They had relationships and families as well. How many families had he laid waste to today?

"Percy, Percy, look at me," Artemis said, holding my head in her hands, forcing me to stare into her beautiful silvery-yellow doe. "Percy, the ones who died today were not good people. None were innocent. All were murderers, rapists, criminals, and mercenaries. Vile men. Them dying did the world a favor, believe me."

"But… But you don't know that! We didn't even know who they were! They could be mind-controlled by the crooked one and be innocent."

"Believe me when I say they were criminals. I had seen Atlas and the other titans pay up these criminals they had gotten out of prison. Yes, mist obscures what they truly see, but those men were no saints."

"And the demigods?" I asked sharply.

"Percy… They died due to the missiles. You didn't kill them. I saw you were trying your level best to—"

"The missiles were fired from my chariot by me, Artemis!" I exclaimed, making her sigh.

"Percy… this is war and you know that. It is them or your friends, remember that."

"But they had done no wrong! They were fighting for what they believed in!" I yelled. "How can you tell me that killing them is right!? They are my age, Artemis. Not even adults. And I killed them. And those mortals. Mortals who had no part in this conflict regardless of who they were."

"Percy, tell me, would you take the life of an enemy or watch Thalia and Annabeth die?"

I opened my mouth before closing it. I knew I wouldn't let Thalia or Annabeth die. On top of other things, it was my fatal flaw. Athena said I would risk the world to save a friend. The life of an enemy was inconsequential in front of that.

"Exactly," Artemis continued softly. "Believe me when I say that a threat is a threat. I have lost a lot of my girls through the centuries, Percy. While I know it isn't easy to take a life, especially that of a human or a demigod, it might need to be done. For your family. For your friends. For what you believe in."

#She is right, Percy. It is not something we might fancy but sometimes there is no choice. They fight to kill. If you don't, they'll kill you. And if not you, your friends and family.#

"Also, you might not like to hear this, but how's killing a mortal different from killing a monster?"

"Artemis, people have souls. Monsters don't. People have families and relationships. Monsters—"

"Don't? Or do they?" Artemis asked, leaning forward, our noses almost touching as her eyes bored into mine. "Tell me, Percy. Isn't your brother, Tyson, I believe, a monster by definition?"

"Don't. Call. Him. That." I growled, making Artemis smirk.

"And there it is. A monster whom you consider a family. A monster, who considers you his family. And as for souls, humans have the better end of it than monsters. When humans are reborn, their previous life, their memories, and their sins are all wiped. A clean slate. A new chance. Monsters… they remember everything. That is why they come after demigods and wish to exact revenge from their previous killer if he or she is alive."

I held my breath. Artemis… what she was saying was… mind-boggling.

Artemis wrapped her arms around me and whispered into my ear. "I am not saying killing is right. I am saying that sometimes it is necessary."

"Isn't that the explanation that a serial killer with delusions would give?"

Artemis loosened the hug and looked back at me, amusement shining in her eyes. "Percy… Do you know who I am?"

I frowned. "You are Artemis."

"Yes, I am. I am Phoebe Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Do you know one of the main principles of a hunt?" She asked, her canines glinting in the light of the room.

For the first time, I realized how sharp her teeth were. If she bit someone, she would likely tear their flesh like a tigress.

"Err… no?" I said lamely.

"It is always the survival of the fittest. I am a predator. I am the predator. So, I won't say that I understand this dilemma of yours completely. I won't be able to help you beyond this. It is something for you to think about and reflect on it yourself. Because… you will be facing this decision in the near future a lot of times. Olympus is at war, Percy, and you are at the helm of it. You will have to decide whether you would risk the life of a pack-mate or kill an enemy. But if you need help to process this, I will get you in touch with my brother."

"Apollo?"

"He is the world's best healer, including a phycologist. A few sessions with him might help you sort these things out. He will help you much better than I can. All I can tell you is that you have done no wrong. You did what was necessary."

I just nodded and Artemis gave me a slight smile before leaving.

#Percy, are you okay?#

'I just killed so many people! Do you think I am fucking okay!?'

Alexander sighed. #Yes, stupid question. Sorry.#

'Let's… just talk about something else, okay? I… just…'

#I understand. Take your time. If you want, I can take over you till the next fight. You can rest. Take a nap or something. I would've fought instead of you if I could but… the laws forbid me.#

'Alright,' I said, before surrendering control to the god in my head.

ALEXANDER POV

I opened my eyes as Percy gave me control of his body again. I concentrated back on Percy's consciousness and lulled it to sleep. It would be akin to him taking a refreshing nap. As soon as he was asleep, I got to work. I controlled the flow of guilt in his consciousness, thinning it for the time being so that it didn't affect the upcoming battle.

While I didn't like it, it was necessary for Percy to be in shape to fight. And I vowed to have a long talk with him later. More like a session that Artemis wants Percy to have with Apollo.

I got up from the bed and walked out of the tent where the huntresses were running around doing stuff. A group of them had righted the Artillery cannons and were putting them into a tent. Another two huntresses were placing guns into a huge trolley, which had several other weapons.

I felt a nudge at my back and turned to see Liekos had walked with me. He nuzzled my face like a puppy and I petted his head.

"Missed ya too, buddy. Want to come for a walk?" The wolf nodded and I smiled before leading him ahead towards the other parts of the tent.

That was when I saw a glimpse of the road the fight had happened on and blinked in astonishment. The road had been destroyed. Badly. There weren't any potholes but craters on the road. The tarmac was vaporized or melted in several places. There was hardly any road left to be frank. And this was just a small part I could see, as the majority of the view was obscured by tents.

A huntress, Evie, I recognized, walked up to a crater and kneeled on the road before putting her hand in the pothole-crater and removing a curved dagger from it.

I went to move ahead but suddenly Artemis skidded to a stop in front of me.

"Hey, Percy. What are you doing outside?" She asked with a smile even if I could detect an undertone of nervousness in her voice. What was she up to?

"I just felt well enough to come outside, that's it. Thought I would help with whatever is happening." I replied. Thankfully, all came out in Percy's voice as I was in his body.

"Oh, we'll just handle it fine, Percy," Artemis waved me off. "You should rest. We need you up for the next fight… and the one after that."

"I am perfectly alright, let me help. I caused most – all - of this."

"My girls will handle it. Come on, you should rest." She declared, physically making me turn around and pushing me back towards the medical tent. Liekos barked but a moment later, quieted down.

Just what the hell was she up to? The Artemis I knew would never behave like this. Not in the ancient times, not now either. It was almost as if… she didn't want me to go there. Or Percy specifically.

As I was pushed towards the tent by the moon goddess, I closed my eyes and extended my senses, using the water vapor to sense what was beyond. It was another thing I could use now, as long as I occupied Percy's body. His powers were mine and my powers were his.

What I sensed, explained Artemis's behavior. There were dead bodies placed at the end of the street. Mortal ones. And Artemis didn't want Percy to see that. Thoughtful of her. And not to mention, caring.

Artemis pushed me back into the tent and made me sit back on my bed. "You stay here. We'll call you when it is time to go."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. Stay here and don't come out. That is an order."

"Okay…," I said, playing the part of a confused person with perfection.

"Cool. Do you want company?"

"I don't mind. I will just lay down."

"Excellent. Don't come out of the tent till I call. Rest. If you want, drink this," She said, hurrying to a cabinet and removing a diet coke from it before tossing it to me.

I caught it deftly and raised my eyebrows at her.

"So you have energy. Sugar is a really good way to regain energy when you use a decent amount of it and have to use it more. And, being a demigod, it is an excellent alternative to nectar." She winked.

I nodded awkwardly and popped open the can before taking a sip. The taste flooded my taste buds and I sighed in delight.

"Want some?"

"No, thanks. I will go out. You stay in and don't come out. Rest, okay?"

"Sure. I won't come out."

I looked in amusement as Artemis smiled in relief before jogging out of the tent, closing it behind her.

PERCY POV

Alexander shook me awake from my most interesting dream involving an underwater party.

"Wake up, Percy. We are almost on the site where the third group of monsters was spotted last by the nature spirits in the area. You are in your chariot with Artemis and her huntresses are following us by road like last time."

"Co-ol," I yawned.

Alexander snapped his fingers and suddenly all the drowsiness vanished and my eyes shot wide open as if electrified.

"Good, get back in control," Alexander said, and I retook the control of my body, finding myself flying above a mortal town, likely invisible to them. Artemis was sitting beside me, humming to herself. I licked my lips and frowned as I tasted diet coke.

'Did you drink diet coke while I was out?'

#Yep. Artemis gave you one, wanting you to regain your energy. So, I drank it.#

I gave him a mental nod before checking our coordinates. I had a slight headache for some reason but it was ignorable.

"How far are we, Phoenix?"

"A little above half a mile, sir. But, the monsters seem to have ventured farther as I can't pick them up with my sensors." The AI replied.

Artemis frowned. "How far can your sensors sense, Phoenix?"

"Two and a half miles in all directions, Ma'am."

"That… is odd. I got this location's information not even ten minutes ago."

"How are you getting this information?"

"From nature spirits like Nymphs and Dryads."

"Yes, but how?"

"They pray. As the goddess of the hunt, and thus, nature sorta falls under me as well. They don't take me as a patron goddess. That was always Pan. But, for the past millennia, since Pan… was lost, I am their protector of sorts. In exchange, they keep a lookout for monster groups like these for my hunt to, well, hunt."

"Interesting…"

"Sir, we have reached the destination that you specified. But, I am unable to detect a single monster."

"We should go in the direction of the camp then," I suggested.

"Wait…" Artemis said before closing her eyes. A sheen of silver surrounded her body a moment later, which grew brighter by a fraction every second. In a few seconds, she was glowing like a tube light.

A few moments later, the glow dimmed and her eyes shot open.

"That is very odd."

"What is?"

"The fact that I cannot sense a single monster in a five-mile radius. I can sense their tracks till almost a mile away from here… then, it just disappears."

My eyes widened and I punched the communication button. "Zoe! Zoe! Come in!"

"Yes? What happened?"

"Oh, good. You all are alright. Listen. Be on alert. I am not sure what's happening but be on alert."

"Yes, we are on alert. I know the drill, Percy. What happened?" Her voice sounded back.

"The monsters have disappeared somehow. If I am to guess, they have been teleported away."

"It is not easy to teleport more than five hundred monsters away, Percy," Zoe said.

"I have seen the Titans teleport a full cruise ship away that too while my father and his allies were actively trying to keep them from teleporting the ship. The Princess Andromeda."

"Alright… What's the plan?"

"First let us find out where the monsters are. Stop wherever you are and get off the chariot."

"We are in the middle of a road."

"Then, take it to the side and stop before deboarding!"

"Yes, we are doing that. Chill, Percy." Zoe replied exasperatedly before she cut off the link.

"You think they teleported near my hunt to catch them off-guard and kill them?" Artemis inquired.

"It is certainly not out of the realm of possibilities. A good missile or bomb and the chariot—"

"Wouldn't even have a scratch. It is the moon chariot Percy. Most godly weapons fail to leave anything more than color scratches on it. The chariot has been into more battles than the number of weeks you have lived for. A missile wouldn't do shit to it. You didn't think you were the only one with a nearly indestructible, supercool chariot, did you?"

"I am pretty sure mine is not that indestructible," I muttered.

"Of course. My chariot is only second to my brother's sun chariot, as much as I hate to admit it. But, that aside, what should we do?"

"Is it possible that they could've been hidden under some magic?"

"It is not impossible but it would take some powerful wizard or witch to cast it to hide such a big group of monsters, that too from me."

"We are talking about titans here, Artemis. When Herakles was about to assault Hera, the magic all over the place was so strong that Hera couldn't teleport or communicate."

"Yes, I know about that," Artemis nodded, biting her lip. "You are leaning toward the theory that this is a trap? The monsters are waiting there for us."

"Not sure about the last part, but it is a part of a greater scheme or perhaps a backup plan. There is a possibility that they were teleported to the fourth group and their numbers combined to form a huge army against the hunt, seeing the annihilation of the first two groups. So it is either an ambush or a big Army of two thousand plus monsters in my opinion.

"Just superb," Artemis muttered. "But, we should go and confirm if it is an ambush or not at least. A part of me is hoping that it is an ambush as it will be easier to deal with an expected ambush than facing an army of more than two-thousand monsters."

"We can go mortal to not alert them immediately. My chariot won't leak our auras and they won't find anything wrong with a pair of mortals going through. If we take my chariot on stealth mode, there might be some alarm triggered due to the concealment tech on it and the fact that it flies."

"A decent idea, I suppose. Let's land then."

"Phoenix, land us on the ground," I said and the chariot descended.

"We need to get off," I told Artemis, opening the chariot door before jumping onto the floor. Artemis followed my lead and stood beside me, waiting.

I pressed a button on the remote I had taken from the chariot just before getting off. As soon as I pressed it, the chariot gave a few beeps and morphed into a car. A Silvery-gray, two-seater Aston Martin to be precise.

Beside me, Artemis gave a whistle seeing the car making me smirk at her. "Like it?"

"It looks awesome. Like straight out of one of the spy movies that the mortals make." Artemis commented before getting in on the shotgun seat. I sat in the driver's seat before putting on the seat belt.

"Artemis put on the seatbelt."

"I am a goddess, Percy," She said dryly. "And, I am pretty sure nothing is going to happen to either of us even if you crash this thing into a building. This thing is missile-proof. You crashing it somewhere won't even scratch it."

"But we will be injured by bashing our heads on the Dashboard which is a big no-no. Wear it Artemis. For me please."

Artemis sighed and rolled her eyes before putting on the seat belt. "Let's go."

I nodded and pressed down the accelerator, making the Aston Martin shoot forward.

ARTEMIS POV

It took us a couple of minutes to reach the place the monster trail ended in Percy's car. Percy stopped the car and put it on Auto-pilot, giving the AI instructions to defend them from monsters if they attacked.

I pressed the button on my armrest and the window rolled down before I peeked outside, surveying my surroundings for any signs of a monster. My ears twitched, picking up sounds from the surroundings and a plethora of scents invaded my nostrils as I extended my powers to reach my rather animalistic godly senses, which could pick things up better than any god could. It was one of the perks that came with my domains, along with the ability to transmute myself into wild animals completely.

In my current form, my eyesight was as strong as an eagle, and my hearing and olfactory senses stronger than that of a tigress.

Yet, my senses came up negative for any sign of monsters. I receded my senses, returning them back to the mortal limits.

"There is no one here… except the mortals," I said, making Percy break from his searching and look at me.

"You sure?"

"I cannot detect anything. What I can, is a trace of powerful magic. All around us."

"Can you detect where they were teleported to?" Percy implored.

I shook my head sadly. "That would take a highly-skilled sorcerer or sorceress to find out where they teleported to. I can do sorcery, every god and goddess can, but I have not trained myself to that level. I always preferred my daggers and arrows more than sorcery. I just know the basics. Conjuration, vanishing, summoning, shields, protection runes, a few other basic spells, and most of all, nature magic."

"You can also do transfiguration. You can turn into an animagi. And also transfigure people into animals." Percy said, making me chuckle.

"In a sense, maybe but it is not sorcery. Converting myself and others into animals is more related to my domain than sorcery. It can be done by sorcery, the latter part at least. And, as for animagi, every god and goddess can turn into their sacred animals at will once they learn how to use their powers. I can convert into any wild animal, being the goddess of the hunt. So, it is similar to what you are talking about but not the same."

"Well… I hardly sense any difference in it."

"Yes, it is confusing. Hecate might be able to explain that better. It basically ends with the fact that Sorcery and godly powers are different. Godly powers are more precise, and powerful but limited to the gods' domain. Sorcery is wide-ranged. For example, a sorcerer might be able to conjure water as you do. But, they would fail to utilize it with as much power or precision as you can. Also, magic, or sorcery, whatever you call it, would require a spell, runes, or potion. While you need none of such things."

"Interesting. And can anyone learn all of this? I can do some water magic, but, as it is related to water, I am now not sure."

"Well, yes you can. Especially magic related to your godly power, runes, and potions. Many of my girls have some knowledge of runes and use them. But, it will never be as effective as it could be unless you are a child of Hecate or someone else with the domain of sorcery. Spells especially would cause a huge problem."

"Cool. Can you teach me what you know?"

"I will try. It is frankly a waste of time to some extent as you can do a lot of things with your godly power including making energy shields. Yes, protection runes are helpful when you have no one to keep a watch while you sleep. Rest… it is for the best if you leave it be. I will teach you the runes though."

"Excellent. Now, what should we do regarding this?" Percy asked.

"We return to the camp and wait there to see what happens," I replied. "It will be the best move for now."

"Alright," Percy said before pressing the communication link.

"Zoe?"

"Yes?"

"Return to the camp. There is nothing here at the moment… wait. Stay where you are for now."

"Decide on one—" Zoe said before her voice was cut off as Percy switched off the link.

"Artemis, what if they are waiting at the camp for us?"

"They aren't. If they were, I would've been alerted by now, courtesy of the runes," I said with a smirk.

"What if it is an ambush? They spread around the camp and once we return, they pounce on us?"

"That is certainly a possibility but I would be alerted as soon as they reached within a mile of my camp. Plus, I have lookouts as well. It is near impossible to catch the hunt off-guard especially if we are in a properly set camp."

Percy nodded. "So, back to the camp?"

"Back to the camp," I agreed.

AND... DONE!

Hope you all liked the new chapter. Hope you like how Pertemis is developing. The next chapter will be action-packed even if I might manage to squeeze in a Pertemis moment or two.

Also, as for the Aston Martin, think of the Aston Martin Vanquish/Vanish used in Die Another Day movie(A James Bond movie), starring Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, and Rosamund Pike. It is a good movie btw.

A huge thank you to I_amaSWITCHbot and Ultimate_Gamer for betaing this chapter.

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Walter Ha: Well, here you go, mate. I recommend you join my server so that you don't have to keep asking me this question in reviews. I know I am a week late but I had exams and I had announced it on the server. Replying to you here makes the point of your question moot. This goes for others who have asked the 'nextchapwhen' question as well. XD

Guest: Usually the schedule is every alternate week update for LoSP. This time, it took 3 as I had exams in between and got less time to write. And, same what I told to Walter.

Immaterium: Some people just want to watch the world burn, don't they? :D

Kaydenburnt: I know, me too, bro. I hate those types of quick pertemis romances.

Xerzo LotCN: I have told this to you before that I don't feel Percy's a guy for two wives and such. It is my opinion tbh and thus, it will remain Pertemis unfortunately.

Ph03nx: I am planning so, atm. But, let me first get through the titan war.

NCC1701D USS Enterprise: I can use better terminologies in several places, elevating my overall quality of writing to professional levels, but I refrain from doing so. Not everyone's English is as virtuosic as yours. I have to make it available to a wide community rather than a few English elites. Yes, and as for whatever and stuff, I usually use those in dialogues. That is how things in a confabulation goes most of the time. Like, "Whatever. I am doing some stuff. Leave me alone."

xxPercyRoxxx: I haven't given it much of a thought, to be honest. Rachel is not my biggest concern at the moment for my story.

Noggin78: they do remember Alexander. But, he can't be revealed to them.

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Thank you everyone else for your lovely compliments and all the love for the story.

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Also, do join my Discord server, House of HPfanfictioner66 where you can directly communicate with me, ask questions, etc. Hope to see you all lovely readers there soon Link: discord . gg / 4qfP3fxdQ4 [Remove the spaces please]

I have my own channel on the discord server known as Emerald Library. I recommend that you join the server and there, you won't only have access to me, but several other big authors who have their channels on the Emerald Library. Link: discord . gg / jtAxRnH6Tk [Remove the spaces please]

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At the moment, I have four main stories. They are:

1. The Rise of the Last Potter: My Novel length Harry Potter fic which is already 300k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly.

2. The Legend of the Son of Poseidon: A Novel Length Percy Jackson fic which is already 250k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly.

3. Loved Ones Skipping Stones and Ice-cream: A fluffy Haphne one-shot. It is completed obviously.

4. SECRETS: Another romantic one-shot I published recently. Complete as well.

(PLEASE READ THEM ALL)

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Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!

HPfanfictioner66