Chapter 14: I Defy Gender Norms and Camp Rules

"PERCY FUCKING JACKSON!"

Percy registered Thalia's voice at around the same time he registered her fist colliding with the side of his head. Black spots danced across his vision alongside sparks of electricity, and he wasn't sure if he was hallucinating it, or if her fist had been sparking when she hit him. The punch knocked him out of the mess hall, but a crowd quickly gathered to watch.

"YOU LEFT ME!"

Another fist, this one to the stomach, knocked the air out of his lungs and he fought for breath.

"I LOST MY BROTHER!"

Percy dropped to his knees as she kicked his feet out from under him.

"DID YOU WAIT FOR ME? TO FIND MY BROTHER? MY BROTHER PERCY! FUCK NO YOU DIDN'T!"

Now she was just kicking his prone form. Lightning sparked around her and the smell of ozone filled the air.

"BECAUSE YOU'RE THE HERO!"

Another kick.

"I LOST MY COUSIN!"

Another kick.

"YOUR DEATH BROKE ANNABETH! I LOST MY BEST FRIEND TOO!"

She spiced things up with a punch to the jaw.

"YOU RAN OFF TO PLAY HERO AND I LOST EVERYONE BECAUSE OF IT!"

Back to kicking.

"DID YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?"

She definitely preferred kicking.

"I CRIED WITH YOUR MOM AT YOUR FUNERAL PERCY! I EXPERIENCED THAT, I WILL LIVE WITH THAT EXPERIENCE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!"

Now she was punching him again, but the blows were softening as her screams gave way to sobs.

"I had just lost my brother…I was in grief…and then I lost everything else."

She collapsed into his waiting arms, crying into his chest as grief mixed with exhaustion and relief. Lightning sparked from where her hands clutched his shirt, and Percy did his best not to wince as he embraced her.

"I'm sorry Thalia, I thought I had the chance to save him. I couldn't let the opportunity slip."

"You could have waited," Thalia murmured into his shoulder, "You could have let me have the chance to save my own brother. Instead, you ran off and died."

"I came back…eventually," Percy replied, a dry smile spreading across his face.

She peeked up at him, narrowing her eyes in disapproval but speaking softly, "I went easy on you cuz I'm glad you're back. Don't push it!"

She pushed him off and stood, standing and turning to face the crowd of campers and hunters that were quietly observing the best bit of dinnertime entertainment they had had in a while.

"I'm still Thalia fucking Grace so if you don't want a lightning bolt up your ass scram!"

The campers remembered that she was still Thalia fucking Grace and so they made haste on her threat and retreated into the pavilion. The ones that were outside glanced nervously between the entrance and Thalia before she waved her hand dismissively and they sprinted into the mess hall.

Thalia offered her hand, and Percy took it. "Thanks for not being dead, Kelp Head. Really made my Wednesday when I heard."

"Glad I could make your week better," Percy answered with a grin.

"I said Wednesday Jackson, don't get ahead of yourself." She replied, rolling her eyes before casually strolling into the mess hall, suddenly seemingly disinterested in the son of Poseidon.

Percy rubbed his chest where her hands had been clutched, and glanced under his shirt to see a couple of small electrical burns. He knew she had been holding back, he had felt it in her punches. Twenty years of training in the hunt motivated by grief had created a monster.

He followed after her into the mess hall and made his way towards the Poseidon table when Thalia grabbed him by the collar.

"I don't know who gave you the bright idea that you weren't sitting with me Kelp Head. You think I came all the way to Camp Half-Blood to see Apollo?"

Percy raised his hand in objection but she was already dragging him towards a table of silver-clad girls and a familiar goddess. Thalia shoved a couple of girls to the side and plopped him down next to Artemis and across from an empty seat, which the lieutenant soon occupied.

The campers looked on in wide-eyed awe. It even managed to prompt the usually emotionless Jett to raise an eyebrow, which the Hermes cabin would later claim was the first time that had happened in 6 months. Chiron looked uncomfortable and Apollo was already approaching the table frowning.

"Heya sis, Thals, can I call you Thals?" he asked as he arrived.

Thalia sighed and turned her attention to the sun god, looking bored, "No Apollo, no you can't. Not since what happened in Montana."

Apollo blushed, "Sorry…Thalia…um…guys aren't really supposed to sit at Artemis' table. It's actually highly disrespectful. It's also against camp rules, kids are supposed to sit at the table of their godly parent."

Thalia turned to Artemis, "My lady, may he sit with us?"

Artemis did her best to remain emotionless, but Percy could see the smile pulling and the corner of her lips, "He may."

Thalia turned back to Apollo with a faux smile, "I have my lady's approval for him to sit here. Now if you want to go get Mr. D and ask for him to move him, because of alleged violations of camp rules, you can go do that. But that's a decision for Mr. D. to make, because he's the camp director, and you're here on house arrest."

Now Percy's mouth dropped in awe. What surprised him more though was that Apollo merely relented, shooting a questioning look at his twin but doing nothing else. He returned to his table, and the silence that had taken over the mess hall once again broke out into casual conversation.

Percy closed his mouth and turned to Thalia, "Y-you just…you just told him off. You can do that?"

Thalia leaned in and whispered across the table, "Lemme tell you a secret Percy. Do you want to know why I can do that?

He leaned in eagerly, wondering if he was going to find out about what happened in Montana.

She moved closer until her lips were next to his ear and then she yelled, "Cuz I'm Thalia fucking Grace!"

The hunters roared in approval while Percy rubbed his ear.

"Language please, Thalia," Artemis warned.

"Sorry milady." Thalia replied, still grinning, "I was just worried he forgot."

"I'm sure he won't again," the goddess sighed, shooting a warning look at Percy to which he nodded sheepishly. He then realised that he was sitting at the hunters' table, surrounded by girls that had quite literally sworn off his gender. He glanced around nervously, but if any of them had a problem with him, they didn't make it known.

"So where have you been, Kelp Head?" Thalia shook him from his stupor, "Twenty years. That's a long time. You better have a good story. Did you meet the creator goddess? Go to space? Travel to another dimension?"

"I…uh…I…well actually-"

"Ooo maybe he joined a male version of the hunters," one of her sisters called out.

Artemis shook her head, "That's what I asked too."

"Maybe he became the guardian of them. Like a guardian of the hunt!" another one called out.

"Ooo yes! Imagine if we had a guardian of the hunt!" A third one interjected.

"But he's a guy, he can't hang out with us!"

"I didn't say him, he's a guy. Duh!"

"Ooo so like a female guardian of the hunt?"

"Yes, and we'd make her do all the chores!"

"So you just want a servant to do laundry and the cooking?"

"Isn't that basically what Thalia does?"

"Oi," Thalia interrupted, trying to slap one of her sisters who jumped away with a giggle. "Shut up guys, you're worse than me, let him speak."

"We didn't punch him when we saw him."

"Yeah, that's pretty rude, even if it was funny."

"Some of these campers could do with a slap like that."

"Omg yes, that Ben kid is so annoying."

"Is that the Hermes one?"

"Yeah, he's the one who put pegasus shit in our pillows."

"We need to get them back this visit."

"We'll just beat them in Capture the Flag again."

"Not if that Jett kid is playing, he's insane."

"Thalia will kick his ass."

"Nah I remember he was like crazy strong."

"Aww has Aurora got a crush?"

"Shut up Elysia. At least I don't write love letters to a son of Apollo."

Elysia's face turned red, and she launched herself at who Percy assumed was Aurora. The two scuffled for a second before the other person next to Percy slammed their fist on the table.

"No fighting at dinner!" yelled a familiar voice.

Percy turned and realised for the first time that sitting next to him was none other than Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. She had traded in her toga and Twelfth Legion uniform for the simple attire of the hunters, but other than that it was the same Reyna that he had seen twenty years ago.

"R-Reyna? You joined the hunters?"

"Disappointed?" the daughter of Bellona asked, smirking.

"You're out of his league," Artemis chimed in, and Percy turned to her and pouted, "Mmm never mind maybe those puppy dog eyes will get you to take pity on him."

The hunters laughed around him, and Percy couldn't stop blushing. It was nice though, they were acting like a family. He had always seen the hunters as being cold towards the campers, especially men. Around one another they were very different, and he could see why Thalia and Reyna would fall in love with a lifestyle like this.

"Yes I joined the hunters," Reyna answered, and Percy turned his attention back to her, "I needed the peace, and I wanted the family."

Percy nodded, he understood the desire for family. His happiest moments since being back had been with his family on that beach in Montauk. "I'm glad you're still alive. It's been a while."

Reyna laughed, "You're the one that's been gone twenty years Percy. We all thought you were dead. Where were you really?"

"Something was waking up. Something evil. Something powerful. I collapsed the glacier on top of myself to try and keep it contained. I was fairly certain I was going to die. Instead, I woke up twenty years later. I'd been trapped in ice the entire time."

"Ooo like Captain America?" one of the girls asked.

Artemis pointed at her, "I understood that reference."

Percy nodded, "Met a primordial, he told me we were all gonna die, and I've kinda been chilling ever since."

Artemis frowned, "Who?"

"Me. I've been chilling."

"No the primordial dimwit." Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Oh," Percy blushed, "It was Chronos."

"Grandad's back?" Thalia yelled.

"No, it's with the Ch not the-" Artemis and Percy began talking at the same time. Percy turned away, blushing in embarrassment when he saw Artemis arch an eyebrow at him.

"It's with a Ch, not the K." Artemis finished, turning away from Percy.

"We're all going to die?" Reyna asked.

Percy was doing his best to will the ground to devour him where he sat. He was fairly certain that if he even farted Artemis was ready to smite him. He could tell he was still blushing by the heat on his cheeks, but he heard Reynas' question cut through his inner monologue.

"These guys called Annunaki are coming. Apparently, their king is a genocidal maniac… so he's headed to Olympus. Naturally."

"Naturally," Thalia muttered.

"Did you say Annunaki?" Artemis asked, her silver eyes intensifying as her full focus was now turned onto the demigod.

"I did. Enlil, Hadad, Enki, Marduk, Ninlil. Whole goon squad is gonna pull up."

Artemis frowned, and she seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"What is it, my lady?" Reyna asked.

"My mother spoke of the Annunaki." Artemis murmured, "She didn't tell me much, just stories passed down by older gods. If the story is to be believed they are imprisoned around the globe, and one day will rise to reclaim their rightful place among the heavens. But the Anunnaki were just a boogeyman for gods, to keep the likes of my brother from misbehaving."

"Chronos seems to believe they're real," Percy answered, "And I've seen them."

Artemis's eyebrow shot up, "You've seen them? One of them is free?"

"No," Percy responded hurriedly, "I've had dreams of them. And one of their servants attacked me."

"Considering they aren't real you must have quite the imagination."

"It's not my imagination," Percy yelled, getting frustrated with the moon goddess in front of him and forgetting where he was seated, "They are coming and you would have to be stupid not to at least consider it a possibility."

Artemis' eyes gleamed dangerously, and Percy suddenly became aware of the fact he had just called the Olympian in front of him stupid. Percy felt like her eyes were piercing into his soul, but he didn't wither under her gaze.

"You have seen 18 years of life boy," Artemis whispered coldly, "I have seen millennia. An ant does not deign to call man stupid, the ant stays silent. Learn from the ant."

"They're real. I'm not lying." Percy pleaded.

Artemis raised her hand, rendering any objections mute. "We will not discuss this any further at dinner. We will speak tomorrow and you will make your case. I do not believe you are the type to lie boy, but what you are insinuating is grave."

Percy wasn't happy, but he supposed it was better than her refusing to hear him out or smiting him. He wondered if she was going to kick him off the table for calling her stupid, but she didn't seem to care enough. He didn't like the thought that he had angered Artemis, since she was one of the few Olympians he considered an ally, even if an ally was just a god that wouldn't try and blast him into oblivion upon first contact.

"So…" Thalia began, trying to relieve tension, "Are you ready for Capture the Flag?"

Percy shrugged, "I've only been back training for a few days, but I'm pretty sure I can still kick your guy's asses with my hands tied behind my back."

That riled the Hunters up, and he was suddenly bombarded from all sides with threats and promises to find him in the forest. "Big talk from my little cousin," Thalia taunted, "He's forgotten how much better we are than these scrub campers."

"What about Jett though?" Reyna interrupted, "He was scary last time. If Apollo didn't intervene he might have really hurt Elysia."

Thalia went quiet and her eyes darkened, "He doesn't know where the line is. Don't worry, I'll keep him in check this time."

"What happened with Jett?" Percy asked.

Reyna and Thalia shared a look before Thalia glanced at one of the girls that had been scuffling with the other, looking like a protective older sister. "He forgot it was a game. He's got a main character complex."

"Jett and Percy, plus that girlfriend of Jetts. Huh…maybe the camp will stand a chance this time," one of the hunters mused.

"Doubtful," Artemis commented, "Although I expect you not to take them lightly. They will be out for revenge after their defeat last time."

The Hunters nodded enthusiastically, whispering plans and strategies to one another, and Percy suddenly felt like he was sitting behind enemy lines.

"It would probably be best if I went back to my table." Percy offered, going to stand only to have Thalia pull him back into the chair.

"You make a terrible spy Kelp Head, you don't know how to listen to strategy."

Percy folded his arms and pouted, "I listen to strategy."

Thalia rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't know strategy if it smacked you between the eyes."

"Yeah well you look like ugly smacked you between the eyes."

"Wanna know what I had for dinner last week? Dolphin."

"You wouldn't!" Percy dared, glaring across the table at his cousin.

"Tasted like ocean bacon."

"That dolphin had a family."

"Perfect, more dolphin sounds delicious."

"What is wrong with you?" Percy groaned.

"You two are insufferable," Reyna said, "Are you always like this around each other?"

"Thalia didn't have time to mature before joining the Hunters."

"Percy is too stupid to know what maturity is."

"Pinecone Face."

"Seaweed Brain."

"Bark Brat."

"Kelp Head."

"Power Outlet"

Thalia blanched, "Nah Percy that's messed up."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you do with power outlets?"

"You stick…oh…OH."

"Yeah, that's pretty sus, Percy," Reyna interjected.

Percy blushed, "That's not what I meant."

"I don't know Percy, I had no idea your mind was like sewage water." Thalia shook her head, tutting.

"But you're the one who thought of it like that!"

"Can you believe how disrespectful he is to the Hunters my lady?"

Percy froze and slowly swivelled to stare at the moon goddess who was calmly sipping what looked like coffee. He was about to unleash a torrent of excuses and apologies but knew he wasn't going to get smote when she smirked.

"Perhaps a day or two as a jackalope would improve his manners?" She suggested, turning to frame his face in her hands, "He has an excellent facial structure for a stag though."

"I always thought his face looked more rat-like," Thalia muttered, and Percy shot her a glare.

He was about to say something in response but the naiads had finally come out with the food and everyone's attention was taken up by the rumbling in their stomachs. He got food with them and went to head back over to the Poseidon table before Thalia grabbed him by the arm again.

"I really don't know where you're getting this funny idea that you're not going to sit with me."

"I think I'm pissing Artemis off," Percy muttered sheepishly.

"Are you kidding?" Thalia asked, genuinely pausing and frowning at him, "You're like one of her favourite demigods. Why do you think you're allowed to sit at our table?"

"Really?" Percy asked, frowning. He had always tried to treat the moon goddess with respect, but she had never seemed that interested in his life.

"I'll prove it." Thalia declared, pulling him back towards the Artemis table. "My lady, what did you say after Percy was presumed to be dead?"

Artemis cocked her head slightly at the question, clearly confused, "I said that Olympus had lost a great hero."

"The other part, about Zoe."

Artemis' eyes widened in understanding, "I said that a week with you healed wounds in Zoes' heart that I hadn't been able to fix in centuries. And that because of your death we had lost a true friend of the Hunt."

Percy remembered being with Zoe for her final moments, as she died at the hands of the Titan Atlas and the Lamia that guarded the Garden of Hesperides. It had been a huge moment in his life, and he realised that it was the same for Artemis. She might have lived for millennia, but the loss of Zoe was as big a moment in her long existence as it had been for him in his short one. They had a shared kinship that he never realised before. She also had always vouched for him at council meetings, even if they didn't see eye to eye in everything, and he wondered if that shared kinship had anything to do with that fact.

"Thank you Lady Artemis," Percy said, bowing his head, "That is very kind of you to say. It means a lot."

"My hunters are my daughters Perseus," the goddess said, "I try to protect them as any good mother should. Protecting my family comes first for me, and you fought to keep my family safe."

"I've been told that loyalty is my fatal flaw."

Artemis smirked, "My sister said that to me as well. Told me that my love for my hunters, for mortals, would only end in tragedy. She has been proven right time and time again, but I have always refused to stop loving them."

Percy thought about what that would be like, to see hundreds of adopted daughters die, either in battle or because they broke their vow. He had only lived 18 years, and he could barely stand to carry the weight of those he lost. To have the strength to lose so many people, so close to you, and push on was something he didn't know if he would be able to do. He looked at Artemis once more and realised that perhaps her greatest strength was not divine, but human. Her capacity to love through all the grief and all the loss, and keep moving forward. That certainly seemed a heavier burden than any sky.

He pushed the thoughts away and tucked into his dinner, simply enjoying being around a family like the hunters. Their gossiping, inside jokes, and explicit trust in one another was the kind of bond that took years to form, which he supposed was what the Hunters of Artemis often had more of than anyone else. He thought back to the aftermath of the Second Titan War when Zeus had offered him godhood. To become the immortal lieutenant at his fathers' side and remain a teenager for all time. He had turned it down for a lot of reasons, Annabeth principle among them, but now he wondered what his life would look like if he had opted into immortality. Artemis' lifestyle seemed so enticing, an undying family to spend the centuries with. He could adopt all his friends into his own hunters, to protect them for all time. But he sighed as reality crashed in. As much as he wanted to protect his friends and family, it was their life to live, just because he could keep them sheltered for eternity didn't mean that that was the right thing to do.

His sister's words echoed in his mind, "You can curse fate and the gods for losing Annabeth, but if you don't make your life worth living from here on out, the only person you have to blame for that is yourself."

He couldn't shelter his friends for eternity, hell he might not be able to save them from the threat on the horizon, because that simply might not be within his capabilities. What was in his power was to listen to his sister, and make his life worth living. As he looked around at the Hunters table, he saw a family that gave one another a reason for living, a reason to keep fighting. What was his purpose? To fight Enlil? Was that all he was meant for? Was that all his life was destined to amount to? A weapon to be wielded by Olympus?

He felt panic rising in his chest and took deep breaths to calm himself. Maybe he should have just stayed on the ice. It would have been simpler, it would have been calmer. The weight of those who would die in the coming war would not be on his shoulders. He would be void of guilt and responsibility. He had another glimpse of his time inside the ice, the serene feeling of calm and peace that had possessed him for those twenty years. Floating alone in the water with nothing but open ocean and blue sky stretching in all directions. No responsibility. No grief. No guilt.

It was Artemis that pulled him back to the present. She had placed her hand over his, which had been curled tightly into a fist to the point where his knuckles were white. Her touch was soft and comforting, and she wrapped her hand tightly around his. He was taken away from the ice and found himself floating in the ocean staring up at the moon once more, except this time the moon was the eyes of its goddess.

"Relax Perseus," Artemis whispered, "You are amongst friends."

Percy felt the tension slowly drift away, and his hand relaxed in her grasp. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and the weight that had been building on his shoulders began to slip away.

"I have witnessed many of my Hunters succumb to panic and shell shock," Artemis continued, with none of the other Hunters seeming to notice the exchange that was taking place, "Sometimes they just need a reminder that people are here for them."

"I appreciate your words, my lady," Percy replied, pulling his hand away, "But you can't save me from my past. No more than you can stop the future that's coming."

Artemis scanned his face but didn't seem to find what she was looking for, so returned her focus to her dinner. Percy worried that he had been rude, but felt that being honest with the goddess was better than lying to her. The weight of his past was something that he had to learn to live with, it wasn't something a mere touch from Artemis could fix, regardless of how much that had in fact helped. If he was going to find worth in his new life, he was going to have to find it himself.

"Thank you," he said, before too returning to his meal. She didn't acknowledge she had heard him, but he doubted she had missed it with her godly hearing.

"Mmm, this isn't as good as the dolphin was," Thalia complained, shooting a playful look at Percy. When he didn't respond, clearly lost in his own thought, she pouted but decided to leave him be. He had been gone for twenty years and was still adjusting to life in his new reality. Even Thalia was willing to cut him a break for that.

As the campers and Hunters began dispersing to the amphitheater after dinner, Artemis grabbed Percy by the wrist.

"Tomorrow, after your training with your brother, meet me at the Big House. I would like to hear what you think you have seen."

Percy yanked his arm free, "I don't think I saw anything. I know what I saw."

"Then prove it tomorrow," Artemis responded, shooting him a know-it-all look that would have seemed more fitting on her sister's face. Or at least not on the face of a 13-year-old. Then she turned and followed her hunters towards the amphitheater.

Percy sighed but made a mental note to go to the Big House tomorrow. Great, now he had dates with two gods. At least this one was better looking than Triton. When she was in her adult form obviously, not her child form. Not that he had actually seen her adult form apart from in his dreams. The more he thought about it the weirder it got so he decided to stop thinking.

As he entered the amphitheater he saw that Apollo was just about finished setting up for the evening show, something that since he had joined camp he had taken great pride in doing. He wasn't sure where to sit, and when he saw Olive beckoning him over he headed in her direction. He made it about 5 feet before a familiar hand grabbed him by the shoulder."

"How many times do we have to go over this Jackson?" Thalia groaned, "You're sitting with me loser."

He shot Olive an apologetic look and she pouted but didn't seem too fazed. The Hunters were sitting at the back, nearest the exit. The only campers around them were Jett, Alice, and Axel, the three of them sitting behind the hunters against the back row. Jett's eyes met his again, and he raised an eyebrow once more. That was some feat, two raised eyebrows in a night. There was something in his eyes that gave Percy pause, a strange combination of respect and excitement. He remembered when he had first seen Thalia, all those years ago when she had emerged from the tree. He had said then that she would end up being his best friend or his greatest enemy. He had a similar feeling about Jett. He hoped the result would be the same as Thalia, but there was something in Jett's eyes that hadn't been in Thalia's. A gleam that bordered on crazy. He remembered Thalia saying something about the last Capture the Flag against the Hunters with Jett. That he hadn't known where the line was. Based on the look he was getting, the son of Zeus still hadn't found it. He sat between Thalia and Reyna and did his best to ignore the sky-blue eyes staring into the back of his head.

The performance was phenomenal, and Percy had to admit that the one thing that Apollo's performance had improved was the sing-alongs. Whereas they had once been singing around the campfire-type vibes, now it felt like they were at a concert, and the music genre changed based on the day of the week. Today was Wednesday, which meant it was country night. Apollo and some of his kids stood on stage in full cowboy outfits, delivering some of the most popular country songs of the past few decades. Percy didn't know most of them, but then again he hadn't been a big country fan twenty years ago, so he didn't recognise almost any of the songs. Thalia seemed to be enjoying herself though, and even Reyna sang along to a couple of the more poppy songs. He glanced past them to Artemis and saw that while she was not singing, she was smiling.

The campers on the other hand were in full voice. Some of them were waving torches of Greek fire back and forth to the beat. The whole camp seemed to be in a celebratory mood, and excited about the upcoming Capture the Flag game against the Hunters. There was positivity in the air and even the hunters didn't seem immune to the festive energy. They danced and sang and begged Artemis to sing with them. All of them seemed so carefree, so happy.

But Percy hadn't gotten the memo. He wasn't smiling or happy or carefree. In fact, he wasn't even watching the concert anymore. His eyes had been drawn to the fire pit, because for the first time since he had arrived, there was a young girl tending the flames, and she was staring right at him. He had seen the goddess of the hearth looked scared before, right before the battle against Kronos, but he had not seen the kind of terror that was present on her face now. She looked at him like he was a monster that had crawled out from the depths of Tartarus. Her hands shook as she tended the flames, and Percy realised he was going to be adding a third god to his schedule.

Authors Note: Sorry guys, I know this took longer than the previous ones. I've been pretty busy and on top of that, this chapter was really difficult to write. It had virtually no action, but I needed a lengthy introduction for both Artemis and Thalia because of how important they are going to be to the story. The next chapter should see the start of the Capture the Flag game, and I promise it will be a game to remember. So review, review, review and I will get that chapter out as soon as possible