disclaimer - i am not rick nor will i ever claim to be rick. I do not own pjo/hoo.

i know, it's been a while again. but i'm trying to finish this book before june, so keep a look out for more incoming chapter coming your way!

anyways, get ready for more war, thalia feels, a tender pertemis moment (they share a bed!) and the reveal of a spy ;)

enjoy! leave a comment and let me know what you think of it!

"I think we're cursed."

"No shit," Estelle stood beside Percy, staring at the emerging army beyond the Camp's border. Her hood is back again, hiding her identity from the rest of camp, who watched on with an air of uneasiness. They were not ready for another battle, half of Camp Jupiter were still recovering, the other half were too tired to fight in another battle. Camp Half-Blood could not hold on for so long. The Amazons had gotten to Camp Olympia earlier that evening, giving them a slight advantage, and Lupa's wolf pack was there. But that still wasn't enough. The hunters' number were small, the number of people above fighting age even smaller.

"Language," Percy responded automatically, and Estelle rolled her eyes.

"Who are you? Captain America?" Estelle scoffed, and wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her sword. The shadows called to her, and she glanced up at the setting sun in the distance, which could provide both an advantage and disadvantage. The asillias are night creatures, but Estelle thrives in the shadows. And Percy would too, if he had a grip on his newfound powers.

"No, I'm your older brother," Percy rolled his eyes, but silence fell upon the two of them as the monsters repeatedly bash against the border, weakening the magic one by one. "We should open the South border, at least we get to control where the monsters attack from."

Estelle hummed in response, pulling her hood tighter atop her head. "I need to talk to someone."

"Right now?" Percy snapped his head to where his sister stood. "We're literally in the middle of the battle. Where else could be more important than this?"

"You'll see, it's crucial to winning this battle," Estelle disappeared, and Percy was left gaping at the spot where his sister once stood.

"What the-"

"Did El just disappear?" Thalia frowned as she came up behind Percy. "Where did our most valuable asset go?"

Percy shrugged and looked helplessly at the incoming horde of monsters. "She said she had somewhere important to be."

"Boo!"

Athena squealed, and Estelle threw her head back with a laugh as she stepped out of the shadow and into the palace. Athena scowled as Estelle plopped down onto the couch and rested her feet on the coffee table.

"Wassup?"

"That's all you're going to say after dropping into my palace unannounced again?" Athena shoved Estelle's feet off the table and sat down beside her.

"Well... there is something important I need to talk to you about," Estelle wiggled around on the sofa before finally deciding to lay down and place her head on Athena's lap. The goddess sighed and leaned back, running her hand through Estelle's hand mindlessly. The first time it happened she had flinched, but it had gotten to the point where Athena had accepted the fact that Estelle was an individual who showed their affection through touch. And she wasn't against it, after centuries of being alone, it felt nice to be loved by someone.

"What is it?"

Estelle sighed and took one of Athena's hands in her own. "You know about the asillias, right? It's creation myths, and how it could be defeated?"

"Yes... There are methods, per say, that would lead to its defeat," Athena admitted. "But obviously it had never been tested but if you think it will help the war-"

"The first time we didn't kill the asillias, it killed everyone," Estelle interrupted. "I'm not making the same mistake this time round. You need to swallow your goddamn pride and allow Poseidon to help."

Athena flinched, and Estelle sat up. "What do you know about that?"

"Enough," Estelle's eyes flashed. "You told me that only the two of you could destroy the asillias, that there was a prophecy written in one of those sea caves. I firmly believe their defeats will add a huge advantage to our side, so even if you don't want your heart to get hurt, put your pride aside and see it as a huge strategic win we could get."

"It's not as easy as you make it sound," Athena looked away. There was history buried deep within that she had ignored for ages if only to make it hurt less. Over time it had lessened, but the wound still remained fresh.

"Think about it, I have a battle to fight," Estelle sighed and stood up, giving Athena a sad smile. "I think maybe it's time the gods interfered in this fight. I'm not sure if we will survive afterwise."

Without another word, she disappeared into the shadow, and Athena was left alone with her thoughts. There were decisions to be made, and she was afraid that she wouldn't make the right ones.

Thalia was tired of fighting.

And that was words not taken likely as she usually enjoyed the adrenaline that came with a good fight. But twice in less than a week just felt like too much. Estelle still hadn't returned, but Lady Artemis had flashed in a while later, telling them that the law could screw itself and that she would not watch another of her hunters die while she sat in the throne room doing absolutely nothing.

Secretly, Thalia knew that she was only here for Percy. But she wasn't going to tell her lady that, after all, she still held respect for her even if their friendship felt more casual now. Thalia stood with her shield and spear on her sides, and watched as the barrier continued to weaken as the monsters ran against it.

"If this is the end-" Thalia stood solemnly by Artemis, who shushed her mid word.

"You can't think like that, Lieutenant," Artemis' eyes stared straight ahead, as Jason yelled at the demigods as they all got into their position. They were all just kids, yet they stood in military positions that none of them should know about at this age. The hunters were high up on the trees at the edge of the barrier, arrows loaded and quiver full. "There are lights even in the darkest night, you just need to be willing to see it."

Thalia took a breath as Jason turned around to face the slowly disintegrating barrier, and Thalia wondered when her little brother grew up. There was something squeezing her heart that made it hard to breathe, but Thalia knew Jason was the most capable one to lead the charge right now. She got to believe him.

"But if this is the end," Thalia continued. "I just want you to know that it was a pleasure knowing you, milady. You've become a friend I never knew I would have, but it's a friendship I wouldn't trade for the world."

"I-" Artemis swallowed her words and turned, silver eyes meeting electric blue. "Thank you, Thalia. You have been a great Lieutenant. This will not be our last fight."

The barrier shimmered, and Thalia's grip on her spear tightened. "We just don't know that, do we?"

Artemis smiled sadly, and the barrier flickered. Thalia got into position as battle cries sounded out, and demigods and monsters clashed for the second time within the month. Thalia readied herself and turned back to Artemis, who had loaded her bow.

"I'll see you on the other side."

Thalia didn't wait for a response, before charging into the battlefield with her shield held defensively in front of her and her spear swinging rhythmically, cutting through monster after monster.

It is easy to get lost in one's own mind on a battlefield, at these for Thalia. It became a game of survival, and a test of skills. Yet different from training, because her life was now at sake. Being in a battlefield tests her skills in a way training never will. Or maybe she was just drunk on the thrill of danger, the rush of blood to her head and the hyper awareness she got of her surroundings.

Thalia heard a scream to her left, and turned to watch as Percy fell under the pressure of one of the monsters. Artemis screamed, and Thalia rushed towards her brother with speed she never thought she processed. But a shadow took him before the monster could sink down its claws, and Thalia slid under it and ran a gush of red through his underside. She slid out just before the monster collapsed in a pool of blood.

Percy suddenly appeared beside her a few moments later, and Thalia would never admit it but she let out a little squeal. "Hey, Thals."

They stood back to back as monsters surrounded them. "I really thought you were going to die for a second there."

"I'm way too tough to kill, you know that," Percy slashed forward and eliminated one of the monsters charging forward. "I don't go down that easily."

"Well, you better not," Thalia held up her shield just before a monster could sink its teeth into her arm. "Or else I will personally go down to the underworld and drag you back up again."

Percy laughed and they shared a glance, before they both ran in opposite directions, slashing monsters as they went. But even with all the effort they were putting into the battle, it felt like a lost case. There were no other camps to run to, this was their last stand.

Athena and Artemis were fighting side by side near the entrance. Jason was standing protectively also a group of younger kids, sword held protectively in front of him. Leo was atop Festus, whose fire burned through the incoming crowd of monsters, but it never seemed to end. Estelle was a force to be reckoned with, cutting through the enemy in fluid movement as she glided from shadow to shadow, hood secure over her head.

"We're not going to make it," Thalia muttered under her breath as the battle felt more and more hopeless.

A sudden bright light suddenly illuminated the whole battle field, and by instinct Thalia raised her arm out to shield her eyes. She wondered if she had died, and this was the light of death taking her to the underworld. But she was still breathing, and when the lights died down, a woman floated in the middle of the battlefield, and all surrounding monsters fell dead on the ground. Shadow monsters don't do well when being exposed to extreme lights.

"Lord Aether," Artemis breathed out, and Thalia watched primordial slowly descend towards the ground. The demigod looked on in awe as people relaxed and took breaths. Thalia's eyes tracked the battlefield for her little brother, only to let out a scream when he collapsed, face pale.

Jason thought that he was dying.

And he wasn't even trying to be dramatic, that was Thalia's job. He must had gotten stabbed partway through the battle, but it was only after it ended did he feel the fatality of his wound. There were three red gushes across his abdominal, and it did not look pretty.

Thalia's scream came from across the battlefield, but Jason felt as though she was screaming underwater. A warm hand suddenly cradled his head, and Jason looked up into an unfamiliar face. The guy has gold eyes, like Kronos', but his eyes were warm, unlike the titan he had fought in the first war.

"It's okay," the man ran a soothing hand through Jason's hair. "It's going to be okay."

Everything around him seemed to slow as the man closed his eyes, and pressed his hand to Jason's heart. Jason watched in fascination as breathing gets easier, and the man's eyes glow golden with power. In what felt like minutes, who in reality was second, the man opened his eyes again and smiled.

"All better now."

Jason watched on in amazement. "Who are you?"

"Chronos, with a C," he winked and pressed his finger to his lips. "A higher power has deemed that you survive this battle. But even Ananke won't tell me what is coming next. There's a bright future in front of you, son of Jupiter. But don't be afraid."

With that final word, Chronos flashed away in a flurry of golden flakes, and Jason reached up to shield his eyes from the light. When it was safe to open his eyes again, Thalia was kneeling by his side, his head cradled in her lap.

"I'm okay," he whispered, and Thalia blinked back her tears and pulled him towards her chest. "Hey, it's okay."

"You're so stupid sometimes," Thalia muttered, pulling away and wiping away her tears with the back of her hands. "If you die on me..."

"I'll try not to," Jason tried for a smile, but Thalia only gave him one long look before pulling him into her chest and promptly burst out crying again. Jason patted his sister's back awkwardly. It wasn't like Thalia to cry in front of others, but again they never met an enemy that's as merciless as their current one. "Are you okay?"

Thalia hiccuped, using her sleeves to dry her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sorry. It's been a long day."

She got up from the ground, and offered Jason a hand. They stood up together, and Thalia pointed a threatening finger at his chest. "This never happened, okay?"

"My tough and fearless sister did not cry in front of me, got it," Jason mocked saluted, and Thalia glared before storming off. Jason smiled at her retreating form, pressing his hands subconsciously to his abdominal. There was no pain, but a feeling of hopelessness still pressed down against his shoulder.

- - -

"Can I talk to you?" Percy gently tapped Nico on the shoulder, glancing around nervously. His arms were still dripping blood from his near death encounter with the asilias, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Like how he could pass through the shadows as if it were water. Or how the shadow seemed to bend to his will as it gathered beneath his fingertips. Nico shared a look with Will, who wove off Nico's worry.

"I'll be fine. Go talk to your cousin."

Nico pressed a quick kiss to Will's cheek before letting Percy dragged him into the woods. "You're not going to kill me out here, right?"

Percy stopped, and turned around. "I just want to get away from the rest of the campers. I don't really want anyone to know about this yet."

Nico sat down on a rock, crossing his legs, and Percy wondered how he could be so calm after the battle. "What's up?"

Percy sighed, and took a seat beside his cousin. "During the battle, something happened. I was about to be smashed to pieces by the asillias, but then suddenly it was as if shadows were passing through my body and the next thing I knew, I was a few feet away from the monster."

"Were you recently blessed by my father?" Nico raised his eyebrows, and Percy frowned before shrugging. "I have read about Father blessing demigods. Maybe he deem you worthy or something, I don't know. But your powers were most likely triggered by your fear. I mean unless it's Hades' power, there isn't much I can help with-"

A figure appeared in the shadow before them, and Nico shrieked and fell off the rock. Estelle laughed, still under the hood, doubling over as she clutched her stomach. "OH MY GODS! HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR FACE?"

Nico scowled as he climbed back up to his feet, and Percy gave Estelle a look that stopped her laughter, which was now stifled behind her hands. "Well, I assume I will be a better teacher than Nico over here."

"I am an amazing teacher, I'll have you know," Nico batted Estelle's hands away when she tried to help fix his hair, which had branches and leaves sticking out of it. "I'm fine. Percy, if you don't mind..."

"You can go back to your boyfriend," Percy dismissed him as Estelle took Nico's previously occupied spot. "Thank you for trying to help."

"Don't mention it," Nico smiled at him, before glaring at Estelle and hurrying out of the clearing. Before he could make it out, he suddenly fell into a shadow and appeared five feet away, screaming bloody murdered. Estelle giggled, only stopping when she noticed Percy's glare.

"What? I was just having fun," she hummed innocently. Percy fell through a black hole, and he screamed until his ass landed a few feet away from where he was previously standing. Estelle was giggling again, and Percy stormed over. "I'm sorry, you're just so fun to mess with. I haven't been able to play any pranks on anyone in a while."

Percy's face softened, and for the first time he seemed to recognize just how young Estelle still was. She may be just a few years younger than him, but Percy knew that growing up in the war could not have been a good childhood for her. "You say you could help with the power?"

"Yeah," Estelle brightened up again. "I can teach you a few things, but you know, you're the one who has to actually master it."

She paused for a second, and seemed to glance towards the distance. "As much as I would love to chit chat, I have somewhere important to be."

"Again?" Percy called after her form, sighing when Estelle melted into the shadow before she could answer him. He sighed, shaking his head. "Baby sisters and their secrets."

"You're an idiot," Artemis poured rubbing alcohol onto Percy's wound, and he hissed in response. He probably could've gone to the infirmary (not that he was planning on going, he was going to bandage it up himself), but Artemis caught him just before he could disappear into camp and pulled him into her tent. It was as luxurious as he could remember it to be, and he sat on her bed while Artemis looked too pleased to be causing him pain.

"I'm starting to think you enjoy watching me squirm," Percy complained as Artemis wiped away the excess rubbing alcohol with a gauze, pressing down harder than probably necessary. "What did I even do to deserve to be called an idiot?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow in response, looking up from her position beside him on the bed. "I'm sorry, let me rephrase that. You are a dumbass."

Once she was satisfied with the hurt she had inflicted on Percy, she grabbed the medication and started to apply it. Percy hissed again when it pressed into a sour spot. "Can you do it any softer?"

"Stop complaining, I'm saving your life here," Artemis grabbed a large pad of gauze, pressing it into the horizontal gash of red and taping it down with medical tape. Percy watched Artemis bit her lips in concentration, and not for the first time he wondered what it would be like to have those lips on-

He blinked himself away from that thought. Nothing good will come out of it anyways. "Who knew Apollo's twin sister processed the same skills as him," he said teasingly and Artemis punched him lightly on the wound in response. "Ouch, Moonbeam. Watch where you're punching. This is fragile cargo."

"You've been spending too much time with Thalia," Artemis started to pack the medical supplies up with a scowl. "You've become way too dramatic for your own good. And I will have you know, I gave birth to Apollo!"

Percy patted Artemis' back reassuringly. "Yeah, I know you're older. Although sometimes Apollo's argument does seem convincing that he might be older-"

Artemis slapped him across the head with a pillow, and Percy fell upon the bag dramatically. "What were you saying?"

"Well, I'm just saying I think Apollo might be older-" Artemis had Percy pinned down upon her bed in less than a second, straggling his torso with a knife pressed against his throat. Percy just grinned in response.

"Who's older, Perseus?" Artemis leaned down threateningly, silver eyes flashing.

Percy swallowed at their close proximity. "You. You're older."

Artemis flicked her wrist as her knife disappeared to who knows where, but she didn't move to get off and Percy wrapped his arms around his best friend, who suddenly felt so small in his arms. Artemis buried her face in the crook of Percy's neck and he wondered what thoughts were running through her mind.

"You know, I lost eighteen hunters today," Artemis's voice was muffled by Percy's shirt, and Percy tightened his hold on the goddess. "I felt every one of their deaths, like it was mine. Three of them weren't even fighting, they were one of the younger huntresses who were caught in the crossfire. I'm a goddess with all the powers in my hand, yet I can't do anything as my family gets ripped away by monsters they shouldn't even be fighting."

Artemis glanced up, eyes misty and Percy reached up on instinct to wipe away the stray tear that fell down her cheeks. "They're in a better place now, and it will get better soon."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Artemis looked away. "I don't know what I will do if I lose you."

"Miss all my sarcastic comments and amazing jokes probably," Percy teased half heartedly, but his heart weighed heavily in his chest. Artemis kicked his legs, and Percy gasped in mock offense. "You know, I think you just hate me. In the span of thirty minutes you assaulted me more than five times."

Artemis rolled her eyes and kicked off the comforter, pulling Percy in with her. "Stay with me tonight, please."

"Okay," he didn't need to be convinced, afterall he would walk through hell and back for Artemis. It was platonic love with a capital P, he would do this for all of his friends. Yet his other friends don't make his heart flutter, nor do they make him feel like they hung the moon and stars. That was what scares him the most. Artemis looked at him as if he was the whole universe, and he knew he looked at her the same way.

The scary part wasn't Artemis saying no if he ever confessed his feelings, if of her saying yes, and having her heart broken after the wall.

Because this was a war, and Percy was just a demigod. While she may not die, there is a high possibility that he will.

Eleanor wasn't prideful, if she does say so herself, but power hungry? Very.

So it wasn't pride or the need to step out of someone's shadow that drove her into Achlys' waiting arms, it was the promise of power on the other end. It was the promise of a better world, where she would be Lieutenant instead of that daughter of Zeus. What did Thalia know anyways? Eleanor had been part of the hunt for over three centuries, she had been there when Zoe was still Lieutenant, had seen more shit then Thalia could ever imagine seeing. Had more experience than Thalia could ever have.

"The battle was just the push they needed, Mistress," Eleanor sat dutifully on the outskirts of camp, placing a sound proof barrier around herself as she took out a mirror she had enchanted to work both ways. Achlys' smile widened, eyes cold.

"Excellent, my darling. Which of my siblings had decided to betray me?" Her words were cold, and her smile was unnerving. Even Eleanor had to look away for a moment.

"Aether showed up, most of the army had fallen dead. But I have also sensed Chronos' presence somewhere in camp, although I can't pinpoint where. It had become a steady hum over the hour but Chronos is here."

Achlys hummed. "That does complicate things a little bit... But don't worry my dear, they haven't seen the full scale of our army yet. Keep me in the loop, yeah?"

Eleanor voiced her agreement, and Achlys' face soon disappeared into Eleanor's own reflection. She sat by the tree for a while, calming down her racing heart. She may be with Achlys', but the Mistress was still a primordial and if she dies before the mistress wins, then all of this would've been nothing.

Achlys will raise, Eleanor will make sure of that.