AN: Hello and has it been two weeks already? As of writing this, it is almost five AM and I have definitely not slept yet. I don't know what was going on today/yesterday but I sat down to write and it just kept coming. I like the chapter but I think there are some parts I will need to expand on in subsequent chapters besides that my only gripe with the way I have written the story thus far is that there haven't been as many Percy/Calypso moments as I wanted originally. Don't worry there are still chapters to come but we are closer to the end than ever now. Enjoy the chapter.

As always I own nothing that you recognize from officially licensed/published works.

Slight warning: mentions and very light depiction of torture as well as Percy getting a bit more brutal than I normally write him. There is no real way for me to summarize these sections without the aforementioned sections so my apologies.

Chapter 11: Two Hearts Must Be Strong

Harley was convinced that the pounding of their feet formed an irregular beat like a song he couldnt place. His legs were longer, but she seemed to almost fly over the forest floor as they ran. It was a hunter's pace, or so Thalia told him. Ten minutes running, twenty walking, ten resting. To her credit, they had covered a surprising distance already which Thalia had communicated with a smirk and a sarcastic comment.

"Not too bad Harley, for a boy."

They had risen and eaten a hurried and cold meal shortly before noon after their long night. They had managed to avoid being attacked again so far which was both welcome and worrisome. Harley expected enemies to leap out of every shadow as they traveled, especially now that he was armed with only a spare long hunting knife of Thalias. He knew it had been necessary but a part of him bitterly regretted losing the two gifts from his father. They had appeared for him the morning he turned fifteen and his siblings had been impressed. They too received something on their fifteenths but having a spear that transformed into a pen was a special pride for Harley. He had idolized Percy when he was younger, even before he had become a god. It was easier to believe the ancient stories in some ways than the tales of Percy's life.

Harley shook his head slightly as a tiny branch whipped across his cheek causing his eyes to water. Soon enough Thalia called their drop to a brisk walking pace which Harley was grateful for. They had been holding this pattern for several hours and he was worried that he'd be next to useless unless they found the kidnapped heroes soon. Had Percy been there he probably would have warned Harley not to give the Fates ideas like that. He almost wanted to smile at the thought but the snap of a twig brought his attention back to his surroundings immediately. Even if it was nothing, every sound, every unexpected movement couldnt be ignored for fear of what may happen. To both their surprise a massive elk stepped through the trees a half dozen yards before them.

When it spotted them it froze for a moment but even here so far from their territory something of Artemis was within Thalia. The elk moved off at a leisurely pace as though it knew they would not hurt it. Once it had disappeared completely Thalia started moving again in silence though she soon broke it.

"As far as signs go that's about as good as it gets. If there was anyone less friendly than us within a quarter mile it would have run as soon as it saw us."

Harley didn't have anything to add but he wondered how far they still had to go then. Were they looking for a single place or would the demigods be scattered across the wilderness? So they kept moving, they had miles and miles to cover it would seem and the last thing they wanted was to take forever to find their missing friends, or in his case more than that. The sun was beginning to go down when Thalia called a halt to their march, dragging him down behind a fallen tree.

"Something is out there, I can feel it. I don't know what it is but I am going to find out. Stay. Here. Got it?"

Harley settled in behind the log, every sense keyed up and alert for the slightest hint that something was trying to sneak up on him. The minutes stretched on and Harley started to get nervous, how long had she been gone? He scooted slowly to one side, doing his best not to make a noise as he did so. When he got to the edge of the log he peaked around the edge, his eyes scanning the trees looking for any hint of motion or color that would give away Thalia's position. Of course, he saw nothing and turned back to behind the log and only Thalia's hand covering his mouth prevented him from giving away their position. As it was the strange grunting noise that escaped him from behind her hand would have sounded strange to anyone listening. He just hoped that they would think it was some sort of animal.

"So what did you find?"

Percy's legs burned and his lungs felt like they were filled with fire yet still, he ran. He would run until he could only crawl until the ichor took his blade from his hand. Mile after mile he chased the monstrous form of Cernunos, but the emotions, the pain, they kept him going. He no longer cared about anything so long as he could stand over the corpses of Cernunos and Moros. Cernunos had mocked him for his name once, a name that Percy had been running from his whole life: Perseus. It meant Destroyer and Percy had hated it ever since he had learned what it meant, what it meant. It was a title he refused to accept, it was why he insisted everyone call him Percy.

Cernunos had stopped out of sight, in yet another attempt to catch him off guard. He had done the same thing several times before and each time a devastating blow would be only just out of Percy's reach. Percy had grown ever more wary and on edge with each encounter as the chase continued. This was too easy, too simple, and even as distraught as he was, he was no longer a child who lost himself to his emotions. His mind was his own, and he knew no fear, no doubt, only a resolute desire to wipe these two creatures, these vermin from the world. They did not create, they did not love, they only hated and destroyed. Though in that he felt a terrible kinship, they represented everything he feared and loathed in himself. He saw a reflection of his worst nightmares in Cernunos. Once respected, honored, and even liked he was now a fallen and ruined creature. He was everything Percy feared he would become when he remembered trying to drown Ahklys in her poison.

This time however Percy felt something different at the very edge of his senses even as he closed with Cernunos again. Bronze screamed off of bone once more and Percy fought harder than he had in hours as he was sure what he felt was at least a half dozen or more of the missing heroes. Even as Cernunos took off moving farther north now Percy summoned a shield and laid it upon the ground. On the surface was engraved a message that he knew his companions would eventually find even if it took them hours to get here. He couldnt do anything to help the heroes, if he got too close he was sure Cernunos would take the opportunity to target them to get to him. As long as he kept up his pursuit then he hoped his enemies would not have the time to divert to attacking the demigods. It was a desperate hope at best, he knew it, but it was all he had.

As he thundered through the trees, each step was like the fall of a hammer upon the earth. He knew he was going to reach his limits soon but he couldnt think about that right now, he needed to keep them away from the heroes. If he could do nothing else before the end it had to be that. Unfortunately for him, he had made a mistake. He had not realized that they had no intention of going after the demigods as he was their target. As he cleared the treeline before a small stream he felt the weight of some dark power descend around him and begin to bind him to the earth. Like tendrils of shadow, they began to wrap around his limbs and seek to overwhelm him through their weight. In his near-exhausted state they proved to be too much for him to resist as for each tendril he tore apart three more sprung to life. It was then he heard the laughter, he was on his knees still resisting the pull of the tendrils when it began from all around him. Swiveling his head he searched his surroundings for whoever was laughing and soon enough found them.

His face beaded with the strain Moros stood with a dagger that dripped ichor from the blade in one hand. His other was squeezed tight as small drops of ichor fell from it too. Percy was no magician, nor was he familiar with the many forms it took, but even he knew he was dealing with something ancient and dark. Moros walked forward, and as though he was confident that Percy could not break his bonds, strode up to him without a care in the world.

"Oh look at this... The Hero of Olympus brought to his knees by little old me..."

Percy tasted ichor as Moros struck his cheek with the pommel of his dagger. Lights danced behind his eyes and his vision unfocused for a moment before clarifying again. A demented grin twisted Moros' visage into a mask of terrible glee at the suffering he had already inflicted.

"Yes, I am going to enjoy this. You heroes are always so... arrogant. Strutting around wreaking havoc on the natural order of the world at your whim with no regard for those of us who embody the natural forces."

Percy felt as though his brain was moving at half speed, and he couldnt get his mouth to form the derisive words he so wished to spit at Moros. Percy watched as Moros' grin only stretched wider at the look of fury that Percy knew was growing on his face.

"I am old Perseus. So very old. My mother birthed my siblings and I long before the Titans ruled the world. Then along came the gods, and even worse the mortals. They reviled me and for what? For my very existence, for simply being born. I had no say in what I am any more than you did Perseus, and yet you are respected as much as you are feared."

Percy fought against whatever power was keeping him silent and felt the tenuous hold it had over his mind snap. Meeting Moros' eyes Percy spat ichor on the dirt before his feet. For the first time, he realized just what Artemis had been talking about when she had told him that there was always a choice. No matter how terrible, how unfair of a truth, every single being was responsible for their actions in the end.

"Shut your mouth monster. I may be younger than you but I have seen more than my share of darkness. I know what it is like to be feared, to be hated. I know what it is like to hate every single thing about the way you were born. All I hear is excuses from a spineless coward too weak to make a stand and make something better of himself. How long did it take Moros? How long did it take for you to simply give up and use your 'nature' as an excuse to bring needless pain and death? I've met your mother you know. Some of your siblings too for that matter. Thanatos is no less feared and hated than you are but he is no monster like you. What say you?"

Percy did not care that he might end up having to reform or even that he might end up fading. His oldest friends were long gone, his mother was gone, Calypso was gone. All he cared about now was keeping Moros distracted. He needed to buy the others time to rescue the missing heroes, needed to give them the opportunity to complete the mission and see them to safety. Moros struck him in the face with his dagger again, this time the blade opened a gash on his cheek stretching from his right ear to almost his nose. Ichor sheeted down his face and the line burned like fire but he refused to give Moros the satisfaction of hearing him cry out so he stayed silent. His burning eyes set on his foe with every drop of righteous fury that he felt burning in his heart. Just for a moment, Percy saw the flicker of fear he had seen so often when his enemies met his eyes. It was something that Lupa had burned into him after he had awoken in the Wolf House and as he had gotten older it had served him well.

The clink of chains drew Percy's attention and as he turned to look the momentary hold his gaze had held on Moros was broken. Cernunos was dragging a set of Celestial Bronze chains into the clearing surrounding the small stream and Percy felt his stomach clench. He knew that he was not going to enjoy whatever they had in store for him but he would endure it all the same. A small part of him, the part that was still trapped forevermore in the depths of Tartarus almost felt a sense of satisfaction, 'Perhaps what I cannot atone for with deeds I can atone for with blood.' The dark thought was the last thing to pass through his mind before Cernunos slammed his fist into the side of Percy's head and darkness claimed him.

Harley was panting as they crouched behind a fallen tree only a short bowshot from the missing heroes that Percy had sent them to find. They couldnt see anything guarding the area but both of them knew that meant little after watching the small twisted humanoid creatures crawling from the shadows and the earth itself. As near as they could tell the majority of the missing heroes were here which concerned Thalia when she had returned from scouting the area. They had only just arrived and he still hadn't recovered from their running pace but they didn't have time to wait. Sundown was rapidly approaching and the night would benefit their enemies far more than it would them.

"It's like they wanted us to find them. I couldnt quite tell if it was all twenty-one but I counted at least fourteen. Why go through the trouble of taking them if they were just going to leave them in the open like this? The younger ones don't even look like they're tied up."

They had begun planning how they would approach the captives to minimize their chances of being caught unawares but as Thalia was describing one method a coldness swept through Harley as a sudden realization struck him.

"Decoys. Thalia, they were just bait."

"What are you..."

Her eyes grew wide and she spun to face west, and they both spoke at the same time.

"Percy!"

Thalia turned back and withdrew her knives even as electricity began to arc from her fingers and the air around them smelled of ozone. Even the wind began to pick up and Harley was reminded that while Thalia was the Lieutenent of Artemis she was the Daughter of Zeus. She might be the only demigod alive who could have come close to matching Percy with her elemental powers when he had still been mortal.

"New plan Harley. Still got that shield?"

Her voice rippled with rage and Harley felt a chill run down his spine that he had only ever associated with Percy in the past. He knew that every demigod was a born fighter but watching Thalia reminded him that he would never come close the the destructive power wielded by the children of the big three. He nodded in response to the question and shrugged it around and strapped it to his arm. It was smaller and not enchanted but it was better than nothing if it came to a fight.

"Good. Normally I hate using his powers but I'll make an exception for now. These freaks pissed me off. We are going in fast and hard. I'm going to go straight for them, you swing around the side and find the older ones. Get them free as fast as you can. Even without weapons, they can help us if the bastards decide to give us trouble."

Harley nodded and drew the shortsword she had given him readying himself to fight. With no warning Thalia took off like a bolt of lightning toward the camp, her passage leaving a burning after image as the lighting wreathing her trailed in strands of crackling power. Harely took off after her his legs pumping as hard as he could to try and catch up but she reached the cages before he was even halfway. None of her lightning struck any of the demigods but as the small twisted creatures began to crawl from the earth she began to dispatch them with brutal efficiency. For every monster, her blades struck down at least as many were vaporized by the lightning that arced off of her with every move. He was a blur of motion as he skidded to a halt next to a cage holding some of the older demigods and he set to work on the lock. It took him only a handful of moments to get the cage open but it had felt like hours to him as the sounds of fighting continued. Four of the people in the cage made for the fight to join Thalia and Harley's eyes widened as the oldest of them, a guy Harley knew from camp to be a son of Ares, was surrounded in a reddish glow even as he began to run.

Harley had never seen the blessing of Ares in person before but he did not doubt in his mind that the glow he was witnessing was the blessing. The four demigods, though unarmed, struck the monsters with brutal efficiency that came from years of training. Thalia had some help and he needed to work on the next cage, but as he turned a body struck his and he heard a voice he would recognize anywhere.

"Sera!"

She kissed him and despite himself, he returned the kiss desperately.

"We need to move. No time."

Despite the tears on her face, she nodded and he made a split-second decision. Tearing the shield off of his arm he gave it to her along with the short sword and insisted that she take them.

"You can watch my back as I work on the cages."

She nodded and swung the sword experimentally to test its weight. They moved toward the next cage and Harley set to work on the lock again this time it took him a bit longer. The older demigods inside looked like they were about to explode as he worked, their eyes flicking from his work to the intensifying combat on the other side of the camp. Harley heard shouts of anger and pain, as well as the screeches of the monsters. They needed to get out of here and fast. The lock finally popped open and five of the demigods inside took off toward the fight as well, one of them caught Harley's attention. He had met the girl several times in Camp Jupiter and he made an effort not to piss her off, she was a daughter of Hercules. How the enemy had even managed to capture her was beyond him as there was not a member of the legion who could match her for physical strength. He watched as each swing of her fists turned another monster to powder, all of the demigods were locked in brutal hand-to-hand combat with several of the monsters and it seemed like they just kept coming. Moving as quickly as they could Harley began to work on the lock of the final cage.

This one held only three demigods but immediately he knew why these three were separated from the others. One was a child of Athena, one was a child of Hermes, and the last was a child of Hecate. All three were bound and gagged in addition to the magical cages preventing their powers from being able to be used. As the lock popped open he raced inside and worked on the ropes binding the three of them, carefully slicing them to ribbons until all three were free to move. They too bolted from the cage but only two made for the fight to his surprise. The Child of Athena bolted toward the outcropping of rock that covered them partially and below which there was a depression in the earth. Harley followed with Sera close on his heels and he soon found out why they were running in this direction. Hidden from view of the cages there was a haphazard pile of magical items, things that would have been taken from the demigods when they were captured. He moved to help the young son of Athena grab items from the pile when something told him to duck. Every fibre of his being screaming at him to get down. He dragged Sera and Adam, he remembered his name was, to the ground just as a massive club whistled through the space they had just occupied.

Still prying itself away from the wall the massive stone creature looked like someone had piled a bunch of rocks into a vaguely humanoid shape and then called it a day. However, no matter how sloppily it appeared to have been constructed it moved far faster than its bulk should have allowed. They had to scatter as its club slammed into the ground shaking the earth around them. In desperation, Harley flung himself back toward the cages and called for help.

"SAM! HELP!"

He was forced to roll again to try and avoid another blow but it clipped his shoulder and threw him sprawling across the ground. Just when he thought it was over there was a thud then another and a thunderous crash as who could only be Sam threw themselves into the rocky creature. Within a handful of seconds where once had been a giant was now a loose pile of rock as Sam brought her fists down where once had been the monster's head. Again and again, she struck until the monster had been reduced to gravel and golden dust. Silence reigned over the area and Harley remained tensed until Thalia limped into view. One eye was swollen shut and a nasty gash on her arm still seeped blood through a hasty bandage.

"Good. You're still... Alive..."

She was out of breath and Harley moved forward to catch her as her knees buckled. He lowered her to sit against a nearby boulder before starting to try and improve the bandage on her arm. A hand rested on his shoulder and he looked around to see one of the five demigods who had been left outside the cages standing there. Between the blonde hair and the blue eyes, he could have been a reborn Jason Grace though Harley knew it was more likely this was just a very young son of Apollo.

"My mom taught me how to fix people. Let me help."

The kid couldnt have been more than eleven years old, judging by his words Harley guessed he hadn't even been to camp yet. Moving to the side he was impressed by how well the kid already seemed to know first aid. If his mom had taught him 'how to fix people' she was either the world's greatest teacher or his guess about the boy's parentage was accurate. Thalia hissed in pain as he tightened the bandage around the wound but whatever he had done seemed to be an improvement to be sure. At the very least blood was no longer seeping through and beneath the bandage. The boy then hurried back toward the cages and as he turned Harley saw that now that he wasn't focused on helping Thalia he was positively terrified. It was only then that Harley noticed that his left shoulder, the shoulder that had taken the brunt of the impact from the monstrous mace, was throbbing with a deep-seated pain that was all too familiar. He had once broken his collarbone falling from the rock wall at Camp Half-Blood and that had felt exactly how his shoulder felt right now. Cursing he struggled to his feet and with a very slight limp he walked toward the cages as well.

The remnants of the fight that had occurred between the trees were still strewn across the ground. Blood, remnants of their foes, and broken plant material surrounded them. Harley saw at least three still bodies who even from here Harely knew would never move again. His heart felt heavy and for a moment he faltered almost falling to a knee when a pair of hands grasped his uninjured arm and slung it over her shoulders. Sera helped him walk toward the bulk of the demigods and then helped him sit against yet another newly fallen tree. It seemed that Thalia or perhaps Sam had taken a leaf out of Percy's book and destroyed several of the trees in the area. The uninjured demigods were busy feverishly tending to their injured fellows, Roman and Greek alike side by side without any of the usual tension that still plagued them to this day. Harley grasped Sera's hand and pulled in an attempt to pull her down beside him, but she smiled sadly and slipped her fingers from between his.

"I need to go help. I will be right back as soon as the others are stable."

He only nodded tiredly but reached out before she could move very far.

"Sera I need..." He coughed and had to restart. "I need to tell you. No more waiting. I love you. I love you Sera. I think I have for a while."

The smile that lit her face filled Harely's chest with much-needed warmth even as she turned to leave. She reconsidered at the last second and looked back at him.

"I love you too Harley."

Before he could reply she shot off toward the others and did her best to help with getting the other's injuries taken care of. He must have slipped into unconsciousness at some point because the next thing he knew he felt a lance of pain shoot through his shoulder as someone shook him.

"OW OW OW! I'm awake!"

"Good. Thought we lost you there for a second. Couldnt have that. Percy would never forgive himself."

He looked up and saw Thalia smirking down at him offering her uninjured arm to him. Unfortunately, her left arm was the uninjured arm while his was his right arm, but after an awkward twist of their wrists, they managed to get him on his feet. Looking around he realized he must have only been out for a few minutes as the others were still tending to some of the more injured. From here he thought that he could see there were six demigods in good enough shape to keep fighting, two very lightly injured, three being tended to, and now four who lay still. All five of the younger demigods that had been outside the cages were also unscathed. For the first time, he realized that all of them looked like they were about the same age, around ten or eleven years old. Something about that stuck in Harley's mind but he shook it off, he would think about it after they were all out of danger. For now, they were stranded in the Canadian wilderness hundreds of miles from the nearest city with nineteen demigods of various ages and four fallen.

Percy was definitely in danger and possibly walking into a trap, Calypso would be following him, and they had no way of getting word to anyone for help. His eyes began to scan the demigods present until he found the son of Athena who had originally gone for the magical items. Now that the fight had subsided he was running back and forth from the shallow cave returning items to their owners which would at the very least be helpful in the near future. Demigods rarely carried meaningless or useless trinkets, and even if a piece of jewelry was simply that it would be a comfort to those who regained them. Harley and Thalia moved to intercept him as he was returning to the cave once more.

"Adam! How many are left?"

"Only a couple. Do you need something?"

Harley let Thalia take over from there as she was far more experienced with this sort of thing than he was. He tried to pay attention but he kept finding his attention drifting to his girlfriend across the area. His face burned every time he caught himself and tried to refocus on the conversation but eventually even Thalia noticed his distraction.

"You are absolutely no help loverboy. Almost as bad as Percy you are."

He looked around at her sheepishly and found her smirking at him. Adam was shaking his head slightly disapprovingly but it didn't feel overly serious. Harley gave a weak chuckle and turned to look at Sera again.

"Can you blame me?"

"If you're as much like Percy as it seems like you are then no. I don't suppose I can. Was that the first time you told her you love her?"

His face burned again and he turned to meet Thalia's eyes.

"Yeah. It was."

Calypso was getting tired of the woods. She couldnt believe the thought had crossed her mind, but it had. The endless trees grew evermore tiresome as mile after mile passed with no sign of either Percy or his quarry. Then she stumbled onto the first site where there were signs of some kind of fight. A confused collection of footprints filled the area and a few drops of black and gold ichor stained the earth. Then she found the trail continuing as before and her frustration started to get the better of her. She had been following the trail for hours now with almost no sign of anything less than a few hours old. She wondered how Thalia and Harley were doing. Had they found the demigods yet? Were they still uninjured? These thoughts and worries only continued to plague her as the sun began its descent toward the horizon. She had found several more places where Percy had fought with something or someone before continuing with the chase, each time it made her more worried. The farther she went the less destroyed the trail seemed to be. Percy was so strong that she often forgot that he did have limits and she realized with a sense of horror that he may have been captured by now or even worse. 'No! Don't think like that!' She mentally berated herself for even allowing herself to think about it.

It was no good, the thought had occurred to her and now she could think of nothing else. An image of Percy's body lying broken and lifeless on the stone of the Grand Canyon came back to her then, as did the feeling of terrible emptiness that she had felt reaching for his consciousness. She refused to cry, to give in and break because that was exactly what Moros wanted he wanted them to suffer, to despair, and to give in to his inevitable. She refused, Percy was the very epitome of never giving up, and if after everything he had been through he hadn't given up then neither would she. Hour after hour she continued, stopping to rest when she needed to but pushing on even as the sky began to grow dark. Then she stumbled into the open area near a stream and felt the bottom of her stomach drop out from under her.

The trail ended here and there was ichor staining the ground, too much ichor, and it was all gold. She could feel the remnants of dark magic in the area, she could even feel where the ancient power had bound Percy. Panic threatened to overwhelm her as she raced back and forth looking for anything, any sign that could tell her where he had gone. In the fading light, there was nothing. She couldnt find anything save the place where Percy had been captured. She forced herself to calm down, panic wouldn't help her in the slightest. First and foremost she needed to eat and sleep. She took several deep breaths forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, doing her best not to think about Percy. Despite her efforts, she couldn't keep him from her thoughts for long even as she began to build a small fire to help keep her warm overnight and to hopefully deter any wild animals that might be curious about her in the night.

When sleep finally found her deep into the night it was restless and she was plagued by nightmares the whole night. Visions of her friends being slain far from where she could help them, and the worst of all the sight of Percy's lifeless body appeared too many times to count. Eventually, it was all too much and she didn't even try to return to sleep she sat waiting for the sun to rise so that she would have a better chance at finding something, anything that might help her find Percy. When the day finally dawned the sun dawned a bloody red and she wondered if Apollo could see them from his chariot. She buried the last embers of her fire before packing her gear neatly back into her pack. Walking back to the bank of the stream she was once more confronted by the truth that as of now Percy was in the hands of their enemies. She began to comb the banks, even the bed of the stream looking for something, no matter how small just to give her a clue. As the sun rose higher the brighter light was her friend. She spotted something in the stream bed that made her heart surge, a dagger lay on the bottom pointing upstream.

She didn't know how he got the dagger there but it was all she had to go on and she was not going to give up now. Staying far enough from the bank to avoid making an obvious trail in the soft earth she began to follow the stream as it twisted and turned between the trees. After a few miles, it seemed that whoever had Percy had grown more comfortable as now there were signs of their passage that Calypso could easily spot. She was sure that if Thalia had been with her they would have made better time but she couldnt dwell on what-ifs. She wracked her brain as she walked, searching for a plan, an idea, anything that she thought could get them out of this. She knew that she wouldn't be able to overpower either Cernunos or Moros, though she wasn't entirely sure about the latter. After all, Moros had never been a fighter, he was a deceiver and a trickster.

"Oh, Percy. What am I going to do?"

She knew there was no one to hear her, and more importantly, the one person who she wanted to talk to about this was the person she was searching for. Percy had seen and done so much that it seemed like there was nothing he couldnt do. He had survived Tartarus and so many things over the years she knew she had to have faith in him. Though he wouldn't hear her she prayed to him as had become a sort of joke between them. Every time she did he would appear before her from wherever he was and she loved it. She didn't care that it was probably not the majority of his consciousness that visited her, she knew he was busy. Right now she would give anything for even just the sound of his voice in her ear telling her that everything is going to be alright. All she heard in response to her prayer were the sounds of the forest and the babbling of the stream. Even the sound of flowing water wasn't enough to calm her despite its close association with Percy as she continued north.

Around noon when she stopped for a quick meal he heard an unearthly and primeval howl far in the distance. It was too far away for her to discern anything useful from the sound other than the fact that it was still far north of her. She couldnt tell if the sound was victorious or fearful, nothing that could tell her what was going on to clue her into what was happening to Percy. Even so, knowing that it was so far away it still made her skin crawl and goosebumps rise. After her short break, she continued to travel north and now her feet were beginning to betray her, blisters had begun to appear and it was becoming harder to keep going. She pulled her canteen of nectar out of her bag and using as little as possible dabbed it on the blisters until they faded away. The relief was immense as the hot inflamed skin faded back to smooth and pain free allowing her to continue at her former pace.

As the sun was beginning to descend on the second day she felt something that both gave her hope and made her afraid. The air pressure dropped so fast that her ears popped and she had to work her jaw to get the discomfort to fade. She had experienced something similar around Percy before but never with the intensity that it just had. Then the wind began to tug at her hair, gently at first but soon enough the wind was strong enough to force her to tie her hair back and shove it beneath her cap. The branches of the trees began to sway, far in the distance she thought she heard thunder and her sense of hope began to build. He was fighting back! That meant he was free and strong enough to use his powers, and given the scale of the storm it was no small thing. Then the howling began, first one, then two, three, seven, more and more howls filled the evening air. They were unearthly and just as the solitary howl had the day before it made her skin crawl. She had no idea what it meant but it couldnt be good, she knew that Cernunos likely had servants roaming the forests and it seemed as though they were being recalled to their master. Percy would be outnumbered and outgunned, he wouldn't be able to maintain a storm of this size for long and even if he condensed it the draw on his power would simply be too great for him to contend with the number of creatures the howls seemed to indicate. Her only choice was to keep moving and that somehow she would be able to help him break free from whatever curse Moros had laid upon him and get him to turn and run. Their only choice was to retreat and regroup, otherwise they would have no chance against what faced them.

She had also long since given up on having any idea of where she was in relation to anything she was familiar with. She knew that she had travelled almost as far east as she had to the west initially but she had no idea exactly how far she had gone. The wind was continuing to pick up and she could hear thunder now as the rolling booms shook the sky for miles and miles around. She took off toward the heart of the storm still not knowing what she was going to do but knowing she had to get there all the same.

Percy felt about as bad as he ever had. The only times that might have been worse were when he was in the River Styx or in the depths of Tartarus itself. Both experiences were singularly awful for their unique reasons. Being subjected to torture, however? That was a new one for him. Of course, he had expected as much when they captured him that didn't make it any easier to bear. Especially because Moros seemed to much prefer mental torture to anything physical. While he was grateful his body was still mostly intact that didn't ease the damage to his mind. Every hour of the previous day had felt like a month of being brutally tortured then he would snap out of it and Moros would be standing there as always cackling at his suffering. Even when they finally chained him to a stationary pole to hang from his wrists he figured it could have been worse. At least he still had arms to hang from, that was something. That and the thing that almost brought a smile to his face. His captors had underestimated him. They had hung him so that the tips of his toes would barely touch the surface of the stream. Not low enough to stand but low enough that the contact with the water was beginning to recharge him. Little known fact about Celestial Bronze chains, they don't drain your power away, they just block you from using it. So while Cernunos and Moros thought that it was just enough to prolong his suffering it was much more than that. He would have enough energy for something big for a short time, half an hour at most if this kept up for another day, but he couldnt be sure.

He needed a plan because just sitting here waiting to get tortured and killed wasn't high on his to-do list and he didn't think it ever would be. Turned out that the dark part of his mind that had almost welcomed being captured was just flat-out wrong. There was no feeling of atonement from the pain he endured, it just hurt, a lot. So much. His anger was also beginning to return alongside his energy, he fueled it as much as he could, every memory of Calypso serving as another branding iron that kept him focused on what he needed to do before the end. All he needed was an opportunity.

"Here Cerny Cerny Cerny. Cmere boy"

Percy whistled and repeated the call as if he was calling a dog. Nothing happened for a handful of moments but then he heard the stomping footsteps of Cernunos approaching.

"Took you long enough. Now if you want to keep torturing me as long as you can you're going to need to do something about this." He shook the chains from which he was hung. "If you don't I'm as likely to die of a heart attack as from anything you wusses do to me."

Cernunos snarled and got into Percys face. His breath smelled like the smell of a swamp mixed with rotting meat. It was so overpowering that Percy's eyes watered and for the briefest moment he thought to himself, 'I almost miss the torture.' Of course, he didn't but it was crack awful jokes in his head or fully snap before he had the opportunity to do what needed to be done. The Elder god stomped off after slamming his fist into Percy's gut a few times for good measure. As with everything thus far he had been expecting as much though that did little to help him mitigate the damage Cernunos' fist had done to his ribcage. He had felt at least one crack, maybe even two, but he couldnt be certain. His ribs were on fire already so it didn't change all that much. As the sun began to set on the first full day of being a prisoner he hung exhausted from the chains, the cold metal cutting into his wrists quite sharply. Then Moros appeared as though from the shadows themselves, which Percy thought to himself was probably where he had appeared from all things considered.

"MMMmmm I do so love our little game. Especially now that night is coming. Cernunos has called the Hunt to him."

Percy did not like the sound of that at all and if the demented light that had entered Moros' eyes was anything to judge by it was even worse than that. He wasn't going to give the bastard the satisfaction of knowing that though. His face was set in a deadly calm mask that was all things considered not hard to maintain. His desire for Moros' blood far overrode his fear of pain and at this point even death. He had been staring death in the face since he was twelve years old, and this time was no different, except now there were far fewer people to miss him.

"Do you know what the Hunt is Perseus Jackson?"

Percy only glared at Moros every fiber of his being willing the chains to simply fade away like a morning mist before the sun. He wanted nothing more than to tear Moros apart with his bare hands for what he had taken from him.

"They do not feed on the flesh as Cernunos' other creations do. No, they feed on your soul, sucking away aspects of who you are until you are left an empty, soulless, shell. Mmmm, I simply cannot wait to watch you reduced to a pathetic drooling mess."

Percy was going to do it with a dagger he thought. Yeah, one piece at a time sounded like the way to go right now. He knew Calypso wouldn't want him to lose himself in his revenge but even that thought meant little to Percy anymore as even that thought sent lances of anguish and grief through his heart. So began the torture and as he had for so long the night before he lost track of time and reality as every sense was blanketed by the agony Moros inflicted upon him. He had no idea how long had passed, or even if he was still alive. He felt like this wasn't an unfamiliar experience for him for some reason though unsurprisingly he couldnt remember why. Then reality came rushing back and he felt something that surprised him even more than any of the pain had, his wrists were free and he could hear the sounds of fighting nearby.

Staggering to his feet he threw himself into the stream and felt the rush of energy coursing through him. He didn't stay there for long and he jumped back to his feet his eyes sweeping the area looking for the source of the noise and who had released him from his bonds. He felt his blood freeze as he saw flashes of lightning amongst the trees, and heard all too familiar voices shouting as they fought, What were they doing here?! Fear clutched at him and he shot forward slamming his shoulder into one of the massive lupine forms engaging the demigods in combat. There were six of them and Percy recognized that five were of the demigods who had been taken but how were they here? Now wasn't the time for questions, he had hunting to do, and this time they weren't going to get away from him. He summoned Riptide into his hand and it shimmered into being as it always did, the familiar hilt settling into his hand with deadly purpose. The blade sang as he moved it through the air and with a half dozen movements one of the lupine creatures that he hoped weren't 'the Hunt' fell with an eerie lack of sound. One after the other he gave the demigods new weapons, he could sense some carried magical items but it seemed that all but Sam's were not combat-focused. After they were all armed Percy turned this way and that searching for Cernunos.

"CERNUNOS! WHERE ARE YOU!"

Percy threw himself into the fight as he sought his true target, and for some minutes he thought that perhaps the coward had simply fled until a huge black arrow hurtled out of the shadowed trees aimed at Thalia's back. Percy shattered it with a shaft of his own but before he could move Thalia loosed a half dozen arrows from the stock Percy had filled her quiver with as he passed. Each was imbued with just enough of his power to blast chunks off of anything they hit and based on the howl of pain she must have hit something living. Percy crashed through the trees and slammed into Cernunos. They went tumbling across the forest floor, more trees falling around them until they came to a stop, but this time Percy was not holding back, there was no one here to tell him to stop. Riptide bit into Cernunos' flesh before the god had regained his footing and he howled again. Percy drove the sword into Cernunos' thigh then released his hold on the hilt leaving it embedded in his foe. Then stepping forward and pivoting around his front foot he sent his fist crashing into Cernunos' malformed jaw. A tooth and plenty of black ichor flew from his mouth as the blow landed and Percy continued to rain blows down on his opponent. However, Cernunos was no slouch, he recovered quickly and disengaged before pulling Riptide out of his thigh. He flung the sword to the side where it stuck into a tree almost to the hilt. Percy paid the sword no attention he wanted to break Cernunos then and only then obliterate him just as he had whatever had interrupted his wedding night. Time seemed to slow around Percy and a sense of surrealism took over the entire scene as he was reminded of his fight against Gaea, except this time he was not worried, he was not going to be denied, not this time.

THUD

Something heavy slammed into Percy's back sending him stumbling forward. Cernunos tried to capitalize on his vulnerability and only succeded in landing a glancing blow as Percy's viselike fingers closed on his wrist. Turning to be able to see the direction whatever had struck him had come from he saw nothing but part of a fallen tree. An instinct told him to move and he threw himself to the side just in the knick of time. A broken branch that would have skewered him shot through the place he had just been standing.

"Show yourself, you coward."

There was no response save a small boulder rocketing out of the darkness at him. Before Cernunos could again capitalize on his distraction, Percy danced backwards though he misjudged the distance, and Cernunos' fist connected with the side of his head. Lights popped before his eyes and he was forced to throw himself once more as another object flew out of the darkness, though this time it was a short arrow, almost a bolt. He kept fighting though he found himself being forced back, back toward the stream which normally would have been a good thing, but that was also where the demigods were fighting. He didn't want any of them to get caught in the divine crossfire that was his grudge match with Cernunos and Moros. However, when they reached clearer ground it seemed they had moved off along the stream to the south, still fighting but they were rapidly moving beyond the range at which he would be worried about their safety. Seeing this Percy took a deep breath and pulled. The stream began to overflow its banks and move to swirl around him even as the sky grew ever darker. The storm above seemed larger than he would have thought he was capable of creating on his own but then a bolt of lightning struck downstream and he grinned. 'Thalia finally letting loose huh? Good for her.'

The storm continued to build, the wind and water beginning to take their toll on, not just the surroundings, but his foes as well. As the storm built so did his fury. Percy was done, this was the end. He had lost almost everything and he wasn't going to lose anything else to these two. Cold implacable rage filled him with determination and energy, he summoned a spear just like the one that he had summoned on Mt. Olympus just outside the home he feared he would never share with Calypso. If she ever reformed he didn't think he would be getting out of here, and he wasn't sure if he had the strength of mind to hold enough of his being together to reform. He had lost too much and so little of him, the real him, was left. He twirled the spear like a quarterstaff and engaged Moros first, darting forward with a series of thrusts both low and high to put Moros on the defensive. As he had hoped Cernunos went on the attack as well, attempting to catch him from the side opposite where Percy held his spear. He swept the haft of the spear up and around his head bringing the end down on Cernunos' hand and he could feel the bones snap beneath the impact. Continuing the momentum of the spear he carved a groove in Moros' forearm as he attempted to get inside Percy's guard.

He disengaged and though he had not seen it in over a day he found the Aias once more upon his arm. Settling into a stance all Greeks are taught, he held his spear in an underhand grip and rested the shaft on the rim of his shield. This presented his enemy with only the spearhead and the shield to hit, or rather it did when you were carrying a hoplon. The Aias strangely enough to Percy was neither a wall shield nor a hoplon but he wasn't complaining. He had always fought better with lighter faster weapons. As the mismatched pair began to attack him again he finally put together what felt like it was throwing him off, neither of them was using weapons. Cernunos was using his bare hands, and Moros was using just about anything not attached to the ground. A sense of satisfaction filled him as again and again he foiled their attempts to land attacks on him.

"It is a shame that your weapons will always fail you isn't it?"

He shouted his mocking question over the wind but if either of them heard him they didn't say anything. Percy felt his heels hit soft mud so he took another step back and another until he was standing shin-deep in the stream. He stopped retreating then and began to press his foes harder and harder. He was holding nothing back now, trees were torn from the ground and strewn amongst their brethren. As they fought Percy began to take some hits but it was Cernunos who took the first blow that meant something. After using the water to toss Moros sprawling Percy heaved the spear at Cernunos who tried to get out of the way but he didn't completely avoid the blow. As the spear sliced into his upper arm it detonated with a burst of energy as the seismic energy he had imbued the spear with was released taking Cernunos' right arm with it. He howled again and even some of the rocks on the shore shattered from the piercing cry but Percy was not done. He rammed the broken haft of the spear into Cernunos' shoulder and the wood tore into his pale flesh. His cry would have intensified further but Percy summoned a hammer and broke his jaw. Cernunos fell back half trying to crawl away his eyes burning with hate and pain as Percy stalked forward.

"This is for Calypso."

Faster than perhaps even Hermes would have been able to react, Percy summoned and swung a sword, a sword that he had been intending to give to her when all of this was over. He would never get to give it to her and he left the blade buried in Cernunos' skull even as his body began to dissolve like ashes being scattered in the storm. Turning now he saw Moros attempting to flee in the opposite direction but he couldnt escape the wall of wind and water that had encircled them when Percy had stepped into the stream.

"You and your... Ally took her from me. Pray you never reform."

Percy grabbed Moros and obliterated him with a burst of pure power. Like an earthquake shaking a building to pieces Moros simply exploded into a mass of steaming ichor and chunks that soon dissolved as well. With them, the storm died too and what little remained of his strength failed him. Percy collapsed to his knees staring unseeingly at a world that he no longer cared if he left. He knew that there would be those that missed him but he was beyond caring now. The world had taken and taken and taken from him and he was done.

Thalia felt something wrong long before any of the others. It started as a warning in the back of her mind, something about the north bothered her. She couldnt place it until the howl, it rose and fell on the wind and she knew that it had to be him, it had to be Cernunos. She whirled around her eyes finding the five other demigods on their feet and capable of fighting.

"I can't ask this of any of you... but..."

The one she had seen wreathed in the red mist of Ares stepped forward and his name popped into her head for some reason, Patrick.

"You're going after them, after him aren't you?"

The other demigod grew quiet as though someone had cast a spell of silence over the whole area.

"Yes. I am. I don't..."

"I'm coming too. Ever since the games... Well its not important. We need to go. Now."

The other four stepped forward too, their eyes hard and determined. Thalia knew that the current generation hadn't been forced to grow as quickly as she and Percy but it seemed that they were more than willing to do what he had proved time and time again to be willing to do for them. Turning she met Harley's eyes and gave him a sad smile.

"You're staying here Harley. You're hurt and you're better at...this...than I am."

She had gestured to the group around them and Harley laughed though the smile did not quite reach his eyes.

"True but you better come back. I am not sure Lady Artemis will as understanding as are."

It was Thalia's turn to laugh and she stepped forward gently hugging Harley before moving away without a backward glance. She could hear five pairs of feet following her and that was all she needed to know. After they got a little ways from camp she stopped and ripped open her bag. She pulled out half her supply of ambrosia and gave them each a piece.

"I need all of you on your feet. I have more if someone gets hurt but we need to move. Fast."

They all took their portions without question and immediately color began to return to their faces. Turning they continued in a northwesterly direction until nightfall where they made a rough camp. None of them got much sleep due to the monsters that seemed entirely keen on their party. Under normal circumstances, this would've been a disaster but as it was they needed any hints they could get as to where they needed to go. Due to Thalia's tracking abilities as well as some very clever magic from the daughter of Hecate, they managed to get to a sort of cliff on the northern side of a strange low area split down the center by a stream. On the bank of the stream a massive timber had been driven deep into the earth, and from the timber hung by his wrists in Celestial Bronze chains was Percy Jackson.

AN: This chapter is a little different in what I hope are obvious ways. It helped me keep track of everything and I liked it while I was doing my proofing so I just decided to leave it in. Also yes I believe this is my longest chapter so far. To be honest it was almost three thousand words longer but I decided to move the last bit to the next chapter just for a cleaner end to the chapter.

As always thank you for your patience and your enjoyment of my story. It means a lot. If you're still reading here is a tiny preview of what's written for the next chapter.

The howling pain wasn't growing quieter, if anything it was only intensifying. He could feel the earth beginning to shake beneath him but he couldnt find it within him to care. What did it matter anymore? They were gone, She was gone. He was alone, again. He felt something against his face, a featherlight sensation. The wind was picking up again, though that too did not matter. He didn't care what it had thrown momentarily against his face.