Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson
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Emerald Library: Is so big you can google it
Writer's Block: wttJDs62Dy
LAST TIME:
"Do you really think a sword will help you!?" Luke yelled at me as I caught Riptide as I felt a pulse shoot through my body as I couldn't help but let out a groan of satisfaction. The instant it landed in my hand I felt the part I had severed from myself so long ago finally returned, for the first time in a long time I felt whole. My entire being was finally together as all the pain in my body and worries in my mind washed away. It was just like getting a soft and tender hug from Percy and Hestia that ended with a soft and loving kiss. My emotions soared as a brilliant smile appeared on my face.
"Sword?" I questioned as I looked down at Riptide, a memory of me losing Riptide to Heracles all those years ago appeared in my head. I could only grip its handle harder as I felt a rage begin to build up in me, even riptide seemed to vibrate angrily along with me as my eyes landed on Luke.
"Riptide is not a sword, this form is a twisted image Heracles cast on it. Let me show you its true form." I said as my gray aura once again burst from my body.
NOW:
THIRD PERSON POV:
With Riptide in her hand Zoë's soul was finally whole for the first time in more than 2 millenia, her reunion with Riptide brought about a great change in her. As soon her aura began to grow larger than ever before, the others even had to step back due to the intensity as they felt beads of sweat slowly trail down their backs. Even so the intensity only continued to grow until it finally peaked as their faces turned to shock. Zoë's aura had reached that of a minor god as her honey brown eyes turned stone gray as they bore holes into Luke Castellan.
Then her tattoos then began to appear on her body once again as they raced across her skin until they were fully completed. The elegant silver tattoos and aura made her look like a warrior goddess, yet the moment that the tattoos touched Riptide, something amazing happened. The blade itself hummed in pure happiness as its color began to change. The bronze color was quickly being replaced by a silver and gray tone as a bronze aura was forced out of the sword. Soon a silver sword with a gray metal handle was wielded by Zoë as a soft smile crossed her lips.
The sword then began to elongate and grow as it began to transform, everyone watched in awe as a 3 foot sword began to take the shape of a 6 foot long gray pole. Intricate designs that portrayed events of the past lay on the pole, if you looked closely enough you could even make out that they were events from Zoë's past. Still the transformation was not done, as silver began to build on one end of the pole as two large square blocks formed on each side of the pole as soon a true double sided war hammer came to life.
Just as the transformation stopped on both ends of the warhammer a sudden silver flash erupted as both of Zoë's gauntlets flew to both sides of the warhammer. Each gauntlet taking a side as they landed on the flat ends, before Zoë knew it two roaring lion heads were now present on each end. Both faces were depicted in such detail it was hard to tell if it was fake or not, yet now the warhammer looked even more intimidating as Zoë smiled.
"I am sorry it took me so long, I should have found you sooner." Zoë said in an apologetic tone as Riptide simply hummed at her as if telling her to not worry.
"Still it seems you made some friends, I hope you three get along now." She continued as Riptide hummed in delight as the two lion heads seemed to even let out a small roar as well.
"Now…" Zoë said as she picked up the warhammer and began to swing it with extreme ease as a lion's roar was heard each time she took a swing. A brilliant laugh then left her mouth as Luke seemed to shrink back even more. Annabeth, Grover, and Nick could only stare in awe at her, the wind from her swings was enough to rustle their hair even though they sood a good 30 feet away. Even the grass beneath her was unearthed by the simple wind pressure.
*ROAR!*
Finally she stopped swinging the weapon with one hard swing as the ground trembled a bit, with a smile of happiness gracing her lips she slowly pointed the true Riptide right at Luke.
"So how many legs should I break? One, two, or three?" She asked as Luke's face scrunched up a little as he gritted his teeth a bit more. Nick and Grover both put on sour faces and seemed to back a bit further away a bit from her words. Annabeth on the other hand… her eyes were filled with pure curiosity and amazement at what just happened. Her Athena side clearly controlled her at the moment as her human side seemed to shut down with what was going on.
"How about you go fuck yourself!" Luke yelled at Zoë as he reached into his pocket and pulled out another crystal. This one however was not like the other one as it contained a pure red aura and was instead a sphere shape. Before Zoë could even more Luke threw the crystal into his mouth and swallowed it down, as soon as he did a new aura burst from him. This one was not like the golden one but instead orange and red, even the aura itself was like flames as Luke let out an evil laugh.
"I can't believe I had to use two in one day! All because of this bitch!" He angrily roared as his blue eyes now gained a firefly light to them. Zoë narrowed her eyes in turn and readied her guard up as the aura began to burn even brighter and grow in power. Soon his aura matched Zoë's and even managed to go over it, the instant the two auras met in the air small sparks of electricity came to life.
As the energy in the air intensified Luke held up his sword as it suddenly caught ablaze with a pure orange flame. Seeing the flame a sense of familiarity seemed to tingle in Zoë's mind, yet she couldn't put a finger on it as she was forced to focus. Luke was already beginning his attack as he swung his sword at her as a giant crescent of fire shot towards her, instantly a intense heat permeated the air and all the vapor in the air seemed to disappear.
"WEAK!" Zoë roared as her aura condensed around her in a single moment and in the next she began to move as Riptide began to sail through the air. The head of the hammer let out a huge roar as it moved so fast it was like a hurricane suddenly appeared.
*RRROOAARR!!*
*BBBOOOMMM!*
The moment the hammer met the blade it was like a scene from a doomsday movie as the flame exploded upwards. A huge eruption of flames nearly 4 stories tall filled the air as Zoë had managed to hit the strike upwards. Yet seeing the flames burn the air with a vengeance, Zoë was finally able to pinpoint whose flames they were.
'Hyperion had sided with Kronos it seems.' Zoë thought to herself as she began to move once again. The ground split apart under her feet as she rushed towards Luke, each step caused a crater to form and the ground to shake. Yet Luke remained crazy eyed as he faced the daughter of Atlas and the flames around his blade intensified. In a single second the two were on top of one another as Zoë swung Riptide at Luke as his blade of flame met her strike.
*BOOOM!*
Their strikes once again shook the sky and earth as they forced each other back and another burst of fire filled the sky. Zoë was honestly surprised to see Luke able to hold his ground against her strength, yet as she looked closer she could see Luke's arms shaking a tiny bit as she grinned a bit. With that both she and Luke continued to fight as the two became like a storm of strikes, each one meeting in a burst of fire or breaking of the ground.
Everyone watched in complete awe as the two fought one another, the world seemed to turn into a war zone as either fire or debris filled it. The trio was forced to back up as it grew more and more intense, even Thalia's tree and the magic surrounding it had a hard time keeping the fire and debris away. Its roots dug themselves deeper into the ground even as another strike missed Luke by inches and slammed into the ground.
"AHHH!" Zoë let out a war cry as she suddenly spun around Riptide's handle and landed a solid double kick to Luke's chest. A burst of blood shot out of his lip as Luke grimaced and slid back several feet, before he had time to move Zoë had already spun around the handle and landed. In a split second Zoë had already ripped the hammer out of the ground and was already swinging down on his head with all her might.
"FUUCCCKKK!" Luke roared in anger as he was forced to block the strike since he had not time to dodge. A huge chunk of his aura and flames seemed to create a shield around him as the hammer came down.
*DDDIIINNGGG!*
The sound of metal hitting metal rang through the air as Luke's barrier was able to hold against the strike. Yet the force was still so immense he was forced to a knee and even the ground he was on sunk down a bit. Zoë then pulled back Riptide as she seemed to catch her breath, nearly 40 exchanges between the two had happened and neither of them were in the best of shape.
Even with her newfound energy Zoë still had her injuries from before as her side had once again started to bleed. Luke on the other hand was much worse for wear, both his arms were shaking violently as they barely held up against Zoë's strikes. In this moment the two seemed to come to a standstill as the two tried to catch their breath.
"Give up Luke, you can't win with borrowed power." Zoë said as Luke just glared at her, just then he recalled the barrier as he stood up with shaky legs as he readied himself. Seeing this Zoë did the same but winced as her side seemed to open even more.
"How about you give up? It doesn't look like you can last much longer." He said in a snarky tone as the rest of the flames and aura began to focus on his blade as the orange flames began to turn golden. Seeing Luke was planning to go all out for one last strike Zoë gritted her teeth and began to do the same as her aura to condense even more.
"Luke! Just stop it already! Just give up!" Annabeth screamed from a distance as the two glanced at the now crying blond hair girl. Clearly her mind had finally caught up to she watched her family get beaten down, thankfully Nick and Grover held her back as she struggled in their arms.
"You really have a knack for letting people down don't you?" Zoë whispered at Luke as his face turned into one of rage, his sword then turned from golden to pure white as he poured the last of his energy into the strike.
"I could say the same for you daughter of Atlas!" He screamed as Zoë just kept a voice void of emotion as her aura condensed around riptide to the point the whole weapon seemed to vibrate with energy. At the same time around her head appeared a floating silver circlet several inches above her head, yet its diameter was nearly twice as big as her head.
Even then it was made of the finests metal and down each side it had the most beautiful designs making it appear elegant and commanding. While right in the middle a shimmering gem that seemed to hold a floating galaxy in it. Yet it only seemed to come half into existence as it appeared see through and even flickered a few times as if it would disappear in an instant. Zoë didn't even notice her new addition as she gritted her teeth through the pain and focused the last of her energy and charged at Luke.
In a single instant the two were swinging their weapons with all their might as Luke and Zoë let out screams of furry. Zoë had leaped into the air and brought Riptide down so fast that it screamed through the air while Luke cut upwards so fast that it left a trail of white where his sword cut. The second their weapons clashed it was like the world froze and a dome of pure white energy engulfed both Luke and Zoë then vanished as everything went quiet.
Both Zoë and Luke appeared stuck as they gritted their teeth as their wounds continued to bleed more and more. Yet between both weapons a tiny grape sized black ball was stuck between both weapons. The cumulation of all their energy had somehow collapsed and created this due to the force of both their strikes. Yet neither of them could move their bodies, as their muscles seemingly screamed from the onslaught they had already endured.
"This all you got boy?" Zoë asked with a tense voice as blood began to drip from her lips as Luke gritted his bloody teeth. His feet then started to slide back ever so slowly as Zoë's body pushed against his even harder, as she did bolts of pure energy began to leak from the sphere.
"F-Fuck you!" Luke said he continued to struggle against her monstrous strength, though he was a powerful demigod by normal standards and even boosted by a titan's aura he was still not her match for long. Then as she pushed harder Zoë's face scrunched up in a huge amount of pain as her side suddenly began to profusely bleed harder than ever before. Seeing this Luke narrowed his eyes and pushed back against her as more cracks began to appear on the energy sphere and more energy began to leak out.
"You know I never really disliked Percy, yet part of me wants to see what his face will look like over your cold corpse. Better yet both your children as well." He said in a cold voice as Zoë's eyes were filled with fury reaching a new level she had never felt, yet she didn't have any more energy to use and her body only had a few moments left before it gave way. Glaring at him Zoë didn't say a word and instead spit a large amount of blood that was in her mouth right at him.
*Splat!*
*BOOOOOMMMM!!*
The second the spit landed on Luke's face he flinched backwards and his body seemed to give, with his pressure no longer there the sphere finally broke apart and all hell was unleashed. A massive cone shape of energy came to life and engulfed Luke before he even had time to scream. The cone holding all the energy from their strikes managed to engulf half of the big hill in its path of destruction. Thankfully the direction was away from camp or else more than just a few people would have been hurt.
*RUMMMBBBLEEE!*
Soon the cone dispersed after 10 seconds as the air continued to howl and the ground continued to shake. All that was left was a massive trench in the ground that went on for several hundred feet that left nothing but destruction in its path. Some trees that were caught in the blast were now on fire as it completed a scene of pure power. All that was left was Zoë who was using Riptide as a cane at the very beginning of the cone, she held her side in agony as she tried to catch her breath.
"Z-Zoë!" A few voices screamed in the air as Zoë slowly turned to see Grover and Nick running over as a shaky Annabeth followed behind. Zoë could only slumped to her knees as they got closer and just as she did, the transparent circlet disappeared and then Riptide transformed. A silver hairpin that had a few purple nightshade flowers on the end of it appeared in her hair as she let out a cough of blood.
"W-We need nectar to seal the wound! Grover grab anyone you can find and get help! They should have already heard the boom so people are probably coming, just hurry!" Nick yelled as Grover quickly nodded and then ran as fast as he could towards camp. At the same time Nick turned to Annabeth who stood in complete shock as she stared at the massive trench that had fires lining both its sides.
"Annabeth help me!" Nick yelled but Annabeth didn't even flinch at his voice, instead tears began to well up in her eyes as she herself took shaky steps towards the trench and collapsed to her knees.
"Damit! I-I'm sorry about touching you, please don't hit me later!" Nick yelled as he gently eased Zoë to the ground and rolled her so her side wound was facing him. He then began to tear into his backpack and pull out gauze and other times as he put pressure on her wound with the gauze. Zoë could only lay there and wince in pain as the boy did his best, yet as Nick tended to her worst wound her weak eyes slowly found Annabeth's small back as the girl remained still.
"H-He's d-dead." Annabeth murmur reached Zoë and Nick's ears as Nick froze up a bit but gritted his teeth as he continued to help Zoë. Zoë herself wanted to say something but couldn't find the words, just then the air seemed to grow thick with energy as Zoë's eyes widened drastically. An aura like the sun itself then came from the trench as all three of them watched in awe as all the cinders and flames surrounding the trench began to move.
All the fires and flames began to fly and merge into a large ball as the aura began to grow and grow. Soon the ball reached 10 feet tall as the last cinder of flame was sucked into it, just then the sun-like aura gave one final spike before a figure slowly stepped out of the flaming ball. Instantly the temperature in the area skyrocketed as everyone began to sweat bullets and tremble as a 8 foot tall man appeared.
A very muscular man with fiercely glowing skin that was almost like polished pennies appeared before everyone. His handsome face dawned a simple clean shaven beard with a carefully waxed head. Yet his eyes took the show as they appeared like miniature supernovas that gave off a harsh light, he even wore an expensive looking black business suit with golden trimming giving him an even more high class feel. Yet nobody present was admiring him as a deep sense of fear began to permeate their very bones as they shivered.
*Sigh*
"Can't believe I was forced to save this idiot, this is not a job for the lord of light." The man said in a harsh tone as he suddenly dropped a figure that he carried in his arm to the ground, a low groan left their mouth as everyone instantly recognized the voice.
"L-Luke!" Annabeth screamed but didn't dare move as the man slowly floated down and stood beside Luke as he tried to stand up but simply couldn't. The man simply glared down at him and released another frustrated sigh, he then turned and locked eyes with the people standing around the trench as he quickly gave them a scan.
"Hmm… A daughter of the brain child, A son of the puddle, and…" The man paused a bit as his eyes seemed to grow even brighter as he slowly grinned.
"A daughter of Atlas himself, an especially strong one as well! No wonder you had to use my gift boy." The man spoke as Luke barely managed to get to one knee as he looked up at the massive man. His face tattered and burnt in several places giving him a ragged look as he couldn't help but cough.
"L-Lord Hyperion we must leave, the gods will have sensed you by now. W-We cannot jeopardize Kronos' mission." Luke said in a ragged tone as Hyperion stared at Zoë for a bit longer before casting his gaze towards the camp and clicking his tongue.
"Why couldn't you have picked a place a bit further away from camp? I would have been able to capture a wonderful offering for him? BAH! You blasted demigods are so ignorant." Hyperion chastised Luke as Luke simply gritted his teeth at his harsh words. A circle of flame then began to encase the two as vines shot out of the ground as they tried to attack Hyperion as the titan simply frowned a bit.
"It seems we have overstayed our welcome, that drunk god is finally getting off his ass it seems." He cursed as the fire began to spine faster and faster as the two figures began to disappear from view.
"LUKE!" Annabeth's voice screamed once again as Luke was barely able to see the teary face of Annabeth through the flames. The instant their eyes met Annabeth's face fell as Luke's face grimaced and looked away. Like that more vines began to sprout from the ground and attack the flame pyre, not a single one went through though as the flames intensified. Then in a single moment the flames began to die down instantly as nothing but cinders were left on the ground the titan and Luke once stood.
"It seems I was too late." A voice filled the air as Mr. D in golden battle armor appeared on the hill. Everyone turned to him as he looked around and took note of everything happening, first his gaze landed on the struggling Zoë as he walked her way.
"W-Why weren't you here sooner?!" A voice screamed his way as everyone turned to face a furious Annabeth who struggled to get off the ground. Her stormy gray eyes looked like actual storms as she glared at a god with gritted teeth.
"Even if I was here there was no changing that boy's mind Annabeth." Mr. D spoke in a calm tone as Annabeth seemed to continue to glare at him. Yet hearing her name said correctly by the wine god seemed to calm her down a bit as tears continued to flow out of her eyes as she weeped.
"Annabeth." A quiet voice filled the air as Annabeth jolted a bit from hearing it as she turned to see a pale Zoë staring up at her. Her stone gray eyes now back to their honey brown color as she reached out a hand towards the demigoddess. Annabeth shakily walked to Zoë the same time as Mr. D did, Nick was forced out of the way as the wine god lifted the bloody gauze and frowned a bit.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop him." Zoë said in a pained tone, wincing as Mr. D removed the gauze entirely as he pulled out his chalice that he normally drank from. At the same time Annabeth took Zoë's slightly cold hand as her body continued to tremble.
"I-It isn't your fau-."
"Shut up fishbreath, now hold down her legs." Mr. D chastised Nick as he tried to console Zoë and Annabeth. Zoë internally thanked the wine god as Annabeth stared at Zoë with weeping eyes.
"I promise we will bring him back, even if I have to beat him half to death. Got that?" Zoë said with a wince as Annabeth's eyes continued to uncontrollably let out tears. Annabeth then nodded a few times as Zoë gave her a smile.
"This is gonna hurt a lot, brace yourself." Mr. D said as he looked at the goblet full of golden nectar as Zoë took a deep breath.
"I've had two children already, how hard can it be?" She tried to joke, yet the instant the words left her mouth a scorching feeling permeated her entire being. Mr. D had begun to pour the nectar on her wounds as her whole body seemed to spasm a bit. A sizzling sound even started to come from the wound as Zoë gritted her teeth together and took desperate breaths from her nose. Yet her hands never left Annabeth's as they squeezed her so hard Annabeth sword her hands were gonna break.
Finally after a full minute Mr. D pulled away his goblet and looked at the wound as fresh pink skin took its place. Looking over his handy work a bit Mr. D nodded a few times before standing up and stretching as he let out a small sigh. Zoë had passed out at some point along the time of the treatment yet her hand still remained tightly clenched to Annabeth's. Seeing the sight he simply sighed, if she didn't let go it was going to be such a hassle transporting her to the medical room.
Thankfully for him a burst of shadow in the tree line caught his attention as he turned to see two familiar goddesses and a certain ranger of Olympus running his way. All three of which looked ready to murder someone or something, yet as their eyes landed on a passed out Zoë a rush of worry crossed their faces. Mr. D didn't wait around and waved them over as he let out another sigh, why is there alway so much drama at this place?
"Took you long enough!" He yelled as the three ran up to the scene.
LINEBREAK:
"... Are you listening?" A voice asked Zoë snapped up from what she was doing, yet as she did she blinked a bit as a bout of confusion filled her mind. She suddenly found herself in a vast field of colorful flowers, in her hands was a partially complete flower crown even, yet she did not remember getting here. As she looked at the scene before her a sense of deja vu overcame her, yet she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Zoë?" The voice asked again as Zoë turned to see Artemis kneeling beside her with a slightly confused look on her face. Yet as she looked at Artemis she realized her attire was not the one she normally wore. Instead of her normal hunting clothes it was a pure white toga with a silver lining on it. Her goddess even had her hair up in a neat braid as well, though the style wasn't unusual the length of her hair was. Instead of coming to her mid back like normal it reached all the way to the ground.
Seeing this Zoë's deja vu suddenly became more vivid and in the next second she realized what was going on, this was a memory. A very important one she held close to her heart. She couldn't help but blush as she realized she had forgotten a part of the memory. Still she glanced at her still slightly concerned goddess before setting back to work on her flower crown.
"S-Sorry I was just lost in thought." Zoë said as her blush crossed her cheeks as Artemis gave a soft smile.
"So have you decided yet?" Artemis asked as Zoë's hands slowed down a bit as she shook her head.
"I haven't yet, everything I try to pick is simply wrong or doesn't sound good." Zoë admitted as Artemis put on a thoughtful face as she reached over and plucked another bright colored flower to add to her crown.
"Well… if you are having such a hard time maybe… I could help?" Artemis asked while glancing at Zoë to see her reaction as Zoë blinked in surprise, her mind was so caught up in the memory as everything felt like it was happening for the first time.
"W-What? Milady you shouldn't have to lower yourself to help with such a thing. It is not worth a god's attention." Zoë said in a slightly panicked voice and even waved her arms as Artemis paused a bit and put on a small sad face.
"Do you truly not wish for my help?" Artemis asked as Zoë felt her heart go crazy as she nervously played with her incomplete flower crown. Yet as she sat there she began to slowly muster up the courage as her hands gripped at her own toga and crown.
"N-No… I-I wouldn't mind the help." Zoë managed to get out as Artemis smiled as Zoë could only blush a bit.
"So what did you possibly mind? Something you like or enjoy you want to incorporate in your last name?" Artemis asked as Zoë looked at her excited goddess before gulping a little.
"I like flowers, sunsets, and I have started to enjoy hunting as well. I just don't want anything… that reminds me of my past." Zoë said as Artemis gave a couple of nods, her silver eyes dazzling in the sunlight as she tried to think of some ideas.
"How about Windtulip?" Artemis asked as Zoë couldn't help but laugh at the suggestion as her giggled filled the air.
"I-Is it really that bad?" Artemis asked as Zoë couldn't help but nod through her giggles, her heart feeling less tense as Artemis gave a soft sigh.
"Then maybe Sunhunter?" Artemis asked as Zoë seemed to think about it yet an image of a frustrated Apollo appeared in his mind. The thought of him finding out made her giggle a bit but Zoë shook her head as Artemis sighed again.
"Hmm…" Artemis seemed to continue to think and work on her flower crown as Zoë stayed silent and did the same. The sound of birds singing in the air and the light wind against their skin made the moment as Zoë felt happy for the first time since she had been kicked out of her home. Remembering the terrible memories she shook her head a little as she pushed them to the back of her mind.
As time passed Artemis continued to suggest names yet Zoë didn't quite feel they were right or just not for her. Artemis didn't seem displeased though as she seemed to be enjoying trying to come up with a name for her friend. Finally Zoë had completed her flower crown and put it on her head as she let out a small laugh.
"It seems I won." She said as Artemis looked down at her nearly complete crown and then at Zoës as she gave a soft sigh. Silver eyes then met honey brown ones as both women couldn't help but start laughing as they locked eyes. Then Artemis looked at Zoë's crown and frowned a bit.
"You silly girl are you trying to poison yourself? Have I taught you nothing about deadly plants?" Artemis asked as Zoë froze, without warning Artemis reached over and took her crown off her head as Zoë blushed a bit. Artemis then pulled a few flowers out of the crown as she revealed it to Zoë as her embarrassment increased.
"Nightshade… a deadly but beautiful flower." Artemis said as Zoë nodded without saying a word as Artemis stared at the deadly flower. Her face then seemed to fall into thought as she ever so slowly raised up the flower to compare it to Zoë's face, which was currently beet red everything.
"M-Milady?" Zoë asked, seeing her goddess acting a bit funny as Artemis' mouth turned into a smile as she faced Zoë.
"How about Nightshade?" She asked as Zoë grew a bit confused by the question.
"Your last name, what about Nightshade? Has a night ring to it if you ask me, Zoë Nightshade hunter of Artemis." Artemis said as Zoë slowly blinked a few times as she quietly spoke the name to herself a few times. Suddenly a small tear fell from her eyes as Artemis' face was filled with worry as Zoë then started laughing and wiping away her tears.
"T-Thank you, I love it." Zoë said in a happy tone as her mouth turned into a smile yet her tears didn't stop as Artemis smiled as well. Clearly Zoë had some pent up emotions about her name and this seemed to help release them. After a bit Zoë finally regained a bit of composure as she let out a breath and wiped the remnants of her tears.
"Zoë Nightshade… Thank you milady. From now on I am Zoë Nightshade, hunter of Artemis." She said as Artemis gave a wonderful smile, she then reached over and placed her own flower crown which was now finished on top of Zoë's head.
"It is nice to meet you Zoë Nightshade, I hope we can be friends for a long time." Artemis said as Zoë gave a brilliant smile that caused the goddess herself to have a soft gold blush arise on her cheeks.
"Zoë, are you awake?" A soft voice suddenly filled Zoë's ears as her dream began to shake a bit, Zoë then looked over at the smiling Artemis the dream began to quake.
"It seems it is time for you to return." She said with a soft sigh as Zoë gave an apologetic smile.
"I had fun remembering something so dear to me, thank you milady." She as her hands rested on her chest as if holding the memory even closer. Then the dream began to finally break down as Artemis' smile widened.
"Anything for my friend and the person I care so much about." Artemis finished with a smile as the dream finally collapsed and then the void filled her mind.
Zoë then began to stir from sleep as her eyelids fluttered a few times, the memories of her dream still fresh in her mind as her eyes slowly fully opened. All that she saw was a dim light and a wood ceiling, slowly Zoë blinked a few more times as she tried to wake up more. Finally she was able to regain some composure as she found herself tucked into a bed in the big house. She honestly felt dazed for a bit as her memories from her dream stirred in her mind before remembering everything that just happened and shot up from her lying position.
"Don't get up! You are still injured!" A surprised voice yelled at her as Zoë suddenly felt a soreness spread throughout her entire body. Her side then let out a wave of pain that wrecked her body as Zoë let out a soft cry of pain as she tried to move more. Suddenly a pair of hands found her shoulders and pushed her down into the bed as she struggled a bit, yet she simply couldn't find the energy to fight back as she was held in place.
"T-The children." She said in a worried tone as the person holding her let out a soft sigh and let her go. Thankfully Zoë stayed put as she slowly looked up to find a pair of worry filled silver eyes that gazed down at her as she instantly recognized her goddess.
"They are fine, I promise on the moon. Hestia and Percy are both with them right now trying to calm them down. Dionysus may have done some emergency care but Asclepius is also on his way right now so don't worry." Artemis said as Zoë looked up at her, Zoë then realized Artemis appeared a bit ragged as her eyes were a bit puffy and her normally proper hair was messy. Zoë felt a pang in her heart seeing Artemis so ragged, part of Zoë blamed her actions the cause of her appearance as her lips quivered a bit.
"Artemis… I…" Zoë tried to find words to say but Artemis shook her head a little before she reached over and took Zoë's hand in hers as she gently held it. Zoë then realized Artemis' hands were shaking a bit as her heart clenched a bit more.
"You don't need to apologize for anything, what you did is nothing to be ashamed about. Luke turned against the gods and you simply tried to stop him. He may have gotten away with Hyperions help but that doesn't matter, all that matters is that you and the children are okay." Artemis said as she hung her head down so Zoë couldn't see her face, she then sniffed a bit as she tried to hold in her emotions as Zoë felt another wave of guilt in her heart.
"I'm sorry, I should have been more careful." Zoë whispered as Artemis let out a soft laugh before looking up at her with tears leaking out of her eyes.
"You big dummy. I said don't apologize, geez you are just like Percy... I didn't realize I would cry so much today, I must look awful." Artemis said as she tried to joke as she began wiping her tears away as Zoë felt her emotions stir. Part of her wanted to tell her sorry again and the other wanted to say she looked beautiful like she always did. Then she began to remember her dream.
"You know I had a wonderful dream while I slept." Zoë said in a soft tone as Artemis looked at her with a bit of curiosity.
"What was it about?" Artemis asked, wiping some of her tears away as Zoë looked over her goddess before closing her eyes and gripping Artemis hand a little tighter.
"It was about the day you helped me pick a last name out for me." Zoë whispered as Artemis' eyes flickered with a small light as memories appeared in her mind. Before she knew it Artemis let out a soft smile as she clenched Zoë's hand a little.
"I still think you were trying to poison yourself to this day." Artemis said to her in a small joking voice as Zoë grinned a little bit, her mind finally seeming to relax as she began to feel the tiredness set in again. Her half awake state seemed to auto pilot itself as she let out a soothing breath.
"Maybe I was, who knows. I know that even if I did, you would have helped me. But remembering it made me realize something." Zoë said as she in a soft tone as Artemis listened closely to Zoës words.
"I think that was the day I first realized I started to fall in love with you." Zoë admitted in her slight daze as Artemis' heart suddenly felt like it was nearly going to explode out of her chest. Hearing the words from Zoë herself made it feel like she could fly over the moon in happiness, it was then she realized Zoë's hand seemed to freeze as her heart rate increased rapidly.
"Umm… I mean… I uh… Oh gods." Zoë began to stutter suddenly as she suddenly realized what she said in her tired state as her eyes snapped open and met a pair of silver eyes. Her blush only increased as she saw Artemis' slightly frozen expression. Thousands of thoughts in her mind snapped her awake to her core as she wanted to find a place to hide. Sure she wanted to tell Artemis she loved her but… but not like this! At least wait until they reach a good point in a relationship!
"I… I felt the same way on that day." Suddenly a tiny whisper filled the air and fell on Zoë's ears as she froze yet again. Ever so slowly she turned to Artemis to find her goddess with a pure face of gold and embarrassment. Her body nervously moved as her silver eyes never dared to linger on Zoë for long, yet her hand remained in Zoë's as Artemis glanced at her and spoke again.
"I have felt l-love for you since that day as well. After talking with Percy and Hestia and everything about the harem. I came to terms with myself and my love for them and you. I-I might be a bit slow w-w-when it comes to showing my l-love s-so be easy on me." Artemis managed to get out while stuttering several times as Zoë just stared at her in shock.
Her normally proud and noble goddess was suddenly like a teenager in love for the first time. Then realization struck her as Zoë began to fiercely blush and her inner heart began to go wild, a millennia of love and feelings for Artemis finally came to fruition and she simply didn't know what to do. She was so nervous and happy at the same time, it was just like when she started to go out with Percy. Her mind was a mess but a very happy one.
"C-Can I hold your hand a bit longer?" Zoë asked in a timid voice as Artemis gave a tiny nod. Then ever so slowly Zoë and Artemis began to intertwine their fingers until both their fingers were fully intertwined. Each of them could feel a quick heartbeat from the other as they relished in the feeling of their soft hands. Then the two of them felt a small pull at the heart as a huge sense of joy spread in them.
"Oh my to think Zoë would beat us to handholding first." A quiet voice filled the quiet room as both goddess and demititan jumped in surprise. Quickly they looked over to see a grinning Percy and a smiling Hestia standing in the doorway to the room holding a passed out Zora and Ryder.
"Oh leave them be, this is a precious moment for them." Hestia chastised him as Percy just laughed a little and nodded. Zoë and Artemis could only blush as they quickly separated hands as if they were doing something bad as Hestia gave a soft sigh as she walked into the room and sat down as Zora clung to her softly
"We just wanted to bring the kids over for you to see, though they tuckered themselves out. Also you don't have to stop, you know. You are in the company of people who love you both, it isn't anything to be ashamed about." Hestia said as if giving her own personal advice with the warmest smile she could manage. Zoë and Artemis then glanced at one another before slowly reaching out and holding hands again as a small smile spread on Zoë's lips as Artemis blushed profusely. Zoë then gave her Artemis' hand a small squeeze as Artemis hesitated for a second but gave her one back.
"How are you feeling? I saw most of your injuries were healed but I'm still worried." Percy said as he walked over with a small smile on his face as he sat at the end of her bed as Zoë slowly raised an eyebrow at him.
"I am fine, just a bit tired… Why are you so short?" She couldn't help but ask as Hestia and Artemis couldn't hold back their laughter and snorted a little as Percy felt his lip twitch a bit.
TIMESKIP: Several weeks
PERCY POV:
"So tell me, how have things been in camp?" Chiron asked me as he added some more firewood to the firepit as I stared at the old centaur. Currently his nice suit was replaced with a very nice set of leather roman armor, his bow and arrow rested on his back as well.
"It is like someone important died, everyone is down in the dumps and even Mr. D started drinking twice the amount of diet coke." I said as Chiron gave a heavy sigh and threw more wood on the fire as the two of us remained silent.
"You know this is bullshit right?" I asked him as Chiron looked up from the fire as his aged eyes seemed to flicker a bit. His old face seemed to grow even older in the light of the fire as the fire crackled.
"Percy language please, also yes I can't help but agree the decision by the council is aggravating." He said with a slightly angry tone as I felt anger boil inside me.
"Aren't you furious? Zoë saw Luke by the tree when it was poisoned, his blade even had poison on it! All because you were unaccounted for a short period of time! I was even told a huge part of it was because you are a child of Kronos! So is half the council, those fucking hypocrites." I angrily yelled as Chiron stayed silent as the fire continued to crackle before he threw another piece on.
"I am indeed angry, but I know that things will solve themselves as time progresses. Also I would be careful with what you say Percy, the council is far from what they used to be but they are still powerful." He said as I frowned a bit before letting out a sigh and rubbing my head. Chiron simply glanced my way before thinking for a second.
"Percy, is it alright if I give you a bit of my wisdom?" Chiron asked me as I raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"When talking about something, try to understand as much of the topic as you can. The council is indeed… imperfect. But try to understand why it is the way it is, dig deeper and expand your knowledge before making the final decision. If you don't you will find yourself making choices you will regret for the rest of your life." He said in a calm tone that seemed to sink into my very bones as I felt a shiver up my spine a little.
"I have grown to know you very well Perseus, I simply don't wish to see you make decisions like the council. So try to understand them and do not judge them for every decision they have made, the past cannot be undone. You will find pettiness runs through the gods like their own Ichor, yet as long as they feel true regret and wish to change I feel forgiveness can be given to them." He finished as he tossed another piece of wood in the fire.
"... What if their decisions were too cruel or absolutely heinous?" I asked him in a silent tone as I paused for a second.
"Are you one to judge if something is cruel or heinous if you do not share the same morals as them?" He asked me as I felt my jaw clench a little, for some reason what he said sounded extremely similar to what Poseidon told me on that day.
"Then how can I forgive them if I cannot judge them?" I asked him as Chiron nodded a little and smiled.
"That is why I am telling you to understand Percy, for if you understand them and their morals you can forgive them and judge them. Just give it some thought for now and decide what you will do with this knowledge at a later date." He said mysteriously as I just stared at Chiron for a bit before nodding a little.
"Thank you Chiron, I will give it some thought." I said as Charon chuckled a little before pausing a little.
"Though there is one thing to be wary of." He added with a serious look in his eyes as I grew curious.
"Sometimes there are things that do not align with any morals and cannot be judged. Never try to understand that for that is insanity and it will only corrupt your mind if you do." He said in a tone so cold that it sent a chill down his brown eyes that seemed to burrow into me as I nodded quickly. Chiron then gave me a soft smile as he stretched his upper half a little.
"Ah nothing like telling someone a good life lesson." He said as I couldn't help but laugh as he just shot me a grin as the mood began to lighten. With that both of us began to cook the food that Chiron had caught as we chatted about a few things in camp. One thing being how Tantalus had been chosen as the new camp counselor much to everyone's disappointment. Chiron honestly seemed more displeased about his replacement than the council giving him the boot.
He simply went over a few things with me to tell the cabin leaders in secret to spread to the others, like actually making sure to listen to Tantalus but be safe. He also told me to make sure Mr. D didn't send him back to the fields of punishment, he said if Tantalus was the best option for his replacement then the others would only be worse. He also asked about Zora and Ryder getting into the school and I was happy to say they both got accepted.
He even gave me a few names of the teachers who I could trust with any issues if something happened with them. Then we got to talking about what his next plans were, though he seemed a bit embarrassed he said he was going to live with his cousins for the moment. I wasn't 100% sure but there was one group of centaurs I knew about in the USA, if these were the cousins he was talking about I could only imagine them next to Chiron as it nearly made me laugh. Thankfully I was able to keep it under control for the moment as we kept talking.
"Also Annabeth and Nick have come to me about personally training them, I am not quite sure on how to handle it. Any suggestions?" I asked him as Chiron gave a thoughtful face as he pursed her lips a bit as if trying to think of the perfect solution.
"Nick is a decent swordsman and his water powers have already begun to develop but he needs to learn control. I suggest starting with a blade technique that is good for controlling the momentum of a battle while for his powers I would start off small. Have him control only a cup of water to do several difficult tasks and go from there. Also be sure to work with his fatal flaw as well if you can, loyalty can be a hard thing to overcome just be sure he knows who's hands to place it in." He quickly said as I internally noted down all the information he just said as he continued to think.
"For our dear Annabeth she is a brilliant child who is far too smart for her age, it gives her a sense of pride that only stacks on the one she gets from her mother. Her knife work is excellent but I feel the girl should expand her reach into other weapons as well. Hmm… after Luke turned traitor I suspect she is full of anger so let her unleash it all and while doing so crush her pride. As harsh as it sounds it is the best option for her, her pride will only get her killed if she allows it to snowball. Show her that she is not the best out there, show her that she has further room to grow and excel." He said as I tacked more onto my list as I felt a little sorry for her, sorry Annabeth, Chiron's orders.
"Leave it to the best immortal trainer out there to say things like crushing a person's pride." I said jokingly as he looked down at me with a glint in his eyes as I suddenly felt a bit of sweat run down my back.
"Don't think I have forgotten you Percy, if I were to put my finger on it you have two major fatal flaws you need to work on. One is your loyalty, though you are the opposite of Nick in a sense. While he places his loyalty in many, you place yours in few. All you need to do is learn to trust others, strangers, people you barely know, etc. If you don't, you will never be able to live a normal life." He said as I grimaced a little, how was he able to hit the nail on the head so well! Damn you Chiron and your attention to details!
"Secondly is your rage, I am more than sure you are aware of this and what needs to be done with it. Control of your emotions is key, you are an incredibly powerful demigod. Your rage carries with it the power to harm those you do not wish to, learn to control that and you will be able to handle more than you could ever know." Chiron finished the last part in a serious voice as he stared down at me. I just looked into his brown eyes before I scratched my head a little and nodded.
"Fine you got me, I know. Zoë has already spoken with me about it." I said as Chiron nodded before ever so slowly revealing a grin on his mouth.
"What about Artemis and Hestia?" He casually asked me as I sighed again.
"They both have you don't have to wor-." I suddenly found my tongue frozen as my eyes widened drastically before I looked up at Chiron as his grin widened.
"Haha I knew it! The winds never lie." He said confidently the centaur proudly gave me a grin as he took up one of the rabbits we had cooked and bit into it.
"W-What? How? We kept it so well of a secret! Y-You can't tell anyone Chiron." I begged him as the immortal trainer rolled his eyes a little.
"Please like I would tell anyone, though next time if you are going on a walk with them hand in hand on a nature walk. Make sure there are no nosy nymphs floating around, also don't worry about the nymph who told me. I managed to be the first person she found, a couple of dramacha for an oath on the styx was enough for her." He said as I face palmed a bit, I needed to let the two know to make preparations next time.
"Thanks Chiron I owe you one." I said with a sigh as he gave me a smile of his own as he handed over the other rabbit to me.
"I think that owe you one is going to be cashed in right now, give me all the details. How did you get the two major virgin goddesses of Olympus to be in a relationship with you?" He asked me with genuine curiosity and I felt my eyebrow twitch a little.
"Never knew you were one for drama, you sound like a child of Aphrodite." I said Chiron suddenly seemed to choke on his food and began to cough as he tried to get some air in his lungs.
"D-Did Zoë tell you?" He asked me as he still coughed a little.
"Did Zoë tell me what?" I asked him genuinely curious as he paused for a bit before wiping his mouth a little.
"Is this what they call karma?" He asked himself as I genuinely grew a bit confused.
"You hit your head or something Chiron?" I asked him as I took a bite out of my rabbit to find it perfectly cooked as Chiron looked at me and cleared his throat.
"It's nothing, anyways details please. How did you do it?" He asked me as I huffed a little bit before thinking for a minute. I only occasionally glanced at Chiron as memories flooded my mind, ones of years past and my mother and family. Soon a decision was made up in my mind before I gave a nod and faced Chiron.
"I will tell you everything but you have to swear an oath." I said as Chiron nodded in understanding.
"Of course, I Chiron swear on the Styx to never-."
"Not the Styx." I said as I cut off Chiron as he gave me an interesting look. At the same time I looked around and sent out my aura as it encased us both in a private little bubble where nobody could hear what we were talking about.
"Then what do I swear on?" He asked me as he glanced at the bubble as I looked at him.
"I need you to swear on your essence that whatever I tell you stays between us unless I say you can tell others." I said as Chiron started into my eyes for a few seconds as if he was trying to look for something before nodding and making his oath. Once it was done a glow encased his body and then quickly disappeared.
"So tell me Percy what is so important that I needed to make such an oath?" Chiron questioned me as took a breath.
"My true mother is Chaos, creator of the universe."
A/N: Hello everyone! I hoped you enjoyed the chapter, if you did leave I review I really love them! Also I hope you enjoyed our epic battle with Zoë and the wonderful lovey dovey drama with Artemis and her. I am Planning on some focus chapters for the girls to kind express their powers a bit better! Also if you can guess what the halo circlet that Zoë managed to summon I will be very surprised, it is plot related lol. Anyways I hope everyone leaves a review!
E/N: I am so sorry I hindered this chapter from being posted for so long! (Over a week now!) I have been getting the move situated and getting my car (kind of) so life picked up rather quickly! I am here though I promise! I will try to make sure I edit (I am currently doing this at like 1:30 am my time). I just need to get a better job, my current environment is toxic! ANYWAYS!!! Rambling aside, I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter, and please review! We love reading your reviews (or laughing at the bad ones)!! - Sol