A Conflicting Texan Arrival

Finding the Hunters came easy… for once. All of them sat around the dining table, each consuming their food with various amounts of enthusiasm while chatting with the few other early risers. Thalia shoveled her food in her mouth quick enough to make Tyson proud. Bianca ate at a leisurely pace. Zoë picked and nibbled at her platter, not quite in the moment. And Reyna… well, she looked worse for wear. Dark circles rimmed her eyelids and her clothes seemed hastily thrown on. Either she didn't sleep or the Hunters forced her awake too early.

I sat next to the former praetor, trying my best not to look conspicuous. Thalia shot a glance at me and smirked.

So much for inconspicuous…

I slid my arm around Reyna's back, taking her arm into my hand. She tensed on contact, shooting me a halfhearted glare. An instant later, her eyes fell to her lap. My hand squeezed her arm in earnest. She dragged her head to its previous position, looking at me with tired eyes.

"You doing alright?" I asked in a hushed tone.

Her eyes darted away as her shoulders sagged. "Not now. Please, let's talk a bit later. We have a busy day ahead of us."

I held her gaze for a few seconds longer, studying her regal face before nodding my head.

"Okay. Don't hesitate to come see me. If not, I'll come looking for you."

She nodded her head with as much enthusiasm as a funeral attendee.

I pulled my arm away and scanned the surrounding girls. The Hunters seemed to successfully induct Piper into their ranks, laughing and making impressions of various monsters.

"Ooh, here's Lycaon. Awoooooo, you stepped on my foot!"

Even I cracked a smile at that one.

Calypso strolled in with a massive bowl of fruit salad with a bright smile on her face. I won't deny my heart fluttered a bit seeing her, especially after everything she's helped with.

"Here you go, everyone. Eat up."

Zoë shook her head in exasperation. "Sister, this is the third serving thou hast given us. Take a few minutes to eat for thyself."

She shot me a look and offered a devious smirk. "I'm sure we both have very different ideas about what we want for breakfast."

Thalia almost choked on her drink. Zoë turned away with flushed cheeks.

Calypso set the bowl on the table before taking a piece of fruit and bringing it to me.

"Mandarin?" she asked, holding the orange slice to me. "I hear they're great for making certain things sweeter."

Reyna paled at Calypso's choice of words. Even further, she buried her face in her hands as I accepted Calypso's offer, giving her a sly smile as I did.

For a few minutes more, we enjoyed the breakfast. With such a lavish meal, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. For one thing, Annabeth couldn't enjoy it; for another…

"Palírroia," I called out as my head nymph passed with a tray of blue bacon.

"Yes, Master?" She turned with a bright smile. "How may I be of service?"

"Could you… could you take a tray of food down to Khione? If she doesn't eat it, go ahead and bring it back up, but I don't want to starve her if I can help it. Plus it might help mull things over after my little… outburst."

"Dammit, Kelp Head!" Apple pieces oozed from Thalia's grip as she squeezed. "I was there! I told you to stop taking blame for all of this!"

My head fell. "Doesn't mean I can't try to fix things. Look at it from her perspective. I straight up choked her out right after being nice to her."

Calypso hummed to herself, a dreamy smile affixed to her face. "Try that on me sometime."

Everyone fell silent at her remark, stunned by her boldness. I turned to Palírroia.

"Could you please make sure she's fed?"

She nodded. "Of course, Master. And if she becomes hostile?"

"Leave, protect yourself; do whatever you have to do. Your safety comes first."

Her cheeks flushed, but with another nod, she turned to carry out the task.

Katie walked in after completing the meals for those of us that were awake, and teamed up with Piper to finish the fruit salad. When all was finished, and everyone sat around with blissful smiles on their faces, Thalia took the initiative to pile up the dishes for the nymphs to carry off.

"So, Annabeth drank herself to near death? I was wondering how long she'd last before a bottle wound up in her hands."

"We don't even know where she got it. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears."

"Well, let's start with the obvious locations, or people."

"And that would be?"

"Olympus," Thalia said as if it were obvious. "Dionysus, the marketplace. Heck, maybe some minor god was trying to schmooze her with the booze."

If that statement were true, I wouldn't be sure who to worry about more, Annabeth or the minor god. Even with everything that's happened, I doubted Annabeth would ever turn to sleeping with another guy. Another girl (at least one on the island), maybe, but not another guy.

"Speaking of which, where is she."

"Resting," Calypso said while squeezing my hand. "Piper and I helped her to the best of our abilities."

Piper nodded. "I took care of her hangover, but she definitely has alcohol poisoning. Poor girl will probably need her bucket changed in a few minutes. We'll keep an eye on her while you're gone. Don't you worry."

"Okay. If you guys say so. Please keep an eye on her for me." I turned to the Hunters. "So, who's ready for a little adventure?"

Look Boss, even I have limits. There's no way in Hades I can fly all of you at once.

"Can't you contact some of the others? I'll throw in some sugar cubes for them too."

Blackjack pawed the sand. Well, yeah, but, uh… Porkpie and Guido are a little preoccupied at the moment.

"What are you… oh… oh! Okay, then. Glad to know I'll have little foals flying around here in a couple months."

They'll be the cutest little things too. Not cuter than mine… At least if I can find a mare who'll stick around…

"Chin up. I'm sure you'll find one eventually. The best things often take a while." I looked around to the girls behind me. "Trust me. I would know."

Sure, sure. In the meantime, think you could get Rainbow to split the load.

"Okay, just don't get yourself down too hard."

A few seconds later, Rainbow burst through the water, responding to my call.

"I'm taking Rainbow," Thalia said.

"Still not a fan of heights?" I teased.

"Shut up."

"I too would wish to take the hippocampus. I've spent enough time in the sky."

"Yeah, I think it'd be better to stay closer to the ground."

I turned to Reyna, who dropped her head in defeat. "I'll join you on the pegasus. He and I have some history."

After tossing Rainbow and Blackjack some sugar cubes, the Hunters mounted their horse of choice. It took a few minutes to calm Blackjack down from his sugar high, but a few muzzle rubs from Reyna did the trick.

I shook my head with a smile on my face. "Man, it seems like everyone can work with Blackjack better than me nowadays."

Reyna smirked. "He's a smart horse."

She said it, not me.

I shot him a dirty look. "I guess I deserved that. Anyways, you ready to go?"

She nodded. "After you."

I climbed on, pulling Reyna after me. A part of me worried about her falling off, but she wrapped her arms around my waist, dissuading any negative thoughts from invading. As a bonus, it reassured me about having a chance to talk to her.

Blackjack and Rainbow both took off. Blackjack flew low, but stayed above the spray parting in Rainbow's wake.

"Hey, Reyna, think you're up for talking?"

A few seconds passed before she spoke. When she did, she rested her chin on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I know I haven't made things easy for you."

I nearly jerked Blackjack into the water. "What!? Reyna, I'm the one who should be apologizing! Not you!"

"Apologize for what? Preventing the others from worrying about the curse?"

"No. For ignoring you. After the night we ran into each other, I thought if I gave you some space, things would be fine. I screwed up. I should have talked to you beforehand. For that, I'm sorry."

She remained quiet for a few more seconds. "It's okay. You had your responsibilities. You still do. I won't hold that against you."

We flew without another word, trailing behind Rainbow and the Hunters. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure Reyna nuzzled my ear and sniffed my hair.

A few minutes later, the lake narrowed into a river. The humidity picked up, as did the heat. The sound of cicadas echoed across the semiarid landscape. If not for the refreshing mist flying behind Rainbow, I would have been drenched in sweat within minutes.

The equestrian duo landed on the shores of the river, allowing everyone to dismount with only slight amounts of saddle ass (ironic, given the lack of saddles). Across the river, a familiar naiad in overalls tended to the riverbank. She gave me a curt nod and continued her work.

"Well, everyone, welcome to Texas."

With a group of deadly women on my heels, I strolled along the muggy span of country plains. For a near quarter mile, I found myself looking upon familiar sights; the flesh eating mares of Diomedes, the hippalektryons, and of course, the bright red cattle of Apollo. So enthralled and engrossed with the fauna, both myself and the girls behind me failed to notice the group approaching us.

"So it seems the great Percy Jackson has left his little island. Tell me, do you wish to further wound me by thrusting my deflowered friends into my face?"

I snapped my head forward, and found a pair of angry silver eyes staring back.

"Milady?" Zoë gasped.

Artemis stood in front of me with her hunting knives drawn. Behind her, a dozen adolescent girls held their bows at the ready.

I bowed my head. "Lady Artemis! What… what brings you here?"

She snarled. "A failed proposition. I don't suppose you have come to bargain as well? To hand over my Hunters and walk free?"

Thalia stepped forward. "Milady, you know he can't—"

"That changes nothing!" Tears of fury burned down Artemis's cheeks. "I want my friends back! I want my sisters back!"

My shoulders sagged.

So that's what this is about…

"Artemis, please—"

"No! I'll hear none of it! I once held you in high regards, Perseus. Now, you have become the very scum I strive to wipe from this world!"

Thalia gripped her spear as I stared back in abject horror.

"But I didn't—"

"We're still maidens!" Bianca interjected. "Percy hasn't laid a finger on us."

Artemis faltered. "Is… is this true?"

Everyone nodded their heads.

Artemis's glare turned to Reyna. "And what of this one? Has the former praetor dropped to her knees before you yet?"

I stepped in front of Reyna. "You leave her out of this."

The frown lines in Artemis's brow deepened. "So she has. Comes as no surprise. Only a whore would-"

"No she hasn't! And I said leave her out of this!"

Artemis turned to me as if I slapped her. "You dare to raise your voice at me, boy?"

She tightened her grip on her knives. I braced myself to wind up about ten inches shorter... starting at the neck.

A hand pressed to my shoulder as Reyna pulled me behind her. She stepped forward with her sword drawn.

"You will not harm a single hair on his head. If you do, I'll show you how Orion fell to me."

Artemis paled. "You are the one who…" She shook her head. "It matters not. This boy will be taught a lesson on respect. I believe a round with my wolves would be a good start."

Thalia stepped in front of me, brandishing her Aegis as her spear stuck out over it. With her place next to Reyna, Bianca, and Zoë stood to either side of me, boxing me in from the fury of the moon goddess.

"Artemis, snap out of it!" Thalia said. "You're seriously going to punish him for defending the honor of a maiden?"

"No maiden needs defending, Thalia. You know this!"

"That's a load of Minotaur dung! If not for the will of males, I would be dead! Bianca would be dead! Reyna would be dead! Nearly all of your former Hunt would be dead if not for men!"

"Thalia," I begged, "please don't— mmmfff!"

Of all ways to be silenced, never in a millennium would I have imagined it to be by the lips of Zoë Nightshade. Everyone stared on with a mixture of shock, rage, and a pang of jealousy as Zoë pulled my breath away in the most delicious manner possible. The smell of pine filled my nostrils, with an undertone of jasmine. My foot pawed the ground in a weak effort to escape Zoë's iron grip on my cheeks.

After what felt halfway between a second and an eternity, she pulled away with a slight smack. Her cheeks flushed as her eyes left only a single message to be read in them.

I'm sorry.

Artemis recovered first, gritting her teeth as she crushed the knife grips in her hands.

"So, this is the path you have chosen?"

Zoë turned to her former mistress, her face devoid of emotion.

"I have pledged my life and my will to serve my master. You no longer hold that title above me." She took my hand into hers, lacing our fingers together. "He does."

Artemis's expression made it evident there would be a red moon tonight, painted across with my blood.

"Jackson, whatever you have done to my hunters—"

"He's been kind!" Bianca said. Her hands flailed around as she spoke. "He's left us to our own devices. He only approached us out of concern for our well being!"

"Yeah, Kelp Head may not be without his flaws, but he's doing his best. When the time comes, I doubt he'll be the one to approach us. We'll go to him."

"Yes," Zoë added. "Not as concubines. Not as servants. Not as slaves. But as friends. He has earned our trust and respect. We have nothing to fear from him."

"Your anger is misguided, Lady Artemis," Reyna said, her sword point never leaving the goddess's direction. "Turn it to the ones who forced this situation on him to begin with."

Artemis's expression darkened. She spoke with a deadly calm voice. "You are safe for this day, Jackson. Know this. If not for these women, your head would be rolling on the ground. But soon you will know the fury of Artemis."

With that, she stormed away with her new hunters in tow. The surrounding light seemed to bend around her. I couldn't tell you when it happened, but at all moments she was there, until she wasn't.

I let out a sigh of relief, as did the others. I tried to play it safe; they played it close to the vest. A moment later, I realized Zoë still held my hand. She came upon the same realization and let go with flushed cheeks.

Thalia glared at the two of us before turning away. Reyna followed with an embarrassed, and seemingly sorrowful, expression. The remainder of us followed without a word. We spent the rest of the walk in an awkward silence.

Zoë just kissed me, I thought to myself. Zoë Nightshade just kissed me! In front of Artemis!

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. She may as well have signed my death warrant. Sure, it was nice… really nice, but there are better times and places for that. I warred with myself, torn between taking Zoë's hand and kissing her again, or hauling her aside and demanding an explanation from her.

Before I could make up my mind, a familiar stone ranch house stood before us. Its owner stood there with his back to us, muttering and grunting to himself as he struggled with something.

"You Hunters already back? I told y'all-" He turned to us, seeing that we weren't the same group he was expecting. A silver arrow shaft stuck out of his left bicep, dead center of a tattoo of crossed swords.

With stark white hair and a braided beard, the cattle herd looked no different than a year and a half earlier. With his sleeveless denim jacket, he looked ready to join Thalia at a biker rally.

"I know you," he said, pointing to Thalia. He turned to me and chuckled. "I definitely remember you." He turned to Zoë and Bianca. "I know the clothes, though these seem more like knock off versions of regular Hunter clothes." I tried my best, okay?! His gaze landed on Reyna. "Can't say I recognize you or your armor. Where ya from?"

"I am Reyna Arellano," she said with a bow. "Former praetor of New Rome, and daughter of Bellona."

"Rome, huh? Now I've heard everything." He stepped back, taking in the sight of the whole group. "Well, you don't seem like you're here to kill me. Come on in, I've got some iced tea in the fridge."

Curse me and my stupid brain, collecting pieces of memories and forcing them out of my mouth at the worst times.

"Where's Orthrus?"

The oversized rancher tensed. He looked down at his feet. A collar rested on the planks of the porch; a hunter's arrow a few inches away.

"Not here." He picked up the collar and slipped it in his jacket pocket. "Let's talk."

We followed Eurytion into the house, to which he got us all a refreshing glass of iced tea. Minutes later, we wound up in a very familiar livingroom of the ranch house seemed just as I remembered it, minus a missing pair of dueling swords used by the previous owner. Eurytion sat down on a couch and pulled out a canteen of… well, it's safe to argue it wasn't nectar. He poured the contents on his arrow wound before yanking out the shaft and head with a slight groan. The rest of us flinched as he did.

"You know," I said, "I could have helped with that. I just would have needed a glass of water."

"I appreciate the offer, but you can understand if I'm a bit wary about letting a demigod work any sort of magic on me. No offense."

"None taken."

He leaned back and took a swig as the rest of us sat down on various pieces of furniture.

"So, what can I do ya for?"

"We're actually here on business. Hoping to make a purchase."

"Oh?" He leaned forward. "No super altruistic reasoning behind this? Just a simple trade of animals for gold?"

"This time around, yeah."

"You ain't gonna eat em, right?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "We weren't planning to."

"Hey, I just had to check. Don't know if you had a change of heart over the past year. What animals in particular are you lookin' for?"

I turned to the others with wide eyes. We never actually discussed the details of the animals.

"Uh, think we could browse around for now? We'll definitely make a purchase, but we never saw your full stock."

"Just browsing, huh?" He leaned back. "Tell ya what, I slide you five animals, one for each of you, and cover the transportation costs, so long as you help a fella out."

I turned to the others and received a unanimous nod. "Okay, we're listening."

"Glad to hear it. As you may have noticed, my arm isn't exactly in working condition. Mix that with those damn Hunters killing Orthrus, and I'm in a real bind."

"Why would they do that? Why were they even here?"

He spat into a spittoon on the end table. "With the war over, Artemis needed new prey to hunt. Naturally, that brought her to me. She demanded I release all of my stock into the wild. Said they should be 'hunted where they belong.' I tried telling her I don't kill or allow my creatures to be killed with my knowledge. She turned on me, making no room for bargaining, and threatened me with a bow to the face."

I looked down, already seeing where this was going.

"Orthrus did what any guard dog would do and lunged at her. She shot him dead without a thought."

Reyna balled her fists.

"Death is nothin' new for me, so I told her to take a hike. She shot me in the arm and stormed off." He shook his head with a mournful laugh. "Don't know what's come over her. I've dealt with her several times over the millennia, and she's never been that on edge."

Everyone met my gaze, each giving a knowing response. In a very indirect way, we caused his problems. At the very least, we could help him get back in order. I turned back to him as he rubbed his bicep.

"Are you sure you don't want me to help with that arm?"

"As sure as the sunrise."

I don't know, Apollo doesn't seem too reliable in my opinion…

"Anyways, there's two things I need help with. Heck, you can split the work between yourselves and cut down the travel time."

"You have our attention."

His nose twitched as he let out a beady eyed smile. "You remember the stables?"

I paled. "You have to be kidding me."

"Well, next to them is an open range for cattle grazin'. Without Orthrus, I can't herd the cattle too well. Not by myself at least. I need someone to get them back in their pens before dark."

I recalled seeing the herd of red cattle. They numbered a thousand at least. With my sweat going cold, I dared to open my mouth.

"And the other job?"

"You ever heard of the phoenix?"

Every jaw hit the floor with that comment.

"I take it you have. Real popular back in the day. Royalty bird back in Phoenicia way back when. Nowadays, you won't find them flying around too often. Maybe spot one every two to three hundred years or so. Well, I've got one who roosts here."

"Wait," Thalia said, "you have a phoenix locked in a cage?!" An electric fury shone in her eyes.

Eurytion failed to keep a straight face and started crying with laughter. "Keep a phoenix in a cage?! Shoot no! Not even Geryon was that stupid! Birdy would burn down everything within four hundred acres just to escape."

He settled his breathing and took another swig of alcohol. "You know about the whole rebirth process, right?"

Zoë nodded. "It is reborn from its own ashes after it dies."

"That's right. Well, when it's reborn, it's vulnerable. Perfect time for poachers and whatnot to try and get it for themselves. That's why it comes here. To die and be reborn in peace. To live its early years without fear."

"That's… actually really thoughtful."

"Yeah, even I have to admit it was one of Geryon's only good deeds over the years. But back to the task. When a phoenix is reborn, not all of the ash is consumed as a result. Most of it gets left behind. Over the centuries, it's piled up. I never really went in there cuz it doesn't trust children of war. Some old grudge from about a thousand years ago. If I went into its coop, it'd never come back and find itself stuck in the wild. But let's say the children of the big three were to do it… well, let's just say, it might find a new set of perches to latch onto."

"Wait, are you saying you're going to give us a phoenix?"

"More or less. Consider it one of your animals of choice if it decides to follow y'all. As much as I hate to admit it, this ranch is no place for it. I'm an old handler who can't even protect his own guard dog. Got a snowball's chance in Tartarus to keep a phoenix hatchling safe for good. So, what'ya say? You shovel the ash out of its coop and herd the cattle, and I'll consider your payment filled."

I looked around to the others. Each face was plastered with varying degrees of shock. However, not a single person offered a rebuttal. I turned to Eurytion with a determined look on my face.

"Deal."

A/N - Now, here's the update I owed you guys. To everyone, thank you. Your patience is greatly appreciated. I'll see about getting the next chapter out on time, hopefully without any further delays despite my current lack of a laptop. It was supposed to be fixed today, but when do things ever go according to plan?

On a more lighthearted note, I've grown curious about trying something out. Aside from asking for suggestions and such, most fanfiction authors don't really interact with their readers. You all know a great deal about me at this point, so I'd like to turn the tide a bit. With every chapter after this, I'll ask a general question about you guys and whoever wants to can answer. If this process doesn't go over too well, I'll discontinue it, but I'd like to give it a try.

For now, here is the question. What is your favorite underrated Disney movie?

In my case, I would have to say The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Atlantis - The Lost Empire. They don't get enough love in my opinion.

Back to the chapter. Like I said, a lot happens in this chapter. The trip, the girls on the island, Artemis, Eurytion and his chores. It seems like nothing comes easy to Percy and his friends (since when have they ever?). I can already see the Pertemis shippers fuming at Artemis's reaction to Percy. To you, I say "patience." Trust in me, and you will be rewarded.

As for what the future of the trip holds, who knows? In the sweltering Texas summer, who knows what kind of heated situations can occur? I do, of course. All jokes aside, I thank each and every one of you for your patience and I look forward to seeing how far we can go before I get every last brain cell in my head.

Leave your reviewe and answers. This is Ronin signing off.