Yep, we're really doing this. More mentions of rape in this chapter, you've been warned.

Artemis:

The aforementioned shocked silence that had enveloped the throne room over the course of the meeting was violently dispelled the moment Eros disapperated. Accusations were flung, tears were shed, weapons were drawn (again). The reactions were polarizing. Hephaestus had his head in his hands, Zeus was screaming bloody murder about "JACKSON," Aphrodite only continued to sob, and Artemis herself felt the color drain from her face as she was met with both questioning looks and scathing glares. The questioning looks category seemed to be led by Poseidon whereas the scathing glare category was firmly led by Athena.

Before either of them could say anything, the Throne Room got several decibels quieter very quickly, as Zeus had stopped his screaming in lieu of staring at Artemis. He pitched his tent somewhere in between the questioning look and scathing glare camp, fixing his expectant stare on her with just a hint of barely contained anger in his eyes. "Daughter," he boomed, causing even Aphrodite's sobs to stop temporarily. "What, exactly, was Eros referring to when he mentioned the Jackson boy?"

Artemis massaged her temples. She didn't want to break the news to anyone yet, much less her violent father and overprotective brother. Apollo and Percy seemed to be on good terms, before the whole Annabeth incident. But Zeus . . .

She raised her head. "When I was sent to capture Perseus around three months ago, he was able to prove his innocence to me, or at least the closest thing you could get in this kind of case. Perseus and I had already been maintaining a somewhat close relationship in his time on Olympus, quickly becoming friends. We trained together, sparred, he became the closest thing I've had to a male friend since Orion. I–" she stuttered, even more color somehow leaving her already snow-white face. Gathering her resolve, she continued. "I knew about his domains before they were found by the council. I aided him in training them, making them stronger." Her eyes hardened, that steely resolve she employed so often on her many hunts through the millenia, finally showing itself. She wasn't like Aphrodite over there, blubbering and weak. She was the goddess of the hunt. "And I don't regret it either. Eros was right. I am in love with Percy." Despite the gasps from the rest of the Gods, despite the enraged look that invaded Zeus's visage, she continued, defiant. "And I'm willing to fight beside him in order to preserve his life, as I believe that he is the key to the prophecy."

Shocked silence once again descended. Zeus looked as if he was about to explode. Before he could say anything, Hephaestus spoke, causing many heads to whip in his direction.

"I believe he didn't do it as well. Percy delivered his testimony to me as well. Not only did he not have a motive, but he claimed that Annabeth seemed crazed, insane. She harmed herself, threatened to rape him. It's very possible that Eros influenced her, heightening her desire. This is in line with a dream recounted by one of Artemis's hunters in which two shadowy figures whispered in her ears until she collapsed. One figure is Gaea, the other is Eros. Plus, the bruises up and down her arms were small, too small to possibly result from Percy's fists. The evidence is insurmountable, Lord Zeus."

Zeus's eyes flashed dangerously. "You dare challenge my power?"

Artemis yelped as Zeus hurled his master bolt towards a shell shocked Hephaestus. Bracing himself, he threw up his arms, a shield forming around them. It was plated with imperial gold and celestial bronze, and a third, darker metal – Stygian Iron, by Artemis's estimate. It was decorated with a great, black mountain of Stygian iron, with a large pit of imperial gold and celestial bronze fire in the center. The only reason Artemis was able to spend so long admiring the clearly time consuming craftsmanship of the shield was the fact that the master bolt never met its mark. It froze just inches before Hephaestus's shield. The crackling that had filled the air mere seconds before had fallen silent, revealing yet more silence in the throne room (seriously, Aphrodite not talking was working wonders) as Zeus's expression turned from triumphant to shocked. His surprise only grew as the bolt slowly began to return to his hand, unprompted by him.

"WHAT IS THIS?" he roared.

The doors to the throne room boomed open. In walked a man in pitch black armor with a cape to match billowing behind him. The armor was elegant, chiseled, and large. It was clear that either a big or strong being was housed within it. Despite its weight, the creature moved soundlessly with it. As for his face, it was obscured by a hood. When it lifted its head, its helm was revealed to be pitch dark as well, made of honeycomb-like hexagons and mandible looking things near where its mouth appeared to be. It raised one hand and the doors closed behind him, reverting to their original closed state. As it did so, a Δ and a Ψ could be seen glowing in red light on the armor, drawing a shriek from Hera and causing Athena's eyes to narrow.

"Vigilante."

The thing let out a guttural laugh. Zeus's master bolt was sailing towards it in an instant, yet the creature held out its hand, freezing the bolt midair once again. Drawing a sword made seemingly of Stygian Iron, the being struck the bolt before it unfroze, redirected towards the pristine ceiling. It struck, taking a sizable chunk out of the magically reinforced structure. Artemis only watched as the creature raised its hand, causing the rubble from the ceiling to return to its place of origin, returning the throne room to the state it had been in seconds before. The bolt flew back into Zeus's hand as the creature made his way to the center of the throne room.

"What are you?" Zeus asked, something like fear creeping in on the edge of his tone.

The creature drew its twin Stygian blades before dispelling the glamour placed on them, revealing twin swords of Imperial gold and Celestial bronze. Artemis's eyes widened in recognition, and her shock only grew as its— no, his armor began to morph into those black and grey plates she'd seen so often in her training. She looked at Hephaestus, who wore nothing but a grim smile, which she in turn matched. She turned back to the man in the center of the hall just in time to see him take off his helmet, revealing a mop of black hair and sea green eyes. Percy Jackson had arrived.

Percy

The moment he had heard Eros mention his name, Percy flashed to the Empire State Building's lobby, freezing time around him so he could slip into the elevator unnoticed. Keeping the steady, lagless stream that Hephaestus provided him through his helmet going all the way up. Realizing the urgency of the situation as he saw Zeus's expression change during Artemis's speech, he sped up to a sprint. He drank up her words like nectar, and despite the current circumstances he felt something warm in his chest as he continued his mad dash for the throne room of Olympus. He reached the doors just in time for Hephaestus to begin talking, pausing to catch his breath. Percy watched intently as Hephaestus spoke, and his eyes widened as he saw Zeus rear back his master bolt. Throwing his hand out instinctually, Percy halted the bolt's rapid descent. Rage invading his person, he growled out a single word: Phobos. As his armor began to change to the darker shade he knew so well, now complete with a pitch black cape, he returned the bolt to Zeus's unsuspecting grasp. As Zeus roared, Percy threw open the doors, calmly walking into the throne room. Once upon a time, he would have blanched at every Olympian staring at him in surprise, but now . . . he brought the doors back to a time when they were shut and willed his symbols to glow, feeling more powerful with every step. He laughed at the gasps Athena's proclamation issued from the council, and calmly deflected Zeus's bolt before returning the throne room to several seconds ago when it wasn't destroyed. He finally stopped at the center of the throne room, waiting.

"What are you?"

Smiling, Percy whispered "hēméra," and his armor began to transfer back to Daylight form. He drew his swords, dispelling the glamour around them. Satisfied, he sheathed them, and took off his helmet as the armor finished its transformation. Upon seeing him, the throne room erupted. All Percy could do was shoot Artemis a sheepish grin as she looked upward to hide her exasperated smile. Of course Artemis had known. She'd seen him those months ago after he had attacked Hera, despite his attempt to hide it from her . . .

Percy had just finished watching the council meeting regarding both Hera's violation and the prophecy. Absentmindedly melting his armor back into the gauntlet, he pondered the meaning of the prophecy. Artemis was right, of course, he had a lot to do with the prophecy. Even in the unlikely event that he wasn't the fugitive mentioned, he certainly was the vigilante. His thoughts were interrupted as Artemis appeared in front of him, and, much to his surprise, slapped him across the face.

Percy stumbled backwards, clutching his rapidly reddening cheek. "What was that for?"

Artemis rolled her eyes, an angry blush forming on her cheeks. "You flash back to your basecamp late last night, wearing stranger armor so that even I can barely hear you. You switch back to your normal armor in a panic when you hear me, then act like nothing's out of the ordinary. Then, today, Hera describes some pitch black assassin who came into her bedchambers and stuffed her whoreholes, and I'm meant to just sit back and stay quiet?"

Percy had taken on a blush of his own as she continued. "You're lucky you're going to be part of whatever this prophecy is, or you won't ever need to worry about taking my oath."

Percy's first reaction was to either smile or shrink back against the tree behind him. He fought the urge to do either, but still slumped his head in defeat. "I'm sorry Artemis. She insulted not only your honor, and Thalia's, but that of every child of Zeus. I punished her in the way I believed harshest, taking a shot at Zeus as well, exposing him for an uncaring husband. I'll admit that I may have been a bit overzealous, especially considering what we have, but I felt the need to punish them both for what they've done."

Artemis's blush became slightly more noticeable to Percy as she realized what he had done was to preserve her honor. "Fine," she conceded, "your heart was in the right place. Just maybe for the rest of your vigilante-ing you could stay away from the . . ." her blush deepened as she trailed off.

Percy allowed himself a smile at that. "Yeah yeah, I'm sorry. I wouldn't want you to get jealous," he said with a wink.

Artemis just laughed, pushing his face away playfully. Percy's smile grew. She smelled like cinnamon, and pine, and . . . ozone?

Percy snapped out of his little spell of daydreaming just in time to stop Zeus's master bolt from slamming into his face. He fixed a sneer on the King of the Gods, rolling his eyes. "You really just aren't going to learn, are you?"

Zeus held out his hand, and Percy felt a tug in his gut as the bolt attempted to return to its master, but Percy held strong. Zeus's eyes narrowed as Percy began to speak, addressing the Gods. "I do not wish to fight. Athena was right about me, what I did as a vigilante may have been brutal, but it was always to teach a lesson." He looked to Hera, the anger in her eyes burning hot. He bowed deeply to her, continuing: "Lady Hera, I apologize for your treatment, I'll admit that I was a bit overzealous in my retribution." Watching the anger cool ever so slightly, he slipped out of his bow and continued to address the council. "I'm here to help, because if Eros truly is the enemy then you're going to need all the help you can get. It is clear that I am the vigilante and the fugitive mentioned in the prophecy. I'm pretty valuable to have on your side."

Athena spoke up. "The prophecy also says we lie defeated. We are willing to take any measures we can to keep that from happening, including destroying you where you stand."

Percy finally allowed the bolt return to Zeus's grasp, snarling at Athena. "I'd love to see you try."

Apollo was the next to speak, stopping Athena from rising from her throne. "We can't take matters into our own hands when it comes to prophecies. It never works. Plus it says we gotta set him free."

Zeus finally chimed in, growling. "It doesn't say WE need to set him free. Plus, 'setting him free' could mean anything. You know, some say that fading is the ultimate freedom." The god's eyes glowed as the bolt crackled. He stepped off his throne and walked towards Percy.

Percy drew his own swords, growing to Zeus's size. "I don't want to fight, Zeus. That has far larger implications. A Civil War is the last thing the gods need right now. However, if it means preserving Olympus, I'll kick your ass."

Zeus managed a laugh. "Civil War? Who could possibly be on your side?"

Percy gestured at the throne room. Artemis had her bow drawn, pointing at Zeus's head. Apollo had followed suit. Hephaestus had his hammer out, pointing it towards Zeus. Athena had her knives out, leveling them towards Percy as she rose to her feet. Ares had his sword leveled towards Percy's neck, and Hera also stood, moving to her husband's side. The rest of the council remained seated and silent, glancing around at each other with uncertainty.

Locking eyes with Percy once more, Zeus growled quietly. "Swear on the Styx to serve me."

Percy matched his ferocity. "My allegiance is to Olympus. To democracy!"

"If you are not with me, then you are my enemy."

"Lord Zeus, should you become a threat to Olympus, a threat to the integrity of this council . . . I will do what I must."

Hera spoke up, attempting to diffuse the situation. "Zeus, please, just make him swear an oath to Olympus. You don't need to make him an Olympian, or to place him on this council, or anything like that. Just recognize his power and send him on his way, oath sworn."

Zeus considered it. "No," he replied, not taking his eyes off Percy. "He is too much of a threat. He–"

"That's not up to you." Zeus and Percy's heads both whipped towards Artemis, bow still ready to fire. "This kind of vote should go to the council. It is too important to fall solely to you, king or no."

Holding her gaze for a moment longer, Zeus relented, stalking back to his throne. The council let out a collective sigh of relief as they returned to their seats, some more reluctant to do so than others.

"We'll take it to a vote," Zeus boomed. "If you are in favor of releasing Perseus under oath, say 'Aye.' If you are in favor of imprisoning him for his crimes, say 'nay.' I will begin. "Nay."

0-1.

Hera was next. "Nay." Percy sighed. I guess she just didn't want me dead.

0-2.

Poseidon was up. "Aye." Percy shot his dad a grateful look.

1-2.

Next was Demeter. She regarded Percy carefully. "You are a good man. However, you still need to pay for what you've done to my sister. Nay."

1-3.

Athena's turn. "Nay."

1-4.

Apollo shot Percy a smile. "Aye."

2-4.

Artemis gave him a reassuring glance. "Aye."

3-4.

Ares smiled cruelly. "Nay."

3-5.

Hephaestus looked at him rather grimly. "Aye."

4-5.

Aphrodite dried her tears. "If there is a means to control the prophecy regarding my domains, I want it in our hands. Nay."

Percy blanched. 4-6.

Hermes regarded Percy plainly. "I'll never forget what you did for Luke. Aye."

5-6.

Dionysus stood up. "Percy Jackson," he said with a smile. "You are a true hero. Aye."

6-6. Percy smiled with relief, looking to Artemis. She had a grave look on her face. Looking back at Zeus, Percy was confused to see him wearing a triumphant smile. "Tie goes to the king!"

Percy immediately deployed his armor and drew his swords, snarling. Zeus reared back his master bolt, ready to swing, and Percy froze it. He saw Ares beginning to move out of the corner of his eye, and froze him, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He still had plenty of power left, and was prepared to rush Zeus, fighting more for his own survival than anything else. He was about to go when Hephaestus shouted something, pointing over Percy's shoulder. Before he could do anything, rope fastened around his body. Zeus's master bolt clattered to the ground. Ares, enraged, was unfrozen. He began to rush Percy and was found with Hephaestus's hammer to his throat. Percy turned wildly, only to see Athena, smiling as she wrapped Hephaestus's golden rope around his body once. That's all it took to strip him of his power. Percy looked to Hephaestus, who was shaking his head. Percy shot him a forgiving nod. Then he met Artemis's eyes. Her hand was on her bow. Percy just shook his head, smiling. His armor morphed into the now standard jeans and hoodie, he capped his swords and put them in his pockets.

"Such insolence, and such power." Zeus said smiling. He came closer to Percy as Athena stepped away, so that only he could hear. "If it were up to me, you'd be dead where you stand. But you're right. Civil War is the last thing the gods need right now. It's a good thing the main aggressor is headed to Tartarus." He stepped back, addressing the council. "The prisoner will be allowed to keep his armor and his weapons. He would be able to summon them back anyway. He will be kept in Tartarus, the only suitable place for beings of his power to be contained. Of the six who voted for him to be imprisoned, is there any objection?"

Percy looked to Artemis, the throne room silent. She met his eyes with worry. He stared back lovingly, trying in earnest to memorize every detail of her face. He could vaguely hear Zeus's voice through the haze. "No?"

Tears sprung to Artemis's eyes.

"Well, if nobody objects, goodbye, Perseus Jackson."

Percy only had time to mouth "I love you" before his world fell out from under him and everything went black.

Yep. Brutal. I suppose it's a law of the series that Percy has to end up in Tartarus one way or another. I'll be free to show off how badass Percy is without killing anyone important, and though he might be overpowered at first he'll certainly tire after a bit. Plus it's been YEARS since I've written a fight scene, I'm long overdue. As always, read, review, and suggest. Thanks guys.

~A