Authors Note: Alright, I'm back from the chamber! Welp, the last chapter happened, and I obviously predicted the reactions so… moving on! But not fully, on with the next chapter.

Chapter 55: Stolen Endings

It was a clear night in Virginia Water, Surrey. The town was almost empty as the residents slowly winded down for the night, however there was one home, a mansion, that was still lit up. Behind one of the large glass windows was an office room, and sitting on a wheelchair was a man who was going through some photographs and documents, with a weary look in his eyes. He was wearing a buttoned up brown suit, his light brown hair swept on one side. The room was littered with numerous amount of tables, whether small or big, and they all had open files and blueprints strewn around on top of them. Most of them seemed to be of finance documents and thesis papers, but there were some that contained details on a myriad of Greek monuments and artifacts. There was a fire running in the fireplace, and there were some pictures as well depicting scenic views. In front of the man was a television that was running, his eyes momentarily sifting through the only news piece being broadcasted that everybody seemed to be talking about for quite a while now.

The new island in the Aegean Sea. He was growing tired of hearing it every day if he was honest.

A resounding knock on a set of oak doors shook him out of his stupor, making him sigh. He shut the television off and then cleared his throat. "Come in." the man called out.

The doors opened to reveal a butler in his early sixties, striding into the office. He was wearing a black business suit, and had a telephone in his arms.

"Burning the midnight oil sir?" the butler asked.

The man then placed his hands on his armrests. A whirring sound then began to be emitted, and the man then began to navigate around the room on his motorized wheelchair, grabbing a couple of files as he passed through some of the tables.

"I'm positive it's not that late Smithers. Sinon, I would be in the museum right now."

"I believe so too. Will you be going there soon?"

"Yes, I just need to sort through this mess and take what I need. Is there someone on call?"

"Ah, my apologies sir, Mr. Dare is on the other end of this line." The butler replied, holding out the telephone. "Should I ask him to wait a moment before you would like to speak with him?"

The man frowned slightly. "Merde, what does Warren want now?" he asked tiredly.

The butler pursued his lips. "I'm afraid he won't go into detail about it with me sir."

The man sighed. "It's about the island then. Christ, that man is obsessed. You would think with his profession, even my own father-" he trailed off, a twinge of pain flashing through his eyes as he stared at a portrait on top of the fireplace. The portrait depicted the same person in the wheelchair as a young adult, accompanied by two people, an older man and woman, standing behind him. "Tell him I'll speak to him tomorrow afternoon, my afternoon mind you. Let him figure out time zones for once."

"Are you sure sir, he won't like it. This would be the fourth time you are rebuffing him. I would suggest to hear him out on the proposal he wants to make."

"I already know what he wants Smithers. Warren isn't really subtle when it comes to what he wants, especially when he tries to convince people for it." The man replied, the phone on his desk beginning to ring. He moved his wheelchair back to his desk and picked the phone up. "Yes, this is Jake Monet? Ah, that's good to hear. Wonderful, I'll be there soon… thank you."

"Can you get the car ready Smithers?"

"Yes, Mr. Richardson will bring it out shortly. Will you be staying overnight in the museum?"

"Hmm, it's quarter past ten… I think It'll be best if I do so. I'll finish the exhibition paperwork, and any outstanding documents my father was handling there."

The butler raised an eyebrow. "I hope you do remember that you need to take your son for his annual sports function tomorrow in the morning."

Jake nodded slowly. "Adrian… is he asleep now?"

"Since the past hour sir."

"Okay. Tomorrow morning? Hmm, I can try arriving back home before six. If I don't manage to make it, can you please make sure someone gets him to school? I'll then go directly there from work to see him."

The butler nodded. "I should then bring out the travel wheelchair for your convenience."

"Thank you. I'll be waiting at the car."

Sometime later, after helping Jake into the car, he was soon on his way to the museum. They had driven out of their place on Waverly Drive, and were now on Christchurch road, heading towards Thorpe Green.

"How much time would it take to reach London?"

"Approximately an hour sir. We shall take the M25 to reach the city."

Jake nodded and then continued pouring over the documents he had on hand as the drive continued. They drove through the M25 highway, then the M4, and soon arrived at London city, where the streets were slowly becoming empty as the late night settled in. They continued on past St. James and Soho, and then arrived in Bloomsbury, slowing down as they arrived outside the British Museum. Richardson then took the car inside, and Jake flashed his blue badge to the guard.

"You can go home now; I won't be needing transportation until the morning." Jake informed. After helping transfer Jake on his wheelchair, Richardson then drove away while Jake made his way to the main gallery, flashing another card to the security guard.

"He's been expecting you." The guard replied. "He's in the special exhibition room down the library."

"Thank you Charlie. He better be there once I arrive." Jake murmured, as he wheeled his way through the British Library, which was in the process of being cleared out. He passed by the entryways of a various number of rooms, that held a myriad of ancient wonders of the world. Steeling himself from taking a look for what might be the eighty-second time in his lifetime, Jake's eyes lit up in recognition as he spotted the museum director in Room 30. Robert Anderson, the director of the British Museum, was overseeing a chart when he spotted Jake entering the room, a brief smile on his face on seeing his old friend. He wore a pale olive green blazer over a blue shirt and tie, his light balding hair parted on one side.

"Prompt as ever. Good, let's get down to business so I can go home and take my nap." The director said, shaking Jake's hand. He then handed him over a folder that was stacked with different papers and images inside. "We've finally got permission from the government to host the artifacts your father helped uncover in North-East Greece. I must say, we got some pretty good ones that we will be able to exhibit. Maybe even keep some if we're lucky."

"Je vois. How are the splits happening?"

"The entirety of the temple and it's supporting structures will remain where they are, in Greece only. While I have no intention of removing any pieces from it for further research or display purposes, I've been told that the temple relies on its pillars, its foundations rather, for it to remain intact. The protective shell it had while being underground allowed it to be preserved, but since we have uncovered it, everything intact of the temple will have to stay if we don't want it to be damaged."

"Now for the relics. There are some loose fragments and statues that were found there, those are being split between the two countries. Carved murals, paintings, whatever is not already fixed on the temple and instead had to be dug up are covered under relics. These include some statues, vases, ceremonial material and even traces of clothing that we would be exhibiting. Greece will have those similar items too and some more that will be displayed in their more prominent museums as well. The images which I saw; I barely even recognize most of them. The depictions and imagery are a sight to see."

"Oui…" Jake muttered, his eyes slightly glazed as he shifted through the papers.

"You don't seem too thrilled on these prospects." The director noted, confusion in his tone.

"Why would I when this was what ultimately killed my father, and left me crippled as well." Jake replied with a sigh. "A freak accident, which we still don't even have a proper explanation for what happened exactly."

The director nodded sagely. "Yes, when I heard the news… it was quite a day indeed. So much even happened around the world too. But all the bodies were recovered in the end right?"

Jake's face darkened. "Yes. Which was why my father's being a closed coffin Robert."

The director's face fell."I know. To think that you lost your wife a couple of years ago, and now your father..."

Jake then sighed loudly, closing the file. "I'm not much for Greek myths anyway… too immature for my taste."

The director blinked. "These are actual Greek artifacts though. Made by the people of that time. Nothing always needs to be linked up to those old stories."

Jake shrugged in response. "I saw a page about items in rotation. What's that about?" he instead asked.

"Ah, there are some relics that we have decided to share with the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Nothing that we don't already have, but one of them that did stand out to me, is this." The director replied, taking the file from Jake. He then shifted through the pages and then produced out a photograph, which he then handed over to him. It depicted a stone tablet spit horizontally in half, the only thing inscribed on it were a series of texts in ancient Greek, but there were some strange symbols that were spotted as well. And etched on the bottom, making Jake frown slightly, was a 'V' shaped symbol.

"I think I've seen this before." He replied, pointing at the picture. "This symbol."

"I'll be surprised if you didn't, they were quite prominent in the deeper parts of the temple. I heard you went in there with your father." The director replied with a wince. "There's a team of translators that are being selected right now for this. Want to join them as an observer?"

"No, I want to focus on this exhibition first and be done with it. I may not enjoy doing this, but this was something my father wanted to show to the world. And I do intend to honor his last wish." Jake replied. "When are the relics coming in?"

"By next month. After that, we will need to schedule dates, programs, employees, there is a lot that needs to be done." The director replied. "Right now, we have the Weston Gallery of Roman Britain on display. I would very much like the focus to be on that for the time being, before we announce to the press something new."

Jake nodded. "I agree, the hoard that was discovered on it is priceless. A rich part of the Roman Empire, one that many considered to be unimportant before this exhibit."

"Exactly. However, we are in the process of departing the British Library to a new location in St. Pancras next year." The director replied, glancing at the direction of the library. "I don't want the exhibit to come in the way of its inauguration. But we do have at least a year for that to happen."

"What are you going to do with that space if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, we are planning to make a lovely courtyard dedicated to the Queen, a great one in fact. The planning and development will need to be finalized soon by the contractors, but we have the designs and everything ready for it."

"Merveilleux, I shall look forward to seeing it then once it's completed." Jake replied. "So, we'll hold this exhibition sometime in between then?"

"I think that should work, yes. Maybe around the holidays, that would really get some traction."

"J'ai compris." Jake mused as he wrote something down, and took a look around the room. "So in December, this room will all be filled with the memorabilia of one supposed phantom god. How ironic."

The director laughed good heartedly, and Jake too cracked a smile.

"Well, anything else you would like to know?"

Jake had a contemplative look on his face. "I've heard that the museum is in talks to…" He began to speak, hesitation laced in his voice. "…Explore the island that was recently discovered. The one in the Aegean."

The director's eyes widened. "I didn't think you would be the one to bring it up." He said with surprise. "Are you by chance-"

"No, no, I was just curious." Jake interjected. "Besides, I'm no longer in a physical condition where I can do expeditions like that anymore. And I have a child to look after too."

"Oh… of course, I understand. You did catch me off my guard by mentioning it. But yes, we are planning to. Nothing is confirmed though, it's just a proposition so far."

Jake slowly nodded.

"Your friend is also planning to sponsor any expeditions, isn't he? The land developer?"

"Unfortunately yes. Won't stop parroting about it." Jake said with a sigh. "I have half a thought that he what really wants is to make a hotel on that chunk of deserted land."

The director chuckled. "The government will definitely intervene, and I doubt he wants to tackle those obstacles, no matter how powerful he might be getting. But I believe my work regarding this is done. Is there anything else that you require?"

"I think I'm all good. I would like to finish signing these papers and get started, so I'll probably be staying here overnight."

"Understood. You can use the old office if you want to, and the usual guards will do their rounds so you'll see some familiar faces if you need any help. I'll be taking my leave now."

"Yes, thank you Robert." Jake said softly. The resounding footsteps of the director soon started to fade as he made his leave, while Jake remained in the room, his eyes slightly fixed on a podium. He then rummaged through the folder and produced out an image, holding it level with the podium. The image was of a Greek statue, very much nude except for the long carved cloak draped on its shoulders that reached the bottom of the ground, and the two swords it probably carried, since one of its arms was broken off. The belt that was carved around its waist had one of the distinguishing features of who the god was, a symbol that depicted an ancient drawing of the moon. Or an eclipse.

"Such a strange thing you are…" Jake murmured to himself. "The Greeks were said to have feared your phenomenon… I wonder why. And then there's eclipse- 'To fail to appear'. That's what the word means. But does it refer to this god as well…"

Rain and lightning continued to streak across the sky, and it only seemed to be getting worse as time passed by. Down in the park, Percy wasn't sure how much time had passed. Maybe a minute, maybe even an hour. It could be the next day for all he knew, but with his eyes shut, he wasn't keen on opening them again. Especially now, because then, just maybe… what just happened, may not even have been real-

A couple of flashes of light appeared behind Perseus, making him involuntarily shudder. Hecate and Apollo had pensive looks on their faces as they stared at their friend, wondering how it would be best to approach him. Taking the chance, Apollo slowly made his way towards Percy, kneeling beside him.

"Percy…? You're not in a catatonic state right now, right?"

There was no response from him.

"O-kay… we best take you somewhere else then." Apollo said quickly, calling over Hecate. "Come on, maybe we'll take him somewhere barren. Or anywhere empty, I really don't like that look on his face right now." He whispered to Hecate.

"Leave me be." Percy then said softly. "Just let me… I need to go."

"Go where?" Apollo asked.

"I need to find her. There has to be some mistake, how did she… why would that happen-"

"Perseus." Hecate interjected softly. "I understand that you are most likely confused, but you need to get out of this place now. The environment… it isn't exactly stable right now with you in it."

Percy blinked and slowly lifted his head up. He could see shadows wisps slowly coming out of the ground, in fact everywhere there were shadows that were consuming their place of origin. And around him in the park, loose fragments of earth were slowly being levitated off the ground, and floating towards the streets where they were starting to come in people's way, either on the road or the side walk.

But he did not respond to it, nor say anything about it either. Hecate pursued her lips and then sent out a bellow of mist around them, which then began to spread and engulf the anomalies that were being created.

"I'm trying to contain this, but if he continues, then the mist won't be enough for the mortals to not interact with the changing surroundings." Hecate replied, turning towards Apollo. "Where should we take him though, Skiagis?"

"Are you crazy? Percy might go mad there with the power surge due to being a patron, and we don't want any unwanted attention from any mortals that already want to poke around there."

"Then… Olympus?"

"You are crazy! We're trying to calm him down, not take him to the one place that might become a battlefield!"

"No…" Percy decided. "Take me there. I need to go to Olympus."

Apollo and Hecate's eyes widened. "Absolutely not. As much as I enjoy the occasional brawl with some of the Olympians, I am not keen on seeing a godly war happen before we even reach the next century." Apollo hissed. Percy still didn't respond, his expression spaced out as he continued to stare blankly ahead.

"Maybe my place, we can keep him contained in there." Hecate then whispered to Apollo. "Artemis is also there too, maybe she might be able to hold him down?"

Apollo shrugged. "That's a very big maybe, she might get angry with father too. She's protective over kids, add the fact it's a little girl who has a bond with Percy… now not anymore."

Percy's breathing hitched. He picked himself up and was about to move when the two gods beside him grabbed him by the hands.

"I suggest you two let me go, now." Percy whispered.

Hecate shook her head. "No, I suggest you think ten times before what you are planning to do."

"I have already done that." He muttered, his eyes flashing. "And I certainly don't need advice from you for this."

Hecate's hand dropped. "That's not fair Perseus." She whispered. "I did not know what was going to happen after Thalia was removed from the plane, I really did-"

"You promised she would be safe!"

"And I understood that! You placed your trust on me from the beginning, and I made sure she was taken away safely. It's just… none of us realized what Zeus was planning and that Hypnos was in his league, affecting her, trying to track her down."

"Hypnos…" Percy muttered, his eyes widening. "No, he couldn't have… she was taken to the Lethe?!"

Hecate hesitated for a moment, but then nodded stiffly. "I confirmed it with him only… but you have to believe me when I say this was a secret kept between Zeus and Hypnos. Not even Eris and Geras even knew. You think I forgot that we promised to you- are you serious Perseus?!"

Percy blinked and then closed his eyes. "No…I- I don't know why, I just…"

"Percy, we need you to think before acting on anything rash right now." Apollo replied seriously. "I know this isn't your first time you have had our grievances with Zeus. Callisto was a prime example of that, and I may not have been there, but something happened there that day. You can't do a repeat of that, not in your state of mind, and not when father believes what he's done is for the greater good."

Percy clenched fist tightly, his breathing becoming labored. His form then began to glow brightly, and Hecate and Apollo's eyes widened as they feared that Percy might shed into his godly form. But before they could properly react, he had already disappeared, leaving behind a trail off darkness as he made his way to the night sky, disappearing within the flashing clouds.

The doors of the throne room opened with a bang, almost falling off its hinges as they swung with a crash. Percy slowly walked inside, his eyes narrowing on finding the room empty. He was at his godly height of at least fifteen feet, and shadows once again began to expand around him as they followed Percy's footsteps, making the throne room grow cold and bleak. Even the constellations on the ceiling dimmed as Percy moved further into the room. He slightly winced on seeing the hearth also die down, but the faint smell of ozone and static in the air grabbed Percy's senses and directed his attention to the throne in the center. A brilliant streak of lightning struck the space in front of the throne, followed by a deafening boom of thunder. The smoke from the lightning cleared away to reveal Zeus standing in front of Perseus, wearing only a simple blue pinstriped suit. He was unarmed, but his eyes bore down on Percy with an unreadable light, making Percy glower back. Seeing those eyes made him slightly wince as he knew those eyes when they were not angry. Especially when it came to the kid.

"Perseus. I have been expecting your arrival." Zeus spoke after a brief pause. "While this may not have been the ideal circumstances to meet again, I do thank that you have seek me out without any… destruction lying in your wake."

Percy didn't respond, continuing to keep eye contact which made Zeus sigh.

"Perseus, I'm not going to try and rebuff my ideology from this. What I did was by choice, for our sake only. It was indeed necessary for what is to happen. I however don't expect you to see eye to eye with me unfortunately on this."

Percy's right eye twitched. His vambraces began to pulse and shift around, though no proper weapon seemed to form from them. Zeus noticed the action, a strange look on his face as he spotted the tertreja briefly on Percy's hand, before it was covered up again.

"I do not wish to have quarrel with you, nephew."

"You think I don't want to either? Then why would you do that?" Percy demanded, shadows pooling around him. "I was ready to give Thalia to your care on the solstice, even though I knew you wouldn't consider possibly letting that notion you have for her to be let go."

"Perseus, there's a reason she needs to be prepared for what's to come. If what you have informed us may come to pass, then actions must be taken."

"You can't place that many expectations on her, on one person! And that too on someone who wasn't even vaguely equipped before I met her, and hasn't even seen her father in years!"

Zeus glowered as storm clouds begin to form around him. "I was there a few years back to see them, I did not completely abandon that family."

Percy scoffed. "You immediately went into a comatose state for a year because you broke a Styx oath, and never came back. And what were you doing then recently with them?"

The king of the gods blinked, his face slowly paling. He quickly cleared his throat, a hard look in his eyes, which was then followed by a quick look of regret. "That is… unimportant."

But Percy knew what he was referring to. Thalia's deceased brother. "But removing your daughter's memories is not something important? You used the Lethe, do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!"

Zeus's eyes flashed dangerously, the air around them becoming thick. "She hasn't lost all her memories. I have taken great care into making sure Hypnos did the process intricately. What was needed to be erased, was done so with no personal intentions Perseus, you have to understand that. It was to protect her from the forces who can manipulate her through those memories. Through you."

Percy stared at Zeus, a short strangled laugh escaping from him. "Protect her… because of me?" he asked, shadow tendrils slowly coming out from inside the room.

"You are still the Phantom Olympian to the world right now, and it will be so for the foreseeable future. While the titans may have an inkling of your return, I doubt they will force the word out as I have stated before. It will cause mass uproar, but most importantly panic amongst forces who they might try to recruit. You always were important amongst us, coupled with the mystery of your origins. Which is why your connections had to be limited from the very first place, and with more importantly, my demigod child."

"But what makes you think they won't go after her now?! She's still one of the prophecy children, and out in the world with literally no one to watch over her-"

"She will be guided, I'm not foolish enough to not think of the implications of my daughter out by herself on the run-"

"Exactly! She's on the run for crying out loud Zeus, practically homeless! That's what you want her to go through? At the very least send her to camp now!"

Zeus shook his head. "This is not something to be taken lightly, she will not learn what she needs to in there. The camp hasn't housed a child of the eldest gods in decades, they are not prepared or fully equipped for it. It was bad enough that she already had an understanding of our world because of her mother's insistence, which led to an increase in the world surrounding her more. But after your involvement, it increased tenfold! You talk about me wanting to have things placed on her, when you in fact have been doing it well enough as it is. Monsters, titan encounters, trips to unknown places as well

"You're not… trying to say it's my fault now." Percy replied harshly. "I don't need to remind you of her home life again now do I? Or the fact that she had always been under my protection, to the very best of the abilities I had."

Zeus's eyes flashed angrily. "Just because you have the ability, doesn't mean you can think you can be completely immune. May I ask then instead why you decided to take that child into the shadow plane for extended periods of time, while accompanied by my children, Aphrodite, and Hecate? Is there something in there that is being clouded from us? I had to have a child of Night, Hypnos of all of them, to help me find my own daughter, when I can see everything from my place upon the sky. So, what was it Perseus?"

Percy bit his lip in frustration, but kept quiet. He knew that wasn't his smartest option, he very much knew that even before entering the plane. He was fortunate nothing major had happened to any of them, because if things had gone differently… then this conversation might be taking place outside instead.

"That wasn't enough still. Not when she could fall in the wrong hands. The titans already have wind of her, and would have continued to pursue her because of her Knowledge. You don't how dangerous the Knowledge is within demigods Perseus, an entire viewpoint flipped upside down. It then begins to attract more, it seeks more. The innate human mind, it craves it. And the more powerful they get because of it…"

"Beryl had quite a satiation when it came to us because of her desire for Knowledge." Zeus admitted. "Of course, that may have been passed on to Thalia… . Coupled with the Life within her since she is my child, it was deemed necessary to erase certain factors from her, for her own safety Perseus due to how powerful she was."

Percy frowned slightly. "You speak of this 'knowledge' thing as if it's something… singular."

Zeus had a faraway look in his eyes. "I'm afraid it's a concept that I'm not exactly familiar with either. Knowledge and Life. Singularities that lie within the essence of each but not every being, since the dawn of creation. And when combined…"

Zeus then sighed. "But it will not be for naught. Believe me nephew, I am still very much grateful to you for looking out for my daughter, I truly am. But these circumstances have to be called upon and decisive action had to be taken. If the titans are trying to manipulate the great prophecy in their favor, we have to take a stand with it as well."

Percy slowly shook his head. "No, uncle come on. You and I both know that controlling prophecies are outside of our realm of understanding. And when we do, the butterfly takes its effects. One miniscule change can lead to even the largest of situations!"

"I am not controlling the prophecy Perseus. I am acting upon it. If our enemy is playing their hand, then so shall we. There is no reason for it to be delayed, this is the will of the Fates."

"And I will be there to see it through. Not directly, but watching over her from above." Zeus replied, turning around. "Perseus, do not try to interfere with her progress now. I have instructed the others too, and I hope you see to it as well. The child needs to forge her own path now, one without any witness, or guidance. She will be ready when the time comes, and take her place in camp half-blood."

"And what about those campers." Percy bitterly asked. "Any special training regimen you have planned for them for any inevitable war which might happen?"

Zeus didn't respond, which made Percy groan with frustration. "You constantly tried to apply the ancient laws back during those times, and now even more so on the other gods, barring them from fully interacting with their children, yet here you are, wanting to meddle in your daughter's fate. That doesn't sound right… and not hypocritical at all, isn't it Uncle?"

Zeus's nostrils flared on hearing this. His fingers began to twitch as electricity sparked between them. Percy took a step back, his hand outstretched as hellfire danced on his palm. The two took a stance as they regarded each other, the air around them becoming thick as the room began to radiate energy. Percy could sense the shadows creeping out of the throne room, and Zeus knew that a storm was once again brewing on top of them. If they weren't careful, a warning flash might appear above the throne room, signaling the other gods when they see the grey light to come here. And if they see them…

Percy then let out a tired sigh as his hand went slack, and merely stood there. Zeus frowned in response but then relaxed his stance too.

"You will understand one day… maybe when you have children of your own. We have to take certain sacrifices, not just for our benefit, but for theirs as well if we need them to succeed." Zeus then said, stroking his beard. "Don't detach yourself child. Take some time for yourself too, you still have place among us beside the current circumstances. Do not forget that."

And with that, Zeus disappeared in a flash of lightning, leaving behind Percy to register what just happened. The god immediately lowered his powers down as he made his way out of the room, but the state of the room still remained the same as he first entered.

Percy had flashed back to the place he and Thalia made camp in. He slowly walked inside his tent, a blank look on his face as he passed by Thalia's room, the door still ajar. After staying outside for a few moments, he then walked inside the room, his eyes trained on the various stuff that was lying in the room. Belongings that were unknowingly left behind by Thalia.

He spotted the scrapbook from the bed and picked it up, flipping through the early pages which mostly had pictures of random locations, and some pictures which depicted a blonde haired infant. At the very least, Thalia still had most of her memories from what he understood, it was only memories were she was fully integrated into the Greek pantheon that were removed. Memories that involved him basically.

Percy then flipped a page, spotting some pictures that contained him. He smiled slightly as he was reminded of their time in Hoover Dam and Las Vegas, and then silently began removing the pictures from the book. If he was going to return this, it made no sense keeping them in there anymore, unless he wanted to heavily confuse the kid. And memory loss from the river Lethe… it was something even a god couldn't recover.

"Perseus?"

The god blinked and turned around, a small smile gracing his face upon recognizing the speaker. The entrance of the tent flapped open as Artemis stepped in, relief in her eyes as she spotted Percy. However, her expression quickly shifted to one of sadness as she approached the god.

"Hey," Percy interjected swiftly, pocketing the photos and closing the book. "You look well. How are you feeling?"

Artemis didn't answer, instead moving toward Percy. She stared intently at him, her silvery yellow eyes slowly glowing under the dim light. Percy briefly looked away from her but then released out a tired sigh and sat down on the bed. Artemis pursed her lips and joined him, her gaze still fixed on him.

"Apollo told me everything," Artemis replied, her anger flashing through her face. "To think father would do such a..." She paused, closing her eyes. "No. He would have done it. If it benefited him in any way, he would have..."

Percy nodded slowly, breathing deeply as he massaged the back of his head. Artemis slowly reached out and gently stroked his hair, making him shiver.

"He didn't remove all her memories, did he?" she asked softly

"No, just the ones with 'me' in them," Percy breathed out bitterly. "He used the river Lethe for it."

Artemis's eyes dimmed. "To think that he would go that drastically. Then that means… there's no method to recover them either?"

Percy shook his head. "I don't know... I've heard that familiarity helps with the mind, but that's just a myth in general when it comes to memory loss."

"And besides, none of us can seek her out either, which is what Zeus wants anyway," Percy continued. "There's... there's really nothing that can be done now."

Artemis grabbed his hand and stared at him sadly. "I am sorry, Perseus."

Percy frowned. "What are you sorry for? Thalia's still fine... she is safe, I guess, if Zeus actually cares now that is."

Artemis frowned. "Percy, Thalia had her memories wiped out. Whatever the reason was, that was not the right thing to do. You had a familial bond with her; and I'm sure my father realized that too. Don't try to that brush off as it was nothing."

Percy's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth but Artemis interjected again.

"I understand that this is something that you rarely dealt with, but did my father convince you it was the only solution for his cause?"

"Of course not," the god replied angrily. "It's just... you would think after seeing the hunters come and go, maybe I would have been prepared for what was to come. But now..."

"But we rarely lost people like that. You haven't, at least," Artemis whispered. "You are allowed to feel hurt, angry even."

The goddess then sighed. "You and I both know why that is the only reason he would be now, with what's happened."

Percy frowned. "I don't want to imagine that. He must care, right?"

Artemis merely shrugged. "You tell me, Perseus, does he?"

Percy didn't respond.

"What will you be doing now?" Artemis then asked. Percy hummed in response, glancing at his hand with a determined expression. "I think whatever the next step is, it has to do with this thing. Of course, I'm a bit blank now as to what I'm going to be doing, but once I do..."

"Apollo mentioned that he wants to discuss something he and the others found in that temple," Artemis replied.

Percy looked contemplative for a moment. "We will discuss that. Zeus expects me to keep my head underground, and I'm not even sure how am I supposed to be doing that." he replied sullenly. "And being cooped up in Olympus is the last thing I want to do."

"You're always welcome with the hunters." Artemis responded gently. Percy smiled briefly, only for him to slowly pale as a thought struck him. He glanced away and let out a shuddering breath, slowly shaking his head.

"Sorry, I don't think it will be for the best if I do that." He muttered.

Artemis frowned in response. "What are you talking about?"

Percy hesitated for a moment. "I know this may sound strange, but hearing Zeus being serious about me keeping a low profile amongst everyone… what if when he hears about the hunters knowing that I'm still alive, and he'll go and-"

Artemis's eyes widened slightly. "You are not proposing what I'm thinking are you. That's preposterous!"

"Wouldn't put it past him."

"Perseus are you saying you're not strong enough to stop Zeus from taking away the hunters?" Artemis asked seriously.

"Of course not!" Percy replied angrily. "But look what happened with Thalia, I promised her- and I…"

"That was not your fault." Artemis replied calmly, cupping Percy's face in her hands. She held Percy's head beneath her chin, kissing the top of his head and whispered words of comfort to him. They stayed like this for some time until Artemis spoke again.

"Travel with me then."

Percy had a confused expression on his face as he leaned back and stared at Artemis, who smiled slightly in response on seeing his reaction.

"What...?"

"Travel with me." she repeated.

"No? Wait- I mean, I heard you the first time, I just... yes?"

"Excellent," Artemis replied brightly, bopping his nose. "You wanted to pick the location, remember? Somewhere preferably far away."

"Yeah..." Percy said slowly, his eyebrows furrowed. "What's happening right now?"

Artemis bit her lip and then sighed. "Perseus, I'm not going to lie, but it looks like you are very much going to spiral right now. And I do not want to see that from you, not when you have helped me before with my hunters."

"Besides, you said it yourself. Father wants you to lay low, and what better way than to be anywhere but here?"

Percy opened his mouth and then closed it, a faint smile on his face. "Are you sure? And what about your hunters?"

"They'll be fine for a month by themselves." Artemis replied, frowning slightly. "But I don't think some will be happy if I go off gallivanting with a man..."

"Not even me?"

"If I recall, they didn't particularly like it when we left them on their own." Artemis noted. "Maybe it's you."

"Or you. They were quite adamant with that too." Percy pointed out with a grin, which then faded.

"There is something I need to do first. And I doubt Zeus will like it, but I can humor him in the worst way possible."

"And that is?" Artemis asked.

"I'm going to see Thalia. I'm not sure if it would be for the last time or not… but I never did say goodbye to her before. Even though I hate goodbyes really."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? What are you planning ash head?"

"Don't worry, I understand the limits which Zeus has unfortunately imposed." Percy replied, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. "But there's no way I'm leaving my kid without any of her stuff, or at least prepared a bit for her journey."

Artemis blinked, shaking her head fondly as she wondered if he even realized what he said out loud. She watched as Percy got up and began combing around the room, grabbed various things from it.

"Where should we meet up?"

"I was thinking maybe the hunt. Though I do want to make a quick stop to a certain demigod camp." Percy replied. "Got to check on how our wayward friend is doing there."

"Hmm, maybe I can try to get the hunters to accompany me there too." Artemis wondered out loud. "Though I am very sure they will refuse."

"Right." Percy said,

"Will you be alright?"

"Yeah." Percy murmured. "I think I will be."

Artemis nodded, taking Percy's hand and kissing his palm. She then walked out of the room, while Percy sighed, taking one last look at the room before he stepped out as well.

It was early in the morning when Percy sprung out of a shadow in an alleyway, evident by the lingering moon on the horizon. He stepped out into the road, the smell of the sea immediately hitting him. Looking around, he realized that he was back in Santa Monica Pier, which made him wonder why Thalia would have come here. He quickly crushed down the notion that was about to enter his mind, and chalking it up to be a coincidence, made his way to the pier. As he entered it, he immediately spotted a child sitting on a bench, fiddling with a can. Percy then stepped on a shadow, his form blending with the darkness as he approached the bench Thalia was sitting on, noticing that she was dozing off slightly. He then produced out a backpack and placed it beside her on the bench, the sudden movement jolting her from her daze as she quickly scrambled up, looking around fearfully. Percy slowly stepped back, watching the demigod with a twinge of pain as she warily stared at the bag in front of her, prodding it lightly with her canister. She then cautiously zipped it open, her eyes widening on seeing a familiar item in it.

"No way." She whispered, taking out her scrapbook from the bag. She then rummaged through the bag, taking out a Walkman and a few cassette tapes, pairs of clothes, and some pouches that contained various different things.

"That's a lot of money." Thalia muttered with awe on seeing a pouch stuffed with a wad of cash. "What are these gold coins though… hey, pancakes! And… is this food?" she wondered, shaking a small bag with tiny cubes packed in them. "But who would give this…"

Percy cringed. "I don't think I warned her about the consumption of ambrosia." He thought. He was still hiding within the shadows when a flash of light appeared in his line of vision. The light died down to reveal Amaltheia, and Percy could tell that the immortal goat was staring back at him with warning eyes. Thalia in turn was staring at her too, slight fear in her eyes. Amaltheia then let out a bleat and began walking towards the exit of the pier. Thalia looked momentarily confused until her eyes slightly widened. A look of understanding flashed in them, and she then quickly stuffed everything back into the bag and shouldered it, while Amaltheia carried on.

"Be brave Thalia." Percy whispered gently. "I do hope... you are ready."

The wind gently blew against Thalia as she began to follow Amaltheia. Percy closed his eyes and sighed, slowly sinking back inside the shadows as he travelled out from there. Thalia then momentarily paused and glanced behind her, a slight frown on her face as she stared at the spot where Percy was just at a moment ago. She slowly took a step towards that spot when Amaltheia bleated out again, garnering the demigod's attention and now had her following her. But for some strange reason, she felt alone in a way she couldn't explain. Not for what was to come, but for something that she felt was missing. Just by her side...

A small chapter if I'm being honest, for my writing length that is. I don't think I ever wrote this much in a long time, but I set out to do what I had to so I'm not complaining. Wanted to write a breather chapter anyway before the next part in the story comes up. And don't worry about Thalia, she's… she'll be alright. That is for sure. I hope you guys enjoyed this, for I will see you all in the next update. Bye!...\/