Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

—

If you believe in something, dive in, and make that dream a reality.

—

It all started at Westover Hall.

Thalia supposed it started a lot earlier than that, for her at least, but everything really kicked off when she was blindsided by an arrow that sailed from beyond the tree line, and directly into the shoulder of Dr. Thorn.

There was a scream, unaware of whether it came from herself, or someone else, as the monster went over the edge of the cliff with Annabeth in hand. She was barely paying attention as Grover and Clarisse ran to the edge, shouting her name. It would have no effect, she knew, but it was better than what she was doing, rooted to her spot in the snow.

It was easy to tell that the Hunter of Artemis had made their appearance, with that arrow like a streak of moonlight, and that precision, even from so far away. Only so many people could make that kind of shot, and it turned out that most of them belonged in the Hunt.

A voice spoke from Thalia’s left, “You.”

She turned her head to look at the source, her senses returning to her as the shock abated, “Zoe Nightshade,” she breathed, lacking the usual anger that she usually held while interacting with this girl, “Perfect timing, as usual.”

Zoe, despite her raised brow, scanned, “Four half-bloods, and a satyr, my lady.”

There were moments following that were filled with yells, from Clarisse, and moments that were filled with much calmer words, definitely not from Zoe, yet Thalia ignored all of it. Not because she didn’t care, because she did, but rather due to the fact that she could feel someone’s eyes on her. 

Not on their group, not on someone standing near her.

Someone was looking right at her, and it didn’t take long to find out who.

A girl, standing not too far behind who she knew to be Artemis, with jet-black hair and eyes that looked so familiar that it was almost disorienting. In the end, though, she looked away first, moving forward to say something to the Goddess of the Hunt. Artemis' eyes traveled to Thalia quickly, and she said something back before approaching Zoe’s side.

“Let us take this back to camp, I’m sure we all have things we wish to discuss.”

There was a small glint in her eyes, but it didn’t really surprise Thalia, she was used to the gods and goddesses having ulterior motives. So instead of arguing, she only gestured for Clarisse and Grover to follow, and so they did.

<>

The camp was set up, unironically, in a crescent-like formation. Animals, like wolves and owls, seemingly pulled guard duty as they wandered about, some with their eyes on Thalia’s group, some being fed traits by the hunters, and others simply doing their duty.

Grover was busy dressing Clarisse’s wounds, while Clarisse herself was humouring Nico with his flurry of questions. It would have been a funny sight, one to laugh at if they hadn’t just lost Annabeth. It weighed down on them all, Grover and Thalia especially, but for the moment, there was nothing that could be done about it.

“Thalia Grace.”

She turned, coming face-to-face with Zoe Nightshade, once again. 

Thalia would never be someone to say it aloud, she would never live it down, but she would be the first to admit– internally– that Zoe was a beauty. With dark brown hair and a slightly upturned nose, and a silver circlet that brought out the deep colour of her eyes. It was almost like she was standing in the presence of royalty whenever she was around, it was odd, and it was something she’d rather ignore.

“Come with me,” she beckoned, “Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee.”

Zoe led Thalia through the camp, to the tent at the very end of the formation that looked no different than any other, and waved her inside. Bianca Di Angelo was already inside, which wasn’t surprising considering how she had disappeared a while ago, and the raven-haired girl from early sat close by as well.

It was easier to take her in at a much closer difference, the way that she held herself– closed off but ready– and the fact that she seemed to be the only hunter Thalia had ever seen to carry a sword along with their bow. A sheath could be seen hanging off the girl's back, with her bow next to her, which she appeared to be polishing, eyes not straying from it, even as Thalia entered.

“How nice of you to join us, Thalia Grace,” the child goddess spoke, viewing Thalia with those unnaturally silver eyes of hers. she had met her before, back when the hunt had tried to recruit her, back before…

Well, it didn’t really matter, it was years ago. She was over, and so was anyone else who had been there, even Annabeth.

The flow of conversation was one that she could have easily predicted point-for-point, with the talk about Dr. Thorn, the Manticore, the duties of Artemis to hunt down the new threat, and then finally– and predictably– the offer for Bianca Di Angelo to join the hunt.

Thalia didn’t try to dissuade her, she had issues with the hunt, yes, but she knew better than to take a choice away from someone else. It had been done to her, and she wouldn’t do that to anyone else, that was her promise.

“I– I appreciate the offer, and I would love to take you up on it…”

“But?”

“But… I can’t leave Nico yet. After he’s settled into camp, yes, but right now… I would be lying to myself if I said it wouldn’t hurt us both.”

Artemis didn’t look very surprised by the answer, a glint of respect flashing through her eyes instead, and Zoe seemed a bit miffed, but it wasn’t like she could argue. The ravenette, on the other hand, only nodded sagely, as if agreeing with the choice.

So far, she seemed the only sane one in this entire camp of immortals.

“Dawn is approaching. Zoe, Delta, break camp. You must all get to Long Island sooner rather than later.”

At the mention of Artemis’ brother, there was a groan from both Zoe and Thalia, while Bianca looked confused, and the newly named ‘Delta’ just chuckled as she stood, slinging the bow over her back before dragging both Zoe and Bianca out behind her. The former of which seemed to sputter and protest at the touch, meanwhile, Bianca just looked more confused than ever.

Leaving only Thalia behind with Artemis, neither of them said a word, not until Artemis finally sighed.

“You should go after them, Zeus only knows what kind of trouble she’ll pull those girls into.” 

The way she said it seemed like it was meant to be in annoyance, but it came off much warmer than that, although Thalia shouldn’t really be surprised. Artemis was basically a mother to most of these girls and she made absolutely no moves to dispute or hide that fact.

She supposed it was a nice sentiment for some.

<>

The arrival at Camp Half-Blood was nothing short of a minor apocalyptic event.

Thalia could only imagine what it must have looked like from the ground to see the literal sun, which happened to be shaped like a van, coming down in the middle of the lake. Sending up mass amounts of steam, and cap-sizing, now, half melted canoes. 

The fear that someone had been melted in the process was quite real.

Delta, the bastard that Thalia was learning that she was, could only laugh at the face of the rest of the occupants of the van, despite having been in the same situation herself. On the one hand, it infuriated Thalia, as most of the hunters did, partially because it had been her driving and she was scared to death. The laughter hadn’t helped her anxiety or frayed nerves.

On the other hand, she was the first one to help Thalia out of the van and onto solid ground, without a single comment on her fear or skills behind the wheel of the sun chariot. Instead, offering her a gentle smile before going to catch up with her fellow hunters.

She was left to wonder after the girl, after all, Thalia was fairly certain that she hadn’t been a part of the hunt the last time she had seen them, and that had been before Camp Half-Blood. So, that meant it had to have been within the past seven or so years, it didn’t really matter, seeing as there had been other new faces as well. 

There was a wonder though, something that drew her to the girl, like a magnet. It didn’t help that she was absolutely stunning–

Thalia stopped in her tracks, throwing her hands over her face as a string of curses, in Greek no less, escaped from her in waves as she continued on toward her cabin.

It only got worse as their weapons crossed during capture the flag that night.

Her spear was locked up to the hilt of the girl’s sword, the two pushing back against each other as they both tried to cross the border between their flags. No matter how much strength she applied, the other girl always seemed to bear down with equal force, a feat that most demigods would struggle for on a good day.

When she saw this, Thalia smiled.

“Well, just who are you the kid of?”

Delta’s eyes narrowed, and her lips narrowed into a thin line. 

“Unclaimed,” she answered, surprising Thalia, “not that it matters, because I’m still going to beat you .”

Their power struggle went on, with the hunter seemingly gaining the advantage second by second, Thalia was just losing ground. Slowly, yes, but still, at this rate, the hunters would get the flag and–

Her spear sparked, the idea of losing to the hunters empowering her, and the sound of thunder roared overhead. It couldn’t storm, not in Camp Half-Blood, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t work her magic.

Quicker than the hunter could react, the boom of thunder rolled, and she found her arms spasming as lightning ran up and down the spear, she had previously been locked with. She moved back from the girl, almost dropping her sword due to the heavy twitches in her fingers, despite that though, she couldn’t stop smiling.

If there was ever a time where two demigods lost themselves, it was when these two powerhouses clashed. 

Every move they made generated force, every force they made had an echo, and every echo silenced the world around them. They danced on and on, a deadly cacophony of blows that would have cut anyone else down to nothing. And yet… Delta was on the losing side of this battle, the spasms grew with each meeting of their weapons, and she could no longer hold her sword.

Then she saw the spear come down, and she felt that this was the end of her fight.

But then…

She touched the water.

And everything changed.

It was like she was working on overdrive as if heaps of pure adrenaline had been injected into her body, things appeared slowed, her bones no longer weary, and her muscles no longer screamed for relief. Her sword was back in her hand within an instant, even though she did not move to grab it, as if it was carried to her.

Even the water did not resist her movement as she adjusted her footing to stave off the blow aimed directly at her, and all of this, all this thought, happened within just a few moments, in the span of a single sword stroke. So, without further delay, and without letting the confusion get the better of her, she swung her sword upward with all her might. 

She hit the shaft of the spear dead on, ignoring the electricity covering its length, and knocked Thalia’s weapon free from her hand. She watched it sail upright, before it quickly came back down, lodging itself in the stones in the river. Thalia found no way to grab it, not when a sword was suddenly held at her throat, just begging her to move, a quick nick would spell her end.

It proved to not mean anything anyways, as Zoe rushed out of the foliage with the Camp Half-Blood flag in hand, quickly crossing the boundary with a small glance aimed at her fellow hunter.

And with that, the game was over, and so was the fight the two had shared for a few short minutes. Thalia huffed and felt the sweat slick her forehead, while the girl across from her seemed to be lacking in any form of fatigue. A far cry from her state mere moments ago, she couldn’t put her finger on it, but she knew something had changed. The only thing she could think of, however, was…

“Delta,” Zoe breathed, flag still in hand as the other members of the hunt, the campers, and Chiron gathered, “step out of the water.”

Delta blinked and lowered her sword, but obliged without issue. As soon as she did, she felt ill and immediately went weak in the knees. She would have fallen completely into the gravel and stones below if not for Thalia’s quick reflexes.

“What–” Thalia gasped, concerned for the girl who had been fine only moments ago, but now that she was out of… the water…

Thalia shifted the girl's weight and lowered her back into the water. She only hoped that her theory would prove true, if not then–

The hunter gasped as the world suddenly brightened in clarity, to an almost maddening degree, even the water itself seemed to be jumping up to greet her body like an old friend. But as she watched, even with the pain brought on by heightened senses, she realized it was jumping to greet her.

It was moving up her body, an impossibility, closing and healing any wounds that covered her, while restoring her stamina to its previous state. As it did so, those gathered around were too busy looking up to see the events unfolding. It only took a moment to find out why, as she too followed their gaze upward, and her eyes bugged out at the sight.

For up above her head sat a glowing symbol of a trident.

<>

Three shall go west to the goddess in chains,

One shall be lost in the land without rain,

The bane of Olympus shows the trail,

Campers and Hunters combined prevail,

The Titan's curse must one withstand,

And one shall grieve by a parent's hand.

The prophecy given to Zoe was not one that was easily misunderstood. So when it blatantly pointed out the need for hunters and campers to stand together, her choice for Thalia was obvious. Her next choice, however, was not so easily seen.

"Delta."

The other girl, silent and contemplative within the big house gathering until now, shivered. Having understood the implications of her name being spoken, there was no way for her to misconstrue it.

"Zoe…" Delta sighed, fidgeting with her hands as she looked anywhere but her face.

"You know I would not ask if the need was not dire," Zoe began, taking the girl's hands within her own, something that had Thalia raising an eyebrow, "but thine power is needed, you are needed ."

It was like a switch for Delta, as of she'd been slapped, because the words seemed to draw something to her face that could only be described as a blush. Thalia's brow raised even further, and if she looked closet, she might have noticed the little micro-interactions between the two.

But she didn't, because she was too jealous to look any closer.

"Fine," Delta bit out, not in a rude way, but a more cutting way that signaled her need to leave the room as soon as possible, "but only because it's you asking."

And with that, she pushed off the wall, ignoring the calls of Chiron and his need to discuss something with her, but she was already gone. Which left just Zoe and Thalia in the room, and with more focus, Thalia could see the longing that she held in her eyes.

"So, you and the new girl?"

Zoe flinched as if she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, "she's hardly new, and Lady Artemis enjoys the company of someone who can think for herself."

While Thalia could appreciate the girl for being independent and sticking to their guns, it was missing something.

"You didn't answer my question," Thalia pressed, but Zoe said nothing, "and here I thought you swore off relationships–"

"Men," Zoe spat out, turning to Thalia, "we have sworn off men, there is no loophole or grand revelation, the oath has always been clear . So before you start judging, start thinking with your head."

"That's not what I–" but Thalia never finished because Zoe was already gone.

And she most likely only succeeded in making Zoe hate her more.

<>

“Which of us can even drive?” 

It was Delta that uttered the question at the ungodly hour of the morning, the three questers, Thalia, and the two hunters were all grumbling as they made their way to the car that was being provided to them by the camp.

“Both of us can,” Zoe answered, referring to herself and Delta, “I am not sure if I trust thine driving, however, Delta.”

She grumbled, crossing her arms as she hopped into the shotgun seat beside Zoe, while Thalia settled into the back, “hit a deer one time and suddenly no one wants you to drive anymore…”

“I’m sorry, did you say that you hit a deer?”

The irony of such a statement wasn’t lost on any of the car's occupants.

“Yes, I did, laugh it up,” the girl remarked dryly as she sulked in her seat, taking to looking at the passing landscape as they sped down the road leading away from Camp Half-Blood.

It was after about fifteen minutes of silence that Thalia realized something.

“Do we even know where we’re going?” she asked, “because I know we didn’t talk about it before we left, yet you seem pretty confident in our current course.”

Zoe stiffened, but quickly returned to a neutral posture, sparing a quick, almost minute glance at Delta, who gave a nod in return. The exchange was quick, but it conveyed a lot, at least to Thalia’s eyes. It was something you expected from two demigods, or hunters, working together for a long time.

But depending on how she viewed the two, she supposed it shouldn’t have been all that surprising. Whether or not she continued believing her own theories was a different story, in retrospect, she figured she was more interested in how this girl wormed her way past Zoe’s cold exterior.

“D.C.,” Delta said, “I, uh… had a dream. The Air and Space museum was in it, so I’d rather bet on that than any other half-assed guesses.”

As convenient as that seemed, Thalia wasn’t one to dismiss a demigod dream outright, they usually ended up being more helpful than not. At least the outcome, sometimes the journey to get to the places and said dream was a bit more dubious.

“Well,” she hummed, leaning back in her seat as much as it would allow, “it’s better than nothing.”

Seeing as she wasn’t the one driving, it wouldn’t hurt to get some extra shut-eye, and there was no reason for either of the hunters to stop her. So, in the end, her eyes drifted shut, and the realm of Morpheus greeted her.

Zoe and Delta, on the other hand, were waiting with bated breath until Thalia’s breathing became light and steady, somewhat akin to snoring. It was only then that the two began talking in a serious capacity, a line of conversation that had little to do with the quest before them.

“You should tell her,” Zoe said simply, eyes still glued on the road ahead.

“Probably,” Delta agreed, “but I don’t think now’s the best time to talk about it.”

“Perhaps, or perhaps not.”

Delta huffed, sending an easy smile her way, “do you enjoy being cryptic all the time? Is that a privilege you earn after living for hundreds of years?”

“Live for a few hundred years first,” Zoe answered, “then you’ll find out.”

The car ride was quiet after that, with even Delta drifting off for a time, meanwhile, Zoe’s hands clenched on the wheel, her own thoughts like the worst of poisons.

<>

“Well, we’re here now,” Thalia muttered as she stretched, sleeping in the car having done quite a number on her back and neck, “where to?”

Delta had walked ahead, checking out the front of the building, which to no one’s surprise, was fairly empty. With school for mortal kids in session, and the weather just being so damn cold, it was no wonder that most people would be staying at home.

“Onward, I suppose,” Zoe said quickly, moving to catch up with Delta, she was stopped, however, when Thalia caught her arm. Something she would never usually try, but she had a feeling, a gut one, that she might not get another chance to say what she wanted to say.

“I wanted to apologize for… last night,” she started, eyes darting over to Delta, who was now watching their interaction with a mix of concern and passing interest, “It wasn’t my intent to question your relationship, I let my curiosity get the better of me, sorry.”

It was rare for any children of Zeus to ever admit to their faults, their pride and arrogance made up too much of their personality for it, and it was even rare for Thalia, of all people, to make amends.

“Thou art correct,” Zoe answered, slipping back into a less common tongue, “that you would offer apologies, however, means more toward thine character than I would have expected from a daughter of Zeus.”

She flinched at that, because, first of all, ouch , but also because it wasn’t something she was unused to.

“Now, if you would please unhand me, we can be on our way,” Zoe asked, which was a far cry from her usually demanding tone. So, Thalia did, letting her own hand drop back to her side as she followed behind Zoe, up the stairs, and into the building right after Delta.

Nothing was out of place, it was all rather quiet, actually. The only sound that could really be heard was the sound of their own footsteps and the occasional creaking of the exhibits.

“I don’t like this,” Thalia muttered, things being quiet was fine, but even on a day like today, there still should have been some people, something to make some noise.

“Neither do I,” Delta agreed, fingering the hilt of her sword, “it reminds me of–”

Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by the sound of a loud roar, and a blur of golden fur slammed into her, sending her flying away from Thalia and Zoe. She flew through at least one wall, landing somewhere on the other side, her companions were unable to go after her as their path became blocked by a giant cat.

“The Nemean Lion,” Thalia cursed.

The lion roared at the two, the force behind the sound almost pushing them off their feet, and it snarled at them with fangs like swords and knives.

“Separate on my mark,” Zoe said, hand slowly inching for her bow, “keep it distracted.”

“How?”

“Throwing lighting at it or something– Go!”

The two jumped to the sides, narrowly avoiding a vertical swipe of the lion’s paw, one that would have left them both crushed or sliced to ribbons. Zoe pulled back while Thalia pulled out her spear and shield, arrows whizzed past her, striking the lion harmlessly. Thalia tried to keep it back with Aegis, but it was clear that it was only a momentary deterrence.

For a moment, it would seem that she might have had it under a bit more control, but it was when Zoe noticed the lion priming to leap that she called out. It was too slow, however, and Thalia would never be able to get out of the way in time.

The monster pounced, halfway through the air, and almost on Thalia, before something stopped it. Suddenly, it lost all its momentum, falling to the floor like a furry wrecking ball. The reason for its complete halting belonged to the chain now wrapped around its back leg.

Nay, Zoe took note of the binding, it merely looked like a chain. But in reality–

“Hey! Furball!”

Both girl’s eyes snapped to the sound of Delta’s voice, who looked not too worse for wear, the simple sight of her answered where the chain had come from. It led behind the girl, yet the closer it was to her, the more it seemed to hold the consistency of water. 

It seemed the lineage was finally doing her some good.

She clenched her fist, and the chains of water tightened, digging into the fur and flesh of the lion, yet still not breaking the skin in the least. At most, it would leave a nasty bruise, but they would all still be very much dead.

Thalia, meanwhile, was doing her best not to be distracted by the other hunter, and to focus more on killing the damn lion in front of them. Delta couldn’t hold it down forever, and it couldn’t be damaged through its fur, the pelt was impenetrable–

“Zoe!” she called, “ aim for its mouth!”

The chain broke, and the beast lunged, Thalia ducked under it while an arrow sailed overhead. It missed completely, striking the wall beyond and burrowing deep into the concrete. The lion changed targets, turning to face the daughter of Poseidon, and charged. Thankfully, the girl seemed faster than before, likely powered by the water that she had previously been commanding to bind the monster. 

It missed, causing the human-sized hole in the wall to become even bigger than before. Delta rushed over to the two, checking both quickly for injuries before the beast came back.

“Thanks for the save,” Thalia said, sending the hunter an appreciative look.

“No problem,” she replied, pulling her sword from its sheath, “it felt good.”

“Thanks later, planning now,” Zoe commanded, setting them both ramrod straight, “Delta, can you hold it down again?”

She nodded, “if I get some more water, yeah.”

At her agreement, the sound of dozens of groaning pipes sounded from around them, and Delta ended up smirking before each and everyone available to her burst from the inside out. The floor and walls cracked as water seeped through in droves, encircling the newly claimed demigod like an old friend.

If they weren’t in a scenario like this one, Zoe might have commented on the prodigious talent that her fellow hunter possessed, but now really wasn’t the time.

“We move on my mark,” Zoe said, watching as the monster came back through the hole in the wall.

“Ready…”

Delta tensed, Thalia leveled her spear, and, with no warning or startup, the Nemean Lion lunged.

Chapter Text

“Go!”

Delta heard the command and allowed instinct to take over. She was a good fighter, amazing on her feet, and even better with a weapon in hand. But, she was still new to these powers, powers that pulled at all her senses, begging for release after a lifetime of misuse and being held back.

The ocean, Delta knew, did not like to be contained.

‘Not yet,’ she whispered to herself, ‘not yet.’

Soon. the power responded and settled within her like a calm flow of a river.

Ironic.

It’s why she had been hesitant to call out to the fountain of water from across the room she had been flung into minutes ago, hesitant to let that power out, but with her new cuts, and a matching concussion. Well, it was clear what she had to do, so she pulled, obeying the tugging in her gut, and watched as the water pushed her back to her feet. 

Even she was surprised at the power that was able to hold down the Nemean Lion.

So, once again, when Zoe shouted her command, she let instinct take over once more, and the water pulled her back like she was attached to strings. It orbited around her in smooth motions, having pulled it from the pipes around them, and awaited her command.

‘The mouth,’ she raised her hand as the water trembled around her, sea-green eyes swirling and shimmering like the deep sea itself, ‘subdue the beast.’

And it obeyed.

Although the ability to control it, and the ability to continually hold down a monster with so much might, were two different stories. While Delta felt sure that she could hold the monster down almost indefinitely with a source of water, well, she was expending it all on holding the monster down. There was none left to keep herself standing as her stamina took a heavy hit, and yet, she kept going.

“Hey!” she barked out, “any time now would be great!”

Thalia shouted something in return, but it fell on deaf ears, as she was still devoting all her focus and energy on the containment of the monster. 

Zoe held her bow steady, looking for a clear shot as it continued to snap at the water containing it, momentarily. Yet, its mouth never stayed open for long enough, and if that was truly its weak spot.

“Thalia!” she shouted, “get it to roar!”

She didn’t hear, or even see if the teen acnknowledged her. Thalia was already on the move, getting a little bit closer before she threw her spear at the Nemean Lion, impaling it in the concrete just below.

There was a brief moment of confusion from both Zoe and Delta before they saw– well before they smelt the change in the air. The incoming scent of ozone, and the feeling of each and every hair standing on end. 

Lightning, using her spear as a conductor, and Delta’s powers certainly wouldn’t hurt either. It would harm the beast, not enough to kill it, but it would annoy it, and hopefully, get it to roar in anger.

And when the bolt dropped from the sky like a rock. Roar it did.

Her fingers untensed, letting the arrow fly straight into the open mouth of the Nemean lion, quickly followed by Delta’s own sword, which she had thrown in a last-ditch effort to make sure the damage dealt would be enough to send it back to Tartarus. The water had already faded away when both struck, just as the monster's body was now.

The dust fell like a poorly made cloud, that was to say, disappearing into wisps that would soon be naked to the human eye.

They were all still gasping, waiting with bated breath, for something, anything to change in the air. A sign that they would be bombarded with something new, but it never came, it all stayed quiet, save for the sound of dripping.

“So…” Thalia trailed off as she looked at the drenched floor, as well as noticing the liquid dripping onto her jacket from the ceiling, “Daughter of Poseidon, huh?”

Delta grunted, and picked up her sword from the scattered dust, or rather, what was left of it. It seemed that the beating it had taken, both from the fight and the throw, had left it splintered and unusable.

“Great, just great,” Delta grunted, throwing the sword remains to the ground.

“Delta,” Zoe said, tentatively, “you do have another weapon–”

“No,” Delta said, turning to Zoe, “I don’t.”

“Delta…” Zoe sighed but was met with the same answer.

“ I don’t. ”

Thalia’s head swiveled between the two, it was easy to see that Zoe didn’t want to drop the subject, especially if her scowl was anything to go by. But it also seemed that she was unwilling to push it right after the fight they just went through, it may have been short-lived, no longer than a few minutes, but it had left all of them drained.

Especially Delta.

Any break that they had earned, however, was interrupted by the sound of clattering objects over the marble floor. It didn’t even take more than a moment to pinpoint the source of the noise, as the source was in clear sight.

Skeletons, at least twelve in number by Zoe’s count, were barreling toward them with an intent that definitely wasn’t friendly. Thalia, however, wasn’t going to wait to find out and quickly pulled the two after her as some of the skeletons began to pull out handguns.

They fired, and Thalia knew they would be able to dodge.

And yet… the shots never landed.

She glanced back briefly and noted what Delta held within her hands, even as she was pulled along: A fur coat, more importantly, the impenetrable fur coat of the Nemean Lion. 

“Well,” she grunted, still feeling the fatigue from her last stunt, “a spoil that’s useful for once, colour me surprised.”

Before Thalia even had time to ask what that meant, she felt a tug on her jacket, one that didn’t come from either of her companions, but one of the skeletons, which had caught up to them without her noticing.

She reacted purely out of fear, letting out a yelp as she sent the skeleton skidding back with a blast of electricity arcing off her arm and onto the monster. It seemed that it had managed to take a piece of their jacket with it, however, and she could only watch as it lifted the piece to where its nose should have been.

But she had no time to think about it, only let instinct rule her mind, and raced through one of the many exit doors in the building. 

Δ

The sun was setting when they got off their ride.

Back in D.C. Zoe had the bright idea to take a train as far away as possible, and they had then proceeded to hop to other trains at least twice, bringing them to where they stood now:  in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. Accompanied by a couple of metric tons of snow scattered across the ground.

Thalia and Zoe both shivered, while Delta did not, it seemed that her new coat was keeping her warmer than either of them at the moment. It had been a short conversation, on who should keep the spoil, it was eventually settled that Delta should keep it. Seeing as her powers are what had led to the beast being held down long enough to actually kill the damn thing.

At the mention of her powers though, the girl had shut down, taking the fur coat turned jacket, and hadn’t spoken since. She even shrugged off Zoe's attempts to speak with her, the only audible sounds she made were grunts, and even then she didn’t do that much either.

It only took them a few minutes of wandering to find something other than cold steel tracks and abandoned train cars, and that difference came in the form of a homeless guy standing in front of a burning trash can.

“Y’all need to get warmed up? Come on over!”

Usually, none of them would be the kind of people to approach random homeless strangers, but the loss of feeling in their fingers and toes was enough to get them to stand by the fire for warmth.

“My feet are frozen,” Thalia grumbled as she rubbed her hands over her arms.

“Better than your pretty face.”

It was so sudden, so quiet, that Thalia almost thought that she had imagined the words that had just escaped Delta’s mouth, for her face was set in the same expression as it had been before. Zoe, on the other hand, was looking at her like she had just been scandalized.

“You know,” the homeless man said suddenly, drawing all three of their eyes to him, “you’re never completely alone,” his beard was ill-trimmed and unkempt, but the expression below seemed friendly, “You kids need a train going west?”

The three quest-goers shared a look, they knew that Artemis had been heading west, to where they weren’t exactly sure, but with the appearance of the Nemean Lion and the presence that had sent shivers down all their spines in the subway…

“It has to be a god.”

“Too malicious to be a god.”

None of them wanted to admit to what that could mean, and it seemed to hit Zoe harder than it did the other two.

“Yeah, we do,” Delta said, squaring her shoulders back as she looked the man in the eyes, “you know any?”

It was always surprising to Thalia that this girl, a hunter, spoke so casually sometimes. She was much more used to people like Zoe, who spoke like the age they came from, despite some slips here and there.

He pointed a greasy hand.

It was then that they all noticed a freight train. Completely free of snow and looking quite out of place in this yard, being an automobile carrier train. The writing on the side of the train read SUN WEST LINE.

“That’s convenient,” Thalia snorted, “uh, thanks–”

But as she turned, the man was already gone, having taken the fire with him like it had never been there at all.

Δ

Less than an hour later, they were already rumbling toward the west, Delta had laughed at the prospect that no one needed to drive anymore, yet the number of cars had only increased. 

They had split, at least for the moment, with Zoe and Delta crashing in a Lexus while Thalia decided it would be a smart idea to hot-wire a radio in a Mercedes. She couldn’t really bring herself to care how much value the car had just lost because of it.

The radio played quietly, with Thalia too out of it to even pay attention to the sound. No, she was more focused on the events of the day than simply just listening, she had too many questions and not enough answers.

It was good then, that the source of most of those answers happened to take a seat next to her in the car.

“Mind if I join?” Delta asked.

Thalis offered her a small smirk, “you’re already sitting, plus, I doubt there’s much I could do to stop you.”

“Touche.”

“Nice coat,” Thalia said, after a moment, sparing a brief glance Delta’s way. There were other things she would have said, if she had not been a hunter, the way she glowed, so ethereal in her naturally great complexion.

Gods, I’m so fucked.

There was a brief moment, if she thought back, where she snorted at her own blasted heart. Taking note of the people that grabbed her attention, and heart hadn’t been some big deal for her, now or then. It had just happened one day, without fanfare or celebration, and that's how she preferred it.

Few had captured her gaze like these two hunters, however, the forbidden love that couldn’t be.

Hmm, ironic that her love life would reflect that of a Greek tragedy, really.

“It’s too bad that the Nemean Lion wasn’t the monster we were looking for.”

Briefly, she hoped that Delta would deny that, that maybe the lion had been their target. Alas, it was an empty hope.

“Sadly, we’ve still got a long way to go,” Delta sighed, dropping her chin ever so slightly in something that almost resemble defeat.

“Whatever the monster is, there is at least a good place to search,” she continued.

“And that is?”

“San Francisco,” when Thalia raised a brow in response, Delta elaborated further, “everything so far has been guiding us west, and we all know that the presence we felt earlier was no mere god, so tell me, daughter of Zeus, where do you think all these points could culminate?”

She said nothing, for the points presented to her were solid.

Silence reigned for minutes, and neither of their eyes met the other.

It was almost maddening.

“You are still upset over Zoe trying to recruit you,” Delta said suddenly, not phrasing it as a question, but as a statement of fact, “why?”

Thalia squirmed a bit, the answer to that question had changed over the years, at first she had thought it was due to the fact that she would have had to leave Luke. That may have played a part in it, but as the years went on, well, it only became a more flimsy excuse for her to use.

“She wanted me to leave my family behind,” which was true, and it was her final answer, Annabetha and Luke were, and still are her family, more so than her blood had ever been. With the exception of one, however, he was long gone and very much dead.

“Your family…” Delta trailed off, “Luke Castellan, the traitor, Annabeth Chase, the child with a penchant for knowledge, and Percy Jackson, the boy with a knack for danger.”

Thalia froze in her seat, sure that Delta’s eyes were locked on to her, she was sure that she had never mentioned… she was sure she would remember telling Delta about him, it was possible that Zoe had done so, but… Zoe had never been around to hear the little moniker that Percy had earned while running with them.

Percy was gone, and no one besides her, Annabeth, and Luke should even know–

“That’s what you called me, right?”

This time, Thalia did not freeze, instead, her head snapped up with enough force to replace the crack of thunder that sounded overhead.

“What?”

A sad smile played across the hunter’s face.

“Hey Thalia, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Δ

(Years Ago)

“Go! Get back! NOW!”

Trees crashed all around as the older teen herded the others behind them, sword raised in a shaky guard as they guarded the rear of their retreat.

“We’re almost there! Just a little bit longer–!”

But it wasn’t meant to be, for the teen with the sword was sent flying back, swatted like a fly by a monster larger than them by at least three times. They hit a giant tree with a ‘thud’ before sliding to the wet ground, dazed, but conscious.

It was with half-lidded eyes that they viewed the ensuing carnage, the electricity that sparked off the girl, the roar of anger. A young blonde girl, and an older blonde teen, were pushed back by the rush of power, the might of the sheer display being too much to withstand.

Percy, however, they could stand, they could still fight. They could still assist Thalia if it was the last thing they did because they couldn’t lose anyone else–

But it was too late, her power gave out, and Thalia fell. There was no time for them to reach her, Percy, or Luke, and they were all pushed back by the bolt of lightning that fell from the sky, striking the spot where Thalia had collapsed.

The light was so bright, it caused them all, humans, satyr, and monsters to avert their eyes from it. When it cleared, a mighty pine tree stood in its place, exuding a strange magic from its very roots.

It was then, they all knew, that no monster would be able to breach these grounds.

…

It took days, weeks, even for Percy to come to grips with the events of that night. No amount of explaining, from Chiron or Grover, would allow them to forgive Zeus for what he had done. Her soul may have been spared from Hades, but it did not mean she was alive, not in any way that mattered.

It was only made worse by the fact that no god had come forward to claim Percy since their arrival.

Percy Jackson, who was fairly certain the last name no longer mattered, as anyone who shared it was presumably very dead, was thirteen years old when they realized how truly unfair their world was, thirteen years old when they accepted it for what it was, thirteen years old when they grieved for people they would never see again.

Thirteen years when she finally accepted who she was.

It was easy to confide in Luke, they shared similar opinions, and Luke did not judge her for what she was. Only pointed out the irony in the situation, as if it wasn’t already obvious enough, as they had chatted on the beach late at night.

Percy would watch over Annabeth when she could, but that role slowly diminished as she was claimed, and Percy wasn’t. Luke too was claimed, had been for a while, but he still made the time to be around his unclaimed friend.

It was clear that Percy wasn’t taking anything nearly as calmly as she claimed.

Two years passed, and Percy left camp without anyone’s knowledge, not Luke’s for fear of him following, and not Annabeth’s for fear of what words she would ridicule her with this time. No, it was meant to be quick, she would be back in a day, she just… had somewhere she needed to go first.

She never came back.

If Luke had been spiralling before, that single event had accelerated it at top speed, pushing him down a hill and off a steep cliff. Annabeth… well, Percy could never comment on her anymore, and hadn't been able to for at least a year.

Oh, she stuck to Luke as much as she could, but there was always something that shook Percy when their eyes met, the emotion that sat within these storm-grey eyes every single time.

She very much doubted Annabeth missed her after her departure.

Fifteen when she decided that a camp shunned by the very gods who made it was no longer a place for her.

She was fifteen when she almost died in the woods.

And she was fifteen when her life was saved by one of the very gods she no longer cared for.

Δ

“You expect me to believe that?” Thalia sputtered as Delta finished the first part of her story, “Percy was a guy, and you’re–”

Delta’s face shifted like she had tasted something sour, while her face resembled something so eerily similar. Before she could put it to mind though, Delta shrugged and pulled her eyes away from Thalia.

“Fine, believe what you want,” Delta commented, pushing the car door open to leave, “when you want the rest of the story, you’ll know what to ask.”

And with that said, Delta exited the vehicle, leaving Thalia alone with her thoughts.

Δ

“Don’t be afraid of the past, if it weren’t for the past, I wouldn’t be able to see the future.”

Delta wasn’t surprised to see the homeless man from the trainyard standing a bit further down the carrier car. He looked at her with a critical eye, the state of his clothes, worn and very near falling apart, he reminded her of a toy being hit by multiple cars.

“Apollo,” Delta sighed, running a hand through her hair at the realization, which, in hindsight, should have been more obvious to her.

“Ah,” he put a finger to his lips, “I’m incognito, call me Fred.”

There was something about that, the simplicity of it, that earned a chuckle from the hunter.

“A god named Fred,” she shook her head.

“Need something to keep Zeus off my ass,” he shrugs, “you know how it is, we’re not allowed to interfere with human quests, even if they involve the lead-up to the end of the world as we know it.”

He paused, and his eyes drifted to her.

“But nobody hurts my sister, nobody.”

There was a brief moment when the air itself became thick, it was like trying to breathe in soup before it stopped and settled back into its original state. Delta knew that Apollo must be having a rough time of it if he was letting his own power leak that much.

“So, this train was your form of help?”

“Exactly,” he smiled, “the speed at which you’re moving should be enough to get you across a vast chunk of America, at the very least.”

“But you don’t know where Lady Artemis is?”

Delta was not one to call a god's name with respect, as was evidenced by her interactions with Apollo, but there was respect in her for the one who saved her life. 

“I know a lot, I see a lot, everything under the sun itself,” his face darkened, “but even I don’t know the answer to that, she’s been clouded from me. Much like your friend and the monster that my sister was hunting.”

Delta grumbled, so much for any kind of lead on that end.

“But there is one who might, if the monster still eludes you by the time you reach San Francisco, then seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a gift for finding knowledge that can be kept from even my oracle.”

“A man of the Sea…”

Apollo chuckled once again, “I’m sure that shouldn’t be a problem for you, Percy Jackson, or do you go by the name my little sister gave you?”

Delta did not grace the god with an answer, “I can’t imagine that particular reveal went over well in Olympus.”

“You’d imagine correctly.”

There was more to that answer than she was willing to unpack and more than she even had time to ask about, for now, it was unimportant to her. So, instead, she walked past Apollo and made her way back to the car that Zoe was occupying.

“Thanks, I guess,” was all she said to the god before disappearing from sight.

Δ

Thalia wasn’t sure how to feel about any of this anymore.

First of all, they had no idea how much ground they had covered, only that they had gone through mountains, which had now faded behind them to now be replaced by miles of flat and dry land. Depositing us at another random rail yard before speeding off to some other destination that didn’t concern any of them.

Ahead of them, however, was a two-lane road half covered with sand. On the other side of the road was a cluster of buildings too small to be a town: some boarded-up houses, and a sign that said GILA CLAW, ARIZONA hanging crooked above a door. Beyond that was a range of hills, or rather, large piles of scrap that could be passed off as hills at this distance.

It was, however, already getting dark once again, and they all decided it best to make camp before attempting to make their way toward it.

“The stars are out,” Zoe noted as they sat around their small campfire.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen the stars,” Thalia commented, following her gaze upward.

“There were far more in the old days,” Zoe said wistfully, “human pollution has ruined that, however, whole constellations are no longer visible.”

Thalia snorted, “You still talk like you aren’t human.”

“I’m a hunter, I actually care what happens to the world, the same, however, cannot be said for thee.”

“Say thee one more time and I swear to gods–”

“Enough,” Delta snapped, “Gods, can you both not bicker with each other for five fucking minutes and just get along already?!”

Delta was pissed, they both knew that much, it was just surprising to see the usually aloof hunter finally have an outburst that wasn’t giddiness or sass. She stood and paced the small camp until she reached the end of the light given off by the flames, and back again.

“Just admit you like each other already, so we can get this whole thing over with.”

The way she said it, so casually, and with her deadpan expression, caused them a bit of pause. Eventually, though, the meaning of her words caught up with them and they both began to sputter and heat up.

It was rare to see Zoe like this, but Delta knew, from first-hand experience, that anything even close to talking about her feelings and inner thoughts was her own taboo. Simply because she herself didn’t know how to handle those feelings in the least, which is why such direct confrontation manifested as it did at the current moment.

Thalia, however, had known her for much longer and knew that such a display of outward emotion was common for her. But not something that she generally appreciated being called out directly to her face as she had just done. 

Before anyone could say anymore, however, they were all hit with a bright light from further down the road. The headlights of a car had appeared out of nowhere, as if to spite them, specifically. As it approached, it became increasingly clear that it was no normal car, as they could all see the white limousine pulled to a stop in front of them, just a little way away from their small camp.

Each of them moved to draw their weapons, with Delta backing up slowly, which was all she could do considering the sword she found pointed at her throat.

“Hey there, kid,” the god of war smirked as he stared over the length of the blade, “you caused quite a stir on Olympus.”

“Ares,” Thalia growled.

The god of war cast a glance at her companions, “at ease, people.”

He waved his hand, and their weapons fell to the ground.

“This is a friendly meeting,” he said, “and as much as I’d like to test the whelp of old barnacle beard here, well, someone wants to see you.”

“Who?”

Ares glanced at Thalia, “Hmm, I heard you were back, you’re not in the greatest company though.”

“What is your business, Ares?” Delta asked, drawing fiery eyes back to her.

He smiled, enjoying the moment, “Oh, I know she wants to have a word with all of you,” his eyes lingered on her, “but she only has time for you alone, Percy Jackson.”

The name traveled through them all like a biting wind, Delta didn’t seem to care as much as Zoe did, who looked more murderous than anything now, and for Thalia, it was like getting slapped with a bag of bricks.

“Hey, Thalia, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“You all wait here,” Delta said, her voice low, “I can handle this.”

“Delta–”

“You heard the girl,” Ares said, “she’s got this under control.”

Reluctantly, Thalia and Zoe respected her command, and let Ares lead her away.

He opened the door to the limousine as they approached, seemingly less patient than before, “Get inside, punk,” he commented, “and mind your manners. She’s not nearly as forgiving as I am.”

Δ

“So,” Thalia began as Delta– Percy?– was ushered into the van by Ares, “we gonna talk about what she just said, or…?”

“That would depend on what you wish to speak of,” Zoe grumbled, sitting by the fire once more after sending a quick, scathing glare in the direction of the war god, “there are things that even I am not at the liberty to speak of.”

Thalia raised a brow, “Keeping secrets?”

“What is it that you wish to speak of,” Zoe spoke in a low tone, defensive, almost a growl, “ask, and I will decide exactly what you should know, Thalia Grace.”

She was a bit put off by Zoe’s words, although she supposed that it was a fair enough declaration. Even if she hated it, Delta was her friend too , and if she had really been gone for so long, then–

‘But you don’t know anything about her now, do you?’ her mind whispered to her, ‘you spent years as a tree, and even when you were freed you were more focused on training than you were on finding your friends.’

‘What gives you the right to care?’

Thalia shook herself free of the poisonous thoughts, shivering despite the warmth provided by the fire.

“Just admit you like each other already, so we can get this whole thing over with.”

“What she said about… us…” she started, unsure of how to continue the conversation, especially one such as this, with someone like Zoe Nightshade, of all people. To say that she was a brick wall when it came to things like this, anything outside of her own work, would be an understatement.

Surprisingly, Zoe actually began to speak.

“As loath as I am to admit it… Delta is rarely wrong with such matters,” she grumbled, twisting an arrow that she had retrieved from her quiver, between her fingers, “She was correct about me the first time around, for her to speak on the matter, well, it speaks to her intuition.”

“So–”

“Don’t get me wrong, Thalia,” Zoe interrupted, “you are infuriating, even more so than Delta, but I cannot deny what your presence does for me.”

“Does for you?” Thalia asked, confused, unsure if she should be intrigued, or disgusted in some manner.

“Not in the way you are most likely thinking,” Zoe hummed, “you and Delta, you’re just so… different. It’s intoxicating, and I shouldn’t feel as such, considering my position, but…”

“Your oath swears you off men,” Thalia pointed out, recalling their previous conversation, “and to eternal maidenhood…”

“But it doesn’t limit us in any other way, yes,” Zoe agreed, “such a thing wasn’t something I cared for, or even thought of until I met Delta. She was– is just so different that it makes my head spin, it is a breath of fresh air after drowning,” Zoe sighed, “I can’t put it into mortal words.”

“Then tell me something else,” Thalia spoke, eyes fixed on Zoe’s, more entranced by her words than she had ever been before, “what makes us so different?”

Zoe halted the twisting of her fingers, and turned her eyes to the stars, a million thoughts seemed to roll through them, like a stormcloud, before she finally spoke. Even though her eyes were not focused on Thalia, the following words very much were.

“You are the opposite to many values I’ve held, and ones I still hold,” she answered, “Delta is protective, fiercely so, and there is little that will stop her effort to protect and fix things. It’s what makes her such a good hunter, her unyielding loyalty is just another thing I admire about her, and it’s the exact reason I trust her so deeply.”

Thalia nodded the words of the hunter lined up with what she had known about Percy, so it didn’t surprise her in the least. But for Zoe to so openly admit to her trust for Delta, well, it certainly affirmed her words, at least, and she shared it with Thalia as well, something she wouldn’t have expected.

“And me?” Thalia asked, quietly.

Zoe scowled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and as the seconds passed, it turned into an odd type of smile. It wasn’t quite one that made her lips turn upward, but her eyes changed, showing off a light she had yet to see before.

“You’re reckless, you lust after power, and you don’t take orders well.”

“Hey–”

“But,” Zoe held up a hand, “you are there for your friends, you fight with everything you have and don’t hold back. That, in itself, is admirable.”

“Wow,” Thalia grumbled as she crossed her arms, “thanks a lot.”

“I was not finished, clown,” Zoe bit out, but it lacked any malice, “I do not know what has drawn me to you. The gods say that the world is held together by the yarn of Fate, that strings tie us together, and very few people can see these strings. Maybe this is one such scenario, maybe that is what pulled us together. Your beauty certainly doesn’t do you any disgrace.”

Thalia felt her face flush, “I–!”

“Relax,” Zoe smirked, “I am not one who cares for looks, although, I have noticed your peeks at Delta and myself when you thought us oblivious.”

Thalia said nothing, drinking up the silence left in the wake of the honest words, which, to her, were a bit of an eye-opener. There was something to be said for the confusion nestled in her chest, like an out-of-place organ, but she couldn’t quite focus on that at the moment.

“Strings, huh?”

Δ

To say Delta wasn’t impressed upon stepping into the limousine would be a lie. She did not, however, fall so deeply that she forgot herself to the thrall of the goddess of beauty.

Her looks, great as they were, seemed almost fluid. Shifting between a myriad of different looks before settling into something more neutral.

“Ah, there you are, Percy,” the goddess smiled, “I am Aphrodite.”

Delta’s lips pursed for a moment, unused to being called by a name that held little meaning to her besides sentimental value. Now, that wasn’t to say that she hated being called by that name, but she rather preferred it be reserved for people who were close to her, or even those who knew her from before . 

“The goddess of beauty,” Delta hummed, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Well, aren’t you sweet,” the goddess smiled, “hold this, please.”

The goddess gave Delta a mirror to hold, her first inclination was to feel insulted, but that quickly simmered down to mild annoyance as she realized how much faster this would go if she just went along with it.

“Do you know why you’re here?” she asked as she checked her makeup in the mirror.

“No, I’m not sure I do.”

“Hmm,” the goddess mused, “you’re not in denial, I would be able to tell, you can see the strings, can you not?”

Delta stiffened but said nothing, not even as the sight of red peeked around the corners of her vision. Aphrodite only nodded, slightly before moving forward with her inquiries.

“Why do you think you’re on this quest?”

Delta’s eyes narrowed, “to find Lady Artemis.”

“That’s certainly part of it,” Aphrodite agreed, “but you’re looking at a very small section of a much bigger picture.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Delta said.

“Oh, but I’m sure that you do , considering the circumstances,” she said, “love surrounds this quest of yours like a thick fog. You, the daughter of Zeus, and Zoe Nightshade, well, it’s the strongest pull to another that I’ve seen in a long time!” 

The goddess squealed a bit, excited by the sheer prospect of destined love this strong. Even if the last few times had been disasters for the Greek world in general.

“You three aren’t just destined for each other, the strings entangled around you most of all, forming bonds that I have never seen before!”

Delta cocked her head to the side, “What do you mean? I thought–”

“That the strings were just for romance?” Aphrodite giggled, “of course not, they relate to all types of love, although they do mostly manifest for romance, they can also manifest platonically, for things like family.”

Aphrodite paused, looking at her intently, “and it seems you have two of those bonds yourself.”

Delta blanched, “You’re joking.”

“One old, one fairly new,” the goddess continued, ignoring the reaction from the hunter, “I do wonder, though, just who could hold such an old bond with someone so new?”

“You know, don’t you?” Delta asked, her eyes now firmly focused upon the goddess’ without any aversion.

“Maybe.”

“But you won’t tell me.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a statement of fact.

“Not knowing something is half the fun, right?” she chuckled, “oh no, it’s much too fun to see the strife on the path that so many walk, the anguish, the heartbreak, it’s all just so exquisite.”

Despite herself, and her usual nerve that allowed her to stand up to gods and goddesses’, Delta shivered. The way Aphrodite spoke was just so odd , so off , but not something that she was completely unused to either.

She supposed that all gods really just saw life as one big chessboard.

“Well,” Delta finally said, more in a mumble than anything else, “don’t go out of your way on my account.”

Once again, the love goddess laughed, “Oh, I wish my children could break the heart of someone as nice as you,” she smiled, an unnerving sight for Delta, “now, you best be off, and please, do be careful in my husband's territory, it would be a shame to see all my work go to waste in that place.”

Delta couldn’t say anything else before the door beside her was opened, and she herself was yanked outside, back into the cold desert night.

“Consider yourself lucky, kid,” Ares grunted while moving me away from the limo.

“For what, exactly?”

“That the gods are being nice,” he raised his chin, letting his eyes peek through from underneath his shades, “the gods know who you are, and word is that you might be the one to start the biggest war to grace history.”

He licked his lips, an action that caused Delta to frown.

“I’ve heard the great prophecy,” Delta commented, barely aware of Thalia and Zoe approaching from behind her, “that was one of the reasons I took the oath.”

“But not the biggest one, eh?” the god of war smirked, “don’t lie to me now, girl, you’ve already met two of the requirements, haven’t you?”

Delta stiffened, and Ares's smirk grew wider if that was even possible. The god of war’s words had reached her companion's ears, of that she was sure, and now there would be questions and–

“I’ll be seein’ you around, punk,” the god of war said, and without further warning, the god snapped, and the world flipped on its head.

It took all they had not to fall into a heap on the ground, to grow nauseated at the glow of red that overtook their vision, but then it ended, almost as soon as it began. They were all disoriented still, taking a moment to regain their bearings, when they did, however, everything else was gone. 

The god of war, the limousine, their campsite, the road.

It was all gone, replaced with mountains of scrap and junk in every possible direction.

Chapter Text

The trek through the junkyard was a quiet endeavour, with the silence becoming a comfortable friend for the three questors. A few glances would be traded every once in a while, sneaking glances that they thought the others couldn’t see. 

“This place is full of junk,” Thalia eventually said, having tired of the continued silence, “you would think that the gods would be better at organizing after being alive for so long.”

That seemed to make Delta ponder for a moment, eventually, she spoke, “you think Zeus has a day planner? Colour-coded and everything?”

Zoe snorted, “I do not know about Zeus, but I do know that Apollo has one.”

“I’m not even gonna ask how you know that,” Delta mumbled, “but I will admit that it makes an odd amount of sense.”

“You’d think that the sun god would have a way to tell time without a planner,” Thalia said as they crossed over another large pile of junk, seeing as the way around was absent and they didn’t want to waste time looking for it.

“Honestly–” 

A yelp of shock escaped Delta’s lips, rather than the rest of her planned sentence, as she felt herself falling down a rather large pile of trinkets and scrap. The junk had come loose below her feet, sending her tumbling into the reaches below.

She groaned as she hit the floor, it would take more than that to take her out, but that didn’t mean the tumble didn’t sting a bit. It took just a moment for her to find her footing, grabbing her head gently as she did so, and looked up. The mountain of junk must have been taller than she thought, or at least steeper, because the shouting voices of Thalia and Zoe were much quieter than she would have thought.

“Delta!”

“I’m alright!” she shouted back, making sure that her bow and quiver were still on her back, and that the quiver hadn’t lost any arrows, “nothing’s broken!”

She could have sworn that she heard a long line of swears after that statement, but she couldn’t tell whether it came from Thalia, or Zoe, probably both if she was being honest about it.

“Stay there! We’re coming to get you!”

“No, it would take too long!” she shouted, dodging a small object as it bounced down the large pile, most likely having been kicked by a frustrated Thalia, “I’ll go around, you guys meet me on the other side!”

“Delta-!”

That was Zoe.

“I’m not asking for your permission, dearest!” Delta threw back, knowing the tease would infuriate her, “just go, or I’ll tell Artemis about that time in Yosemite–”

There was a shriek, and a promise of death if she ever dared tell such things before the night was quiet once more. If she listened carefully, she could hear the soft clinking of metal as the others continued on their way, knocking loose small objects every so often.

Delta sighed, running a hand through her hair as she turned and walked through the only open path on the ground. This was why they had climbed the surprisingly steady, but not as much as they thought, apparently, piles of junk. The options on the ground were far more limited and allowed even less visibility.

That was fine, though, she’d make her way through one way or another.

So she walked and walked, and walked. For what seemed like far longer than should have been possible without reaching the end, without even hearing any more of her comrades' progress. It was odd, she supposed that, yes, she was in a junkyard of the gods, but she didn’t think Hephaestus of all gods would play pranks.

None of this, however, was as strange as the mirror she found at the end of a path.

It stood upright, shining, and brilliant as if it had just been made, with an intricate silver design for the outer layer. She had no interest in it, not at first, not until she passed it by and saw something rather sickening.

She stopped, a chill running down her spine, and thought for a moment. A trick of the moonlight, low as it was, surely, she could not have seen what her eyes were telling her to be true. There was simply not a moment where she would believe that.

Yet, her curiosity, morbid as it was, won out.

So she turned back and came face-to-face with herself.

Or rather, she came face-to-face with the visage of Percy Jackson.

She stepped back, but her eyes remained rooted to the mirror, the boy in its reflection copied her every move. Down to the most minute detail, not a single thing was out of place, except for the actual being in the mirror itself.

Words filtered into her mind as her hand reached out: ruined is the man who walks off the path before him.

“Shut up,” she hissed, the boy in the reflection mirroring her actions once more.

She turned away from the mirror, she was not so insecure, so weak , that she would allow it to plague her mind for any more than a single moment. She had long since buried these kinds of thoughts.

But the mirror couldn’t resist taking one more cheap shot.

Imposter.

The mirror shattered, Delta’s fist snaking outward to meet its surface. It gave with very little resistance as the glass within the frame quickly fell to the ground, and she felt a brief moment of elation for it, despite the grimace on her features.

“Be careful of my husband's junkyard…”

She certainly hadn’t adhered to that rule.

As if on cue, the ground around her began to rumble. A string of curses left her mouth as she dashed back the way she came, taking an opposite turn to the one that had led her to the mirror. Behind her, something was rising, pushing large piles of junk out of the way as it drew closer. Yet still, she ran, coming out to a much larger clearing than any before.

She was greeted by the sight of an exit, with unending flat land on the other side, a nice breath of fresh air. This was followed by the sight of Thalia and Zoe stumbling out from around a corner, it was a bit too coincidental for her tastes, but with this junkyard, she was beginning to think anything was possible.

Their eyes met, and they saw the way she was running, the rumbling still yet to cease.

“Delta!” Zoe called as she neared them, “what did you do?!”

“Less talking, more running!”

The attempt, however, was cut off by the giant metal foot that suddenly blocked the path. She had to rub her eyes to make sure she was seeing this right, and sure enough, there was a giant metal foot in their path.

A giant metal for that was attached to a much larger creature.

“Talos?!”

Delta whipped her head around to Zoe, even as the giant continued to move, “it’s too small! Plus, Aphrodite said everything here was just junk right, so it can’t be working all that well if–!”

Apparently, it didn’t like the word junk.

There was a single moment of silence before a stomping metal foot sent the small group scattering in opposing directions. The giant machine was old, rusty, falling apart, even. But it wouldn’t do any good to be hit by it, Delta knew it; they all did. Getting smacked around by the Talos would be the equivalent of getting blindsided by a cargo plane.

“Move!”

Delta wasn’t sure who spoke, whether it was herself or one of the others, but she knew it wouldn’t help regardless. The Talos may have been smaller than the myth, but it would outpace any of them with just two steps, crushing them underfoot with the kind of leisure that was only afforded to kings.

They were, however, quick to reconvene as they continued to run, despite her thoughts at the futility of it.

“What did you do?” Zoe asked, “it only woke up after–”

“After I broke the mirror,” Delta finished, cutting Zoe off, as she would have no idea of the circumstances, “broke the rule Aphrodite gave us, yada yada yada– that doesn’t really matter right now, does it?!”

The answer was obvious as another metallic stomp shook the ground.

“How are we gonna lose this guy?” Thalia asked, “I don’t particularly like the idea of a gigantic automaton chasing us across the country!”

Delta grimaced, reminded of her stupid choice once again due to their current situation, and the pain in her fist. She took a glance back, gauging the distance between them and the Talos, long story short; it was gaining. However, she was able to spot something in return that might just save their skin.

A hole in the heel of the foot presented itself as it walked toward them, labeled with big, bold, red letters that she could only make out as: FOR MAINTENANCE ONLY.

Her jaw tightened, just as she felt the weight of the ring on her finger increase, there was something she could do, but it likely wouldn’t end well for her.

“Crazy idea time,” Delta muttered aloud as she pivoted on her foot, turning one-eighty and coming to a stop, “You need to give me a distraction!”

Thalia and Zoe were both quick to stop, following Delta’s gaze in tandem until they saw what she was looking at. Both looked ready to scream at her for being an idiot, but neither was going to get the time to argue as another stomp sent tremors through them all.

“If you die,” Zoe growled, grabbing at her bow, “I’m going to kill you.”

Delta smirked, “Sounds like a date.”

She didn’t wait for a response, instead opting for a sprint ahead instead, that thrilling sense of battle and heart-pumping action roared in her ears as she advanced. Even her hair was standing on end as she approached the colossal machine before her, although, it was quickly revealed that that was due to a different reason.

Thunder rumbled overhead, clouds gathering in the desert night without pause that began to fill the air with light rain, accompanied by a rather bombastic ravenette punk behind her.

“Hey! Bucket of bolts!” Thalia called out, gaining the Talos’ attention for a moment.

A moment was all she needed.

“Crazy idiot,” Delta grinned as she heard the roar of thunder, the moment was small, minimal even, but it didn’t matter as the rain droplets empowered her. Allowing her to dive into a slide that placed her directly under the giant foot of the metal man.

When it came down; all she knew was screaming, and the dark.

…

Or at least, that’s what it was at first.

It became quickly apparent that proper lighting hadn’t been a major concern for the inside of the Talos replica; as Delta maneuvered her way up the leg and further into the structure. The constant shifting and shudders didn’t make it any easier either, and it made the climb to the top take that much longer, thankfully; it wasn’t enough of a deterrence to keep her from making it.

When she reached, what she presumed to be, the head of the robot it became clear that this had been set up with a human pilot in mind. The interior was set up with controls, buttons, levers, and anything that you would think to find in a spot like this.

She had no idea what she was doing, as she was no child of Hephaestus; but figured that making a robot destroy itself from the inside couldn’t possibly be too hard. It was easy to screw up with delicate machines, which, by that logic; meant that it should be easy to screw up a murder-bot.

The first button and dial she switched only served to prove this theory as it made the Talos pause ever so slightly, only for it to then send its fist into its own face, cracking the glass that made up its eyes. 

Delta, being directly behind those eyes, flinched as the glass flew inward, cutting into her skin and clothes with little effort. It was a small pain, however, and one that could easily be pushed through.

Especially considering the Talos was not yet downed.

“Alright, you hunk of junk,” Delta smirked, “let’s take you down a peg.”

Δ

Zoe and Thalia weren’t worried, not overly so.

Not until Talos’ body struck out at the power lines with Delta still inside.

No, true worry hadn’t sunk in until the automaton began to come apart at the scenes; falling to the floor with a wet thunk as it struck the newly damp sand from the quickly passing rain. 

Actual fear had only begun to set in when calling out for Delta yielded no obvious results, even as the night began to drag into the morning; nothing was to be found. The feeling that came then was indescribable; Thalia screamed, impaling her weapon into the ground with futile anger and curses.

Zoe, on the other hand, was on the far opposite end of the spectrum; with her gut reaction being to sit down and cry .

There was no way to put the pit forming in her soul into words; it would be like trying to drain the ocean with a leaky bucket.

“One shall be lost in the land without rain,” Thalia spat, recounting the line from the prophecy, “of all the–!”

“Enough!” Zoe stood, “this will get us nowhere, the line in the prophecy has been fulfilled; the only thing we can do now is–”

“Delta just died! Your partner just–!”

“You think I am not aware?!” Zoe turned on Thalia, “don’t forget who you speak to; do not think that for even a moment I do not want to scream my own curses to the sky! But that would not help, and Delta would not want it! So, for her sake, and that of everyone, we continue this quest, understood?”

Thalia nodded, even if it felt like pouring poison down her throat and letting it fester within; Zoe, in the end, was correct. Nothing was going to come of standing here and wasting time, and none of her questions would be answered with wasted time either. 

So, they departed, with weary expressions, taking the first piece of transportation they could find; an old, dirty pickup truck. As they began to drive away, however, neither of them could perceive the little red thread that seemed to trail after them, completely and wholly uncut.

Δ

Chapter Text

The truck ran out of gas at the edge of a steep canyon, which was just as well, considering that the road came to an abrupt end as well. A design flaw if Thalia had ever seen one, though, she wasn’t the one building roads, so she should probably just keep quiet.

Speaking of quiet, she felt like one more moment of it would force her to explode . Neither she, nor Zoe, had said a single word since the events back in the junkyard. The silence in the cab of the truck had been deafening, whereas Thalia had come to expect Delta’s sarcastic and random comments, the lack of them only did further work to dig than the already deepening hole.

“We should go further upstream,” Zoe comments evenly, speaking to her for the first time in hours. But it sounded strained, distant, like someone who had just caught a bad cold, “There’s no way to advance from here, and I don’t think scaling the cliffs is a very good idea.”

Thalia nodded, not having the heart, or energy, to present an alternative. She also didn’t think scaling the heights of the cliffs would make her feel any better either, “I guess a little walk won’t kill us.”

Neither of them wanted to point out the irony in that statement.

It only took a little over half a mile for them to find a slope that led down into the canyon, ending near the water, with a nearby canoe rental shack that seemed to be closed for the time being. Thalia would have left some money to pay for the canoe they took, but she was fairly certain that all their mortal money had been with Delta before she– yeah, so she left a note instead; IOU one canoe.

“We’re not going to be able to get anywhere with the currents as strong as they are,” Thalia ground out as they set the canoe near the water.

“Maybe not…” Zoe mumbled as she kneeled close to the water, letting her fingers trim gently over its surface. The effect of her closeness was almost immediate, with the appearance of a small group of Naiads appearing in the water before them, looking exactly like normal teenagers except for the fact that they were underwater.

“Delta was a daughter of Poseidon, and we were– bonded ,” the last part was almost choked out, but she managed to finish, “Naiads don’t normally like me, but our bond might…”

She didn’t sound too sure, but surprisingly; the Naiads seemed to already be gathering underneath the canoe, ready to push them off with little hesitation. That didn’t stop a few of them from spraying Zoe with water, however, as they sped along.

She could briefly hear something about forgiven and she-devils from Zoe as she muttered words to herself briefly, but just as quickly plunged them back into semi-silence. Thalia couldn’t take it anymore , however, and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Tell me about her,” she said suddenly, earning a raised brow from Zoe.

“You knew her before I did,” she answered eventually, “that should be enough.”

“I knew Percy ,” Thalia shook her head, the words felt like sandpaper on her tongue, “I didn’t know Delta, and I never got the chance to ask before–”

She didn’t need to finish, the wound was still fresh, after all. Maybe more so for Zoe than for Thalia, seeing as her first reaction to being told who Delta had been was to push her away and deny it. There was a specific kind of pain in regaining a friend, to reconnect, only to lose them so shortly after. Now, she thought, maybe she could understand what had driven Luke crazy so long ago.

Zoe seemed to consider her, to hold her in a light that she hadn’t considered before, or maybe it was all in Thalia’s head. Maybe it wasn’t, considering that the words that Zoe spoke next were softer than she had ever heard from the girl before.

“At the time, when you became a tree, Percy Jackson sat idle for two years,” Zoe began, reiterating something she had already heard, yet Thalia didn’t interrupt, “they left Camp Half-Blood at the age of fifteen, and from there; nothing went their way.”

Δ

Percy wouldn’t say she was being completely useless; getting demigods to Camp Half-Blood was far from a useless endeavour, but she wouldn’t say she was thriving. She wasn’t going to go back, there was no point, and even after she had managed to clear her head and make up her mind, it was clear that the camp wasn’t for her.

In the meantime, however, she had become rather adept at living off the land. Still couldn’t use a bow to save her life, but the sword and knife she had taken from the weapons shed, along with some other useful tools, had proven to be her bread and butter. Nothing magical about them, just her skill and the knowledge she employed while using them. 

It was a bit freeing, in a way, to not be dealing with the magical aspects of day-to-day life anymore.

Besides the monsters, of course, because no life of Percy Jackson’s would ever really be complete without a plethora of idiotic monsters trying to hunt her down and skin her alive for fun. Nothing big ever bothered her, though, she wasn’t really sure why, but she didn’t think she could bring herself to care anymore, either.

She shrugged off the thoughts as she rolled out of her bedroll, exiting her small, yet somewhat nice, tent. Sleep hadn't been her friend as of late, with every dream smelling like freshly damp grass, and rotting copper. There was never a clear image for what she was experiencing, or what she was fighting– she had to be fighting– but it didn’t matter.

Taking a protein bar out of her backpack and setting herself down with a map was the first order of business, as she would likely need to head into a town or something to get certain things that she just couldn’t get in the wilderness. After that, she’d keep heading down the coast as she had been for the past few weeks, seeing who she could find and what she could kill.

So far, she’d managed to ferry around seven demigod children to Camp Half-Blood in the past few months since her departure, never giving them a name to put to her face; as she didn’t need Chiron trying to drag her back. She was also fairly certain that she was about to turn sixteen out here in the woods, the thought forced a bitter laugh from her throat, wrenching it free like a loose brick in a load-bearing wall.

She should have been celebrating with her friends, Luke, Annabeth… and Thalia, but instead, she was out in bumfuck nowhere, looking for demigods that had been abandoned by their own parents years and years ago.

Growling, she ran a hand through her hair, which was a welcome distraction. Albeit, maybe not in the way that she would have wished. It had been growing out, even getting rather long, longer than it had even been while on the run. But it would never change the fact that she was pretending to be something that she–

Deep breath.

Her breath hitched, but she pushed through it, as this was no place to get stuck in her own head. It was always different, the amount of time it took to calm herself down, to get her feet back on the ground, and this time was no different.

When she did, eventually, minutes later, she felt like crying all over again. 

She wished Luke was here to make jokes with her for living like a wild animal.

She wished Annabeth was here to make some smart comment that she would fail to understand, but would hound her nonetheless.

She wished Thalia was alive .

None of those three things were an option for her, however, and they wouldn’t be for the rest of her life.

She felt like she was falling back again, skin itchy and eyes watering, it was all just wrong.

Again.

She breathed, again, taking in all the air she could until there was no more room for anything else, holding it, only to exhale moments later. It hurt, which was good, pain was good; it meant she was alive and thinking.

Although, the thinking seemed to be to her own detriment today, clearly.

With a sigh, she stood, there would be nothing for her to do if she stayed here. Keeping that in mind, she set to pack up all her things, in a seemingly never filling bag, and left her campsite without as much as a single word.

Civilization first, then hunting.

Δ

Getting in and out of whatever town she needed to be in was easy, being on the run for years after her mother’s death had taught her that. Pickpocketing the money she needed from unsuspecting mortals was even easier, Luke had taught her a lot in the time they had spent together.

New clothes were definitely out of the budget, but smaller food items for emergencies, and first aid supplies, were not. So, now, a few hours later, she found herself making her way south once again, not at a fast pace either.

It had been quiet for a few days, which she was fine with, it did lead to some boring moments though. She knew better than to stop and rest in one spot for too long, however, having spent only a night or two in a single spot before moving a good distance on foot before settling again.

There were multiple reasons for this, monsters being chief among them, but, once again; she didn’t want anyone trying to track her down. She expected some to try, but she also wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been deemed a lost cause.

She was unclaimed after all.

The sound of skittering in the branches a couple of dozen feet to her left immediately had her hair standing on end, pulling the knife from her belt, she got low. She was by no means a master of stealth, but being on the run had helped far more with that than any training probably would have.

She quickly found the source of the noise; a deer, choosing to graze not too far from where she stood. Despite being sure that the deer should have noticed her since she wasn’t trying to be quiet, and all the deers she had met previously seemed to be rather skittish, this one didn’t move as she approached.

Sliding the knife back into its crappy sheath was almost automatic, as appreciating the serene moment seemed far more important than anything else at that point. It was odd, the calmness she felt just observing the animal, hesitantly, she got closer. Yet, the deer still refused to react, eventually, she stood almost right by its side, and still, it had not moved. 

Her hand was already stroking the creature gently, which made it chitter a little, but other than that, it seemed to ignore her for the most part. Percy could accept that, as this moment was far more therapeutic than she could have described out loud. Eventually, she stopped, leaving the majestic animal to its business.

What she didn’t notice as she left, however, she failed to notice the rather abundant group gathered in the foliage just a few yards from where she had stood previously. A ravenette stood at the head, eyeing Percy’s retreating back with a hawk-like focus for a moment before addressing the girl on her right.

“Zoe, do keep an eye on that one,” the Goddess of the Hunt said, “I have a feeling that won’t be the last of them that we see.”

Δ

“Wait,” Thalia said, speaking for the first time since Zoe had begun spinning her tale, “you followed Percy?”

Zoe scowled, paying a bit more attention to the skeletons that were chasing them over Thalia’s query. Getting to the dam hadn’t taken long once they had rode down the currents, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t still in a hurry.

“No,” she replied, “we just happened to be in the same area for an extended amount of time.”

“Uh huh.”

“Do you want me to continue, or not?” Zoe snapped, to which Thalia could only nod.

Δ

First meeting with the Hunt involved a rather nasty monster, a trip north, and an arrow to the arm. 

Not specifically in that order.

It had been a fast trek, so many miles in the course of one night that it made her feet ache just thinking about it, and with a child of, who she assumed to be, Apollo at her side. She was young, no older than eleven, which only did service to slow them down. This close to camp, however, Percy could pick her up and carry her; so she did. 

It was raining, but the small droplets did nothing to deter her as her feet thudded against the wet earth with purpose. Their pursuer wasn’t far behind either, Percy could hear the monster, and she could feel her hair standing up on end. It was the middle of the night, she couldn’t expect too many people on border patrol, and that was fine, she didn't want to be seen anyway. 

Thalia’s tree was just up ahead, cursed as it stood against the pale moonlight, and Percy knew the boundary was in reach, almost within arms reach. But, the combined fatigue of running for hours, and not having gotten a wink of sleep in three days, finally compounded together enough to cause her to slip up.

In this case; literally.

She tripped, her foot catching a stray root that she had been unable to avoid, sending both demigods tumbling to the earth. Percy, despite her fatigue, was still up quicker, even if it was on shaky legs and with bleary eyes.

“Go! Run!” Percy exclaimed, pulling her sword from its sheath, “if you can get to the pine tree; you’ll be safe!”

“But–”

“Go!”

The sound of receding footsteps, frantic and sporadic, was an odd comfort for Percy. That feeling, however, didn’t last for long.

After all, she was fighting an Empousai, and she didn’t really feel like getting flayed alive just because she was a little tired. Thankfully, the monster wasn’t trying to engage in any form of conversation as it finally caught up with her and pounced. She felt that would have just made her more irritated than anything else, though, it might have provided a bit of a distraction from the aching in her bones.

Regardless of all that, however, Percy was quick to duck the first swipe of claws, bringing her sword up in a straight arc that should have cleanly removed the monster's arm. Well, it would have, if not for its immense speed, or maybe Percy was just slow due to fatigue.

The next swipe of claws was deftly deflected by the flat of Percy’s blade, a move that seemed to flow fluid like water, practiced and instinctual. It was clear that Percy had the skill to back up her stint outside of camp, Luke had made sure that they could all defend themselves, and it had quickly become clear that she possessed more skill with a sword than most people in the century.

Although, if Luke had his way, he would claim that she had skill with a lot more than just a sword.

Dodging was getting tiring, and her limbs refused to move as they normally would, and eventually, she would fall if this kept up. Her mind drifted to the ring on her finger, the way it almost felt hot , and how her mother had always said it would protect her before–

She grits her teeth and growls, moving back while simultaneously bringing the sword above her head, gripping the handle with both hands. She usually didn’t like to do that, as it limited her options, but the hand-and-a-half grip allowed for the power and speed she was putting into this, hopefully, final attack.

Bringing the sword down felt like it put a torrent within her ears, as if the rain around her was suddenly picking up in response to her movement like a waterfall of power was being put behind her attack as she swung. 

It didn’t distract her, though, from the quick whistle that she heard briefly as her sword met flesh. There was a momentary flash of pain, and then an explosion of dust that left her standing dumbfounded.

Not because she had managed to kill the Empousai, no, that wasn’t a shock to her, not really. Instead, it was because she had an arrow sticking out of her bicep, which didn’t hurt nearly as much as it should have. She was sure that she had the fatigue to thank for that, although, if she was that tired, then she was probably in some trouble.

She was already pulling the arrow out when she heard the first snapping of branches, she expected campers, maybe Chiron, she didn’t expect to be greeted by a band of girls with bows and arrows that looked like they were ready to turn her into a pincushion. 

Percy knew who they were, after all, it was rather hard to forget the Hunters of Artemis.

“Oh great,” she mumbled to herself as she gripped the shaft of the arrow, getting ready to pull it free.

“That’s going to hurt,” someone said from off to his right.

“So, the obviously better choice would be to leave it in,” Percy snorted, “right, thanks Zoe, nice to see you too.”

The words were biting, but there wasn’t any real heat behind them. She was just tired, in pain, and could really use some food in her stomach. She wasn’t cross for Zoe’s attempts to get Thalia to join the Hunt, not anymore, not like Luke and Annabeth had been. However, Zoe was in a position to really piss her off if she kept talking.

“I’m only trying to help boy ,” Zoe hissed, and Percy bristled, “it was one of our own who shot you after all.”

Percy’s eyes narrowed on Zoe, which elicited a raised brow from the girl, but she let it pass, not having the energy or the want to correct Zoe at the moment. Instead, she allowed the girl to help pull the arrow out and apply the bandage as it would be rather hard for her with just one hand.

“Were they new?”

Zoe paused for a moment but eventually nodded, and Percy let out a soft laugh, “Don’t be too harsh on her, Nightshade, not everyone can be perfect with a bow, like you.”

It was meant as a compliment, truly, but she wasn’t sure if Zoe took that well, especially when she suddenly tightened the bandage a bit too much. Which got a gasp of shock and pain from Percy, Zoe only chuckled, something low and melodic, “and not all of us can be as bad as you, hmm?”

Percy hummed, looking at the bandage with a curious tilt of her head, it hurt, she’d need to take some ambrosia, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as she expected it to be. Her eyes came up to meet Zoe’s and she sighed, “why are you here?”

“We were already in the area.”

“And decided to deviate because I was fighting one Empousai?” she raised a brow at Zoe, already turning away from the girl, “sure, I’ll be Zeus is willing to become a decent person too.”

The clouds rumbled overhead, and Percy silently flipped them the bird, knowing that Zeus would see. Zoe snorted, having already known of Percy’s flagrant disregard for the King of the Gods, her gaze wandered over to the pine tree in response, along with Percy’s.

“My lady wishes to speak with you.”

“Me?” Percy asked, incredulous, eyes still on Thalia’s tree, “flattering, but I don’t talk to gods.”

Zeo’s eyes narrowed, snapping toward Percy, “You–”

“Now if you’ll excuse me,” she cut Zoe off, “I have to go before the border patrol decides to figure out who brought the little girl to camp, and I don’t think I want to be found.”

Zoe watched her stop for a moment, throwing a look at Zoe back over her shoulder, looking almost… hopeful? Maybe that wasn’t quite right, but it was a bit of an odd sight for the Lieutenant to see.

“It was nice seeing you, Zoe,” she said, and then promptly turned back to walk away. 

Zoe could have easily just grabbed Percy and forced her to come with her, they both knew that, what Percy didn’t know, however, was that Zoe already had her orders. For Percy, that was a good thing, because it meant she could just drag Percy with her. For Zoe, though, it was an annoying headache.

It would fail to become anything more, however, until weeks later.

Δ

Percy was convinced that Zoe’s “just in the area” was more of a lie than she had first thought.

“I’m just saying,” Zoe intoned from her spot up in a nearby tree, “you could have been far more efficient.”

Percy sighed, throwing her sword back in its sheath, “It’s not about efficiency; it’s about making sure I have enough stamina.”

Zoe snorted, hopping down from the tree to land beside her, “Yes, because running for three days straight without food or rest, especially when you could have just killed the Empousai, doesn’t indicate how monstrous your stamina is already.”

Percy grumbled, the point about her trek a few weeks back had become a sore point, “If I stop and kill every monster that chases me, it would just make me slow down, and then I have to deal with more monsters; running was the better option.”

“So you say.”

This was getting annoying fast.

“I can’t imagine Artemis wanted you to babysit me,” Percy shot back while stepping over a large rock in her path, “there must be more important stuff for you to do, somewhere.”

“Probably,” she agreed, not sounding happy about it, “but my Lady has made her orders clear.”

“And those orders are?”

“Keep an eye on you,” she said after a moment, “among other things.”

“Great,” she sighed, “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me why, either?”

“If it would get this over with faster, I would,” Zoe answered, “but I don’t know the reason myself, so I couldn’t tell you.”

“Oh, it just gets better,” Percy remarked sarcastically, “any other bombshells you wanna drop now, or no?”

“My Lady–”

“Still wants to speak with me,” Percy finished, “I know, but it’s not gonna happen.”

Zoe hummed, clearly; she disagreed.

It would be another week later, totaling in two months, when Percy finally decided to change her mind. 

Why?

Well, Zoe may have been restricted from dragging Percy back to Artemis, or anything of the like. That didn’t, however, keep her from doing other asinine things like waking her up far before she needed to be, pushing her into rivers, or hiding small objects that she needed.

It all culminated on the day when she couldn’t find her fucking shoes.

“Fine!” she had said, at her wit's end, “I’ll go talk to Artemis already, just give me my damn shoes back!”

She had been met with a laugh from above, and then a pair of boots falling on her head from above, it hurt like hell, but the agreement had already been made. She could grumble about it all later, at that point, however, she had been more focused on meeting the goddess.

It had taken another few days to get back to wherever Zoe was leading her, and even more ribbing from Zoe as to how she had managed to get Percy to finally give in. Credit where credit was due, to be fair, she could admit when Zoe had her beat.

Seeing her brag, something that she had previously thought beneath the girl, well, it was kind of cute and– oh gods above she was so fucked.

She needed to make sure that those feelings went with her to the grave and far past the underworld, otherwise, not only would she never hear the end of it. But she would also be more likely to find herself as a fur pelt by the next sunrise.

Actually walking into the camp of hunters, who all stared at her with varying amounts of distaste, felt like walking into a warzone in some respects. The unease was part of it, but the feeling of being so out of her element, and unwelcome, was another.

The divine pressure of a nearby goddess wasn’t exactly helping either.

She was led to a large tent, and ushered inside, empty all except for the girl at the far end, and now; her and Zoe. She wasn’t intimidated, despite the pressure she could feel from the goddess.

“Percy Jackson,” the goddess spoke, grey eyes trained firmly on her own, “it is not often that I’m graced with the presence of one whose soul is so misaligned with their body.”

Percy flinched, and she was sure that Zoe’s eyebrows would have shot into space if it was physically possible, but she said nothing. Percy, on the other hand, was now on edge, and she was sure Artemis knew it too.

“Zoe said you wanted to talk to me,” she said slowly, bitterly, “
If this is about Thalia–”

“It’s not, I assure you,” she replied, a bit of a sting to her tone, “what I wished to speak of solely pertains to you .”

“Oh?”

“As much as I would like to help you, it’s beyond me,” Artemis began, immediately squashing any small hope she may have had, “for anyone else, the change would be as simple as breathing, but whoever your godly parent is… they’re strong presence within you would keep me from working my magic.”

“Just another thing my father kept me from, just add it to the list,” she joked, but the bitterness in her voice was clear.

“You know who your father is?”

Peercy thought it over for a minute, thinking of all the coincidences and piling evidence in her life, and nodded. The only real piece of evidence she had, however, was the ring on her finger. So, she slid it off and tossed it to Artemis, who caught it without even needing to look. When she did look at it, however, her eyes immediately went wide. There was a brief moment where her eyes traveled from the ring to Percy, and then back to the ring.

She quickly schooled her expression, giving a very long and tired sigh, before finally throwing the ring back to Percy with little effort.

“That explains a lot,” she said, thinking over her next words, “almost too much, actually, still, it doesn’t change much for this conversation.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She considered Percy for a moment, then turned to Zoe, “Zoe, if you would leave us for a moment, please.”

The girl nodded, albeit with a bit of reluctance, and ducked out of the front of the tent, leaving just the two of them to themselves.

“You can see it, can’t you?”

Percy choked a bit, “what?”

“Even though your reaction tells me all I need to know, I would still like to hear it aloud. So, I’ll ask again; you can’t see it, can’t you? The String?”

She did her best not to look, really, she did, but she couldn’t escape the way her eyes briefly flitted down to look at her pinky. It was quick, almost imperceptible, but the flash of red that graced her vision was almost agonizing.

“I can.”

Ok, she should back up a bit.

Percy knew what Artemis was talking about; the Red String of Fate. All gods could see them, but very, very few mortals or demigods could. Percy’s mother, Sally Jackson, had been able to see them, a gift they shared. Although Percy had always been able to see more ; the Strings, the pressure of gods, things that even other demigods couldn’t see. 

Her mother had said it was a blessed gift, a wonderful one, Percy, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. She wouldn’t quite call it a curse, but, being able to see everyone’s Strings, the way they could tangle, but never snap, the way they would cross her skin and strangle her… she would not call it a blessing either.

Strings meant different things depending on where they were, or as she had been told, the only one she knew, however, was the one for the pinky finger. The same place where her String now sat, she hadn’t been kidding when she said it had strangled her on more than one occasion, as that was what unrequited Strings tended to do to those who could see them. She had seen her mother experience similar things in her early years when it would pulsate with a silver glow and wrap itself tight.

There was good with the bad, her mother had told her, but she never knew if the end results would ever quite be worth it.

And her String, right now, seemed to conveniently stretch after one girl in particular.

“I can’t choose who my String attaches itself to,” Percy scowled, “you should know that, considering your own.”

She almost immediately clamped her jaw shut, it was rude to talk like that about someone else's String, or so she assumed, she had never met another person who could see as she could. Deep down, though, she knew that she should have just kept her mouth shut.

“You can see my String?” Artemis asked, not sounding angry in the least, but rather… subdued.

Percy nodded.

Artemis leaned back, and let out a small, choked laugh, “My String is tied to a mortal, yet, no matter how much searching I’ve done, they’re obscured from me. I cannot follow my own String, no matter how much I wish for it.”

“You… what?”

“My request for you was twofold, Percy Jackson,” Artemis continued, ignoring Percy’s sputtering, “out of all the mortals and demigods I have met, you are the only one who has the Sight that I wish to employ to find my other half.”

“...gods aren’t usually so eager to find their other halves,” another thing she had heard from her mother, “and I’m not sure that–”

“I’m not like other gods,” Artemis challenged, “and as for this request, I am not without a reward.”

“I’m not going to charge you to0 help you find your soulmate,” Percy grimaced.

“And yet another reason why I would seek to reward you,” the girl smiled, “I would like to help you with your… unique problem, if we succeed, I would like you to join my Hunt.”

Percy’s brows shot up in shock, taking her breath away like a punch to the gut, “that’s… I– I don’t know if I can even do what you’re asking…”

“The fact that you were willing to try regardless, without a reward, is worth it,” Artemis added, “besides, I am always looking for worthy additions to the Hunt.”

“Worthy?” Percy rolled the word over her tongue, hefting its weight, “no, that’s not–”

“You think the death of Zeus’ daughter to be your fault,” she said, reading her like an open book, “it wasn’t, what you ask of yourself, now, and back then, is impossible. What you seek to do is out of your reach, yet, if you continue as you are; then you will find yourself gone from this world, just as you wish.”

Percy shrunk into herself, she was more than an open book to Artemis, she was a whole damn library of free knowledge for her to pick at.

Artemis’ eyes softened, “I do not pretend to know the depths of your sorrow, or the peaks of your motivation. I do, however, know that it would be a waste to continue as you are. You’ve done good work, but I think you could do more  if you would like that opportunity.”

She was offering him the same thing she had offered Thalia, years ago, why she noticed now, and not back then, was beyond her. Maybe her ‘soul’, as Artemis said, had changed, or maybe she hadn’t been paying attention. She didn’t know, but the answer she had was already at the tip of her tongue.

“Alright, I want to help.”

Not ‘I accept’, or ‘I need to help’. 

‘I want to help’, because, maybe, for once; Percy felt like there was something she could do to actually be of some genuine use after Thalia’s death.

“As for the second?”

Percy knew why Artemis asked, but she only smiled, “Well, we need to actually figure out a way to fix me first, so let’s focus on that.”

“Not ‘fix’, Percy,” Artemis frowned, “there’s nothing inherently wrong with you, just a bad flip of the coin.”

While that was certainly one way to look at it, it certainly made her feel a bit better.

“If that’s everything–”

“What do you intend to do about your String?”

Percy paused, looking at Artemis with a tilt of her head, “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Yup, nothing,” Percy nodded, as if it was obvious, “I know how the Hunt operates, and I don’t fancy myself getting turned into an animal pelt, or used for target practice. So, no need to worry on that end, that’s one thing I’ll definitely take to the grave, like all my embarrassing secrets–”

“You're deflecting,” Artemis noted, giving Percy more pause, “you’d rather be strangled on the Strings?”

“How–?”

“You think I don’t feel the same?” she asked, “it’s part of the reason I seek my other half, even if only to abate the symptoms.”

“Still, I can’t–”

“She’ll find out one way or another, in no way am I encouraging you to try something, Zeus knows the girl would send you through a wall, but it can only help you in the long run.”

“...I’ll think about it.”

They both knew she was lying, but Artemis knew better than to try pushing her luck more than she already had today. So, instead, she stood, with Percy being quick to follow. Percy wasn’t exactly following her, but she kind of needed to go in the same direction anyway.

Leaving the tent, however, coupled with the most recent conversation; it took Percy far too much effort to keep her eyes off of Zoe and firmly ahead. It was even harder considering that they had walked out to see a rather large amount of Huntresses milling about.

“Well, I didn’t know we took to inviting boys into camp now.”

Percy stopped, turning to look at the source of the jab, only to come face-to-face with Phoebe, the one huntress that she didn’t think she’d ever have a chance of getting along with.

“Phoebe,” Artemis warned, but Percy stepped forward.

“No,” Percy said, “keep talking.”

Phoebe couldn’t seem to take the hint apparently, despite Artemis’ warning tone, and Zoe’s gaze, “You know, we warned you back then,” she spoke of the time they had all run into the Hunt when they were on the run, “if Thalia hadn’t gone with you, she wouldn’t have–”

That was enough for Percy, and she didn’t even think to try and restrain herself as she let her fist rocket straight into Phoebe’s face. She stumbled backward, one step, two, three, and then fell on her back with a soft thud. She wasn’t knocked out, just disoriented, Zoe tried to move forward, although if it was to help Phoebe, or hurt Percy, she didn’t know.

However, Artemis held up a hand, addressing Phoebe, and the rest of the girls, “your comments were uncalled for, and frankly, disgraceful. Do not think to say such things about those who have died again, Phoebe,” she turned to the rest, “and that goes for all of you, do not dishonour the dead, and never dishonour my guests.”

There was a wave of nods and murmurs, but more so confusion among the younger members, and Percy just huffed. She didn’t need a spectacle to be made, she just needed Phoebe to keep her mouth shut about things she knew nothing about.

Regardless, though, Percy would have offered the girl a hand if she thought that Phoebe would take it. She seemed like a proud person, so she didn’t, which probably didn’t really look that good for her.

Oh well, not her problem.

“I’ll send for you when I’m ready to begin, for now though, we’re a bit preoccupied with a hunt,” Artemis crossed her arms.

“Sure,” Percy waved a hand in dismissal, “I could use a small break anyway, and I’m sure you know how to find me.”

She walked out of the camp without another word, except, if they listened, they could hear her… whistling.

Δ

“Wait, sorry, hold on,” Thalia couldn’t stop laughing, so much so that a few tears had started to fall from her eyes, “She punched Phoebe in the face , and got away with it? Oh man, I wish I’d been there to see it!”

“Hmm, she got her revenge later,” Zoe smirked, remembering the day, “and I think that made them get along better for it.”

“Sounds like a story alright.”

“Indeed,” Zoe agreed, “but not one relevant to your question, and I think it might be best if we put a pause on that for just a moment.”

They stopped at the edge of a peer, Delta had told Zoe that Apollo had advised them to seek out Nereus. Which, while thinking about it, would have been far easier with Delta’s skill set than either of their current ones. 

Thankfully, a quick zap to the back of the head was enough to have the old hobo on the ground without much of a fight, Thalia was quite proud of her stealth skills right now. Although, if it was Zoe, she wouldn’t have almost been caught, and if it was Delta, well… let’s just say she applied everything that Zoe taught her very well.

“Don’t bother asking about Lady Artemis, or the monster we’ve been seeking,” Zoe commanded, although she sounded a bit bitter about it, “we both know what you want to know.”

The unsaid ‘ what we want’ was almost deafening.

“Is Delta still alive?”

Nereus had the gall to laugh in their faces right as the question left her mouth.

“You do realize lost doesn’t mean the same thing as death , correct?”

And with that, with a pop , the man turned into a goldfish and disappeared into the sea. 

“That…” Thalia inhaled sharply like she had been stabbed, “that means something good, right?”

Zoe looked like she might be on the verge of tears again, “it could, or it could mean worse, after all, there are things worse than death.”

Δ

Delta was adrift.

Now, where she had drifted to ; she couldn’t tell.

Time was… odd, wherever she was.

Was she still in the Talos?

…

No… no, she remembered it falling, she remembered feeling like she had grabbed a live wire, and then…

What happened after?

It was murky, she felt like she was tangled in—

Strings.

She gasped, the world coming back into full view, except not.

Still, she was tangled.

Choking, grasping, tugging.

She was being pulled every which way and even then it still wasn’t enough, never before had it been this bad, even back before– before everything. Now, though, it felt like she was a marionette.

She could feel pain.  

It wasn’t physical, no, it was an ache.

Longer still, it took her to realize that she was feeling the feedback of someone else's pain. She couldn’t make out specifics, nothing overly clear, but there were themes, loss, grieving, anger, hatred, desperation , and strangely enough… hope.

But that last feeling wasn’t enough, as she was still choking on the rest of it, with the Strings, old and new, digging into her skin without any sign of stopping. She could bear it, she could, she already had, she just needed to keep–

Even her own willpower wasn’t enough to keep her up any longer.

Yet she crawled, pulling her way out of the carnage around her and toward her freedom. It wouldn’t be enough, it couldn’t be, grit and will wouldn’t save her. Not this time, this was something you just got up and walked away from, this was the personification of loss turned into a knife.

The knife slipped past all defenses, all armour, all trickery, and right into her very existence.

I’m alright, she thought, pushing it out, as far as she could, I’m alive.

I didn’t leave you.

Immediately, it was like a noose had been pulled from her neck, she gasped, letting the air fill her lungs till they might burst. She could breathe, she could move, she could think again.

The track marks were still there, angry and red, feeling like they would never leave.

Maybe they wouldn’t.

That was– acceptable, for now.

Just… she needed to get moving, she needed to get up .

The pain was still great, she could still stand, but…

She would never make it, not like this.

Once again, the ring was heavy on her hand.

“Your father gave me this ring,” her mother told her when she was very young, showing her the deep sea green ring, simple, yet oh so meaningful, “he told me it would protect me, and when the time was right, that it would be yours.”

“He told me your birthright was the sea, and that when you called to your nature; nothing would stop you.”

“Mom–” Percy choked out, grabbing at the ring with her other hand, “You better be right.”

She tugged the ring off her finger and felt the tide roaring in her ears.

Δ

As they climbed the mountain, Zoe began to continue her tale…

Δ

A week later was when she found the hawk outside her tent. It had been a nice break, but clearly, by now, it was time to get a move on. Thankfully, a small parchment was attached to the leg of the hawk with a string, leaving it in an easy place for Percy to gently pull free.

She laughed when she read its contents, and if Artemis was pulling a practical joke, then this was a good way to start. The Hunt must move faster than she would have thought if they were already as far away as this letter indicated, and she would only have a few days to get there before they moved again, if she missed them; she’d receive another letter.

Oh.

So it was a challenge then?

Was Artemis… testing her?

Well, that would be kind of funny, considering the circumstances. Although, following the last conversation, and the snark she had used, Percy thought this might be some form of odd punishment too. She definitely didn’t mind using harsh words against the gods, but she did feel a tad bit bad for not going off on Artemis without the full scope of things.

She wasn’t a god, and she didn’t want to be like them either.

The last bit of the letter told her to be careful, as it seemed that monsters had been growing restless recently, gathering in larger groups, and making their way up and down the coast with greater speed.

Percy shrugged, she could handle a few monsters if she needed to, although, it might have been smarter to heed the words of a goddess more strongly.

She was off within the next half hour, leaving another campsite behind without so much as a leave overturned, and started heading south. Percy ran for a lot of it, covering more ground than she would have thought possible initially, but it seemed that every time she pushed herself more, her body opened up a new avenue of power. 

The events from over two months ago had skyrocketed what she could already do, not in terms of strength necessarily, but rather in speed and endurance, it was like coming back from the sheer cliff of overwhelming fatigue had made her stronger.

Demigods were hardwired for battle, this she knew, but she was beginning to wonder if their bodies were made to adapt to it as well. If that was the case, then she was just constantly pushing herself past her natural limits all the time.

Thoughts for later though, as she quickly found herself approaching speeds that would have her knocked on her ass if she made a single misstep, focusing became her main goal for the moment. Although she really wished she had some way to listen to music, it would have done wonders 

Maybe she could grab herself an ipod or something at some point, gods knows she could easily get the money for it by now, and it wouldn’t exactly be hard to find one at a pawn shop or something of the like.

Sadly, she didn’t have time for that just now, and it would have to wait.

…

In hindsight, it would have benefited her to have paid a bit more mind to the warning she had been given. As she was now, however, it was a bit late to do anything but admit her fault on this one.

Her heart was hammering in her ears as she vaulted over a fallen tree, shoes slapping against the wet earth as the torrential downpour empowered her to move faster. She wasn’t that far from the camp, just a few miles, at most, if she could just get a bit more distance between her and–

“Hrrk-!”

The distance she needed never came, and she found herself planted into the side of a tree instead thanks to a backhand from what she was pretty sure belonged to a cyclops. A groan escaped her lips as she slid to the floor, but the rain, the water that rolled down her body, kept her awake, it healed her, empowered her.

She was already rolling out of the way when the next blow split the tree in half.

“Stay still, tiny demigod!”

“No thanks,” Percy pushed herself off the ground, using the push to drop into a dead sprint, “I’m not on the menu tonight, thank you very much!”

She didn’t make it much farther though, her way forward already being blocked by three more monsters; all monsters that she didn’t recognize. Skidding to a halt, she put all her weight on her heel, and pivoted to the right, only to be met with another wall in her way.

“Well,” she said, pulling her sword from its sheath, “me and my big mouth.”

In the following moment; the thunder almost drowned out the roars between demigod and monster.

Δ

A few miles away, the hunters of Artemis had taken up camp for the last few days, they were supposed to leave in a few more but were more or less stuck for the moment. Zoe knew the reason, and she wasn’t the biggest fan of it, yet, to be fair, she hadn’t grumbled too much about it.

She thought that if Percy was to catch up, she should be doing it while they were on the move as well, and no; she didn’t care if it was unfair at all. Although, she wouldn’t say she missed her, no, that would be an irksome thing to acknowledge, but she could fully admit that she missed the laugh she earned for herself every time she messed with Percy.

Safe to say; she was bored.

That annoyed her, to admit, however internally, that Percy had become a ‘fun’ person to be around within just a few weeks. Not too dissimilar from her fellow Hunters, but not quite the same either.

Maybe she would talk to Artemis about it, she could use some kind of distraction considering how slow the day was going. Rain led to inaction on most days, not to mention the sheer absurdity of the downpour overhead, which she knew would do well to delay Percy.

She growled, and everything kept coming back to her in the end.

“Zoe,” Artemis greeted as she entered her tent, “what can I do for you?”

“Preferably turn the annoyance into a pelt.”

“Ah,” Artemis chuckled, flipping through a page of the open book in front of her, “someone’s made a friend.”

“Have not,” Zoe grumbled, leaning against the opening to the tent, not bothering to sit as she didn’t intend to stay for long.

“Hmm,” Artemis hummed, “whatever you say… my questions still stand, though.”

“The rain unnerves me.”

“You mean the boredom brought on by the rain irks you,” Artemis eyes here, doing that odd smile with her eyes that only she ever seemed to be able to do, “trust me, I feel of a similar vein, however, you know as well as I that it shall not last much longer.”

“Because of Percy,” the small amount of bitterness that filtered into her voice wasn’t intentional.

“You really should be nicer to the girl,” Artemis urged, although not an order, “you know of her goal, you know of mine, and you know what both entail.”

“I know,” the answer was quiet, but it felt loud within her own ears, “but… My Lady…”

“Hush, I know of your concerns,” she said, “and I do not dismiss them, but you know as well as I that this will change nothing. So, do you wish to tell me what vexes you, and where it truly stems from?”

“...You know as well as I; how the rest of the Hunt will despise her, no matter what is said by you, or even I.”

“I did not think you would come to care for her so quickly,” Artemis’ eyes softened, even as Zoe blanched, “but you can leave the rest of your sisters to me , they will respect my rules, and follow them, or there will be consequences.”

“Surely you know that this will not go over well.”

“Zoe,” Artemis sighed, rubbing her temple, “while I appreciate your counsel, and it is valid, I don’t–”

Something shook within the earth, ending her sentence before it could be finished, and, without another word, Artemis was on her feet. She stormed out of her tent with purpose, out into the rain, with Zoe close on her heels as she moved.

It wasn’t immediately obvious as to what had caused it, not with the rain obscuring everything. Soon enough, however, they saw it, to the north; a giant wall of water that had already begun to fall back to the earth with a rumbling thoom.

“Oh Hades–” Artemis cursed, and took off at full speed toward the epicenter of the crashing wave, Zoe wasn’t far behind her. It took mere minutes for them to both reach the spot, each filled with an agonizing amount of worry, when they arrived, however, the amount of dust that was still fading into the wind was enough to choke their throats.

“You’re a little late,” a voice said from the center of the carnage, “could have used you… a minute ago–”

Percy collapsed into the small creek created by the burst of power from just minutes ago, with Artemis and Zoe rushing forward in response. The goddess was the first to reach her, the first to witness the carnage brought forth onto her flesh, gouged-out chunks of flesh, long tracks from claw marks, and a broken leg.

And the blood… oh, Zoe would always remember the way that the earth drank her blood like it came forth from a fountain.

“Should have taken that warning a bit more seriously,” Percy coughed as Artemis flipped her over, hand still tightly wrapped around her sword, “not sure it would have done too much good though– hrnn! ”

“Do not speak, save your strength,” Artemis shushed her, but Percy only laughed a painful and wet sound.

“There’s no coming back from all this,” she gestured weakly with her arm, “not without some serious godly intervention, and I’m pretty sure you don’t have Apollo on speed dial.”

It would have been funny in any other scenario, but not in a situation where the truth, as she spoke it, was oh so true.

For the first time in a long while, Artemis, and Zoe, panicked. Neither was keen on the girl dying, both for differing reasons, but without the option of assistance, Artemis wasn’t sure that–

“Zoe,” Percy breathed, looking up at the trees, “you should probably know…”

“Stay alive, and tell me later, you daft idiot.”

“Wow, daft and idiot,” Percy chuckled, which transitioned into what sounded like her hacking up a lung, “I… just let me…”

“ Live ,” Zoe stressed, “and tell me later.”

“I’m trying to–”

“I don’t want to hear it–”

“You’re my soulmate!”

Zoe froze, and Percy let loose a shuddering breath, sending Artemis a quick look that gripped her for but a moment before she lost it. Although, now that she was looking at Percy more closely, something was…

“You– I–” Zoe sputtered, “ What? ”

“You needed to know,” Percy admitted, eyes struggling to stay open, “not that it really matters now, or before, I guess. Better to know than to wonder why you could never find yours in the first place.”

“How do you…?”

Percy’s head tilted toward her, colour fading from her more and more by the moment, “Give me your hand.”

Zoe obliged without much thought, meeting Percy’s free hand with her own, and the result was nothing short of strange. She could see it, as it materialized, the red string that flowed from her own pinky finger, moving through the air like a snake, only to meet with another. Mingling with another as if it was fascinated to meet it, and on the other end, that string was connected to Percy’s own pinky.

“How long…?”

“I’ve seen the Strings all my life,” Percy admitted, her voice low and quiet, “I only learned who it was connected to a few years ago.”

Back then…?

“I–”

“Percy,” Artemis interrupted, her voice filled with urgency, and… something Zoe couldn’t quite pinpoint, “your godly have, your aura, it has diminished. The power you unleashed earlier–”

Her eyes widened, understanding dawning on her increasingly foggy mind.

“But… I’m still dying.”

“It would not matter,” she shook her head, “your godly parent's aura would still get in the way, so, I would need to supersede it with my own.”

Zoe’s eyes widened, the implication, no, the outright admittance of that… she never knew that she would go to such lengths.

“Supersede…?”

“My divine presence would fill what you already have, in essence–”

“You would replace what’s already been drained,” Percy finished, “what would that mean for me?”

“I…” Artemis hesitated, “I do not know, I have never attempted–”

“Do it.”

“What?”

“Do it,” she insisted, “I’m already dying, it’s not like this could get any worse than it already is.”

Neither of them wanted to tell Percy that there was a very real chance that this could end up much worse than it already was. But, she had a point, there was no longer a point not to try this.

“This is going to be painful,” Artemis warned, Percy just laughed, looking at her injuries.

“You think this doesn’t?”

Artemis snorted, despite herself, but closed her eyes and began to focus. Within seconds, a silver glow coalesced on Artemis, slowly, but surely, traveling to Percy without hesitation. She shivered a bit, but otherwise; seemed to not be in any more pain than before.

She failed to notice that Zoe was still holding her hand until she found it being squeezed, whether Zoe noticed this, or not, she didn’t know. However, she wasn’t going to be the one to point it out to her before what could, possibly, be her last moments.

As the light grew brighter, and as the discomfort within her grew, she felt her eyes steadily begin to slip shut.

“You better not be dying,” Zoe growled.

“No, no,” Percy answered jokingly, “just taking… a little… nap…”

She was sure that someone was calling her voice, but the light was too bright, the pain was too much, it was all just too much. So, as the light reached its peak, and as the pain became a burning crushing, and pulling, she could do nothing but let the realm of sleep drag her under.

Δ

“After that, I…” Zoe fumbled her words, looking up at the black clouds gathering over the mountain as they neared the peak, “I shouldn’t say anymore if Delta is indeed still among the breathing, then… it is her job to tell you, or not. However, the decision still lies with her, if she isn’t… then I will tell you the rest after this is all over.”

“Alright,” Thalia agreed, surprisingly, “let her tell me herself, and then I’ll kick the shit out of her.”

Zoe chuckled, although it lacked much of its normal humour, “save that energy for my father, we’re going to need it.”

“Two of us, against a Titan?” Thalia asked, cocking her head to the side as if she was thinking hard, “I like those odds.”

“Keep the optimism,” a voice called across the decrepit temple, “it may keep you alive for a few minutes longer.”

Thalia would recognize the voice of Luke anywhere, and the first look she caught of him wasn’t a pleasant one, as they advanced. He looked extremely pale, and sickly, yet he was still holding a sword to Annabeth’s throat.

“Let her go, Luke,” Thalia growled, holding her own weapon aloft.

"That is the General's decision, Thalia. But it's good to see you again."

In response, Thalia spat on his feet as they finished their approach.

The General grinned, “So much for an old friend, yes? And you, Zoe. How long has it been, did you enjoy your stint of freedom? My little traitor, it will be a joy to end you.”

From underneath the Sky, Artemis groaned, “Do not challenge him.”

Her eyes met Zoe’s and the silent question that she asked was only met with a flurry of emotions that Artemis was loath to try and pinpoint while holding up the Sky. One, however, seemed more alight than the rest: Hope.

“Let Artemis go.”

Atlas gestured to the chained goddess, “By all means, all you musty do is take the Sky from her, would you like to do so?”

“No! I forbid it!”

Atlas smirked, having already predicted the outcome. He knelt closer to the goddess, trying to touch her face, but she bit at him, almost taking a finger.

“Oh ho,” Atlas laughed, “See, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job, I think I will offer all Olympians a turn at the weight-bearing, and teach them humility once Lord Kronos has one, perhaps?”

“Fight us,” Thalia growled, stepping forward, “we’ll see who gets to go back under the Sky.”

“A game?” the Titan laughed, “you, daughter of Zeus, it seems like Luke was wrong about you.”

“I wasn’t wrong,” he managed weakly, “Thalia, you can still–”

“I’m not calling for your monster,” Thalia growled, “Let Annabeth go.”

“Please, join me,” he began, “we can fight for a better world, the three of us, just like old times. Please, Thalia, this is my last chance, I…”

“Four.”

“What?”

“Four,” Thalia grit out, “you, Annabeth, Percy, and me, there were four of us. And if you actually gave a damn, Percy wouldn’t have left!”

“Percy is dead.”

“Percy might be dead,” someone said from behind Thalia and Zoe, “But I assure you; I am very much alive, Luke.”

An arrow shot over Thalia’s shoulder, which Luke deflected easily, but in turn; he dropped Annabeth, and that gave Thalia all the time she needed to pull her back to safety. Zoe turned on her heels, ignoring every instinct to continue facing the two adversaries before them. She would never be more grateful, however, than when she was greeted with the smiling face of her soulmate.

“Hey, Zoe,” Delta greeted, walking forward at an even pace as she slung her bow back over her shoulder, “Sorry it took so long, the motorcycle I, ah, borrowed, ran out of gas at the bottom of the mountain–”

She didn’t get to finish as Zoe wrapped her in the most bone-crushing hug imaginable.

“Ok, ok, ow! ok, I’m here, I’m alright,” he promised, “right now, though, we’ve got a problem to deal with.”

They both turned back to the others, with Delta marching up to the forefront to greet Luke, “Man, you’re not looking too good,” Delta commented, a bit sadly, “reminds me of when we were on the run.”

Luke flinched, “Who are you?”

“Aw, Luke,” Delta pouted, “you don’t remember me? You taught me everything I knew.”

Luke blinked, eyes widening, with Annabeth not being far behind, “Percy…?”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Delta tutted, “not Percy, not anymore.”

The Titan growled, presumably due to the attention having left his spectacle, “A new player does nothing to change my plan, another Hunter even less so, you’re all pathetic gods of nobody.”

“Nobody?” Delta scoffed, “well, tell me if you still think my heritage comes from nobody after this.”

In an instant, Delta’s left hand began to glow, and in another instant, she was moving forward toward Luke with a new weapon in hand. It was hard to make it out, until she locked weapons with Luke, and Artemis’ eyes widened, surprising both Zoe and Thalia as they saw that Delta now had a staff.

“A little gift,” she grunted, pushing Luke back, “say hello to Expanse; it was a gift from my father if you can believe that.”

Luke snarled, “We could have done this together.”

“No,” Delta shook her head, “we couldn’t have.”

Luke roared and pressed harder, knocking Delta back with a quick push of his other arm, yet Delta doubled down, striking at his legs with a wide sweep of the staff. It was clear she was no novice with it, and he would not be so quick as to disarm her.

Thalia got Annabeth to relative safety, cutting her bonds and promising to explain everything later, before rejoining Zoe’s side.

“So, we doin’ this together?”

“Hmm,” Zoe hummed, “I thought it was custom to ask me out to dinner first?”

“I- uh– woooo–”

“Kidding,” Zoe chuckled, eyeing her father, who was watching Delta and Luke trade blows with interest, “But yes, we shall do this together .”

Atlas laughed as they charged, a large javelin appearing in his hand. With his suit melting away into full Greek armour, “Come then! Fight me!”

Thalia swung but was batted away into a nearby wall, falling to the floor with a thud. Zoe continued to fire her arrows, but Atlas only cheered with glee as he swatted them away, “Did you think that your experiences would put you on par with me ? A foolish mistake, and one that you shall suffer grievously for.”

A bolt of pure lightning snaked out of the hole Thalia had made in the wall, with the punk girl jumping out after it, the bolt struck and stunned him, but only momentarily. As Thalia jumped to strike high, he reached up, and grabbed her. He brought her close to his face as he grinned, “Pathetic,” and then he threw, sending her skidding across the floor until she landed by Artemis.

Atlas was focused on Zoe now, but Thalia knew that getting back up wasn’t going to help either of them, maybe if they had Delta helping. But as it was now…

“You need to escape,” Artemis hissed, “you cannot win.”

She was right, but maybe that wasn’t the point. The prophecy; The Titan’s curse one must withstand. She wasn’t supposed to win , she just needed to stall.

“The Sky,” Thalia urged, “give it to me.”

“You cannot! You will die!”

“If Annabeth took it,” Thalia stood, striking at the chains, “then so can I, if I’m going to die anyway, then I might as well do it while stalling for the ones I’m bonded with.”

Thalia braced herself on one knee, for a moment, the burden was shared, and Thalia felt like she would collapse. But she could do this, there had been worse, she could feel worse.

But then it was all on her, to say that it was agony turned into reality was no joke.

Zoe, having noticed the switch, whistled at Delta.

“Delta!” she called, catching her attention, “switch with me!”

She nodded, shifting her foot to kick Luke in the chest, sending him skidding across the floor. He tried to follow her retreat but was cut off by the volley of arrows that Zoe began to pepper the ten with.

Delta, on the other hand, joined Artemis as she pulled out her hunting knives.

“Your powers have returned to you?”

Delta nodded, “and I still have yours.”

“I would hope so,” Artemis scoffed, “you're basically my own flesh and blood at this point.”

“Don’t forget the divine bit,” Delta lowered herself, “pretty important.”

Artemis snorted, “Maybe just a bit.”

“Been a while since we’ve fought side-by-side, this’ll be fun.”

Artemis grinned, and dashed forward, becoming a blur of silver as she moved, knives flashing out at the Titan. Delta, who was ready to kick up her own speed, hung back for a moment, looking for the weaknesses in his armour, the blindspots.

Just like hunting deer.

There.

She took in a slow breath, and held the staff at an even level, pointed straight at Atlas, and then…

“Extend.”

Like a bullet, the staff extended until it struck Atlas in the back of his neck, throwing him off balance, much to the surprise of everyone gathered. And as quickly as it extended, it retracted back to its normal size.

Delta smirked, “just like the tide.”

Atlas growled, but Artemis kept him occupied.

“Extend.”

Another blow.

“Extend.”

Another.

“Extend.”

And another, and another, and another–

“Enough!” Atlas roared, “you are all just gnats beneath my–!”

But Delta was already in his face, the nearby pool of water having increased her speed and strength, and hitting him with the full brunt of the staff, “Do you ever shut up?”

Atlas struck out, but the girl ducked, meeting air instead, while Artemis lept over his hand and kicked him in the face, sending him stumbling. But his strength was tectonic, and he just kept coming at them. Again and again, nothing stopped him, the point, however, wasn’t to beat him in a game of outright strength, it would never be possible for them as they were; fatigued and bruised.

Yet, Delta reached inwardly, reaching out through her bond, and pushing: get ready.

Through the pain, she received a wave of acknowledgement.

“Extend!”

Again; the staff shot out, hitting the man square in the nose, enough to blind him momentarily. When his vision cleared, he was presented with a goddess and demigod in his face with fists raised.

Both punched, and Atlas slid back again, yet, it wasn’t quite enough.

“Artemis!” Delta called, hefting the staff at the goddess, who seemed to understand as she caught it. 

She didn’t bother trying to make it extend, as she was sure it wouldn’t work, she did, however, pack a mean swing for a goddess who had never played baseball before. When she hit, her strength, combined with the weapon; was enough to make him fly back and toward Thalia.

She didn’t bother trying to resist, letting her muscles go slack at the moment of impact, and letting the impact carry her as far as possible.

“ Nooooooo!” Atlas roared so hard that the mountain shook, “ You cannot imprison me again!”

Atlas was stuck once more, but Thalia wasn’t getting up.

Artemis was with her in an instant, having left the staff for Delta to retrieve, as she picked it up, her eyes hardened. She turned back to Luke, who was still being out-ranged by Zoe, who was also dodging him anytime he got close, simply too adept at fighting against swords.

“Extend.”

The staff expanded again, striking Luke in the chest and knocking him on the ground near the cliff, Delta approached. The black clouds that framed her against the sky behind her did nothing to make her look anything less than menacing as she approached Luke. When she reached him, she held the staff to his throat, she could cut him, but if she wanted to make it extend–

“Don’t kill him!”

Delta took a breath, turning ever so minutely while keeping Luke in her sight.

It was Annabeth.

She was scrambling, trying her best to stand, “Please!”

“He’s a traitor,” Delta reasoned, “he’ll get away, do it again, how many lives need to be taken before you open your eyes, Annabeth?”

“Percy–”

“HOW MANY?!” Delta roared, shaking the ground beneath her, “I am not Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson died in a creek in the arms of my family. I died because of people like him ,” she pressed hard into his neck, “when he gets more of us killed, when he gets mortals; men, women, children, killed again and again, will you answer for his crimes?”

“We can– we can bring him back to Olympus, he can… he can be useful.”

“Yes, because they won’t kill me just as easily, won't they, Percy?”

“That’s not my name,” Delta growled.

“Oh, right, I forgot, you’re her pet now instead–”

Delta saw red, and before she could think about it, she had already planted her boot in his ribcage. But she put too much into it, and he moved too far back, looking at her with only shock, and then he fell.

“No!” Annabeth screamed.

They all moved to the edge, but it was already far too late; Luke had fallen far below. Body broken and shattered, with the monster of angry monsters increasing the speed of their advance. Arrows and javelins quickly began to fly, and Delta was quick to pull them both back, staff converted back to ring form as they ran to where Artemis stood with Thalia in her arms. She was weak, groaning, but thankfully, alive.

Neither Delta nor Zoe, thought they could take it if they lost her.

“I have already called for my chariot,” Artemis said as they all sighed in collective relief, “we need to get out of here before the monsters arrive and our fatigue catches up with us.”

Delta wasn’t going to tell any of them that she still felt like she could go for round two, no, that would just be extremely rude, and also very uncalled for. As they saw the chariot approach, however, they were all just as equally surprised to see a plane fly overhead, one that leveled the first wave of monsters with what had to be celestial bronze bullets.

“Holy shit,” Delta choked, never having heard Annabeth curse before, “that’s my dad.”

“Yes, well,” Zoe said, “he seemed very worried for you when he was told of the situation.”

“A brave man,” Artemis acknowledged begrudgingly, “now come, we don’t have all the time in the world.”

They all climbed aboard the chariot, with Thalia being wrapped in a blanket, they took off as quickly as possible. As they flew, however, Delta couldn’t help but burst into hysterics at the mere thought of a Sopwith Camel airplane escorting a Greek deity's magical chariot.

Δ

They landed in a field after nightfall.

Annabeth rushed to her father as he stepped out of his plane, wrapping him in a huge hug, while Thalia and Deltas watched with fond expressions. It was good to see her reunite with her family, even if it might feel like a wound now, she had the time to make some amends if she wanted it.

Delta, however, would very quickly become preoccupied with other matters; like the slap that met the side of her face, for example. She staggered back, hand held to her cheek in response, although more due to shock than actual pain.

“What the hell–?”

Thalia’s hands gripped her by the front of her shirt, “you’re an asshole,” she growled.

“I think we established that already,” Delta held up her hands, “mind letting me go?”

“So you can run off and get yourself killed again?” Thalia asked, eliciting a flinch from the Huntress, “because it seems like every time we leave you alone; you go and get yourself killed!”

“Is this really the best place for this conversation?”

She cast a look around, both at Artemis, who stood with her arms crossed, and at Annabeth, who looked like she had a thousand questions and then some. Zoe looked the most neutral of them all, whatever she had to say was drowned out by it being the wrong time to say it.

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the answer if I let you go,” Thalia admitted, something so broken in the words that it hurt to hear, Artemis looked ready to say something, but Zoe shook her head. 

Not the time, nor the place.

There were a million words that she could have said, none of them would have been adequate for the moment at hand, however, as the flickering of red, joined by blue, caught her eye, she just sighed long and hard.

Better not regret this one.

Any words that she could have offered were insignificant, so instead, she offered another alternative; she grabbed Thalia by her shoulders, and kissed her.

If Artemis was surprised, she didn't show it. Zoe had already known, as Delta's speculation of her other String on her pinky was always abound. When she pulled away, however, she almost laughed at the flaming red that graced Annabeth's face.

"I– you– that–" Thalia sputtered, "Zoe's gonna kill me…"

"Unlikely," the girl in question answered, almost amused, "it'd be a bit of a waste after all of the events of the last few days."

"I-"

"As amusing as this is," Artemis intoned, looking just as amused, "I must return to Olympus, the counsel of the gods would be sorely lacking without this new information."

She fixed her eyes on Delta, a million things passed between them, but only a few were said, "we will be talking later," she said, pulling the girl into a quick hug, to the surprise of Thalia and Annabeth, "but I am glad you're alright."

With that, she mounted her chariot once more and disappeared in a flash of light that had them all covering their eyes to avoid the effects. 

"Couldn't even give us a ride," Thalia grumbled, separating herself from Delta's side, "how are we gonna get back now?"

Delta pulled the ring off her finger, letting it glow and expand into the staff; Expanse, once more. None of them had noticed it before, but they could all smell the distinct scent of the sea as it grew to a sizable length. 

"I may have a solution for that," Delta responded, although her eyes were a bit wary, "it's how I climbed the mountain so fast, so it should work, but it's a lot farther…"

"What's a lot farther?" Annabeth asked, leaving her father's side.

"...Vapour travel," Delta answered, "I did it with the staff, I think I could do it again, but it might knock me on my ass for a while, and I mean a while. "

"The staff has energy in it?" Annabeth asked, inspecting the length of it, but she garnered no answer from it.

"Sort of?" Delta made a so-so motion with her other hand, "I think it connects me to the sea, which is like a power-up all on its own, but even then… we'd be going a long way."

They all exchanged glances, they didn't really have much of a choice. Annabeth said quick goodbyes to her father, while he assured her that she would always have a home with him. The blonde seemed a bit hesitant, but eventually; she nodded, rejoining them only a few moments after.

“Hold on tight,” Delta nodded to the staff, “I’m not responsible for any of the limbs you’ll lose if you let go.”

“Wait,” Thalia said, as she was the last to take hold, “we could lose our–”

Her last words never escaped her throat, however, as the world around her turned into a prismatic array of colours and noises. A cacophony of images and feelings presented themselves to her, even while she felt like she possessed no body at all, it was just too much for her to keep up with.

And then, as soon as it began, it was over.

“That wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be,” Delta groaned as she leaned against the staff once everyone else had let go, “but I don’t ever want to do that again.”

“It didn’t feel too bad,” Annabeth admitted.

“You trying being the one to control the direction as we cross the entire country,” Delta grunted, standing up straight, with some difficulty as she dispelled the staff back to its ring, leaning on the shoulder that Zoe offered for support instead, “although, I think it’s safe to say I did a pretty good job.”

They were in an outer courtyard, in front of huge silver gates. They didn’t even have the chance to try and enter, or move forward, before the gates decided to open by themselves, “well, that seems like as good an invitation as any,” Delta said, “let’s get going before one of them decides to incinerate us.”

“Wait,” Thalia said, stopping them all, “if they find out who you are–”

“They already know who I am,” Delta shook her head, “Ares said so, and he doesn’t benefit from lying about that, and I’m still standing.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything good,” Zoe chastised her, looking rather calm despite the situation.

“No,” Delta agreed, “but it means that there’s something they want to see.”

“And what would that be?” Annabeth asked.

Delta didn’t respond, instead cracking a small grin along the length of her face, being so scarily reminiscent of Percy that it threw Annabeth for a loop.

“Something I’m not going to give them.”

Δ

Delta had never been in the throne room of the gods before, and she would have preferred to never step in it at all, but even she couldn’t disregard the elegance that seemed to have gone into the massive room, and the thrones that formed a ‘U’ shape around its center.

Every seat was occupied, with the gods and goddesses on each were massive themselves. It was funny, with each god turning to them, seeing the varying expressions that graced the face of each as they saw her in particular.

Zeus’ face was one she would savour for the rest of her life, which would be quite a long time.

“Welcome, heroes,” Artemis greeted.

Delta acknowledged her with a brief dip of her head, but she was rather distracted by the sight of the god who laid claim to being her father, Poseidon. She pushed herself off of Zoe’s shoulder to stand on her own, despite the increasing fatigue that was settling over her bones, and made eye contact with Poseidon.

Nothing was said, and nothing was acknowledged, but she saw a deep-seated sadness in those old eyes, and, to be honest, she didn’t know if she could have cared any less than she already did. She didn’t care about making him proud, she didn’t care about his claiming, and she certainly didn’t care about any form of guilt that he might be feeling.

“Heroes,” Artemis called again.

The goddess slid from her throne, becoming a more manageable human size, the form she usually took in front of her Hunters; that of a young girl. She moved toward them slowly but with purpose.

She went on to speak about the council's decision and the decree that had been given to the gods and goddesses, each of their new jobs, as to how she and Apollo would hunt the more powerful monsters. While Poseidon would be focusing on Luke’s ship, among other things.

“But as for you, my heroes…" She turned to face the other immortals. "These half-bloods have done Olympus a great service. Would any here deny that?" 

Once again, the gods had varying reactions, with some remaining far more neutral than any of the others. However, it seemed like a storm was about to break, given the way Delta’s hair seemed to stand on end, and a quick glance around showed that she wasn’t the only one who felt it.

Honestly, she expected the whole palace to blow apart at this rate.

"I gotta say," Apollo broke the silence, "these kids did okay." He cleared his throat and began to recite: " Heroes win laurels–" 

"Um, yes, first class," Hermes interrupted like he was anxious to avoid Apollo's poetry. "All in favor of not disintegrating them?" 

A few tentative hands went up– Demeter, Aphrodite. 

"Wait just a minute," Ares growled. He pointed at Thalia and Delta, “These two are dangerous, especially Poseidons’ brat, fi we’ve already got them here–”

“Ares,” Poseidon interrupted, seeming a bit pissed at the moment, “they are all worthy heroes, and I refuse to turn my daughter to ash.”

Delta couldn’t say she had really expected that one, but she would, grudgingly, admit that it was a point for the old man in her book, for multiple reasons.

“Nor mine,” Zeus commanded, “she had done well.”

If it was possible, Delta’s eyebrows would have risen even more, there was an unspoken question in her eyes that Artemis seemed to notice. The answer she received, however, was a simple later within her mind that held her off from inquiring aloud.

For now, it seemed that they had already talked about her existence beforehand, and she could only hope they weren’t planning something behind her back, or something of the like.

“I am also proud of my daughter,” Athena said, speaking for the first time since the council had begun, “but despite our prior conversation , these two both present a major security risk.”

“Mother–!”

Athena cut off her daughter with a look, “The Great Prophecy is clear, meaning a child of the three elder gods is dangerous… such as these two… and as thick-headed as Ares is, he brings up a valid point.”

Ares shouted something indignantly, but they all elected to ignore him.

“Calm yourself, Ares,” Dionysus said from his throne, “save the fighting for another time.”

“You’re protecting these brats?”

“I hold no love for them,” he said, eyes landing on Delta, “especially the one who decided to run away.”

Oh, if Delta could get five minutes alone with this piece of–

“But do you truly think it safest to destroy them now?”

“I do not pass judgement,” Athena commented, “I only point out the risk, the rest is for the council to decide.”

"I will not have them punished," Artemis said. "I will have them rewarded. If we destroy heroes who do us a great favor, then we are no better than the Titans. If this is Olympian justice, I will have none of it." 

"Calm down, sis," Apollo said. "Jeez, you need to lighten up." 

"Don't call me sis! I will reward them." 

Delta was about to do something stupid, they could all almost feel it as she tensed, but none of them expected her to actually yawn. The gods of Olympus had their eyes on her in an instant, and she looked no more fearful for it.

“Oh, sorry,” Delta apologized, “I was just getting rather tired of being talked about like I’m not standing right here.”

“You have a lot of nerve, punk,” Ares growled, a sentiment that some of the other gods seemed to echo.

“And you have a lot of time on your hands if you can bicker about something like this with everything else going on,” she snapped back, “look, you’re all worried about the Great Prophecy, understandably, but you all know as well as I do that a prophecy can’t be circumvented.”

She took a step forward, despite the small protests from her friends, “Kronos is already rising, the Titans are already being freed, monsters are moving as armies, and Luke Castellan is preparing for something.”

“And…”

Delta paused, looking at her friends for just a moment.

“I’m already sixteen,” she said, to the shock of a majority of the gods, but not some; like Poseidon, and Ares, “I have been for nearly seven years, and nothing has happened, even with the requirements being met already. Whatever is going to happen, is already in motion, and has been for a long time.”

“So, yeah, kill me if you want, but as you can already see; it’s not really going to change much of anything.”

“You’re asking us to trust a hero,” Zeus scowled, but didn’t outright deny, “a dangerous task in any era.”

“And yet, my Hunter is correct,” Artemis said, “Which is why I have a reward that would double both as its namesake, and a boon for the god’s comfort. First, however, I must speak to you, Father, privately.”

Zeus beckoned Artemis forward. He leaned down and listened as she spoke in his ear. 

“This is either going to end great,” Delta started as she stepped back to join her friends, “or I’m going to be splattered across multiple different states.”

“That’s what you get for presenting yourself to the gods like that,” Thalia murmured, clearly worried.

“Trust me, it was the better option, by far.”

“If you say so,” Thalia grunted, “Delta, look, you know–”

“Hmm?”

“I, ah…”

It seemed like Thalia was a bit too anxious to say whatever it was that she intended, and she took too long, as now Artemis was turning back around to address them.

“I shall have you join us, Thalia grace,” Artemis, “as a member of the Hunt, if you will accept.”

The gods were stunned into silence, but Zoe and Delta had been expecting this, for a multitude of reasons. While Annabeth wasn’t completely shocked, she was surprised that Thalia was being offered again after all of these years.

“I will,” Thalia answered firmly, a far cry from her stature from moments ago.

Zeus rose, his eyes full of concern. "My daughter, consider well–"

“Father,” Thalia shook her head, “I won’t be turning sixteen tomorrow, and I never will. If there has to be a hero of prophecy, Delta will do it far better than me, and will no doubt succeed. I won’t be the one to take away our best chance at winning this war before it’s even truly begun.”

She knelt before Artemis and began the pledge that she had never heard before, yet seemed to know by heart. When she was done, she glowed with a silver presence that signified her becoming one of their number. 

“I’m sorry, Annabeth, I haven’t known any peace since Half-Blood Hill. I finally feel like I can find my home somewhere, and I…”

“I know,” Annabeth said gently, a tone that betrayed wisdom far beyond her years, “ go, be with them. Just fill me in on all the details before you leave, alright?”

Thalia nodded, smiling at the younger girl, who then actually turned to Delta, “That goes for you too, P– Delta,” Annabeth slipped a bit, but Delta ignored it, “you’re gonna tell me everything, right?”

Delta coughed nervously, sneaking a glance at Thalia, “I think Zoe told Thalia some things, but you both deserve to know the ending of how things came to be, at the very least.”

Annabeth seemed satisfied with that.

“As for the daughter of Poseidon,” Artemis began, “Delta, your father would offer you a boon.”

“A boon?”

“Yes, my daughter,” Poseidon said as he stood from his throne, following Artemis’ example and shrinking down to human size, “Artemis has told me of your circumstances, and how it has damaged your connection to the sea, I would seek to restore it, for the battles ahead.”

“Something tells me it isn’t as easy as a quick snap of your fingers?”

Poseidon chuckled, “No, child, it isn’t. May I?” he held out his hand, which Delta begrudgingly took, suddenly, Delta felt like she was standing in the deep of a lake filled with ice, and thrown underneath a raging current. It was all she could hear in her ears until it finally subsided a few minutes later.

“I have bolstered it, but it will be up to you to truly make up for the loss,” he nodded solemnly, taking her by the shoulder, “but regardless of what you choose to do, know that I am very proud of you.”

He pulled her into a hug, one that she was very averse to returning, but quickly realized that it held another meaning entirely as the man whispered into her ear. It was quick and almost quiet enough for her to miss, but she was able to catch it nonetheless. When she did, her eyes widened to the size of plates, but when she looked at him again, he was already retreating back to his throne.

“Since we will not be destroying the heroes,” Zeus declared, “I imagine we should be honouring them! Let the revelries begin!”

Δ

Delta led her friends to a quiet spot in Olympus, a hard thing when the entirety of it was wrapped up in the revels of a brief victory. They reached what could only be called a park, with a gazebo and everything, Delta was quick to sit and rest her aching bones. Having given Annabeth a cliff notes version of everything so far, because it would take too long otherwise, and began to pick up where Zoe had left off with Thalia…

Δ

Percy had wondered if her powers would allow her to turn into water itself, and if she could, what would it have felt like?

Well, turns out she no longer needed to wonder as that’s what the entire process with Artemis had felt like. She would call it painful, but it wasn’t quite that. She felt like she was being stripped down to her base elements, memories, experience, thoughts, ideals, but no other senses. Invasive would be a better word for it than painful, as she had felt far worse, and over far longer periods.

She had no way of telling how long it took, she wasn’t even sure if she was conscious at all, or if she was just lucid dreaming. She had done that a lot before now, it wouldn't be a surprise to be doing it again now.

“You must wake,” A voice spoke, and when Percy groaned, it only chuckled in response, “Zoe is quite cross with you, I cannot imagine making her wait would be advisable.”

Percy groaned again, but slowly, her eyes opened. She was greeted with the sight of a tent, one that she was apparently laying inside. She was aware of little, and her eyes could see even less, but she was vaguely aware of a hand over her own.

“Don’t try to speak,” the voice spoke again, and Percy was aware enough to pin it as Artemis’ voice, “your body has been stretched to its limits, there was almost nothing salvageable from your… previous one. The nerves, your vocal cords, everything will be fresh and irritated. I called in a favour with my brother to help ease your pain when you become more aware, but I fear this will be worse for you when you wake next.”

There was a pause, and something that sounded like shifting metal, before Artemis spoke again, “We will have much to speak about when you are ready, much has changed, but for now; rest. You’re going to need it.”

“Z–Zoe…”

“Hush,” the goddess chuckled, “I will tell your lover of your state.”

She wasn’t sure if she remembered this next part correctly, but Percy was vaguely certain she had cobbled together enough strength to flip off the goddess before she passed out yet again.

…

When she woke up again, it was too screaming.

It took her less than a moment to realize it was her own.

It took her longer to realize that someone was holding her down.

“Do not let her roll off the bed unless you want to be the bullseye for tomorrow’s target practice!” someone barked out, like it was an order, “where is Lady Artemis?!”

“She’s still away from getting Lord Apollo.”

“Then someone help me with this mixture!” she realized it was Zoe who was shouting now, “otherwise she’s just going to get worse!”

Percy wasn’t all there for the next few minutes, but she would later go on to describe those minutes as the most physically painful of her entire life. Artemis hadn’t been kidding when she talked about fresh nerves, it felt like her entire body was soaked in magma, and her screaming only did more to pain her.

“Hey! Eyes on me!” 

It was a big ask, everyone knew it, but Percy was able to drag her pained gaze over to Zoe’s for all the time that was needed.

“Drink this,” and without waiting, began to pour something down her throat, Percy did her best to swallow all of it, “this will put you to sleep again, but it’s only a stopgap until Artemis returns. Do not resist.”

Again, Percy knew no more.

…

This time, Percy snapped to attention, sitting up ramrod straight with little to no difficulty. Almost jumping completely out of the bed as she moved, only stopped by a quick hand that held her in place.

“Easy now,” Artemis gripped her shoulder, “you wouldn’t want to ruin all the hard work that went into fixing you, hmm?”

“I– uh,” she groaned, words failing her.

“Give yourself time to adjust to your body,” she noted, letting her hand leave her shoulder as she stood, “when you’re ready, I’ll be waiting for you outside.”

And with that, she departed the tent, leaving Percy with herself and her thoughts.

She was… slowly gaining more awareness. She could hear the chirping of birds, the rushing of water nearby, she could… feel things she hadn’t been able to before. Something was off, she could feel it, but not in a bad way, and it was likely that Artemis knew the answer to why that was.

In the meantime, however, Artemis had told her to adjust to her body, and if the last thing she remembered was correct…

She stood up, briefly stumbling, although whether that be due to some form of deconditioning, the changes made to her body, or the dull pain flooding through her, she couldn’t tell. There was a mirror, off to the corner, which had probably been put there for her convenience. 

Hestinace gripped her, however, fear, the idea that she would wake up from a dream that she had not earned. On the other hand; she knew she couldn’t stand forever, it would be an insult to everyone else who had gotten her this far.

So, she moved forward, and it took all she had not to fall to her knees.

There was a multitude for this, of course, but none were something she could ever be able to put into words, even when she told the story years later to others, there would never be a way to find out how exactly she thought of herself in that moment.

She took in her new reflection, it was scary, to look at a new face. She could admit that much, but as her eyes began to wander, she began to take in the details of everything. She was… probably just as tall as she had been, which made her taller than the average girl, which meant she could still make fun of Zoe for being short.

Her hair was far, far longer than it had been, enough so that it made her wonder if she should lop some of it off. It was probably around halfway down her back, she wouldn’t cut it now, just to see, but it would need to be kept up to make sure it didn’t get in the way.

There was a moment of realization, where she wondered if this is how her mother looked when she was her age, she could definitely see the resemblance. But it was something else too, something about her new looks that was so oddly familiar that…

Oh.

Shuffling that to the side for later, she focused back on herself; she definitely had changed, and that was an understatement. Artemis held up her end of the bargain, even if it came a bit early, and Percy got what had been offered, along with… everything that came with it.

She flushed a little knowing that she was going to be made fun of by Zoe for weeks because of all the questions she was going to have now, and Zoe would delight in holding the knowledge that Percy needed her help over her head.

Turning around, she saw her sword and knife on a table, along with a jacket that definitely hadn’t been hers, but if it was there with her stuff, then it was probably meant for her. Taking her sword and knife, and strapping them both to her waist, and then slipping on the jacket, she made her way to the flap of the tent. The moon greeted her as she stepped into the fresh air, a welcome greeting after having been unconscious for however long she’d been out. 

“Glad you could join me,” Artemis said from her spot leaning up against a post, “walk with me, we can talk as we move.”

They moved through the tents quietly, only seeing a few Hunters milling about the camp on patrol, each of which offered Percy a nod as they passed by. They eventually broke the line of tents, moving closer to the trees and were soon enough in the forest.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better than I expected, how long was I…?”

“Three weeks,” Artemis said with a wince, “you were in and out for a while, I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t remember most of it. It didn’t really get better until I finally managed to drag my buffoon of my brother here. Then you slept through the rest of your recovery, although he said to expect some haze for a bit when you woke up.”

“Definitely feeling that,” Percy grumbled.

“I’m sure,” Artemis chuckled, stopping as they came to the side of a small lake, “call the water to you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Trust me.”

Percy, who owed Artemis her life, only shrugged. So, she did what she had accidentally done back in her fight with the monsters, and reached for the trug in her gut that she came to associate with her powers. The water in front of them rippled, lifting ever so slightly, but didn’t move as nearly enough as she had expected.

She almost fell to her knees, but Artemis was there to catch her.

“It is as I feared, then.”

“What… happened to me?”

Artemis frowned, but gestured to the grass beneath them, “Sit.”

She did so, waiting for Artemis to speak.

“As I told you, to make sure that your divine half, given to you by your father, didn’t get in the way; I had to superimpose my own in the area that was left empty from your attack. This came with some… unforeseen consequences.”

“Meaning, what, exactly?” Percy tensed, “am I gonna die or something?”

“No, far from it, your healthy as an ox,” Artemis assured, “I had to get my brother to confirm it, but my theory after my work was done turned out to be correct, so, let me explain from the beginning.”

“We gods, do not have DNA as you humans do, when we ‘bleed’ as you call it, we shed our ichor, this does not flow in mortals, not even demigods. Instead, you share our divine presence, our ‘aura’ so to speak. Imagine a piece is taken from the sea that is our soul when we gods have children, which is why you don’t have ichor, not even a drop. The genetics matter little in this scenario.”

“Because you don’t have DNA or blood?”

“In terms that are simple enough for me to explain in a reasonable time, yes,” Artemis nodded, “so, when I flooded you with my aura in the attempt to override his, and to save your body, the process–”

“That's why I look more like you now, you’re saying you basically overwrote half of my composition with yours.”

She had noticed this already, of course, when looking in the mirror. The similarities between her new face and that of the form Artemis usually took; to match the look of the rest of her Hunters. It would have been impossible to miss, the implications, however, were more far-reaching than just that.

“Yes,” Artemis said, taking the next bit more slowly, “in the eyes of the gods, you would be considered my child over Poseidon’s, even though he made the way for your conception. I’m not sure how the other gods would perceive this, so for now, I have no intention of telling anyone. Except Apollo, of whom I had no choice but to divulge this.”

“That’s… fine,” Percy breathed, “I– wow, okay, that’s not what I was expecting to hear. That’s why my connection to the water is broken?”

“Yes, I feel it would still heal faster in water, and be empowered by it, but for now, I don’t know the extent to which that would be,” Artemis answered, “I’m sorry, I know–”

“Don’t be,” Percy scoffed, looking at the lake, “they were useful, yes, but I wasn’t attached to my old man. My mom died, and I didn’t so much as hear a peep from him, yet our parents can turn us into fucking trees if they want.”

The last part reeked of venom, and Artemis did not blame her for it.

“Although, that explains how I felt when I woke up.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I could… hear nature? It was weird, I can’t really describe it,” Percy described.

Artemis looked perplexed, “I can’t say I was expecting this, when I healed you, and changed your body, it’s not how I would have done it if you were a weaker demigod. Some magic and it would have been done, but you were dying as well, so I had to break you down and rebuild you from scratch, and it took me all night. So, not only did I fill the gap…”

“You basically made me a perfect conduit for it,” Percy laughed, running a hand through her hair, “wow, I guess I just got lucky then.”

“Lucky?”

“You said it was an accident, but I got some cool stuff out of it,” Percy replied, “I’ll count that as a win.”

“Well, if you’re looking at it like that, I certainly won’t blame you. Only time will tell what these new abilities are, however, as I’ve never had a child, and the first children of a god are always stronger than any after” Artemis frowned, “I’m not really sure how to handle…” she gestured between them, “this.”

Percy, admittedly, didn’t know either.

“I guess we just…” Percy paused, shrugging uselessly, “see how it goes, after all, we’re gonna have all the time in the world, right?”

Artemis blinked, “Well, I suppose you're right, I’ve never had to swear one of my own into the oath, so I’m not sure how this will go.”

“Hopefully I don’t blow up,” Percy joked.

“Yes, hopefully,” Artemis agreed.

“I guess I really have to hold up my end of the bargain now, huh,” Percy muttered, “it'll look really poor on my end if I wasn’t able to follow through now.”

“It would, wouldn’t it?” Artemis grinned, “might I make a suggestion?”

“Sure.”

“A new name, for a new life,” Artemis suggested, making Percy’s eyes widen, “you were already moving on from your old life, and while I would not disagree if you didn’t take this chance, I would think it important to make that distinction.”

Percy thought about that, truthfully, she didn’t care too much that she had still been going by Percy. But she would be lying if she said that she hadn’t thought about doing such a thing before.

“And, what, do you suggest that name be?”

“Delta, like the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet, four points, a strong foundation.”

“And like the river landform,” Percy said, “I like it, but, I’m still keeping my original name as my middle one, I can’t just… my mother gave me the name, I’m not getting rid of it that easily.”

“An acceptable arrangement,” Artemis nodded, “Now, Delta, if you would like to begin your oath?’

“Yeah,” Delta grinned, “let’s do it.”

Δ

“So, what kind of shenanigans did you and Zoe get up to after that?” Thalia asked, hiding a knowing smile.

Despite the hours that had passed, the party was still going strong.

“I had to teach the stupid girl so much,” Zoe grinned, “it was actually quite embarrassing.”

“Aaaaaand that’s enough of that,” Delta shut her down immediately, “those are all stories for another time.”

“I just can’t believe you're the only child of Artemis,” Annabeth breathed, “that’s… only you, Delta, only you. At least the Artemis cabin will have an officially designated resident if it’s ever needed.”

“With these two knuckleheads?” Delta jerked her thumb at Thalia and Zoe, “we all know I’ll need a vacation at some point.”

“Funny,” Thalia said drily, “I do have a question though; you used your powers in the museum, before the staff, before the boost from your dad… how did you do that?”

“I don’t actually know,” Delta shook her head, “I’m just as confused as you, but if I had to guess, I would think that it was my anger pushing my limits past their mortal barriers. But I genuinely don’t have a real answer.”

They all thought about it for a while, plunging them all into a comfortable silence.

Δ

“Poseidon,” Artemis said as she approached the man.

“Artemis,” he nodded, “it is good to see you.”

She crossed her arms, “I must say, I’m rather impressed you only talked to her as much as you did,” she said, only talking so freely because they were the only two on this side of the throne room, “I expected you to try more, or to question her.”

“Artemis, I lost that right a long time ago; the day her mother died.”

Her eyes narrowed at the man, “I heard her as well she did, my hearing is greater than any of the other gods; her mother lives, Poseidon. That’s because of you, isn’t it? You saved her life.”

“My dearest relative,” Poseidon smiled, “I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about, now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to grab myself some food before I depart to the sea once more.”

He gave her a pat on the shoulder, and walked by, acting as if nothing had changed between them at all, but then, he paused, “Oh, and, take care of her, she’s more your daughter than she is mine now, she’ll listen to you. Not so much with her old man though.”

She blinked owlishly at him, surprised that he was the only one who seemed to have noticed. This time, he was well and truly gone, and Artemis figured there was no better time than now to go and find her wayward Hunters.

Finding them was surprisingly easy, seeing as they hadn’t gone very far at all, with the four friends gathered around Delta as she seemed to tell some kind of story.

“...and that’s how I managed to have Zoe hanging upside down by her foot.”

“Only because you tricked me!”

“Ah, and such a great trick it was.”

‘As funny as this all sounds,” Artemis interrupted, drawing their attention, “I do believe we should get back to make sure the campers haven’t burnt down all of Camp Half-Blood yet.”

“Probably a good idea,” Delta said as she rose, “Phoebe probably got up to something while we were gone.”

“Let’s hope she didn’t rope Bianca up into it,” Thalia said, shuddering just a bit.

“Oh gods,” Delta groaned as she stretched, “let’s hope not.”

Artemis chuckled at the antics of the girls in front of her, truly, she would have nothing to worry about if they were able to keep their heads about them.

With a flash of light and a brief pop , they were gone.

Δ

With Bianca being sworn into the hunt, there was no longer a reason to stay, and Delta had a mission to get back to, after all.

“So, you’re leaving?” Annabeth asked, Nico and Grover were close by but were standing farther back from the two girls.

“Yeah,” Delta nodded, running her thumb over her ring, “I have a promise to keep, remember? That’s what we were doing before we got started on this quest and went to save you. I’d like to get back to it now, and… some other things came up. But I’ll try and visit when I can, gods know that the war will make us see more of each other soon enough.”

Annabeth nodded but didn’t look too happy about it.

“The camp needs someone like you now more than ever, Annabeth,” Delta jerked her chin at Nico, “he needs someone to train him, and I’m sure you can give him some great pointers.”

“Yeah, I will, I just…” Annabeth looked like she might cry, “I just got you back.”

“I know,” Delta smiled, pulling the girl into a tight hug, “and I’m not disappearing this time, yeah? Just a few trips here and around, then I’ll be back to visit,” she pulled away from the hug, looking down at the shorter girl, “just don’t let the Stolls burn down the camp while I’m gone.”

“That’s a big ask,” Annabeth laughed.

“Someone needs to do it,” Delta said with a shrug, turning on her heels, “bye, Annabeth, I’ll be seeing you.”

“Bye, Delta.”

Delta was quick to rejoin Zoe and Thalia at the bottom of the hill, where a car was waiting for them, they had one last place to be before they headed back to their own camp, where she was sure that Artemis would drill her to start practicing with her abilities again; her own, and Poseidon’s.

Until then, Delta had some driving to focus on.

Δ

“This is totally a date,” Thalia deadpanned.

“Is not,” Delta shot back, “we’re calling it ‘paid leave’.”

“Who’s ‘we’?”

“Artemis and I,” Delta grinned, earning a groan from Zoe.

“Conspiring against me, as always.”

“But you gotta admit,” Delta said, “the food makes it all worth it.”

“It could be worse,” Zoe agreed.

“Oh?” Delta leaned over Thalia, “that’s high praise from her.”

Thalia snickered, and then almost choked on her food as she forgot she had been eating, it was then up to Delta to laugh at the girl while Zoe just shook her head in wonder. These were the two she was bonded with, it was unbelievable, yet, she didn’t hate it, not at all.

“So,” Thalia said once she was done almost-choking, “where do we go from here with… this?”

“Wing it.”

“Wing it?” Thalia asked incredulously.

“That’s kinda how me and Zoe went about it,” Delta shrugged, and Zoe nodded.

“That sounds like a story.”

Zoe and Delta exchanged a look, one that didn’t go unnoticed by Thalia either, before they both turned back to her, “We’ll tell you another time,” Delta said, “but it’s a long story… and a painful one.”

Zone nodded, looking rather solemn at the mention, and Thalia wondered just what had happened to make that look appear on the normally unflappable girl’s face. She knew it wasn’t her place to ask… yet.

“For now,” Delta stood, getting ready to leave, “we should get back, and then get ready to take another look at Artemis’ String, it seemed to be reacting stronger when we were around Maine… but I need to follow up on some things first.”

“Some ‘things’?”

“I heard tell of a book, one that had some information about the Strings, myths, and stuff,” Delta supplied, “but it’s worth the look if I can find the damn thing, lucky for us, the last person who was thought to have it was also living around Maine, so we’ll see how that goes for us.”

Thalia was getting a little bit excited, this was the kind of thing she lived for; a little bit of adventure, and being able to do it beside her soulmates was… well, she was sure it’d be fun, to say the least.

Delta offered her hand to Thalia, “You ready for another adventure?”

“Yeah,” she smirked, grabbing the hand offered to her, “I think I am.”