A/N: sorry had to update it again. Forgot to change a sentence

Zoe gripped her bow tightly in hand, an arrow notched. The moonless sky draped the forest in thick darkness. For once she was thankful for her inheritance as she could make out every detail in like she was standing in broad daylight. She stalked between the trees, looking for...something. She didn't really know why she was here, just that she needed to be. Her feet crunched beneath the leaves left over from the autumn fall months ago. Something moved in the corner of her eye, something deep in the shadows. Zoe turned; her bow held at the ready. Out of the deeper shadows under the trees, a large wolf came into view. Its fur as black as night, its form blending perfectly in the darkness. If it wasn't for her own inheritance, she wouldn't have seen it. Zoe pulled back on her bow ever so slightly, the wood limbs creaking in the silent night. The wolf tilted its head, its mouth twitching as if amused. You'll need more than that, Mekri Nifta. The wolf lunged at Zoe. The tri-blood fired her arrow. The silver shaft pierced the beast's chest. Zoe yelped as the wolf continued forward, its jaws finding her neck.

Zoe remained prone under the underbrush of the forest; a gentle winter breeze blew the bushes above her. She shivered in the frosty air, the full moon bearing down on the forest around her. The sounds of the night filled the air, the forest just as alive as during the day. She looked out of the edge of the forest, down the hill and to the entrance to the mines buried in the Appalachian Mountains. The lack of sentries worried her. Had their intel been wrong? Moonlight reflected off something golden. A rustling broke her thoughts. Tammie crawled up next to her. "What do you see?" she asked, her voice low and bow in hand.

Zoe glanced at her friend. "No guards," she answered simply. "I can see tracks up the trail, leading into the mines, though."

The old hunter observed the trail with her keen eyes. "So, it is in use then? Our intel was good."

"Maybe, but why no guards?" Zoe asked in confusion. "Maybe they have already left?"

Tammie shrugged. "I guess we will have to find out." She rose to a crouch and released a quick whistle. The bushes and trees around them rustled and a small group of hunters appeared out of the brush, their silver parkas gleaming in the moonlight. Tammie made several gestures. The hunters moved toward the mine entrance, their bows at the ready. "Come on," the daughter of Nike told her.

Zoe climbed to her feet and followed the hunter down the hill. The two made their way to the trail, the remaining hunters spread out throughout the clearing. Zoe crouched down by the trail, her hand trailing the tracks that ran up and down it. She saw deep grooves running parallel with each other and footprints of all shapes and sizes crisscrossed the trail. The newest prints appeared to be a dozen separate shoeprints. "Monsters have definitely used this path," she said as she ran her hand over the prints of telekhines. "But I don't know what to make of these newer tracks. These mines were supposed to have been abandoned for over a century. So, why are there shoe prints?"

Tammie crouched down and examined them herself. "I'm not sure," she admitted before rising. "Rogue demigods don't make sense. We haven't had that issue since the Second Titanomachy." Her eyes flickered towards the cave entrance. "Come on, the sooner we get in there, the sooner we can unravel this mystery." Zoe followed Tammie as they jogged up to the mine entrance, their hunting party forming up behind them. "Zoe and I will take point," she told the hunters before pointing at four hunters. "You four stay here, ensure no one escapes or enters." The four nodded before slinking back into the forest.

Tammie and Zoe led the rest of their party into the mines, the tunnels only visible through the gifts of Artemis and Zoe's inheritance. Minutes passed as they traversed the tunnels under the mountain, passing collapsed or boarded branches of tunnels as they went. They could hear it before the first light reached their eyes; the clangs of swords striking shields, the struggling shouts of defiance. Zoe and Tammie shared a look before breaking out into a run, their companions quick behind them. The sounds of battle grew as they approached a portal of light.

Zoe was blinded temporarily as she passed through the opening, her eyes rapidly adjusting. The massive, multi-level cavern was crisscrossed with cart rails. Some raised to connect various platforms and others running along the floor, leading into various tunnels along the walls. Before her was a collection of demigods in orange t-shirts, battling against a small army of telekhines. The demigods pushed back the telekhines at a steady pace, outnumbered as they were. Tammie quickly turned to the rest of her hunters. "Support the campers," she answered, drawing an arrow and loosing it into the crowded army of monsters.

Zoe drew her two silver knives and sprinted towards the battle, a stream of arrows overtaking her like a vanguard and cutting down a row of monsters. The daughter of Perseus leapt over the row of demigods, her form colliding with a telekhine lifting a small hammer at a demigod. Zoe rolled to her feet, weaving her way through the telekhines in a blur of silver. Her knives a whirlwind of death and destruction. A large hammer crushed a telekhine poised to strike at Zoe. The girl turned to find Malik standing before her, his breastplate scuffed and charred. Zoe smiled at her friend, retreating with him behind the lines of demigods. "What are you guys doing here?" Zoe asked the older demigod.

Malik glanced back at the hunters, firing into the crowd of monsters. "I could ask you the same," he responded as he hefted his hammer. "Hermes gave us the tip that the enemy was making a forge in the mountains." He looked over the fighting forces briefly before turning to Zoe. "Listen, you need to find Liam."

Zoe's eyes widened in surprise. "Is he here?" she asked, looking around for him.

The Arab shook his head. "He spotted something and went after it almost as soon as we entered," he informed her, pointing towards one of the larger exit tunnels. "Who knows what kind of trouble he is getting into."

Zoe followed his finger before looking at the battle. "What about you guys?"

"We have this well in hand," Malik reassured her. "Go, find Lightning Boy before he gets himself hurt."

"Assuming he hasn't already," Zoe muttered to herself before dashing past the fighting and to the indicated tunnel. A trio of telekhines tried to follow her but were cut down by silver arrows. She ran into the tunnel, the stone walls lined with blazing torches. Golden dust littered the tunnel like a trail of scattered breadcrumbs. The mined walls were marred with scorch marks. Liam had definitely come down this way. He still hadn't figured out moderation. It was going to get that boy killed. There was also something she could not quite place. A feeling like a thick mist hung in the air of the tunnel.

She followed the tunnel for what felt like hours before she found an exit, the sounds of a struggle emanating from it. Zoe came to a stop at the entrance and peaked her head around. The room was large, but not overly so, with columns lining the walls carved in runes she did not recognize. A chandelier hung from the ceiling; its candles lit with green flames. The far wall bore a throne twice her height chiseled into it, with snarling wolves and other beasts of night carved into the armrests and above the seat. A grunt of effort drew her attention.

Liam spun his spear around him, forcing a cloaked figure to retreat. Liam stood in jeans and a camp t-shirt, a bronze cuirass secured over it with a helmet and armored skirt. He had grown since their trip up the east coast, now he had several inches on her. Liam pointed his spear at the figure, a scowl marring his handsome features. His strawberry blonde hair had faded to a copperier tone. She wondered if it would continue to change as he got older. Zoe shook her head. Not the time. His opponent stood several inches taller than the son of Zeus, a black cloak draped over his body, concealing his form, and a hood over his head. His long, thin black sword scraped against the ground, a wisp of smoke rolling off it in waves. Zoe felt a pull deep within her being. A pull of longing and familiarity that she could not place. It was as if her darkest, most innate instincts were drawn to this figure, like the ends of two magnets..

The two exchanged several more blows. The black blade a whirlwind of rolling death, surrounding the cloaked figure in a blanket of smoke. Lightning danced up Liam's spear, sparking and shooting up the black blade as they connected. If the cloaked figure was bothered by the divine energy, they gave no sign of it. Zoe drew her bow as silently as she could. She notched an arrow and took aim. Both Liam and the figure were moving rapidly across the throne room, and she had no other words for such a room, both giving up and taking ground from each other. Her eyes moved rapidly as she watched the two, anticipating their movements. The figure caught the end of Liam's spear, yanking the boy forward. Liam let the weapon go, quickly twisting his ring and swinging his recurved short sword as it formed in his hand. After losing the range advantage, the son of Zeus was swiftly put on the back foot as he tried to repel the figure's renewed assault. Zoe loosed her arrow, the figure's back to her with his sword raised.

The figure spun and slashed the arrow out of the air, continuing the motion to kick Liam back. The son of Zeus writhed on the ground, clutching at his chest. The cloaked figure turned and faced the entrance that Zoe hid in. "Come out now," the figure called out to her. "No need to hide… Mekri Nifta,"

Zoe's eyes narrowed at that. There was only one person who called her that. But this wasn't Nyx. Not only was the voice male, but he there was none of the power the goddess wielded. Oh, she could feel his power all right. A power that seemingly eclipsed her own, as much as it pained her to admit. She did not know how he knew it was her, but it made little difference. Drawing her knives, Zoe stepped out into the room and faced the cloaked male. "You have me at a disadvantage," she greeted him with a frown. "I wasn't aware Nyx was sending out any more forces?"

A chuckle escaped from the cloaked male's shadow. "How do you know I work for Nyx? I could be working for the other primordial," he reasoned, stepping back and keeping both Zoe and Liam in his line of sight.

"You don't have the feel of the Pit," Zoe answered, putting the figure between herself and Liam. "The way your power feels… it reminds me of her."

The figure swirled his sword in small circles, wisps of smoke floating off the blade. "Impressive," he said, and Zoe swore she could hear him smile. "You're getting stronger. That's awesome. Our plans for you wouldn't be as fun if you were weak and pitiful." He looked between the two campers. "Is this going to be a two v one? Nice. I was really only stretching my legs with pretty boy here."

He leapt at Zoe, his black cloak billowing like a bat flaring its wings. Zoe blocked his sword but missed the kick. The daughter of Perseus collided with the wall and rolled away, the black sword sinking into the stone wall where she had stood. Zoe lashed out with her knives, trying to take advantage of the opening. The figure pulled-no, he slashed through the rock as if it were not there, swiping aside her blades. Liam forced himself between Zoe and their foe, his recovered spear forcing the figure back into the tunnel. The figure growled at Liam, his sword slicing through the ground as he arced it around himself. Liam and Zoe stood at the entrance to the tunnel facing the male. The figure snickered before melting into the darkness. Zoe and Liam shared looks of unease as they slowly backed into the room. They stood at the center of the room back-to-back, watching for any sign of their adversary. The figure came out of the shadows of the throne before Zoe, charging at her with his sword brandished. Zoe prepared for the assault before he melted again in shadows. A startled yelp reached her ears and she turned to find Liam blocking the thin sword. She could barely make out the mouth of the male, upturned in a grin.

Liam shoved the figure off himself and disappeared into the shadows again. "Can you do something about that?" Liam asked her.

Zoe didn't answer but expanded her senses through the darkness. She could feel him. At least, she thought it was him. It wasn't that she could feel his presence exactly in the darkness, but that there was a distinct patch of… nothing in that darkness. Like a submarine that was too quiet. "There," she said, sweeping her arm aside like she was clearing a table. The darkness bent to her will and spat out the figure with a grunt. The two campers charged the prone figure, who quickly rose and warded off their assault.

"I'm impressed," he said as he defended himself from Liam and Zoe's attacks. "I knew you were improving, but that is some impressive control you have."

Zoe's eyes narrowed as the figure continued evading and blocking their assault. "You've been watching me?" she questioned as she blocked a counterattack.

The figure shrugged before dodging Liam's spear. "I have been watching you for a long time Zoe," he said, backpedaling into the shadows of the throne and disappearing. "We are going to have so much fun when you finally join us." His disembodied voice carried over the room.

Liam huffed in annoyance. "Well, this guy is just annoying," he said as he watched the corners.

Zoe said nothing as she again tried to sense him, but he seemed to have learned from her last attempt. She could no longer sense him, or rather, the nothingness that was him. "I can't sense him anymore," she told her friend. "I'm open to ideas."

Lightning arced off Liam's body as he growled in annoyance. Zoe shrugged off the bolts that connected to her, sending little more than a tingle up her spine. His lightning didn't hurt her anymore, not unless he intended it too. Which he never did. She didn't think she had become immune to his lightning, and when she had asked Reyna about it, well, she didn't really get an answer. The son of Zeus glanced past her, towards the throne. "I'm finished with this. Move."

Zoe moved out of the way. Liam channeled his lightning through his spear, launching the bolt of divine energy at the stone throne. The figure appeared before the throne, blocking the bolt with his sword. A scream of pain escaped his mouth, and he was blasted back into his throne. The figure collapsed onto the ground, his hood and cloak on fire. The figure quickly grabbed his cloak and ripped it off himself.

He was younger than she thought, maybe around her age, with a tall and lean frame. His shoulders were slumped forward, and his arms hung low, his sword tip scraping against the ground. He swayed in a nonexistent breeze. A fierce, wolfish grin spread across his pale, handsome face; a trickle of blood flowed from his nose. His tunic and trousers were pockmarked with burns. "That was a nice shot." His tongue licked up the blood. "I didn't think you had that kind of power in you. I am going to enjoy tearing you apart." His muscles coiled, ready to launch him forward. Zoe and Liam shifted in anticipation of the strike.

The air filled with an oppressive force, forcing the occupants to flinch as it pressed against them. A tendril of darkness rose up in front of the boy as if in challenge. The boy's eyes narrowed as he watched the tendril which flickered back and forth. He scowled at it. "Come on, I can take out the boy and take her with me. You promised-" The tendril shivered and drew closer to him. The boy looked away and slumped. "Fine." The tendril sunk back into the shadows and the boy huffed. "Sorry boys and girls, duty calls." He shrugged before melting into darkness again, the pull Zoe felt towards the boy disappeared with him.

The two campers relaxed as the oppressive force dissipated. Zoe turned to Liam slowly, giving the boy a small smile, "Just can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

Liam returned the smile. "You're one to talk," he countered before waving his spear which collapsed into a pocketknife. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Zoe sheathed her knives. "We were directed here by Lady Artemis. She felt something wrong with this part of the mountains and sent us to investigate."

Liam nodded as he approached the throne, examining the stone structure. "Any idea who this guy was? He seemed really interested in you."

Zoe shook her head. "No, and I don't like the way he-" The room shook, dust and small rocks falling from the ceiling. Zoe and Liam watched as the room shook again, the chandelier falling with a crash. Zoe felt a rush of destructive energy course through her and sensed the whole mountain shaking. Her eyes widened. "Run!" she yelled at her friend.

The two fled with all haste into the tunnels, the room collapsing behind them. As they fled, Zoe channeled her flood of energy into her legs, speeding her flight to as fast as her legs could stand. She also sent her power to Liam, allowing him to keep up with her. The ceiling collapsed before them, cutting off their escape. Sparks flew off Liam as he charged up as big of a bolt as he dared, and Zoe's hands filled with starlight in a display of control she didn't know she was capable of. The two launched their attacks at the pile of rubble, blasting through the rock and clearing their path. After several minutes of running and dodging falling debris, the two friends emerged into the cavern where the campers and hunters had fought the telekhines. Zoe saw no evidence of their friends and comrades beyond a pile of gold dust and silver arrows littering the floor. Half of the cavern had already collapsed, as more and more rocks and boulders fell. They continued to evade the stones as they reached the last tunnel, their escape close at hand.

A stalactite fell from the ceiling and blocked off their exit. The duo charged their abilities to destroy the stone again, when a wood beam from one of the cart rails fell on Liam. "Gah-Gods above," Liam cried out as the huge beam sat on his back.

Zoe quickly lifted the beam, so full of energy that she thought she could crush the whole mountain herself. "Come on, Liam," she said as she helped him up, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "We have too-" The room collapsed around them. Zoe looked up to see the ceiling falling towards them. Her power flared as she tried desperately to do something… anything.

A/N: just wanted to thank all the reviewers for their comments, it helps a lot knowing that people appreciate it. Especially thanks to NobodyHimorMe, appreciate you.