LAST TIME

"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.

Ch. 29 Missions with the Hunt Pt. 2

ARTEMIS POV

Percy and I deboarded his chariot after thoroughly scanning the area around the camp. Thankfully, no monsters were waiting for us here as I had expected. Because, if they were, I would've known. The rest of the hunt was on its way in my moon chariot. I would've preferred it to fly, but it was too powerful to go unnoticed, and thus, its mortal form was the best for stealth.

I scanned my camp to see if anything was out of place just as a precaution before moving to the central Hearth with Percy, where Hestia was sitting in her nine-year-old, poking the flames.

"Aunt Hestia," Percy and I greeted, making a smile blossom on her face.

"Artemis, Percy. Did the hunt go well?"

"Well enough," I replied. "We eliminated two of the four groups. But the third one was not there when we arrived… likely planning something big."

"That is concerning. Please be careful."

"Of course, Aunt Hestia."

"I wish to speak with Percy, Artemis. Can you give us a bit of privacy, niece?"

"Of course," I nodded before moving away, giving them space.

I could guess what she wanted to talk to Percy about. It was good that this was happening to be honest. Hestia would placate Percy's guilt at killing the mortals and demigods. He needed to understand that killing and death were a part of war, especially in the current circumstances.

It was something that I personally had never encountered for myself. For me, my enemy was my prey. It was something imparted to me by my domains. I never had a problem with killing. Be it monsters, animals, gods, mortals, or demigods. I had a high body count as far as the last two were concerned, especially during ancient times. The Males, specifically.

Back then, the men had no qualms raping maidens and women, doing whatever they pleased with them. Females were treated as property and objects of desire rather than humans by those monsters. And being the goddess of maidens, it was my job to protect them and take revenge on their behalf.

My hunt and I had slaughtered armies of men back then when they were on crusades to sack villages. The deeds they did while carrying out the sacking, especially on women, still made me itch to slaughter them.

The men nowadays were at least better than in those times, even if a large part were still vile and loathsome. But, at least, women led better lives now. The mortals had indeed become better.

I pushed open the flap of my tent and entered, stretching myself before sighing in relief. I took off my hair stick, releasing my hair-knot that I had tied my ponytail with, to fall open. It was something that Aphrodite had taught me when I first came to Olympus. She had given me the hair-stick as well which I used to keep the knot in place. It was a rather thoughtful gift.

I threw the hair-stick, which was now in its knife form, on the coffee table, before plopping myself on the couch. With a snap of my finger, a heavy glass bottle containing nectar appeared along with a whiskey glass.

The nectar in the bottle was rather strong, meant only for deities and gods. Not that the demigods couldn't drink it… but they could safely drink only in very low amounts. Something like a couple of sips. The reason for it was that the stuff was at least ten times stronger than the normal nectar that the demigods used and it could make even gods feel intoxicated if we drank it in sufficient amounts.

It wasn't alcohol, not even close, but could be treated as one… even if it was dangerous to treat it so. The intoxication that took place was due to the excess of power in the body, rather than the nectar in itself. The nectar just did its job to replenish energy in the body, be it physical or divine. So, it was inadvisable to drink nectar, god-level nectar in huge quantities. If a god drank too much of it, they could get intoxicated before becoming chronically ill from power overload or even burn from it… not that the latter had ever happened in history. Not even Apollo or Hermes during their youth were stupid enough to try that.

The normal nectar that the demigods consumed, on the other hand, was not much of a problem for us though. We could drink as much as we wanted. Same with ambrosia, which healed the body. It was more of a delicacy for us.

I poured myself a glass of the golden liquid before gulping it down. My tastebuds exploded in pleasure as I felt energy flow into my body, rejuvenating it. I poured another half-glass, before putting the bottle back in place with a snap of my finger. Wouldn't want to drink too much of it.

I took the half-filled glass before slowly sipping it, relishing in its taste. I snapped my fingers again, and things began to fly around in the attached kitchenette. Things flew out of the fridge and knives worked themselves, preparing me a sandwich.

I usually enjoyed doing it by hand, but I was too knackered right now to do it. I switched on the Television in front of me as I took another sip of the nectar.

I flicked through the channels, searching for what to see.

Five minutes later, as a nice Cuban sandwich was ready and served on a plate in front of me, I decided to watch the news as nothing interesting was being broadcasted. As I was flicking through the news channels, my senses went off, signifying someone had entered the vicinity of my camp. I extended my senses and realized it was only the moon chariot and my huntresses who were back.

I switched off the TV and quickly finished my sandwich before draining my glass of nectar. I went and washed my buttery hands before waving my hand, sending the glass and the plate to the sink. I picked up the knife from the coffee table, which converted back into my hair stick and I quickly tied the ponytail back before going outside.

Outside, my girls were already seated around the Hearth eating food as well. Some had perched themselves on trees and other strategic positions while eating their food. Hestia and Percy sat at the Hearth. Percy was just drinking a cup of what I assumed to be coffee, as he chatted with Hestia who was tending to the flames.

I also noted that all had their armors on except Percy and me. This was not much of an observation as Percy and I could summon our armor in the blink of an eye while the girls had to physically wear and remove them.

I walked towards Zoe who was sitting next to Phoebe eating a wrap of some sort and had a cup of coffee at her feet.

"Zoe, the keys, my dear," I asked, holding out my hand, and Zoe immediately handed the keys back to me without question. I clicked a button on it and the silver van standing at the corner of the camp disappeared in a flash of moonlight.

I nodded at Zoe, before moving ahead to where Percy and Hestia were. Percy was teaching Hestia something with cards right now, a huge grin on his face as Hestia looked with wide eyes at what he was doing. The look rather suited her innocent eight-year-old face.

"What are you two doing?" I asked.

Hestia looked up at me and replied, "Percy is teaching me card magic."

"Card magic?" I frowned.

"Tricks mortals do in magic shows. The subtlety of the hand is quite needed in it. You can't tell when you get tricked unless you know where the deception comes in exactly."

"Really?" I asked in an unbelieving tone. I had never been to one of these magic shows before or seen them on T.V. A bunch of party tricks in the name of magic seemed lackluster when you were a god and had seen the literal goddess of sorcery do magic. Real magic.

"Yes. Aunt Hestia, why don't you show her?"

"Me?"

"Yes, I have taught you three tricks by now. You do them rather well. You can show them to Artemis."

"Well…"

"Yes, I want to see it as well," I added, encouraging her.

Hestia nervously took the cards and shuffled them before presenting the cards to me. "Take one card and don't show it to me."

"Okay," I said, picking a card up. The Eight of Spades.

"Done? Now put the card back in the pile anywhere you want."

I did as asked and Hestia quickly shuffled the cards before handing the deck to me. "You shuffle now."

I raised my eyebrow before taking the deck in my hands. If she was going to get my card from the pile, it seemed pretty impossible now that she had handed the deck to me. And I hadn't seen her sneak the card out as she had shuffled the deck.

I gave it a couple of quick shuffles and handed the deck back to her. Hestia didn't even look at the cards as she spread the cards, still face down for her before removing one near the left side and seeing it before she turned the card around for me to see.

The Eight of Spades.

How in the name of Zeus?

Percy grinned at her, giving her a thumbs up as he saw my stunned expression. Hestia returned the grin.

"How?"

"A magician never reveals her tricks!" Hestia chirped, making Percy laugh for some reason.

My gaze was still going from the card in Hestia's hand to the deck. That was when I caught a small detail. The design on the back of the cards. At one glance they seemed symmetrical designs and were so, as far as vertical symmetry was concerned. But, there was an emblem in the center that would distinguish if a card was straight or upside down.

Sneaky. But I was the goddess of the hunt. Details were sort of my thing.

I didn't comment though, choosing to smile instead.

'Artemis?' Athena's voice echoed through my mind, making me immediately respond.

'Yes? I am here.'

'Oh good. How did it go?' Athena inquired and I immediately gave her a rundown of events that had taken place.

'That's concerning. This means, the groups at least have a god or a Titan with them. Perhaps multiple.' She said after a few minutes of contemplation. 'It is unlikely that they were carrying such a powerful artifact to transport a battalion of monsters away. And not to forget, there are very few artifacts which can do such high-scale teleportation.'

'True. What of the demigods I sent you?'

'Secured for now. Sedated. I released a gas in the room you were going to teleport the demigods in. As soon as they got there, they were knocked out by the gas.'

I frowned. 'I am not sure if that would be considered as direct harm or not. It was you who released the gas, after all.'

'Actually, no. I adjusted everything and Katie Gardener, a daughter of Demeter whom I brought from the camp locked the room and threw the gas bombs. I had also brought her as a just-in-case solution. If the demigods escaped without confronting me, I would've been helpless. With her here though…'

'She has no boundaries being a hero. She would've been able to directly confront them using the equipment that you undoubtedly had put in place.'

'Precisely,' Athena replied.

"Artemis!" Percy shouted, startling me, breaking me from the conversation.

"What!?"

"You spaced out. I called you twice and you were just staring off into space."

"I was talking to Athena. Okay? Give me a minute." I said hotly, before concentrating on Athena.

'Sorry about that.'

'Was it Percy?' Athena asked.

'Yep. Was worried that I was staring into space. So, what do you suggest regarding the monsters?'

'The monsters? If I have to guess, they will attack at night, at least after sundown, which is when several of their species are at their strongest.'

'So am I and my huntresses,' I stated, unperturbed.

'No, today you won't be.'

'Why— oh fuck!' I cursed remembering it was a new moon today. It wouldn't diminish my powers but neither would me and my huntresses receive their 'customary moonlight boost' as we called it.

'Yes, today's a new moon. And the more the darkness—'

'Stronger the monsters. Shit.'

'Plus, we don't know what gods or titans are going to be with them. Whoever teleported the monsters is bound to be someone decently powerful or a very skilled sorcerer or sorceress… or both. So, you will be facing a couple of contingents of monsters along with at least one god or titan. Likely more.'

"Fuck." I cursed aloud. 'I will talk to you later, Athena.'

'Alright. Take care.'

I opened my eyes and saw Percy's concerned face staring at me.

"Artemis, you alright?"

"Percy… come with me," I said, before leading him to my tent. I held the flap open for him to enter before following him inside and closing the flap.

"Artemis?"

"FUUUUCKKKK!" I screamed my lungs out, startling Percy.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

I took a deep breath, trying to center myself.

"Artemis?" Percy asked again. "Whatever it is, I promise we will deal with it together. I will be by your side. But you need to talk to me. What happened?"

I felt some assurance bleed into me from his words. I don't know how he did it, but he did.

"I just talked to Athena. To be blunt, we are fucked."

"Superb. Story of my life. Now, how are we fucked?"

"We are going to be attacked by around two thousand monsters and at least one god or a titan."

"Okay. So?"

"So? Do you realize how outnumbered we would be? Fifty to one at the very least!"

"Yes, but we already knew that more than half an hour ago. What changed?"

"I forgot that today was a new moon?"

"Oh…kay…"

"Athena thinks we will be attacked after sundown. Today, most monsters would be at their strongest. And, my huntresses and I won't receive a boost from the moonlight. This means that my huntresses, who can match monsters at night when they are at their strongest without a problem due to my blessing. This won't happen tonight. I don't know how I forgot that today was the new moon. I am the fucking goddess of the moon! I should—"

"Hey, we all forget things, Artemis. It's okay." Percy said, putting his hands on my shoulders and I felt my mind calm down, somehow. The agitation left and my fears began to melt away.

I saw Percy hesitate for a moment before he pulled me closer into a hug. And I let him.

"Artemis, it would be okay. Believe me. Your huntresses are no slouches. Moonlight would make a little difference to them."

"It makes a similar difference in power levels that you feel in water as compared to on land."

"Oh," he said lamely.

"Most of my huntresses have never faced two-hundred monsters at once, much less two thousand. They are newbies. The old ones, like Zoe, have only faced such a situation during the Giant war and such but there are only five or six of them left now. I lost dozens of my girls during the giant war. I can't lose so many again, damn it."

Tears leaked from my eyes as I remembered the faces of my girls whom I had lost through the centuries. I remembered every single one of them, cherishing the fond memories with them forever. And now… I hadn't lost any of my numbers in the past forty years unless one counted the two girls who had retired from the hunt, having fallen in love with each other. I had given them my blessing and even attended their wedding with my sisters. They were now well into their thirties, having fostered a kid as well.

I was not willing to lose any of them. Seeing Zoe's near-dead form had been traumatic enough for me. I didn't know what I would have done, had Percy not saved her.

Probably have gone back to Othrys and gutted Atlas before going nuclear. A voice in my head replied, making me agree.

"Shh…" Percy tried to soothe me, petting my head. "We will get through it, Artemis. We will. No one will die tonight except the monsters. I promise."

"Percy… you do not understand. There is a limit to what we can do when there will be gods or Titans opposing us. Even if there is one of them, one of us two will have to confront them. And if it is more than two, we will have enough on our hands to fend monsters off. My hunt will have to fight them and I am not sure how they will handle so much at once. With us two occupied, most of them will just be a bunch of average demigods with above-par archery skills and a slightly enhanced body. Monsters, on the other hand, will be at their most powerful tonight. Casualties will happen. And even after almost four millennia, it is still not easy for me to lose a single one of my girls."

Tears pathetically fell down my cheeks. I always cried in solitude whenever I lost one of my numbers or was going to. But today… for some inexplicable reason, I was finding comfort in Percy. Being in his arms was making me feel less shitty about this situation. Somehow, he was just radiating calm, his touch, sending soothing waves through my body.

It was a position I had never imagined myself being in and yet, here I was, not even caring about that fact. All that revolved through my mind was the impending doom my girls were about to face. I knew there was no chance that everyone would get out alive. We were going to be outnumbered at least fifty to one, that too when the monsters would be at their strongest. And, Percy and I would be busy dealing with whichever god or titan was going to lead the army.

"I can understand. And you won't. I promise you won't lose a single of your numbers today. I will do everything in my power to ensure that you don't."

"How?" I croaked.

"You can send them to the camp. We two will face whatever—"

"They will never accept that. They are not cowards, Percy. They'll resent me for life."

"You can't have everything, Artemis. Can't have it both ways."

"And we might die on top of it. We will be outnumbered thousand to one."

"Then nothing I haven't done before. And I have confidence in you as well. You are the huntress. No monster stands a chance against you." Percy whispered. "They are your prey."

"But… they won't agree. They will be with me regardless of what I say. They won't leave me when they know what we are about to face. I might be their patron, but they won't leave me like this."

"What if you forcibly teleport them to the camp?"

"Can't. No god or goddess bar Hestia, Hera, and Zeus are allowed to teleport into the camp without permission. Oh, and Dionysus of course seeing he is the camp's director. And, they wouldn't stay put. I know my girls, Percy."

"They did allow you to go—"

"The Ophiotaurus was different. They only knew I was hunting a single monster. They didn't know which. This time, they're aware of what we are facing. Not to mention, they are already overprotective of me now due to the incident that happened last time. These days, they never let me go alone even on small animal hunts, much fewer monster hunts. Had you not been there with me, a couple would've come with me even if it meant going straight in the middle of an army of monsters."

"They are as loyal to you as you are to them."

I gave a watery chuckle. "And you don't know half of it."

Percy broke the hug and looked at me in my eyes before wiping the tears off my face. "Tears don't look good on you, Artemis. And, I have a plan."

"I am all ears."

"What if we ambush the monsters that would ambush us?"

"What?" I asked, trying to process the statement.

"The monsters are attacking the hunter camp, right? What if only we two are here, in the camp? The monsters will surround us with whoever is leading them. As the fight starts, your hunt attacks them from behind."

"They'll be caught. My huntresses retain the scent, even if it is reduced by my blessing. And, not every huntress would be able to go undetected. The old ones know how to hide their scents like I am teaching you to. The new ones, especially your two cousins, will be beacons for monsters. They'll smell them easily."

"What if they are with us? Three of the most powerful demigods together will overpower the scent of even someone like Annabeth who is a pretty powerful demigod herself."

"Bianca is not trained enough. Thalia can handle herself but, Bianca…"

"Can shadow travel," Percy replied. "And if she can't, he can."

I frowned. "Who?"

In reply, Percy whistled and suddenly, Liekos and Asimeia appeared out of the shadows. Before I could contemplate what was going on, Asimeia pushed Percy away, albeit violently, and stood on her hind legs, draping her front paws over my shoulders before nuzzling my face as she hugged me in her own sense.

Had I not been a goddess, I would've been sprawled on the floor under her weight. She was one heavy wolf after all (but don't tell her I said that).

I saw Percy glare at Asimeia from the floor, making me hide a smile as Asimiea licked my cheek.

"Thanks, Meia. Love you too, girl," I said, petting her and she released me before settling back on all fours.

"You know, you could at least say sorry for pushing me," Percy told Asimeia, who just stuck her head up before settling on the floor next to me. Percy looked at Liekos, who just gave the equivalent of a wolf laugh.

"Oh come on, not you too," Percy whined as I wiped my eyes.

Liekos didn't deem him a response, making me chuckle.

"Okay, tell me about this plan of yours."

PERCY POV

A few hours later, after an early dinner, most of the huntresses had disappeared into the woods an hour and a half before sundown. We had explained the plan to them and they were to hide until Artemis gave them the signal to attack. The only people in the camp at the moment were Artemis, Thalia, Bianca, and I. Bianca and Thalia were standing to a side while Artemis and I were standing at the center, leaning against my Aston Martin, awaiting the monsters.

We hadn't bothered to wear our armors yet.

Beside me, Artemis was fidgeting nervously, drumming her fingers against her elbow as she tapped her foot impatiently, her eyes searching through the thick forest.

Wolves prowled around us while the dozens of falcons kept an eye on the surroundings from the trees or flew overhead.

The temperature was dropping as the night fell and yet, not a single leaf swayed even as a soft, almost unnoticeable wind blew around us.

"Anything yet, Phoenix?" I asked, breaking the silence as I looked up after completing the reading of the latest chapter of my book.

"No, sir. Not a single monster yet." The AI replied. "As I said, I will keep you informed, sir."

"Okay, thanks," I replied before going back to reading my book.

"Do you think they are going to come?" Artemis asked.

"Where else would they go?"

"I don't know? Flee? It was quite a display of power back there by you."

"I don't think they would flee. Not when they can attack at their strongest and have a chance. If they are sensible, they will attack."

"Even Athena told me the same," She mused.

"And you told that to me. I am just repeating the words." I chuckled making the goddess roll her eyes before going back to my reading.

Half an hour later, as I had finished four more chapters, surpassing the halfway mark of the book, Artemis, who was leaning against the Aston Martin suddenly perked up, standing straight, her eyes alert.

"Something's happening," She whispered, making me frown. I couldn't detect anything.

"Where?"

"All directions. Godly energy is gathering there. Four spots, each situated a third of a mile from the camp."

"They're here, it means. And, the hunt is a mile and half out. Perfect for an ambush. Tell them to start moving in slowly." I said, carefully bookmarking the page I was on and putting the book back in my bag.

A moment later, Artemis sucked in a sharp breath as Phoenix gave a ping while I felt figures appear in the forest, but too far to discern properly. "Sir! An army of almost two-thousand monsters as predicted and four titans with a primordial."

"Primordial?" I asked sharply.

"My scans identify her as Nemesis, the Primordial of revenge, retribution, and balance," The AI replied.

#Percy, whatever you do, do not fuck around her. She is in your league as far as sword fighting is concerned.#

'Really?'

#You are not the only one whom I have trained in my Life, Percy. Nemesis is my half-sister, after all. I have trained her as well. So, do not, DO NOT fuck around her. Be swift and brutal. Also, she would weather your elemental attacks. She is a primordial. You will have to go all out on her with both the sword and your powers. Now, who are the titans?#

"Who are the titans?"

"The titans are Phoebe, Lelantos, Menoetius, and Aura."

Artemis let out a growl at the last name, making me pause as I remembered the story between them.

Aura was a virgin-huntress who was excessively proud of her maidenhood. In her hubris she had dared compare her body with that of Artemis, claiming that Artemis was too womanly to be a true virgin. Artemis sought out Nemesis to avenge her and as a punishment Aura was violated by Dionysus.

"I do not approve of what you did to Aura, by the way," I told her quietly, making her head snap towards me. Her eyes held nothing but exasperation.

"You believe the story she told everyone, don't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You don't know what actually happened. I know you must have heard the story of how she challenged me and then I sought retribution having her raped by Dionysus in my anger."

"Yes, that is what I have heard."

"Percy, you know me by now. You know I stand against everything that would violate anyone, let alone a maiden. Yes, I have made some bad decisions. I know I am not the paragon of the benevolence of the gods. But, the story between Aura and me is a big fat lie. Or, at least my involvement in her punishment is."

"Then what really happened?" I asked.

"Okay, long story short. Aura proclaimed that I was not a virgin and that my being a maiden goddess was a sham. She not only did that but convinced a few men to say that they had slept with me and spread the word around. In retribution, I took her in front of the Olympian Council where a trial was held, led by the jury consisting of my father, Nemesis, and my brother, who is also the God of truth."

"Uh-oh. Then?" I asked, knowing that if that was the jury, Artemis had won the trial even before it started regardless of what had happened. She was a daddy's princess and her brother loved her to death. A besmirch on Artemis's name would've had him out for blood.

"Aura didn't like that. Okay, I understand the jury seemed a bit biased with my father and brother on it. But, Aura said very harsh words calling my father an unworthy King and a sham as the god of justice."

Now, either this Aura was completely off her rocker, suicidal, or both. Calling Zeus an unworthy king was a big no-no behind his back, much less to his face.

"She would've been smitten there but, as it was a trial, my father and brother stepped down from the jury instead, leaving Nemesis as one fair judge."

"Knowing Zeus, he would've smited her there. Why did he—"

"Because harming anyone of the trial parties during an official godly trial is forbidden and the punishment for it is Tartarus regardless of whoever it is. It is one of the things the fates dictate. Now, once the trial began, it ended in my favor with ridiculous ease, and Aura was stripped of her powers for the next half century as a punishment by Nemesis."

"Fair enough," I mused as I sensed the titans, and the monsters getting nearer. By now, Thalia and Bianca were standing next to us, listening to her story while keeping an eye on the woods.

"But, my father didn't forget the insult and sent Dionysus to do what he did. To take away what she prided herself the most on as she had insulted Zeus where he prided himself the most. As the king of Olympus. After it happened, Aura spread the word that I was the one who ordered it. That's the story." Artemis finished with a huff. "I legit had nothing to do with her. Aura was the one who was jealous. Zeus was the one who ordered it and Dionysus was the one who seduced her."

Thalia frowned. "I thought he raped her."

"Dionysus said that he didn't rape her but seduced her in the council meeting and my father dropped the topic. I was enraged enough not to care."

'Alexander?'

#I don't know for sure. But, if Artemis is telling you that, it must be true. To be honest, Artemis's version really makes more sense to me. Why would someone who has spent her whole life protecting maidens and against rape, order one to be raped?#

'True.'

#The enemy is approaching. Be careful, Perce. Especially of my sister. And say sorry to Artemis.#

"Oh, I am sorry then, Artemis. For—"

Artemis waved me off. "Sometimes it is very difficult to discern between myths and truth, Percy. I do not hold it against you. I have not held this against anyone to date. But, be careful of what you speak. I didn't take offense as I am used to this one and the fact that I consider you a friend. Someone might someday."

"Of course," I nodded in agreement as our enemies began to close in. "Thalia, get ready to fight a Titaness. You are taking on Aura."

"What!?" Thalia asked in shock, her eyes wide.

"Minor Titaness. You will beat her if you do it properly. Artemis, you take Lelantos. Fighting him is right up your alley with you both being hunters."

"And you? You are going to take on the rest by yourself?"

"Not together of course. First I am going to do what I do the best. Sass them." I replied with a grin as the trees shook before being uprooted by a line of giants who marched ahead from all sides, closing in on us. The ground rumbled as they marched nearer, wielding humongous shields.

They stopped, making a huge circle of a twenty-meter radius around us and suddenly, I felt the hair on my neck stand up as Artemis drew in a sharp breath.

"We are trapped," She breathed softly. "They have erected shields against godly transportation and communication."

"Are you all going to come out and talk boss to boss or hide behind these monsters?"

There was no response. They were waiting.

I looked at Artemis who nodded and I clenched my fists as I felt a tug in my gut. A moment later, the ground underneath the first line of Giants erupted in deadly Greek flames, disintegrating them immediately. Before their shields even hit the ground, with a grunt, the flames expanded outwards, disintegrating the next two lines of Giants into monster dust.

As their humongous shields fell to the ground with loud clattering noises, making my ears ring, only to reveal the Army surrounding us. In the forefront were the five deities, surrounding us from all directions and behind them were the monsters.

The one directly in front of me was a man in gaudy blood-red armor, wielding a huge war hammer. I felt a wave of anger before Alexander suddenly clamped on it.

#That is Menoetius. The titan of Anger and brash decisions.#

'So, easy to goad into a fight.'

#Incredibly#

On Menoetius' right was a woman wearing pitch black armor, minus the helmet, revealing her curly raven hair, wheatish skin, blood red lips, and pitch black eyes which looked intimidating.

I didn't need Alexander to recognize her. She was Nemesis.

#That armor is made of an alloy of Stygian iron and Umbra Platinum. Which means, it is near impenetrable, mind you. Even better than your own. It was a joint gift from me and my mother to her.#

'Wonderful,' I said sarcastically as I looked at the next person.

It was a thin, young girl with dark bluish hair and light blue eyes which stood out on her pale, almost white skin. She was wearing a light chest plate, having forgone everything else. Beneath it, her pure white chiton which ended at her knees fluttered in an invisible wind. She was wearing a pair of jeans underneath, looking like a college student dressed rather poorly for a fancy dress competition.

#Aura.# Alexander said simply.

I moved my eyes to the person on Menoetius's right. It was a buxom woman with an alluring figure.

She too was wearing a full set of celestial bronze armor, which did nothing to hide her figure, but, from the way she was gripping her rather extravagant spear, I knew she had little battle experience. She had held the shaft at a place that was a bit low for a balanced grip during a fight. And, the spear didn't even look proper for her, as it was taller than her.

To be frank, it was a standard spear with albeit fancy designs but Phoebe was barely five feet tall, even in her adult form.

#Phoebe is a rather peaceful Titaness. She didn't fight in any wars. She is just the Titaness of foresight and prophecy, both domains which now fall under Apollo. She will be a rather easy opponent to defeat. But, she will hold a grudge against you for killing her husband.#

With a mental nod, I moved my gaze to the last deity in the group. A man in light silver armor, a bow on his shoulders, and a pair of hunting knives at his waist. Lelantos. Titan of the hunt and Artemis's uncle.

"What's up, guys?" I greeted. "What brings you all here?"

"I will kill you demigod," Phoebe growled, taking a step forward menacingly.

I turned to her, meeting her angry glare with a calm expression before walking forward to her, still unarmed and without my armor on.

"Do it," I challenged, staring into her brown eyes which were alight with fury. "Kill me."

"I am not stupid, demigod. I know you are goading me to attack and break the ancient laws!" She growled.

"At least you are more intelligent than your husband," I mused. "Coeus, wasn't it? The titan of rational intelligence? I goaded him into fighting me one on one and he accepted it like a fool despite Atlas's warning not to do it."

Her eyes burned with unadulterated hatred, trying to burn me to ashes where I stood.

"But he had his uses, didn't he?" I continued before tapping my watch. Coeus's shield spiraled out on my arm, glowing in the fire from the torches around us and I smiled at Phoebe. "His shield is awesome, let me tell you. The only thing he was useful for, really."

That made Phoebe snap as she growled and hefted her spear, closing the distance between us.

"NO!" I heard a shout from behind me and several things happened at once. Just before Phoebe could come in hitting range, a black beam of energy hit her in the chest and she was flung back several feet.

I turned and saw Nemesis standing, her hand glowing with the same black energy.

"Are you—"

"Yes, I am alright, Nemesis," I said with exasperation, interrupting the primordial goddess. "You ruined the bloody plan! Phoebe wouldn't have been able to attack me due to the ancient laws. You saving me was not needed, Nem. You were to stab Menoetius from behind. Now he knows you are on our side!"

Before Nemesis could comprehend what was even happening, Menoetius roared. "YOU ARE WITH THEM? YOU BACK-STABBING TRAITOROUS BITCH!"

"Wait! Wha—" Nemesis began but was cut short as Menoetius threw his glowing red war hammer at her and she had to dive out of the way.

"Tha se skotóso!" Menoetius shouted in Greek, which I instantly translated to, I will kill you, just as Menoetius charged madly at Nemesis, summoning his hammer back on the way.

#You sly bastard. That was pure genius.# Alexander said uproariously. #Making them fight each other using Menoetius' domain against him.#

'Thanks.' I replied as I watched Nemesis roll away, just as Menoetius' hammer came down on the ground where she was laying not even a second ago. The ground trembled slightly from the strike and Menoetius lifted the hammer to reveal a small crater on the ground.

He swung his hammer again at Nemesis, who jumped to her feet, ducking under the hammer before putting a little distance between herself and the Titan of anger, whose armor was glowing with red energy.

"Listen, you hot-headed moron! He—"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING!" Menoetius roared as he closed the distance and swung the hammer again. This time, Nemesis intercepted the hammer with a sword that appeared in her hand. The two weapons clanged, causing a shockwave.

Nemesis pushed the hammer away before slashing at Menoetius who blocked the strike with his hammer, but his knees buckled due to the sheer force of the strike.

I goggled as I saw what Nemesis was wielding. It was a heavy, almost five feet long Claymore made of a blackish-silver metal. It was a sword, clearly meant to be handled by two hands and yet, Nemesis wielded it with expert ease with a single hand. I was pretty sure that the sword weighed at least ten to twelve kilograms as compared to my own sword which didn't even weigh two kilograms.

The only one I had seen do the same was Alexander and he had shown it to me just for the sake of it. He seldom used claymores, or other two-handed swords preferring one-handed swords like xiphos, katanas, gladius, and such capable of quick moments.

My own Thyella Kavalaris was a modified one-handed broadsword of sorts, with a more streamlined blade and a more comfortable hilt, giving it a look between the xiphos and broadsword. While it could tank heavy hits easily despite its relatively lightweight when compared to some other swords which I had seen, it didn't generate the heavy momentum that perhaps Nemesis's sword would generate.

True to my assumption, a moment later, Nemesis swung her sword again, trying to cleave Menoetius in half but the Titan jumped away, making the sword hit a bean bag sized rock. The sword cleaved through the rock like a hot knife would cleave through butter.

Menoetius went to attack her with his war hammer again, but in a rather surprising show of strength and quickness, Nemesis whirled around, intercepting the hammer with her sword, causing yet another miniature shockwave.

Behind me, I sensed the downed form of Phoebe begin to get up and I whirled around before charging at her as my sword appeared in my hands.

Phoebe's spear was lying several feet away from her body. Her helmet had rolled off her head, revealing her luscious blonde hair which fell down in waves over her shoulder.

She looked up and her eyes widened as she saw me nearing. She scrambled for her spear, but I brought my sword down, stabbing her through her abdomen. A strangled gasp escaped her throat, as she looked down at the sword embedded in her stomach.

"MOTHER!" Lelantos shouted just before I set the sword aflame with greek fire, making the Titaness scream in pain, as she writhed in pain only to still a moment later as the destructive fire damaged her mortal form beyond repair.

I felt energy flow up the sword into my body. It felt like hot water was traveling through my veins towards my divine core, as my sword thrummed with power, its name engraved on its blade glowing golden. I felt my gut clench, making me grunt in pain.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Lelantos looking in horror at the dead form of his mother while Nemesis had used the distraction to land a few blows on Menoetius, putting him on the defensive before disarming him. As Menoetius' hammer flew out of his hands and clattered on the ground, Nemesis kicked him in the gut, sending him flying straight at me.

With a grunt, I removed my sword from Phoebe's abdomen and moved just as Menoetius came flying toward me. Getting out of the way, I swung my sword still alight with greek fire, in the path of the body.

#PERCY NO!# Alexander shouted just before I was showered in ichor as my sword cleaved through Menoetius' chest with ease as if it was a boiled potato rather than a heavily armored titan.

Suddenly, I felt like my nerves were on fire and my gut clenched painfully, making me scream. The Thyella Kavalaris vibrated with power in my hands, as if struggling to control the influx of power.

#PERCY, BRING THE STORM AND THE FIRE!# Alexander yelled and I screamed to the heavens, before falling to my knees just as dark clouds gathered in the sky, lightning flashing between them. The winds picked up, making monsters around us stumble.

I pointed my storm rider at the sky, shooting a powerful beam of sea green energy upwards while simultaneously using my powers to ignite the bombs that I had made the hunt lay just beneath the ground to kill the monsters when they attacked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Artemis reciprocating my actions, shooting her own silver beam of energy upward.

There was an ear-deafening boom as several greek fire bombs exploded, making several mushrooms of eldritch green greek fire, killing hundreds of monsters in one go. Simultaneously, the beams of energy that Artemis and I had shot, hit the barrier that the titans had erected along with a bolt of lightning from the heavens. The dome was illuminated as glowing cracks of blue, silver, and green energy formed on it before the dome shattered in a beautiful light show.

The burning in my veins had lessened considerably but there was still excess divine energy flowing through my body. With another yell, I concentrated on the greek fire that had just exploded, willing it to multiply and connect while swirling with the storm.

"NOW!" I yelled and Thalia and Artemis charged at their designated opponents while they still watched the destruction in horror.

Liekos pounced on Bianca, and both of them disappeared in a shadow along with the rest of the wolves.

The Titaness, Aura was hit with a bolt of lightning from Thalia which sent her sprawling onto the ground. She rolled out of the way a moment later to save herself from being skewered by Thalia's spear which was crackling with electricity.

Lelantos on the other hand, reacted quickly, parrying Artemis's hunting knives with his own as the goddess and the titan of the hunt engaged in a duel, almost too quick to be seen by the naked eye between the flashes of silver.

I looked back at Nemesis and found her staring at me. I couldn't discern her expression as she spun her sword, its tip embedded in the ground.

I converted my sword to its trident form, using it as a support to get back on my feet without breaking eye contact despite almost stumbling in the process. I willed my armor and helm to appear over my ichor-soaked clothes just as it started raining.

The water soothed me, making the almost unbearable pain in my gut lessen to a dull throb. Steam rose around us as the rain fell on the greek fire.

Nemesis still didn't react as rivulets of water cascaded down her face and armor.

"Nemesis," I called as lightning flashed in the sky again before a bolt of lightning dropped towards Aura, who disappeared in a breeze, appearing behind Thalia, who whirled around just in time to stop Aura's attack.

Artemis on the other hand ducked underneath a swing from lelantos before slashing at his knee, drawing ichor. Not even a second later, Artemis skidded back as Lelantos pushed her away with his wind powers.

"Perseus Jackson," She replied, her voice echoing over the sound of the sizzling fire, the screams of dying monsters, and the pitter-patter of the rain. Her voice held no emotion, sending shivers down my spine. "That was quite a trick you pulled, child. Manipulating deities and powers much above any mortal should be able to. I confess myself… impressed."

"Thank you. Now, I must ask. Why did you join the titans? You supported Olympus during the Gigantomachy. You have been a frequent guest in the halls of Olympus. Well respected, well cherished. Why did you join the titans?"

For a brief moment, a flicker of a smile flitted on her face. "The answer is simple. You, Perseus Jackson, have tipped the scales of balance rather heavily on the side of the Olympians. Your inclusion in this war has tipped the scales. I need to balance them."

"What do you mean?"

"Can't you see?" She asked softly, tilting her head. "You. A demigod with powers that rivals that of gods. A force of nature, having the ability to level armies with a single thought. And most importantly, you have no restrictions being a hero unlike the gods do."

"What do you want me to do about it? Lay my sword and sit as you all kill my friends and family?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't expect you to. To be frank it is a foolish notion that you, a man who just leveled an army and killed two titans just because you promised your friend, Artemis of all people, that you won't let her hunters die; would lay down your sword while you see a friend in danger."

"Then why are you here? What are you even up to?"

"I just wished to see you in person.

"Well, pleased to meet you. Now, kindly fuck off."

Nemesis gave a tinkling laugh at that. "Oh, come on. You are no fun, demigod. At least spar with me."

"You want to die as well?" I asked.

"Oh, no, no. One, you cannot actually kill me, child. The best you can do is destroy my mortal form, sending me to reform for a few painful decades in Tartarus. Something I don't fancy, mind you. I just want to spar. Not fight. I want to see if your title of the best swordsman in centuries is rightfully earned or not."

'Alexander? What is she doing?'

#I have no idea, Percy. My half-sister is as unpredictable as one can be. She might just be doing this for shits and giggles or have a huge-ass, world domination scheme behind it.#

"Come at me then," I replied to Nemesis, resisting the urge to curse.

"Oh please. I swear I won't kill you or maim you unless you do it first. You don't need to goad me into breaking the ancient laws cause I won't. I am immune to taunting if you must know. It is a form of revenge, however vague it might be, and that falls under me. See, I just want to genuinely have a spar with you. I promise I would even leave this war after this spar and if you disarm me successfully, I will give you a favor that you can redeem anytime during your mortal life as long as it's reasonable. All this, given that you do not destroy my mortal form while we spar. Good deal?"

#Take it.#

"Swear it," I said, agreeing with Alexander. A favor from a primordial, even a minor one was a big deal. And not to mention, one less ally for the titans.

"I do," She replied, beaming at me.

"On the five rivers, Nemesis," I said dryly.

"Good, you are intelligent. Most would've asked me to swear on the Styx or not at all." She nodded approvingly. "I swear on the five rivers of the underworld that I will uphold the deal I made with Perseus Jackson, the son of Poseidon."

Thunder boomed loudly in the sky sealing the deal, making me tighten my grasp on the storm-rider.

AND… DONE! I know, I left another cliffhanger! I love them so much. LMAO.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter though.

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A huge thank you to Ultimate Gamer for betaing the chapter.

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IMPORTANT NOTE!

Today, I have also released a new fanfic. Agent Potter: The Wizard of W.A.N.D. Please go and check it out. It is an awesome spy! Harry fic, post-Hogwarts. And I promise you will enjoy it.

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N7 Greek-Valkyrie: Yes, I plan to continue it into HOO at this moment. I have not planned it yet but I will do that once the Titan arc is finished.

l0n3-WaLKeR611: Tbh, who cares about the movie? I care about the car. And, I would say that it is a decent movie but not a bad one. It is a good one-time watch I would say.

Alsion: No, it won't be merging. RoLP is RoLP and LoSP is LoSP. There would not be any merging. Here, if you haven't noticed, Harry Potter is a fictional book like it is in the real world.

Sprmanfan: I think that they just say that. Diet coke, at least the ones I have drank before are sweet and it can't be that there isn't any sugar in them. Also, if you read Sea of Monsters, in there, when Hermes meets Percy on the beach where he is drinking diet coke cause 'sugar calmed his hyperactive mind'. Rick's words, not mine. XD

Ares Sirius Peverell: To be honest, I haven't planned that far. I have planned for the titan war and after that, the giant war will begin. So… I can say that he won't be a god till the HOO arc is complete at least.

MegaRayquaza8121: Aston Martin Valkyrie was released in 2021. You are about a decade and a half too early. Lol.

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

HPfanfictioner66