Here's Chapter 2! Hurray. So, this was supposed to be here yesterday, sorry about the delay. It slipped my mind that I didn't have chapter 2 posted, it was sitting in my Doc Manager abandoned. I'm sorry!

I sighed in relief as the water around me healed me. "So you're saying that Poseidon disowned you but the oceans disagreed. That's why you have a compromise and your magic stayed with you?" Luke asked for the third time, swinging his leg in the cool water. "Yes, Luke." I said with surprising calmness. Or was it fatigue? I can't tell the difference anymore. To me, calm means too tired to care at the moment.

"Wow. And just when I thought this world couldn't get weirder. Now water has consciousness and defies its lord." He spluttered as a wave of water soaked him. "Excuse me?!" He kicked the water hard. But they parted just as his foot came and he hit a sharp rock. It was lucky he was wearing thick boots. "Calm down." I stroked the water's surface and they returned to their original place. "Don't sound so surprised, Luke. Just because they choose not to show it most of the time, doesn't mean they aren't there." Luke seems shocked that I'm the one explaining stuff. Truth is, I only act dumb in front of everyone because they expect me, as a child of Poseidon, to be dumb. I didn't mind as I could take on opponents who think otherwise. Except for flirting. I'm like a baby when it comes to that. Like I know something is off but I have no idea what it is. Is it my fault?

"Water may seem lifeless to most. But many people go to water sources and reveal their secrets, or what is troubling them. And I hear it all. After all, water holds memories."

Luke was still awed. "So you can hear everything since water vapor surrounds the whole Earth?" I frowned. "Maybe if I mature more. But for now, I can only hear those from large water sources. Like oceans and seas. And I can only hear the things they say out loud. They could speak mentally for all I know." Luke thought about it. "That's still better than super speed." I looked over, questioning. He made a face, like he ate durian. Luke hates durians. "Hermes may be the god of many things, but he's still the fastest god. And guess who got that power from him?" The obvious question made me laugh a little. "What's so funny?" Luke asked, smiling. "Nothing, actually. It's just… that makes you sound like Kid Flash."

"Actually, I should be Flash. Not Kid Flash. But you have a point there."

"Any other hidden powers?" I asked, settling back in. "Well…" his falter made me glance over again. "There's nothing wrong with powers, Luke. Spill. It's amazing that you have powers. Not that you weren't special before." I added. "It's not a power I was born with, Angel." He said, still delaying. "That doesn't matter, Luke." I said again. Nothing could be worse than being able to bend blood and poison at whim. "Time control." He said softly. I choked on air. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Yeah. After I destroyed Kronos, by killing me, a shard of his powers was left in me. It wasn't supposed to matter, since I died, but I still have it after the Fates revived me."

That made a little sense. Luke had gotten all of Kronos's powers settled in his body. It wasn't hard to imagine that a shard remained after Kronos was destroyed.

"So you can control time?"

"It isn't as natural as it was when Kronos controlled me." Luke stared at the water. Somewhere, I heard an echo of what he was saying. I had to put up a mental shield to block the noises. If not, I would get a constant headache at the overwhelming noises of humans as they talked near water. It also stopped anyone from trying to read my mind. Apollo, Hermes and other gods have tried and failed.

"But?" I tried to coax Luke, ignoring the echo. "It's harder now. I can combine my speed with time control to make me faster than anyone on this Earth. But it tires me faster. And I can't increase someone's age. Not that I tried. I just know I can't. I also can only freeze someone's consciousness for a short period." He trailed off. And I didn't pick up the conversation. Instead, I stared into the ripples of the river. My injuries were long healed with only a tiny scar. Not sure about my head. But I most certainly wasn't lightheaded anymore. But I still stayed in here because of how energized I was feeling. "You're not the only one with powers you hate." I murmured, drawing shapes on the surface. The waters curled up at my touch, almost lovingly. Recognizing me as their only mortal princess.

Luke didn't look at me. Instead, he stared at the fading sun.

"In Tartarus, I found a different ability. I could control poison. And I nearly killed a goddess. Akhlys." Luke glanced over at me. "That must've sucked." I nodded. It was surprising how little reaction he had. No screaming. No running away. No saying I'm a monster. Just thinking that my experience sucked. "It did. A lot." He got up and stretched. "Poseidon would sense this water disturbance. Don't want to stay too long." He broke off mid-stretch to stare at me. "I know somewhere we could go. Away from any Gods and prying eyes." I nodded, also getting up. "As long as even the Hunters can't get to us." Luke gave me a smirk which I didn't find as assuring. He offered his hand which I took after a second. Was it hard for me to trust him after the gazillion betrayals? Surprisingly, no. He gave me the same tingles as the first time I saw him, and it never changed. Not after he tried to kill me. Not after I thought he was dead. Now that he was back, I felt nothing had changed. And it made me so confused. I didn't get why I wasn't trying harder to kill him after what he did. Was it because I was desperate to grasp hold of something? To think that not everyone is against me? With my flaw, it's possible.

He wasn't lying about the super speed. I blinked once, and suddenly we were at another place, not the forest. Luke was panting heavily and leaning against me. "Hey, you okay?" I gently shook him. "Yeah, the faster I go, the more stamina it requires. Give me a sec. I just brought us to Greece." I blinked again, shocked. "You really weren't kidding about the super speed." I said softly. "I didn't feel a thing."

Luke flashed me a tired smile. "I froze your time when I ran. It messes with your organs if you aren't me. To you, it's more like a teleporting thing." I touched my body to find it trembling. Time control was scary. And kinda useful for a Son of Hermes. But I didn't even sense that magic was going around. "Why didn't Kronos use that kind of magic against us?"

"A lot of things." Luke answered shortly. "Time freeze, it's a temporary thing. Even for a titan like him. And it works differently for his blood. Like it or not, every demigod is related to him. It was too big of a risk. And with everyone resisting, it's wasting energy. And not to forget, he was still settling in." I gave him a sympathetic smile. "That must've sucked." I said. He looked ready to cackle. "You sure the Hunters won't come to Greece?"

"No, they most certainly will. This is temporary. I brought us to the literal center of Greek Mythology, Angel. They wouldn't miss this place. So we need to think quickly."

"Huh." I looked around. The cave he had placed everything in reminded me of Rachel's cave. Messy but cozy.

"Why don't you tell me your story?" Luke asked with surprising gentleness.

"What story?" I asked back.

"I don't know. You told me about your betrayal in rather short sentences. How about expanding it? We have time to kill." I was tempted to say we didn't, but I got the sense that he was trying to bond. Making it more comfortable between us so we don't have to step carefully around each other.

"Andrius. That's my brother's name." I said carefully. "He's a jerk. It was disgusting and awkward the first few weeks. He kept flirting and trying to seduce me. With horrible pick-up lines." I shivered at the cheesy lines he had recited.

"When I refused him multiple times, he set out to ruin me. I'll leave the rest to you. I believe I already told you." Luke seemed displeased but let me continue. "As for the gods, not much encouragement was required. Most hated me." That caught him off guard. "Hate? Didn't you, like, win them a war or something?"

"Two." I corrected him. "One against Kronos, the other against Gaia and the giants. Long story. Tell you next time. But yeah, they hated me because I refused to listen to them. And always disrespected them and set a bad example to the little ones. Well, only Zeus, Hera, Ares and Dionysus hated me for that. Athena hated me because of Poseidon. The rest were either chill with me, or didn't care. Like Hephaestus and Demeter. And now, pretty sure Poseidon also hates me. Not sure where Aphrodite, Apollo and Hermes stood. I wasn't close to any of them except Artemis. She and I would help out occasionally. Like, when she needed my help hunting a marine monster or something like that. She's quite nice, especially since I'm female." I theatrically winked at Luke who rolled his eyes. "You're lucky you have a goddess who favours you." He whined. "No one knows you're alive, Blondie." I reminded him. "Still. Not fair." He sighed. "Hestia has been rather sweet to me whenever I stop by to chat with her. But I'm not sure where her loyalties lie. Either way, she's betraying a family member. I try not to bring it up much because… you know." Luke scooted closer and wrapped me up in a tight hug.

"So, we're on the run." I said into the silent night. "Forever until they catch me." Luke's silence was an answer itself.

"Can we really survive on this Earth, Luke? We can't hide. Not forever." I whisper, letting him know of my worries. "I know of something else. But I'm not sure you'll like it." He mumbled. I turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"We leave Earth." His eyes shone with determination. "We go to space. Away from the influence of the Gods. And titans. No one to chase us. A fresh start."

"Settle down?" I asked skeptically. How did he know of this?

"I'm not sure." He admitted. "Settling down is a dream to many, if not all demigods. But we need to remember even the gods can go to space on a whim. We can have a fresh start. That is true. But a demigod's luck doesn't change in space. I thought you'd remember that." Too good to be true. A world to explore. A world I don't have to live in with expectations. A world that didn't know Percy Jackson, the hero.

"If I agree, would you go?"

"Of course, Angel." His smile was dazzling. "Remember? Wherever you go, I go."

His smile faded and he looked at me seriously. "It'll be hard to create the portal to get to space. We would need something that is rather impossible with our situation. Are you sure about this? No backing out."

Did he even need to ask after tempting me like that? "Yes. Yes, I'm sure. I want a change. A new life. A life I choose." I said firmly. "It'll take patience to create the portal, and pain. First times are always the hardest." Luke said again.

"I'm sure, Luke." I stood up and turned to face him. "What's the point of staying on Earth, waiting for the Hunters to find us? I may be immortal but Zeus can still fade me. I want a new life."

"We'll need a god." Luke dragged out. "And a human. And a demigod. But we already got that covered. Obviously."

"Humans? Why in Hades would we need a human?"

"Language, Angel." He reprimanded. "But yeah, that's what I heard. From the Fates, that is." He clarified. "It is to represent life. Because, you know. Gods may have created them, but humans were the ones to create life. Meaning. Also, we need one god's help."

"We literally have the entire immortal population against us, what god would willingly help us?"

Luke shrugged. "You just said Artemis was your buddy." He reminded me.

I did, didn't I? "Well, yes. But I'm not sure if she has been swayed yet. And I can't be sure if she's near her Hunters. And if she'll help."

"Then we'll have to take the risk!" I was ready to smack him the next week. I could barely look at him though, without remembering he had once wanted to kill me. "Mortal…" I hummed. "We are definitely not involving my family, or anyone's family." I warned Luke before he suggested it. "I'll ask Artemis. But if she refuses, we won't force her."

"You're the one who said you want to go to space!" Luke flung his hands out. "I know what I said, Luke. And for the record, I'm not going back on my words. But it's not only my consent. Artemis will also have the right to reject us. So does the human."

"Sheesh, Angel. Such a goody-goody. You don't even know what they need to do." Luke grumbled. I raised my eyebrow at him. "What do they need to do then?" I ask, challenging.

"Just a bit of their blood to form the portal," Luke said nonchalantly.

"At least we aren't killing them," I muttered.

"Say what now?" Luke choked. "I wouldn't suggest murder."

I facepalmed. "Are you sure you're Luke Castellan?" He considered that. "Fair point. Fine. I wouldn't suggest murder for this." Good enough. "You know, this really reminds me of Gaia."

"Do I want to know why?"

"She needed the blood of a male and female demigod to awaken. Jason Grace, Thalia's younger brother, and I were captured to be the sacrifice. But all it took was a nosebleed to wake her up." Luke blinked. "Soooo… I'm not gonna ask, kay?" He said haltingly. "We're just gonna ignore this and pretend this conversation never happened to avoid something awkward said." Too late. I refrained from saying.

"All must be willing, like a blessing of sorts. We won't kill anyone." He promises. I pursed my lips. "Human… where are we supposed to get human blood?"

Luke coughed. "Angel, you're overthinking. It's the blood of the gods that we should be concerned with. We can just get some from a hospital." I mentally smacked myself. "Good point."

"The blood taken must be willingly given and those who are using his/her blood must have the goddess/god's blessing to pass."

"It'll be hard for you then, if she agrees at all."

"I'll go get the blood. You get yourself a meeting with Artemis." He said with a two-finger salute. Then ran off. I ran to where he was but all I saw was a bright blur. An odd sight in Greece. I wondered where he was going. It's not like we memorized the roads of Greece. Barely two hours ago, I was just healing from a hole in me.

I sat back down and closed my eyes in concentration. I felt a familiar lightness and like before, entered a mind. Yikes… that sounded super creepy. Basically, my consciousness is teleported into someone else's mind where we could communicate telepathically. I didn't even know I could do that until I was on the run. I didn't know how I got it, whether I was born with it or was gifted with it. Super useful when you didn't want someone to eavesdrop. It's super risky though, because my body is left wherever I was last. With no consciousness, I can't defend myself so I try to be as brisk as possible. Which was hard with Artemis, considering she was the only one who has never betrayed me. I felt safe with her.

Percy—Italics

Artemis—Bold

Artemis. Artemis, can you hear me? I shouted in her mind.

Aella? What are you doing? You shouldn't be here.

She hated this method of communication. Because I could see all her memories and thoughts. Not that I try to. I understand that she wants privacy.

I know. And I swear, I'll leave soon. But I was hoping you could help me with something.

I felt her hesitation.

Fine. But I hope you know what you're doing.

I never do. But hopefully, it buys me more time.

Then I quickly updated her with everything. Her mind was super silent. All I saw was a blur. She didn't know what to think.

You need my blood.

It was a statement.

Yes. Just a little though. I winced. It wasn't just a little, can't believe I just lied to her.

You know doing so would be treason to my king.

I snorted. And I made sure she heard that.

King? More like a tyrant. He's supposed to be a father to you. Not a king. C'mon cuz. For old-time's sake? I'll never bother you after this. And it won't hurt you. Too much. I swear.

If I do this, I expect something in return.

Artemis never changed.

Of course. I said with a cheerful smile, glad that she never changed. Her demands were always manageable and simple, and always because she was concerned.

You are to update me should you get in trouble in space. No hesitation. As an honorary huntress, you are my sister. And I expect you to check-in. I don't care if you're busy.

Her voice was firm. I stifled a groan. Never mind, forget what I said, it wasn't simple.

You could've asked me for anything but that's what you ask for?

It's also the hardest thing for you. You and I both know you hate to drag me into your mess. Even if I'm the Olympian Goddess in this duo.

You caught me. I conceded. I had to admit, it was touching that she cared.

Where are you? I'll teleport there and see you off. Her thoughts were all about us and the trouble we could get into, mostly Luke.

Promise me you'll lay off Luke?

Fine. Whatever. I promise I won't mention the Kronos situation. But don't expect me to be friendly with him.

Oh, believe me, I know. We're in Greece.

Be careful then. Thalia is thinking of searching there soon. We need to get you two off this planet as soon as possible.

I love how overprotective Artemis is. She's a wonderful sister figure.

Arty? After I leave, will you help me watch over my parents?

I'll tell you about them when you check in. And do not say anything about distance too far. You and I both know differently. You're not tricking anyone.

I sent her exasperated thoughts.

Fine. Overbearing mother.

Oh, shut up. I'm coming.

I opened my eyes, dizzy from the long conversation. Luke was staring at me intensely. "Artemis is coming here with her blood. But it may take some time since she needs to sneak away." I said, standing up. Luke nodded. "I got the blood." He raised a container with red liquid. I missed the part where a lot of blood must be used.

I took out Ανελεητος and Luke narrowed his eyes. "Should I get water prepared?"

"No time." I shot back. And stabbed my arm. I guess the torturous four to five months in Camp Half Blood had increased my pain tolerance. If I were anyone else, I would have screamed as the tip of Ανελεητος poked out from the other side of my arm. Even Luke was skittish and turning green.

Artemis arrived just as I finished collecting the blood and healing my wound. "I'm assuming that's for the portal so I won't say anything." She said smoothly. It's a good thing she's a goddess and has seen worse things. "Boy." She said as a way of greeting. "Lady Artemis." Luke nodded. He frowned slightly, uncomfortable in the presence of a goddess he tried to kill. "Because I respect Aella, I will refrain from smiting you. But know your boundaries." She warns. And reveals a ball of liquid. Ichor. I realized. She must have already healed herself, I could see no sign of an injury. Luke glanced at Artemis to me. He was smart enough to realize what Artemis calls me. "So, how are we doing this?"

Luke shrugged. "Mix the blood of the three together. And smear it on the ground. Ancient ground. I'll do the chanting, blah, blah, blah. The portal will rise, Artemis gives us her blessing, we leave. Voila!" That sounds… simple. "No tricks?"

"None. Except that only demigods can use this method to go to space. It's because of their blood. Don't ask."

"So, that's that?"

"Well, the tricky part is to get the formula on how to make the portal, which I know. Oh, and eat this." He opened his palm to reveal a piece of golden apple. "From the Garden of Hesperides. It guarantees a higher chance of surviving." He actually stole the apple. For a moment, all I could do was stare. This wasn't the same Luke Castellan I knew from so long ago.

Artemis frowns. "There's a chance this will fail?"

"Well, yeah. You can't expect it to be perfect. There's always a risk. But the apples should keep you safe." I shrugged and ate it. It was… unique, I would say. A wide variety of food mixed together such that it tasted weird but manageable.

It strengthened me, more than what water did, and I suspected it was for a longer period as well. Artemis clasped me on my shoulder and blessed me in ancient Greek. "May your journey be a success, Aella, my warrior. We shall see each other in the future. Whether a few years or a decade or a century. But do not forget my demand." Her silver eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I had hoped you would not lose yourself to a male and lose your way but I doubt it would go as I wish. So all I ask for you is to find a male who would respect you as an equal. And rid the world of disgusting pigs." I nodded cheerfully. "We'll see each other soon, Artemis. And don't worry, I'll get your approval first before finding myself a man who respects our kind. I won't stray. That I swear to you." Luke beckons me closer and Artemis gives him the same blessing but with a warning that she would find him if he ever dared to harm me. By the end, Luke's face was drained from blood. Artemis knows the best threats. He was paler than I had been.

We spread the blood of the three on the ground. The grass started quivering and decayed. The blackness spread until it surrounded Luke and I. A silver barrier appeared, just at the border of the black and dead grass, separating us from Artemis who was also glowing silver. This was the result of her blessing, I realized. Then, Luke opened his mouth and what came out was a language I did not know. It sounded like a snake to me, if the snake's tongue was cut out. The earth shook, like an earthquake was occurring. By now, I couldn't see anything beyond the silver field. The last remaining bit of the three mixed blood sank into the earth and from there, a large portal rose, swirling before us. Deep violet with mist lazily swirling around. It didn't show the other side. There could be an army for all I know, ready to kill me. Luke stepped in first, having stopped his chanting. He might've done it to try win my trust. He could easily backstab me as soon as I went in. Artemis wouldn't be able to help. There was so much at risk, but I still went through with Luke. Because… I trust him. I trusted him when I had no one else. He stood by me and helped me when he could've easily left me. Easily escaped his fate of choosing whether to save or destroy this Earth. I trusted and loved him once. Being around him awakened those feelings once more. So I will follow him.