Marcus raced through the forest, eyes constantly on the move. Where is it?

Sliding to a halt, he put his back to a tree, thankful for the cover it provided. Athena said there always was one… Where is it?!

"You're becoming desperate." Athena's voice came from beside him. On instinct, Marcus ducked, just managing to avoid the lazy swing of Athena's sword, though it was still powerful enough to practically cleave the tree behind him in two. "You're panicking. You'll never find the gateway at this rate."

Marcus scowled, flicking his watch to whip form, and casting it above him, wrapping it around a tree branch and launching himself away. He remembered the first conversation they'd had before this insane training had begun, he forgot how long ago now.

"In a battle of the minds, unlike a battle you're used to, there's only two ways to claim victory. Overpower your opponent, or close the gateway they've created into your mental space."

He wasn't a fool. He knew he could never hope to defeat a Goddess at her own game, and so he had spent his focus on honing his ability to block access to his mind, stop the gateway before it was created, but today Athena had insisted.

"No soldier is immune to ambush. Every defense fails eventually. That's where adapting your strategy is most important."

He knew that. Marcus thought he had been a master at that, but Athena had quickly proved him wrong. He had learned much in their time together. He had learned his greatest asset, his speed, had been made stronger by his reliance on his fathers gifts. He was lighter, and thus could move quicker. He could ride the wind's currents if he chose, not to fly, but to speed him along. He could use his whip to traverse at even greater speeds, such as he was going now, though that was entirely dependent on terrain. And none of that matters if I can't find that damned Gate!

Marcus felt it before he saw it. A slight alteration in the landscape around him, a haze, almost as if a mirage was forming. He quickly dropped from the trees, rolling as he fell and propelling himself forward. If he could just reach it then-

"Then what?" Athena materialized in front of him, practically stepping out of thin air, her shield swinging forward and catching Marcusin his chest. Marcus had a moment of weightlessness before he was thrown backward, gasping for breath.

"You find the Gate. What do you do then?" Athena continued, for all the world sounding like a college professor attempting to lead her class through a particularly dull chapter.

"You close it." Marcus gasped, rolling to his hands and knees, still struggling to get his breath back.

"And what do you do in a moment like this, where your opponent blocks the way. You can't defeat her, and you can't defeat me." Athena put the tip of her sword into the dirt, allowing both her hands to rest on the pommel. "What do you do when you're outmatched, Marcus?"

Marcus pushed himself to his feet, quickly glancing around the forest floor around him. His eyes spotted his whip, laying in the dirt behind Athena. He flicked his eyes back to her quickly to hide his intentions. Calling on his fathers strength, he felt the air start to swirl around his weapon. He hoped it would be enough.

"You improvise." He replied, before charging in headfirst. Athena seemed to be anticipating this, as in a flash her blade was up and prepared for him, but she wasn't the target of his mad charge. He leaped, kicking off a nearby tree and launching himself with all his might above her, launching himself towards the gate and using the swirling tornado of wind he'd created around his weapon to launch it skyward, into his waiting hand. He could have sworn he saw a look of approval on Athena's face before he cracked his whip, aiming it at the shimmering Gateway before him.

—-

Marcus opened his eyes with a gasp. Athena was standing above him, just like she had been when he had agreed to undergo that day's training.

"That was sloppy." She said, her face as impassive as ever. "If I had been half trying, your leap would have been halted before your feet had even left the ground."

Marcus scowled. He had agreed to be trained in this but still… It got me out didn't it?

"It did 'get you out', but a maneuver like that leaves all your cards on the table, with nothing left but to hope your luck holds out." Athena's eyes pierced him, and not for the first time Marcus wondered if letting this Goddess into his mind was such a good idea. Since he had allowed her access the first time, she had read him like a book. It was almost as if she never entirely left his mind at all.

"You knew I was reckless when you agreed to train me." Marcus replied, stretching. Each of their training bouts seemed to last hours or even days in his mind, but so far none had actually lasted longer than a few moments. Athena had claimed it was because the battles moved at the speed of thought, but Marcus hadn't really understood what that meant. So while in reality they had only been in training for a few days, a week at most, Marcus felt like he had been at it for months.

"Reckless, yes. But even that has its limits." Athena replied. "Now, again. And this time, try not to make your strategies obvious. She is the Goddess of Madness, not stupidity, so while some strategies may elude her in her madness, others will be as obvious to her as to me, perhaps even more so. And yours are often painfully obvious."

And so Athena entered his mind again. And again.

And again.

For hours, Athena entered Marcus' mind, and forced Marcus to think of strategies to repel her. At times, the battlefield in which they fought was the exact same as the forest around them. Others, the moment Athena entered his mind, Marcus was somewhere else. A desert. City streets. A warehouse.

"She is a clever opponent. She will do what she thinks will throw you off. Last time, you had no idea what she was doing, and so she kept your field the same. It may not be that easy next time."

And Athena entered his mind again. The more they trained, the more varied her stratagems became. At times, she was herself. At times, she appeared as Lyssa did, but that was when Marcus used the sense of Godly Auras he had honed thanks to Aphrodite to suss out the truth, grateful it still worked even in that battlefield, and for that Athena rewarded him with harsher strategies. At times, he was forced to face shades of his old friends. Shades of Aaron, Hunter, and Alicia attacked in his mind. Kelly raged against him, blaming him for her death. Joey and Elliot begged him to save them. Aphrodite turned her back on him. All of these shook him to his very core, but Marcus persisted. He continued. He fought back the shades, forged through his guilt, until-

"Marcus…?"

Marcus spun, shocked at the voice coming through the trees. Maddie pushed aside a branch, walking into the clearing. Maybe it was the moonlight shining through the trees, but to him she seemed… Even more beautiful. He couldn't help but scoff at his own thoughts.

"Marcus?" She asked again, unsure. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

Marcus glanced around, relieved to see both Athena and Aphrodite had made themselves scarce. That's the last thing I want to explain. "...Training, as always." He said, forcing a smile to his face. "Can't very well let those New Olympians get the best of me again, can I?"

Maddie's face fell, a frown coming to it that Marcus hated to see. "Marcus… You know we shouldn't call them that… Especially here."

Marcus sighed. "Yeah yeah, sorry. Anyway, what are you doing out here?"

Marcus knew Maddie's face. He knew it so well he could draw it in his sleep, tracing the lines he saw in his dreams, but the look that came to it now was a new one to him. Uncertainty, but mixed with a reserved sadness. What's going on?

"I was looking for you, Marcus…" Maddie said softly, her eyes downcast. "You've been so distant lately I… I was starting to worry so…"

Marcus smiled, stepping across the clearing to her. "Sorry about that Mads. You know how I get when I get focused. Hard to remember to eat some days. Speaking of, is dinner still happening? We should go get a plate."

"Marcus, dinner ended hours ago…"

Marcus glanced up, and noticed the moon high in the sky, bright and full. "Shit… I'm sorry Mads, I didn't mean to make you worry, or waste your time looking for me. Especially when it's time for your nightly talk." He forced a smile to his face as he looked back at her. "Come on, why don't we go to the lake and-"

"Why didn't you say anything…?" Maddie asked in a small voice, her gaze at the ground.

"Say anything?" Marcus kept the smile on his face, though his mind was racing.

"Your injury… Why didn't you say anything?!" Maddie's voice exploded out of her body, and in it were all the things Marcus was terrified would be there, the things he hated to hear. Doubt. Self-loathing. Pain. Betrayal.

"Maddie, what are you talking about?" Marcus shook his head, trying to buy himself time to think. "I was injured in the fight. You're the one who healed me. I didn't really think we needed to talk about-"

"About how I'm the one who did it?" Maddie's eyes met his, the tears he had fought so hard to keep at bay overflowing. "I hurt you Marcus… I nearly killed you… And you don't think that's something we needed to talk about?"

This wasn't what he had meant to happen. He didn't want this. He had done everything he could to avoid it. "Mads, I made that decision on my own." He put as much calm in his voice as he could muster. Any port in a storm. He would be the calm for her storm of emotions to batter herself against. "It wasn't your fault."

"How many more 'not my faults' are going to happen before you aren't here to tell me it wasn't my fault Marcus." Maddie's words spilled out, almost tripping over her own tongue. After a moment she stopped, before she finally lifted her gaze to meet his. "Never again."

Marcus felt relief rush through him. She had found the strength he knew she had. She was ready to face the world, and her own berserker mind, with him. He reached out to lay his hand on her head, to ruffle her hair as he always did. "That's the Mads I know."

She lifted her hand and caught his wrist.

"No, Marcus."

Marcus was stunned. Her grip was strong and firm, though not enough to cause pain. Or maybe he just couldn't feel it. "Maddie, what are you…?"

"I won't hurt you again. You're safe." She said, her voice resolved and relieved. "She promised."

"What? What are you talking about, who promised?"

"Artemis."

Marcus didn't understand. Artemis had been silent their whole lives, ignoring all but Phillip, and even he had only seen her centuries ago. "Artemis? What are you talking about?"

"You aren't the only one with a Goddess in your corner anymore Marcus." Maddie said, her smile wide, the same smile she wore when he praised her. No…

"I did it Marcus. She finally listened, my prayers have finally been answered. She chose me."

Marcus stepped back, pulling his arm from Maddie's grasp. No, no, no!

"Mads… Are you…?"

Maddie cocked her head to the side, the happiness on her face the clearest it had ever been, the moonlight shining through her hair.

"Artemis finally answered! I'm a Hunter now!"

Marcus' world fell through. He felt as if he was falling, yet nothing changed. The world to him seemed darker, though the moon shone just as brightly in the sky. At that moment, he hated the moon. Hated the light it shone on the scene he found himself in. Hated the Goddess it represented. The Goddess who stole his heart from him.

"She let me come by to say goodbye." Maddie said with a sad smile. "But I can't stay much longer. The Hunters are tracking down the Olympians' enemies, and I have to join my sisters." She slowly started to back out of the clearing, as if reluctant to be separated from him.

Marcus leapt forward, finally feeling the ground beneath him again, and grabbed her hands with his. "Maddie, wait! We can fix this! You don't have to leave to keep me safe! I am safe! Safer with you watching my back than anybody else!"

Maddie's sad smile was his only answer, and in that smile he saw her answer. She didn't believe that anymore, and that was the reason Artemis had finally appeared. In her weakest moment… That damn Goddess!

"Goodbye Marcus." Maddie forced out, turning away and starting towards the trees.

Marcus felt the rage explode within him. Everything in his being burned to lash out and destroy the Goddess that had taken his last shred of happiness from him. His truest friend. The woman he loved. The wind swirled around his feet. Whereas before it had been hard to find his fathers powers and use them, now he found it all too easy. Limbs swung on their branches, leaves stripped bare by the force of his swirling emotions. He turned his gaze skyward, about to launch a stream of curses at the moon and Goddess he hated…

But as he did, he saw Maddie's face, smiling and giggling as he ruffled her hair. Maddie's pout as he said something negative about the Gods, forcing him to change it. What fell from his lips wasn't the curse he had intended, no words of rage. He found he didn't have the voice for that. Tears fell from Marcus' eyes, ones he didn't care enough to wipe away. Maddie had made her choice.

"Enough."

Athena's voice cut through the clearing, and Marcus gasped as he came back to himself, filling his lungs with breath. Marcus collapsed onto his knees, the force of the emotions he had been feeling leaving him as quickly as they appeared.

In my mind… it was all in my mind…

Without moving, Marcus knew Aphrodite was standing by him, her aura washing over him, calming his raging emotions into a more sustainable state.

"That was too far." He heard her accuse Athena, her voice soft and lethal. "Even if he needed the preparation, we don't want to break him!"

He heard Athena scoff as he tried to bring focus back to his gaze. "And here I thought you were about to proclaim that matters of 'love' were your domain. Don't tell me you're going soft on the boy. He needs to be prepared. He's faced everything I've thrown at him, the simple challenges. He needed to feel the sort of weapons She would use."

"Still, you could have warned him." Was that… concern in Aphrodite's voice? Marcus marveled. Maybe he meant something to these Goddesses after all…

"No." Marcus managed to force out. Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "No. Warning me that would happen would have dulled the impact." He raised his head, taking in the scene around him. The sun was still setting, its final rays casting long shadows through the trees. He heard birdsong somewhere, a final song for the day. A squirrel lazed on a branch, asleep. The two Goddesses were both looking at him.

"At least one of you has some sort of sense." Athena said, though her own voice had gone softer. "Though I will admit, even I hadn't anticipated that outcome. It was… Enlightening to say the least."

Marcus forced himself to his feet, not too proud to admit he swayed a little before coming to his full height. "Well, Lady Athena? What do you think of your gamble now?"

For a long moment, Athena's piercing gaze was fixed on his own, and this time he didn't flinch or look away, and he found he could do it with ease. She had entered his mind, used all her tools against him and even thrown his worst fear in his face.

"Still a risk… But a risk is what wins wars." Athena admitted, nodding slightly with approval. "So long as you keep the strength you demonstrated today on the real battlefield… You may just survive your encounter with Madness."