All rights belong to Rick Riordan

Chapter 23

A&E

(Percy)

The moment I finished that statement, I regretted the way I had said it immediately as the look of simple annoyance on Apollo's face suddenly turned to rage.

"Percy if you have hurt my little sister. I am going to throw you out of my chariot minus the wings." He growled out and I suddenly had a mental image of the god plucking the feathers one by one before tossing me out the side.

"Apollo listen, it was an accident honestly. Hades, she was in the wrong direction completely. Besides I swear she already forgave me; the problem was she then collapsed due to ichor loss." I said quickly hoping to calm him.

"Unfortunately, I can tell you are being truthful, now why would she need my help to treat a simple arrow wound. Especially when considering what you just told me that she was fine, for quite a while afterwards?" He asked thankfully losing some of the redness on his face. Although out of the corner of the IM I noticed the speedo on the car was rapidly on the rise.

"Because it was not a normal arrow, it was fired from Lelantos's bow. You know the same one that almost killed me, back on my first day with the Titans. Any injury made with it, is far more dangerous than it initially appears or that what it seems to me.' I explained I still wasn't sure of the exact properties of the weapon but it was almost like it had a sort of poison that sapped strength over time. Admittedly this hypothesis was based on all of two occasions, one of which had been myself and I hadn't been awake to see how it was treated.

"Why can't you ever just use regular weaponry cousin, bit of Ambrosia and boom problem solved. I now spend half of my visits to mum patching up some Titan or another; they need to get their own doctor over there. Where is the Hunt now?" He asked wearily pinching the bridge of his nose. I knew it was the truth Atlas was constantly requiring help for wounds that generally I had caused. He could take dozens of hits before he even considered conceding defeat and I didn't really pull the blows when it came to the Titan of Strength and Endurance.

"Shenandoah national park outside DC, look for the enormous golden lioness it should provide a hint." I told him answering his question.

"You brought the killer kitty too, why do they even need your help then? That cat can kill anything short of a pissed primordial." He said jokingly turning the steering wheel.

"The cat doesn't have my fantastic sense of humour and amazing good looks." I joked back and wished I hadn't added the second bit, as that brought the wounded goddess back into my mind.

"Cuz if they won't break that oath of theirs for me, you don't stand a chance I mean have you seen this? Those girls are a lost cause." He said playfully taking his hands off the wheel and flexing his muscles while flashing a pearly white grin.

"At least I don't scare them off with 'Awesome' poetry." I said using air quotes around the word.

"Hey leave my Haikus out of this they get me lots of ladies, I will have you know." He said defensively narrowing his eyes at me.

"Who exactly are they? Alecto and her sisters or are they just deaf." I mocked.

"Jackson, you had better watch your mouth before I curse it closed, the furies are going too far." He deadpanned glaring at me.

"Fine but hurry up then, your daughter and Phoebe can only do so much for her and they have to treat a hunter's concussion as well." I told him simply.

"I know you can see the speed I am going, midday on the East Coast just arrived twenty minutes earlier than usual, I was in Maine minutes ago. Be there in five." He said facing forward and with that the image faded.

I quickly turned around from the stream bed and back towards the camp. As I walked back towards Artemis's tent, I noticed the intensity of the sun was increasing rapidly before finally the sound of a car could be heard as it roared in alongside me. Unlike before I could actually look at the sun chariot directly now and once again, I was still jealous of the god, I wish I had a ride a sweet as that. But then again, why do you need a car when you can fly faster than the speed of sound?

"Hey Cuz so this is what you are doing now, how come neither you nor Arty said you were with the Hunt? I was going to see how my second favourite Titan was doing tonight." Apollo said leaning his head out of the window and looking at me. As a result, I needed to shut him up before the hunters overheard him.

I froze time in the camp for everyone but me and Apollo, even Artemis was affected then again, she was likely still unconscious and unlikely to be able to resist it anyway. I quickly made my way alongside the car; the glow was a lot less intense now due to the flames being frozen.

"While you are here, do not mention anything to do with what I have been doing or what I am please Apollo. The hunters still think I am a demigod and I intend to keep it that way." I asked politely indicating the concealed form of my wings beneath the coat.

"Cuz you are one of the most powerful individuals on this planet and you want to hide it from the immortal girl scouts. You seriously stand no chance with them." Apollo said shaking his head before opening the cars gull wing door and stepping out. He had simple jeans and a t-shirt saying Hot Stuff which I thought was amusing because Leo made something similar before. If anything in terms of appearance, the two were the complete polar opposites of one another, apart from perhaps their ability to annoy girls that were clearly not interested.

"I am not exactly here to pull chicks Apollo; I wanted something to do and went to your dad. Artemis was asking for help with protection and recruitment, so I volunteered to kill some time."

"And what part did that lead to you shooting my sister?" Apollo stated staring at me and getting back to the point of why he was here.

"Artemis made me promise to learn how to shoot. Unfortunately, the hunters didn't see fit to correct any of my mistakes and the arrow sort of went astray and maybe hit Artemis along the side of the face. At a right angle and one-hundred and fifty yards away, in her tent. I was not exactly aiming anywhere near her." I admitted, somewhere The Fates must have been laughing their asses of at getting me to do it.

"Wait you said you shot her, but to actually hit her in the face. How are you not dead or an animal? Hades, why didn't the hunters try and kill you? Also why didn't you freeze time when you fucked the shot-up idiot? You have one of the coolest and strongest powers ever and you didn't use it, why?" He asked flabbergasted and admittedly the question took me by surprise as well I hadn't considered it. I could have even possibly tried and fixed the wound come to think of it.

"Well, I guess at the time I was so shocked by it that I forgot I could do it. Plus, the hunters were all staring at me, I am trying to remain incognito remember. Although they all made themselves pretty darn scarce once Artemis appeared and they thought I was going to get blasted all over the forest." I admitted again.

"Cuz no matter how powerful you get, you are still a bloody idiot, how can you forget you can control time, I would be using it all the time, the possibilities..." He said daydreaming.

"Anyway, your sister needs your help and one of her hunters is unconscious as well." I said getting him back on track.

"Why? What happened to her?" He asked curiously.

"She tried to kill me so I punched her in the face straight through her drawn bow pointed at me, not that I care about the broken weapon. She is one of Ares kids combined with being a hunter she hates anything male or so it seems." I said with a shrug.

'I know the one, my daughter can deal with her; Atlanta knows how to deal with a concussion. Now Artemis though should normally have not been affected so much by a single wound; you were only affected so badly before because you were still mostly mortal. Has she been acting weakly or distracted lately?" He asked me seriously.

"Err no, not that I know of, not that she would admit anything to me." I lied. Yes, she was currently weaker than normal and I had an idea of why she would be distracted. She had told me not to tell anyone of her problems though.

"Percy I am the god of truth remember, what is wrong with her?" He said insistently.

"Fine but don't tell anyone and certainly don't tell them that I told you. Due to the current state of the hunt her energy is decreased massively and has been since your idiot legacy tried to exterminate them." I admitted sure it was the truth but hopefully by throwing the blame partially towards him, it would distract him from inquiring further.

"I should have guessed it had to do with him, the worst bit was I knew it was going to happen. However, I am not allowed to interfere with predictions, selfishly I had hoped it was at least abandoned cabin that was aflame in the vision but unfortunately not. Oh, Octavian why couldn't you have just been happy with what you were?" He said sadly shaking his head.

"Because he was a power-hungry selfish murdering bastard." I said angrily, the thought of the Augur still annoyed me.

"Unfortunately, I cannot defend my grandson, he was wrong in everything he did ever since I gave him the power of seeing."

"Yet I realized that less than an hour into visiting Camp Jupiter."

"Enough of the past it is depressing, what is done is done. We all have had our problem children. Your father had Orion, Hermes had Luke, Hades had several…dozen."

"Zeus had most of you." I said jokingly earning another glare.

"Very well then, I guess we should see your sister and I had better unfreeze time before we suddenly appear inside without explanation." I said reverting to real time and losing the extra gold from my eyes as we walked into the camp.

(Thalia)

We had moved Tania off the floor where she had fallen from when Percy knocked her out. Normally I and the other hunters would have been outraged that a male had hit a girl and especially a fellow hunter but this time we secretly knew that Percy was right in his actions. Artemis did seemingly need help even if we would not like the source of that help. Plus, she had threatened to murder him.

That would have gone down great with the Olympian council. By the way Poseidon, your favourite son and the saviour of Olympus was murdered by a hunter on his second day whilst trying to help Artemis, Oops.

The fallen hunter herself was currently lying across two chairs on the far side of the room while the rest of us were assisting Atlanta and Phoebe in treating Lady Artemis, they had seemingly stopped the Ichor loss for the most part but she was showing no sign of recovery beyond that. My expertise was the opposite of healing, I was only good at hurting and killing things, so I wisely chose to stay out of the way.

But still this was just great, when you thought the hunt couldn't get any lower, we now suddenly didn't even have our goddess for the moment.

I was interrupted out of my gloom when I felt the light level increase despite being inside the tent, accompanied by the sound of a supercharged engine and so walking past the others, I made my way towards the tent door and looked outside.

The next few seconds confused me greatly. I was able to see the figure of Percy beyond the car with Apollo leaning out a window saying something to him before suddenly the image changed and the pair were alongside each other just outside the camp a hundred yards from the now parked sun chariot. How had they got there so quickly?

The pair didn't seem to even acknowledge any difference in location. I studied the approaching figure trying to notice anything beyond the ordinary about them. But other than them both being good looking (what I can admit that truthfully. Hades, I fancied Apollo before I joined the hunt and Percy's new look simply reinforced his attractiveness) and the general height difference between them there was little of note. Although in the brief moment I saw the pair shift locations I thought I saw a flash of gold in Percy's eyes but thought it must be a simple illusion cast off by the sun chariot's reflection.

Finally, the pair approached the tent, Percy following the god and practically stooping just too actually enter the tent after him.

"Thalia take the hunters outside and treat Tania out there." Percy advised sternly.

The other hunters all looked at me, with Lady Artemis incapacitated I was technically in charge of the hunt for the moment.

"Atlanta, Phoebe grab Tania and take her to her tent and treat her there. The rest of you go grab something to eat and wait in the mess tent." I instructed and watched as they quickly did as I said but I remained unmoving.

"Thalia that includes you as well, you can't stay in here." Apollo advised as the two males both stared at me.

"Why? How come Percy can stay but I can't? I am her Lieutenant for god's sake." I protested earning frowns from the pair.

"Unless you can suddenly see a gods divine form then you need to leave, it is a matter of your safety." Apollo explained which brought up a new question.

"Well then how come he can stay? He is still only a demigod, isn't he?" I inquired pointing at Percy who flinched under my gaze.

"I am a special case Thals, I am about 99% immortal now. The gods couldn't make me a god but they could do that. The only difference from them is I can be physically killed like anyone else, other than that I am essentially a god albeit without a domain." Percy explained albeit hesitantly. How come he never explained that before?

"Fine... but I will be waiting outside for you." I said firmly choosing not to argue further before basically stomping outside. Leaving the two of them alone with the goddess, if they were anyone else, I would have refused to do so. But with Apollo being her twin, it was unlikely that anything untoward would happen to the goddess.

What was happening at the moment? It was like everyone was keeping secrets and was reluctant to tell me or the others anything. Percy, Artemis and even Apollo all knew something important and yet were seemingly hesitant to explain anything to us or even just me. Why would Percy hide the fact he was practically a god or so it seemed just without the technicality of actually being one it seemed. Artemis was now not telling me anything and seemed distracted like she was focused on something else instead, combined with her unusual vanishing act this morning was worrying to me.

The last thing was Percy and Apollo's sudden teleporting act just a while ago that still seemed impossible for me to understand. How could two beings suddenly move from one point to another within the space of a fraction of a second?

I wanted to know the truth; how could I trust any of them if they were constantly concealing the truth from me?

(Percy)

Once Thalia had left and I felt her presence on the outside of the tent I once again suspended time. I know it was unnecessary but I simply didn't want to run the risk of Thalia or any of the other hunters entering or hearing what was said inside here. Doing so repeatedly was tiring for me, but as long as I stuck to just mortals the strain it put on me was not too bad. I would need to eat some divine food though as soon as I could though.

"Well, you almost gave the game away idiot." I said to the god beside me who began moving to his sister's side.

"Well how else did you expect to get rid of her? She is like dad once she digs her heels in, she won't budge besides it wasn't exactly the whole truth only a bit of it. Just as I can detect lies, I also can't tell them technically." He admitted which I thought was strange.

"If you cannot tell a lie, then how could you claim your name was Fred a few years ago?" I asked hoping to catch him out.

"Simple because I have technically registered under every common name as an alias. The population of the United States is actually about 20,000 less than what it actually is officially should be because of me, I am also registered as living in every town and city." He explained waving it off.

"So do they all pay their taxes then?" I asked mischievously. Come to think of it, wouldn't the IRS start to be asking questions about me. Afterall, I was still registered as a mortal and living with my mom and Paul.

"Gods no! What do you think the mist is for? Every time they come knocking to one of the addresses, they suddenly get a need to knock next door instead."

"No wonder the economy is fucked." I muttered under my breath.

"Hey it is not my fault the government sold off the gold reserves; I was merely just a paying customer that likes shiny things." He protested, ironically reinforcing my point.

"Anyway, back to your unconscious sister Apollo, I don't exactly remember what you did to me before when I was wounded."

"Oh, that's easy. I will need one of your arrows to synthesize a cure." He explained.

"Why would you need an arrow to cure a cut?" I asked confused.

"Not for the cut itself, your arrows have a serious strength paralyzing agent on them which is what affected you before and Arty now. The agent saps the targets strength making them an easier target. I am surprised you even managed to walk after uncle Lelantos shot you before." He explained confirming my own suspicions.

Great as if the weapon was not bad enough as it was. Add that to the list of reasons I didn't like the damned thing. However, I did summon the weapon to my hand from where it had been dropped on the range before grabbing the bow string and automatically summoning a new arrow which I removed from the bow and handed over to Apollo.

The god simply looked over the projectile particularly at the point and fletching before his hand glowed golden and the item changed form into a golden scalpel which surprised me by its transformation.

"How exactly is a scalpel going to help an already open wound?" I asked curiously.

"How about shut up, watch and learn." He snapped back concentrating on his actions and I watched curious as he lowered the blade into her wound. As soon as the surgical instrument made contact with the torn flesh the opposite reaction to normal occurred. Where the blade met flesh rather than be further severed it began to unite instead as the god drew it down her face and along the side of her head.

Finally, when he was done Apollo stepped back revealing the rest of her cute face and other than the dried ichor on her skin and still in her hair, it looked as good as new and she had regained some colour in her cheeks. The arrow turned scalpel seemingly dissolved once he was done with it.

"Now you had better resume time or the hunters may be curious how we managed to heal her in abut 4 seconds Perce, that is if you still want to resume this façade. Otherwise, I am sure my youngest sister may be very curious how we can throw her out one second and then be done the next with no noise or lights or anything." Apollo advised and I admitted I had forgotten about the downsides to localized time dilation. What had currently been 5 minutes in the camp was actually half an hour in the rest of the world. Hopefully they would not notice.

I resumed time and nodded towards the god to indicate it was done. When I had done so the god quickly revealed his true form and pretended to chant giving off the illusion of actual work to our eavesdropper outside. While he acted this out, he was looking at me and flexing his muscles as if to boast. All the while I stood to one side with my middle finger up at him and rolled my eyes. When he had finished, we noticed the injured goddess began to stir and so began to behave like adults again.

"Percy." She muttered wearily throwing me almost off balance as the god suddenly looked from her to me.

"Since when were you and sis on an informal name basis?" The god asked me curiously.

"This is news to me. I asked her to call me it once but she refused and insisted on still calling me by my full name." I said defensively. Before she suddenly called it again while reaching towards her head with her hands grabbing it between them.

"Well, that is certainly different. I am surprised she can even speak yet, let alone whole words coherently. It was hours before you regained consciousness." He explained light-heartedly. I was more concerned with why she was calling my name out.

"Great you tell her that and she will be back to thinking women are better than men." I joked distractingly.

"We both know better than that eh Perce." He said playfully, attempting to bump my shoulder with his but due to the height difference it was more my elbow.

"Anyway, I better be off before she wakes up and blames me for this little debacle. My little sister is grouchy when she wakes up and I am not hanging around for that." He whispered quietly.

"I…Am…Older…Idiot." Was heard from the resting figure, causing the god to sweat drop.

"Even weakened, she still knows how to put you in your place Apollo." I joked.

"Maybe I should have left her unconscious instead, anyway when she wakes up fully give her some nectar and ambrosia and she should be back to full strength within an hour or so. Now I really have to get moving before Maryland gets cooked in the midday sun for too long. Last thing we need is some forest fires in summer, cause enough of them already in Cali."

"I am still waiting for my turn to drive that thing. You let Thalia drive when she was just fifteen. I'm eighteen in just over a month man. You need to share the love; admit it I am your favourite cousin." I joked as he made his way towards the exit.

"Maybe as a birthday present then, it is not as if either of us is going anywhere in the future, is it?" He said before stepping outside. I remained inside keeping watch over the goddess. After a few minutes I heard the roar of a solar combustion engine as Apollo did some unnecessary revving, no doubt trying to impress the hunters. Though unsuccessfully if the bowstrings twanging outside was any indication.

"Percy…What happened?" The goddess asked weakly slowly opening her silver eyes and looking around the tent before focusing on me gold against silver.

"Turns out my arrows are a lot more deadly than they appear; I had to summon Apollo to cure you." I confessed with genuine guilt.

"I thought I heard that idiot, he better not have talked to my hunters." She said slightly more forcibly.

"No as far as I am aware the only one, he talked too was Thalia to explain what we were going to do, I made the other hunters leave us. I have to apologize for my actions though."

"I already told you; you don't have to worry about the arrow it was not your fault." No matter how many times she said it, I still felt guilty for it.

"No not for that Milady but what happened after. I was forced to carry you back here after you collapsed and I unfortunately ended up in a confrontation with Tania as a result. I was forced to attack her to subdue her after she attempted to kill me. She was still unconscious last time I checked, although Atlanta may have healed her by now." I explained truthfully.

"Then she is lucky that it is all that happened to her. As I explained to them, I will not tolerate injustice on either side between you and my hunters. She has had a difficult life and I know why it is difficult for her to trust your gender.'

"Well do you feel like sharing Milady, I would rather understand her past at least then I would stand a chance at earning her trust, I could do without her trying to put an arrow in my back." I said angrily in frustration.

"Calm down Perseus now that you are introduced to them. I will explain what you need to know about all of them though not at this very minute." Some of what I will tell you about them, you will find surprising." She said pulling herself up a little. I would have offered to help her but I felt that may have offended her.

"Now then, when I have my strength back you and I are going to visit some potential recruits. I will tell you some of it then. Did my annoying younger sibling suggest anything else to help me?"

'When exactly did you have a chance to find that out, wait was that where you vanished off to earlier when Thalia came knocking for me?" I asked completely forgetting the rest of what she said.

"Yes Perseus, Aphrodite sent me a message and asked to talk urgently. Apparently, she has twin daughters near here that have boy problems. So did Apollo recommend anything?'

"Huh, oh yeah he advised that you eat some ambrosia and drink nectar and you should be fine within a few hours." I remembered explaining his simple instructions.

"Well could you kindly please go get some then Perseus and send in Thalia, I know she is outside waiting.' She asked and feeling guilty I was in no state to object at being told what to do. Besides I needed to get some of the divine food for myself.

"Very well then Milady, it shall be done." I told her bowing my head to her annoyance I ducked out of the tent and began heading towards the infirmary tent.

(Artemis)

What happened to me? Sure, I had been injured by the arrow and I could even feel something else at work sapping my strength when I confronted Percy. Yet why did I do nothing to stop it before it was too late. This was by no means the first time I was severely wounded the treatment I had received from Atlas was far worse. As were the times I was wounded during the various wars us divines had got involved in. The problem was I became focused on the man in front of me and I forgot about everything else: the loss of ichor, my strength being drained none of it seemed important compared to the man before me.

He was now affecting my own sense of self-preservation.

Of course, I had spent the entire time I was unconscious thinking about him, we gods don't dream as such not like the mortals do. We can exist in a mental mindscape where we catch glimpses of what is happening around the world. Normally whatever is to do with our domains. Therefore, for me normally it was wild animals, the moon, maiden girls but this time it was simply him. It was like the image was taunting me and I was unable to do anything about it. Instead, I found myself walking circles around the statue like figure of the Titan in my own mind.

Gradually I had felt a measure of self-control return and for reasons unknown to me I had called him by his abbreviated name and then surprisingly I had heard him and Apollo talking. Unfortunately, whatever I said apparently was also in reality as well as Apollo questioned Percy on why I was calling him. Fortunately for the pair of us the idiot got distracted and didn't suspect the truth of the matter. I was more worried about Percy's reaction to the name but he said nothing which left me uncertain again and Aphrodite's words returned to my thoughts

'What did he think of me?'

Sure, he had been worried about me but then again it was an injury of his own doing, most people would have been apologetic in his place. But then I find out he is the one who had me healed despite the objections of one of my hunters even when she tried to kill him. He is the one who stayed and waited for me to wake up even 'The Good Doctor' left without even checking to see if I was fine. And again the first thing he does is apologize for his actions both against me and his attacker.

Shortly after he left, the familiar figure of my youngest sister and Lieutenant appeared in the doorway.

So apart from a short interruption when Percy knocked on the door and gave Thalia a tray of godly food for me without entering himself. I had been explaining to Thalia exactly what had happened earlier and what I wanted her and the hunters to do for the rest of the day. I also made it clear that they were not to blame Percy for the accident, I knew the majority would see it as it was but I emphasized it so the word got to any who were having thoughts of revenge.

The main issue I was having was my half-sister seemed distracted at the moment and kept asking questions. Normally this was not a problem and I was honest with her about almost everything but these were all probing towards things she couldn't know, most about Percy.

Less than two days into this and she is already starting to put things together which was worrying. It didn't help that he had been abusing his time dilation all morning since the incident and she had seemingly caught him at least once but fortunately she didn't understand what had happened. Eventually she had left when prompted and I began to eat it ravenously, the divine food helping to replenish the energy lost by the wound.

Of course, once he had delivered it, I knew that he had waited nearby outside while I consumed it to the last crumb and drop. Whether it was because I was in the body of a child or perhaps I just had a sweet tooth it always tasted of chocolate cake and milkshake. Once I was finished, I instantly started feeling better and got out of the bed.

Up on my feet again I noticed I was still in my ichor-stained clothes and the bed likewise was also encrusted in the golden fluid both from the initial wound and after when I was carried back here. However, I did notice the offending projectile was now gone, I suspected Percy or Apollo must have removed it judging by the still damaged pillow that still lay where it had been imbedded. In a flash of light, the ruined clothes were off me, leaving me in the nude before replacing them with fresh ones in a small dresser in the corner. The hunters had done a good job of cleaning the ichor off of my skin and hair but I would deal with that properly later.

"Perseus, I know you are out there!" I called and was unsurprised when he suddenly stooped his head and stepped through the doorway.

"Yes, Milady you called?" He asked looking down at me, his expression unreadable. Deep down I pondered what he would have done or said if I called him in a few minutes earlier whilst I was still nude or if I was in the form of Diana. What about both?

'What on earth am I thinking!' I screamed internally, I was the goddess of Chastity for heaven's sake.

"We are leaving for a while, so grab your stuff and meet me back here as soon as possible." I told him seriously completely different in tone to what was going on in my mind.

"Yes Lady Artemis, what about my bo-." He was about to inquire when I raised my hand cutting him off.

"No! You leave that here; I doubt the mortals would like you probably taking pot-shots at their President because with your current level of skill that is all you would probably hit while we are in the city." I joked back earning a sigh from my counterpart 'Hunter'.

"Maybe the Senate or Congress instead, more targets to hit accidentally." He cracked back.

"As long as you don't hit me again or the hunters I don't care, it is your head they will want."

"Or I can just leave the damned thing here and everyone lives, back in a few minutes Milady." And with that said he did a combo bow/stoop and left the tent.

"Iris show me Aphrodite." I called out into the air. We Olympians didn't need to do all the formality of summoning the messenger goddess, besides we all had formal accounts when it came to payments.

I watched as an image formed in front of me before I was presented with the picture of a blond-haired women with kaleidoscopic eyes, that was the closest you normally saw to Aphrodite's normal form when she was alone and not trying to appear as someone else's ideal of beauty. Even then it was not quite right because her eyes should actually be pink but people used to laugh and not take them seriously. Now you would likely only see them if you seriously managed to anger her.

"Hello Arty, how is it going with our mutual friend?" She asked sweetly.

"Stop calling me Arty, it is bad enough dealing with that from Apollo, as for Percy, he shot me and put me in a coma." I said ending deadpanned.

"Well unless he borrowed my son's bow that can't have been very pleasant. So how did you take it? Is he back on the market?" She asked enthusiastically leaning forward, the response angering me.

"No! It was an accident so back off. Now you were going to give me the details about your daughters this morning. Where can I find them? Do they know anything about the gods at all? Your children aren't exactly the sharpest scissors in the stylist's box." I snapped back angrily at her assumption.

"Hey I resent that, Piper is perfectly capable and Aeneas founded Rome. As far as I am aware they both know the usual classical history taught in schools. As for their location they are both staying at an all-girl's school since their father died a few years in a hit and run." She said initially angrily before calming down, perhaps realising those two were the exception and not the rule.

"And yet the rest of them are brainless especially Ares boys but back to your girls then if they have no parent then why not send them to Camp Half Blood?" I asked confused as it was the normal procedure or so I was aware.

"Because they are different from normal demigods, I didn't want to separate them." She said almost fearfully.

"Why would you need to separate them if they went to camp?" I asked confused.

"If they went to camps plural, Amy is a daughter of Aphrodite while Suzie is a daughter of Venus. Sure, they are identical twins but I was in both aspects during their conception." She said tearfully.

"How in the hades did you manage that? That should be impossible. It was bad enough when my father managed to do it with Thalia and Jason. You managed to do it even earlier and at the same time.' I said angrily.

"I guess I got lost in the moment and it happened. I didn't realize until a few days later that had I become pregnant. Normally when I or a goddess become pregnant one aspect gets pregnant and the other remains unaffected unfortunately both did. I didn't know what to do, there was no precedent for me to go with, combined with the fact the Greeks and Romans didn't get along until a few months ago. I would have had to separate them for ever and remove their memory of one another which I was loathe to do." She said and I felt sorry for her. Though as goddess of Childbirth I was quite knowledgeable on how that worked even with goddesses. What it had meant was that she had changed aspect mid-coitus during insemination.

"Well then why not send them to camp now; they are both at Camp Half-Blood this year." I explained.

"I would have but last week they both found out they were dating the same boy and now they suddenly feel betrayed by the opposite sex. Fortunately, they don't hate each other for the whole situation but they have started hating males. Perfect little candidates for you."

"Ok then but one problem I don't have Roman Huntresses haven't for a millennium. You know that Aphrodite." I explained folding my arms.

"I know that but you are not exactly in any position to turn down anyone joining, are you? And I don't want to separate them so what will it be?" She argued.

I was interrupted when Percy walked back in carrying his shield and with the rest no doubt concealed about his person. I noticed Aphrodite staring from the message at him and I started to feel jealous.

"Err. Hello Lady Aphrodite I think.2 He stammered out and I watched her form change until she now matched a slightly older auburn-haired version of Annabeth. What she was now was essentially a fusion of myself as Diana and his late girlfriend and I didn't know if to feel happy that he must find something about me attractive or sad that he still thought so strongly of her.

"Hello Percy, you are looking good." She said cheerfully causing him to blush and me to bite my lip.

"Fine that will be all Aphrodite, I will pay your daughters a visit. Perseus we are leaving Now!" I told them rushing out of the tent angrily.

"Thanks for this Arty, I knew you would." She called back cheerfully before the image faded. Damn her she had used my own jealousy to get me to do this. Despite my own objections to the Roman situation.

"So where are we going Lady Artemis?"

I never answered him but instead simply grabbed his hand before flashing us both out of the camp.